Marketing Pencil

INDEX †¢ Acknowledgement †¢ Executive Summary †¢ Introduction to the market †¢ Definition to the marketing plan †¢ Impact of Environmental factors †¢ Marketing Plan for pencils †¢ Category analysis †¢ Current market situation †¢ Customer analysis †¢ Marketing strategy †¢ Product development process †¢ Brand name, Brand equity, Brand image †¢ Segmentation and Targeting †¢ Profile of rural market in general †¢ Marketing Mix and Integrated Marketing Communication †¢ Conclusion ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We extent our thanks to Mrs. Saima Hussain faculty guide who has given me moral support to do my project work.We also extend our thankfulness to our beloved parents and friends for their continuous encouragement at every moment It is our privilege to express our profound in deftness, deep sense of gratitude to our facility guide who had trusts in our ability in assigning us such an important and interesting project and also for allotting time for discussing and clarifying issues related to this project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A marketing plan is a written document that contains the guidelines for the business centers and allocation over the planning period. This project is made on the basis for the marketing plan for the pencils.In our project our company is i. e. , of Torres are introducing their new pencils product. The names of the pencils are the ‘Shesham pencils’. If our company introduces new pencils and have to sell it in the market then we have to firstly write down a market plan for it. That means we have to analyze the current market situation i. e. ? We have to analyze the impact of the micro environment, macro environment. ? We have to analyze the needs of the consumers and then do segmentation, target and positioned the market. ? We have to do surveys for knowing the needs of the peoples.The more concise a marketing plan is the better it will serve you. These are the guideline s for writing a strategic marketing plan that meets the specific requirements of your business. We will take you through the development process step-by-step with easy to follow planning sheets to lead you through each stage. After that we have to choose different modes of communication for the sale, promotion of our product. The format includes a fully developed sample plan and is designed to meet the needs of most types of businesses although the emphasis on different aspects of the plan will vary from one business type to another.MARKET PLANNING FOR THE PENCILS (SHESHAM PENCILS) INTRODUCTION:Bangladesh is always said a country of villages and it is fact as Bangladesh 60% of population lives in villages, and it is said that rural market has been growing at five times the pace of the urban market more government rural development initiatives have been seen to increase rural markets. MARKET: Traditionally, a market was a physical place where buyers and sellers gather to buy and sell goods. Economist describes a market as a collection of buyers and sellers who transact over a particular Product or product class.Manufactures go to resources, marketer buy resources and turn them into good and services. MARKET PLANNING: It is well and good to include marketing in your business and a lot a few hours a day to do marketing tasks. But if we do not organize our market plan our efforts won/t get nearly as far as putting . Marketing plan in writing gives you a guideline to work from and it provides goal to strive for and it organize all those creative ideas you have floating around your brain. Firms that is successful in marketing businesses starts with marketing plan.Marketing plan cannot be made without involving many people into it. No matter what kind of feedback you get from all parts of your company. This is as important because it take all aspects of your company to make your marketing plan. Your key people can provide realistic impact on what’s achievable and how achievable and how your goals can be worked out. From all the things we can concluded that market plan is very necessary for the successful running of any business operation and to achieve various goals of the business operations in a right manner and in right ways.DEFINITION OF MARKETING PLAN: ‘A marketing plan is a written document containing the guidelines for the business centers marketing programs and allocation over the planning period’ THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: There are two keys perspectives on the marketing environment. , namely the micro environment and macro environment: MICRO ENVIRONMENT: This environment influences the organization directly . It includes suppliers that deal directly and indirectly with consumers and customers and other local stake holders. Micro environment tends to suggest the small but this can be misleading.In context, micro describes the relationship between firms consumers and customers directly or indirectly, and ot her local stakeholders. This includes all factors that can influence an organization, but that are out of their direct control. A company does not generally influence any laws (although it is accepted that they could lobby or be part of a trade organization). It is continuously changing, and the company needs to be flexible to adapt. There may be aggressive competition and rivalry in a market. Globalization means that there is always the threat of substitute products and new entrants. The wider nvironment is also changing, and the marketer needs to compensate for changes in culture, politics, economics and technology. All factors that are internal to the organization are known as the ‘internal environment'. They are generally audited by applying the ‘Five Ms' which are Men, Money, Machinery, Materials and Markets. The internal environment is as important for managing change in the external environment. As marketers we call the process of managing internal change is calle d internal marketing. MACRO ENVIRONMENT: Macro environment includes all the external factors that affect our product .The macro environment includes the factors like technology, political, geographical, and ecological and socio cultural factors that have an impact on the manufacturing of the product. In the manufacturing of pencils we have to keep in the mind that the sociological environment, the society has been changed and due to this the needs, demands of the customers are also changed. Different kinds of pencils are made according to the need and standards of the peoples. Now a high class person wants pencils which are of high quality and provides better services. The middle class peoples want a pencil that are of low price and is not very expensive.So manufacturer produces the pencils in keeping all these things in mind. The pencils are produced with accordance of the new technology. MARKET PLAN FOR PENCILS: If our company introduces new pencils and have to sell it in the mark et then we have to firstly write down a market plan for it. That means we have to analyze the current market situation i. e. ? We have to analyze the impact of the micro environment, macro environment. ? We have to analyze the needs of the consumers and then do segmentation, target and positioned the market. ? We have to do surveys for knowing the needs of the peoples.The more concise a marketing plan is the better it will serve you. These are the guidelines for writing a strategic marketing plan that meets the specific requirements of your business. We will take you through the development process step-by-step with easy to follow planning sheets to lead you through each stage. After that we have to choose different modes of communication for the sale, promotion of our product. The format includes a fully developed sample plan and is designed to meet the needs of most types of businesses although the emphasis on different aspects of the plan will vary from one business type to anoth er.PROCESS OF MARKET PLAN CATEGORY ANALYSIS: The product of our company is the pencils. Our company is introducing a new product of Torres pencils with new unique features, and size. Our company is providing better and unique features to our customers. The competitors of our company are the other pencils stores like, GOLDFISH pencils, and DOLLAR pencils. MARKET SURVEY/ CURRENT MARKET SITUATIONS: Market survey is the first step in the market planning . Our Company conducted the market survey for knowing ? The need in the current market situation. To analyze what are the different kinds or types of pencils which are present in the current time in the market. ? The different kinds of features of the pencils, their prices. NEEDS, WANTS AND DEMANDS OF THE CUSTOMERS: The market plan will be started before the manufacturing of the particular product. If we have to make any kind of pencils products, we have to analyze the needs, demands and wants of the customers. Needs are the basic human requirements. Needs are then converted into wants. Demands are the wants for specific products backed by the ability to pay.We start our market plan by analyzing that whether there is a need; want among the customers for the pencils we decide to manufacture and for that we conduct survey, market research for knowing the needs of the customers. For that we have to visit the schools, and may know the needs of the children by Putting them questions and having their suggestions that what kind of pencils they want for writing ,and knowing from them that what are the difficulties they get from their previous pencils while writing. We need to have different types of people which are using pencils to know their needs.After collecting all the information we have to get a result for knowing the needs, wants, and demands of the customers and get ready for making pencils according to the needs wants and demands of the customers. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS: The analysis of the competitor is very import ant aspect because through it we come to know that that our competitor is. The main competitors of our pencils are the other pencils company like GOLDFISH pencils and DOLLAR pencils which are having good position in the market. Our company has to include all those factors in our pencils by which our product look unique and different.Determining the â€Å"Marketing Mix† Product Price Promotion Distribution Goldfish Rs 5 High High Dollar Rs 4 Average Average CUSTOMERS ANANLYSIS: Our Company is targeting different types of customers according to their needs and wants. We are targeting the students of school, colleges. E. G—–Children’s like pencils having shapes of toys and other attracting things.The persons who have to work in the offices like simple pencils . Other professionals like different kinds of pencils so pencils are made according to the needs and wants of these different consumers. ESTABLISHING OBJECTIVES: The main objectives of our company are a s follows: ? To provide better services to our customers. ? To provide quality pencils to our target customers at the reasonable prices. ? To build a good image in the minds of our customers. ? To increase sales of our product. ? To generate revenues and profits by the sale of our pencils.MARKETING STRATEGIES: For the introduction of new product in the market we have to develop a preliminary strategy plan for introducing our new pencils in the market. The plan consists of three parts. 1. First part describes target market’s size, structure, and behavior of the planned product positioning and sales, market share, and profits and the goals sought in the few years by our product. Therefore the target market for our pencil is mainly the children’s of schools and colleges. We will analyze the benefit which comes out by the sale of the pencils. 2. The second part outlines the planned price, distribution strategy, and marketing budget for the first years. This part describes that what are the features or special points of the pencils which we have to made . In it we determine the prices of our different kinds of pencils. Like we determine that the cost of our pencil is Rs 2 each but if the customers buy the box there cost will be of Rs 8. 00 with a sharpener and eraser free. In it we also determine the different kinds of expenses which are to done for the introduction of our pencils in the market.Like the expenses done on the sale, promotion, advertisement of pencils in print media. That what are the profits which come to us by the sale of the pencils. As we see that during the first year a substantial amount will be spent on marketing research by audits and consumers panel data to monitor market reaction and buying rates. The entire budget is made in keeping eye on all these things. 3. The third part of the market strategy plan describes the long run sales and profits goals and market mix strategy over time. As we see that our products would be selling at a very good rate and giving us lots of profits.So we can invest more and more money in it and tries to improve the quality of our pencils by adding new features in it . We will make the product mix and decided to make new kinds of pencils with new innovations and additional features. Market strategy plan is very essential in the business for the proper allocation of revenues, expenditure from the product. It determines all the expenditure done for the sale of our pencils in the market. It also describes that to which segment of the customers we have to sell our pencils and at what price. MANAGING THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS:Up to now the product has existed in only as a word description. The next step involves the jump in the investment that dwarfs the cost incurred in the earlier stages. At this stage the company will determine whether the product idea can be translated into a technically and commercially feasible product. In this step we have to make our ideas, plans about the pen cils in truth. In other word we make our pencils according to needs and demands of the customers. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: The development of the pencils starts at this step. The jobs of translating target customers requirement are helpful in making of our pencils.We analyze all the collected data from different kinds of customers and make our pencils according to their needs. E. g. The customers have said that they faces a lots of problems during writing because their pencils do not work properly, the points of the pencils get damaged during their writing time due to which they faces a lots of problems. From this we get an idea to use that kind of lead in our pencils which is of high quality and would not get damaged while writing. We adopt the quality function method for manufacturing of our pencils. We develop a pencils according to view taken by the peoples during market research.PRODUCT MIX: In product mix we include that what are the additional benefits that we are providing to ou r customer along with our original products i. e. , in it we can provide some additional services to our customers along with our pencils. We can give customer free sharpener and eraser with the one box of pencils. Along with one pencils peoples gets a free attached eraser. By adding these additional things in our pencils the customers get happy, and it will definitely results in the increase of the customers loyalty towards our product. It will also be helpful in retaining the attention of the customers towards our product.PRODUCT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS: Product strengths and weakness describes the strengths of our pencils that what makes our pencils different from other pencils and what is our weaknesses when compared with others. STRENGTHS OF OUR PRODUCT; We should add what kind of features in our pencils that should act as strength of our pencils. We raise the length of our pencils, and provides different shapes of pencils which distinct our pencils different from others pencils . The offer of giving a free sharpener and an eraser is also helpful in attracting the consumers towards our product.As more and more customer are getting our pencils , these all results in increasing sale of the product and increasing revenues of the company. WEAKNESS OF OUR PRODUCT Our company should also analyze the weakness of our product: The main weakness may comes during the sale of the pencils that when we offer a free eraser and sharpener with our pencils whether the company may faces a lot of expenditure. These activities involve the wastage of money by the company. The pencils of other companies like GOLDFISH Pencils and DOLLAR Pencils are the main competitors of our company.Our company has to add the extra features in our product so that our product gets a different position as compared to our competitor’s product. PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT AND NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT- In the product life cycle management we can describes the product and determines for how muc h time we should sale our product in the market, whether for a long time or for short period of time. A company positioning and differentiation strategy must change as the product, market, and competitors change over the product life cycle.To say that the products have a life cycle it asserts four things: 1. Product has a limited life. 2. Product sale pass through distinct stages and each positioning asserts different challenges, opportunities and problems to the seller. 3. Profits raises and fall at different stages of the product life cycle. 4. Product required different marketing, financial, manufacturing, purchasing and human resource strategies in each life cycle stages. Product life cycle of the pencils depends upon the needs of our customers that for how much time our product should remain in the market.If our pencils do not satisfy the needs of the customers it may comes in the decline stage that results in the extinction of our pencils in the market. Because the customers a re not satisfied by our products their demand gets changed due to which our pencils comes in the decline stage. INTRODUCTION: At the introduction period there is the slow sale growth of the pencils. At this stage the profits are nonexistent because of the heavy expenses of product introduction. In this phase the customers are not much aware about our pencils.Large amount of advertisement expense, discounts are given by our company to create awareness of the customers towards our pencils. GROWTH: Rapid market acceptance and substantial profits improvements at growth the product is selling at a high rate. MATURITY: A slowdown in the sale growths shows the maturity period. As the sale of our pencils are not undergoing up to the mark. The customers are now not satisfied by our pencils, the pencils do not function according to their needs, which results in the slowdown in the sale of our pencils. The sale declines with the arrival of competitors in the market.It may seen that if the new company may introduce a new pencils with new and better features it will results in the decline in the sale of the pencils of our product. DECLINE: Decline shows the downward drift and profits erode. At this point the profit from the existing product comes to zero. This stage comes due to the arrival of new competitors in the market and when the customer satisfactions from our pencils are not up to the mark. This stage may come when our pencil do not gives full satisfaction to the consumers. Decline may also comes when the taste and preferences of the consumers gets change.If the decline stage may come in the existing product life it is good for our company to develop a new product according to the needs of the peoples and providing better services to the customers. BRAND NAME, BRAND EQUITY AND BRAND IMAGE: Brand is the name ,term, sign, symbol or design or the combination that tends to the goods and services of one seller or group of seller and to differentiate them from others tho se of competitors. A brand is the thus product or service that add dimensions that differentiate it in some way from others products or services designed to satisfy the same needs.These differences may be functional, rational, or tangible related to product performance of the brand. We give our pencils as the name’ ‘SHESHAM PENCILS’ it’s a new product of Torres pencil company. Branding may helps the consumers to identify our product . The consumers starts finding about the brand satisfy their needs and which ones do not. The brand name can be protected through registered trademarks, and packing can be protected through copyrights and designs. SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING MARKET SEGMENTATION Market segmentation is one of the steps that go into defining and targeting specific markets.It is the process of dividing a market into a distinct group of buyers that require different products or marketing mixes. A key factor to success in today's market place is findi ng subtle differences to give a business the marketing edge. Businesses that target specialty markets will promote its products and services more effectively than a business aiming at the â€Å"average† customer. Opportunities in marketing increase when segmented groups of clients and customers with varying needs and wants are recognized. Markets can be segmented or targeted using a variety of factor. The bases for segmenting consumer markets include: Demographical bases (age, family size, life cycle, occupation) †¢ Geographical bases (states, regions, countries) †¢ Behavior bases (product knowledge, usage, attitudes, responses) †¢ Psychographic bases (lifestyle, values, personality) A business must analyze the needs and wants of different market segments before determining their own niche. To be effective in market segmentation keeps the following things in mind: †¢ Segments or target markets should be accessible to the business †¢ Each segmented gro up must be large enough to provide a solid customer base. Each segmented group requires a separate marketing plan. Large companies segment their markets by conducting extensive market research projects. This research is often too expensive for small businesses to invest in, but there are alternative ways for to a small business to segment their markets. A small business can do the following to gain knowledge and information on how to segment their markets: 1. Use secondary date resources and qualitative research. You can use the following resources for external secondary data: o Trade and association publications and experts o Basic research publications External measurement services 1. Conduct informal factor and cluster analysis by: o Watching key competitors marketing efforts and copying them. o Talking to key trade buyers about new product introductions o Conducting needs analysis from qualitative research with individuals and groups. There are many reasons for dividing marketin g into smaller segments. Any time you suspect there are significant, measurable differences in your market you should consider market segmentation. By doing this you will make marketing easier, discover niche markets, and become more efficient with your marketing resources.TARGETING: By doing the segmentation we target the consumers where we have to sell our pencils. The main target are the school children’s and college student and there teachers and professors. In it we have to remain aware of our competitors in order to take competitive advantage and we should be also aware about the consumers who would be buying our product. Why our Company go to rural market? The cost of going global is very high, and it is difficult to gauge markets in other countries. It is better to target the rural market as it is growing by the day.Today rural markets are as critical as urban markets. The rural markets provide better opportunities. In village vast competition exists. Different compan ies come with different flavors. So people have ample choice. With only around 100000 of the 638667 villages tapped so far there are huge potential and market areas. So we get high percentage of total market though profit margin is less. Now a day’s villager also spends on luxury & comfort products. After all Dettol is a one type of necessity product. As it plays a role of anti-septic medicine.Media also plays an important role in promotion of goods. The growing reach of the electronic media has created a huge change in the lifestyle of rural consumer. Profile of rural market in general:- The rural market of Pakistan is large and scattered, in the sense that it consist of over 63 core consumers from 6, 38,365 villages spread throughout the country. Nearly 60% of the rural income is from agriculture. Hence rural prosperity is tied with agricultural prosperity. During the harvest season, the demand for consumer goods in village goes up.The population securing income from non-ag ricultural sector is now increasing due to rural development programs. The consumers in the village areas do have a low standard of living because of low literacy, low per capita income, social backwardness, low savings, etc. The rural consumer values old customs and traditions. A change is beginning to take place in their outlook because of growth in literacy rate and mass media in the rural areas. Rural consumers have diverse socio-economic background. This is different in different parts of the country. This brings diversity among rural customers and market.The demand pattern of the rural consumers is fast changing. There is new and growing demand for toiletries, ready-made garments, cosmetics, packaged foodstuffs, etc. this change is due to increase in rural income. The infrastructural facilities like roads, warehouses, communication system, and financial facilities are inadequate in rural areas. Hence physical distribution becomes costly due to inadequate infrastructural facili ties. The saving habit of the rural community is increasing in the recent years as a result of the efforts put by co-operative and commercial banksMarketing Mix: PRODUCT: A business needs to consider the products that it produces and the stage of the product life cycle that a product is at. Marketing strategies will vary according to the type of product and its stage in the life cycle. 1. Pencils are very convenient to use and will be easy for customers also to use this product. 2. By providing good quality of Pencils, students will be attracted towards writing and will also be encouraged. 3. Pencils are available in different colors, so a person has choices to select various types in one particular product. . Pencils are available in different prices, so people can buy it as per their affordability. [pic] PLACE: This generally refers to the physical locations of product sales as well as the methods of distribution. However, it is also considered to be the â€Å"place† or â⠂¬Å"position† in the market of the product; refer to information below. Businesses need to make many decisions related to â€Å"place†: access, parking, competition, physical location etc. It’s the most important P in the pencil wars — Place. And nothing evokes more passion in distribution.We have chosen the different zones especially south schools and colleges and west zones as keen interest is shown by nearby villages of it. We had chosen these places due to following reasons: In these areas literacy rate is better than other areas. â€Å"So WHERE THERE IS WILL, THERE IS A WAY†. As people living in this area have mostly standard income so they can purchase our product â€Å"pencils† as they are cheaply and in a better way available. There is a lot of scope of expansion as these areas are surrounded by various other villages so great scope of expansion is there.PRICE: Most businesses use a â€Å"cost plus† method for setting the price s of their products. This involves determining unit production costs and then adding in a profit margin. However, many other factors are involved. Consider â€Å"perceived price† (what you think consumers will be prepared to pay), demand elasticity (is it elastic or inelastic? ), competitors' pricing (can you afford to undercut their prices? ), pricing objectives (what do you want to achieve increased market share? increased profits? market leadership? etc. ) Example:Price is the only factor which decides the presence of the product in the rural market. As people are having standard purchasing power, low income or high group of income persons etc. can afford Shesham pencils as they are available cheaply and in a better way. Hence keeping all the dynamic factors we have decided to go for penetration pricing for our product. We have decided to go with the application of penetration pricing as the people in the rural area are having low income, low purchasing power and we are ne wly entering the market. The pricing will be in way: Small pencils: 1 pencil = RS. . /- 10 pencils of pencils box = RS. 9/- Large pencils: 1 pencils = RS. 4/- 10 pencils of pencils box= RS. 16/- PROMOTION: Promotion is said to be the vital for all companies until now the promotional tools have been acted as the targeting tool used to attract huge demand for rural people and also huge demand for company’s product. The promotional strategies are as follows:- A new innovative broad aspect followed by me to attract huge attraction towards my product will be the use of tree borders. e will make use of tree borders as in rural areas mostly there are villages surrounded by huge and number of trees, so the hoardings at tree border will definitely attract huge demand. We will be putting hoardings on retail shops so that whenever the customer comes over the shop they should easily come to know about the arrival of new Pencils i. e. â€Å"name of the pencils† in the market. We w ill also promote my product through wall paintings. As wall paintings lasts for longer time and through this maximum customer can be attracted.There are some other strategies also like, The role of the influencer or influencing communication cannot be ignored as far as rural Pakistan is concerned. The advertisements that revolve around this very strategy actually depend on the influence of different influential people and/or events in the villages to put across the message powerfully with more effect and purchase intention. An example of this kind of advertisement may be brand endorsement by any influential person in the village like the ‘Intellectual Chaudary’ or the ‘school master’. Events like different festivals and different games and sports competitions actually have a high participation level in the rural Pakistan, as other sources of entertainment are very less in those areas. So, these events and shows offer great opportunity to reach rural Pakist an cost effectively. Different brands sponsor different events and shows in rural villages, which is actually a cost-effective way to advertise with the participatory strategy. Many brands are venturing into different ways to educate their rural consumers about their brands and their usage through different shows and events.This kind of initiatives actually creates huge awareness about the brand among the interested people in the rural Pakistan. Different health related advertisements like Polio awareness and AIDS awareness programmes involve a ‘show-n-tell’ strategy of advertising. It includes Press and print, TV, Cinema, Radio, and Point of purchase and Outdoor advertisement. Reach of formal media is low in rural households (Print: 18%, TV: 27%, Cinema: 30%, and Radio: 37%) and therefore the marketer has to consider the following points: English newspapers and magazines have negligible circulation in rural areas.However local language newspapers and magazines are bec oming popular among educated facilities in rural areas. It has made a great impact and large audience has been exposed to this medium. Organizations have been using TV to communicate with the rural masses. Lifebuoy, Lux, Dalda oil etc. are some of the products advertised via television. Many consumer goods companies and fertilizer companies are using these TV channels to reach the rural customer. Radio reaches large population in rural areas at a relatively low cost. Example: Colgate, Brite total, Shan Masala industries are some of the companies using radio communication programme.The farmers have a habit of listening to regional news/agricultural news in the morning and the late evening. The advertisement has to be released during this time to get maximum coverage in rural areas. Another advantage is that the radio commercial can be prepared at short notice to meet the changing needs of the rural folk. Example: Release of a pesticide ad at the time of outbreak of a pest or diseas e in crops. [pic] This form of media, which includes signboards, wall painting, hoarding, tree boards, bus boards, dealer boards, product display boards etc. , is cost effective in rural areas.Symbols, pictures and colors should be used in POPs meant for rural markets so that they can easily identify the products. Generally rural people prefer bright colors and the marketer should utilize such cues. Display of hangings, festoons and product packs in the shops will catch the attention of prospective buyers. However a clutter of such POP materials of competing companies will not have the desired effect and is to be avoided. It is a way of passing on information relating to goods or services for sale, directly to potential customers through the medium of post. It is a medium employed by the advertiser to bring in a personal touch.In cities lot of junk mail is received by all of us and very often such mails are thrown into the dustbin whereas a villager get very few letters and he is re ceptive to such mailers. It is an effective and economical medium for communication in rural areas, since it stays there for a long time depending upon the weather conditions. The cost of painting one square foot area is just Rs. 10. Retailers welcome painting of their shops so that the shop will look better. Walls of farm houses, shops and schools are ideal places for painting and the company need not have to pay any rent for the same.The walls have to be painted at least one or two feet from ground level. It is better to take permission of the owner. Very often the owner takes responsibility for taking care of the wall painting. Paintings are to be avoided during election time and rainy season. The matter should be in the form of pictures, slogans for catching the attention of people. Companies marketing TV, fans, branded coffee/tea, toothpaste, pesticides, fertilizers etc. use wall painting as promotion medium in rural areas. These are painted boards of about two square feet in d imension having the picture or name or slogan of the product painted on it.The cost of such a painted board is about Rs. 80. These boards are fixed to the trees on both sides of the village road at a height of about 10 feet from ground level. These boards attract the attention of slow moving vehicles like cycles, bullock carts and tractors and people walking on the road. The condition of roads, even the buses move at slow speed through village road. Fertilizer and pesticide companies in rural areas extensively use tree boards. These are low priced promotion items and can be used by consumer goods companies too. [pic]These media with effective reach and personalized communication will help in realizing the promotional objectives. Companies to suit the specific requirements of rural communication are using a variety of such media effectively and some of the more important media and methods are given below. Rural people prefer face-to-face communication and farm visits facilitate two-w ay communication. The advantage is that the sales person can understand the needs and wants of the rural customer by directly discussing with him and answer his queries on products and services. Potential customers in the illage are identified and the company’s/distributor’s representative makes farm-to-farm visits and highlight the benefits of the products. The person carries with him literature in local language and also samples of products. The person does not sell the product but only promotes the use of the product. Very often the local dealer also joins the representative in making farm-to-farm visits. The dealer clarifies the terms and conditions of sale and also makes independent follow up visits for securing orders. [pic] Group meetings of rural customers as well as prospects are an important part of interpersonal media.The company is able to pass on the message regarding benefits of the products to a large number of customers through such meetings. Group meet ing of key customers are conducted by banks, agricultural inputs and machinery companies in rural areas. The bankers visit an identified village, get the village people in a common place and explain the various schemes to the villagers. Such meetings could be organized in prosperous villages for promoting consumer durables and two wheelers also. Example: Millat Tractors conduct a meeting for tractor owners and they meet in villages to discuss repairs and maintenance of tractors. [pic]Package is an integral part of the product. Its main purpose is to protect the product during transit, to preserve the quality and to avoid any loss in quality and quantity. The main purpose of this contest is to remind the customer to buy the product as soon as he enters the shop. Another objective is to influence the dealer to stock the product and support the company in increasing the sales. The display contest has to be announced well in advance and promotional materials to be distributed to all the selected dealers in a geographical area. Prizes for best displays are announced to motivate the dealers; the contest lasts for about a month.A well-planned product display contest not only increases the involvement of dealers in the company’s products but also increases the sales during the contest period. This is used for promoting consumer goods such as shampoos, soaps and toothpaste Each rural market segment has certain special features i. e. they share common life-style traits. They include village sports, religious events, prominent personalities and role models. Examples: Textile mills maintaining community gardens, Mineral water companies supplying clean drinking water during summer festivals in villages and Consumer goods companies sponsoring Kabaddi. pic] PACKAGING: The Silent sales man: What does a sales man do when you go to a shop or he comes to your house, he first s how’s you the product then starts to tell you the features of the product like its brand name, method of production, ingredients (if it is eatable), price etc. In short he tries to persuade you to buy his product, this same activity is performed by packets of any product but without any use of language this is called silent salesman ship Thus we say that â€Å"packaging – A silent salesman† pic] Packaging is done for the three reasons: – 1) To protect the product 2) To make the product easy to carry 3) To make the product attractive. Pencils do not require heavy packaging but still we have come up with the two packaging strategies for our pencils: – 1) To have a packet of 3 pencils sets 2) To have a packet of 10 pencils sets. The rural Bangladesh is not much developed; hence their purchasing power is also not high. Hence, for their convenience we have come up with these packaging strategies.This was also done to reduce the cost of the product so as to supply the product at cheap rates and also for a profitable deal for our company. FEATURES O F PENCIL The pencil is used for writing and if the writing is not dark i. e. it is light then the reader will not be able to understand the written matter. Hence we have invented the pencil which would be darker than any other pencil. The goods which are cheaply available with no compromise in quality then those goods or products are liked by every consumer. This is the reason why we are coming up with a pencil which would be cheaper.The body of the pencil would be covered with velvet piece or a rubber piece to make the pencil body of either velvet or rubber. This is the extra feature added because this would help the writer to have a firm hold over the pencil and to write faster. The body and its shape also add to the beauty of the product. Hence it is said that in the business world what ever is seen is taken. So the shape or the body of the pencil would be squared shaped which is not at all seen in the market till the date. The pencil is seemed to be incomplete without the rubb er.The writer might commit a mistake while writing and hence to correct the same rubber is provided at the end point of the pencil so that there is not an extra expenditure on the purchase of the rubbers. This pencil would be extra long then any other pencil and also at the minimum cost. So with that the buyer would be able to enjoy the good writer pencil for a longer period of time. This pencil would be available at each and every store of the rural market so that there are no extra efforts taken by the customer to come at a long distance for the purchase of this unique pencil.The pencil is a kind of a product which is mostly used by children and the children enjoy watching cartoons or such characters which seems to be funny. So then the children are going to get their favorite cartoon characters on this lovely pencil which is effectively made for kids but it is not that only kids could enjoy the writing with this pencil but it is for everyone to enjoy the writing with this penci l. The pencil has come up with new innovative feature of fragrance. This means that kids will enjoy good hand writing with sweet fragrance.This is an added advantage to our product as this idea is not applied to any of the pencil to the date. [pic] Conclusion: Thus looking at the challenges and the opportunities which rural markets offer to the marketers it can be said that the future is very promising for those who can understand the dynamics of rural markets and exploit them to their best advantage. A radical change in attitudes of marketers towards the vibrant and burgeoning rural markets is called for, so they can successfully impress on the millions rural consumers spread over approximately thousands of villages in rural Bangladesh.Eurosif European Social Investment Hamida Kawser Student of UIU Second samaster BBA Departmeny Road Number 27 Dhanmondi Dhaka 30. 03. 2013 Respected Sir. I am submitting you my report on automobile companies and associated risk and opportunities the se pose for long-term return. Perpose behind preparing automobile report is to have an idea about how automobile companies grew through decades. So that we can use this quality information in Bangladesh industry and even in our personnal business field. ———————– [pic] [pic] [pic]

Are Musicians Born or Made?

For nearly 2,000 years philosophers have wondered whether artists are born or made. In the case of musicians, the existence of thousands of music schools would seem to argue that musicians can be made, like engineers. Arguing against the importance of all that activity are the curious exceptions: famous musicians who cannot even read music. The latter include the most famous male pop singer of the 20th century and one of that century’s most famous orchestral conductors.The earliest important discussion of this question presents the problem well, found in a treatise, â€Å"On the Sublime,† is by a 1st century AD writer named Longinus. Nothing else can be documented about the man, but this treatise was well-known through the Renaissance and deeply influenced such writers as Dryden and Pope. Longinus begins by emphasizing the importance of learning. First of all, we must raise the question whether there is such a thing as an art [craft] of the sublime or lofty. Some hold t hat those are entirely in error who would bring such matters under the precepts of art. A lofty tone, says one, is innate, and does not come by teaching; nature is the only art that can compass it.Works of nature are, they think, made worse and altogether feebler when wizened by the rules of art. But I maintain that this will be found to be otherwise if it be observed that, while nature as a rule is free and independent in matters of passion and elevation, yet is she wont not to act at random and utterly without system†¦. Moreover, the expression of the sublime is more exposed to danger when it goes its own way without the guidance of knowledge, — when it is suffered to be unstable and unballasted, — when it is left at the mercy of mere momentum and ignorant audacity. It is true that it often needs the spur, but it is also true that it often needs the curb.1However, in another place, when he is thinking of the great gifts of the orator, Demosthenes, he wonders if such a great performer can be the result of learning. There are some, he seems to conclude, whose success can be explained only by a God-given ability. But Demosthenes draws — as from a store — excellences allied to the highest sublimity and perfected to the utmost, the tone of lofty speech, living passions, copiousness, readiness, speed (where it is legitimate), and that power and vehemence of his which forbid approach.Having, I say, absorbed bodily within himself these mighty gifts which we may deem heaven-sent (for it would not be right to term them human), he thus with the noble qualities which are his own routs all comers even where the qualities he does not possess are concerned, and overpowers with thunder and with lightening the orators of every age. One could sooner face with unflinching eyes a descending thunderbolt than meet with steady gaze his bursts of passion in their swift succession.In the end Longinus retreats from having to make a choice between a st udied craft, which he calls â€Å"art,† and that talent which is a gift of nature. The highest achievement, he reasons, requires both. Since freedom from failings is for the most part the successful result of art, and excellence (though it may be unevenly sustained) the result of sublimity, the employment of art is in every way a fitting aid to nature; for it is the conjunction of the two which tends to ensure perfection.When the Church defeated Rome and began its process of reinventing, so to speak, the Roman citizen, it began by attempting to eliminate as much of the pagan world as possible, in the process burning the books of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, etc. The church also attempted to remove emotion from the life of the Christian and as a subordinate part of that idea they warned the Christian about being enthusiastic about art.The rationale of the Church was: God created the artist, therefore you should love God and not the artist, much less the art object. Because of thi s position, during the long Church dominated period we call the â€Å"Dark Ages,† books which discuss art and the artist are rare. With the Renaissance, however, this subject is widely discussed, beginning with the important 16th century treatise, the Dodecachordon of 1547, by Heinrich Glarean. Glarean (1488 – 1563) of  Switzerland was a man of many talents as is testified to in numerous letters by Erasmus, who gives the impression that he was unusually proficient in all the Liberal Arts. In letters of recommendation, Erasmus calls Glarean a mathematician, meaning four branches of the Liberal Arts.It was from this perspective that Glarean was interested in music3 and our guess is that he probably did not think of himself as a performing musician, although on one occasion he so impressed Maximilian I in his singing of a poem that he was made poet laureate. Such a widely talented man is never universally popular and in the fictitious, satirical â€Å"Letters of Obscur e Men,† of 1515, by Crotus Rubeanus and Ulrich von Hutten, Glarean is described as, very headstrong man†¦. A terrible man, a choleric, for ever threatening fights — and he must be possessed of a devil.Glarean first clearly frames the question: who should receive the higher praise, the composer who has his gift through birth or the man who has studied counterpoint and who composes multi-part music upon the original melody?As we were hastening to the end of this very toilsome book, this not entirely inconsequential thought came to our mind about a matter which I say has been considered in doubt a long time now among men of our times, that is, which is more deserving of praise, the invention of a theme or the addition of several voices; namely, so that the uninitiated may also understand, whether it is of more value if one can invent a natural tenor, which affects all minds, which takes hold of a man’s heart, in short, which so clings to our memory that it ofte n steals upon us without our even thinking, and into which we break as if awakened from sleep, as we commonly see concerning many tenors; or if one adds three or more voices to the tenor invented in the aforementioned way, which voices, so to speak, embellish it with imitations, canons, changes of modus, tempus, and prolatio†¦.Having presented the question, Glarean’s own view seems to be that talent comes with birth, not study. It is interesting that he mentions the factor we have pointed out at the beginning, the success of untrained artists. He concludes by presenting the subordinate questions which he implies are necessary to answering the main question. Here is an example of this matter, so that one may comprehend so much the better what we say. Whoever first  invented the tenor Te Deum laudamus or any other as Pange lingua, may he not be preferred in talent to one who afterwards composed a complete Mass according to it? First, indeed, to say as a preface, we canno t deny that this happens to each through the power of his talent, and through a certain natural and native capacity rather than through art.The reason for this seems to be that very frequently those who are untrained in music are also surprisingly proficient in inventing tenors in our vernacular, whether Celtic or German, and further, that many who are proficient in adding voices likewise have learned music badly, to say nothing of other disciplines. Therefore, it is clear that neither talent is really possible for a man unless he is born to it, and, as it is commonly said, unless he received it from his mother.This is likewise true of painters, also of sculptors, and preachers†¦, in short, of all works dedicated to Minerva†¦. But indeed, if as Aristotle asserts, a man is truly deserving of praise who discovers the principles of any discipline, for it is very easy to add the rest (he says), I do not see why the first artist, the simple creator of a simple melody (now calle d a tenor) ought to be inferior to one who does not invent as easily as he adds to what has already been invented. Indeed, we see in the various disciplines that the first inventors always have merited the most praise. Thus Hippocrates is considered superior to Galen, even though Galen surpassed him with a thousand books†¦. Let everyone direct his attention to the following points as the most worthy of our consideration, namely, which of the two is older, which is more useful, and, finally, which yields to the other.In a letter sent to his publisher, Giraldi Cinthio,6 he indicates that he wrote his treatise, Discorso intorno al comporre dei romanzi of 1549, to refute attacks on Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, which he considered a great heroic poem. While his treatise is thus about the 16th century heroic poem in general, which he calls the Romance, Giraldi is equally concerned with establishing poetry as an art. In so doing, he presents one of the most important treatises on Beauty to be found in the 16th century.7 He begins by stating the all men have the genetic materials necessary to fine writing. But, he follows this by writing that â€Å"Nature produces the poets, but art makes the orators,†8 His point apparently is in attempting to make a  distinction between genius and (learned) skill. By â€Å"elocution,† Giraldi means the manner of expressing with fitting words the thought which the poet has in mind. Here he presents a unique and curious analogy.Since elocution has the same place in composition as the skin does in the human body, the poet ought to put his effort on this part, under which stand all the others, as nature does on the skin of the body. Just as nature, a judicious creatress (by virtue of the intelligence which rules her) of that which she produces, took great care to make the skin soft, pliable, and delicate, and to give it the grace of proper colors so that it appears pleasing to our eyes and makes delightful all t hat is under it, so the poet should put much talent and study on everything pertaining to words. Since they clothe our ideas and carry them from the intellect to the eyes, they ought to be adorned with all the beauty that the industry of the writer can give them.Although in this, no less than in other particulars, one ought to shun such superfluous diligence, lest what one would make good becomes bad, and lest excessive desire to embellish results in fastidiousness. Negligence neatly practiced is sometimes better than too much diligence.9This last sentence requires a note of explanation. For the Italian Renaissance (upper class) man, one of the personal characteristics held to be important was that he never exhibit effort. â€Å"Studied negligence† was the goal. This can be easily understood in the example of chess playing, where it was held that the gentleman could play but that he should not appear to be very good, for if he were good it implied study, practice and work, al l of which were not appropriate to the gentleman. Giraldi contends that epic poetry must be in rhyme. This is only fitting for heroic matter and â€Å"it carries in itself the sweetness of sound and gravity with measure and with the other qualities that belong to the sublime.†10 Later he adds that words must not only convey thoughts, but in themselves, â€Å"pleasurable beauty.† It is interesting that he warns the poet to remember that his goal is to find words for the thoughts, and not thoughts for the words. He pauses to comment on the ancient question of the relationship of learned Art and genius which is a gift of Nature. Here concludes that both are necessary. Of these two, however, the one so needs the other that each is of little value alone. Indeed, art without nature produces such impoverished verses  that they seem to have suffered for ten years from the hectic fever. Nature without art makes them like fat peasants who are of good color and health but witha l have no gentility.Therefore, he concludes, that poet who has as his guide both Nature and Art cannot help but succeed. His definition of Art which follows consequently focuses on both Beauty and Nature. By art I mean here not the intricacies and the entanglements of which I spoke above, which with metaphors, enigmas, and monstrosities would turn authors into alchemists; which precepts can make it appear that a man has seen and read much, but are not likely to teach; but that which gives us light, not shadow; makes our way pleasant, not painful; easy, not intricate; level, not steep; that which leads us not through briars but through flowering meadows; that which teaches us without so much tortuousness and such monstrosities of words and images. Like arranged flowers, after we have chosen them from the green fields of poesy, our compositions ought to be set in order with marvelous beauty.Marco Girolamo Vida was born in Cremona some time before the beginning of the 16th century, at which time his first poems appear, and died in 1566. His poem on chess (Scacchiae Ludus) brought him to the attention of Leo X. After the death of Leo X, Vida remained in the papal court of Clement VII, who made him Bishop of Alba in 1532. Holding this office, Vida participated in the council of Trent. In his treatise on poetry, De Arte Poetica, of 1561, Vida has observed that there are some who fervently desire to be poets, yet, in spite of all, are not successful. They, apparently, have the training, but not the gift. These men, he recommends, might find a suitable career as lawyers! How oft the youth, who wants the sacred fire,Fondly mistakes for genius his desire, Courts the coy Muses, though rejected still, Nor Nature seconds his misguided will! He strives, he toils with unavailing care, Nor Heaven relents, nor Phoebus hears his prayer. He with success, perhaps, may plead a cause, Shine at the bar, and flourish by the laws.One of the important Italian Renaissance writers, Pietr o Aretino (1492 – 1556), was much concerned with respect to the character of the artist. He also considered the question of the nature of Art and the artist, he concluded that the essential gift is one of genetics and not instruction. The truth is that art is an innate gift for considering the excellencies of nature that comes to us when we are babes in swaddling clothes. That which is learned later may be called art, but it is not legitimate, whereas you could not call that art bastard which the spider uses in weaving his web.We might note that to another correspondent he states that neither the gift nor the skill is of any importance without heart.To GiorgioVasari (1511 – 1574) we are indebted for his revised Lives of 1568, which provides important biographical information regarding 16th century artists. Vasari summarizes his views on our subject of whether the artist is born or learned by declaring, Very great is the obligation that is owed to Heaven and to Nature b y those who bring their works to birth without effort and with a certain grace which others cannot give to their creations either by study or by imitation.With the Baroque Period we begin to find German commentary which is related to our question, that is are musicians the product of training or Nature? One philosopher that we appreciate was Johann David Heinichen (1683 – 1729), a composer in Dresden. In his mind, there was a natural connection between the learned rules of music and the talent which comes from Nature, for he believed the important rules were all drawn from Nature herself.All arts and sciences have rules and must be learned through rules, if we do not wish to remain simple naturalists, ie., half-ignorant. But we must not err excessively on the side of rules; furthermore, we should not accept so crudely the equivocal word: Rule, as if we would serve as high sounding rule makers, prescribing laws even to Nature, according to which she must limit herself to aucto ritate nostra. No! All of our useful rules must be derived from Nature; and we must investigate on all levels the will, preference, and character of this mistress and learn from her cum submissione.Heinichen conceded the importance of that which is learned about music, believing that the essential abilities needed for successful composition include natural aptitude and diligence, as well, of course, as knowledge of the basic conceptual information on writing music. However, as he quotes Andreas Werkmeister, rules alone do not suffice.18 If one has no musical aptitude 1,000 rules could be illustrated with 10,000 examples and still the purpose would not be achieved.We have seen above Heinichen’s contention that all useful rules must be derived from Nature. But he seems hesitant to take on the burden of discussing the full dimension of Nature’s contribution. For one reason, while he finds Nature’s gifts unquestionably important, he finds that these gifts vary from composer to composer. One can as little describe the differences in musical talent as one can describe the differences between all ingenuities. Generally, however, one can say that the good talents of composers differ only in degree. For Nature gives to one an animated, clear, burning spirit, but to another a tempered, modest, or even affective nature. The latter is better suited to to the devout church style, the former, however, more to the theatrical†¦.Another very important German writer took a similar position. Johann Mattheson not only found that the gifts of Nature varied from man to man, but that sometimes Nature left her gifts incomplete! One sometimes encounters fine minds without true desire and love for it; thus one encounters nothing more seldom than the required diligence and necessary, untiring industry, joined together with these two things, natural ability and real desire: because commonly not a little laziness and idleness, lasciviousness, comfortableness, and the like, tend to go side by side with innate gifts and inclinations. A so-called natural disposition without ambition or love is like a buried treasure†¦. Desire and diligence without natural ability is really the worst of all†¦.This partiality which Nature demonstrates in passing out her talents led Mattheson, in another place, to comment on the treatment of students.Natural stupidity or innate simplicity is among the failures of the intellect which no one can rightfully punish, though it can be deplored or at best ridiculed. Desiring to make youngsters intelligent with thrashing is not only futile, but godless. Many examples verify that beatings make heads ten times more dumb than they were previously. This is and remains abysmally characteristic of education in almost every guild and apprenticeship.The great German composer, Georg Telemann (1681-1767), found that of the poets he worked with, some were talented but lacked the learning to successfully complete their ass ignment. Just as not everyone is born a poet, so every poet cannot write texts adaptable to music, and especially sacred music. It would be desirable for experts to explore this question.Another German writer of the Baroque, Johann Birnbaum, placed more importance on the learned facet of the artist. Indeed, his was a rather unique opinion that one of the fundamental roles of the artist was to perfect and shape Nature into its most ideal state. If art imitates Nature, then indisputably the natural element must everywhere shine through the works of art. Accordingly it is impossible that art should take away the natural element from those things in which it imitates Nature — including music. If art aids Nature, then its aim is only to preserve it, and to improve its condition; certainly not to destroy it.Many things are delivered to us by Nature in the most misshapen states, which, however, acquire the most beautiful appearance when they have been formed by art. Thus art lends N ature a beauty it lacks, and increases the beauty it possesses. Now, the greater the art is — that is, the more industriously and painstakingly it works at the improvement of Nature — the more brilliantly shines the beauty thus brought into being.The opposite view was taken by the great French philosopher, Marin Mersenne (1588-1648). He studied mathematics, physics, the classics and metaphysics at the Jesuit College of Le Mans. After becoming a Jesuit priest, and a member of the Minorite friars, Mersenne began teaching Hebrew, philosophy and theology at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1619. His residence became a  required stopping place for every intellectual visiting Paris, which, together with his correspondence with persons throughout Europe, including Galilei, Huygens and Descartes, made him a virtual one-man academy. His studies and experimentation in music resulted in his Harmonie universelle (1636), a work of encyclopedia proportion organized in five treatises.It wa s the conclusion by Mersenne that composers are born and not made through â€Å"Art.† Whatever rules we could give for composing fine and beautiful melodies on all kinds of subjects and texts, it appears that they cannot bring this to pass until we are induced by the favorable genius and natural inclination of those who write excellent ones without having learned or established any other rules than those which their imagination furnishes†¦. I shall be of the opinion of those who say that the genius of music is like that of the poet, the painter, the orator, and of several other craftsmen, to whom nature, or rather the Master of Nature, has dispensed certain gifts to which art cannot attain.He was also of the opinion that to some degree the beautiful singer is born and not made. This should be ascribed to the order of Divine Providence, which makes use of all kinds of conditions, as it does of as many voices, to compose the great concert of this universe, whose beauties a nd charms we will never understand except in Heaven.Franà §ois Marie Arouet (1694-1778), known as Voltaire,27 was the son of a successful attorney and a lively and intelligent woman who hosted a minor salon in Paris. His father advised him, â€Å"Literature is the profession of the man who wishes to be useless to society and a burden to his relatives, and to die of hunger.† The son responded by becoming one of the most prolific writers of the Baroque, supporting his family and dying wealthy.Voltaire arrived in Paris in 1715 as France was in transition from the era of Louis XIV to the regency for the young Louis XV. His brilliant wit, and sharp tongue, soon brought him to the attention of high society and earned him several visits to the Bastille. One comment remembered from this time followed an announcement that the regent, for reasons of the economy, had sold half the horses of the royal stables. Voltaire suggested it might have been better if he dismissed half the asses a t court!In one place Voltaire  seems to take the position that learning must be everything in the artist, for the reason that Nature has rendered all men equal physically. Yet all nations†¦, even the Hottentots and Kaffirs, pronounce the vowels and consonants as we do, because the larynx in them is essentially the same as in us — just as the throat of the rudest boor is made like that of the finest opera-singer, the difference, which makes of one a rough, discordant, insupportable bass, and of the other a voice sweeter than the nightingale’s, being imperceptible to the most acute anatomist; or, as the brain of a fool is for all the world like the brain of a great genius.In another place, however, he takes the position that those with real individual genius in the arts possessed something beyond learning or emulation. It must be confessed that in the arts having genius as their basis, everything is the product of instinct.By â€Å"instinct† here, Voltaire apparently meant that the true genius is born and not made. Here he seems to suggest that â€Å"learning† is replaced by â€Å"taste.† We use the word â€Å"genius† indifferently in speaking of†¦an artist, or a musician†¦. Now an artist, however perfect he may be in his profession, if he have no invention, if he be not original, is not considered a genius. He is only inspired by the artists his predecessors, even when he surpasses them†¦.Poussin, who was a great painter before he had seen any good pictures, had a genius for painting. Lully, who never heard any good musician in France, had a genius for music†¦. Genius, conducted by taste, will never commit a gross fault†¦. Genius, without taste, will often commit enormous errors; and, what is worse, it will not be sensible of them.30In another place, he adds,The gift of nature is an imagination inventive in the arts — in the disposition of a picture, in the structure of a poem. It cannot exist without memory, but it uses memory as an instrument with which it produces all its performances.The primary characteristic of this â€Å"gift of nature,† that the artist is born with, Voltaire finds to be the quality of his imagination. Active imagination, which constitutes men poets, confers on them enthusiasm, according to the true meaning of the Greek word, that internal emotion which in reality agitates the mind and transforms the author into the personage whom he introduces as the speaker; for such is the true enthusiasm, which consists in emotion and imagery†¦. In general, the imaginations of painters when they are merely ingenious, contribute more to exhibit the learning in the artist than to increase the beauty of the art†¦. In all the arts, the most beautiful imagination is always the most natural.Two examples from English literature take the position that the successful artist is the product of both birth and art (learning). We have an interes ting poem in honor of Shakespeare by Ben Jonson, in which the poet observes that â€Å"though the matter of poets be Nature,† it is the art of the poet which must shape it. In a reflection on Shakespeare’s own labor, Jonson notes, For a good poet’s made, as well as born.And such wert thou.33A similar reflection is made by Robert Herrick (1591 – 1674). Man is composed here of a two-fold part; The first of Nature, and the next of Art: Art presupposes Nature†¦.34And now, it might be interesting to consider what some of the great composers have written on this subject. First, there are some isolated thoughts from the diary of Robert Schumann, which has been dated about 1833. It is the curse of talent that, although it labors more steadily and perseveringly than genius, it does not reach a goal; while genius, floating on the summit of the ideal, grazes from above, serenely smiling. †¦..It is not a good thing to have acquired too much facility in any occupation. †¦.. The youthful works of masters who have become great, are looked upon with very different eyes than are the works of composers who promised as much, but did not keep their word. †¦.. Dare talent permit itself to take the same liberties as genius? †¦.. Talent labors, genius creates. †¦.. Few strikingly original works of genius have become popular.These comments on talent as opposed to genius by Schumann remind us of one of Wagner’s essays where he quotes Schopenhauer, Talent hits a mark we all can see, but cannot lightly reach; whilst Genius attains a goal we others do not even see.35Our original question was, â€Å"Are musicians born or made?† When you look at the sketch books of Beethoven, it is perfectly obvious that even so great a composer as he had to go to great efforts to â€Å"make† his compositions. In looking at these sketches one sometimes feels that if he had a gift, it was the gift of knowing what to reject. His b irth gift was Taste, not counterpoint. Mozart is another matter. As Schumann pointed out one time, the only way you can be a Mozart is to be born a Mozart.36 But, if you have to be born a Mozart, then what is going on in all those thousands of music schools around the world? It is an interesting question.It is even a more interesting question from the following perspective. You go to hear, let’s say, a piano recital. You are moved, you are inspired, and you say, â€Å"That was really musical.† What you are referring to in that moment is not taught in those music schools. What then is being taught in all those music schools? In our view most of this activity is centered in two areas: [1] A great amount of time is spent by music schools in the teaching of grammar. In no other field and in none of the other arts is such a disproportionate amount of time spent on grammar as opposed to meaning and purpose.Can one imagine, for example, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Fonda at the Lee Strasberg Actors Studio in New York sitting around discussing grammar? In what music school is there even one comprehensive course in aesthetics? In what music school is there discussion on what music meant to Beethoven? Who will talk about music and character development? Who tells students why classical music is important and popular music is not? Who explains to students the difference between inspired  music and educational music? Who takes on the responsibility for explaining to students that music education is about commerce, but not art? [2] The other great field of activity in music schools is the instruction of students on how to become players of instruments, including the vocal instrument.But what studio teacher, as a part of the necessary technique, explains to the student how to move the emotions of the listener? In how many studios is the word â€Å"listener† even mentioned? What studio teacher brings up the subject of earning a living? One day students will ask that question and the house of cards will collapse. To conclude, surely everyone understands that one cannot learn, in any music school anywhere, to become a Mozart. That is not only a gift of God, but a gift God rarely dispenses. But there are other gifts, some of which are genetic, gifts of God to everyman. First and foremost among these is the ability to understand music as a listener without going to those music schools. And then there are the gifts which come from participation in music.Surely anyone whose means of making a living includes the performance of music, whether professional, community or school, must feel a recipient of a gift of the gods. You could be a dentist! How much would they have to pay you to stand and look into other people’s mouths all day? And finally there are those people who may not have the opportunity to perform, but understand the importance of music to society and give of themselves to make it happen. It was of them that Mendelssohn once wrote, The smallest real service to art†¦seems a blessing sent by God.

Categories of drivers Essay Example for Free

Categories of drivers Essay Since the start of road transportation, there have been drivers of the varied kind. The modes of transportation changed from horses or horse driven carts to cars but these set of drivers have always remained since then. Drivers of automobiles can be categorized into three categories teenage drivers, old drivers which mainly comprises of senior citizens and drunk or substance abusive drivers. The safety on the road of a person is basically depended on the kind of driving one does. A person’s skill to drive depends upon a certain set of factors due which he gets categorized. Teenage drivers who use automobiles are mostly adrenalin driven and have a habit of being impatient on roads. Teenagers with attitude problems can indulge in major road mishaps and can cause severe damage to themselves along with the innocent car drivers on the road. A teenager cultivates his driving skills by looking at his parents or guardians and later on the pressure of his per group plays a massive factor in driving. It has been estimated about sixty five percent of passengers have had fatal injuries due to the reckless driving of an immature teenager. The habit of risk taking or trying to create impressions on their peer groups more often than not result in deadly crashes. If apart from impulsive behavior, a teenager also does any kind of alcoholic or drug abuse, then the combination of impulsive behavior with substance abuse not only makes them dangerous on the road, but also they risk of having the worst kind of crashes possible on road. As we age our reflexes and our ability to make life saving maneuvers also go down. This is a problem with all the old aged drivers in the world. These old drivers in their experience have a perfect mentality to drive safe, but because of ageing lots of occurrences physically take place like loss of good vision, or their loss of their ability for quick response time. These drivers won’t commit mistakes on purpose and would have a thinking of driving at lower speeds with an intention of attaining maximum safety. How much ever these drivers have good intentions, any physical bustle can cause them to crash anytime which sometimes makes a risky commodity on the road. The worst kind of a driver however is a driver who abuses alcohol or any substance and then drives a set of wheels. These are the kind of drivers who irrespective of their age which can comprise from being a teenager to being a senior citizen have the ability to kill and get killed depending on the amount of alcohol or drug they have consumed. These drivers knowing that they are not in right condition risk everyone’s life around and are equivalent of a deadly weapon on the road, as it become highly unpredictable about when they would crash and cost someone their lives. The following evidence will show the risk taken by these drivers and the amount of crashes that can take place because of their carelessness: ‘Nearly half a million people are injured in alcohol-related crashes each year. More than 15,786 of them die. That’s one death every 33 minutes. In 2000 in Kansas, 2,469 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes. That’s more than six persons injured each day’ (Courtesy: Kansas Department of Transportation, â€Å"Types of drivers†. Retrieved on November 24, 2008 from http://www. ksdot. org/burTrafficSaf/sns/Presentation/types. asp) It can only be understood that a safe and a good driver should always maintain patience while driving, as a small move from any of the three categories discussed above can cause them their lives for no fault of their own. Reference: 1) Kansas Department of Transportation, â€Å"Types of drivers†. http://www. ksdot. org/burTrafficSaf/sns/Presentation/types. asp Categories of drivers. (2016, Sep 04).

How I lead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How I lead - Essay Example In any complicated situation, I believe that directed actions and insightful discussion of the issue can lead to productive solution acceptable by all group members. If any conflict takes place in my family, I motivate others to share their opinions about solutions in order to develop a shared vision of the problem. Such strategy makes people collaborate and the problem disappears quickly. In this way, I develop my communication, team building and delegating skills. For instance, my father could not come to the common ground with my uncle and it caused many inconveniences for other family members. I had neutral relationships with my uncle, so I was able to communicate with him in friendly terms. I explained that even though my father seemed to be angry, he was not intended to do anything bad to my uncle. That talk with my uncle was productive because he changed his position and attitude towards my father. In this way, I took a decisive part in the solution of this conflict because I was the only person who managed to make my relatives listed to each other and compromise. I applied delegating skills to reach my main objective and resolve the conflict between the relatives. I apply the same strategy of a â€Å"peacemaker† in communication with my friends. In any critical situation I prefer to slow down everyone and discuss the emerging problem. I am a people-oriented leader; I stress the importance of relationships and friendly atmosphere most of all. In team work good and respectful relationships predetermine success. I have noticed that such personal qualities as selfishness or stubbornness lead to decreased effectives in anything people do together. If people do not wish to communicate or compromise, they usually fail to do anything together. In this respect, I am convinced that communication must be treated as the main factor in leading. Verbal communication is

Weirding the War by Stephen Berry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Weirding the War by Stephen Berry - Essay Example He also addresses other pertinent issues like analyzing whether the civil war played a part in destroying or reinforcing the cult of domesticity in America. Finally, a review of other author’s books is done to see whether they can gladly be explained by Stephen’s ‘weirding’ the war ideology (Berry, 2011). The definition of gender roles provides a description of these roles as being, the different duties assigned to an individual based on their gender. Gender is a socially constructed term used to refer to an individual’s social or legal status. Its ascription is on the basis of the biological dispositions which differentiate men from women. The antebellum attitudes affected the gender roles as seen in the three different articles. A general background appraisal of the attitudes which existed during this era clearly shows the disparities present in the gender roles assigned to different people. These disparities influenced the day-to-day interactions of different people. The formation of attitudes is as a result of influence from different factors such as, political alliances, economic status or race. For example, race influenced people’s attitudes in a tremendous way. ... The formation of political alliances also played a great role in the formation of people’s attitudes. The Southern states possessed different political ideologies from the Northern states which created tension and culminated in the start of the Civil war. One of these ideologies was; the Northern states advocated for the abolishment of the slave trade whereas the Southern states seemed to be profiting from slavery. â€Å"The Tale of the Three Kates† by LeeAnn Whites illustrates the way economic status also influenced the formation of people’s attitudes especially in relation to gender roles. The antebellum society's influence was from the male culture which affected all sectors of society. Meaning, men had the authority to own property, unlike women. Therefore, the roles assigned to men included those that allowed them to acquire property. In addition, the economic status ascribed to women depended on the status ascribed to their fathers or husbands (Berry, 2011) . All the books also attempt to analyze whether the cult of domesticity experienced some effects by the civil war. This begs the question, what did the phrase ‘cult of domesticity mean’ in the first place. It referred to the pre-existing culture of the people living in the antebellum period. It confined women to play a domesticated role which included running the households and nurturing their children. On the other hand, the men worked tirelessly striving to make a living to support their families. It was, therefore, unheard of to find women working with the men in the different industries. However, this soon changed when the war started. It destroyed the cult of domesticity by redefining the roles ascribed to people based on their gender. The women had to fill in the vacant

MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MARKETING - Essay Example Conformity may engender a force that in itself threatens to destroy the essence of competition. For competition requires the creation of differential advantage. But competing institutions have a tendency to become alike and to imitate each other, and thereby eradicate the differences that comprise the essence of competition The main opportunities are reduced prices and increased international operations, improved service quality and low barriers to trade. Thus, the main threat is negative publicity and critique of fast food industry and obesity problems caused by restaurants like MacDonald’s (Macdonald’s Home Page 2009). Modern technology is the necessary and sufficient condition for the creation of mass culture. Our society with its mass culture emphasizes higher standards of living and expanding expectations. But this massification has been assailed. Ours has been termed the homogenized, Philistine society. The mass media, television, movies, newspapers, and magazines, which are among the tools of market communication, have been proclaimed the purveyors of a mass culture that has a relatively low common denominator. The tendency to conformity is tempered by dynamism and change. Marketing analysts should be well aware of the significance of sociological factors; they have been described as socio-graphics. Predictions of them give indications of the dimensions of future markets. 2. VALS typology is an interesting and useful tool to analyze customer-based strategies and evaluate their strengths and drawbacks. Thus, this typology is not accurate and objective as it describes only eight types of buyers and market segments. Buyer behavior is more complex that it is described by VALS typology. Economists and marketing people seem to have differing perspectives on the value of life-style concepts and findings. In most economic studies (although these are exceptions), the life style of a

Case Study Computers R Us Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study Computers R Us - Assignment Example In regard to the initiatives set up by the company to boost satisfaction levels of the customers, loyalty rewards came out as the best initiative so far with an average satisfaction level of 5.6452 out of 10 it was followed by the response time at 4.3714, both level of advice and communication level stood at below 4 out of 10. There was however no any association between age groups and the overall satisfaction level. The study could have been limited by the fact that the questionnaires were emailed and there was no direct contact between the researcher and the respondents to verify their answers. Computers R Us, a computer manufacturer and retailer recently launched a service and repair division, CompleteCare, for its portable/laptop/notebook computers. This division promised to provide a rapid response to customer’s technical enquiries and warranty repairs. As a result of this, Computers R Us has been receiving multiple complaints about CompleteCare at the Computers R Us call centre. To address these issues, a study was proposed and the research overseen by the management of Computers R Us. It was found that customer satisfaction was a contributing factor to the issues experienced in the CompleteCare division. Consequently, the management of Computer R Us developed several possible initiatives to improve customer satisfaction to a minimum level of 6 out of 10 To collect this data, a simple random sample of 500 customers was selected from a sampling frame. A sampling frame includes the actual list of individuals included in the population (Nesbary, 2000). Of the 500 customers that were sent surveys, 420 responded. The response rate was computed as follows; Structured questionnaire constructed in English language was used to collect data with a total of eight items six of which touched on customer satisfaction. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: Five ethical concerns as outlined by Crowhurst and Dobson (1993) were

Advertising and contemporary culture Research Paper

Advertising and contemporary culture - Research Paper Example Advertising also involves a sponsor who is the person who pays for the advertisement. All of these factors work together in an attempt to sell a product, service or concept to a target population through branding. Branding is described as forming an image associated with a certain product in the mind of the consumer. It involves gender studies, semiotics and effective mediums of advertising. Contemporary culture refers to the existence of different genres of something within the same frame of time. When we talk of contemporary culture, we talk about the different ethnicities, religions, societies and economies that exist today. With the world growing smaller due to increased mediums of communication, it seems that the advertiser’s job would be easier. However, it has gotten all the more difficult since not only has the market become more competitive but finances have become limited and while sponsors ask for maximum cost efficiency, designing campaigns that are targeted yet ef fective has become a challenge. Mass campaigns are cost effective but the message might be suitable for one market and outright offensive for the other. Thus, advertising’s relation with contemporary culture has never been as important as it is now. ... sion campaigns as well as new media which have not only pushed the advertisers to come up with new ideas but also increase budgets so that maximum number and types of medium can be used. These include covert advertising which overlaps with branding, mobile bill boards, ads on facebook and twitter, polls, consumer generated-advertising and celebrity branding. digital branding seems to be quite effective across all ages and is widely used in sport events, shopping malls and restaurants (Aimdigitalvisions.com) For example, Tom Cruise is seen using a Nokia phone and wearing a Bulgari watch in the movie Minority Report. This is an example of covert advertisement that was aimed at movie audiences which were predominantly under 35. Similarly, popup, advergaming and emails are also a popular medium of advertisement among the younger lot. The effectiveness of a medium of communication is not just measured by the age of a target audience. It has a lot to do with the size of an audience as well . Crowdsourcing is a very popular approach when the target audience is huge, the ad is supposed to be ‘most-buzzed-about’ (Elliott) and has to be reached within limited finances. Google, Hershey’s, Microsoft and Mini Cooper have adopted this approach. Global advertising is aimed at a much larger audience with a view to expand globally. For this reason, advertisers rely on advertising researches, look for ideas that have the potential to travel (Global Marketing Management) and increase the companies’ pace of implementation. The most important factor in such campaigns is to give an image of one voice. The advertisement campaign of IBM is a clear example of this. Another aspect of advertising industry’s relationship with contemporary culture is based on how it affects genders. Not

Ciba-Geigy Case Study Essays for MBA Strategy Subject Essay

Ciba-Geigy Case Study Essays for MBA Strategy Subject - Essay Example The principle markets for this segment comprised of North America, Western Europe, South East and Japan. The industry consolidated, following the oil crisis in the 1970’s, and had become increasingly competitive with high entry and exit barriers requiring environmentally sound production techniques and high investment. But, Ciba, in spite of the adverse market conditions, on the strength of its innovative products had managed to achieve steady growth in its pigment business making pigments a strong performer within the industrial divisions. Some of the biggest customers of Ciba were in America and Japan, and during the year 1994, U.S. sales accounted for approximately 40% of its total sales for HPPs, besides, Ciba was the second largest employer in the state of Delaware, which added to the several strengths of the company and strengthened the argument in favor of investing in the Newport plant project. According to the portfolio planning initiative that took place in the year 1994, under the guidance and leadership of Verena Laanio, certain categories were designed and developed which aimed at serving three main functions: first, to serve as a resource allocation device, second, to manage the overall portfolio in terms of cash and growth; and third to provide management focus on the appropriate key success factors for each stage in the lifecycle. According to Ciba’s portfolio planning guidelines for core businesses, the Pigment’s division was responsible for increasing cash flows by about 50 million Swiss francs per annum, thus satisfying the company’s primary target. Secondly, Ciba’s pigment division head, Mark Schutz, assured the management of maintaining the required levels of 10% RONA, which at its very worst would dip to 6%, satisfying the second target set by the company. After the company’s reorganization, its businesses were divided into 33 segments which were further sorted into five categories;

Comparative Literature Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Comparative Literature Paper - Essay Example People from all over the world wish to embark the â€Å"land of milk and honey†, only to find out that there are still enormous challenges they have to face to obtain that elusive â€Å"milk and honey†. More than stories about poverty, their ugly house and their families, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros are similar in many ways as these weave tales about strong women (both immigrant women of color) as they confront their lives in the US together with their families. They will show their courage and forge enormous strength to conquer the challenges they have to face. They will have to prove something, not just for themselves, but for their families as well. Comparing the two essays, we could almost smell the characters’ well-being as they are bound to resolve the various conflicts that they face. In the past twenty five years, the field of women’s immigration history in the United States has transformed itself from a minor disciplinary field to a major way of understanding one of the largest 20th century topics for the social sciences in general: the mobility of people and its impact upon the relationship of genders. In fact, the study of women immigrants has also served as a major connector between traditional disciplines and fields of inquiry in the United States (Schneider, 2003). The two stories by Hansberry and Cisneros, incidentally by women too, weaves a showcase of what immigrant women have to face living in the US. The common thread that binds these tales is the challenges they face as minority women in America as they look for their own place in an unknown country; and seek the liberation and freedom from lives slowed down by bondage. Not only these women demonstrate the assorted hostilities many women face as they are viewed as the inferior sex, but they also seek to supersede the discrimination caused by the color of their

Asian American Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Asian American Stereotypes Essay Pertaining to Tracy Lais article titled, Asian American Women, Lai discusses how stereotypes dehumanize people while turning them into objects to be manipulated. Lai touches on the topic of how Asian people and cultures are stereotyped as being inferior and exotic. The problem that Lai brings to our attention is that it is a struggle to be an Asian in America due to the fact that Asians have been denied political, economic and social equality in America. Lai also brings to our attention the die hard myth that Asians have made it in America, which is far from the truth. I sense that Lais argument is extremely effective due to the fact that stereotypes are not only seen among Asians, they are also seen in many other cultures and genders. For instance, women for years were battling for womans equality to be able to vote, and today women are still battling for equality in political and economic areas. In addition, African Americans are still trying to be accepted into certain political roles throughout our society. Since Tracy Lai is a Asian in America I feel that her argument holds great validity due to the fact that Lai shared her own personal experiences. By reading Lais personal feelings, it allowed me to understand her beliefs to a greater extent because I was able to see where she was coming from. Certainly I agree with Lais views because I have noticed that Asians are depicted as being inferior. For example, if you have ever seen a movie or a television show that had an Asian character, nine times out of ten the Asian character is depicted as being mathematicians, naive, and speaks with broken English. I have also noticed that there are very few Asian politicians, as well as very few women politicians, within our culture. I do not know if this problem stems from Asian Americans not having a historical/authoritative figure like Dr. Martin Luther King representing African Americans, and Susan B. Anthony representing womans rights to vote. However, I do know that Asians do not receive the same types of opportunities as others because they have been stereotyped for so long as being inferior. In addition, I feel that the reason why Asians may be seen as inferior individuals is because they were one of the last cultures to start a movement for equality that was inspired by other ethnic cultures. Because of this somewhat late movement, our culture has not been able to adapt to this change, like our culture has not adapted to women being paid the same as men. Lai brought to my attention that Asians are claimed to value education more than other minorities and Asians are said to have special intellectual affinities for math and science. Lai proceeded to raise the point that this is a racist rationale because this is implying that other cultures are not able to succeed in this type of area. For instance, I can relate to this statement because African Americans are said to be dominate in athletics, and they are also believed to have a higher vertical leap than others. I was offended when I heard this because I received a scholarship to Sacramento State for high jumping, and I am not African American. This example just goes to show you that stereotypes do dehumanize people and turns them into something they are not. In retrospect, Asians and other cultures are being denied political, economic, and social equality which is not equitable to these people. I feel that by reading Lais article has made me realize that stereotyping has no boundaries, because it is occurring in many different cultures and it is effecting many different people.

White People and Racial Passing Essay Example for Free

White People and Racial Passing Essay How does Eugenides put racial passing and gender passing in conversation with each other in his novel â€Å"MiddleSex†? Passing means being hidden. People are trying to be accepted into a world with a different identity from their own. Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex presents passing as something else just to be seen as â€Å"normal† or to be accepted into the society and not get discriminated. Racial passing and gender passing were seen many times in this novel within the characters. Not only were they seen in the novel, they were also seen through two articles that we discussed in class. Those articles were â€Å"Who’s the fairest of them all? † by Jill Nelson and â€Å"Transgender Liberation: A Movement Whose Time has Come† by Leslie Feinberg. Racial passing and gender passing are in relation to each other because they are both showing the sense of people passing for something that in reality they are not. â€Å"Who’s the fairest of them all?† by Jill Nelson claims that black girls and women can never obtain the true ingredient of female beauty in America, which is being white. The article states that a black woman’s natural hair is basically seen as unacceptable. That in order for it to be accepted it should be relaxed, straightened, or some would even have to put weave in. Long and straight hair is what is desirable to the society and it sends the message to black women that because they do not have the silky long and straight hair that they are known to not be desirable. It explains why most black women have extensions and perm their hair to be socially accepted. Even the black models that are out there in the world today do not completely portray a natural black woman. For example, Naomi Campbell has weave in all the time and wears colored contact lenses. The media portrays a certain identity for black women. Nelson says in this article that she cut all her hair off and got so many weird looks because it was not known as â€Å"normal† for black women to walk around in their natural bodies. This article ties into the topic of racial passing and gender passing because black women try to fit in this culture to be accepted and they feel the only way they would be accepted is by changing their look to be looked at as being desirable. The true beauty of what is fundamentally correct in America is whiteness. This is as if they are trying to pass as being white, just as Desdemona in the novel tried to pass as being a different culture just to fit in and to be able to make it somewhere in the society for her family.