Free Oedipus the King Essays: Missing Fathers :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus the King - Missing Fathers Though they appear briefly or not at all in Oedipus the King, Oedipus get down figures play very important roles in Oedipus life. Laius, Polybus, and the shepherds may be considered Oedipus father figures. Each of these characters could have kept Oedipus from facing his horrible fate by doing something a little bit differently. Though mentioned several times throughout the play, but being absent from the stage, Laius, Oedipus biological father, started things off on a bad remark with his decision to leave it to another person to kill Oedipus. If Laius were to kill Oedipus himself, nothing would have happened. Another option for Laius would have been to imprison Oedipus and throw away the key, thereby keeping Oedipus alive and knowledgeable who his father is but harmless to do anything. Either way things wouldnt have been too enjoyable for Oedipus, but surely bring out than what eventually happened. Appearing for a short and influential part in the play but mentioned little otherwise, the shepherd did not make things any punter for Oedipus and his future. If the shepherd had done what he was commanded to do, kill Oedipus, everything would have turned out for the better for all parties involved. Instead of killing Oedipus, the shepherd felt sorry for him and gave him to a Corinthian shepherd from Corinth who, not knowing what the babys fate was, gave him to King Polybus. This would later turn against Oedipus because of his ignorance of who his real parents are. Briefly mentioned and never seen, the most influential of Oedipus father figures, Polybus could be seen as guilty or innocent when it comes to his part in dealing with Oedipus fate. On the guilty side, Polybus lied to Oedipus telling him that he was his real father, causing Oedipus to maneuver away and eventually run into his fate. At this time Oedipus was old enough to deal with the truth. On the innocent side, you could say that Polybus was totally ignorant and had no intellect of why Oedipus was asking him this question. Being childless also caused Polybus to lie to Oedipus thinking that if Oedipus found out that Polybus wasnt his real father that he might loose use up in his family and search for his biological family. On the other hand if Oedipus had told Polybus what had been predicted about himself, Polybus would have told him right away that he wasnt his father and that Laius was his true father.

Cant We All Just Get Along?: Competition Essays -- essays research pap

Cant We All Just Get Along? CompetitionIn our country, everything is tryout by competition. From basic familyroles, to sporting events, to economic well-being. It is this belligerentnature that makes us able to better ourselves, and others. Competition is thedriving force that pushes one forward. However, assume our res publica werecooperative in nature. What would that be like? Would it be a better placethan the competitive world of today?First there must be a clear understanding of just how this competitivenature affects our everyday lives. Nearly every aspect of our day hascompetitive under tones. Some of this competitive nature is unknowing to theperson at the time. For instance, a school is one of the best demonstrationsof competitive nature at play. W...

The Rage of Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay example -- essays res

In William Shakespeares play The Tfaddy of settlement, Prince of Denmark, though the protagonist Hamlet pretends to be mad as he seeks retaliation for the murder of his father, he is suffering from depression and a barely contained rage towards the people closest to him as revealed in his treatment of Gertrude and Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Polonius and Claudius. The barely concealed rage he feels towards his mother, lover, friends and uncle leads to their death and his own. This bitterness towards everyone makes his conversations with other characters seem to be very cold, especially towards his mother, Gertrude, and Ophelia.Hamlets behavior towards Ophelia and Gertrude shows his contempt and distrust of women. Though Hamlet loves his mother, O heart, lose not thy nature (1363), he is wounded and flabbergasted by her hasty marriage. He says, Frailty, thy name is woman, meaning that he views women as morally weak creatures (1316). His inference of innate womanly weakness is exemplified in Ophelia. When she follows her fathers instructions to not give words...

Narrative vs. Montage Essay -- essays research papers

Each film has a distinct purpose associated with it. Whether this purpose is as simple as teaching children a valuable lesson or as complex as criticizing a societys barriers, at that place atomic number 18 explicit goals which must be discerningly conveyed. There are specific elements to filmmaking which are designed to contribute to the goals set forth when making a film. Such elements include what would be considered esthetics of astonishment, or striking images, editing conflict and other techniques associated with montage filmmaking. Each of these techniques imprint a thought or logic on a film a kind of watermark that pushes the film itself towards the accomplishment of the original goals. Regardless of the need for the completion of these higher goals, a directors ability to keep a viewers undivided attention is crucial to the success of a film. Each viewer must remain fascinated from start to finish by the plot and characters, or he willing lose interest in the film. S o, when a film relies on a strong narrative base to keep its audience captivated, there is little room for variation from the elements which depict the story best. Striking montage images or techniques, if not carefully placed, can have a tendency to coin the viewers eye from the progression of the narrative and turn their thought to something else.Quite often, montage aspects of a film are deliberately placed to cabal specific thoughts or feelings. Such techniques can be employed to even go so far as to provide an alternate connotation to an answer than what the average viewer would normally formulate. Parallelism is a method designed to do just that. This technique allows directors to have his audience associate a one action or event with a secondary action or event. The Strike parallels the slaughter of a cow and the execution of factory workers to generate a deeper emotion than one would normally associate with murder. The audience does not view the execution as merely mass murder, but instead they compare the soldiers to a butcher and connect the murder itself to something heartless and revolting a slaughter. The Strike seems to tastefully use this method to strengthen the purpose of the film itself a reflection of murder and execution. There is, however a fine line between what is tasteful and what is not. If this techniqu... ...en were sickened by the excessive visual conflict. Needless to say, these flashes took a significant get of attention away from the narrative itself, and one can safely assume that such an event would tend to make a film rather unpopular.If the aesthetics of astonishment are not employed whatsoever, the film loses its purpose and becomes an empty recital of the actions of its characters. This deems the striking montage elements necessary. If these elements are overdone, then the audience can and will lose sight of the narrative element. Should this cause the audience to lose interest in the film altogether, then the film is a failure and the director loses credibility. The to the highest degree important aspect of creating a film is finding a healthy medium between completing the objective of the film and presenting the narrative. Directors are responsible for word-painting the necessary montage elements in a film while avoiding creating what Gunning describes as an excess of mimesis (FTC). One could argue that this very conflict is what distinguishes films that find this medium as great films. Books used to support this paperFilm Theory and CriticismFilm Art

Maturing In The Faith :: essays research papers

In the course of reading Chapter 1 of our book, I came across something that I have slamn all along but taken for granted, as though it was not more important than my upcoming doctor&8217s appointment. It is the simple yet breaking fact that I do not know what I believe in, or rather, I know what I believe, but I don&8217t exactly know why I believe. And I am not alone in my plight. Most Filipinos, unfortunately, are guilty of this folly. We all have faith in God, not because we know the Sacred Scriptures to the letter, not because we know and live the Word. We believe because, quite simply put, we were brought up in Catholic households, and educated in Catholic schools, and what sticks to our minds is that to be a good Christian, we must have faith in God. We get too extreme about it at times and take things too literally that we miss too more points.To be fair, our faith is &8220genuine, as the book also said. We truly believe in God and we all try to live as good Catholics cu d every Sunday, rosary with the family every night, we go to confession and retreats, and we pray when we wake in the morning and before going to bed. But sadly, another(prenominal) than those &8220routine elements of being Christian, close of us do not really understand what the Bible avows, or what the priests are preaching, or what really is the will of God. Neither do we involve ourselves with other people who are part of the Church. Not to mention, how we seem to think less of non-Catholics, instead of trying to share what we are all supposed to know, the Word of God. A friend told me about a conversation he had, the other person saying that non-Christians will never enter the kingdom of God. He was dead serious when he said this, which made me wonder if we, in fact, are better than the non-believers, or if we are any different at all. I can say with a clear conscience, because I believe it to be true, that I have faith in God. What I cannot reconcile myself with, is the un deniable fact that I wish insight into what I believe in. I will not be able to go out and tell another person about how the living liberates me, because even as I know this, I do not completely understand it.

Maturing In The Faith :: essays research papers

In the course of reading Chapter 1 of our book, I came across something that I have cognize whole along but stockn for granted, as though it was not more important than my upcoming doctor&8217s appointment. It is the simple yet breaking fact that I do not know what I believe in, or rather, I know what I believe, but I don&8217t exactly know why I believe. And I am not alone in my plight. Most Filipinos, unfortunately, are guilty of this folly. We all have faith in God, not because we know the Sacred Scriptures to the letter, not because we know and live the Word. We believe because, quite simply put, we were brought up in Catholic households, and educated in Catholic schools, and what sticks to our minds is that to be a good Christian, we must have faith in God. We get too extreme ab disclose it at times and take things too literally that we miss too m either points.To be fair, our faith is &8220genuine, as the book also said. We truly believe in God and we all try to live as g ood Catholics mass every Sunday, rosary with the family every night, we go to confession and retreats, and we pray when we wake in the morning and sooner going to bed. But sadly, other than those &8220routine elements of being Christian, most of us do not sincerely understand what the Bible says, or what the priests are preaching, or what really is the will of God. Neither do we involve ourselves with other people who are part of the Church. Not to mention, how we seem to think less of non-Catholics, instead of trying to piece what we are all supposed to know, the Word of God. A friend told me about a conversation he had, the other person saying that non-Christians will never enter the kingdom of God. He was dead serious when he said this, which made me wonder if we, in fact, are better than the non-believers, or if we are any different at all. I can say with a clear conscience, because I believe it to be true, that I have faith in God. What I cannot reconcile myself with, is the undeniable fact that I lack insight into what I believe in. I will not be able to go out and tell another person about how the Spirit liberates me, because even as I know this, I do not completely understand it.

Management Info System

20/11 In this exercise, you will use spreadsheet software to disassemble company financial statements and create interprets important financial entropy As part of your analysis of the company for the management, you have been asked to analyze data on filthiness Bikess financial performance and prepare a report for management . Review dickhead Bikess selected financial data in the introduction to Dirt Bikess, which can be found at the laudon web site .There you will find Dirt Bikess income statement and summary balance sheet data from 2002/2006, and total domestics versus internationalistic sales between2002 and 2006 Use your spreadsheet software to create graphs of Dirt Bikess sales history from 2002 to 2006 and its domestics versus international sales from 2002 to 2006 select the type of graph that is most appropriate for presenting the data you are analyzing.Use the instruction at the laudon web site and your spreadsheet software to calculate the gross and net margins in Dirt Bikess income statements from 2004 to 2006. You can also create graphs showing trends in selected pieces of Dirt Bikess income statement and balance sheet data if you wish (You may want to arrange the historical ordering of the data if you decide to do this) 1. What are dirt Bikess best-and worst- performing products? What is the proportion of domestic to international sales?Have international sales grown relative to domestic sales? 2. Are sales (revenues) growing steadily, and, if so, at what rate? What is the cost of goods sold compared to revenues? Is it increasing or change magnitude? Are the firms gross and net margins increasing or decreasing? Is the firm heavily in debt? Does he have sufficient assets to gestate for operational expenses and to finance the development of new products and information systems? 3. Prepare a slide show that summarizes your analysis of dirt Bikess performance

Wireless Power Transmission Technologies For Solar Power Environmental Sciences Essay

Abstract- The chief opening of the readiness in our life comes from fossil furnishs, which is a non-re overboldable resource moreover it produces senior high run deplete of carbonic acid gas. One of the solutions to worldwide energy crises is development of geosynchronous orbit solar former orbiters ( SPS ) .It provides a clean and efficient beginning of energy by turn uping the solar place from infinite and so transporting it to the Earth. This is a new beginning of clean energy. Space solar personnel can work out our energy and nursery gas processions jobs. Space solar power can supply long measures of energy to each and every individual on Earth with truly small environmental impact. The clip mean power per unit country in infinite is 5-10 times turgidr than that on the fetch, while the power sacking for the radio receiver power transmission/reception is evaluate less than 50 % .This paper provides a reappraisal on the presently formu newd engineerings like cook power transmission remains, laser power transmitting and the intercrossed power transmittal systems for transmittal of solar power to the Earth from SPS. It besides talks about the effects on forgiving wellness and environment due to SPS. Finally the paper suggests the development of a staff of life board modelA for atomiseA radio power transmittal ( WPT ) . The intents of utilizing this bread board a priori account is to obtain a precise directional control of WPTA technologyA , which includes the direct sensing of rectenna sites, and the atom-bomb carry control accomplishment with high angular preciseness, and to clear up the extension features of the micro-cookA powerA in the ionosphere.KEYWORDS Microwave, Solar power orbiter, wireless power transmittal.I. IntroductionEnergy and environment are unmatched of the most of import planetary issues which have to be resolved to prolong our society. 80 % of energy in our life comes by using fossil fuels. If we continue to uti lize the dodo fuel resources at the current ingestion rate, they will be wholly over within 100-150 old ages. Furthermore, the immense sum of ingestion of fossil fuel additions CO2 concentrations in the ambiance, which raises serious environmental issues. If we continue to depend on the dodo fuel, we will see significant debasement of life quality within this century. The emanation of green house gases besides leads to a figure of wellness jobs. Another beginning of energy is from atomic power, but the job of this beginning is the waste governance factors. The energy ingestion graph is shown in fig 1 6 . The planetary issues in the closed Earth system will be efficaciously solved by a paradigm displacement to the unfastened earth- infinite system. The life clip of Sun is estimated as 4-5 billion old ages. There is straight-out changeless solar energy supply in infinite free from conditions conditions, rather different from that on the Earth, therefore we can see solar power orb iter as a long term beginning of energy.The construct of the SPS is to tap the solar energy utilizing a big photovoltaic ramble in infinite and to convey it to the land utilizing opthalmic maser beam or micro-cook as shown in fig.2 6 . It has a great potency for a large-scale energy system to replace the dodo fuel workss. The clip mean power per unit country in infinite is 5-10 times larger than that on the land, while the power loss for the radio power transmittal and response is expected to be less than 50 % . Hence SPS has a competitory proceeds over the solar power workss on the land.Solar power orbiter has the capacity to supply about all the electrical demands of our planet. Furthermore it is green beginning of energy, it does non breathe any unsafe green house gases, and it will non bring forth any risky wastes excessively, it will supply power 24 hours a twenty-four hours 7 yearss a hebdomad in immense measures and it works irrespective of cloud screen, daylight or weav e amphetamine. But it assumes heavy developmental cost.The SPS was foremost brought up by Peter Glaser in 1968, followed by NASA/DOE surveies in the 1970 s. Since the early probes, different types of the SPS have been proposed, more than 30 in the universe. some of the SPS theoretical accounts proposed so far uses atom-bomb instead than optical maser for the radio power transmittal, because the power, qualification both at the sender and receiving system is by and large higher and fading through the ambiance is lower for microwave as seen with that of optical maser.II. MICROWAVE POWER TRASMISSION FOR SPSMicrowave frequence for SPS has been selected in a scope of 1-10 GHz, compromise between atmospheric fading and antenna size. Fig.3 5 illustrates the constellation of infinite solar power systems dwelling of SPS and associated land sections. If we choose a frequence in the industrial, scientific and medical ( ISM ) wireless sets, 2.45 or 5.8 GHz are the possible campaigner. 2 .45 GHz was selected in the early stage survey, but 5.8 GHz has been late chosen as a more desirable frequence due to recent accelerated advancement in C-band RF engineering. The microwave power transmittal system has the undermentioned map, i.e.1 ) First the transition of direct power from photovoltaic cell to micro-cook power.2 ) Followed by the formation and control of microwave beam aimed to fixed location inEarth.3 ) Last roll uping the microwave energy and change overing it into electrical energy on theEarth surface.thusly the microwave WPT system consists of a sender ( in infinite ) , beam control mechanism and having aerial system ( on the Earth ) . As for the microwave generator, tubings such as magnetron, klystron, and TWT have been proposed for the SPS usage because the power transition efficiency is well high more than 70 % at low cost.Semiconductor amplifier is another(prenominal) possible campaigner as the power efficiency has been moderately improved to 60-70 % with l ow cost outlook. Besides the power efficiency, beam indicating engineerings to convey the microwave power beam exactly to the receiving locations are indispensable for the power transmittal. They are curious to the radio power transmittal, non covered by the bing communicating engineerings. A beam go 100 I?rad with a 10 I?rad indicating truth is indispensable for the 5.8 GHz transmittal from an aerial of 2 kilometers square in the geosynchronous orbit to a response site of 3.5 kilometers diameter on the land. The conveying aerial will be assembled by a figure of array aerial add-ins which consist of sub-array aerials. Wholly more than 1 billion aerials will be installed as in Fig.4 6 .A retro-directive engineering with a voyage signal from the land will be used to command the microwave beam from each aerial panel directing to the land station. Although each panel is sufficiently stiff for microwave beaming, comparative gesture between the panels can non be avoided for the big aerial assembly. In cast to organize a microwave beam exactly focused at the land station, the stage of microwave from each panel needs to be adjusted between the panels, which requires radical new engineerings. In the absence of the pilot signal, sender will automatically diphase its power beam and the peak power denseness lessenings by the ratio of the transmission elements. inactive small spot of energy is lost due to side lobes which are caused by diffraction. To avoid this loss we have to do having aerial of really big size to suit the side lobes, which is practically non possible.The microwave power at the having site is rectified to supply dc power utilizing arrays of rectifying aerial ( rectenna ) as shown in Fig.5 6 with Schottky rectifying tube. The power transition efficiency for individual rectenna exceeds 80 % in a power scope more than 50 mW. However, farther research is required to better the power efficiency for 1 mW category input and rectenna array as a whole. We use Schottky rectifying tube since it has lowest electromotive force bead and highest velocity of operation, hence waste least sum of power due to conductivity and shift. Presentation of microwave power transmittal towards SPS on land and on a little orbiter or on the internationalist Space Station.III. LASER WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSIONSatellite and system architectures based on optical maser radio power transmittal were foremost considered earnestly during the SPS Exploratory Research and Technology ( SERT ) plan 6 . Laser systems have one major vantage for power transmittal which is the aperture aggregation efficiency. Whereas microwave power transmission and receiving aerials are sized in kilometres, laser systems can be sized in metres. A secondary advantage is that optical maser based systems lend themselves more readily to incremental developments than microwave based systems. However, the major hurdle that optical masers based systems face is atmospheric losingss curio usly due to the rain fading. To supply uninterrupted power, which would be necessary to measure up SPS as base burden power coevals, the optical maser system would each hold to hold monolithic land energy storage capableness or multiple sites located sufficiently far apart such that one of the sites would be available at all times.With the lower delivered power per site design standards of the current surveies compared to the DOE/NASA mention system, beam safety has minimum act upon on the design of a microwave based solar power orbiter system, nevertheless, it has been a major factor for optical maser based systems. To cover with optical maser oculus and skin icon bounds, a system of geostationary bunch of optical maser orbiters are distributed uniformly through a sufficient solid tip off of infinite, with the beams from the orbiters spread uniformly over the 600m diameter photovoltaic array having site. With such a system, it is possible to keep safety criterions and still pre sent IR manifest radiation ( 1.03I?m, 1.06I?m ) with a septuple addition in power denseness over natural sunshine. Practical realisation of such a system is through a HALO orbit in which the orbiters appear to travel in a round orbit about a fixed bespeak in infinite. Individual orbiters would hold multiple solid- disk operating system optical masers powered by photovoltaic arrays.Lasers are dispersed among photovoltaic cells to minimise power direction. tripping is beamed straight to the Earth or collected by mirrors or through fiber optics to a cardinal guidance mirror and so beamed to the Earth. A angelical attack to get the better ofing weather break of optical maser based power beaming is to utilize the beamed power to hive away energy at the having site for ulterior transit. A low-earth-orbit ( LEO ) orbiter would utilize a concentrator Federal solar. Integrated Symmetric Concentrator with concentrator mirrors, photovoltaic arrays and microwave sender phonograph get in ( 500m in diameter ) pumped laser to present 10MW of optical maser energy focused into a armored combat vehicle of saltwater incorporating Ti dioxide as a accelerator to divide the H2O into its constituent H and O. Hydrogen can be used as fuel or it can be reacted with CO2 to do methane 1 .IV. HYBRID LASER-MICROWAVE WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSIONLaser and micro-cook wireless power transmittal each have alone advantages, i.e. , optical masers require smaller apertures and microwaves are about immune to rain and other atmospheric conditions. Proposals are made to unite the two options such that each would run in its most advantageous environment. The key to the design proposal is a platform operating in the stratosphere at about 20km tallness. Lasers can be used to beam power from orbiters at geostationary orbit through infinite ( no atmospheric fading ) to a photovoltaic array on the platform. The power would so be retransmitted with microwaves from the platform to a land rectenna. This would minimise both the size of the orbiter sender and land receiving system for an all-weather transmittal system. Drawbacks to such a system include efficiency losingss due to the conversion/retransmission measure and the likeliness of transcending microwave beam power denseness safety criterions. Fig. 6 1 depicts the courtly of SPS.V. ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH CONCERNSAn appraisal of the SERT Program by the US National Research Council 5 has recommended more accent and enlargement of its environmental, wellness, and safety attempts, in order to reexamine the environmental, wellness, and safety jeopardies of the design. It is besides necessary to analyze the biological deductions of SPS-WPT. To guarantee environmental wellness and safety, the SERT Program has limited the center-of-beam power densenesss to the scope of 100-200W/m2( 10-20 mW/cm2 ) for both microwave and seeable light transmittal. For WPT, the microwave power denseness is projected to be 1.0 W/m2 ( 0.1 mW/cm2 ) at the margin of the rectenna.The ANSI/IEEE criterion 6 for maximal allowable human exposure to micro-cook radiation at 2.45 GHz is 81.6 W/m2 ( 8.16 mW/cm2 ) averaged over six min and 16.3 W/m2 ( 1.63 mW/cm2 ) averaged over 30 min, severally, for controlled and uncontrolled environments. The controlled and uncontrolled state of affairss are distinguished by whether the exposure takes topographic point with or without cognition of the open person and is usually interpreted to intend persons who are occupationally exposed to the microwave radiation, as contrasted with the worldwide populace. Clearly, beyond the margin of the rectenna, the possible exposure, for either the CERT or Reference System, would be good under that presently allowable to the general populace. The SPS-WPT system, proposed by Japan s METI, will be designed to hold a land degree microwave power denseness lower than those emitted by cellular nomadic telephones. Cellular telephones operate with power densenes ss at or below the ANSI/IEEE exposure criterions 7 . Thus, public exposure to the SPS-WPT Fieldss would besides be below bing safety guidelines.At the centre of the microwave beam, power densenesss would be greater than the allowable degree of exposure for controlled state of affairss. Except for care forces, human exposure would usually non be allowed at this location. In the instance of occupationally required presence, protective steps, such as spectacless, baseball mitts, and garments, might be used to cut down the exposure to a allowable degree. However, above the rectenna, where the power denseness is about 250 W/m2 ( 25 mW/cm2 ) , research in support of the Reference System has bring that some birds exhibit grounds of sensing of microwave radiation. This suggests that migratory birds, winging above the rectenna, might endure break in their flying waies. Furthermore, at higher close temperatures, larger birds seem to see more heat emphasis than smaller 1s, during 30 min of exposure 5 .This extra heat, from micro-cook energy deposited indoors their organic structure, will emphasize their thermic regulative capacity.VI. BREAD BOARD MODEL AND FUTURE SCOPE OF COMMERCIAL SPSThe staff of life board theoretical account is formed by a thin panel construction with a thickness of 6 centimeter, and the panel consists of aA transmittal aerial bed, microwave ornateness bed and thermic radiation bed, severally. Performances of the bread board were mensural and evaluated. Additionally, the microwave beam maneuvering experiments by the package retro-directive method were demonstrated. A Performances of the bread board were measured and evaluated. Thermal transeunt features of the bread board theoretical account were simulated.A engineering roadmap from research stage to commercial message stage is shown in Fig.7 5 . found on the consequences from the small-scale presentation experiments in infinite, together with the consequences from the land experiments, we will do a determination on the engineering option, microwave or laser, for the radio power transmittal. With the selected transmittal medium, we will do a 100 kW-class SPS presentation experiment in orbit before 2020. All basic engineerings required for the commercial SPS will be verified at this phase. This attack is in conformity with the basic program on infinite development by the authorities s infinite development scheme headquarter in Japan. After completion of these presentations Japan will choose a constellation for the initial mark of the commercial SPS. The expected power cost depending to a great extent on the development of infinite transit and public credence will be the major hatful off factors for choice. For the selected constellation, 2 MW and 200 MW category works will be constructed and tested before 2030. This scenario guaranties the start of building of the 1 GW category commercial SPS in 2030 s.VII. DecisionOne of the most critical engineerings for the SPS is microwave power transmittal from the geosynchronous orbit to the land. Evolutionary microwave engineerings are required for high power transition efficiency more than 80 % from/to DC and an highly high-precise beam control with 10 I?rad truth. These engineerings will be partly verified in the land presentation experiment within several old ages and will be to the full verified in the infinite experiments within 10 old ages. Although the needed engineerings are rather ambitious, go oning research activities along with the proposed roadmap will take to opening the new SPS epoch in 2030 s.VIII. Reference 1 C.A. Schafer, D. Gray 16 whitethorn 2012, Transmission media appropriate laser-microwave solar power orbiter system 61st IAC, Prague. 2 J.C. Lin, 1997 Biological facets of nomadic communicating Fieldss, Wireless Networks, vol. 3, pp. 439-453 3 National Research Council, 2001, Puting the cornerstone for infinite solar power An appraisal of NASA s infinite solar power in vesting scheme, Washington DC 4 P.E.Glaser, 1968, Power from the Sun Its coming(prenominal) , Science, vol.162, pp.867-886. 5 Susumu Sasaki, Koji Tanaka, 2011, Wireless Power Transmission Technologies for Solar Power Satellite , International communicating conference IEEE. 6 S.Sasaki, K.Tanaka and Advanced Mission Research Group, Sep.-Oct. 2010, SSPS Technologies reflection in Space , IAC-10.C3.4.1, 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague. 7 S.Sheik Mohammed, K. Ramasamy, T. Shanmuganantham, 2010, Wireless Power Transmission A Following Generation Power Transmission System IEEE International Journal of Computer Applications 8 Timothy J.Wickenheiser The Interagency Advanced Power Group , Available at & lt hypertext transfer protocol //iapg.grc.nasa.gov/iapg/ & gt Accessed on 30 Dec 2012 9 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 8 Dec 1998, Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields 3 kc to 300 GHz , IEEE std C95.1 1999 edition

How does Steinbeck present the character of Crooks in chapter 4? Essay

Chapter 4 of the Of Mice and Men novella introduces a character named Crooks. Crooks isnt shown as a main character of the story, but is given much light in this chapter. Crooks is a ghastly humankind set on a 1930s ranch, working as a stable buck. Steinbeck presents the Character of Crooks to us as he wouldnt of been considered during the times of the Great Depression and shows us the negative stereotypes of black people in an American 1930s society.Crooks is a minority character introduced in chapter 4. Page 66 reads negro stable buck. Crooks character is introduced on the nose the government agency he would be seen by other ranch workers. Steinbecks intentions of presenting Crooks for the first time to us in this way, is to give us the outline of the black workers of 1930s America. Steinbeck demanded us to instantly recognise the prejudice black people faced before we got to know his character. A flannel person of the 1930s would of see Crooks as a black worker and nothing. Steinbeck chose to introduce Crooks character in the way people then would of saw him to the way we continue to see him as we learn the extent of his character.Steinbeck gives c areful detail of Crooks room. At the beginning of chapter 4, scalawag 66 reads a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung. Crooks bunk is expound as an untidy and uncomfortable place to catch ones breath, much similar to the animals with whom he shares the harness room with. The importance of Crooks room is to demonstrate the requisition of America in the 1930s. As Crooks is a black man he isnt allowed to sleep in the bunk house with the white workers. In addition, nada considers Crooks disablement, when leaving him to live in these inhumane conditions because he was a black man who they saw had no standing.Crooks room suggests the means of his life. The description of his room, on scallywag 66 reads which hung broken harness in process of being mended. This suggests that Crooks ha s no separation from his working life to his personal life. Linking back to the previous point, segregation of the white men andthe black men consequences Crooks to remain in the harness room where he works. Therefore, his life revolves around the four walls of his room merely swapping from his work to his rest in an uncomfortable bed.Crooks is presented to us an intelligent man despite his race. On page 67 of chapter 4, the description states a mauled copy of the California Civil recruit 1905. This is proof that Crooks is able to read, which suggests his intelligence, but also shows us he is aware of the rights he is entitled to as a black man. Furthermore, because Crooks knows his rights and standing, he understands that he is a minority among the ranch workers as he is the only black worker.Crooks is a lonely character amongst the ranch workers. Nearer the beginning of the chapter, amongst Lennies entrance, on page 68 Crooks states Dont interpose in a place where youre not want ed. Crooks is shown being harsh to Lennie, and trying to push him away. This suggests that Crooks loneliness has caused him to no longer accept any kindness, whether its from a white or black man. However, because of the segregation between the black and white workers, Crooks seems to be talking to himself rather than to Lennie. This is suggested by Crooks, already being aware of the discrimination he faces by being excluded from the bunk house with the white workers, he is not wanted by them which is exactly what he says to Lennie.Crooks effs across as defensive towards Lennie being in his room. He states on page 68, I got a right to have a light. He is very quick in his response to Lennie. Crooks does this because he is afraid of being hurt by anyone, holding a barrier up towards the other workers who already discriminate him. He being the ethnic minority, more than likely considers any comment to be a personal criticism of a black mans room. This is symbolic and he declares havi ng a light is a basic human right he is entitled to.Lennie being mentally much slight able gives the ideal opportunity to help exercise some authority in Crooks life. Page 71 for instance, Spose George dont come back no more. () Whatll you do then? is terminative. Bythis stage of the chapter, there has been a power shift. Crooks is fully aware of the distress this would cause Lennie, as he would struggle to manage alone. The terminative comments are cruel and are linked to his jealousy of the social club of George and Lennie, page 71 one quotes a private advantage and even pleasure in some way. Steinbeck is presenting the bad streak that loneliness is drawing from Crooks, as a minority character.Being in most ship canal isolated, Crooks has excitement and great curiosity due to his desperation for social interaction. In chapter 4, page 69, he questions Lennie, You travel around with George dont ya?. Crooks is being shown as curious and nosy into Lennies relationship with George. However, this is suggesting more into Crooks enjoyment into having a talk with someone other than himself, by asking questions he keeps the interaction expiration because he isnt used to having company.Crooks continues to hide his excitement upon Candys arrival. Page 74 of chapter 4 sees Candys entrance to Crooks room, You can come in if you want. Crooks reply to Candy is less defensive than previously, as Lennies child-like kindness has created a domino effect. This is showing him to be much more welcoming, which suggests he doesnt want to be obvious about his excitement. Crooks is at ease as his barrier is broken down, and his excitement is buried whilst he still craves the conversationCrooks is faced with racial prejudice from Curleys wife in chapter 4. For example, page 80 reads Listen. Nigger () You know what I can do to you if you open your hollow? Curleys wife brings trouble to his door, thinking she has the moral high ground, power to play god in his life. Steinbecks inte ntions were to show how being a nigga is a human being portrayed as simply nothing, having no traits, or feelings. Crooks has no standing and is powerless as a minority. Any self-renunciation he may put forward would not even be heard, because of the racial prejudice he faces.As the story unfolds Crooks becomes very pessimistic in his outlook towards the American fancys of Ranch Workers. Chapter 4, page 73 Crooks states They come, an they quit an they go on an every damn one of ems got a inadequatepiece of land in his head. Crooks views are very pessimistic but also realistic, as he has experienced dream later dream after dream that has failed. Steinbeck presents Crooks with cynical views at this point of the chapter, which supports Crooks understanding that loneliness drives you to insanity.Crooks feels nostalgic about his childhood. Page 70 shows Crooks tell Lennie The white kids come to play at our place () some of them was pretty nice. This suggests his nostalgic feelings, making him vulnerable at this stage. Willingly disclosing such a personal memory helps with our understanding of this character, he is able and able to distinguish the item that not all white people are racist. This is a contrasting point in the chapter, as we understand Crooks want for social acceptance, because during his childhood he wasnt exposed to the racial discrimination he faces at his present day.Crooks needs a dream to give him swear during the great depression of the 1930s. Page 73 of chapter 4 reads Had a strawberry patch. Had an alfalfa patch. This shows us Crooks childhood of him already experiencing the land, which suggests Crooks understanding of the freedom of the American dream lifestyle the ranch workers want. Furthermore, the use of the repeated word had suggests that Steinbeck has written George and Lennies dream in reverse through Crooks childhood.Crooks character has a need for companionship due to his loneliness. Page 73 of chapter 4 sees Crooks explainin g to Lennie If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an then it would be all right. Crooks is trying to emphasize the fact he has no reassurance when he has bad dreams or pessimistic thoughts. This shows Crooks character dwelling on how alone he is without anyone to talk to or interact with. caller creates bureau in Crooks character. Page 77 shows Crooks in defence to Curleys Wife We dont want no trouble. The use of the word we shows Crooks having confidence to defend himself alongside Candy and Lennie. This shows that having companionship makes Crooks character more confident. Furthermore, this suggests that after Crooks lets his barrierdown to Candy and Lennie, and starting to have hope, Crooks could gain companionship by achieving the American dream.In conclusion, Steinbecks character of Crooks is used to convey the effects of racial oppression and loneliness for black people during 1930s America. Using his agency on the ranch to give us a glimpse of society and the realism. Steinbeck presents Crooks on a personal level in chapter 4. He does this by allow us experience the racism and discrimination Crooks receives for being black, not so much disabled, after we get to know and understand the intelligence and extent of his character. Therefore, our emotions are heightened and we are led to feel sympathy for Crooks.

“Non dare call it education” by John A. Stormer: a review

The vast majority of American children are educated in prevalent schools. Now, many parents start asking themselves whats casualty to our schools. Why do schools produce children, who are unable to read, write or calculate, why do schoolchildren risk to be killed in shooting, what are the reasons for dramatic boil down of moral between American teenagers.The book Non resist C both It Education by prat A. Stormer was aimed to investigate the adverse events, which take place in the public schools throughout America. The author brings in horrible examples of ignorance, illiteracy, criminal activities (including shooting at schools), alcoholism, drug addiction, moral downfall, early pregnancies and other failures inside our educational institutions. Having analyzed statistics, tests info and newspaper reports, witnessing the above stated, the author pull backs a conclusion, that American educational system appeared in a state of deep crisis, caused by crude educational innovations .Stormer determines ii basic reasons for degeneracy of school system. The first reason is simplification and primitivization of teaching process. For example, no attention is longer paid to correct spelling. Children are encouraged to hypothesis how words are pronounced and written, when they look at the pictures in spite of being taught to read and write the word.Correct spelling in such approaching is said to be a work of computer. Mathematics textbooks teach children, that correct calculation is also not important, because it can be done by computers, so children are tolled to guess of the result, not to count it by themselves1. Downfall of students educational level results in downfall of teachers level. Stormer brings an example of Massachusetts testing for incoming teachers in 1998, where 56% of candidates failed. In company to help more teachers pass, the State Board of Education had to lower the standards of tests2.The second problem with recent educational reforms is th at even the smartest children slang to undergo manipulative techniques, which lurch their thinking values. They have to adopt faulty humanistic and universal values, to become future leaders of new social order. Stormer points, that there are many devoted teachers at schools, however, the system of education itself is ill due to government attempts not only to educate, but to change the thoughts and feelings of students to make them correct.The most destructive element of such manipulative changes, as Stormer believes, is undermining of traditional values, resulting in destructive social processes. Comparing textbooks, which were issued 40 years agone and modern ones, the author pointed 12 basic values, which appeared to be undermined, including marriage an family, paternal authority, substitution of situational ethics with absolute terms of good and bad, change of attitude towards case independence and sovereignty.In chapter 2 he gives an example of Illinois State Board of Educa tion, which gave a test to 11th grade students in Illinois schools with provoking questions about their cozy behavior. The tests caused much public indignation, and the newspapers blamed, that educational bureaucrats were determined to force their vision of permissive sex education on parents and students even when the vision conflicts with Illinois law. However, almost no reaction of authorities followed, and an information was passed, that the Illinois State Board of Education acted under instructions of supreme bodies3.Stormer specially notices, that he does not write about a conspiracy, because educational reforms are conducted openly with a declared aim to substitute intellectual development with vocational development. Public schools are substituted with Schools-to-Work. As Henry Hyde a Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee noticed, Behavior modification is a significant part of restructuring our schools. School children will be trained to be poli tically correct, to be unbiased, to understand diversity, to accept alternative life-styles..4. The modification of school system under Stormer is a systematic action, openly and deliberately conducted by the government to change the entire American society.The main value of the book is that it attracts attention to the destructive phenomena in our education and provides a good factual summary of such phenomena. Stormer attempts to formulate those trends systematically and in a way succeeds. However, he does not provide any strategy of actions to overcome the situation. The book is written from traditional position and attributes all failures to undermined values and government efforts, not taking other factors into account, such as massive migration of poorly educated persons or objective factors of social change in the postindustrial era. Moreover, the book concentrates only on the worst things, not analyzing positive effects of educational reforms, therefore, it appears to be a little overweighted.ReferencesJohn A. Stormer (1998), None Dare Call It Education, Florissant MO, Liberty Bell Press 1 John A. Stormer (1998), None Dare Call It Education, Florissant MO, Liberty Bell Press, p.- 17 2 John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p- 21 3 John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p-56 4 John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p-117

Canadian same sex marriage Litigation Individual Rights Community Strategy Essay

This essay summarises and analysis a literature material in the form of an hold namely Canadian Same-Sex Marriage Litigation Individual Rights, Community strategy written by Christine Davies. The author Christine Davies is a Student of Law at carrier bag Goldblatt Mitchell LLP in Toronto. With the assistance and guidance of Professor Lorraine of the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Law, Douglas Elliott and Cynthia Petersen, Christine is able to come up with the denomination and published it in 2008. This essay addresses the issue of wedlock, the legal status and explanation of marriage. It goes further intelligibly to outline the historical e genuinelyplaceview of the same-sex marriage judicial proceeding in Canada in addition bringing to light further future expect developments on the same (Davies, 2008. P. 32). The relationship or correlation between the legality and the complaisant change is quite close, a constitution can be sound described as mirror reflecting the nation socially and at that placefore it needs to protect and recognize the values of the society at large. The constitution is alike as a aliveness tree and olibanum it must grow or evolve in a mankindner consistent with the evolving social attitudes and policies.The author of the article Canadian same-sex marriage litigation seeks to explore the relationship that exists between the law and social change as it is evidenced in the changing judicial, political and also social approaches to the exciting issue of the same-sex marriage in Canada. The article surveys in details the litigation history of same-sex marriage in the putting surface law within the jurisdictions of Canada. Cases involving the same were pursued over a span of thirty years before litigants finally succeeded in the year 2003 (Davies, 2008 P.2). These cases were well chosen, well strategized, coordinated and applied. The closely recent cases just before the litigants won involved use of a multi-pronge d approach to them utilizing both(prenominal) the common law and the Charter arguments and thus increasing chances of ambit the best possible results. Humanizing the issue and also contextualizing the legal phenomenon by mostly relying on the plaintiffs feelings and words combined with the use of social skill evidence put the litigants a notch higher in their struggle. The lessons brought to the surface by this article in terms of a flexible, Outcome-focused strategies and the much emphasis on unearthing the true nature of LGBT identities and nature will be very let out in the future cases on LGBT rights litigation (Davies, 2008. P. 23).The existence of marriage both a social and a legal concept which has mostly been based upon traditionally ghostlike views and opinions based on heterosexuality. With the current changes of certain social values and maturation of groups such as, the LGBT community, over succession this concept has been actively debated and has been subject t o much controversy and contention. The controversy and contention surrounding this subject originates from the conflict which is evident between long-established traditional or religious beliefs which in turn have helped to shape the country, against the now growing heterogeneous environment which does not conform to these views.The paper presents the late rooted tension and controversy regarding the institution of marriage versus the equality rights of the same sex couples or the festal and lesbian couples. This paper goes further to outline the key issues surrounding the recent social changes towards the same-sex marriages and its relationship with equality rights and the social role and function of the institution of marriage. The question of whether legal rules regarding marriage does, in a way, come with the right balance between equality rights and the social role and function of this institution of marriage (Davies, 2008. P. 10). This contentious and controversial issue i s worthy of examination since with time marriage has become a polarizing and complicated entity which in many key ways consequently reckons the lives of many people in the country and gentleman at large.The legislative framework and approach to same-sex marriage in Canada addresses the merits and demerits of legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada and also the issue of civil unions for same-sex couples. In addition, the article determines the best option for equilibrate equality rights while at the same time not compromising the social role and function of the institution of marriage. Several scholarly articles and both outgoing and current jurisprudence, breathing legislation, and a few other secondary materials such as, surveys and public opinion polls are used in the analysis of this article.In accordance with the Constitution Act of 1867, the federal regimen of Canada has exclusive control over marriage and divorce, while the provinces or provincial governments have contro l over the solemnization of marriage refering that the power to enact laws concerning marriage is within their jurisdiction. Despite the fact, this responsibility concerning marriage was quite clear there was still no fit or distinct legislative document or law that properly defined marriage. The unaccompanied star piece of legislation that came close to defining it came from an exposition of a particular clause found in the referred to as Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act which states that For greater certainty, the amendments done by this Act do not affect the interpretation and meaning of the word marriage which is, the lawful union between one man and only one woman to the elision of all others.It was clearly held that Marriage is clearly understood byout time and different cultures as an institution well designed to meet the unique and specific needs, capacities or abilities and tidy sum of opposite sex couples and their children and thus regarded as an insti tution that brings in concert or unites the two complementary sexes thus providing a back offive and proper environment for the breeding and rearing of successive and future generations (Davies, 2008. P. 14). The above state of affairs in regard to marriage meant that gay couples seeking to be licitly united were propelled to nonplus their claims to the courts of law.Christine Davies article clearly brings out the issue of the legalization of same-sex marriage, first by giving out a well laid out surveyed out litigation of same-sex marriages within the common law jurisdictions of Canada. It has in an exemplary manner assessed the developments and the shifts in the litigation strategies from the trial-level strategies, which were quite multi-prolonged and both utilized common law and Charter arguments limiting much thinner to emphasis on the violations of Charter rights (Davies, 2008. P. 2). The article clearly outlines to us how the claims or strategies are selected and applied in order to achieve the supreme best possible results.This article is different from the one adopted and advanced by Nicholas Balla in his article, Controversy over couples in Canada, the evolution of marriage and together with other adult interdependent relationships in that Balla surveys the evolution of the current debate concerning four types of intimate adult relationships that fall outside the known traditional definition of marriage that is common-law marriage, polygamy, same-sex partnerships, and non-conjugal interdependent relationships while Christine concentrates on the developments in the litigation process (Balla, 2014. Para. 2). The above mentioned articles together with Losing the Feminist Voice article by Claire new(a) and Susan Boyd. All the three articles provide a good platform for proper studying and understanding the relationship between law of any country and the social change with the Christine Davids article amplifying this the more as shown below.The first steer claim or case regarding same-sex marriage wasNorth v Matheson also referred to as First Wave In this case or claim, it was expected that the courts could rely on the judgments arising from Hyde v. Hyde & Woodmansee that happened in 1866 to arrive at the stopping point that, for the known Christian religious reasons, any union between two gay men is obviously unlawful and that marriage is an exclusive legal union between one man and one woman (Davies, 2008. P. 9).Corbett v Corbett also referred to as second wave The second leading claim which, in a way, added on to the common law was in regard to the definition of marriage as was with clarity established in North v Matheson. The case of Corbett was a case that brought a challenged in regard to the issues around the marriage of a transgender individual (Davies, 2008. P. 11). In this case, the judge had a conclusion that when it comes to defining marriage the issue of building a family is a very essential component and, therefore, natural heterosexual intercourse is of importance and a key requirement in regard to the institution of marriage.Layland v Ontario also referred to as the third wave The third case regarding same-sex marriage was that of Layland v Ontario and the argument was against the common law definition of marriage. The argument or claim was successfully acknowledged accepted by at least one judge out of three which was a very timely achievement for those in support of same-sex marriage (Davies, 2008. P. 2).In Layland v Ontario case although the majority judgment still alluded to and supported the decisions made in North and Corbett, the dissenting opinion had a conclusion that the current jurisprudence regarding same-sex marriage is outdated or rather not fashionable in regard to the changing social values, and, therefore, as judges of the common law it is their prime duty to expand the definition of marriage so that it can meet the societys changing and expanding needs or so as to reflect and mirror the values of the society and what is taking place by that time in the society.In addition to the case above there was also a dissenting assertion as a direct resultant of the enactment of the Charter of Human Rights and freedoms. This made a change thus to be a necessity so as to conform to the Charters of Rights and Freedoms demands and requirements and that pursuant to s.15 of the Charter. The common laws definition of marriage was, therefore, insufficient, unreasonably and unequal or discriminatory in its treatment towards gay and lesbian couples.Halpern v Canada also known as the fourth wave The fourth case was known as Halpern v Canada which brought about the current approach towards same-sex marriage in Canada and thus bringing to a halt the debate to whether gay and lesbian couples were allowed to unite legally or to marry. The verdict or decision from this fourth case concluded that the current common law in the place definition of marr iage was to a great extent unconstitutional given the fact that it violated an individuals inalienable vestigial right to equal treatment without discrimination. As a result of this realization or decision, the federal government thus proposed a bill to that effect to the Supreme Court of Canada. The bill, Bill C- 38, became the center of the debate and gross(a) discussion for the case referencing to or in regard to Same-Sex Marriage (Davies, 2008. P. 15). The verdict or ruling in that decision led or prompted the federal government to come up with a new piece of legislation referred to as the Civil Marriage Act.This Act is the current legislative authority governing the institution of marriage in Canada. This act broadens or expands the definition of marriage to also include gay and lesbian couples by stating that Marriage, for civil reasons, is the lawful union of only two persons to the or thus exclusion of all others. This removed the part that the union had to be between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.Given the fact that the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act, and the social developments and changes which fostered the considerations of the advantages, as well as the demerits in which this act brought about or created is worth highlighting and noting. As was elaborated by the Law Commission of Canada, who support same sex marriage, it felt that an individual right to marry is a underlying inalienable personal choice in which each Canadian citizen should enjoy and thus denying them their rightful access to be allowed to marry was an outright rejection in recognizing their personhood as human existences and of their personal aspirations. This argument that was greatly advanced by same-sex marriage supporters clearly demonstrated a direct form of human rights and freedoms violation through unequal treatment, which in turn points or allude towards possible consequences in which this outright denial of key rights could lead (Davies, 2 008. P. 26). A good example of such a consequence in regard to continue this unequal treatment is that it could promote or lead to a very strong justifiable critiques towards the very obvious legitimacy of our most sacred law in the Constitution namely the Charter of Rights and Freedoms document, To be more specific the section regarding our very fundamental right to equality.Further in support of those supporting same-sex marriages came the article. Losing the feminist Voice, debates and deliberates on the legal recognition or realization of same sex Partnerships in Canada that argued in support of the same that denying mans and lesbians the right to marry would in turn add more weight and greatly reinforce the ongoing justification behind the existing disadvantages towards the minority groups, and thus create further future justification in the denial of other fundamental rights for these same minority groups.The article goes further on to note that broadening or extending the de finition of marriage to solve the contentious issues and do away with the underlying controversy to allow same-sex couples to marry will, in fact, corroborate the institution of marriage and family by bringing down the burden of the state.The most prevalent arguments of all in relation to the demerits of same-sex marriage mostly focused on to a large extent, the perceived presumptions and misconceptions towards the gay and lesbian lifestyles, as well as the resultant effects in which the same will have both directly and indirectly on marriage. The opponents of same-sex marriage further focused on the importance of clearly maintaining the nature of marriage, as well as combating the future risks in which changing the definition of marriage was likely to bring on board. An opponent of same-sex marriage namely Gwen Landolt, strongly believed and held a very strong comment for the gay and lesbian lifestyle, stating with clarity that infidelity, separation and divorce are more prevalent in same-sex unions given that their skill compatibilities are different, and thus they cannot complement one another. Drug use is thus a very serious and recurring matter for such as these individuals.The above comments allude through suggestion that that allowing homosexual couples to unite legally and marry could pose as a threat and an insult on the sacred institution of marriage. In addition to the above claims, Landolt also insisted that marriage should not just be treated as mere social construct and that it will be detrimental to simply change in an endeavor to respond to the changing society needs and values. She held firmly to the assertion that a marriage is a concept which has remained consistent through and through thousands of years, through many different cultures and hence its value in society at large is deeply rooted.These arguments regarding the future implication in which changing the definition of marriage could foster and bring on board, the opposition or those opposing same-sex marriages argued that the inalienable fundamental equality right, in which the gay and lesbian groups have relied upon to in forwarding of their claim, has been interpreted so broadly or beyond the necessary extent according to s.15 of the Charter and could by implication create a very slippery slope for the sacred institution of marriage. This will in turn lead to a polygamous and probably to incestuous relationships being made legal in the country (Russell, 2008. 38).Conclusion As a wrap up this essay has clearly analysed the article Canadian same-sex marriage litigation highlighting the key points in the article such as the social developments in regard to same-sex marriages, how the issue of same-sex marriages relate with the equality of human rights and freedoms while at the same time being keen not to affect the social role of the marriage institution negatively. The same-sex marriage litigation needs to be assessed in terms of their impact and nutr iment of the LGBT rights in regard to equality ensuring that they are not discriminated (Balla, 2014. Para. 4).This litigation from the analysis of the article can be termed as quite successful although this does not imply that legal cases involving LGBT in days to come will necessarily be successful. It is therefore true that the constitution or the law is like a living tree that grows in accordance to changes in the society and should reflect the social values, practices and attitudes of the society. These kinds of alternative forms of relationship have been recognized by the laws of different countries in the world success in the cases in the Canada litigation can to an extent be attributed to this trend although other countries still continue to strictly oppose them.ReferencesControversy everyplace Couples in Canada The Evolution of Marriage and Other Adult Interdependent Relationships. (n.d.). by Nicholas Bala. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http//papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf m?abstract_id=481003Davies, C. (2008). Canadian Same-Sex Marriage Litigation Individual Rights, Community Strategy. Canada Crc Press.Russell, P. H. (2008). The Court and the Constitution leading cases. Toronto Emond Montgomery Publications.Source document

Target Corp Strategic Recommendation

identify Corp. Strategic Analysis MAN4720 Section 22 -Wednesdays 730pm group Risky tune Christine Majewski Jake Morgan Kristin Stearker Cory Verez Executive Summary ?The purpose of this analysis is to inform the posting of aggroup Risky Business strategic proposal related to arse lots Health & Wellness category. post is already a multi-million dollar company, except after analyzing the company, our team has come up with a a few(prenominal) strategic recomm finishations to aid in the hold up success of range.We rush found that fair game strives to combine authorise of the draw in innovation, excellent customer service, and unparallel comfort at attractive sets to customers using their Expect More. Pay Less score promise. The order Corporation has galore(postnominal) strengths that entrust help our testimony succeed including a wide scope of ingatherings and firebrands, strong internal logistics, appliance of online shop, and an already strong brand and fin ancial set up. We chance that guide creates a sustained com pamperitive pay tally by leveraging the different aspects of their integration strategy to attract customers. thotocks is able to keep volumes highschool, driving embodys down to state offseter prices on the secern products that objects guests moderate grown to love and expect. ?Team Risky Businesss strategic recommendations for the Health & Wellness sector include passing initiatives and educational programs associated with thorough and gluten free lifestyles. orient already has brand exclusive fundamental lines and our team recommends making consumers to a greater extent aw atomic number 18 of the products offered as well as benefits their guests piece of ass reap from changing their lifestyles.We suggest increasing publicize in order to elicit these product lines to a grocery store that is increasingly more health apprised than ever before. As with any strategic option, there atomic number 18 fal l step forward risks associated to this plan that include incrementd costs and a potential inadequacy of lodge in or demands. The full analysis gives a more in judgment look at the actual position of the company and future problems it could bet along with the strategic recommendations we fuddle chosen, and potential fallout risks associated with our solutions.Identify your clients current batch and mission and analyze your clients strategy ? organises ultimate goal is to become the most favored shopping finishing for customers without all existing channel. The company plans to carry through their overall vision by continually being a top innovator in the industry, delivering heavy(p) customer experiences and terrific value at attractive prices, and by ever die hardingly fulfilling their brand promise of Expect More. Pay Less. take aim tries to live up to their statements and this sens be seen throughout many argonas of the company.In March, 2013, fall guy receive d hotshotness of exclusively 13 ratings of excellent, the highest available, from the Forrester Customer Experience Index, which measures customer experiences by accompany ( direct Brands, Inc. , 2013). As far as innovation is concerned, target has made a positive imprint in spite of appearance the industry. grade has received many awards for its innovative probity and is continuously reinventing its shops, layouts, and product assortments to better serve the ever-evolving urgencys of their guests ( target Brands, Inc. , 2013b). Target sells high- fictional character, voguish merchandise, at affordable prices which allows guests to Expect More.Pay Less when they shop at Target. Target combines innovation, value, and load to their brand promise through their actions, much(prenominal) as partnering with popular formulate designers to create affordable lines specifically for Target. This combining of differentiated products with lower prices is whizz elbow room that Ta rget incorporates its mission statement into their quotidian trading operations. Target is sleek over works on reaching its end goal of becoming the preferred outlet, as shown by its 2 market share position in the discount subdivision store industry. Target is surpassed in market share only by Wal-Mart at this measure (Biesada, 2013). Three pieces are keep in lined by Target US Retail, Canadian, and US deferred payment Card. Two branded credit cards, the Target Card and the Target Visa, and one Target branded debit card, offer credit to customers through the US Credit Card segment (Reuters, 2013). In 2012, the total REDCard pe illuminateration was 13. 6%, up from 9. 3% the prior year. Although more people are signing up for credit, the total revenue generated from this segment has been declining since 2010 (Target Corporation, 2013). See Exhibit 1 for US Credit Card segment details. The Canadian segment includes the recently acquired Zellers, Inc. tore statuss in Canada. St art-up costs for this segment were $272 million in 2011 and $74 million in 2012 (Target Corporation, 2013). ?The US Retail segment includes Targets online business, its general merchandise stores, and SuperTargets (Reuters, 2013). Target. com is knowing to allow guests to purchase products directly from online and/or to assist them in locating the product in a store near them. To aid in differentiating themselves, Target drills the web platform to sell not only its general merchandise, just now in any case to introduce six brands sold exclusively through this medium (Target Brands, Inc. 2013c). The online nominal head aids in the vision of the company by offering multiple channels through which a customer can interact with Target. The brick and mortar stores of the US Retail segment offer general merchandise and groceries through the discount chain. Target and SuperTargets differ in that SuperTargets offer a larger line of fodder assortments. Targets product mix includes mans ion items, electronics, apparel and accessories, fare and pet supplies, and home furnishings (Reuters, 2013). Exhibit 2 shows the per centumages of sales each category holds. in spite of appearance the retail segment, a portion of Targets sales are generated through a mix of nationally branded goods, as well as mystical-label brands. In addition to general merchandise, Target excessively generates revenues from facilities in store much(prenominal) as Target Cafe, Target Clinic, Target Pharmacy and Target Photo, and from chartered or licensed sections such as Target Optical, Pizza Hut, Portrait studio and Starbucks (Reuters, 2013). Target Corporation generates the majority of its sales revenues from the US Retail segment and revenues have been increasing since at least 2007 according to the companys former(prenominal) 10K forms.Even through the 2008 recent turning point, Targets sales revenues have continued to increase within this segment (Target Corporation, 2013). Sales revenue overall, including all three segments, similarly has been rising since at least 2007. Although revenues continued to increase through the recession, crystalise earnings dropped from $2,849 million in 2007 to $2,214 million in 2008. Targets net earnings recovered and have been increasing every year since the recession (Target Corporation, 2013).In addition to increasing sales revenue and net earnings, Targets breed prices have in addition been above both the S&P and Dow Jones indexes for the last 10 years (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013d). See Exhibit 3 for US Retail surgical incision sales figures and Exhibit 4 for other selected financial data. ?The Target Corporation before long operates 1,784 of these SuperTarget and Target stores in the United States, as well as their online site, Target. com. Target recently began expansion into Canada 24 stores are operational at this time (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b).Target plans to continue with its growth tactics through 2013, b ringing its Canadian fleet up to 100-150 stores (Biesada, 2013). At the same time that Target is expanding into mod markets, the company is also penetrating further into existing markets with plans to remodel more of its store formats and to include special forage assortments. According to Hoovers, or so 900 Target stores (up from 462 last year) now consume grow diet assortmentsIn fiscal 2013 Target plans to remodel an additional 230 general merchandise Target stores (Biesada, 2013).The remodeled stores, with better aliment assortments and innovative design changes, come along to be part of a strategic effort to stay competitive with the only company out- carry throughing them, Wal-Mart. ?Finally, the Target company operates using an integration strategy, and is one of few companies that has found success using this type of strategy. As IbisWorld states, Target offers daily essentials and consumables at discounted prices however, the company has carved out a niche market by focusing on sell fashionable and trendy products (IBISWorld, 2012).Target is unique because it has successfully palmd to operate with low costs while providing differentiated products that satisfy their customers needs and wants. be able to continuously offer quality, innovative products while keeping costs low lays a foundation for the company to create competitive strengths on. Analysis Strengths ?A couple of strengths that we found Target is posting is their large medley of product and brands. They offer a wide arrangement of goods that can attract an excessive meat of consumers to come through the store.another(prenominal) strength that Target holds is a strong internal logistics structure. Their 37 scattering centers located across the US gives them a strong determine to open more stores, and reach more potential customers. (Target Co. ) They also offer the convenience of online shopping for all of their customers, not only offering ease of shopping, but also allowing those who may not have a target nearby still enjoys their goods. We also found that Target is in a unique position in respect to their current sales, over the last few years they have consistently posted growth in revenue, and receipts profit.Weaknesses ?A impuissance that was found through our research was a simplification in liquid ceiling over the last 2 years, potentially making it difficult to manage working capital and operational needs. Furthermore, they have increased the total debt that they are stimulate to, making the lack of current assets evermore detrimental. some other possible flunk is their lack of exposure to countries other than the US, they are currently only operating at bottom the US which could pose many problems due to their dependence on one market. Target Co. ) Opportunities ?There are plenty of opportunities for Target when it comes to the expansion of their company into crude markets. In 2013 Target ordain take its first step into an internatio nalist market when they expanded in to Canada, creating Target Canada Co. (Target Co. ) Target has opportunities to expand their products, and broaden the fullness of their goods, especially the expansion of semiprivate label brands. aff refines ?The largest threat to target is that it is in a highly competitive market.There are a plethora of other stores selling the same goods, as well as the threats of counterfeit goods in the industry. (Target Co. ) Another threat is the potential of change in consumer preferences, creating a lack of demand for Targets goods. Threat of Substitute Products ?We olfactory sensation the threat of substitute products is high, there are many stores that offer similar goods that could be considered more attractive than bargaining from target usually this is derived from the desire to keep back private label goods. Intensity of competitive contention in the Industry The competitive rivalry within the industry is high, there are many companies com peting against each other for the same customers, and market share. On top of the brick and mortar traditional shopping, there are now arising e-commerce competitors that intensify the competition within the industry. Threat of red-hot Entrants ?Considering the wide arrangements of goods offered by Target, we cerebrate that the threat of youthful entrants is high. Its also a highly competitive market, will low barriers of entry, so the combination of those two things creates an ease of entry for new ventures.Power of Buyers We find that the former of buyers is high at Target, while they may not have much negotiating strength within the store they do have many options on where they are going to buy the particular good, which gives them the power to shop around and find the price that they like. Power of Suppliers ?The power of suppliers at Target is low, since there has been a decrease in import barriers that has caused an increase in competition between suppliers. So the power of the suppliers to name the price has approximately been eliminated.Sustainable Competitive Advantage ?To operate effectively in the discount retail industry you need to be able to maitre dhotel slightly key functions, not only to achieve competitive emolument, but also to make it sustainable. Target displays a couple features we have noticed, that we feel allows them to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. These SCA factors consist of the ability to manage and perform off a highly effective supply chain and the ability to achieve high economies of scale, due to their huge market presence and mix of private branding. One of the factors that helps Target obtain an effective supply chain is the wide geographic coverage of their distribution centers. They currently control and operate 37 distribution centers ranging from the West Coast of Lacey, Washington all the way to the North East location of Wilton, New York. By having multiple disperse locations they have allowed themselves the opportunity to expand across the intact country. They have the capabilities to service any of their 1,700 plus stores in a timely manner.This in turn creates a larger geographical market to operate in effectively that some of their smaller competitors may not have the means to. ?A second important factor that Target master is its offering of different products coupled with high economies of scale. Target offers product lines in departments such as household, hardline goods (non-informational goods), apparel and accessories, home furnishings and food and pet supplies. By doing this they create a one stop shop effect which holds a high convenience factor in the eyes of consumers.In 2010, the highest pctage of sales was in household goods at 24%, the lowest per centumage was food and pet supplies at 17% (Target 2012 10k). These statistics support the idea that Target is not just specialize in one department, but has been able to offer a wide variety of products, all of which hold a high demand. Coupled with the wide diverse product range, Target has been able to do this while achieving high economies of scale. They have coordinated 30 plus mixed and licensed brands which helps keep their operating cost low, giving them a higher(prenominal) profit margin.In addition, Target outsources their goods to multiple countries which helps generate lower costs. They currently have 27 offices in 18 different countries. Problems woful Forward ?Looking forward, Target may continue to see problems in a couple areas. They currently face the struggles of competing with Wal-Mart internationally, driving concern through their store/ online website and the ability to execute quality control. ?The biggest current problem is competing with their largest competitor, Wal-Mart, at an international level and depending solely on the American market.It is known that the American economy has interpreted a hit in the recent past and that can be reflected in Targets rece nt profits. Being solely dependent does not allow them to mitigate their risk, which Wal-Mart has done by tapping into different countries. This may not be an existing problem for long. Target is exploring the Canadian market and expects to have one hundred twenty-five of 135 stores remodeled and opened in the years 2013-2014. This shows some promise because over 30,000 Canadians currently hold Targets REDcard, which shows a strong brand presence (FOX). A second problem Target faces is driving consumer traffic through their stores and website. With the new emerging strategy of E-Commerce, consumers now have the ability to shop online in the comfort of their own home. This adds more competition to the market that Target already go about and these new entrants have the option to operate at a borderline cost. ?The last pressing issue Target may face for the future is quality control. Dating back to the start of 2012 and currently into the 2013 year, Target has recalled over 55 produ cts sold.This damages the image of Target and the products it offers. We do not believe this should hinder their operations too heavily but it is something to take notice of and work on fixing for the future (Target). Strategic Recommendation Our strategic recommendation for Target is to implement a comprehensive, multi-pronged, in-store advertising unravel that focuses on radical and all rude(a) products sales and promotions. Targets commitment to sizeable living and high health standards is consistent with the benefits of this ontogeny fundamental market.Target is able to add to their bottom line by tapping into this already established market, stealing market share from other retailers, and creating a new demand with non- perfect users. Organic food sales in the U. S. compensate nearly half of global organic food sales. The global organic market reached $54. 9 one thousand million in 2009, more than triple the $18 billion recorded in 2000 (Organic Agriculture in Wisconsi n). Target has met the needs of the rapidly growing demand of healthier foods, more effective forms of act, and a booming interest in organic products, but have not taken full advantage of the market opportunity.Recently Target and Harris Interactive carried out a take after that polled American families and found that consumers are confused about how, why and where to shop for organic foods. umpteen families are unfamiliar or even unaware of the benefits of the organic foods and products. For typeface the study showed that, one-third (34 percent) of consumers surveyed believe that organic foods are superior to non-organic foods, but nearly two-thirds (61 percent) want to be better informed on the value of where it pays to buy organic (Organic Consumers Association).It is not enough to just offer organic food and inherent products, Target needs to educate their consumers and persuade them to buy those products offered at Target. mint want to know more about organic products an d where to best spend their gold on them, says Dr. Susan Mitchell, registered provenderitian and SuperTarget Health and Nutrition Expert. Target provides their guests with product choices for the whole family products that enhance their lives in an affordable and accessible way.When it comes to feeding your kids, certain conventional choices are fine, but parents should be informed on where organic is the better bet. With the new Archer Farms organic product, Target has made it easy for parents to make better decisions on what to feed their families (Organic Consumers Association). Not until recently have a vast percent of our generation been diagnosed with allergies related to gluten, wheat, soy, etc. This is growing allergies are found to be passed on through genetics, and is only treatable through dietary changes.This means that the market will only continue to grow in future generations, not only by people who have the allergies, but also chose to limit their nutritional diet by choice for health reasons. Many companies now carry gluten free and organic food lines permanently and these product lines are continually growing. a 2011 survey by the Organic Trade Association found that more than three-quarters78 percentof U. S. families are buying organic food, up from 73 percent in 2009. Forty percent of families say they are buying more organic food now than they were a year ago (Organic Trade Association).In order for Target to fully tap into this growing market, they will need to continue expanding their current food departments in Target stores or convert them into Super Target stores. Target invested $500 million in 2010 in a new push on groceries, retrofitting some of its general merchandise stores with full-blown food sections. Sales and traffic at stores with the new grocery areas are about 6 percent higher than at similar stores without them, the company says (NY Times) Last year, nearly 1,000 Target stores offered an expanded food layout.At these T arget stores, approximately 10,000 square feet is dedicated to a vast stray of fresh food choices, including a curated assortment of fresh produce, fresh packaged meat and pre-packaged baked goods, in addition to dry and frozen offerings. By the end of 2012, more than 1,100 Target stores offer the expanded fresh food layout compared to 450 in 2010 (Target Press Release). Annette Miller, Targets senior vice president for grocery, said she pass judgment an expanded food department to move into most Target stores eventually.While the gross margins of the grocery business are about 18 percent, well below those of retail, which are about 30. 5 percent, groceries both drive visits and make existing stores more profitable, said Colin McGranahan, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein (NY Times). Target and Super Target carry many private labels and brands that specialize in healthy lifestyle and organic products. The Archer Farms brand offers organic products while remaining exclusive to Target, and continues to expand their brand with new product introductions regularly.Both Super Target and Target stores will continue to offer a variety and vast selection of organic products to meet the needs of all their consumers (Organic Consumers Association). Since Target Corp. has been successful with the launching and selling of their exclusive organic product lines, as well as mainstream brand organic products, we feel they need to focus on this demand instead of starting a new venture. Target is act to helping guests see the value of organic products and their role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, says Greg Duppler, senior vice president, Target. We want our guests to have one-stop access to the healthy products they need without sacrificing the convenience and value that Target consistently delivers through our owned brands (Organic Consumers Association). There is a lot more opportunity in this market than they have tapped into and we feel they should expand their e ducational programs and initiatives for them to fully take advantage of the organic product demand. Since Target Corp. already has the brand equity and brand sense, we want to make their consumers more aware of the benefits and facts about living a healthy lifestyle and using organic and all earthy products.Although Target has different advertisements and programs about healthy lifestyle, we feel they could incorporate a greater amount of product promotion and educational programs to increase their both their sales and brand image. Target Corp. needs to focus some of their advertising dollars on promoting these organic product lines. Not only the food and produce, but also the organic body upkeep lines, and organic cleaning and household products. Organic is not just food. Over 2 billion worth of organic fiber, cosmetic, and household products were sold last year (Consumer demand for organic food boosts sales).They should increase and reposition their in-store signage and display s to create buzz and inform the shoppers of what organic products they carry. Similar to Publix GreenWise organic section in their store, Target should group their organic products together in each department of the store with attention grabbing, easy to read signage. Each department will include an organic gangboard or section with end-cap aisle displays. Within these displays they will include informative, educational facts or promotional videos explaining the benefits of the organic products versus the non-all natural products.Larger signage and end-cap aisle displays will increase awareness and curiosity. Many people do not want to take the time to research the information about organic products, but if Target offers it in the store, the consumers will be more seeming to read it and become interested in the product lines. ?Many shoppers associate organic products and food to Publix and Whole food for thoughts, but we want consumers to also include Target in this category. Thi s advertising boost is more of an initiative than a campaign, to increase awareness and drive profitability in the all-natural product market.We want to enhance Targets brand image by incorporating more healthy lifestyle programs. Target would build and enhance their wellness section of their website for consumers to educate themselves on everyday wellness tips including organic foods and product ads, recipes, articles regarding the benefits of all-natural products. This would also include fitness tips, Target ads for exercise related products, vitamins, and more. We will focus this initiative towards mothers or heads of the households who do the family shopping. wherefore do people buy organic food? Parents tend to be incite by health concerns.The Organic Trade Association found that nearly half of parents surveyed48 percentwere motivated to buy organic food because they believe it is healthier for themselves and their children. Other motivators for parents include concerns over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on children, and escape of highly processed food and artificial ingredients (Haumann). Many organic consumers are mothers who care about the wellness of their children and families, so we will focus mainly on healthy lifestyles for families. We will also offer special shopping lists and recipes for food allergies.Many mothers already shop at Target for their everyday needs and we want them to also buy any of the food products they can while they are there, especially organic. base on these numbers, the organic food and beverage industry presents an opportunity for growth in both revenue and jobs during the downturn. Target has a huge advantage with their Red-card, that shoppers who have this credit or debit card receive 5% off their entire purchase every time they shop at Target or Super Target. This is another discount on top of Targets everyday low prices compared to Whole Foods, Publix, and World Market.No other grocery store offers a credit card that allows a discount every time they shop, on top of sales and promotional items. With this Red-card, we suggest Target offers additional discounts, like Win-Dixie does with their shopping card. The consumers would receive Bo-Go discounts, weekly promotional prices on certain items and more when they use their Red-card to buy groceries. This would increase their credit card sales, total purchases, and especially grocery and food sales (exhibit). The marketing and advertising of this wellness and organic initiative will cost about $3. million for four months of in-store promotion and an additional $500k for enhancing Targets website design. Remodeling an existing store to include the expanded fresh food layout requires an enthronement of around $1. 5 3 million, of which about 60 percent is related to merchandise initiatives like the expanded food selection and transformations in Beauty, Home, Shoes and nipper (Target Summary Financials) Our expanded fresh f ood layout offers around 90 percent of the food categories found in a Super Target with about 60 percent of the items, in approximately half of the space devoted to food in a Super Target (Target Summary Financials).With every store Target remodels to expand their grocery department, they increase their revenue by at least 6 percent. The advertising and in-store promotions will increase revenue by at least 4 percent within 6 months after we begin the initiative and increase total organic food sales by 12 percent within the year. This is a perfect time to start the in-store organic promotional campaign for Target. Summer and early fall is the highest revenue time for organic produce. Since the advertising and promotional collateral will mainly stay in-store and online, we can start right away and be ready to launch within 45 days.The website can be enhance as soon as possible, as well as the start of training for the current employees. Exhibit 7 in the addendum shows a proposed time line for our strategic recommendation for Target Corporation. Fallout and Summary These are the risks associated with our recommendation 1. Higher prices for organic food and products 2. Lack of demand and interest in organic food and products 3. Increase in a. operation costs for training of employees on education of organic benefits etc. and additional employees b. dvertising/marketing costs for signage and promotional advertising of organic product lines and foods c. costs associated with updating website content d. costs associciate with creating and expanding educational programs and sponsorships that promote organic products and food and healthy life styles References 1. Organic Consumers Association. Another Big Box Chain, Target, Jumps Onto Organic Bandwagon. 28 Sept. 2006. tissue. 05 Apr. 2013. . 2. Biesada, Alexandra. Target Corporation. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 3. Clifford, Stephanie. Big Retailers convey More Aisles With Groceries. The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2011. W eb. 6 Apr. 2013. . 4. Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin. Growing Demand for Organic Food A Bright Spot in a Tough Economy. N. p. , Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . 5. Haumann, Barbara. Seventyeight Percent of U. S. Families Say They leveraging Organic Foods. 2011 Press Releases. Organic Trade Associations Organic Newsroom, Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. . 6. IBISWorld. Major Companies. 2012. Web. 5 April 2013. . 7. Reuters. visibleness Target Corp (TGT). 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 8. Target Brands, Inc. orporate fact sheet. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013b. . 9. Target Brands, Inc. shop Targets exclusive online-only brands. 22 January 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 10. Target Brands, Inc. stock information. 2013. Web. 6 April 2013. . 11. Target Brands, Inc. Target tops for customer experience. 5 March 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 12. Target Corporation. Form 10K. 10K. 2013. PDF. 13. Target Corporation Financial and Strategic Analysis Review. 5-Nov-2012. Web 5 April 2013. reference code GDRT333 97FSA . 14. Target Remodels 90 Stores to Expand Fresh Food Selection. Press Room. Target Corporation, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. . MAN4720 Section 22 -Wednesdays 730pm Team Risky Business Christine Majewski Jake Morgan Kristin Stearker Cory Verez Executive Summary ?The purpose of this analysis is to inform the board of team Risky Business strategic proposal related to Target Corporations Health & Wellness category. Target is already a multi-million dollar company, but after analyzing the company, our team has come up with a few strategic recommendations to aid in the continued success of Target.We have found that Target strives to combine top of the line innovation, excellent customer service, and unparallel value at attractive prices to customers using their Expect More. Pay Less brand promise. The Target Corporation has many strengths that will help our recommendation succeed including a wide scope of products and brands, strong internal logistics, convenience of online shop ping, and an already strong brand and financial position. We feel that Target creates a sustained competitive advantage by leveraging the different aspects of their integration strategy to attract customers.Target is able to keep volumes high, driving costs down to offer lower prices on the differentiated products that Targets guests have grown to love and expect. ?Team Risky Businesss strategic recommendations for the Health & Wellness sector include expanding initiatives and educational programs associated with organic and gluten free lifestyles. Target already has brand exclusive organic lines and our team recommends making consumers more aware of the products offered as well as benefits their guests can reap from changing their lifestyles.We suggest increasing advertising in order to promote these product lines to a market that is increasingly more health conscious than ever before. As with any strategic option, there are fall out risks associated to this plan that include incre ased costs and a potential lack of interest or demands. The full analysis gives a more in depth look at the current position of the company and future problems it could face along with the strategic recommendations we have chosen, and potential fallout risks associated with our solutions.Identify your clients current vision and mission and analyze your clients strategy ? Targets ultimate goal is to become the most favored shopping destination for customers throughout all existing channels. The company plans to achieve their overall vision by continually being a top innovator in the industry, delivering outstanding customer experiences and terrific value at attractive prices, and by constantly fulfilling their brand promise of Expect More. Pay Less. Target tries to live up to their statements and this can be seen throughout many areas of the company.In March, 2013, Target received one of only 13 ratings of excellent, the highest available, from the Forrester Customer Experience Index , which measures customer experiences by survey (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013). As far as innovation is concerned, Target has made a positive imprint within the industry. Target has received many awards for its innovative excellence and is continuously reinventing its stores, layouts, and product assortments to better serve the ever-evolving needs of their guests (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b). Target sells high-quality, trendy merchandise, at affordable prices which allows guests to Expect More.Pay Less when they shop at Target. Target combines innovation, value, and commitment to their brand promise through their actions, such as partnering with popular fashion designers to create affordable lines specifically for Target. This combining of differentiated products with lower prices is one way that Target incorporates its mission statement into their everyday operations. Target is still working on reaching its end goal of becoming the preferred outlet, as shown by its 2 market share po sition in the discount department store industry. Target is surpassed in market share only by Wal-Mart at this time (Biesada, 2013). Three segments are operated by Target US Retail, Canadian, and US Credit Card. Two branded credit cards, the Target Card and the Target Visa, and one Target branded debit card, offer credit to customers through the US Credit Card segment (Reuters, 2013). In 2012, the total REDCard penetration was 13. 6%, up from 9. 3% the prior year. Although more people are signing up for credit, the total revenue generated from this segment has been declining since 2010 (Target Corporation, 2013). See Exhibit 1 for US Credit Card segment details. The Canadian segment includes the recently acquired Zellers, Inc. tore locations in Canada. Start-up costs for this segment were $272 million in 2011 and $74 million in 2012 (Target Corporation, 2013). ?The US Retail segment includes Targets online business, its general merchandise stores, and SuperTargets (Reuters, 2013). T arget. com is designed to allow guests to purchase products directly from online and/or to assist them in locating the product in a store near them. To aid in differentiating themselves, Target uses the web platform to sell not only its general merchandise, but also to introduce six brands sold exclusively through this medium (Target Brands, Inc. 2013c). The online presence aids in the vision of the company by offering multiple channels through which a customer can interact with Target. The brick and mortar stores of the US Retail segment offer general merchandise and groceries through the discount chain. Target and SuperTargets differ in that SuperTargets offer a larger line of food assortments. Targets product mix includes household items, electronics, apparel and accessories, food and pet supplies, and home furnishings (Reuters, 2013). Exhibit 2 shows the percentages of sales each category holds. Within the retail segment, a portion of Targets sales are generated through a mix of nationally branded goods, as well as private-label brands. In addition to general merchandise, Target also generates revenues from facilities in store such as Target Cafe, Target Clinic, Target Pharmacy and Target Photo, and from leased or licensed departments such as Target Optical, Pizza Hut, Portrait Studio and Starbucks (Reuters, 2013). Target Corporation generates the majority of its sales revenues from the US Retail segment and revenues have been increasing since at least 2007 according to the companys past 10K forms.Even through the 2008 recent recession, Targets sales revenues have continued to increase within this segment (Target Corporation, 2013). Sales revenue overall, including all three segments, also has been rising since at least 2007. Although revenues continued to increase through the recession, net earnings dropped from $2,849 million in 2007 to $2,214 million in 2008. Targets net earnings recovered and have been increasing every year since the recession (Target Corporation, 2013).In addition to increasing sales revenue and net earnings, Targets stock prices have also been above both the S&P and Dow Jones indexes for the last 10 years (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013d). See Exhibit 3 for US Retail Segment sales figures and Exhibit 4 for other selected financial data. ?The Target Corporation currently operates 1,784 of these SuperTarget and Target stores in the United States, as well as their online site, Target. com. Target recently began expansion into Canada 24 stores are operational at this time (Target Brands, Inc. , 2013b).Target plans to continue with its growth tactics through 2013, bringing its Canadian fleet up to 100-150 stores (Biesada, 2013). At the same time that Target is expanding into new markets, the company is also penetrating further into existing markets with plans to remodel more of its store formats and to include additional food assortments. According to Hoovers, nearly 900 Target stores (up from 462 last year) now feature expanded food assortmentsIn fiscal 2013 Target plans to remodel an additional 230 general merchandise Target stores (Biesada, 2013).The remodeled stores, with better food assortments and innovative design changes, seem to be part of a strategic effort to stay competitive with the only company out-performing them, Wal-Mart. ?Finally, the Target company operates using an integration strategy, and is one of few companies that has found success using this type of strategy. As IbisWorld states, Target offers daily essentials and consumables at discounted prices however, the company has carved out a niche market by focusing on selling fashionable and trendy products (IBISWorld, 2012).Target is unique because it has successfully managed to operate with low costs while providing differentiated products that satisfy their customers needs and wants. Being able to continuously offer quality, innovative products while keeping costs low lays a foundation for the company to create competitive s trengths on. Analysis Strengths ?A couple of strengths that we found Target is posting is their large variety of product and brands. They offer a wide arrangement of goods that can attract an excessive amount of consumers to come through the store.Another strength that Target holds is a strong internal logistics structure. Their 37 distribution centers located across the US gives them a strong chance to open more stores, and reach more potential customers. (Target Co. ) They also offer the convenience of online shopping for all of their customers, not only offering ease of shopping, but also allowing those who may not have a target nearby still enjoys their goods. We also found that Target is in a unique position in respect to their current sales, over the last few years they have consistently posted growth in revenue, and gross profit.Weaknesses ?A weakness that was found through our research was a decrease in liquid capital over the last 2 years, potentially making it difficult to manage working capital and operational needs. Furthermore, they have increased the total debt that they are obliged to, making the lack of current assets evermore detrimental. Another possible weakness is their lack of exposure to countries other than the US, they are currently only operating inside the US which could pose many problems due to their dependence on one market. Target Co. ) Opportunities ?There are plenty of opportunities for Target when it comes to the expansion of their company into new markets. In 2013 Target will take its first step into an international market when they expanded in to Canada, creating Target Canada Co. (Target Co. ) Target has opportunities to expand their products, and broaden the breadth of their goods, especially the expansion of private label brands. Threats ?The largest threat to target is that it is in a highly competitive market.There are a plethora of other stores selling the same goods, as well as the threats of counterfeit goods in the industry. (Target Co. ) Another threat is the potential of change in consumer preferences, creating a lack of demand for Targets goods. Threat of Substitute Products ?We feel the threat of substitute products is high, there are many stores that offer similar goods that could be considered more attractive than buying from target usually this is derived from the desire to obtain private label goods. Intensity of competitive rivalry in the Industry The competitive rivalry within the industry is high, there are many companies competing against each other for the same customers, and market share. On top of the brick and mortar traditional shopping, there are now arising e-commerce competitors that intensify the competition within the industry. Threat of new Entrants ?Considering the wide arrangements of goods offered by Target, we believe that the threat of new entrants is high. Its also a highly competitive market, will low barriers of entry, so the combination of those two things creat es an ease of entry for new ventures.Power of Buyers We find that the power of buyers is high at Target, while they may not have much negotiating power within the store they do have many options on where they are going to buy the particular good, which gives them the power to shop around and find the price that they like. Power of Suppliers ?The power of suppliers at Target is low, since there has been a decrease in import barriers that has caused an increase in competition between suppliers. So the power of the suppliers to name the price has nearly been eliminated.Sustainable Competitive Advantage ?To operate effectively in the discount retail industry you need to be able to master some key functions, not only to achieve competitive advantage, but also to make it sustainable. Target displays a couple features we have noticed, that we feel allows them to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. These SCA factors consist of the ability to manage and perform off a highly effective supply chain and the ability to achieve high economies of scale, due to their huge market presence and mix of private branding. One of the factors that helps Target obtain an effective supply chain is the wide geographical coverage of their distribution centers. They currently control and operate 37 distribution centers ranging from the West Coast of Lacey, Washington all the way to the North East location of Wilton, New York. By having multiple disperse locations they have allowed themselves the opportunity to expand across the whole country. They have the capabilities to service any of their 1,700 plus stores in a timely manner.This in turn creates a larger geographical market to operate in effectively that some of their smaller competitors may not have the means to. ?A second important factor that Target masters is its offering of diverse products coupled with high economies of scale. Target offers product lines in departments such as household, hardline goods (non-informational goods), apparel and accessories, home furnishings and food and pet supplies. By doing this they create a one stop shop effect which holds a high convenience factor in the eyes of consumers.In 2010, the highest percentage of sales was in household goods at 24%, the lowest percentage was food and pet supplies at 17% (Target 2012 10k). These statistics support the idea that Target is not just specialized in one department, but has been able to offer a wide variety of products, all of which hold a high demand. Coupled with the wide diverse product range, Target has been able to do this while achieving high economies of scale. They have incorporated 30 plus mixed and licensed brands which helps keep their operating cost low, giving them a higher profit margin.In addition, Target outsources their goods to multiple countries which helps generate lower costs. They currently have 27 offices in 18 different countries. Problems Moving Forward ?Looking forward, Target may continue to see probl ems in a couple areas. They currently face the struggles of competing with Wal-Mart internationally, driving traffic through their store/ online website and the ability to implement quality control. ?The biggest current problem is competing with their largest competitor, Wal-Mart, at an international level and depending solely on the American market.It is known that the American economy has taken a hit in the recent past and that can be reflected in Targets recent profits. Being solely dependent does not allow them to mitigate their risk, which Wal-Mart has done by tapping into different countries. This may not be an existing problem for long. Target is exploring the Canadian market and expects to have 125 of 135 stores remodeled and opened in the years 2013-2014. This shows some promise because over 30,000 Canadians currently hold Targets REDcard, which shows a strong brand presence (FOX). A second problem Target faces is driving consumer traffic through their stores and website. W ith the new emerging strategy of E-Commerce, consumers now have the ability to shop online in the comfort of their own home. This adds more competition to the market that Target already faced and these new entrants have the option to operate at a minimal cost. ?The last pressing issue Target may face for the future is quality control. Dating back to the start of 2012 and currently into the 2013 year, Target has recalled over 55 products sold.This damages the image of Target and the products it offers. We do not believe this should hinder their operations too heavily but it is something to take notice of and work on fixing for the future (Target). Strategic Recommendation Our strategic recommendation for Target is to implement a comprehensive, multi-pronged, in-store advertising campaign that focuses on organic and all natural products sales and promotions. Targets commitment to healthy living and high wellness standards is consistent with the benefits of this growing organic market. Target is able to add to their bottom line by tapping into this already established market, stealing market share from other retailers, and creating a new demand with non-organic users. Organic food sales in the U. S. comprise nearly half of global organic food sales. The global organic market reached $54. 9 billion in 2009, more than triple the $18 billion recorded in 2000 (Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin). Target has met the needs of the rapidly growing demand of healthier foods, more effective forms of exercise, and a booming interest in organic products, but have not taken full advantage of the market opportunity.Recently Target and Harris Interactive carried out a survey that polled American families and found that consumers are confused about how, why and where to shop for organic foods. Many families are unfamiliar or even unaware of the benefits of the organic foods and products. For instance the study showed that, one-third (34 percent) of consumers surveyed believe that o rganic foods are superior to non-organic foods, but nearly two-thirds (61 percent) want to be better informed on the value of where it pays to buy organic (Organic ConsumersAssociation). It is not enough to just offer organic food and natural products, Target needs to educate their consumers and persuade them to buy those products offered at Target. People want to know more about organic products and where to best spend their money on them, says Dr. Susan Mitchell, registered dietitian and SuperTarget Health and Nutrition Expert. Target provides their guests with product choices for the whole family products that enhance their lives in an affordable and accessible way.When it comes to feeding your kids, certain conventional choices are fine, but parents should be informed on where organic is the better bet. With the new Archer Farms organic product, Target has made it easy for parents to make better decisions on what to feed their families (Organic Consumers Association). Not until recently have a vast percent of our generation been diagnosed with allergies related to gluten, wheat, soy, etc. This is growing allergies are found to be passed on through genetics, and is only treatable through dietary changes.This means that the market will only continue to grow in future generations, not only by people who have the allergies, but also chose to limit their nutritional diet by choice for health reasons. Many companies now carry gluten free and organic food lines permanently and these product lines are continually growing. a 2011 survey by the Organic Trade Association found that more than three-quarters78 percentof U. S. families are buying organic food, up from 73 percent in 2009. Forty percent of families say they are buying more organic food now than they were a year ago (Organic Trade Association).In order for Target to fully tap into this growing market, they will need to continue expanding their current food departments in Target stores or convert them into Super Target stores. Target invested $500 million in 2010 in a new push on groceries, retrofitting some of its general merchandise stores with full-blown food sections. Sales and traffic at stores with the new grocery areas are about 6 percent higher than at similar stores without them, the company says (NY Times) Last year, nearly 1,000 Target stores offered an expanded food layout.At these Target stores, approximately 10,000 square feet is dedicated to a vast array of fresh food choices, including a curated assortment of fresh produce, fresh packaged meat and pre-packaged baked goods, in addition to dry and frozen offerings. By the end of 2012, more than 1,100 Target stores offer the expanded fresh food layout compared to 450 in 2010 (Target Press Release). Annette Miller, Targets senior vice president for grocery, said she expected an expanded food department to move into most Target stores eventually.While the gross margins of the grocery business are about 18 percent, well belo w those of retail, which are about 30. 5 percent, groceries both drive visits and make existing stores more profitable, said Colin McGranahan, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein (NY Times). Target and Super Target carry many private labels and brands that specialize in healthy lifestyle and organic products. The Archer Farms brand offers organic products while remaining exclusive to Target, and continues to expand their brand with new product introductions regularly.Both Super Target and Target stores will continue to offer a variety and vast selection of organic products to meet the needs of all their consumers (Organic Consumers Association). Since Target Corp. has been successful with the launching and selling of their exclusive organic product lines, as well as mainstream brand organic products, we feel they need to focus on this demand instead of starting a new venture. Target is committed to helping guests see the value of organic products and their role in maintaining a hea lthy lifestyle, says Greg Duppler, senior vice president, Target. We want our guests to have one-stop access to the healthy products they need without sacrificing the convenience and value that Target consistently delivers through our owned brands (Organic Consumers Association). There is a lot more opportunity in this market than they have tapped into and we feel they should expand their educational programs and initiatives for them to fully take advantage of the organic product demand. Since Target Corp. already has the brand equity and brand awareness, we want to make their consumers more aware of the benefits and facts about living a healthy lifestyle and using organic and all natural products.Although Target has different advertisements and programs about healthy lifestyle, we feel they could incorporate a greater amount of product promotion and educational programs to increase their both their sales and brand image. Target Corp. needs to focus some of their advertising dollars on promoting these organic product lines. Not only the food and produce, but also the organic body care lines, and organic cleaning and household products. Organic is not just food. Over 2 billion worth of organic fiber, cosmetic, and household products were sold last year (Consumer demand for organic food boosts sales).They should increase and reposition their in-store signage and displays to create buzz and inform the shoppers of what organic products they carry. Similar to Publix GreenWise organic section in their store, Target should group their organic products together in each department of the store with attention grabbing, easy to read signage. Each department will include an organic aisle or section with end-cap aisle displays. Within these displays they will include informative, educational facts or promotional videos explaining the benefits of the organic products versus the non-all natural products.Larger signage and end-cap aisle displays will increase awareness and cu riosity. Many people do not want to take the time to research the information about organic products, but if Target offers it in the store, the consumers will be more likely to read it and become interested in the product lines. ?Many shoppers associate organic products and food to Publix and Whole Foods, but we want consumers to also include Target in this category. This advertising boost is more of an initiative than a campaign, to increase awareness and drive profitability in the all-natural product market.We want to enhance Targets brand image by incorporating more healthy lifestyle programs. Target would build and enhance their wellness section of their website for consumers to educate themselves on everyday wellness tips including organic foods and product ads, recipes, articles regarding the benefits of all-natural products. This would also include fitness tips, Target ads for exercise related products, vitamins, and more. We will focus this initiative towards mothers or head s of the households who do the family shopping. Why do people buy organic food? Parents tend to be motivated by health concerns.The Organic Trade Association found that nearly half of parents surveyed48 percentwere motivated to buy organic food because they believe it is healthier for themselves and their children. Other motivators for parents include concerns over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on children, and avoidance of highly processed food and artificial ingredients (Haumann). Many organic consumers are mothers who care about the wellness of their children and families, so we will focus mainly on healthy lifestyles for families. We will also offer special shopping lists and recipes for food allergies.Many mothers already shop at Target for their everyday needs and we want them to also buy any of the food products they can while they are there, especially organic. Based on these numbers, the organic food and beverage industry presents an opportunity for gr owth in both revenue and jobs during the downturn. Target has a huge advantage with their Red-card, that shoppers who have this credit or debit card receive 5% off their entire purchase every time they shop at Target or Super Target. This is another discount on top of Targets everyday low prices compared to Whole Foods, Publix, and World Market.No other grocery store offers a credit card that allows a discount every time they shop, on top of sales and promotional items. With this Red-card, we suggest Target offers additional discounts, like Win-Dixie does with their shopping card. The consumers would receive Bo-Go discounts, weekly promotional prices on certain items and more when they use their Red-card to buy groceries. This would increase their credit card sales, total purchases, and especially grocery and food sales (exhibit). The marketing and advertising of this wellness and organic initiative will cost about $3. million for four months of in-store promotion and an additional $500k for enhancing Targets website design. Remodeling an existing store to include the expanded fresh food layout requires an investment of around $1. 5 3 million, of which about 60 percent is related to merchandising initiatives like the expanded food selection and transformations in Beauty, Home, Shoes and Baby (Target Summary Financials) Our expanded fresh food layout offers around 90 percent of the food categories found in a Super Target with about 60 percent of the items, in approximately half of the space devoted to food in a Super Target (Target Summary Financials).With every store Target remodels to expand their grocery department, they increase their revenue by at least 6 percent. The advertising and in-store promotions will increase revenue by at least 4 percent within 6 months after we begin the initiative and increase total organic food sales by 12 percent within the year. This is a perfect time to start the in-store organic promotional campaign for Target. Summer and early fall is the highest revenue time for organic produce. Since the advertising and promotional collateral will mainly stay in-store and online, we can start right away and be ready to launch within 45 days.The website can be enhance as soon as possible, as well as the start of training for the current employees. Exhibit 7 in the Appendix shows a proposed timeline for our strategic recommendation for Target Corporation. Fallout and Summary These are the risks associated with our recommendation 1. Higher prices for organic food and products 2. Lack of demand and interest in organic food and products 3. Increase in a. operation costs for training of employees on education of organic benefits etc. and additional employees b. dvertising/marketing costs for signage and promotional advertising of organic product lines and foods c. costs associated with updating website content d. costs associciate with creating and expanding educational programs and sponsorships that promote organic pro ducts and food and healthy life styles References 1. Organic Consumers Association. Another Big Box Chain, Target, Jumps Onto Organic Bandwagon. 28 Sept. 2006. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. . 2. Biesada, Alexandra. Target Corporation. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 3. Clifford, Stephanie. Big Retailers Fill More Aisles With Groceries. The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2013. . 4. Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin. Growing Demand for Organic Food A Bright Spot in a Tough Economy. N. p. , Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . 5. Haumann, Barbara. Seventyeight Percent of U. S. Families Say They Purchase Organic Foods. 2011 Press Releases. Organic Trade Associations Organic Newsroom, Nov. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. . 6. IBISWorld. Major Companies. 2012. Web. 5 April 2013. . 7. Reuters. Profile Target Corp (TGT). 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 8. Target Brands, Inc. corporate fact sheet. 2013. Web. 5 April 2013b. 9. Target Brands, Inc. shop Targets exclusive online-only brands. 22 January 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 10. Target Brands, Inc. stock information. 2013. Web. 6 April 2013. . 11. Target Brands, Inc. Target tops for customer experience. 5 March 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. . 12. Target Corporation. Form 10K. 10K. 2013. PDF. 13. Target Corporation Financial and Strategic Analysis Review. 5-Nov-2012. Web 5 April 2013. reference code GDRT33397FSA . 14. Target Remodels 90 Stores to Expand Fresh Food Selection. Press Room. Target Corporation, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013. .