Raymond Carvers Cathedral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Raymond Carvers Cathedral - Essay Example ed helpless and plain and was even dreading their meeting following his wife’s insistence after a short interaction which opens an entirely new state of affairs in his life. The foregrounding of seeing over looking is the author’s centre of focus. This is well demonstrated through a juxtaposition of the two related but substantively dissimilar ways of ascertaining and acquiring knowledge and insight into different phenomena. Literally, the hosts who are composed of the narrator and his wife are able to see as they have fully functional eyesight. Their guest for the night who is called Robert on the other hand is a blind widower fresh from the mourning of his wife Beulah who passed away after suffering from bouts of cancer. It is through the dynamism of the narrator that the author successfully manages to bring out the distinction between seeing and looking. The narrator clearly portrays the picture of a person with eyes but ironically cannot see. He initially uses his ability to see as a special attribute that makes him more important than the blind guest they expect to host for the night. According to Carver’s Cathedral, the narrator quickly sums up the pitiable look of Robert asserting how peculiar his eyes looked with glasses instead of shades. In his imagination, a woman married to him was like bondage to sorrow especially the thought of not being seen by a visually handicapped man. However, with his fully functional sense of sight, the narrator is unable to describe the structure of a cathedral shown on the television to Robert with whom they are watching. It is then that Robert asks for a pen and a paper and asks him to draw what he was seeing as the blind man’s hands followed the movement of his own. He is later asked to try drawing with eyes closed which he ably does. On finishing, Robert asks him to open his eyes and look at the drawing but the narrator marvels at the artistic creation with his eyes closed exclaiming that he had never

American Indian culture studies research paper Essay

American Indian culture studies research paper - Essay Example The Native Americans way of life and culture is very much adored by most people around the world. Everyone is eager to understand the culture and the nature of people who initially occupied the most powerful country in the world. The Indians greatly influenced the shape and environment of the current America in several ways because they lived and carried out their human activities on the land particularly their habit of shifting seasonal subsistence that was conforming to the changing seasons. Everyone particularly is concerned about the decline of the culture of the American natives. These people clearly shows the evidence of North American life such as the discovery of a hunting lookout in Northern Alaska and the various finely crafted spear points found near Clovis, New Mexico. All these discoveries show the culture and the lifestyle of the first Americans who also believed to be more hospitable and had strong belief in sharing (Teicher 2006, 14). It is unfortunate that some of these traits have been overridden by the contemporary culture. The decline of the Native Americans culture has largely been contributed by assimilation, exploitation and the change of purpose as well as the rich number of alternatives that are assumed to be modern by the contemporary society. Luckily, there are various institutions that have strongly come out to protect and enhance the Native cultures such as the introduction of culturally based education that involve introduction and re-establishment of native language as well as culture. Introduction of cultural based education has been very vital in pres4rvation of the native culture and most tribes with almost over 500 distinct cultures have strived to survive by trying to regain practices that defined them as people. Preservation of the native culture Preservation of the native culture has involved tireless practices such as creation of dictionaries for many tribes, connecting present and the past as well as introduction of tribal colleges and public schools that restore the rich knowledge of different native cultures. Outstanding teaching force has been introduced to the Native Americans and the students have been culturally empowered by making their schools more culturally relevant for them. However, it is still very clear that the Indian continuity and survival is not part of the cultural preservation and continuation (Shaull & Gramann 1998, 49-55). Modern society has greatly influenced the current youth thus leaving them in dilemma. The current young people are not sure of what is best for them because they cannot choose between their native cultures and the current cultures. For instance, in the modern society, a young man may put emphasis on exercising of individual freedom and rights even if it is against the people’s will unlike in the native culture where an individual would look to the extended family and elders for guidance and direction. The group decisions are more important and an individual is required to avoid conflict and be very loyal to the group unlike in the contemporary society where an individual’s independence is more important than the group (Shaull &

Experiences in a cross curricular manner education essay

Experiences in a cross curricular manner education essay The following essay will focus on the Skills Framework introduced by the Welsh Assembly Government into the national curriculum. The essay will discuss the shift into developing pupils skills across the curriculum rather than subject specific skills. The essay will also discuss how to develop pupils skills in the core subjects through a series of practical based activities through active learning. The term skill can be hard to define. Resnick argues that the term can not be defined exactly, but the term is easily recognisable, although it is very diverse (Resnick, L.B. 1987). Resnick also argues that in the world of education, we must try to teach study and problem solving skills. However can these types of skills be related to the different skills across the curriculum? The term skill requires a working definition as the different elements associated with skills are far too vast to be confined to one single, ridged definition. The Skills Framework being brought into the National Curriculum is linked to the Education Reform Act of 1988, which suggested that a curriculum should prepare pupils for challenges that they may face in adult life. However, past teaching practices prior to the Skills Framework being introduced were very much based around subject knowledge rather than skills. For example, in Science pupils would have learnt about the human heart. Now, under the new Skills Framework, pupils do still learn about the human heart, but the main focus of the lesson is to improve pupils scientific investigation skills rather develop their subject knowledge alone. Emphasis on teaching has now moved from less subject detail, to looking more at how and why and with a more thematic/topic method of teaching not only the core subjects, but subjects across the curriculum (James, B. et al). The need for a Skills Framework was outlined by the Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey which discovered that emplo yers could see gaps in employees skills, including communication and problem solving skills and in particular, Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). As a result of this survey and a previous publication from Estyn in 2002 which also stated a need to improve learning skills within schools, Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru (ACCAC) advised the Welsh Assembly Government to revise the National Curriculum to ensure it became more learner centered, skills based, up-to-date with the 21st Century and far more skills based than just focusing on subject knowledge alone. It was also suggested that the new curriculum had to be inclusive for all learners, something it could be argued that a subject knowledge based curriculum is not. The main points suggested by ACCAC were to implement a curriculum that focuses on and meets learners needs, is inclusive and provides equality of opportunity, equi ps learners with transferable skills, supports bilingualism, is relevant, challenging, interesting and enjoyable for all learners, transforms learning to produce resourceful, resilient and reflective lifelong learners, is achievable and adequately resourced. (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). With these skills based activities implemented into the National Curriculum, it is believed that a pupils education will be much more fulfilling, enjoyable and successful. The skills framework is organised into four different sections; developing thinking, communication, ICT and number. It is argued that these skills are needed to not only help learners in schools, but also when they reach adult life and require these skills. The Skills Framework has also been organised so that learners can acquire different skills and progress in these skills from the Foundation phase right through the different key stages and into post sixteen education. Although learners acquire and develop skills set out in the framework as they progress through the different key stages, certain skills are not necessarily associated with a particular stage in in education. This is because some skills that young adults in the upper key stages have acquired may also be demonstrated by learners in the Foundation Phase, all be it at a much simpler level. As learners progress from the Foundation Phase and into the different key stages, their skills develop. This can be viewed as learner s begin to work more independently with less support. Learners also choose to work with others to better their education, rather than just casually listening and work with those around them (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Although the Skills Framework has a major influence on the National Curriculum, it is by no means supposed to replace it, but merely act as a guide to help teachers with their planning. One of the main stages of the Skills Framework is developing thinking. Educators believe that it is important to develop thinking to enable learners to have a greater understanding of what they are studying. As part of the Skills Framework the process of thinking is organised into plan, develop and reflect. In relation to the classroom, this process allows learners to plan out tasks effectively, develop their own ideas, and then reflect back upon their work (Swansea Grid for Learning). The Skills Framework has been put in place to help teachers develop a learners thinking across the curriculum, although it is not possible to cover all subjects within the curriculum (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Developing thinking is seen as a continuous process. This allows learners to keep improving, as they are constantly planning, developing and reflecting upon their work (See Figure A). Figure A. (Swansea Grid for Learning) One of the most important features of this continuous process is metacognition, thinking about thinking. Metacognition is a process whereby learners reflect upon their own work, and then use this reflection time to improve their learning. Metacognition is also crucial in allowing learners to progress through the different skills stages. In mathematics, thinking can be developed through a variety of different problem solving activities. Whilst on school placement, I found that Abacus Maths Scheme had a range of practical activities that helped improve pupils thinking skills. The Abacus Activity book 6, by Ruth Merrtens and David Kirkby features a range of different practical mathematical activities whereby learners work through the different activities and then answer questions at the end. One particular activity consisted of letters from A to K. An example of the worksheet used in this activity can be found in Appendix 1. Learners had to work in groups to identify what number each of the different letters represented. To find the correct answer, learners had to answer different questions such as I+C=D. To find the answer, pupils had to reflect upon what answers they already knew, for example they may already know that I= 4 and that C= 8, so they could therefore identify what number D must represent. Once learners ha d identified what numbers all of the letters represented they then had to answer questions such as What is the total of B, C and F? (Merrtens et al 2001). The plenary for this activity also presents an opportunity for learners to use the process of metacognition. Questions such as, what did you learn from this activity? How did you identify what numbers the different letters were? How did you answer the different questions? What parts did you find easy? What parts did you find hard? all allow learners to reflect upon their work and how they planned and developed their work throughout the activity to solve the different problems (Revill 2010). Another method to develop thinking is using a KWHL grid (what learners already Know, what they Want to find out, How they will find out and what they have Learnt). The grid allows learners to reflect upon prior learning to fill out what they already know on the grid. Learners then think about what they might want to find out from the work and how they are going to find this out. Once learners have completed the work, they then reflect up on what they have learnt. The use of KWHL grid very much incorporates the ideas of developing thinking and metacognition as learners must plan what they want to find out, develop this into how they are going to find out, and then reflect upon how they have found out certain information (The Centre for Research in Primary Science and Technology (CRIPSAT) 2007). I have found one of the best uses of a KWHL grid is to assess what learners learn during a science investigation. On school placement I used a KWHL grid during a science lesson looking at different food groups and their effects on the human body. Once the learners had identified what they knew and what they wanted to find out, they then set about writing down how they would find out information. Without prompt, learners reflected on previous lessons when they has been asked to research information from material provided from textbooks and wrote this in their KWHL grids. KWHL grids are not only good at developing thinking skills, but also at as a means of allowing learners an element of control by letting them decide what they want to find out, and how they are going to find out. In the science lesson on food groups, using the KWHL grid also led to pupils working in groups to research the different food groups, and then presenting them back to the class. An example of a KWHL grid prod uced by a pupil from the class can be fond in Appendix 2. The research and presentation skills needed were skills that pupils had previously learnt by doing a similar task. They had then reflected on this task to use the same skills to find out and share information about food groups in the form of presentations, which also promotes practical, active learning. In language lessons, one of the best examples that I found whilst on school placement for developing thinking skills and making the lesson more practical and active was through a method of story writing by Pie Corbett. The Canal by Pie Corbett is learnt not by simply reading text, but by looking at pictures that illustrate events in the story. The Canal and a sample of pictures used to tell the story ca be found in Appendix 3. This process uses a multi-sensory approach, combing actions with speech which enables learners to learn the story quickly and more effectively (Cambridge Literacy Catalogue 2003). Once learns know the story, they can then use the framework to design their own versions. This develops thinking skills as learners have to reflect upon what language and structure they have learnt from the Pie Corbett story, and use this in their own writing. Learners can also reflect upon the structure of the Pie Corbett text to generate speech within their own text. The next step f or learners was to sketch pictures illustrating the events in their stories and then acting them out. This again created an active and practical means of learning, whilst developing learners thinking skills. The main principle of the Skills Framework is to develop learners skills which they may transfer to different aspects of life (Revill 2010). By learning these different thinking skills through a range of practical activities, this section of the framework will definitely help fill the current gap in skills suggested by employers. Another stage of the Skills Framework is developing communication. Communication is a very important aspect of learning as it enables learners to communicate what they already know or want to find out. To be able to communicate correctly, Valette (1973) suggests that learners must engage in a variety of activities such as listening and reading comprehensions and be able to express themselves through speech and writing. Osborn et al (2003) argues that there is increasing evidence which proves that by improving communication skills, other aspects of learning in general will also improve. The Skills Framework organises communication into oracy, reading, writing and wider communication skills such as through ideas and emotions (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). In language lessons, a good way to enable learners to communicate is through guided reading activities. The book 20:20 Vision, part of The Navigator series by Harcourt Education et al, offers a range of activities whereby learners read, and then report back answers and ideas to the rest of the group. However, many of the activities in the books do not contain any text but pictures instead. One example is comparing pictures of a town in 1900, with the same town today. Learners must read the pictures, and then answer questions about what they have read in the picture. This helps develop not only a learners reading skills in a way other than reading text, but also their wider communication skills, as they are having to communicate ideas in regards to the picture. Learners also develop oracy skills by answering questions and reporting them to the group. The book also contains written questions to complete at the end of the activity, which will then improve learners writing skills. This e xample of a guided reading activity incorporates all of the skills listed in the Skills Framework under developing communication. It is also an active and practical activity which encourages learners to communicate with each other. There are many opportunities for learners to develop their communication skills in science. When studying science, learners must often write clearly and concisely and be confident with oral presentations (Osborn et al 2003). When writing a science investigation learners are expected to communicate clearly using specific language and structure. Learners use the future tense to communicate what they think may happen in an investigation, the present tense to explain how to do carry out the investigation, and then the past tense to reflect upon it. Learners must also explain the results from the investigation in a way which will enable the reader to understand. Oral presentation is also very important to developing communication skills. Whilst on school placement, part of a science lesson required members of the class to prepare a presentation to the rest of the class which would inform them about the different organs in the body. The children worked in groups to research a particular bo dy organ, produce a fact file and then prepare questions ready to present to the class. This activity developed the childrens communication skills by allowing group members to feedback information that they had researched to the rest of the group. The children then communicated through writing by recording the information they had found out into fact files. The template given to pupils to produce the fact files can be found in Appendix 4. The groups then had to prepare a presentation about their chosen organ to the rest of the class. This allowed for communication within the groups, as the children sorted out what would be said and who was saying it. The groups then presented their information to the class, again drawing on their oral communication skills. After the presentations the rest of the class had to answer questions from the group. An example of the questions asked by the pupils can be found in Appendix 5. This again improved communication skills as pupils were able to answ er questions with confidence, in front of the whole class. This science based activity therefore helped to improve and develop the children written and oral communication skills. In mathematics, learners use mathematical vocabulary when working with others. Learners also use a variety of written methods for communicating data such as diagrams, graphs, tables and symbols (Mathematics in the National Curriculum for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). At Key Stage 2 level, learners are given opportunities to their reading skills in mathematics by interpreting graphs and diagrams, and then explain the data either orally or in written format. Another feature of developing communication skills in mathematics at Key Stage 2 is to visualise and describe shapes, movements and transformations (Mathematics in the National Curriculum for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Whilst on school placement, I carried out a mathematics lesson based on 2d shapes. Over the course of the lesson, the children learnt the names of different 2d shapes, what they looked like and if they were a regular polygon, irregular polygon, or not a polygon. As a plenary activity I arranged for the c hildren to sit back to back in pairs, one facing the whiteboard. The member of the pair not facing the whiteboard was given an individual white board, on which they could write. I then wrote the name of a 2d shape on the main whiteboard. The child facing the board had to communicate with their partner what the shape was by saying if it was a regular polygon, irregular polygon, or not a polygon and how many sides the shape had, but could not say the name of the shape. The other member of the pair then had to interpret this information and draw what shape they thought it may be on their own individual whiteboards. This activity helped to develop communications skills as one member of the pair had to interpret what they were reading on the board, reflect upon what they had learnt about polygons from the lesson, and then orally describe to their partner the information, so that it could be easily interpreted by their partner, who would then be able to draw the correct shape. This activi ty was done more than once so that both members of the pair had an opportunity to describe the 2d shape. The importance of developing communication skills is critical for all learners. Some researchers even suggest that there is a clear relationship between communication skills and having a positive relationship with other peers as well as achieving academically (Brigman et al 1999). It is therefore essential that subjects across the curriculum incorporate the development of communication skills to enable leaners to develop both academically and socially. Another part of the Skills Framework is developing number. Following research over the last twenty years it is apparent that numeracy involves more than calculation work, it also encompasses a learners ability to use number accurately including working with shape, measurement, creating graphs, and then using them to explain data (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Although using number is mainly a mathematical skill, number can also be used in a variety of contexts across the curriculum. In Science, number is often used in scientific investigations. A good activity to involve number in science is to investigate how the heart rate changes with exercise. Whilst on school experiences, the children recorded their resting heart rate over a period of 30 seconds, using a heart monitor linked to a computer. They then interpreted the results from the graph to give their resting heart rate. The children then ran around for five minutes and then once again recorded theyre heart rates. Once they had interpreted the results of the graph following the exercise, they could then compare the two graphs to work out the difference between theyre resting heart rate and heart rate after exercise. This activity helped to develop the childrens number skills because it allowed them to gather information from a graph, compare and interpret data and accurately measure their heart rates using suitable equipment (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Normally, you would not associate developing number with work in language. However, there are a number of activities which incorporate developing number into language lessons. When doing instruction writing, learners develop number along with their language skills. For example, when writing a recipe, learners must use number not only to sequence their writing, but also to quantify the ingredients. Whilst on school experience, the children were firstly given a recipe cut up into different pieces and jumbled up. They then had to put the recipe back into the correct order. This developed the childrens number skills as they had to sequence the order of the recipe from the first instruction to the last. After the children had done this they then had to write their own recipes. An example of a pupils recipe can be found in Appendix 6. Before they began writing the instructions to the recipe, the children had to list the ingredients and what quantity of the ingredients should be used. This again helped develop number because the children had to choose and use everyday units of measurement (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). In mathematics it is obvious that the subject helps to develop number skills. However, it is still important to ensure that activities are practical and enjoyable to help learners develop their number skills. One enjoyable, practical activity to help learners develop their number skills is to play multiplication bingo. An example can be found in Appendices 7 and 8. In the activity, each child is given a bingo card with multiplications of six and seven on them. The teacher has cards with times tables on them, for example the six times table and seven times table, but with a blank answer. The teacher had to read out each calculation, and the children would have to mentally work out the answer, and then check if they had the number on their bingo board. Like in normal bingo, the winner was the one to cross off all of their numbers first. I found this activity to particularly enjoyable with the children while on work experience. The activity also helps develop number as it allows learner s to identify suitable calculations to get the result needed for the task (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). The use of a calculator to allow the children to check their answers could also be incorporated into the activity to help develop number skills. Developing number is very important to a learners development in all aspects of life. Being able to use numbers is a global activity which brings together people from all cultures. It is therefore essential that learners develop their number skills not only by calculations and formulas, but as a means of solving problems and learning about the world (Sharma 2010). The Skills Framework will help to develop number in a way which helps learners to develop their number knowledge and skills across the curriculum, and not limit the development to mathematics. The Skills Frame work also has a fourth stage, Developing ICT. It is essential that learners today have good ICT skills, as it was one of the main skills gaps pointed out by employers in the Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey. Developing skills in ICT has two strands; finding and developing information and ideas and creating and presenting information and ideas (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). It can be argued that all subjects across the curriculum, not only the core subjects incorporate these strands. For example in nearly all subjects, learners will have researcnhed information using software programmes and also the internet. Learners also use ICT to create and present information such as word processing their work, or creating graphs to show results from an investigation. Developing ICT skills is more than just teaching learners about ICT. Rather, it helps learners develop their knowledge of different technologies, add how these technologies maybe used to improve and benefit their learning. Also developing ICT skills will also greatly benefit learners from the very beginning of their journey through education and on into adult life, as ICT skills have become almost essential in modern ways of living. The Skills Framework introduced to into the national curriculum by the Welsh Assembly Government has been incorporated as a means of improving and developing skills that are currently needed not only in Wales, but the rest of the United Kingdom. By introducing skills into the curriculum such as developing thinking, communication, number and ICT will help learns to develop essential skills needed not only in education, but also later in adult life. It can also be argued that these skills will also help a learner improve both academically and socially. With the introduction of the Skills Framework into the national curriculum, we are now beginning to see a shift from a very much subject based way of teaching the curriculum, into a more skills based method. I firmly believe that in the future the shift into more skills based teaching will become even greater, with teachers focusing far more on the Skills Framework, and then planning the curriculum around it.

The :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The "Gemini" Disorder: What We Know and Are Still Discovering About Bipolar Disorder "You must understand something about Andrew... he's a Gemini." This was a simple phrase I heard very often in the company of my dear friend and his clever well-intentioned mother. It was discovered a short time later that the aforementioned statement was justification for the earliest symptoms of Bipolar disorder (or manic depressive illness.) As Andrew and I matured into our twenties, it seemed that he was going to need to understand a bit more than his astrological sign to gain control of his life and his mental and emotional well-being. Thus, we sought this information out together. It is important to consider the magnitude of people who are affected by this disease and the multitude of forms it can take. Bipolar disorder affects approximately 2.3 million American adults, or about 1.2 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and over in a given year. (1) Of this population, approximately 75 percent have at least one close relative with manic-depression or severe depression. (5) Men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder. Children and adolescents may show signs or have symptoms of bipolar disorder, yet a person's first manic episode usually strikes in their early 20s. Bipolar disorder is also more common among those who have family members, specifically first-degree relatives, with this disorder than with those who do not. (6) Unfortunately, many people suffer for years before properly diagnosed and treated or the illness may be never recognized at all. (4) Generally, bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings—from overly "high" and/or irr itable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of stable moods in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior follow these mood swings. (4) However, this description of bipolar disorder does not delve into the specifics of the disease which often branch into separate diagnosis and needs for treatment. Bipolar 1 Disorder is the more classic form of this illness, easy to recognize due to its frenzied and often psychotic episodes of mania. During these episodes, people may experience hallucinations (hearing, seeing or sensing a presence that isn't actually there,) or delusions of grandeur (such as believing they are the President, invincible, all-powerful, or extremely wealthy.) During depressive episodes, the person may experience feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, pessimisms toward the future, and thoughts of death and suicide or even suicide attempts.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 30

Like a Shadow on Me All of the Time Veronica drops us off in front of the Plaza Hotel on Saturday, saying, â€Å"Break a leg,† just before she pulls away. I follow Tiffany into the lobby, where four towers of water shoot out of a large fountain – at least ten feet up in the air. Real fish swim around in the pool of water, and signs read do not throw coins into the fountain. Tiffany has been here before. She walks right past the information desk and leads me through a maze of hallways with gold wallpaper and swanky-looking light fixtures that are all large bronze fish with lightbulbs in their mouths. Finally, we find the hall where the dance recital will take place. Red curtains frame a large stage. A huge banner hangs high above the dance floor; it reads dance away depression. We try to register at a desk, and it becomes obvious that we are the first contestants to show up, because the fat woman who is in charge of registration says, â€Å"Registration is not for another hour.† We sit down in the last row of seats. I look around. A huge chandelier dangles above us, and the ceiling is not just a regular ceiling, but has all sorts of plaster flowers and angels and other fancy things sticking out of it. Tiffany is nervous. She keeps cracking her knuckles. â€Å"Are you okay?† I ask. â€Å"Please don't talk to me before the performance. It's bad luck.† So I sit there and start to get nervous myself, especially since I have a lot more riding on this competition than Tiffany does, and she is obviously rattled. I try not to think about losing my chance to send Nikki a letter, but of course this is all I can think about. When other contestants begin to arrive, I notice that most of them look like high school students, and I think this is strange, but I do not say anything – mostly because I am not allowed to talk to Tiffany. We register, give our music to the sound guy, who remembers Tiffany from last year, I know, because he says, â€Å"You again?† After Tiffany nods, we are backstage, changing. Thankfully, I'm able to slip into my tights before any of the other contestants make it backstage. In the far corner, I'm minding my own business, sitting with Tiffany, when an ugly woman waddles over and says to Tiffany, â€Å"I know you dancers are pretty liberal about your bodies. But do you really expect me to allow my teenage daughter to change in front of this half-naked man?† Tiffany is really nervous now. I know because she does not curse out this ugly woman, who reminds me of the nurses in the bad place, especially since she is so out of shape and has a poofy old-lady haircut. â€Å"Well?† the mom says. I see a storage closet on the other side of the room. â€Å"How about I go in there while everyone else changes?† â€Å"Fine with me,† the woman says. Tiffany and I enter the supply closet, which is full of abandoned costumes from what must have been a children's show – all sorts of pajama-looking suits that would make me look like a lion or a tiger or a zebra if I put one on. A dusty box of percussion instruments – tambourines, triangles, cymbals, and wooden sticks you bang together – reminds me of the music room in the bad place and music relaxation class, which I attended until I was kicked out. And then I have this terrifying thought: What if one of the other contestants is dancing to a Kenny G song? â€Å"You need to find out what songs the other dancers are performing to,† I tell Tiffany. â€Å"I told you not to talk to me before the performance.† â€Å"Just find out whether anyone is dancing to any songs played by a smooth jazz performer whose initials are K.G.† After a second she says, â€Å"Kenny – â€Å" I close my eyes, hum a single note, and silently count to ten, blanking my mind. â€Å"Jesus Christ,† Tiffany says, but then stands and leaves the closet. Ten minutes later she returns. â€Å"No music by that person,† Tiffany says, and then sits down. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"I said no Kenny G.† I close my eyes, hum a single note, and silently count to ten, blanking my mind. We hear a knock, and when Tiffany opens the door, I see that many moms are backstage now. The woman who knocked tells Tiffany that all the dancers have checked in and are changed. When I leave the storage closet, I am shocked to see that Tiffany and I are the oldest contestants by at least fifteen years. We are surrounded by teenage girls. â€Å"Don't let their innocent looks fool you,† Tiffany says. â€Å"They're all little pit vipers – and extraordinarily gifted dancers.† Before the audience arrives, we are given a chance to practice on the Plaza Hotel stage. We nail our routine perfectly, but most of the other dancers also nail their impressive routines as well, which makes me worry we will not win. Just before the competition begins, the contestants are brought out before the crowd. When Tiffany and I are announced, we take the stage, wave, and the applause is mild. The lights make it hard to see, but I spot Tiffany's parents in the front row, seated with little Emily, Ronnie, Veronica, and a middle-aged woman who I guess is Dr. Lily, Tiffany's therapist, because Tiffany told me that her therapist would be in attendance. I scan the rest of the rows quickly as we walk offstage, but I do not see my mother. No Jake. No Dad. No Cliff. I catch myself feeling sad, even though I did not really expect anyone but Mom to show up. Maybe Mom is out there somewhere, I think, and the thought makes me feel a little better. Backstage, in my mind I admit that the other contestants received more applause than we did, which means their fan bases are larger than ours. Even though the woman who announced us is now giving a speech, saying this is a showcase and not a competition, I worry that Tiffany will not get the golden trophy, which would kill my chance to write Nikki letters. We are scheduled to perform last, and as the other girls do their numbers, the applause ranges from mild to enthusiastic, which surprises me, because during the preshow rehearsal, I thought all the routines were excellent. But right before we are set to dance, when little Chelsea Chen concludes her ballet number, the applause is thunderous. â€Å"What did she do out there to get such good applause?† I ask Tiffany. â€Å"Don't talk to me before the performance,† she says, and I start to feel very nervous. The woman in charge of the recital announces our names, and the applause is a little livelier than what we received before the competition. Right before I lie down at the back of the stage, I look to see if maybe Jake or Cliff showed up late, but all I see when I look out into the audience is the hot white from the spotlights that are on me. Before I have a chance to think, the music starts. Piano notes – slow and sad. I begin my incredibly drawn-out crawl to center stage, using only my arms. The male voice sings, â€Å"Turn around †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie Tyler answers, â€Å"Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round.† At this point Tiffany runs onto the stage and leaps over me like a gazelle or some other animal that is beautifully nimble. As the two voices continue to exchange verses, Tiffany does her thing: running, jumping, tumbling, spinning, sliding – modern dance. When the drums kick in, I stand and make a huge circle with my arms so people will know that I am the sun and I have risen. Tiffany's movements also become more fervent. When Bonnie Tyler builds up to the chorus, singing, â€Å"Together we can take it to the end of the line; your love is like a shadow on me all of the time,† we go into the first lift. â€Å"I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark.† I have Tiffany up over my head; I am steady as a rock; I am performing flawlessly. â€Å"We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.† I begin to rotate Tiffany as she lifts her legs out into a split and Bonnie Tyler sings, â€Å"I really need you tonight! Forever's gonna start tonight! Forever's gonna start tonight.† We make a 360-degree rotation, and when Bonnie Tyler sings, â€Å"Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart,† Tiffany rolls forward down into my arms and I lower her to the floor as if she were dead – and I, as the sun, mourn her. â€Å"Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.† When the music builds again, she explodes upward and begins to fly all around the stage so beautifully. As the song continues, I again make huge, slow circles with my arms, representing the sun as best I can. I know the routine so well, I can think about other things while I am performing, so I begin to think that I am actually nailing this performance pretty easily and it is a shame my family and friends are not here to see me dancing so excellently. Even though we will most likely not win the audience's loudest applause – especially after Chelsea Chen obviously brought every single one of her family members to the performance – I begin to think we will win anyway. Tiffany is really good, and as she flies by me so many times, I begin to admire her in a way I had not previously. She has kicked her game up a notch for the competition and is now showing a part of herself I had not previously seen. If she was crying with her body for the last month or so, whenever we practiced in her studio, she is weeping uncontrollably with her body tonight, and you would have to be a ston e not to feel what she is offering the audience. But then Bonnie Tyler is singing, â€Å"Together we can make it to the end of the line,† which means it is time for the second lift – the hardest one – so I lower myself into a squatting position and place the backs of my hands on my shoulders. As the song builds, Tiffany stands on my palms, and when Bonnie Tyler sings, â€Å"I really need you tonight,† Tiffany bends her knees, so I engage my leg muscles and push upward as fast as I can, extending my arms, elevating my palms. Tiffany shoots high up into the air, does a full flip, falls into my arms, and as the chorus dies down, we gaze into each other's eyes. â€Å"Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart. Nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart.† She falls from my arms, as if dead, and I – being the sun – set, which means I lie back on the floor and use only my arms to slowly push myself backward and out of the spotlight, which takes almost a full minute. The music fades. Silence. For a second I worry that no one will clap. But then the house explodes with applause. When Tiffany stands, I do too. Just like we practiced so many times, I hold Tiffany's hand and take a bow, at which time the applause thickens and the audience stands. I'm so happy, but at the same time I am sad because none of my family and friends came to support me – but then I hear the loudest Eagles chant I have ever heard in my entire life. â€Å"E!-A!-G!-L!-E!-S! EAGLES!† I look up toward the back rows, and not only do I spot Jake and Caitlin and Mom, but also Scott and the fat men and Cliff and the entire Asian Invasion. They are all wearing Eagles jerseys, and I start to laugh when they begin to chant, â€Å"Baskett! Baskett! Baskett! Baskett!† In the front row, Ronnie is smiling at me proudly. He gives me the thumbs-up when we make eye contact. Veronica is also smiling, and so is little Emily, but Mrs. Webster is crying and smiling at the same time, which is when I realize that she thinks our dance was really beautiful – enough to make her cry. Tiffany and I run offstage, and the high school girls congratulate us with their gaping eyes and their smiles and their chatter. â€Å"Oh, my God. That was so amazing!† they all say. It is easy to see that every one of them admires Tiffany because Tiffany is an excellent dancer and a talented choreographer. Finally Tiffany faces me and says, â€Å"You were perfect!† â€Å"No, you were perfect!† I say. â€Å"Do you think we won?† She smiles and looks down at her feet. â€Å"What?† I say. â€Å"Pat, I need to tell you something.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"There's no gold trophy.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"There are no winners at Dance Away Depression. It's just an exhibition. I made up the part about the wreath just to motivate you.† â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"And it worked, because you were beautiful out there onstage! Thank you, and I will be your liaison,† Tiffany says just before she kisses me on the lips and hugs me for a very long time. Her kiss tastes salty from the dancing, and it is strange to have Tiffany hugging me so passionately in front of so many teenage girls in tights – especially because I am shirtless and my torso is freshly shaved – and also I do not like to be touched by anyone except Nikki. â€Å"So now that we are done dancing, can I talk about Eagles football again? Because I have a lot of Eagles fans out there waiting for me.† â€Å"After nailing the routine, you can do whatever you want, Pat,† Tiffany whispers into my ear, and then I wait a long time for her to stop hugging me. After I change in the storage closet, Tiffany tells me there are no more naked teenagers backstage, so I go to greet my fans. When I hop down off the stage, Mrs. Webster grabs my hands, looks into my eyes, and says, â€Å"Thank you.† She keeps looking into my eyes, but the old woman doesn't say anything else, which makes me feel sort of weird. Finally Veronica says, â€Å"What my mother means to say is that tonight meant a lot to Tiffany.† Emily points at me and says, â€Å"Pap!† â€Å"That's right, Em,† Ronnie says. â€Å"Uncle Pat.† â€Å"Pap! Pap! Pap!† We all laugh, but then I hear fifty Indian men chanting, â€Å"Baskett! Baskett! Baskett!† â€Å"Better go greet your rowdy fans,† Ronnie says, so I walk up the aisle toward the sea of Eagles jerseys. Other audience members I don't know pat me on the back and congratulate me as I weave my way through them. â€Å"You were so good up there!† my mother says in a way that lets me know she was surprised by my excellent dancing skills, and then she hugs me. â€Å"I'm so proud!† I hug her back and then ask, â€Å"Is Dad here?† â€Å"Forget Dad,† Jake says. â€Å"You got sixty or so wild men waiting to take you to the most epic tailgate party of your life.† â€Å"Hope you weren't planning on getting any sleep tonight,† Caitlin says to me. â€Å"You ready to end the Pat Peoples curse?† Cliff asks me. â€Å"What?† I say. â€Å"The Birds haven't won since you stopped watching. Tonight we're taking drastic measures to end the curse,† Scott says. â€Å"We're sleeping in the Asian Invasion bus, right outside the Wachovia parking lot. We set up the tailgate party at daybreak.† â€Å"Ashwini is driving around the block right now, waiting for us,† Cliff says. â€Å"So. Are you ready?† I am a little shaken by the news, especially since I just finished such an excellent dance routine and was hoping to simply enjoy the accomplishment for more than ten minutes. â€Å"I don't have my clothes.† But my mom pulls my Baskett jersey out of a duffel bag I hadn't noticed before and says, â€Å"You have everything you need in here.† â€Å"What about my meds?† Cliff holds up a little plastic bag with my pills inside. Before I can say or do anything else, the Asian Invasion begins chanting louder: â€Å"Baskett! Baskett! Baskett!† The fat men pick me up above their heads and carry me out of the auditorium, past the fountain full of fish, out of the Plaza Hotel, and onto the streets of Philadelphia. And then I am in the Asian Invasion bus, drinking a beer and singing, â€Å"Fly, Eagles, fly! On the road to victory †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In South Philadelphia, we stop at Pat's for cheesesteaks – which take a long time to prepare, as there are sixty or so of us, and no one would dare go next door to Geno's Steaks, because Geno's steaks are inferior – and then we are at the Wachovia parking lot, parked just outside the gate so we will be the first vehicle admitted in the morning and therefore will be guaranteed the lucky parking spot. We drink, sing, throw a few footballs, and run around on the concrete; we roll out the Astroturf and play a few Kubb games under the streetlights, and even though I have only had two or three beers, I begin to tell everyone I love them because they came to my dance recital, and I also tell them I'm sorry for abandoning the Eagles mid-season and that it was for a good reason, but I just can't say what – and then I am on a bus seat and Cliff is waking me up, saying, â€Å"You forgot to take your night meds.† When I wake up the next morning, my head is on Jake's shoulder, and it feels good to be so close to my brother, who is still asleep. Quietly I stand and look around and realize that everyone – Scott, the fat men, Cliff, all fifty or so Asian Invasion members – is asleep on the bus. Two or three men are sleeping in every seat, with their heads on each other's shoulders. Everywhere brothers. I tiptoe to the front of the bus, past Ashwini, who – in the driver's seat – is asleep with his mouth wide open. Once outside, on the small patch of grass between the street and the sidewalk, I begin the same push-up and sit-up routine I used to do back in the bad place, before I had access to free weights and a stationary bike and the Stomach Master 6000. After an hour or so, first light comes. As I finish the last set of sit-ups, I feel as though I have burned off my cheesesteak and the beers I drank the night before, but I can't help feeling like I should go for a run, so I run a few miles, and when I return, my friends are still sleeping. As I stand next to Ashwini and watch my boys sleep, I feel happy because I have so many friends – a whole busful. I realize that I left the Plaza Hotel without saying goodbye to Tiffany, and I feel a little bad about that, even though she said I could do whatever I wanted after we performed so well. Also I am very eager to write my first letter to Nikki. But there is Eagles football to think about now, and I know that an Eagles victory is just about the only thing that will smooth things over with my father, so I begin to hope, and I even say a little prayer to God, who I bet was pretty impressed with my dance routine last night, so maybe He will cut me a break today. Looking at all those sleeping faces, I realize I have missed my green-shirted brothers, and I begin to anticipate the day.

Connection between `Bartleby the Scrivener` and Wall Street

The main character, namely Bartleby has been portrayed by the author as a weird person who is also an outcast. He is an overwhelmingly dejected and friendless man, who seems absolutely not capable of finding work that will keep him happy. He does not even like living and life itself is very tiring for him.According to sources, the world in which the central character lives is that where a man works and earns till the time that he is dead. For a number of reasons he is considered an outcast. The person who he works for who remains unnamed in the story is a lawyer. He makes a number of attempts to connect with Bartleby but fails.In some way, he is able to have compassion for the eccentric scrivener, but he just cannot or will not help him. Since the beginning of the book, the explanation of Bartleby is arresting. He is portrayed as a person who has already faced death, and is portrayed just the way a person would explain a dead body or as one would illustrate a ghost. â€Å"Pale from indoors work, motionless, without any expression or evidence of human passion in him at all, he is a man already beaten. Even his famous statement of non-compliance, â€Å"I would prefer not to,† is an act of exhaustion rather than active defiance† (About Bartleby the Scrivener, 1999).Going on, the author mentions Bartleby’s fondness of staring at the wall in front of his office. Wall Street has been defined by the author as a lonely, gloomy landscape both totally not natural and hopelessly empty, which perhaps resembles the nature of Bartleby himself. As is said by the narrator of the story, Wall-street is a place that is deserted all the way through the day as well as the night. It is just empty. The building where he lives too, which of week-days bustles with business and life, at dusk echoes with utter vacancy, and the Sundays are just despondent.This is the place which is chosen by Bartleby as his home; solitary observer of a seclusion which he has seen all heavily populated—a genus of naive and malformed Marius menacing amid the carcass of â€Å"Carthage! I now recalled all the quiet mysteries which I had noted in the man. I remembered that he never spoke but to answer; that though at intervals he had considerable time to himself, yet I had never seen him reading—no, not even a newspaper; that for long periods he would stand looking out, at his pale window behind the screen, upon the dead brick wall† (Melville, 2004).Bartleby has created his own safe heaven at Wall Street. He lives there all the time, perhaps trying to ignore the world and its conformities at all costs. Without the defensive wall, Bartleby would have to face the world outside, and Wall Street saves him from meeting the expectations of the entire society and joining a world where he could survive only if he became what the society would have made him. He must either do the accepted thing or die. Since Bartleby cannot be conventional, he has no othe r choice but to die.As is said by reviewers, the character under consideration is perhaps the most secluded character ever seen in literature. The environment that he lives in has cut him off from nature as well as from other human beings. â€Å"By day, Bartleby's window stares at a wall. Wall Street is a bleak and unnatural landscape, and Bartleby also stays there at night, when the bustling human population vanishes and the streets become desolately empty† (About Bartleby the Scrivener, 1999). ConclusionIn the light of the above discussion we can hereby culminate that the connection between Bartleby and Wall Street is perhaps the loneliness and gloominess that they both share. Bibliography About Bartleby the Scrivener. (1999). Retrieved on December 19, 2006 from: http://www. gradesaver. com/classicnotes/titles/bartleby/about. html Bartleby the Scrivener. (2008). Retrieved on December 19, 2006 from: http://www. enotes. com/bartleby-scrivener Melville, Herman. (2004). Bartleb y the Scrivener: A story of Wall Street. United States of America. The Art of Novella. ISBN: 0974607800

Minorities - Blacks in America essays

Minorities - Blacks in America essays Minorities Blacks in America Americans cherish the picture of their country as a land of wealth and opportunity. Yet many groups wanting to share in the nations overall prosperity have experienced how scarce opportunities can be in the competition for income and status. Discrimination because of color, culture, and age, for example, has kept many Americans from sharing equal protections and prospects in American society. The 1960s was a decade of turbulence and social change. Blacks and other minorities became politically active, bringing their protests to the streets and courts all over the country. In response to minority demands, many new laws were passed to outlaw and compensate for inequalities. However, laws alone cannot eliminate discrimination. Attitudes change slowly. For example, despite the existence of laws that prohibit housing discrimination, many people still refuse to rent to blacks and Hispanics. Minority demands are sure to continue, and new solutions will be essential as the composition of American society continues to change rapidly. Hispanics and the elderly will account for an increasingly larger share of the population, and society will have to make adjustments to these changing demographics. For Americas blacks, the struggle for equal rights has been long and often bitterly opposed. When the Founding Fathers asserted in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and possess inalienable rights to life, liberty and the puruit of happiness, women and blacks were excluded. Not until after the Civil War ended in 1865 did blacks begin to share in the most basic rights of citizenship. Three Constitutional amendments were passed and ratified between 1865 and 1870. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment gave blacks the rights of citizenship, and the Fifteenth Amendment gave them the right to vote. Despite these Constitutional provi...

Visite Brazil Company Overview

Visite Brazil Company Overview Introduction Tourism and the hospitality industry is one of the largest service industries in the world. This industry is a lifeline to the economies of many countries and people across different sectors and regions. Brazil is one of the finest travel destinations globally and a lot of businesses have been established in the country. This essay is going to analyse a company by the name of Visite Brazil operating in the Brazilian tourism industry.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Visite Brazil Company Overview specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organizational Structure Visite Brazil is a company which offers different services such as planned and customised travel packages to various tourists. The company employs a large staff who have specialised skills such as translation, drivers, tour guides and marketing executives. The company is headed by a CEO who is in charge of various managerial departmental heads. Visite Brazil’s mission is to contribute in the growth of the Brazilian economy. The company has a philosophy and vision of offering personalized tours to people of all incomes brackets (Hudman, 2003). Visite Brazil focuses on all demographic ages while leveraging its advantage having the best translators for all tourists. Marketing Mix Strategies Marketing mix determines the combination of product, price, place, and promotion to be used in line with the marketing strategy. Visite Brazil has positioned itself to offer a high quality, safety and outstanding customer service product targeting business and leisure customers. The following marketing mix strategies have been applied in Visite Brazil. Product Brazil is a large country with a lot of tourist attractions that caters for a lot of visitors needs. The country has created a wide range of tourist packages to cater for different types of travelers. For instance, the country offers customized holidays to tourists with visits to be autiful places such as Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and the Amazon forest. Brazil’s economy is large and growing at a fast rate especially in the Latin America region. As a result, many business people visit the country to conduct business or attend trade fairs (Jafari, 2003). Apart from leisure travel, many other people travel to the country to attend or participate in sports events. Brazil is a powerhouse in sports and thus a lot of sports activities are organized in the country. Moreover, the country is also home to the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon whereby tourists visit the country on special tours at features in the Amazon. Visite Brazil is one of the companies that offers services to these beautiful locations (Hudman, 2003).Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Price Visite Brazil is a company that offers travel packages at good and discount prices to various travellers wishing to visit Brazil. The company offers specialised prices and packages for travellers wishing to tour the country. The country offers various holiday destinations for both affluent to normal and middle income earners. The prices for the holiday experiences depend on the type of holiday package being sold. The Brazilian tourism market is specialized since prices are based on different factors. Travel to city locations in Brazil is mainly suited for low paying tourists and thus, Visite Brazil usually sells bundled packages for these tourists (Harrison, 2001). During the high tourist season which occurs during the winter and autumn seasons in Europe or North America, Brazil enjoys a good climate leading to high prices during these seasons. Place Brazil is a country located in the tropics in Latin America and thus the country has one of the best climates in the world. This is compared to countries in Europe or North America which experience different c limates annually. As a result, when the countries such as the United States or European countries experience poor climate, tourists end up visiting Brazil (Birle, 2008). The climate in Brazil is superb for tourists’ activities especially during the summer seasons in the country. Brazil is a huge country with a lot of place and spots that allow visitors to vacation and enjoy the Brazilian scenery. Brazil is expected to in the coming years due to the 2014 World Cup being held in the country. This will result in the country being a favorite spot for tourists to visit (Hudman, 2003). Brazil is a place with long pristine and beautiful beaches in the eastern side of the country. Based on this features and information on Brazil, it is easy for Visite Brazil to sell the country to potential tourists and other people in different regions globally. Promotion Visite Brazil is a company with a lot of promotional activities for its services and products through the use of various channels . The company makes use of advertising in news media and through online in target markets of Argentina, the US and Europe. The company liaises with well known tour operators in the United States and other regions to attract tourist to use their products and services. Through the use of public events, Visite Brazil conducts public relations to its potential customers (Harrison, 2001). Moreover, the company promotes its services through airline companies plying several South American destinations. For instance, during in-flight movies, Visite Brazil’s adverts are relayed to promote the companies services.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Visite Brazil Company Overview specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marketing Mix Tactics In the process of conducting business, it is important to conduct a SWOT analysis for an organization to determine the best marketing strategies to employ. The SWOT analysis is done below: Strengths: The growing Brazilian offers an opportunity for Visite Brazil to tap on this population to grow its revenues. The expected growth of tourist numbers in the coming years will boost Visite Brazil. The Brazilian infrastructure is undergoing a major growth that is expected to open the country for tourists to visit the most beautiful destinations of Brazil. Weaknesses: According to Birle (2003, p. 56), Brazil’s lingua franca, Portuguese hampers communication between tourists and employees of Visite Brazil. This leads to increased operating costs on the part of Visite Brazil hence reducing its revenue. Lack of experience in the tourism compared to its well versed competitors could affect the company in marketing its services. Opportunities: The growing Brazilian middle class offers an opportunity for growth in domestic tourism could be tapped by Visite Brazil in meeting its goals and objectives. Brazil is set to witness one of the largest sports events in terms of the 2 014 World Cup 2016 Olympics. Threats: Increased competition from rival firms and other potential tourist destinations in Latin America could jeopardize Visite Brazil’s goals. The increasing value of the Brazilian Real will make travel to the country costly, and this might drive away tourists to other destinations. Action Plan Based on the analysis of SWOT and 4P’s, it is imperative to draw out a strategy to be used by Visite Brazil in attracting tourists to make use of their services. Visite Brazil will make use of advertising to potential customers in different regions using the internet, magazines and events. For instance, the annual International Tourism Fair offers an ample opportunity for Visite Brazil to market its services and products. The company could diversify its products to cater to the needs of various customers with diverse demographics. The growing relevance of Brazil in the world of business has led to increase numbers in the business tourism segment (Jafari, 2003). Thus, Visite Brazil could offer conference tourism packages to these tourists. The high end organization of the Brazilian tourism industry has made this industry to grow at a fast rate. The connection between banks, hotel accommodations and airlines could be tapped by Visite Brazil in its concerted efforts in marketing its services and products.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Visite Brazil’s most important tool in promoting its services and products is through the use of the internet whereby social media and online adverts could be utilised. Online presence in the current world is important since social media channels and the internet can reach billions of potential customers around the world (Harrison, 2001). Most important is that Visite Brazil builds on its strengths and opportunities while reducing its weaknesses and anticipating threats. Conclusion Tourism is one of the most challenging industries to operate in due to competition and dynamism. Brazil is one of the best tourism destinations that offers an unforgettable experience to tourists. Many companies operate in this competitive region, and one of the companies is Visite Brazil, which is a tour company offering several products and services to tourists. The company has specialised in offering unique tour packages at an affordable cost. However, the company marketing strategy has made the company reap good benefits from the Brazilian tourism market. References Birle, P.,  Costa, S. Nitschack, H. (2008). Brazil  and the Americas: convergences and perspectives. London: FK Publications. Harrison, D. (2001). Tourism  and the less developed world: Issues and case studies. Chicago, IL: Penguin Books. Hudman, L. Jackson, R. (2003). Geography of travel and  tourism: Focus on Brazil. San Francisco, CA: Pelshiver. Jafari, J. (2003). Encyclopedia of  tourism. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

How Simple Planning Will Keep Your Novel On Track - Freewrite Store

How Simple Planning Will Keep Your Novel On Track - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by Zara Altair  (@ZaraAltair), writer of The Argolicus Mysteries set in ancient Italy.  Zara also coaches budding writers to create winning stories as  The Story Bodyguard  from her home near Portland, Oregon. Planning Your Novel Works When most writers get an idea for a new story they want to dive in and get going. If you skip planning, your novel is likely to have bumps, detours, and dead ends. You are likely to spend hours of wasted time that you couldsave by planning first. Planning can help you avoid time consuming mistakes, rewrites, characters taking over and derailing the flow, and get you to the end quickly.    Novelists can streamline story writing with creative planning. First brainstorm scenes, then organize them into a story structure. The Story Brainstorm Planning a story can be creative. You don’t have to construct a rigid outline like the one’s you turned in for school. Correct planning is just a creative as the actual writing but in a different way. You brainstorm as many ideas as possible - scenes, bits of dialogue, action sequences, theMcGuffin, what trips up your protagonist. Any and every idea about the story. The ideasdon’t need to be in logical or in sequential order. At this point you are collecting all the bits and pieces you want in your story. Some writers use 3x 5† index cards.Some use a spreadsheet. Some use writing software  like Scrivener. Or, just list them out in a text document. The key is to brainstorm the story and scene ideas. ​Writers want a story unlike any other. Brainstorming your scenes is a creative way to capture the essence of your story. The ideas go straight from your head into story scenes. Keep adding scenes until you have all the scenes of your story. You can move them around as you add scenes, but don't focus on this too much. The concept is to write as many scenes as you can that will be part of your story. The key to this process is that it is a brainstorming exercise. No judgment. If a scene comes to mind, add it to the list. You'll organize them later. Organize the Bits into a Story Structure Once you’ve collected your story bits and pieces, you can rearrange them into a story sequence. This is where index cards or software with moveable components can be invaluable. You can move your ideas around until you feel you have created your story order. It doesn't matter if you use The Hero's Journey, Save The Cat beats, or any story structure device. Different structures work best for different writers. Get your basic plot points. Here is novelistKristen Kieffer's basic list. Exposition. The necessary character, setting, and background details readers need to understand the context of your novel. (Note: exposition is *not* the beginning of a novel, though most often exposition is revealed during the first few chapters in order to set the scene). Call-To-Action.The moment when the hero is called to leave the ordinary world to take part in an otherworldly adventure. Usually found in fantasy and science fiction novels. Rising Action. The series of events leading up to the climax of the story. Crises. Peaks in tension or conflict that occur throughout the rising action of the novel. Climax. The most intense crisis found in the narrative though notnecessarilythe final crisis. Falling Action. The series of events after the climax of the story where questions are answered and any remaining crises occur and are resolved. Resolution.The final moments of a novel where any remaining threads of tension are resolved and a new reality is established. Now you can place your scenes in story order, according to your chosen plot structure. Use a cork board, software, or a document to order your scenes. Some writers enjoy the tactile sensation ofphysicallymoving cards while others like the convenience of software or even text documents eliminating the need to transfer handwritten notes into typed text. It doesn’t matter which tools you use. It’s the process that will help you with your novel. Story Structure: The Container for Your Scenes At this stage two things can happen: You find you have scenes missing to complete the full story structure Scenes on your list don't seem to fit in the story structure ​Now it's time to refine your structure. If important scenes are missing you can add them to complete the full cycle of your plot. This part of the process helps you make sure the entire storyline is complete. Take a look at those scenes that don't fit in the story structure. If you don't find a place for the scenes to move the story forward, it's time to let them go. You can save them for another story if they are too precious to throw away. Rewards of Brainstorming and Structure With the scenes in line with the structure, it's time to write. The immense benefit of brainstorming the scenes is that you already know what happens. You don't have to stall wondering what comes next. You've already envisioned the scene. And, you have already envisioned the story fromstart tofinish. Once you have completed the brainstorm and structure, you’ll find may benefits to taking the time to plan your novel. Write Faster As you write, you won’t wonder what comes next. You’ll be using your creativity and writing skills to write the best scene to move the story forward. Your scenes will flow because you already know not only the basic elements of the scene but also where the scene fits in the story. You can incorporate foreshadowing without using a heavy hand. Save Time Because you are writing faster and know where you are going with the story, your novel will flow without wondering what comes next or how to follow-up on a scene later on. Eliminate Rewrites If you have done your work thinking through the story elements and the structure, you won’t toss scenes or entire chapters because the story shifted while you were writing. The time you spend at thebeginning creating and organizing your scenes, will keep you on track with your story. No Writing Yourself Into a Corner Without a plan, many beginning writers find that characters take over and lead the story off in an unforeseen direction. Then, off track theyare unable to take back control and find themselves in a â€Å"story corner.† The brainstorm and organize process shuts the door on story wandering. You Stay in the Story Flow Because you know the overall story, youare always headed toward the story end as you write. You have already tested each scene for how it fits in the overall story plan. Your only job when you are writing is to make the scene come alive. Scenes as Building Blocks Every scene is a building block for your novel. The brainstorm and structure process eliminates unnecessary scenes before youspend time writing them. You have already calculated which scenes fit inside the story structure and how they build the story within the sequence. Planning is the Key to Story Ease Simple planning eliminates many novel writing frustrations. Novel writers who use this simple technique find they are closer to their story the moment theybegin writing. They discovered plot holes and completed the story structure before writing. They save time by eliminating unnecessary scenes, conquer character derailment, and keep themselves from discouraging rewrites before they write. This simple planning process builds your story creation creativity. Every story has been told. Planning helps you create the story that is truly yours. Writers who use simple planning find their stories flow as they write scenes. They get to a satisfying conclusion and they finish the novel.    How do you plan your writing? Let us know in the comments!    Zara Altair  (@ZaraAltair) writes The Argolicus Mysteries set in ancient Italy featuring patrician Argolicus and his lifelong tutor, Nikolaos: The Used Virgin, The Peach Widow, and The Roman Heir. She writes for the web as a semantic copywriter and is working on a book for writers: SEO for Authors.  Zara also coaches budding writers to create winning stories as The Story Bodyguard from her home near Portland, Oregon.

Guess Whos Coming to Dinner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Guess Whos Coming to Dinner - Essay Example As tha discussion highlights the primary themes in the film revolve around the relationships shared between father and son, father and daughter and husband and wife. Tracy and Hepburn are a liberal minded couple and have brought up their daughter, Katherine Houghton, to be open- minded and think for herself instead of conforming to conventional norms. However, they were not prepared for the huge shock that awaited them, when she returned from her vacation with a new fiancà ©, Poitier who was an African American doctor. The parents of the bride and groom are prejudiced and unable to accept this fact. Their interpersonal communication has barriers which they find difficult to break down or cross. For each of them, the situation holds a different meaning and though they communicate with each other, they were not actually hearing the other person’s point of view.From this paper it is clear that  director Stanley Kramer, highlights the depth of conversation and emotions that flo w between the father and son, engaged in a heated argument. There is a clear generation gap between them and this is the major barrier that comes between them and prevents them from actually listening to each other. Poitier’s father is unable to comprehend what is being said, being the stereotypical father that he is. He is unable to accept that his son has grown into a man and has his own ways of thinking and making decisions.

Research Methods on Economy Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Methods on Economy - Research Proposal Example As the report declars  the variables selected for analysis are Investments, Assets, Liabilities, Debt, Equity, and Earnings per share, Return on Assets, Return on Investment, Asset Turnover, Current Ratio, Quick ratio. Each country is analyzed for each variable separately using time series analysis. The interpretation for each measure of performance is explained. The limitations of the study are listed.As the discussion stresses economic liberalization and globalization have brought about a new and competitive environment for the common and small investors who are willing to participate in the equity of the corporate sector in our country. Understanding the firm’s investment decisions under imperfect market conditions is one of the central issues of the financial economics. Studying firm’s investment in such environment can provide insight into the dynamics of its growth as a function of internal and external financial sources. In the presence of financing constraints the firm’s investment vary not only with the availability of the profitable investment projects, but also with the internal funds. Consequently, the severity of the financing constraints is proposed to be measured by the magnitude of the cash flow sensitivity of investment. In this paper, the authors propose an alternative perspective to investigate the relationship between financing conditions and the sensitivity measure.   The paper concludes by stating that financing conditions may determine investment and growth of the European Firms.

An Assessment and Critique of Crisis Management in the Oil and Gas Dissertation

An Assessment and Critique of Crisis Management in the Oil and Gas Industry in Ensuring Company Continuity - Dissertation Example Note: Delete this text, but do not remove the section break that follows—if you can’t see it, click on the  ¶Show/Hide button on the formatting toolbar. Dedication The dedication, if desired, is a numbered page, but â€Å"Dedication† does not appear in the Table of Contents. Note that if the Abstract is two pages long, the page number of the Dedication must be changed to iv. Acknowledgments The â€Å"Acknowledgments† entry does appear in the Table of Contents. Table of Contents Acknowledgments 2 List of Tables 5 List of Figures 6 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 7 Introduction to the Problem 7 Background of the Study 8 Statement of the Problem 9 Purpose of the Study 9 Rationale 10 Research Question 10 Significance of the Study 11 Definition of Terms 11 Assumptions and Limitations 13 Nature of the Study (or Theoretical/Conceptual Framework) 14 Organization of the Remainder of the Study 18 Overview 19 Crisis Management 19 Business continuity 25 The concept of crisi s distinguished from issue 26 The issue and crisis management relational model 27 Crisis Communication Theory 29 Crisis Leadership 41 Structural implications of crisis management on the organization 42 Low Probability, High Consequence Events 45 Assessment of the Crisis Prevention and Management System: The Exxon Valdez 46 Assessment of the Crisis Prevention and Management System: The BP Gulf Oil Spill 58 Synthesis of literature review 66 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY 69 Research Design 69 Sample 70 Setting 72 Instrumentation/Measures 72 Data Collection 73 Data Analysis 74 Validity and Reliability 75 Ethical Considerations 76 List of Tables Table 1. Crisis Response Strategies by Postures 31 Table 2. SCCT Match for Crisis situation with Recommended Crisis Response 32 Table 3: Example of Risk Management Structure 43 List of Figures Figure 1. Issue and Crisis Management Relational Model 16 Figure 2. Disaster Management Cycle 29 Figure 3: Nine Steps of Crisis Response 35 Figure 4: Crisis Leade rship Continuum 42 Figures 5 & 6: Pictures from the Exxon oil spill site 52 Figure 7: Comparison of Exxon and CNN responses in the Exxon Valdez crisis 54 Figure 8: Picture from the BP Deep-water Horizon oil rig and spill site 61 Figure 9: Picture of fish washed upon in Galveston, Texas 65 Figure 10: Process Flowchart for Data Collection 74 (Note: Do not remove the section break that follows this paragraph.) CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Introduction to the Problem Ranked among the most disastrous man-made crises attributable to commercial operations are the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, and more recently, the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Damage from these incidents affected the lives and livelihoods of people distributed over a broad geographical area, and experts expect the repercussions to extend to subsequent generations because of their effect on the environment and wildlife. The oil industry, unfortunately, did not see the Exxon Valdez as sufficient precedent to have prompted the development of a standard crisis prevention and mitigation protocol to apply in the future. Taken together, oil and natural gas pipeline accidents have occurred over decades, often resulting in a significant number of fatalities. In 2011, a pipeline fire killed 100 people and seriously injured 120 in Nairobi. In 2010, a Pemex (Petroleos Mexicanos) pumping station in Central Mexico exploded, killing 27 and injuring 50 (Ellingwood, 2010). In 2006, a pipeline explosion in Nigeria killed up to 500 people (BBC News, 2006), but the

Balancing Identity and Privacy - Growing risks and concerns about Essay

Balancing Identity and Privacy - Growing risks and concerns about social networks. Report - Essay Example But inherent in such transformation is the critical need to pay attention for security of the identity. The era of faceless business transactions has accompanied with itself the need to take serious look at the identity of a person. Identity has become a database entry which can now be disconnected from any physical recognition. It can be bought and sold like a commodity and is subject to theft and widespread misuse. This report will take a look at the repercussions of widespread social media on business and society as a whole. Blogging and Tweeting are terms used in the world of social media and they also becoming par to business vocabulary. But such terms are tip of the social media iceberg. Companies like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn are now changing the rules of how companies are doing business. In 21st century social media is changing the working environment of the company. The employees and employers are now practicing more flexibility along with the ability to respond to such conditions quickly. For many businesses social media is a boon which can be used to reach out to large target customers in a cost effective way. But they are also taking a close look the risk involved like theft, cyber bullying, fraud, defamation and invasion of privacy. Many believe that social media has a corporate value and is critical to the success of marketing efforts. Many senior executives believe that there are many potential risks which are involved while using social media. According to them the primary ri sks include disclosure of proprietary information, out-of date information, identifiable information and fraud (Jagatic, Johnson, Jakobsson and Menczer, 2007, pp. 94-100). The presence of Social Media has changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. But the world of social media has created a whole new world of security, privacy, intellectual property, employment practices and legal risks. Privacy risk refers to the process

Take a filed trip to a toy store or toy section of a sopping Essay

Take a filed trip to a toy store or toy section of a sopping center....... the rest of the question you will see it when i uploa - Essay Example Gender by itself is neutral and does not have any significance other than its biological function until society provided a meaning to it through social construct. In its primitive definition, gender through its genitalia only serves the call of nature to excrete waste from our body. As toddlers, we are not even aware of it nor cared about it because society’s definition and construct of gender roles is not yet imposed on us. Until of course we begin to grow up and begin to interact with her various elements that begun with our parents who call us boy or girl and assign us roles in multitude of ways from labeling us as boy or girl and with it, the expectation and the roles we should play. Thus, we are told not to do this or that because we are girl or boy or told to do this or that because we are a girl or boy as a part of instilling social construct to us. Toys help create and reinforce strict definitions of gender. Toy is one of the implements of society that effectively defi nes to us the meaning and significance of our gender. It helps us to reinforce what should be a male or female through the symbolism and functionality of toys. You can call it brainwashing because it practices to perform the roles and functions expected of us by society at large. For example, girls play dolls because they are expected to be nurturers and dolls serves as a practicing kit on how to perform such role. Boys on the other hand plays trade tools such as cars, helmet etch as a conditioning tool that they ought to have a craft or a job to be a man as a expected by society. These toys have social meanings as well. For the toys of the boys, they convey   Ã¢â‚¬Å"control, strength,  efficiency, competitiveness, toughness, coolness under pressure† (Flores, nd) while for the girls, their toys also orients them about †cooperation, mutuality, equality, sharing compassion, caring,...emotional expressiveness† (Johnson cited in Flores, nd). In a way, social constr uction perpetuates gender stereotyping as it already â€Å"boxes† us into gender roles beginning from our childhood. Such, when one enters a toy store as an adult, one cannot help but be drawn to the section to the gender that we are oriented to. The imposition of society’s social construction of gender manifests when we visit a store because we are drawn to the section of the toys (male or female section) where our respective genders are oriented or accustomed to. These toys however are more than tools of fun. They are also symbolisms of what is expected of us or as our training of the roles that we have to play in society. For example, As a male, one is expected to play only with toys that reinforce his gender role or identities. Role that is expected of him by his peers (which could be very strong if he is adolescent) to be strong, virile, rough and competitive. Thus, he would be expected to play cars, guns, robots, swords or any symbols of the toy that represent an d reinforce his virile masculinity which is necessary for his role in society. Women on the other hand will manifests similar attachment to toys that her gender is oriented to. She may find it uncomfortable to be in the men’s section of toy store and instead will play with dolls that reinforce her gender role. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that social construction which is â€Å"how society groups people† exerts such a powerful influence on us that it dictates

Social Netwoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Netwoking - Essay Example Nowadays joining websites such as Facebook and Myspace have become a norm for the whole society. Increasingly it is seen that the younger generation is being diverted to these networking habits. Social networking has become a topic of debate these days as it is seen that many researches are being carried out to find out the pros and cons of it. This essay would revolve around the pros and cons of social networking and would present a conclusion as to what should be done with regard to the problems that it actually poses (University of Minnesota 2008). The stigma of social networking is spread all over the world to places like Pakistan and India. It has been found that social networking has many benefits when it comes to the younger generation. A study done by the researchers of University of Minnesota concluded that around 94 percent of the people use internet in which around 77 percent of them had a profile on a social networking site. The research found out the positives of social networking and related it to the skills of technology. It has been found that social networking helps in increasing technological skills along with creativity. A researcher was stated as saying â€Å"What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today† (University of Minnesota 2008). These social networking sites can help the educators to inform the younger generation about possible topics through these social networking sites. The educators can use these social networking sites as a tool to inform and educate their audience in a way that an interest is created amongst the students (Warner 2008). Another positive of social networking websites lies in the communication that it may provide in times of emergency. Researchers have found out that these networking sites can prove to be a great tool for the transmission of information from one area to the other. In natur al disasters such as earthquakes or human influenced disasters one can easily transmit information on these social networking websites faster than the traditional media. It can help in the diffusion of information from one area to another so that everyone is informed about the calamity. It is also found that the social networking websites such as Facebook have allowed disaster management organizations to work on the website so that they can create awareness amongst the masses of the society (Inderscience Publishers 2010). Social networking also helps people to integrate with the society if they are suffering from problems. People who are suffering from social diseases such as autism are at ease when talking on the internet. Thus these social networking websites provide an advantage to these socially impaired people to talk and get engaged in conversations. It has also been found that social networking is helping people to communicate easily. While social networking has its own benef its it also has certain disadvantages which should be kept in mind when analyzing these portals. The most potent drawback of these websites is that of privacy when it comes to certain issues. It is seen that these social networking websites do not have strict privacy settings when it comes to its users. A research found that personal information of users is leaked out to the websites which help in tracking the users. A social networking

Take a filed trip to a toy store or toy section of a sopping Essay

Take a filed trip to a toy store or toy section of a sopping center....... the rest of the question you will see it when i uploa - Essay Example Gender by itself is neutral and does not have any significance other than its biological function until society provided a meaning to it through social construct. In its primitive definition, gender through its genitalia only serves the call of nature to excrete waste from our body. As toddlers, we are not even aware of it nor cared about it because society’s definition and construct of gender roles is not yet imposed on us. Until of course we begin to grow up and begin to interact with her various elements that begun with our parents who call us boy or girl and assign us roles in multitude of ways from labeling us as boy or girl and with it, the expectation and the roles we should play. Thus, we are told not to do this or that because we are girl or boy or told to do this or that because we are a girl or boy as a part of instilling social construct to us. Toys help create and reinforce strict definitions of gender. Toy is one of the implements of society that effectively defi nes to us the meaning and significance of our gender. It helps us to reinforce what should be a male or female through the symbolism and functionality of toys. You can call it brainwashing because it practices to perform the roles and functions expected of us by society at large. For example, girls play dolls because they are expected to be nurturers and dolls serves as a practicing kit on how to perform such role. Boys on the other hand plays trade tools such as cars, helmet etch as a conditioning tool that they ought to have a craft or a job to be a man as a expected by society. These toys have social meanings as well. For the toys of the boys, they convey   Ã¢â‚¬Å"control, strength,  efficiency, competitiveness, toughness, coolness under pressure† (Flores, nd) while for the girls, their toys also orients them about †cooperation, mutuality, equality, sharing compassion, caring,...emotional expressiveness† (Johnson cited in Flores, nd). In a way, social constr uction perpetuates gender stereotyping as it already â€Å"boxes† us into gender roles beginning from our childhood. Such, when one enters a toy store as an adult, one cannot help but be drawn to the section to the gender that we are oriented to. The imposition of society’s social construction of gender manifests when we visit a store because we are drawn to the section of the toys (male or female section) where our respective genders are oriented or accustomed to. These toys however are more than tools of fun. They are also symbolisms of what is expected of us or as our training of the roles that we have to play in society. For example, As a male, one is expected to play only with toys that reinforce his gender role or identities. Role that is expected of him by his peers (which could be very strong if he is adolescent) to be strong, virile, rough and competitive. Thus, he would be expected to play cars, guns, robots, swords or any symbols of the toy that represent an d reinforce his virile masculinity which is necessary for his role in society. Women on the other hand will manifests similar attachment to toys that her gender is oriented to. She may find it uncomfortable to be in the men’s section of toy store and instead will play with dolls that reinforce her gender role. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that social construction which is â€Å"how society groups people† exerts such a powerful influence on us that it dictates

Business Plan For Sunshine Bakery Essay Example for Free

Business Plan For Sunshine Bakery Essay Sunshine Bakery will be specializing in visually attractive cupcakes and cakes. There has been a significant increase in demand for whimsical, overindulgent and visually stimulating cakes, and Sunshine Bakery will target special events such as weddings, birthdays, christenings, bachelorette parties and stork teas. The Products Sunshine offers a wide range of speciality cakes. All the flavours will be available in both cupcakes or cakes. The different flavours on offer are: vanilla, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, cheesecake, cherry cream and blue berry. Customers Sunshine will focus on three distinct customer segments. The first group is the wedding group. This segment is growing at 15% a year with 32,000 potential customers. The second niche is the parties group. This segment is also growing at 15% with 14,200 potential people. The last group is the individual buyer (walk-in) group. This niche also is growing at 15% with 48,000 possible customers. Management Team Recognizing the importance of human capital, Sunshine has assembled a strong management team. The team is led by Merlin Hull. Merlin comes to Sunshine with 10 years of baking experience. In addition to her industry specific experience, Merlin has had 2 years of management experience. Robert Morgan brings financial skills to Sunshine after a 15 year CPA career. Marlene Hendricks will lead the marketing efforts having participated in her own PR firm. Lastly, Debbie Reitz will be on the team as an assistant baker with over five years of experience. Objectives To establish a working storefront for Sunshine Bakery. To develop the strong presence in the community needed to support sales goals. To develop a full menu by the end of the second quarter. Mission Sunshine Bakery aims to be a cornerstone in the community creating a  neighbourhood atmosphere where customers feel comfortable and become instant regulars.We seek fair and responsible profit, enough to keep the company financially healthy for the long term and to fairly compensate owners and investors for their money and risk. Company Summary Sunshine Bakery will be located in downtown Mellville in a historical building. This downtown district is a very popular destination because of the historical architecture for weekenders and tourists. Company Ownership Currently Sunshine Bakery is a sole proprietorship owned by Merlin Hull. Eventually, as the company becomes established, Sunshine Bakery will apply to be incorporated. Start-up Summary The primary expense to establish the Sunshine Bakery is the mortgage loan estimated at R1,750,000 to purchase the vacant space on 7th street. The building was previously used as a bakery and we plan to buy the used equipment along with the space. This cost is also calculated into the loan estimate. Merlin Hull intends to invest R70,500 of her savings to cover the other cost of start-up. These costs include: Advertising brochures. Bakery ingredients. Insurance. Bakery accessories, i.e. paper bags, cartons, etc. Products Sunshine Bakery provides specialized cakes and cupcakes at premium prices for special occasions. The following flavours will be available vanilla, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, cheesecake, cherry cream and blue berry. Market Analysis Summary Our focus will be to target weddings, birthday parties, Easter celebrations, bachelorette parties and stork teas. Market Segmentation Our target market consists of three groups: The Wedding Group The wedding industry is booming and Sunshine bakery will focus on this group for whom a premium price can be charged for specialized and custom made cakes or cupcakes. The Parties Group This group will probably pre-order a variety of flavours, and it is not such a labour intensive order, because they will probably go for the less expensive option of choosing our standard products. The Individual Buyer or â€Å"Walk-in† Group Sunshine’s premises in the Bellville area, is a very popular destination because of the historical architecture for weekenders and tourists, which makes this segment a lucrative option. We will focus on window display to attract passersby. Target Market Segment Strategy In our target market, we will mainly focus on the wedding group since they will spend the most per order. We expect that the parties and the individual buyer group will make up a smaller portion of our customers. We are specifically filling the speciality cakes needs of the wedding group, so we expect the most business from this group. Industry Analysis Sunshine Bakery competes in the Food Services Industry. In addition to competing with other specialized cakes bakeries, it competes with all restaurants, delis, bakeries and supermarkets for a share of its customers food expense. Sunshine is most concerned with competitors who differentiate their products and services with a creative and arty focus. Because this group is so large, Sunshine has chosen to limit its analysis to other specialized cakes bakeries. Competition and Buying Patterns Currently there are two bakeries in town that provide specialized cakes: Cupcakes from Heaven Strengths: Stocks freshly baked cupcakes and cakes. Well-  established bakery in town. Sells cakes in local grocery stores. Weaknesses: Does not provide a wide selection of flavours. Furthermore the texture and flavor of their cakes is very dense and lacks zest. Life is Beautiful Patisserie Strengths: Makes cakes and brownies every day. Will make custom-ordered non- gluten cakes. Weaknesses: Does not produce a wide selection or large quantity of cupcakes. Their main focus is traditional flavour large cakes. Strategy and Implementation Summary Our strategy focuses on serving a niche market with quality goods. We are determined to become a part of the community—an establishment that becomes as much of the community as a church or local grocery store. To achieve these goals, we will provide the following: Friendly, neighbourhood-feel atmosphere Quality baked goods for everyone to enjoy at a fair price Visually attractive cakes and cupcakes Coffee sales will be higher in winter months, and for summer months sales of sodas Competitive Edge Our competitive edge is our quality of goods. We use only products of the highest quality that create incredible feathery cakes that can’t be matched. We also focus mainly on whimsical and modern flavours and designs. The other bakeries in town focus on traditional flavours. Sales Strategy Our strategy focuses on building a customer base by providing good customer experience. With the addition of the coffee bar and lunch menu in early spring, we hope to have customers make the bakery their one-stop destination for breakfast or lunch. In the summer, when we open the outdoor patio, more and more customers will make the bakery a destination for their lunches more often since the atmosphere will be so pleasing. Sales Forecast Our sales forecast assumes the following changes: Cake sales in the summer months will be slightly higher since the wedding season is at its peak during summer months. Coffee sales will increase  during winter months. Please insert a Sales forecast graph here, indicating the projected sales for 12 months. Management Summary Merlin Hull is the founder of Sunshine Bakery. She brings to the bakery her experience as a baker and as an entrepreneur. She has worked as a baker for over 10 years including two years as an apprentice in a well-known Paris patisserie. As a teenager she helped her parents at the familys general store, both in sales and marketing. For her last two years at her familys store, she was the general employee manager. Her duties at the bakery will include employee hiring and training, head baker and store management. Robert Morgan has run his own successful CPA consulting firm for 15 years. His duties will include the bookkeeping, inventory management and stock fulfilment. Marlene Hendricks runs her own PR company and will be assisting the Sunshine Bakery in its marketing campaigns on a part-time basis.