The Last Unicorn And Song of Kali Essay Example for Free

The Last Unicorn And Song of Kali Essay Plot Summaries The Last Unicorn The Last Unicorn’ begins in a lilac wood where two hunters discuss the disappearance of unicorns from the world. One of them is convinced of the existence of a unicorn, because the forest they stand in has magical powers. He calls out to the unicorn to protect herself, as she is the last of her kind. The unicorn hears the entreaties, is moved by the hunter’s words. It leaves the safety of the forest to find the truth. The unicorn encounters a variety of characters including a band of outlaws, a butterfly and an old witch. Help comes in the form of a bumbling magician, aided by a weary kitchen maid and a love stricken prince. All these characters make the unicorn aware of what befell her kind and ways to save them. Song of Kali Bobby Luczac, an American poet, goes to India on an assignment for Harper’s magazine in search of a poetry manuscript supposedly penned by a man named M. Das, who is presumed dead since eight years. Now, the man is back and writes a new poem. Luczac is commissioned to travel to Calcutta, and on the visit, he is accompanied by his Indian wife and baby daughter. The assignment is to write an article on Das and negotiate translation rights for the poem. However, is Das really alive, or back from the dead? His new poem, quite uncharacteristically, proclaims the song of Kali – the Hindu deity of destruction.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bobby soon discovers that he and his family face great danger in the city. The family gets entangled in a religious cult engaged in the worship of Kali, a cruel deity, whose doctrine is to gain power through violence. The book contains hair-raising descriptions of Calcutta and strange rites. Calcutta is the major character in the novel portrayed in sinister terms. This is an apt venue for someone to sing Kali’s song of pain and death. Fantasy elements An interpretation of fantasy makes it separate the â€Å"I† and non â€Å"I† and self from the other. What this means is that fantasy is elevated reality, which tends to draw one away from one’s immediate reality and be completely absorbed, instead, in the substance of the fantasy and the existence of the ‘other’. The best of fantasy draws one away from a sense of time and space, when complete detachment from one’s self is possible. These exotic descriptions will be understood if the experience with films or books is considered. Theatre may not fully deliver the experience of detachment, as there is a certain amount of objectivity. Fantasy’s theatre of sustenance is in the mind and that is why films and books can draw us into the realm of fantasy quicker. The involvement is intimate – the darkness of the cinema hall and the riveting power of the printed word, releases us from ‘being’, so to speak. While absorbed in the narration we are the ‘others’ in the story â€Å"I’ lives in the other. The mind draws the vivid emotions and scenes in a book and the compelling power of imagery in films has the same effect as the descriptions in a book. The supernatural in narration has more or less, the same impact. In its narration, the â€Å"I† is completely the servant of the narrator or the experience narrated. Part of us wants to believe completely while the real person is detached. The strongest enticement of fantasy is here – the elastic struggle between the two extremes of being – ‘I’ and the ‘other’ is really the delicious part of a fantasy. ‘Song of Kali’ The novel by Dan Simmons is a dark tale of the supernatural, which has compelling scenes of horror. There is yet another type of fantasy – the rendering of a horror story which almost deliciously,’ shocks us out of our wits† and we revisit horror gain and again to experience the thrill of being drawn beyond ourselves in a terrifying narration. In ‘Song of†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the author wants us to be drawn willingly to the tiger’s lair in anticipation of what will come next. â€Å"The world is pain, O terrible wife of Shiva you are chewing the flesh; O terrible wife of Siva your tongue is drinking the blood, O dark Mother! O unclad Mother O beloved of Siva the world is pain’ (Simmons, 71). The terrifying invocation to the goddess Kali, while describing animal sacrifice to the deity and the nocturnal presence of the kali cult, draws a part of us willingly into the dark depths of the supernatural/fantasy/ horror story. There are of course three perspectives present in the narration: the author’s, ours and the lead character’s. Through an interweaving of these perspectives, we live the story in terrified anticipation of events unfolding. The references to blood and sacrifice leave us shocked while a part of us always prods us in disbelief at believing such nonsense. However, of course by now, the willing â€Å"I† has been completely hypnotized and taken away to realms deep within the depth of our subconscious. The detached eye of the author reports that the cult described in such ferociously evil terms was banned by the British and seems to have surfaced again or that, the cult members are criminals. Disregarding such warnings, we are one with the Luczacs caught up in the terrifying city. A philosophical theory presents the world as gigantic battlefield between Good and Evil forces – and this is used by the author of ‘Song†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ to create his own personal version of the Evil Forces as Calcutta itself. The descriptions of Calcutta (it would take a lot of willing disbelief to do so !) and inhabitants and dark rituals is portrayed in a form of ‘realism’ which is convincing to our ‘other selves’ by now completely immersed in the flight of the family through the winding lanes of the city – ‘the ceremonies in progress were most dignified. It was the day of the new moon in celebration of Durga and the head of an ox was on an iron spike†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Simmons, 71) Our ‘rational side’ says, completely ignore such nonsense – while the ‘other ‘self takes flight in supernatural alleyways. Calcutta itself being a major character is latter day hell on Earth – a place where different laws of reality apply- the tales of Kali could be cooked up by the cult members or could be true in this bizarre world of elevated religious superstition. People are almost apparitions – not even real beings. What happens to the main characters is realistic description to which our shell-shocked selves are frequently returned to savor slices of violence and reality. The foreboding tale of evil spun against the background of deeply entrenched religious superstition is not really a fantasy. It is not something we would like to learn a lot from, there are no heart tugging insights – no matter how well told the story. The Last Unicorn Two of the central themes of this book are those of being and not being. Most characters in it are part of the ‘not I’, they are trying to become something, to reach an ideal. With the exception of the unicorn character all, the main figures in the book are really trying to be people they are not. People in the book remember songs and stories of unicorns from days gone by however, they are unable to see a real Unicorn standing in their midst. The Unicorn also senses that she is encountering things that are not as they appear, and has a difficult time along with us as readers, making out the difference. â€Å"This is illusion, the unicorn told herself. This is Illusion – and raised a head heavy with death to stare into the deep of the last cage and see, not old age, but Mommy Fortuna herself. And the Unicorn knew she had not become mortal and ugly at all, but she did not feel beautiful again. Perhaps she was illusion too, she thought wearily† (Beagle, 25). The bumbling magician, Schmendrick is one example of characters trying to become someone else. The first time he meets the Unicorn, he nearly kills the enchanted animal while trying to free her from her cage (Beagle, 34). He goes on through the novel making a complete fool of himself. When he tries to entertain Captain Cully’s â€Å"merry men†, he is forced to use sleight of hand because he knows his spells are not reliable at all Throughout the book , Schmendrick constantly persists at trying to be a real wizard but fails. Molly Grue is a character who is trying to change from what she is. She is a poor man’s Maid Marian. Though she lives with an outlaw who rescued her from an evil baron, she does not fit the pat as the love of Robin Hood. She does not take on the sweetness and beauty of the fairy tale. Captain Cully professes â€Å"she is suspicious, pinched, dour, and prematurely old, even a touch tyrannical† (Beagle, 57). This middle-aged woman is cynical and broken. She even admits this to the unicorn â€Å"How dare you, how dare you come to me now, when I am this with a flap of her hand she summed herself up: barren face, desert eyes and yellowing heart† (Beagle, 70). Captain Cully is yet another example of a character that desperately wants to be much greater than he is. He wants to be remembered as a Robin Hood. He has his men write and sing songs about great deeds he never did. He lives the life of an outlaw stealing from the rich and giving to the poor and gives the rich a percentage. Even his ‘merry men’ lack enthusiasm: as one of them says â€Å"No offense, Captain, but we’re really not very merry, when all’s said† (Beagle, 61). Peter Beagle, the author, leaves many of the unfulfilled characters that way. The â€Å"good† characters – Shmendrick and Molly for example have come to be the people they want to be. Schmendrick is a great wizard and Molly is a fair and innocent maiden. Conclusion One can extend this theme to the two characters most alike to each other, the Unicorn and The Red Bull. It is clear through the novel that she is everything a unicorn is claimed.   She is immortal, has magical abilities and cannot be captured by mortal means. She is a magical being that cannot be seen by members of the ‘non being† world. The farmer who tries to capture her thinking that she is a mare, is part of this† non† being world. Because Molly Grue and Schmendrick so intensely want to change to much greater beings than what they are, they can see creatures from the other not so mundane world. The devotees of the Kali cult in ‘Song of Kali’ seem to be doing so but do they really ?, Why Beagle inserts themes of â€Å"being† and â€Å"non being† is perhaps because he felt that life is often based on perspective. What we want to see, hear and do depends on us. If we want to, we can settle for the lowest common denominator, like the simple farmer. Alternatively, we can push ourselves to be more than we are given, like Molly and Schmendrick. What the author says is we can either see magic and opportunity in our lives or ignore it. Works Cited: Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn: (40th Anniversary Edition). Roc Trade. (January 1, 1991) Simmons, Dan. Song of Kali. Tor Books. First Edition edition (January 15, 1998)

The Epilogue of Haydn Middletons The Lie of The Land :: Haydn Middleton The Lie of The Land

The Epilogue of Haydn Middleton's The Lie of The Land A few days had passed since Art had reentered David's life. While David, Quinn and Art spent the morning eating breakfast and discussing which is the best fruit jelly, Rachel was sulking in a pit of angst. Matthew hadn't spoken very much the past few days, still trying to come to terms with what she had done and why. And Rachel was trying to decide if she was on the road to healing a guilt which has haunted her for months, or could she still not forgive herself? Inspired by David Nennius' memoirs, she decided to do the same. She couldnUt bring herself to say to Matthew what she wanted to say, but perhaps she could write it then. Oh sure, she had told him the entire tale of her adventures with David, but she hadn't told him why she had been so obsessed with his troubles. Why she had to save him. Rachel picked her hands up from the keyboard. Rubbing her wrists she contemplated her future. Then, like many times, she began thinking of the past and details she had never told anyone. Rachel's Story "I haven't been able to bring myself to tell anyone what happened all those months ago," began the journal entry. I can still remember the day the man with no name came into the center, the day I committed my crime. That day I let a man walk out the door without getting his name. He wore a tattered overcoat and a sheep-like smile. Later, much too late, I learned the truth. No, that is not true. I knew the truth and did nothing. I knew he was a child molester - he told me. The worst part of it is that he came in twice. Twice I did the wrong thing. "I regret what I did," the man said through globs of tears. "I just wish these rages, these infatuations would vanish." I thought he was sincere, so when he would not give me his name I didnUt push him to do so. He pleaded with me not to tell the authorities. He said he could heal himself better in the real world. I thought he had a point. But then that fateful day came. I can still see Matthew's face as I read the story of a Chester Rogers being picked up for child molestation.

David Mccullough’s “1776” Essay

David McCullough, who has won Pulitzer Prize and National Book Awards two times impresses in his book† 1776 â€Å" that the year 1776 is one of the most significant years in annals of U. S. A . McCullough segregates his book not by key military skirmishes but by negligible incidents with major consequences on those skirmishes. McCullough in his book â€Å"1776† lucidly explains the triumphant American siege of Boston in 1775, the catastrophic defense of New York City against irresistible British troops in the late summer of 1776, the Continental Army’s close encounter with dissolution and failure and its excellent dead-of-winter success over the Hessians and the British at Princeton and Trenton as 1776 gave way to 1777. According to McCullough, General Washington was not without flaws but as a military inexpert who was out-generaled by his British adversaries. By demonstrating the intensity to which American fortune had descended by mid-November 1776, McCullough lauds the triumph in Trenton and illustrates that how American heroism is yet again demonstrated. McCullough restricts himself to events that occurred in a single calendar year and a little more. Further, he zeros in on a single person –General Washington. McCullough prose is stylish, sturdy and has a novelist style of structure and pacing. The choice of year 1776 is wise one as it was the year of roller-coaster ride in terms of American military triumphs. â€Å"1776† began on a high note when General Henry Knox, taking the benefit of severe winter weather, employed sledges and barges to transport about sixty tons of cannons and mortars down from Fort Ticonderoga in northern New York and across snow heaped Massachusetts countryside. 1 Negotiating anxiously in the night, General Washington troops successfully placed the artillery atop Dorchester Heights, facing Boston Harbor, in early March 1776. Though, the city was under the control of British, they were now openly exposed and the British had no other choice but to withdraw. The three key chapters of book are categorized as follows; ? The Siege ? Fateful Summer ? The Long Retreat In the first chapter â€Å"The Siege†, McCullough narrate the military features of war. It is to be recalled that the title â€Å"The Siege† was coined after the fortifications made at Dorchester Heights. In this chapter, McCullough recounted insight to the minds of combatants on each side of the skirmish with excerpts from letters written by soldiers. At that point of time, warriors on each side were under the impression that they had the enough motives to fight but did not realize that it would soon transform. Howe, the general on the British side was a man of action and had not any patience to wait and wanted to settle his score with American troop instantly. However, General Washington was most concerned about the inexperience and lack of knowledge of his warriors. Further, adding fuel to the fire, there was shortage of firearms and ammunitions on American side which had made General Washington to worry about. At this juncture, McCullough recalled the exact words used by General Washington when he narrated this precarious situation to his brother through a letter. â€Å"We had fewer bullets than riffles and not adequate riffles for every soldier and not enough soldiers to succeed into the war. † The shortage of firearms for rebels was such that General Washington had issued precondition to those who wanted to join him to fight against British to bring firearms with them from the farm. This scenario aptly illustrates how American side was in wobbly condition as regards to firearms and ammunition as compared to the mighty British army. Further, in this Chapter, McCullough describes the information exchanged by General Washington with his wife through letters which detailed the problems and pitfalls faced by rebels and how American army was handicapped and devised its strategy against the mighty British. However, as per McCullough, General Washington was highly diplomatic as he never revealed how frantic the scenario was to American soldiers at that juncture. In one another letter to his brother, General Washington was of the opinion that he wanted to be an enlisted warrior rather than holding the position of General and always concerned for the soldier’s morality. At the conclusion of the first chapter, McCullough narrates that fortunately General Knox arrived in Dorchester with much wanted cannons and due to this, the future looked very dazzling for the American soldiers. The second chapter has been named as â€Å"Fateful Summer† since General Washington was under impression that the destiny of unborn millions now reckon on his success. General Washington cautioned his troop that failure was not an option and at any cost, they must achieve success. Major portion of this chapter devotes to memoirs of General John Sullivan, Major Joseph Reed and General Rufus Putnam. McCullough recalls that there is absence of unity among colonies at that juncture. Since, majority of the generals were from South, they had feeling that they were superior to generals hailing from North. McCullough reveals this through the conversation that had occurred between General Washington and General Graydon as they vouched that â€Å"Yankees were despondently organized† and did not visualize that the northern regiments would be able to safeguard their position in battle. However, Southern leadership found that they had a misconception on the strength of the northern regiments when they vigorously wrestled and won in Bunker Hill and in Lexington. McCullough illustrates that majority of men who has joined the regiment at that juncture were from northern colonies. McCullough also refers General Washington’s quote that he did not envisage any concern with Negroes who have then freed from their slavery but was not especially consonant with them in his status and rank. McCullough also portraits young soldiers who have joined the regiment did not have any discipline as no proper training were imparted to these young new recruits. Further, these young soldiers were also affected by sexually transmitted diseases when they had relationship with prostitutes who roamed the New York City at that time and there was also shortage of medicine to cure them. According Washington estimate, he lost more 10,000 soldiers due to prevalence of small box and venereal disease. This chapter ends with note that though American suffered a big defeat, however they were united in their cause and had plans to flee away to New York to settle their scores in another day. The third and final chapter is named as â€Å"Fortune Frowns†. In this chapter, McCullough explains how Washington informed their defeat to Congress. McCullough uses most of the letters written by Washington to his wife in this chapter to narrate the incidents. However , Washington never exchange military or warfare strategies with his wife this time as in the past but gave instruction about how interior had to be organized in his residence. With defeat in the Battles of Long Island and Brooklyn, Washington, his troops and the nation were witnessing very hard time. In his letter to Governor Trumbull which was written on December 14, 1776, Washington mentioned that he wanted to assume risk to any extent and all that he needed was a bit of luck. Washington also unraveled in that letter that his strategy was to cross the Delaware during the dark and wage an attack on Trenton engulfing from three sides. This time there was excellent cooperation among the commanding generals. Washington strategy worked well and attack after crossing Delaware during dark was a remarkable triumph for Washington. McCullough in his concluding part of the book made a high note about the success in Trenton battle. McCullough in his book â€Å"1776† narrates several inspirational speeches delivered by General Washington to his soldiers from his horse back. It is to be observed that General Washington’s greatest talent was his capability to inspire even the most timid soldier to become courageous enough to wrestle. Success in Trenton has proved American heroism once again. McCullough wish to remind us that Americans have to value their ancestor’s grand sacrifice and if Americans fail to recognize the same, freedom may slip away from them. The moral of the book is that sole purpose to remind the battle against British in the year 1776 is to conserve the good deeds accomplished for Americans in the past so that American can prepare for the tasks and trials which still lie ahead. Hence, this is history as a structure of national rearmament that is why it harmonizes so nicely with the embattled nation temper. BIBILIOGRAPHY Countryman, Edward. â€Å"1776. † The Historian 69, no. 1 (2007): 120+. Daniel Lazare,†Patriotic Bore: 1776 by McCullough–book review,† The Nation, 281[7] [2005]:p. 31-37. Kingseed, Cole C. â€Å"1776. † Parameters 35, no. 4 (2005): 128+.

Theme Assignment- Night

Night Theme Assignment Holocaust survivors provide an opportunity for studying the lasting effects of massive suffering and extremely stressful experiences. Before the Second World War, the Germans made laws, which said that Jewish people are no longer welcomed in Germany. German people began to persecute them. When the Second World War started most of the Jews were brought to concentration camps all over Europe including Eliezer and his father. Everyone who was in one of these concentration camps will never forget their experience during the war.In the novel, Night, Elle Wiesel states the theme, that the victims of the Jewish holocaust are profoundly affected by their hellish experiences. Many quotations from different major characters extracted from the novel support the theme. â€Å"One day I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not yet seen myself since the ghetto†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 115) this quotation is a final statement abou t the effect the Holocaust has had on Eliezer. He implies that even though he has survived the war physically, he is essentially dead; his soul was killed by the suffering he witnessed and experienced.In this quote he indicates a fundamental separation between his sense of self and his identity as a Holocaust victim. His body-image reminds him of how much he suffered throughout the holocaust and how much of himself-his faith in God, his innocence, his faith in mankind, and his family. Eliezer survives and develops a sense of identity that will endure beyond the Holocaust. In assessing the impact of the Holocaust on survivors, it needs to be said that no person could have survived Hitler's concentration camps and emerged totally unchanged. Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed â€Å"(p. 34, 11-12) this is one of the first quotation which shows that Eliezer’s life change from the beginning of the cam p. The quotation is taken after Eliezer is brought to the camps. In his head there are always these memories from the journey they had to make. He thinks about Mrs. Schachter who went crazy in the train because she had no water. He thinks about the smoke from the crematoria which scared him a lot.And he thinks about all his lost hope. Elizer doesn’t believe in god anymore beginning from this point. He thinks if someone like god would exist, he wouldn’t have to suffer in a concentration camp and he wouldn’t have to see all these pain. â€Å"That night, the soup tasted of corpses† (p. 65) this passage occurred after the pipel suffered, struggled between life and death, under Eliezer’s eyes, as he was obligated to watch a criminal act. Eliezer's had seen worse, like the old man and the Polish boy who had done wrongs to deserve the punishments they received.The Polish boy stole during the bombing session and the old man ate soup from the cauldron. The pipel on the other hand did not really do anything wrong, but refused to talk and sacrificed his life. The death of the innocent child represents the death of Eliezer’s own innocence. Elizer was starting to lose faith in god in a world where an innocent child could be hung on the gallows and his entire emotional worldview transformed. The fact that the young boy remained alive and experienced death slowly made them cringe the most, which is why the soup tasted like corpses.Many psychological effects caused by the Holocaust forever changed the way the Jewish people view the world and themselves. â€Å"Many years later in Paris, I sat in the Metro, reading my newspaper. Across the aisle, a beautiful woman with dark hair, and dreamy eyes. I had seen those eyes before. † (p. 53, 21-23) this quotation occurs when Eliezer is working in a factory. One day, unprovoked, Idek, a German officer, savagely beats Eliezer, after which a French girl who works next to Eliezer in the wa rehouse offers some small kindness and comfort.She tells him to keep his anger for another day and advise him not to begin consider rebellion but to rely on faith. Eliezer sees after many years this one French girl again in Paris. He still remembers her look, especially her eyes. They talk about what happened in their past and in this one moment they shared. This quotation proves that pain goes by, but the horrible memories are still alive and can be affective in a person’s life. â€Å"Men to the left, women to the right† (p. 29) eight words spoken, indifferently, without emotion with painful life changing meanings. These ords separated Eliezer and his mother and sister forever, as well as countless other husbands and wives, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters on their arrival. The weak, old, and young people were basically worthless and had to be immediately executed by the SS officers. It emphasizes the cruel Nazi guards and the tragedies that were daily upon Jew s in Auschwitz concentration camp. Millions of Jewish lives were profoundly affected by the Holocaust as a result. Being separated from your loved ones at such a young age is something that sticks with you your whole life and can make you cold as a person. Years later I witnessed a similar spectacle in Aden. Our ship’s passengers amused themselves by throwing coins to the â€Å"natives,† who dove to retrieve them† (p. 100, 18-20) in this quotation Elizer is after the Holocaust on a ship for holidays. When this ship passes natives the passengers starting to throw coins to them. Elizer sees how to young children are fighting in the water to grab these coins. Immediately his old memories are coming up when he is sitting in the train and people try to help by throwing bread into the wagons. But the people in there are starting to kill each other for bread.Deeply in Eliezer’s memories is one moment when a son kills his own father just to eat his bread. Elizer w ho felt this pain already once doesn’t want to happen it again, so he tells the passengers on the ship to stop it. All this proves that his experience and all the things that happened in concentration camps will never be forgotten by the prisoners â€Å"Jews, listen to me! That’s all I ask of you. No money. No pity. Just listen to me! † (p. 7) this passage occurs after Moshe returns and describes how the deportation trains were handed over to the German secret police at the Polish border.He escaped the concentration camp in order to warn Eliezer about the situation, but no one wanted to believe his story and people thought he was a lunatic. Moshe was a different person when he returned to his hometown; the joy inside of him was gone. His horror stories about deprivation, killing, and taking away everything you owned sounded so awful and unbelievable that his truth was dismissed. Moshe tried his best to warn the people from Sighet, but they ignored him and as a r esult everything that he was telling the citizens actually occurred again in 1944.This time he was clever enough to slip away before getting caught again. This quotation proves that Moshe’s previous hellish experience affected his chance of surviving. â€Å"I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name. † (p. 42, 23) The Nazis started in the camp to mark people. They did it so they wouldn’t have to learn the names of the prisoners and the Nazis could handle with numbers and letters to identify them. Every prisoner became his own number. This number is a symbol for how he was seen in Auschwitz, as a slave and not as a person.This tattoo will always stay on Eliezer’s body, and it constantly reminds him of the many bad memories and feelings at the camp. So the most terrible thing which will always remind Elizer of his ominous time at Auschwitz is his tattoo. Night mostly occurs when suffering is worst, and its presence reflects Eliezer’s belief t hat he lives in a world without God. In Night, Eliezer exploits this allusion and develops the theme that the victims of the Jewish holocaust are deeply affected by their hellish experiences.Wiesel's experiences in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald are very well detailed in the story; his accounts of starvation and cruelty are shocking—an intense testimony to the penalties of evil. The Holocaust was perhaps the most evil single event ever performed by human beings. Today, he is a writer, professor, political activist, and a holocaust survivor. â€Å"No human race is superior, no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them† Eliezer Wiesel.

Nutrasweet in China-Sb Essays

Nutrasweet in China-Sb Essays Nutrasweet in China-Sb Essay Nutrasweet in China-Sb Essay -Case Study Analysis-| NutraSweet in China| Sandra Burga| MARKETING MANAGEMENT 658. 22 Professor Stephen Rapier Pepperdine University MARKETING MANAGEMENT 658. 22 Professor Stephen Rapier Pepperdine University I. History Back in 1994 NutraSweet’s Consumer Products division (CPD) considered entering the growing China market. Their intent was to take advantage of the growing Chinese market and expand their brand developing a new sector of brand followers. The CPD perceived three main opportunities: leverage the product brand, leverage marketing manufacturing competencies and capitalize on China’s post-Cultural Revolution. One of the enticing driving factor’s for NutraSweet (NS) was the low sugar consumption numbers in China, based on this perceived notion NutraSweet was posed with a couple of questions: Should NutraSweet enter the Chinese Market? If so, what will be the Risk vs. Profit opportunities? In addition, they also needed to consider their timing and strategy to enter the market. In doing so, they will have to carefully consider their Positioning and their Indirect versus Direct Distribution. NutraSweet assigned Eve Stacey a recent Harvard Business School grad, formerly of Ingredients Division, to head the project. According to the information provided for the case, Ms. Stacey was given only 3-months to prepare recommendations. There is no additional information provided on the case that tells us if Ms. Stacey was already familiar with the Chinese culture or if she had a good understanding of the market as it related to NutraSweet. What we know if that she sought the help of a company called SRG to do door-to-door interview of 200 Chinese consumers. Overall, this was a very small sampling of the Chinese market to be able to access the need. Back in the early nineties, NutraSweet’s Consumer Products ivision was responsible for tabletop sweeteners under the brand names of Equal ®, Canderel ®, and NutraSweet ®, brands already known to the US market. NutraSweet came about accidentally in 1965 when a chemist discovered it while working in a lab at Searle. Searle was a small pharmaceutical company later acquired by Monsanto. The Monsanto Company is a Fortune 500 manufacturer of performan ce chemicals, agricultural, food ingredients and pharmaceutical products. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri The laboratory accident that launched NutraSweet grew into a $1 billion dollar business for Monsanto. Because Searle was a pharmaceutical company, NutraSweet was initially marketed as an over-the-counter product, not as a food product. Monsanto consolidated the tabletop sweetener business during a reorganization period in which it faced many positioning challenges. In the United States NutraSweet was marketed as a mainstream product using a similar marketing strategy as Equal ® which had a low calorie sugar-like sweetness. In the European and Latin American countries the marketing was based around the concept of â€Å"lifestyle† consumption. In less developed markets it was marketed as a niche product for consumers with a medical need. NutraSweet consumer products sales by region in 1994 largely came from the large demand in the US with 58%, followed by Europe with 29%. As shown in the pie chart below, based on the small market share (4%) there seemed to be a great opportunity to expand into the Asia to increase the market share. II. Key Points A. Market Drivers and Growth Foreign Investors pumped billions into China’s economy back in 1994, the Chinese economy was booming. Citizens were spending 40% of their disposable income on food. This attractive fact seemed like a great opportunity for NutraSweet back then. Although expected to decrease with increasing cost of living, Monsanto was eager to enter the market. There was an emerging middle class with projected increase in purchasing power. NutraSweet saw an opportunity in the Chinese consumers’ infatuation with Western brands which represented: quality, freedom, excitement luxury. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) view China as: a set of distinct markets, culture, and tastes, regions varied by geography population with 3-key markets to explore: Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. B. Customer Analysis * Market Demographics China consumed 14 pounds of sugar/person versus 80 pounds of sugar/person in the US. This interesting fact posed the question, â€Å"How can we make this product attractive to a society where consumers for the most part are skinny and do not eat that much sugar? †. This presented a cultural challenge to tackle in the marketing process for Stacey and Monsanto. * Market Behaviors Chinese consumers spent little on housing and none on transportation to/from work, most used 40% of their disposable income on food. 20% of the 60 million (12 million) habitants owned 80% of the country’s wealth. The â€Å"Middle Class† was emerging and estimated to double in 2 years, meaning the target market would be as big as the US target market. In addition, as mentioned before, the Chinese consumers were obsessed with American products, fact that supported NutraSweet’s strategy. * Market Needs Values The primary distribution channels for NutraSweet were drug dispensaries therefore people perceived sugar substitutes as socially unacceptable. In addition, sweetness tolerance across China varied from region to region. Consumers saw no need for a tabletop sweetener since sugar was used mostly for cooking. Market Segmentation One of the strategies NutraSweet considered was to Market it as â€Å"food for a healthy lifestyle†. They saw an opportunity to expand their customer base through education about â€Å"healthy eating† (Yoshino, 1996). Their main target group was 25-40 year old women in the higher household income category. Other perceived users were predomin antly children and health/weight conscious individuals. C. Competitive Analysis Sweet ‘n Low was NS’s U. S. major competitor but â€Å"†¦the tabletop sweetener business was still fairly local with different competitors in different parts of the world. Part of their advantage was that the tabletop sweetener category was new to China. Part of their challenge was that sugar was inexpensive, infrequently purchased, and received little consumer attention. The question now was, if sugar was not consumed as much by the chinese, why would they consume a sugar-like substitute?. In the past â€Å"Healthful† drinks failed to catch on in China i. e. Diet Coke which failed in 1980’s. â€Å"The real competitors were other consumer product markets fighting for a share of mind and a share of discretionary income through an unbelievable media† (Yoshino, 1996). * The China Lure In 1994, foreign investors poured $81. 4 billion into China† (Yoshino, 1996). The GDP grew from $298 billion in 1980 to $508 billion in 1994, the 10% annual growth over next 25 years forecasted China’s economy to be worth $6 trillion dollars. The 60 Million consumer base was forecasted to double over the next decade. A more aggressive study predicted 150 million Chinese with purchasing power parity annual incomes of $18,000 by year 2000. D. Financial Analysis The average household income was $685/yr, the breakdown includes a $581 for a businessman, $420 for a factory worker and $213for an agricultural laborer. Hong Kong Was considered potentially more profitable than any other market in Asia, their business was less than $1 million due to social stigma. The average household income of 6 million inhabitants was $18,000 with an expected economy growing at 5% annually. * Taiwan A was a more developed market that could have served as a testing ground before entering China. However, Equal was rejected by major distributors and partially delisted. The average income was of $12,500 with a population of 21 million and a economy growing at 7% annually. E. Marketing Objective and Strategy Target Market The Main target group was 25 to 40 year old women in higher household income category. The perceived users were predominantly ch ildren and health/weight conscious individuals. Mothers in Guangzhou preferred it more than childless women * Positioning (Messaging) Getting goods to the market/consumer was a central challenge for MNC. NutraSweet leaned towards using a foreign agent to enter the market such as Inchcape, East Asiatic Co. and Simm’s. * Marketing Mix a) Product or Service Strategy The 4 F’s† of NutraSweet: FOOD, FUN, FAMILY, FOR YOU!. Tooth decay big problem in China. Sugar quality was poor (didn’t dissolve well) worms in their sugar! ) b) Consumer expectations 25% of Beijing’s consumers thought it would be an expensive item to be given as gift. 12% of Guangzhou consumers consider it as everyday item. 70% of consumers expect to find product in supermarkets c) Pricing Strategy The price decision had to balance low average incomes, the nonessential nature of the product, and white sugar’s low price with the need to position NutraSweet as a premium product that should not be directly compared to sugar. Pricing decision is important because of the multi-tiered distribution structure, NutraSweet needed to get to Chinese customers. d) Promotional Strategy 1/3 preferred sachet and 2/3 preferred table form, ? liked in jar format. Beijing: 1/3 thought packaging was too common or â€Å"clinical†. Shanghai (15%) Beijing(30%) saw product as â€Å"confusing† â€Å"not credible†. Most were skeptical about its use in relationship to gain weight. e) Distribution The primary distribution channels for NutraSweet were drug dispensaries in HK, typically people found sugar substitutes as socially unacceptable  as they relate to sick people. Their options were to explore multi-tiered distribution system OR build their own distribution systems OR use foreign agents subcontracting wholesalers and retailers. An option was to follow Equal’s strategy in the US and Abroad. The options included: marketing it as a mainstream product sold through retail food channels or marketed as a medical aid for diabetics and obese consumers. Consumed as part of everyday life in Europe and Latin America it was marketed as â€Å"healthy food† expanding customer’s base through educating others about healthy eating. F. SWOT Analysis * Strengths NutraSweet is a widely recognized brand name; it had flexibility in positioning their product. The Chinese market favored â€Å"Western† products. NutraSweet was already a familiar taste in already used Chinese products although it was not publicized. NutraSweets EPS has been steadily rising (1995 @ $6. 36) * Weaknesses Research conducted may not depict the Chinese culture accurately. Research conducted may not be a truthful representation of the action Chinese consumers will actually take. Management had a narrow focus view of NutraSweet’s possibility of success in China * Opportunities NutraSweet can be marketed as â€Å"food for a healthy lifestyle†. Chinese market is an untapped, growing market with a growing disposable income. NutraSweet can expand their customer base through education. China is a unique place with distinct markets, culture and tastes * Threats NutraSweet is a substitute to white sugar and is more expensive. Health concerns about the use of Aspartame in NutraSweet. Chinese consumers do not consume the same amount of sugar as the average person in the US. There’s competition against MNC’s wanting to enter a developing market like China G. Challenges * How can NutraSweet be attractive to a society where consumers for the most part are skinny and do not eat that much sugar? * Was choosing SRG to conduct their door-to-door interviews of 200 random costumers a good idea? * How can NutraSweet compete for consumer’s share of mind and share of discretionary income? * Shall NutraSweet be launched in Taiwan or Hong Kong instead of China? * Was NutraSweet priced and positioned appropriately for the Chinese consumers? How well prepared is NutraSweet to integrate themselves into the Chinese market (i. e. staff, management, understanding of Chinese rules)? Recommendation * Extend the test period to beyond 3-months and create a test market * Better cultural understanding: the management team could have continued marketing it as a medical aid for diabetics which was already culturally accepted * Investigate in depth existing com panies that did not succeed and learn from them * Tailor the packaging and messaging toward the Chinese Consumers. Or repackage it and detach it from the stigma * Educate consumers about the uses and benefits of NutraSweet for diabetics * Partner with companies who can use NutraSweet as their main ingredient instead of being a stand-alone name REFERENCES Yoshino, Michael and Knoop, Carin-Isabel (1996). NutraSweet in China (A), Cambridge: Harvard Business Review Koetler Keller. (2012). Marketing Management 14th edition. New Jersey, US

Famous Quotes About the Importance of Education

Famous Quotes About the Importance of Education Many of our most powerful memories have to do with school - that sort of boot camp before adulthood - where we first learned that the greatest achievements and rewards in life come from putting in a day of hard work. It’s the place that helped define us, where we explored our interests and discovered our natural talents. It’s where we met new friends and developed relationships, and perhaps even met our first love. No matter what your age, head back to school figuratively - or literally - with these quotes from well-known politicians (Edmund Burke, Benjamin Franklin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt), coaches (Bear Bryant, Mike Krzyzewski, and Vince Lombardi), poets and writers (Robert Frost, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Victor Hugo, Joseph Joubert, Patrick White, and William Butler Yeats), as well as an educator (A.B. Alcott), a businessman (Henry Ford), and psychiatrists (Carl Jung and B.F. Skinner). Many of these famous people have scholastics awards, scholarships, and schools named after them. A.B. Alcott: The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. Bear Bryant: If I miss coaching that much, I could go to some little school where they didnt recruit, where all the kids wanted to go. I believe I could find somewhere to coach. Edmund Burke: Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other. Ralph Waldo Emerson: You send your child to the schoolmaster, but tis the schoolboys who educate him. Benjamin Franklin: Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other. Henry Ford: You cant learn in school what the world is going to do next year. Robert Frost: The chief reason for going to school is to get the impression fixed for life that there is a book side for everything. Victor Hugo: He who opens a school door closes a prison. Joseph Joubert: Education should be gentle and stern, not cold and lax. Carl Jung: One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is a vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of a child. Mike Krzyzewski: Basketball was not my main sport in grade school or even the first year of high school. Vince Lombardi: A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall. Franklin D. Roosevelt: The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize. Theodore Roosevelt: A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. B.F. Skinner: Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten. Patrick White: I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I have learnt. William Butler Yeats: Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

Petro-Canada's Total Compensation Strategy and Program Research Paper

Petro-Canada's Total Compensation Strategy and Program - Research Paper Example So, the creation of petro Canada was a part of his dream of self-sufficient Canada. The creation of the petro Canada goes back to the year 1973 when the world found Arabs having huge reservoirs of oil were badly engaged in the bloody wars and the prices of oil went to the sky (Forster, 1993). The province of Canada, Alberta had plenty of the oil reserves which were controlled by an American corporation. This was the time when the Chinese president and the opposition felt the sheer need of the time of establishing a Canadian corporation which could control major part of the oil trade. The resident wanted the American corporation to spend more amount of the oil supply to Canada and les to be the states of America while the business was going on reverse. So, 1975 was the year of birth of the Canadian corporation petro Canada. This angered the western world (Greene, 2010). The company kept on working as the one of the Canada’ s largest corporation and fulfilling almost 40% of the Canadian domestic and industrial needs. The idea of the petro Canadian as a powerful tool however was not liked by the liberals who were against the establishment of the corporation and wanted to sell it off (IGI, 2009). 1988 was an important year in the history of the petro Canada; it was the time when the government tried to represent the corporation as a symbol of the Canadian nationalism though Olympic bid. This was the high time for the petro Canada to get popular inside and outside Canada. With the coming years, the corporation made its grounds firm by purchasing few of the world’s famous oil brands and suppliers however the services of oil and gas refinery were got by British Petroleum Canada (Forster, 1993). 1980 was the year of the changing history of petro Canada. This was the time when liberals came in power and with their authority in the government, the energy issue was raised. They stopped the idea of making petro Canada as a symbol of Canadian nationalism and m ade it just to compete with the oil companies in private sector (Shields, 2007). Soon the corporation saw its deterioration and the government decided to privatize petro Canada. In 1991 the shares were sold in the open market while keeping 19% in the company. The shares price fell dramatically and the company suffered a drastic loss with many employees being laid off (Forster, 1993). In 2009, it was merged with Suncor and now it is owned by it while the brand is used nationwide. It has owned refineries in Quebec, Alberta and Montreal. Its major projects were White Rose, Hibernia and Terra Nova (IGI, 2011). It was 2006 when the company decided to enter in the mobile market and launched a prepaid service known as Petro Canada Mobility. In 2009, it decided to open fast food restaurants and provided the services of car wash with drive thru. Its offered services also include car repair service which is known as Certigard Car Repair. The Suncor ownership has surely brought a changed envir onment while entering in the open race of competition and brings the services to increase its customer market. Petro Canada has though been privatized yet it still symbolizes the Chinese president’s dream of all being independent (Greene, 2010). Petro-Canada For entry level positions Like any other company, the level of