Marketing and Management for National Bank - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theMarketing and Management for National Bank. Answer: National Bank of Australia The National Bank of Australia, usually referred to as NAB, is among the largest top four financial institutions in Australia in terms of the market share and market base. According to Guthrie et al., (2006), NAB was ranked among the best and largest bank in the world with higher market capitalization. According to the National bank of Australia, (2017), in a nutshell it boost of 1,590 branches and service centres and additional of 4,412 automated machines in Australia, New Zealand and Asia with customer base of 12.7 million people. The bank was established as a National Commercial Banking co-operation of Australia in 1982, through the merging of National Bank of Australia and the commercial bank of Sydney, the resulting bank gave birth to the name Australia Bank Limited. It has expanded tremendously over the years with market base increasing immensely. This has seen its expansion in the financial base and subsequent branch openings in many cities, which signifies positive growth. Th e bank has been launching branches, with an aim of building positive image in the financial sector. Its strategy has been to increase the market share by competing on price cutting for the customers. The strategy of denting earnings in the market share and building on customer satisfaction has been the driving force behind the bank. Cost Benefit Analysis of the Bank The National Bank of Australia, strategies itself to be among the leading banking entity with high quality of service that is responsive of its customers and clients. Business success determines these engagements of the banks. The sole aim is to maximize the profits and get more returns while maintain and expanding new customers to expand its broad base. For a review to be done there is need for cost benefit analysis to made in order to measure banks strategies in ensuring that expansion is achieved. According to Bansal, (2014), is important in weighing costs against benefits to inform the next course of action. For National Bank of Australia, the cost/benefit analysis is reviewed below, Benefits Cost - Simplifying bank process through system upgrades - Managing impacts of business through; - Reducing costs and business risks - Reduction in rework and effort in document processes - Avoiding duplication and redundancy process Skills teaching to managers to reduce waste, ensure quality and consistent customer service - Changing manual process allowed staff to be more effective - Reduced risks - Meeting compliance obligations - Meeting quality control objectives - Motivating staff - Reducing rework and effort in creation of documentation process - Avoiding duplication and redundancy across the organisation. Bank Organisation Analysis The National Bank of Australia is a business bank entity, that provides personal banking an business banking services. The company unit includes business and cooperate affairs units, consumer banking and wealth management. The baking business and banking focuses aims at targeting the Small medium and enterprise clientele, who include the National Australian bank, franchise with specialities in agriculture, health access, governments, education sectors and the business units and many more. The customer banking and wealth unit includes banking and wealth products strategy, marketing and cooperate affairs and counter banking and wealth management components. According to NAB financial reports, (2015/2016), the bank is fully founded on the principality of commitment to create more of what matters to the people and the needs of the community and the economy. It beliefs on motivation to the people and communities and it display passion to the customers in a demonstration to win more clients. Their responsibility approach is on cooperate social responsibility. The brand they are selling is aimed at providing quality products and services with fair remuneration and charges fees. The relationship build is based on the principles of help and guidance and to advice better financial outcomes for customers. The bank has keen focus on understanding its customers and understanding their preferences and what they want from them, they suit this into competitive package which drives customer loyalty for long term success. Through their visIon and goal, (NAB, 2017) the agenda of the National Bank of Australia is that it provides financial assistance in terms of superannuation, advice, investments and insurance solution ideas to both the retail world, cooperate institutions, and institutional clients. It aims to cater the needs of the customers in all aspects of the sphere ranging from agribusiness to asset servicing and treasury trading index portfolio. Marketing Component The National Bank has the belief that involves motivation to make positive and sustainable impact in the lives of customer and community underpinnings for strong business and improve customer satisfaction. The strength of the bank customer base and its stability is that it offers the clients with full satisfaction of meeting their needs; this has bolder solid backing for maintaining the business. The bank has more than 3 million personal and micro business customers which make its important in enhancing its stability and confirmed in the market environment. The innovative approaches to the business are key to helping retaining the customers as it leads to more positive image to the business and the satisfy the customers. Their opportunity is that meeting the financial needs of the clients is essential and hence driving the business forward, these opportunities are the driving force behind. The threats it encounters are the stiff competition it receives from other players and failure to provide customer satisfaction leads to drop in the customer base. Its weakness is that, due to the large base of personnel, managing this pool of people can be tedious, hence it may fall prey by, issues from the personnel and also decline in revenue which has affected growth and development The customer base it serves includes citizens from Australia, New Zealand and Asia. They have created exciting developments, which have committed significant investments in the region in a bid to ensure that they continue to meet the expanding needs. The bank offers its customers a range of banking business and financial services which include institutional banking, advisory services to business and migrant banking services for skilled and non skilled migrants and students studying in oversee countries. They also offer technical support for customers doing business in India and has been investing in citizens in a bid to boost its base in the region. The bank has built a network of partners who are working together to implement the organization objectives. The Bank provides financial services which includes business and personal banking insurance and creation of wealth management. The bank operates more than 1,800 branches and services centres in several countries. In order to reach this broad base, it has partnered with Oracle since 2008 to transform its engagement through creation of new customer platform that incorporates technology. Another implementing partner are the Canadian Imperial Bank of commerce which is the fifth largest lender, has formed a strategic partnership with National Bank of Australia in creations of new investments. This partnership enables the two banks to collaborate and and share aspects of product development and to facilitate the exchange of employee talent in the innovation world. Other partners include iGrafx tool set and Micro dynamics which offers process modelling toll. Micro dynamics has partner ed with NAB for the implementation of iGrafx business process analysis which indentifies activities which forms part of the strategic direction of the banking operations. With the facts of rapid expansion and positive growth in customer base the bank enjoys, it has fair share of competitors who are majorly the other banks who are competing for the same resources who are the people. They include the BNP Paribas, the standard charted bank, royal bank of Scotland, china construction cooperation, bank of America and Citigroup. Factors which have seen to be impacting the National Bank of Australia have fallen into various categories. The domestic and international economic influence has impacted on the status of the bank. The expansion of international economy with record of low interest rates and lower oil prices has had significant impact on the growth patterns. The instability of the euro era and the economy volatility in China has posed a significant risk on Australian economy. Other factors which affect its operation include managing of impacts of business in reduction of costs and business risks in improvement regulatory compliance initiatives. Also its quality output has been hampered by the reduction of work and effort in documentation process. The NBA handles its clients wants and needs through various strategies and framework s it facilitates this through building customer support base and encouraging the use of feedback and encouraging use of feedback to improve its clients. Resolving conflict with clients within 2 hours and response to complaints within 5 working days and offer new services which aims at reducing the complains from the customers. As part of this customer needs initiative, they rolled out customer response initiative which is aimed at improving the customers experience and ensure that the problems they encounter are sorted out efficiently. This step of customer initiative is taken on the grounds that issues affecting the customers very serious and they strive to offer solutions. The bank is facing stiff competition from banks such as Citigroup, china construction bank cooperation, bank of America, standard chartered bank, royal bank of Scotland, BNP paribus and many small upcoming banks in Australia. In a bid to manage this they have formulated the segment of targeting consumers through utilising on enterprise and individuals seeking financial help, and target the largest enterprises and individual investors. It has also improved its position on managing customers money at every stage of life. Marketing Strategy To approach the market segmentation for the bank, we will look into customer value segments and progression through the already built customer relation cycle. And then proceed to the phase of direct marketing activities, which the bank tries to sell and achieve and gain greater share of money to make more profit. The market segment of choice is to target the low value customers, who have limited financial needs and have their small business. In accessing this, it will target two groups of low customers. The first group is those that have small income or limited financial needs. This type of consumer will develop low level of profitability to the bank thus it is not common to see other banks to target this small group of individuals. The second segment lot in this target group are the potential customers who diversify the products through different financial institutions. A case example is when an investor chooses to have $50000 in savings deposited in various banks. This lot of clien ts provides low levels of profit contribution for the individual banks. This gives room for them to be upgraded to the next level package available in the bank, and the challenges will remain to be to convince these customers to place their financial assets in NBA. In accessing the medium value customers, they fall into two groups which involve customers who have majority of business in the National Bank of Australia and the second group involves those clients who have most of their financial business with other banks, may be due to the is special offers attached to and diversification of their various accounts. The next target segmentation available to the bank is to target the non customers; these are the consumers who have never had to do business with the bank previously. These consist of consumers who being competed by other banks and the younger consumers who are yet to sign in for bank accounts and services. The non customers are frequently targeted by banks due to the urge to have keen interests in the special offers and deals by providing them with special; offers and better deals. Targeting the high value customers for the bank is essential. This is the group who make large deposits and get huge loans and create a basis of the financial institutions in the profitability angle. This group often proof to be heard to retain but they are essential in their overall role in the attractiveness of the bank. The bank can also target the ex customers these are group who have become inactive and stopped using the financial services of the bank. However theoretically, they are hard to reach and get them to be reengaged in the business domain, due to their initial try, they may have found a chance and opportunity in a different bank. The changes of preference on these clients can be attributed from the changing taste preference and changing personal circumstances due to the changing needs or dissatisfactions, thus reaching them to get bank will be essential. Marketing Mix With the advent of the several services that the bank offers, formulation of product mix will be inevitable to target the whole segment of the target consumers. A study done by Poranki, (2017), the use of 7 Ps in marketing networks in banks has significant positive effect on the brand equity of the bank. The bank will sell their products to the various groups of customers highlighted in the market segmentation. The products to be promoted include savings accounts, current account opening and also to motivate those clients whom have become inactive through motivating tips like, re activation their accounts free of charge. For better product mix, there is need to group the product services into the following broad areas, savings accounts, currents accounts operations, salary accounts. Promotions of the different products which have an added advantage include home loan, personal loans and dormant account free openings. In promoting the price index for the various services under the National Bank of Australia, the variations of the prices will depend on the services requested by the clients. These prices will be formulated in a flexible manner in a way that is pocket friendly and motivates the consumers to do banking business in the bank. The pricing mix will involve flexible rates on commissions and fee charges at the banking halls, they need to display a competitive advantage to the new customers over the competing banks. The place and platform of promoting these products are very crucial and they play an important role in ensuring that the services are tangible. Considering quality of services given to the potential clients is crucial, and is considered by clients in the place of work as crucial. Clients perceive the type of service quality to the place of delivery which creates an appeal to them. In targeting this new segment, the National bank of Australia needs to target the customers in well conducive places and be able to convince them to join the bank. Providing an excellent environment in the form of place and location is essential in appealing customers segment. National bank of Australia will provide every tangible in the form of their interior, locations and exteriors. In promoting these essential services the bank will need to capitalize on various avenues for promotion which include in the form of visualization, association, physical representation and documentation. Visualization of these products and services to the segment customers will involve marketing inform of T.V and print campaigns and advertisements, this can be done in the print media, or online platforms or through visual networks like the TV. Physical representation will involve the use appropriate promotional appeal to the potential segment customers this will involve the use of colors and printed materials which are attractive to the eye, they include use of posters and branding materials, this symbolizes wealth and status. Targeting the right audience is essential. This will be essential through inclusion of people in the marketing mix. They form part of tangible assets. Their performance is essential for the growth of the business. According to Lawlor Carmody, (2001), good peop le make the business to have positive growth and bad people will lead to bad negative growth in the business. The bank needs to involve the right people in processing and marketing their products and services for positive outcome to be achieved. Improvement on the process and building business process protocols is essential;. This can be achieved through building people and creating result oriented approach. The process is designed through effective planning phase. For the NBA to achieve this there is need for comprehensive implementation process that involves everyone, in this way achieving success is eminent with high turn up of clients subscription. Lastly in the marketing mix the physical evidence for the service provided; these can include signage, reports, employees dress code and financial reports. In implementing and selling the NAB product to the new market segment, it will utilize the signage that is the logo as its brand in the market domain and to differentiate itself from other banks. Tangible items include provision of stationery items to the existing customers, this aimed at improving the satisfaction of the existing customers and boosting their confidence. The NAB will sell its branding services as a bank which has adopted the new technology and thus the reduction of paper works. According to Ivy, (2008), the bank has attracted new customers who are technology based and are in the marketing mix, adoption of this, marketing mix will enable satisfaction of the needs of the potential clients and improve the customer base of the National Bank of Australia.As stated by Rafiq et al., (1995), marketing mix serve as element s to that can be used to influence the behavior of consumer, to achieve this, following the protocol of 7ps will ensure realization of building strong customer base. Conclusion Concluding, is that the National Bank of Australia as one of the largest banks in Australia, offering financial services to its clientele. It aims at lifting its productivity across all its operational units; it aims at improving the service quality to customers in striving for this. Thus with this objective it is important from a marketing segment to guide on this process and the marketing mix illustrated above aim at improving the customer network and improves its profit margins in general. References "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). National Australia Bank. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 25/05/2017. https://www.nab.com.au/content/dam/nabrwd/About-Us/2014-annual-financial-report.pdf "Five lessons from NAB's "bank break-up" marketing campaign". Smart Company. Retrieved 25/05/2017. http ; https://www.nab.com.au/ "Five lessons from NAB's "bank break-up" marketing campaign". Smart Company. Retrieved 25/05/2017. http ; https://www.nab.com.au/ About Us - NAB". National Australia Bank. Retrieved 25/05/2017. Http; https://www.nab.com.au/about-us Annual Report 2015" (PDF). National Australia Bank. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 25/05/2017. https://www.nab.com.au/content/dam/nabrwd/About-Us/shareholder%20centre/documents/2015%20full%20year%20results.pdf Bansal, A., Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Study Of Selected Nationalized Bank In India. Guthrie, J., Petty, R. and Ricceri, F., 2006. The voluntary reporting of intellectual capital: Comparing evidence from Hong Kong and Australia. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 7(2), pp.254-271. Ivy, J. 2008. A new higher education marketing mix: the 7Ps for MBA marketing. International Journal of educational management, 22(4), 288-299. Lawlor, M.P. and Carmody, T.E., Online Resources Communications Corp., 2001. Method and system for remote delivery of retail banking services. U.S. Patent 6,202,054. National Australia Bank Case study, accessed online, 25/05/2017. https: https://www.managementparadise.com/forums/final-100-mark-project/11865-7-ps-bank-marketing.html Poranki, K.R., Assessment of Marketing Mix Components of Service on Bank Customers of State Bank of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Rafiq, M. and Ahmed, P.K., 1995. Using the 7Ps as a generic marketing mix: an exploratory survey of UK and European marketing academics. marketing intelligence planning, 13(9), pp.4-15.

Management and Competencies free essay sample

In understanding how an organisation can improve through organizational competency frameworks, one must first understand what is a competency. Competency, defined by Boyzatis (1982: 21) is known as â€Å"the behavioral characteristic of a person which is casually related to effective or superior performance in a job† Competencies act as a signal from the organisation which indicate to an individual behaviours and actions that will be valued, recognised and in some organisations rewarded. Each individual competency consists of a number of observable behaviours (i. e. behavioural indicators) that are relevant to the performance of the role. Lets use an aerospace manufacturing organisation such as Pattonair to understand what key competencies it requires for its employees to be successful; People management is crucial; it demonstrates competencies of planning, guiding developing human resources. It incorporates using prior knowledge of individual’s strengths, interests, development needs to delegate tasks; provides accurate regular feedback; identifies where support is needed and provides it. Team work; working effectively with all members of the team to achieve shared objectives. Contributes to sense of camaraderie and strengthens collaboration across departments. Production and efficient management skills Problem solving; an employee deals quickly and effectively in a calm manor to difficult or unforeseen situations. Communication is vital in order to achieve results and maintain and encourage motivation. Listen attentively to what people have to say in order to gain an accurate understanding of their wants and needs. Innovation In understanding these competencies lets now build a competency framework, Pilbeam and Corbridge (2006) suggest that a competency framework is both a list of these competencies and a tool by which they are expressed, assessed and measured. This framework can either emphasize behavioral competencies, technical competencies or both. FIGURE 1- Competency Framework for Pattonair focusing on the Team Work cluster One of the major causes of failure of large-scale organisational change efforts is poor communication (Kotter, 1996). Competencies are proven to be a strong and powerful tool used by HR managers that help communicate to staff change objectives and expectations of management when alterations are made regarding job roles and the delivery of these roles, competencies also lead to a significantly improved understanding throughout companies regarding the desirable actions and behaviours for reaching the goals set etc. A large majority of employees at the Pattonair Head Quarters in Derby pointed out that competencies clarify where the company wants to go and how it should operate in order to successfully reach these strategic destinations. The Global Commercial Director Dave Fawcett with long experience within the industry said: â€Å"Competencies will help people understand Pattonair’s vision. Many times in the past we heard about changes in what the bank will do in the future but until now, it was never very clear how such changes would affect us or what we would need to do in order to follow these plans. † Through the competencies framework, with well defined and expressed competencies anchored in strategy, jobholders felt they gained a better understanding of what was expected, what was rewarded, what was desirable and what behaviours and abilities would be needed in the short-, mid- and more long-run. As mentioned above, the top management of Pattonair decided to redefine their HR methods and systems starting from a focus on individual job-related competencies. The competency model should focus not only on behaviours, knowledge and skills necessary, but should also facilitate communication about strategy and articulate how people could expect to be selected, trained, evaluated, and rewarded after implementation of the new strategy. Moreover, competencies related to the ability to change, learn and take initiatives should explicitly be integrated. The competency framework Pattonair are adopting should also take into consideration not only job descriptions, but also best practices and recent trends in the aerospace industry as well as the organisation’s own strategy (Martone, 2003), so as to guarantee a direct and dynamic link between strategy and competencies and the relevance and â€Å"survival† of the framework throughout and beyond the implementation of the change program. Second, the competency framework should consist of a set of â€Å"generic† competency areas, with each competency area to be composed of a limited number of competencies that would be relevant, to different degrees, for every concerned job position (Lucia and Lepsinger, 1999). Criticisms Difficulties with the operation and implementation of competency management systems are mostly related to the complex and lengthy process required for identifying the appropriate competencies for an organisation and for building the appropriate competency model Athey and Orth (1999). Another issue of concern is that the competencies defined most often end up as being backward-looking rather than future-oriented with respect to strategy and organisational change (Torrington et al. , 2002). Competency models tend to focus on what managers currently do rather than what is needed to perform effectively in the future (Antonacopoulou and Fitzgerald, 1996), something that jeopardises the potential of competencies to act as levers for implementing change (Martone, 2003). If HR managers fail to adapt continuously and reengineer periodically their organisation’s competency framework, it will at best become outdated and fall into oblivion, and at worst drag the organisation into stagnation and loss of competitive momentum. CONCLUSION Now that I have drawn together and critically discussed a range of principles and approaches using vast ranges of literature, my conclusions are as followed. Heffernan and Flood (2000) outline two approaches to competencies, first the US approach and second the UK approach. The predominant US approach portrayed by Boyatzis, Ulrich and others defines competency as the underlying attributes of a person. It is largely an input-based approach, defining the inputs needed to demonstrate competent performance. In contrast, the UK approach sees competency as a set of performances and standards. Boam and Sparrow 1992), among others, are part of a group of mostly English authors who proposed that competency was best used as a measure of output learning. Training and assessment of performance was the thrust of this approach. Stuart and Lindsay 1997) suggest each model is incomplete and therefore lacking as a comprehensive frame for understanding and working with managerial competence. Neither approach adequately defines managerial competence in terms of the context of the organisation, its culture, marketplace and business environment. Potential positive impacts for supporting strategic change / levers/actions for tapping into this potential By using Competency frameworks it will help and allow a company such as Pattonair in Institutionalizing any changes HR management wish to enforce, The shift to a competency-based performance management system allows HR management to start this change through better goal setting, clarification of expectations, reward of behaviours that support new strategic objectives. Improvement of employees’ understanding of how to reach goals Accompany the competency framework with clear guidelines methodologies for linking competencies to goals, for clarifying what is desirable, for conducting competency-based evaluation Follow up frequently on employees’ understanding of what is expected Clarify what behaviours/abilities will be needed in the short-, mid-more long-term future

Sample Essay Writing For the High School Graduates

Sample Essay Writing For the High School GraduatesSample essays are great for graduate school students, especially when they're working on their written papers for the various essays required for their college entrance exams. While the essays can be useful in helping you learn how to write a great one, there are many who will tell you that the best ones have been written by professionals who put in a lot of effort and have a lot of experience.A very popular topic is those writing samples for the essays for the High School Graduates. It's true that there are many students who are not really in the position to finish the essay, but if you're an English major, or even if you're a high school teacher, then it would be very helpful for you to look at the samples to see how they can be used to help you with your own writing. Because there are a lot of writers who are unable to complete their assignments, it is very helpful to see samples on how they can be used to help.When you go to the s ample essays and look at them, you will notice that it's a lot easier to understand and learn from them. Instead of following a lot of instructions, you have a lot of guidelines on how to write a great essay. Also, you will find that they're very detailed. You will also find that some of the examples even have a reference to what was considered as the best subject to write about.Some of the examples may not be the best, but the authors may have had to modify their own writing style and try to fit the structure of the essay to the curriculum. This may not work for all high school graduates because there are still a lot of subjects that they will have to write about that will not fit in. They may have to modify the essay a bit and make it more suitable to their own learning style.If you ask your father or mother about how they learned to write an essay, they may tell you that they just made it up as they went along, and they don't remember what topic they wanted to write about. So it may be a good idea to get some sample essays and see how they can be used to help you finish the one that you're writing.One last note, there is no standard length for samples for High School Graduates. Some are quite short, while others are very long. It is up to you whether you want to find a long essay for the thesis for the High School Graduates or if you want to find a short one that will give you some structure.Many of the samples for the essays for the High School Graduates are quite simple. You can use it to help you develop your own style. If you want to read more samples, you can visit the website for articles and samples.

How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   Essay Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale of a pair of doomed lovers who come from opposing families. Due to the ongoing feud between their kin, they are forced to marry in secret and from here; one of the most memorable love of stories of all time unfolds. Its timeless story has sprung numerous interpretations, both in the theatre and on the silver screen. However, of all films and plays that have been made, Baz Luhrmans version is by far the best. He has modernised Shakespeares masterpiece to suit the modern audience, and where as in many film versions the true essence of the story is lost, Luhrman manages to keep Romeo and Juliet every bit as enchanting as it was when Shakespeare first put pen to paper. When reading the script of Romeo and Juliet, there is much to enjoy, the epic tale of love, the beautiful language and the riveting action scenes. In the film, some of the language is lost, but, in its place comes some very impressive gun fights and many comical appearances, seeing Mercutio in drag being something that many viewers remember after having watched the film, and with good reason, it is a genuinely funny moment. Though some of the artistic language is lost during the translation to film, the theme of romance remains constant throughout. If one was to analyse both the play and the film thoroughly they would almost certainly make a note of the fact that one character is essential to developing all themes, whether they be common between the play and the film or unique to each presentation. That character is Mercutio. We will write a custom essay sample on How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How central is Mercutio to the readers enjoyment of Romeo and Juliet?   specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When Mercutio first enters the play he is with the Montagues when they are about enter the Capulets party, he has an instant impact on Romeo by attempting cheer him up by helping him forget about Rosaline. Mercutios personality also becomes evident in his first scene in the play. Firstly, it is clear that Mercutio is hostile towards love. When Romeo refuses to dance, Mercutio makes fun of him, telling him to, borrow cupids wings. Romeo dismisses this remark and says that love is, too rough, and that it pricks like thorn. Mercutio replies by saying, if love be rough with you be rough with love. This is a very strange comment to associate with something as tender as love and shows that Mercutio has some negative feelings towards love, though what they are and what the cause is, we will never know. This theme of hatred of love is apparent throughout Mercutios time in the play. Shakespeare also makes use of iambic pentameter to show the deep friendship between Mercutio and Romeo. This is done by making them finish each others Iambic Pentameter. For instance, on line 50-51, Romeos speech has six beats and Mercutio ends it with four beats. Finally, Shakespeare shows off Mercutios intelligence in the form of the Queen Mab speech. There are currently no records of a fictional dream fairy called Queen Mab and so we can assume that it is a figment of Mercutios imagination. His superbly detailed description is amazing considering the speed at which he has comes up with it. He generally uses stylish language with metaphors playing a large part in his description of Queen Mab. She is the fairies midwife. This once again shows Mercutios intelligence. When presented on stage during the fifteenth to sixteenth century this sort of intelligent language would have a strong appeal to the upper classes. This is not the only time that Mercutio makes use of his language to showcase his intelligence. In Shakespearean times, using foreign language is a great sign of intelligence and Mercutio does this by using French words such as, Bonjour. Mercutio also shows his love of being the centre of attention. In the text, this is mainly shown b y giving Mercutio most of the speech whenever is in a scene. For instance in Act 1 Scene 4 he takes up more than a page with his Queen Mab Speech alone. However, when presenting this same scene, Baz Luhrman decides to use Mercutios appearance and actions to show what his language does in the text. The first thing that strikes the viewer about Mercutio is that he is black. This may seem obvious but traditionally, black people do not appear in any of Shakespeares plays. This was mainly the case during the fifteenth to sixteenth century, however, even in modern times a black person starring in a interpretation of Shakespeares plays is highly uncommon. This makes Mercutio the centre of attention from the instant that he is introduced and so it has a similar effect to that of his domination of text. Another striking feature of Mercutios presentation is that he is in drag. This is a very bold and uncommon way to introduce a character and once again links in with Mercutios love of being the centre of attention. Unfortunately, the wonderful Queen Mab speech somewhat loses its power and appeal in the transition to the silver screen. Where as the text puts the speech down to Mercutios strange but intelligent humour, the film shows it to be a result of drugs. I believe that this is a false interpretation, but, it does contribute heavily to another part of Mercutios personality. His ability to lighten the mood and be funny. His speech makes everyone around him, including Romeo, laugh and relax and this is very important to the viewers enjoyment of the film. Upon entering the party, Mercutio shows no sign of slowing up and so he begins dancing in drag. Once again he is the centre of attention but his hilarious dance is very enjoyable and entertaining and is certainly vital to the audiences enjoyment of the film. Mercutio also brings humour to both Baz Luhrmans and Shakespeares versions but make rude, sexually orientated jokes such as, oh that she were an open arse; thou a poperin-pear. If these jokes were to be presented during Shakespearean times then they would certainly appeal to the lower classes. However, Mercutio is not the only character to make rude jokes. The nurse also makes the occasional joke. For instance, thou wilt fall backwards when thou comst of age. These crude jokes may not be as obvious as Mercutios but they would certainly provide the audience with a few laughs. Once again this will appeal to the lower class audience of Shakespearean times as well as the younger audience of today. Luhrman also chooses to make Lady Capulets actions comical by speeding up her movement and making her act hysterical. Shakespeare even makes the battling servants at the start of the play make rude jokes so as to entertain the groundlings. I am a pretty piece of flesh. Also the fact that the se rvants are fighting appeals to the groundlings while the entrance of Benvolio and Tybalt, both of whom are of a higher status, attracts an upper class audience. So far, I have discussed how Mercutios unique personality intrigues the viewer, and also, how other things may have a similar effect. However, I am yet to discuss a part of the story that is completely essential to the audiences enjoyment. An aspect that would leave the story flat and boring were it to be removed. This is the excellent fighting scenes. Mercutio is a very energetic person who loves to stir and who would gladly fight to defend the honour of his friends, and this is what he does. In Act 3 Scene 1, Tybalt seeks Romeo for vengeance after having spotted his intrusion of the Capulet party. Prior to the fight (Act 2 Scene 4), we see Benvolio and Mercutio discussing Tybalt and when Mercutio is asked what is so special about Tybalt he labels him the Prince of Cats. Even though this may some to be nothing, it does enable Mercutio to use some very clever language when he faces Tybalt later. The scene remains unchanged in the film. In Act 3 Scene 1 we see Mercutio and Benvolio are speaking when Tybalt arrives in search of Romeo. Tybalt tries to speak with Mercutio but he continuously makes jokes. This is very interesting that even in the face of adversary; Mercutio is able to remain relaxed and humorous. Eventually, Romeo arrives. Tybalt challenges Romeo but Romeo backs down, saying that he loves the name Capulet as dearly as his own and so he should be satisfied. Mercutio is outraged by Romeos actions, O calm, vile, dishonourable submission! Mercutio then proceeds to show off his intelligence by using Italian fencing language, Alla stoccata, to name Tybalt. Mercutio then challenges Tybalt to a fight. At this point Romeo tries to intervene, but he is unable to stop Mercutio becoming wounded. Benvolio then asks Mercutio if he is hurt and he replies, a scratch a scratch. This is remarkable. A man on his death bed is still able to make intelligent jokes. In this case, the scratch is relating to the name of Prince of Cats that was given to Tybalt previously by Mercutio himself. Mercutio then goes on to talk about how he is about to die, Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. However, he never slips away from his intelligent use of language and this suggests that he has a lot of pride. Mercutios final words then prophesise the tragedy that is about to take place for the two households. A plague on both your houses. This death scene is possibly the best in the entire story. It has everything, action, tragedy and humour. All of these aspects are due to Mercutio. Had he not fought Tybalt, there would have been no action, had he not been killed, there would have been no tragedy, and most importantly, had he not been present, no other character would have been able to bring humour to such a grim situation. In this aspect, Mercutio is certainl y the most important character for the readers enjoyment of the play. Baz Luhrmans version of Romeo and Juliet portrays this scene in a very similar way. However, some text is cut out but this is purely for cinematic reasons. If Luhrman had chosen to include the entire text of Romeo and Juliet the film would be over four hours long and few people have the concentration to watch a film for so long. Also, a lot of the text cut out would not appeal to our modern audience and would mainly make references to the Shakespearean times and use colloquial language. Personally, I believe that his interpretation of Mercutios death is superb. The essence of the story is captured perfectly and Mercutio gives an excellent final performance. In fact, in the film version, his humour shines through in all its glory, with his actions supporting his various wisecracks flawlessly. Luhrman also emphasises his final words with the help of echoes. This is vital to our modern audience who would otherwise not understand the significance of his comments. Finally, Mercutio, even in death, has a huge effect on the story. His passing acts as a catalyst for the final tragedy that will take place. His death results in Romeo killing Tybalt. Consequently, he is banished from Verona. Juliet is distraught by this and so, she decides to fake her own death so that she may be with Romeo. However, the note sent to Romeo telling him about Juliets plan does not reach its destination and so Romeo truly believes that Juliet is dead and when he sees her body he is overcome with sorrow and so he takes his own life. Juliet then awakes to see her lover dead and so she too takes her life and there they lay, together at last. So as you can see, Mercutio is not only important to the audiences enjoyment but he is also vital to the development of the tale. Everything is holistic, but without Mercutio this would not be the case. However, despite all of the afore mentioned features of Mercutio. He is not the only character to bring various qualities to the story. I mentioned earlier that Mercutio brings a lot of action to the story, but I failed to say that Tybalt also brings action to the story. In fact, he is involved in every scene of violence. From the opening fight between the Montagues and the Capulets, to the final showdown between Romeo and himself. From this point of view, Tybalt is very important to the audiences enjoyment of the story. Another aspect of Mercutios role is also shared by three other characters. This is his ability to prophesise the forthcoming tragedy, a plague on both your houses. Romeo is the first to foresee the devastating future. This occurs when he is about to enter the Capulet part and so meet Juliet for the first time. He states, My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars/ shall bitterly begin its fearful date with this nights revels. This is perhaps the most accurate of all predictions as his meeting with Juliet is the ultimate cause of all the heartbreak that is soon to follow. Once again, Tybalt also takes on this role of foreseeing the future when he says, this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall. This symbolises the inevitable fight between Romeo and himself. Friar Lawrence then makes the final prophecy when he says that Romeo and Juliet are, wedded to calamity. It is also ironic that it is his potion that is the final cause of Romeo and Juliet ta king their lives. So far, I have discussed the importance of the characters to the readers enjoyment of the play. However, there are also many other areas of presentation that are very important. For instance the use of motifs, most of which are exclusive to the film, are significant when it comes to appreciating the finer points of this timeless fable. For instance, the fact that both Juliet and Romeo are associated with water is very important. When we first see Juliet she is under water. This is traditionally associated with being lost (hence the saying lost at sea). Romeo also puts his head into a bowl of water when he is at the party and so this shows a link between himself and Juliet. Then, when Romeo and Juliet meet they are divided by a fish tank fill with water. This use of imagery is then extended even further by the fact that they both fall into the water together when Romeo goes to meet her. It is this excessive use of water that allows me to label it as a motif. Another motif that is used throughout the play is that the light always shines on Juliet. This shows her purity and innocence. Romeo even labels her as the sun. Baz Luhrman also uses the party as a very clever way of portraying each characters personality and role in the film. This is done by the use of costumes. Romeo is shown to be a Knight in shining armour and Juliet is portrayed as an angel. Pure, innocent and waiting to be rescued. Tybalt is the devil. This symbolises his love of fighting and the fact that he is always the cause of violence and death. Finally, Mercutio is in drag. This shows his insecurity, but also his love of being the centre of attention. Also, Luhrman uses street and building names to emphasise various aspects of the story. For instance, in the opening scenes, the camera zooms in on the skyscrapers with the names Capulet and Montague on them. Also, when at the petrol station, the camera focuses on a sign that says, add more fuel to your fire. This shows that the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues has been ignited. Another sign that I found very clever and interesting was that when we first see Romeo, he is depressed under a sycamore tree whilst thinking about Rosaline. However, when he meets his true love Juliet, he is in a street called Sycamore Grove. This may seem irrelevant but it is these small details that make a film truly enjoyable. Last, but most certainly not least, the romance theme will undoubtedly appeal to the masses. This theme is, in terms of language far more evident in Shakespeares written play. For instance, we know that Mercutio and Romeo are very close, and so they finish each others Iambic Pentameter and also able to easily speak about the same subjects whilst using the same similes and metaphors. Nevertheless, this close friendship developed over a long time. Romeo and Juliet on the other hand are like this from the instant that they meet and so this shows that they are soul mates. For example, when speaking with each other for the first time, they both talk based on the subject of pilgrims and lips. Also they complete each others Iambic Pentameter from their first words to each other. In Act 2 Scene 2, on line 112-113. Romeos speech has 5 beats and so does Juliets. This also shows their equality as they both have an even number of beats where as Mercutio usually has one or two more that Romeo to give emphasis to his domination of all other characters. In conclusion, Mercutio is by far the most influential character in both the film and the play. He is vital to the development of themes, stories and is vital to the humorous and action scenes in the play. Though he may not be the only character to bring these various qualities to the play, he is the only one that unites all of these features into one unique personality that leaves the audience both content and yet strangely dissatisfied. The absence of Mercutio would be truly criminal, he is a fantastic character that breathes new life into an otherwise tired genre of romance. Saying that he is central to the readers enjoyment does not do his role justice, and no amount of adjectives could possibly describe the significance of Mercutio to Romeo and Juliet.

Economic Depression in USA

Economic Depression in USA Introduction Economic depression is defined as the sustained and prolonged down-turn in the economy of a country. Depression is considered more extreme and severe than economic recession. Though depression is considered a form of recession only that depression is characterized by its length, the abnormality of economic factors like rising cases of unemployment, decline in credit availability and also shrinking output and highly volatile monetary value.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Economic Depression in USA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Depression is linked to the following two indicators; decline in the Gross Domestic Product by a margin of more than 10% and secondly a recession period exceeding 2 years. According to Foldvary, recession is derived from the word recede that implies falling back and it lasts for a very short time and depression is understood based on the degree of output fall and the extend of the down-turn (Foldvary 3). An economic depression happens when there is fall in output below the long-run trend. The Depression of 1873-1879 This depression was as a result of the bankruptcy of the railroad investment firm of Jay Cooke and company and particularly the restrictive monetary policy of the federal government; this is whereby the gold standard increment could not maintain the pressure for money demands that could enhance the growth of the economy. Deflation is also a factor that led to this depression (Watkins and Allay 1) The Depression of 1893-1898 This was considered to be the worst form of depression ever witnessed in the US before the 1930. It first emanated from the agricultural crises that affected the southern cotton belt and the Great Plains in 1880s and it later hit the Wall Street and the urban areas in 1893. This from of depression led to a massive unemployment which is still considered the highest in the US history at 20-25%, the depression resulted in wide spread poverty among the Americans of various income levels. The magnitude of the depression was so acute that by 12896, it was made a popular subject of political campaigns (Edwards 1) The Great Depression of 1929-1933 The United States of America experienced the worst, the longest and the most severe economic depression in the year 1929. This depression led to an acute decline in output, extreme unemployment and drastic deflation in the USA and it has been ranked the second calamity to the civil war.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This depression was largely associated to several factors like the reduced consumer demand, great financial panic and misplaced government spending that forced a fall in economic output. This depression led to the reduction in industrial production by 47% and the subsequent reduction of the Gross Domestic product (GDP) by 30%, it also resulted in the decline in the wholesale price index or otherwise referred as deflation by 33%; also the unemployment rate reached 20% which was considered the highest point at that time (Romer 1). This depression is just considered severe when compared to the next depression to hit America in the year 1981-82 that resulted in the decline of GDP by 2%. The USA recovery from this depression began in 1933 when the GDP began to improve at 95 per annum (Romer 3). The 1930 depression saw the increased level of unemployment characterized by a lot of labor force but no work to do and the worst part of depression was in 1933 when the unemployment rate fall below 10%. Recession appeared twice during the great depression, in the august of 1929 and March of 1933 between as indicated by the following graph; Concerning unemployment, the high rate of unemployment is demonstrated by the following graph; Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Economic Depression in USA specif ically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another main indicator of the great depression is the GDP which was greatly affected as seen in the following graph; During the great depression, the most hit sector was the banking sector. The following table is an indication of how banks were affected including the number of suspended banks and also indicates the decrease in the number of banks as a result of merger, failure or collapse and voluntary liquidation. Number of banks and bank suspension Year Number as of 12-31 Suspensions 1929 24,633 659 1930 22,773 1350 1931 19970 2293 1932 18,397 1453 1933 15,015 4000 1934 16,096 57 Causes of the Great Depression The most critical cause of the great depression in the USA was the reduction in spending or otherwise referred as the reduced aggregate demand; this resulted in decline in production since manufacturer noticed an anticipated rise in inventories. This was reflected in other countries due t o the factor of gold standard. Other factors that necessitated the great depression are: The stock market crash: the great depression is associated with the tight US monetary policy that targeted the limitation of stock market speculation; this was due to the mild recession that had been witnessed between 1924 and 1927 that had witnessed the massive rise in the stock prices in 1920 and reached the optimum in 1929 and as an immediate measure, the federal reserve had raised the interest rates in order to stop this spiraling stock prices and this largely affected the construction and the auto mobile industries. The fall in the stock prices in 1929 to extend that could not be justified by the anticipation rate resulted to the loss of investor confidence and subsequent bubble burst in the stock market.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This led to the panic selling on black ‘Thursday’ on October 24, 1929. The previous rise on stock prices had triggered a massive purchase of stock by the investors using loans and hence this price decline forced some investors to liquidate their holdings thus worsening the fall in prices. This crash in the stock market led to the considerable reduction in the consumer aggregate demand especially in the area of durable goods and investments and great fall in output. Banking panic and monetary contraction: this was experienced in the year 1930; banking panic occurs when â€Å"many depositors lose confidence in the solvency of banks and simultaneously demand their deposits be paid to them in cash† (Romer 8); this can lead to those banks that hold deposits as cash reserves to liquidate loans so that they be in position to pay the cash demands. This process of immediate liquidation can force any solvent bank to collapse. This continued till 1933 when President Frankli n Roosevelt proclaimed the ‘bank holiday’ in 1933 that involved the closing of all banks and could only re-open upon being considered solvent by the government inspectors. Economists largely associate this bank panic to the â€Å"increased farm debt in 1920† (Romer 8) and government policy that encouraged â€Å"small and undiversified banks† (Romer 8). The gold standard: economists largely associate the 1929-1933 great depression to the Federal Reserve; they accused the federal reserve of causing a big decline in the American money as a measure to preserve the gold standard. The gold standard implied that each country should fix the value of its currency based on the standard of gold. International lending and trade: the USA had expanded its foreign lending to Germany and the Latin America, this declined in the 1928 and 1929 due to the high interest rates and the flourishing stock market; â€Å"this reduction in foreign lending resulted in credit contract ion and the reduction in the output of borrower countries† (Romer 8). Economic impact of the Great War: when the first broke, no one expected that it would be of the magnitude witnessed; no one predicted the length of the war, the economic expenses of the war and the degree of destruction. The war caused a lot of infrastructural destruction, loss of lives and monetary value in the countries of Europe; this on the other hand precipitated a period of economic boom in the countries of Canada, USA and Latin America since the countries of Europe exhausted their gold reserves to borrow money, other countries also printed extra money. This war interrupted with patterns of domestic and international trade which preceded the economic depression. Sources of Recovery The two main ways of curbing the inflation were indentified as the currency devaluation and monetary expansion. Devaluation â€Å"allowed countries to expand their money supplies without concern about gold movements and exc hange rates† (Romer 8). Another way of curbing the crises was through the imposition of protectionism measure; this led to the launch of various tariffs, the 1988 US presidential seat was won through protectionist ticket. Economic Impact of Depression The depression influenced the US economy in a great way; some of them include the following: Human suffering: for the very short time of the depression, there was drastic increase in the output and the standard of living also a substantial fraction of the labor force could not find employment. Change on world economy: the great depression brought to the end the international gold standard era. Increased government involvement in the economy: after the depression, there was an increased government participation in the economy particularly in the financial market; evidence was the establishment of the Securities and Exchange Commission by the USA. Development of macro-economic policies: most of these policies were aimed at curbing the downturns and the upturns. Conclusion Depression is considered one of the worst macroeconomic aspects that can befall a country; the effects of economy are so devastating since its impact can be felt across the world. The US have experienced a lot five depressions of different magnitude and that has equipped it with experience on the various macroeconomic issues that are required to tame any further depression. The US has on the recent past experienced only recessions which are considered mild form of depression. It is worth mentioning that from the five economic depressions to have hit the US, all the possible remedies have been tried and applied, despite all the efforts it is not clear whether the business cycle that lead to depressions has been removed. Depression an also be considered a natural economic aspect that can be beyond government intervention. This is exemplified by the economic depression of 1907 and 1920 which was eliminated within a year without the government i ntervening. Edwards, Rebecca. The depression of 1893. Projects, 2000. Web. Foldvary, Fred. The Depression of 2008 2nd edition. The Gutenberg Press, 2008. Web. Romer, Christina. Encyclopedia Britannica. Berkeley, 2003. Web. Watkins, Thayer and Allay, Tornado. The depression of 1873-1879. University of San Jose State, 2011. Web.

Zenn Motor Company Ltd Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zenn Motor Company Ltd - Assignment Example ZMC has created and delivered to consumers a form of vehicle for personal transportation, which is â€Å"zero emission no noise† better known as â€Å"ZENN†. Ultimately, ZMC has addressed the question of marketing by creating, pricing, distributing a form of electric vehicle that is efficient for consumer use and above all it is environment friendly (Boone & Kurtz 34). Question # 2 The critical relationships that ZMC should focus on are with its consumers, companies in the vehicle industry and companies with a large number of vehicles. These three categories of consumers will provide ZMC with a big and potential market for its electric vehicles, which are environment friendly (Boone & Kurtz 36). Question # 3 One primary target group that ZMC has focused on is consumers. Precisely, ZMC has targeted commercial fleets and urban commuters. ZMC has taken various steps, which have aided in building relationships and value. These steps include developing a website in which the management has used to trace visitors and their preference. Through its website, ZMC has been able to establish the particular car that is preferred in a defined geographical area. ZMC has also built a relationship with consumers through viral marketing. The first adopters of the ZENN car have become evangelists of this product. ZMC has created an Ambassador program, which has trained customers on issues of marketing, and this has aided in building relationships and value for this group (Boone & Kurtz 57). Chapter 2 Question # 1 ZMC’s mission entails providing consumers with vehicles, which are pocket and environment friendly. This mission is achieved through creating a product that consumes less in terms of energy, and above all conserves the environment. ZMC’s mission is effective and efficient because the company has truly come up with a product that satisfies the need that brought it into existence. The number of consumers in need of the electric vehicle that is p ocket and environment friendly has been on the increase, a clear demonstration that ZMC’s mission is effective and efficient (Boone & Kurtz 74). Chapter 4 Question # 1 ZMC as a company has highly embraced the idea of social responsibility while marketing its product. The company has not only directed social responsibility towards consumers, but also towards the environment. It is also critical to note that the inspiration that led to ZMC existence came from the idea of conserving the environment and stopping global warming. The company has followed the principles of social responsibility by formulating a mission, which does not benefit the company alone, but also consumers and the environment. ZMC demonstrates social responsible marketing by availing the market with electric cars, which match up issues of climate change and a growing demand for environment friendly vehicles. Ultimately, ZMC’s mission of creating electric vehicles that target conserving the environment and stopping global warming is a great social responsible marketing movement (Boone & Kurtz 84). Chapter 5 Question # 1 The most efficient form of secondary source of data, which ZMC as a company can use to its advantage are published reports and journals regarding the vehicle industry. There exists a lot of published information, which pertains to the success and failures witnessed in the vehicle industry. ZMC can use this information by capitalizing on the shortcomings witnessed within the vehicle industry while at the same time taking advantage of the vehicle industry’s capabilities. In essence, the published reports will provide critical information that will aid in developing specialty vehicles (Boone & Kurtz 72). Question # 2 There are a number of critical, ethical issues

Australias Marine Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Australias Marine Pollution - Essay Example A lot of dangerous illnesses can spread because of waste that entry the ocean. The issue is worth-researching that is why the given paper will discuss marine pollution in Australia, mainly its causes, seriousness and the reaction of the Australian government. There are many ways of marine pollution: pollution from ships, from land, as a result of deliberate discharge of the waste from manufacturing and unintentional entry of waste from people’s activity. More than 75% of all marine contamination is caused by waste that appears in the water from land. It influences environmental processes, people’s wellbeing and oceanic resources’ application. The most serious problem is that very often the pollution of water remains undiscovered for a long time (Letter: Coastal Pollution). While oil and garbage represent well-detectable contaminants – they can be noticed swimming in the water, venomous and radioactive substances can’t be detected without special analysis. The problem is that marine environment could be damaged before the cause is found and eliminated. The water can be contaminated through intentional discharge as well as unintentionally through unplanned entry of materials into the water as a result of people’s activities (Henrickson 2001). A lot of venomous substances cleave to small elements, which appear in water in different ways. These substances then become integrated into the  oceanic system and imbibed into oceanic  seaweeds and other organisms, some of which are consumed by animals and fish. This can cause different illnesses and even mutations. Venomous metals  also appear in oceanic system. As different animals from land consume fish, venomous substances can be brought to land and then to humans through meet and other products. Oil pollution spoils the quality of the water we drink significantly: Acid sulfate soils (ASS) is the term usually given to soils or sand that contain iron