Service Provisions for the Homeless in Britain

Service Provisions for the Homeless in Britain Social welfare, democracy and government Set out below is an evaluation of how social welfare, democracy, and government relates to the issue of service provision to avert or solve homelessness in Britain. There are, as will be examined, various causes for homelessness, and therefore differing levels of service provision to help the homeless in Britain. The post-war welfare state had supposed to have made homelessness an almost negligible problem, so social welfare, democracy and government carried on operating without thinking the issue was serious, even though services were available when needed. However, homelessness had never gone away and various factors outlined below explain how the issue became more important on the social welfare policy, democratic and governmental agendas, and service provision was in increasing demand. Whilst social welfare policies, democracy, and government may not directly cause homelessness, they can arguably have a great deal of influence over how it is tackled, and the level of services pro vided and who provides those services. Some cases of homelessness are easier to tackle or resolve than other cases, depending on the initial causes of homelessness. Social welfare, democracy, and government are factors that combine or act singularly to affect the levels of and the permanence of the service provisions to prevent homelessness and to those that are already homeless. Social welfare, democracy, and government hold the key to finding homes for the homeless, and providing the service provision to ensure people remain housed. The main foundation of social welfare policies in modern Britain was the welfare state as established during the Labour governments of 1945 to 1951, which was intended to make poverty, social exclusion, and homelessness disappear from British society. The welfare state legally defined which organisations are obliged to provide services, namely government departments, local authorities, and voluntary or non-governmental groups (Jones Lowe, 2002 p. 1). The rationale of the welfare state was inspired by the Beveridge Report and the Labour party’s own ideological outlook, which was to eradicate poverty and social exclusion to make Britain a fairer country. As part of its plans it gave local authorities the powers, and the funds to provide council housing on a greater scale than previously to every body that needed it (Lacy, 2006 p. 8). At the end of the Second World War the main cause of homelessness was actually the number of houses that had been destroyed by bombing during the war (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p.11). The government did its best to solve the housing shortage with a large construction programme of council houses. The provision of council houses was intended to provide people with affordable housing when they could not afford private rents or to buy their own houses, and it was the responsibility of all local authorities to provide council housing using money provided by the government (Moran, 2005 p. 14). The welfare state was intended to reduce poverty through the payment of unemployment benefit, supplementary benefit, rent rebates, and Family Allowance. These benefits were supposed to keep people above the bread line, to provide them with a minimum standard of living, and were primarily benefits or services provided by the Department of Social Security. However, it was hoped that government economic policy would reduce the need for people to claim benefits in the first place, or the need for services to keep them housed. Almost full employment, adequate levels of social security benefits, and the increased availability of council houses were significant factors in preventing homelessness, although service providers were always needed to ensure that people got help when they needed it (Jones Lowe, 2002 p. 189). Rent rebates and government attempts to control private sector rents were intended to keep families on low incomes in their homes. The main responsibility for controlling pri vate sector rents was the government’s whilst rent rebate was administered by local authorities on behalf of the government. The main public perceptions about the provision of services to the homeless until the late 1960s, was that social welfare measures such as social security benefits, rent rebates, and rent controls had seen the problem all but cease to exist. Although service provision by government departments, local authorities, and non-governmental organisations had continued to operate, and even expand (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 137). However for those people that knew more about the provision of services for the homeless, it was clear that social welfare policies had not been capable of completely resolving the problem. People that understood social welfare and housing policies also knew that homelessness was linked to inadequate housing and unemployment. Unemployment meant that some people fell behind with their rent or mortgage payments, eventually leading to their eviction or the re-possession of their homes. There were and are voluntary organisations such as Shelter, Crisis, and the Citizens Advice Bureaux which provided advice services to prevent people becoming homeless (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 pp. 28-9). The public perception that homelessness was no longer a meaningful or measurable social and economic problem was changed by the film ‘Cathy come home’ and the launch of a charity dedicated to solving the problem of homelessness and intent on influencing public opinion and government policies, Shelter. Unlike existing charities that helped homeless people such as the Salvation Army, Shelter only existed to tackle the issue of homelessness and it believed that being an active pressure group was the best way to alter or influence public opinion, as well as attempt to change social welfare policies. In other words Shelter wished to offer greater levels of service provision than government departments and local authorities did at that time. In the late 1960s the government had not changed its social welfare policies to have any extra detrimental affects on the problem of homelessness. Instead Shelter was demonstrating that in some individual cases that social welfare policies had proved incapable of preventing homelessness or keeping up with social, economic, and political changes. At this time government departments and local authorities were the predominant service providers for the homeless, or the potentially homeless (Coxall, Robbins, Leach, 2003 p. 381). The 1960s after all were a decade when social, economic, and political changes were starting to become apparent, these changes which had consequences for social welfare policies in general, and that had an impact on the service provision for the homeless. Social changes included it being easier to get divorced, a rise in the number of births outside marriage, a rise in the number of lone parents, increasing crime levels, and the growth of illegal drugs taking. All these social changes would change the ways families lived in Britain; the break down of family relationships has arguably had a greater impact on the problem of homelessness than any changes to social welfare and housing policies. That is although the consequences were unplanned and inadvertent, yet they had to be responded to by the providers of services to homeless people (Jones et al, 2004 p. 294). Shelter and Crisis, amongst others, have argued that social welfare policies are administered in ways that make it harder for government agencies and local authorities to help people that are already homeless, compared to helping people that are already housed. People that are homeless are often only able to claim lower rates of social security benefits, and also find it harder to gain employment or find somewhere permanent to live (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 70). Social welfare policies have been altered, most notably by the Conservative governments between 1979 and 1997 and by the New Labour governments since 1997. In terms of social welfare the Conservatives had wanted to reduce the size of the social security budget, as well as reducing the size of the public sector, the former being a task in which it failed (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p. 287). In fact, under the Conservatives the budget for social security expenditure actually increased due to the economic policies that was pursued l eading to high unemployment, and increased levels of service provision for the homeless. In contrast to the Conservatives, New Labour claimed that it would use social welfare policies to make service provision more responsive to their users actual needs, for example asking the homeless what they wanted from their service providers (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 pp 415-16). There are also ways in which democracy in Britain can be related to the problem of service provision for the homeless and the potentially homeless, and also related to the political, social, and economic factors that influence and affect levels of homelessness. In a liberal democracy such as Britain, the political, social, and economic policies used in relation to service provision such as towards homeless people can be shaped by the relative importance that the electorate, attach to each individual issue. In many respects the service provision for the homeless has not become one of the major electoral issues that can dominate political debates, and that can ultimately determine which political party wins or loses the next general election. Despite not being one of the main political issues, the provision of services for the homeless is certainly an issue that is on the political agenda in Britain, and it is an issue that will undoubtedly stay there. That the provision of services fo r the homeless remains upon the political agenda in Britain has to be attributed to the efforts of pressure groups or charities like Shelter, Crisis, and the Big Issue. Indeed the efforts of these groups have managed to maintain publicity about the problem of homelessness as well as providing some very useful services themselves. These groups believe that their publicity campaigns will not only influence public opinion, their publicity campaigns will hopefully influence social welfare and housing policies to make service provision effectively serve the needs of the homeless. However these organisations are also important service providers for homeless people, giving advice, advocacy services, training, and emergency accommodation. Some members of the electorate do not regard homelessness as being a separate issue from social welfare policy, as far as they are concerned the government should have the appropriate policies to provide services to the homeless. After all that is what peo ple pay their taxes for (Malin, Wilmot, Manthorpe, 2003 p. 51). Pressure groups or charities that publicly campaign for and in support of the homeless view the tackling of prejudices against the people that are homeless as an important part of their objectives of service provision for the homeless. Shelter and the Big Issue act as advocates for those people that are homeless as they are disenfranchised by virtue of not having a home address, and therefore being unable to register their names on to the electoral register. Without the advocacy and media contacts of such pressure groups and charities, the homeless would have very little influence upon democracy, as they cannot vote for or against any political party because of its policies and objectives in relation to the issue of homelessness. Political parties will not necessarily feel the need to adjust their social welfare and housing policies to help certain groups like the homeless, especially if these people are formally and legally unable to participate in the democratic electoral processes at all (Jones et al, 2004 p. 294). However political parties have not been able to ignore the problem of homelessness, even if they have attempted to resolve the issues surrounding homelessness with varying degrees of enthusiasms (Jones, 1999 p. 176). However, although the homeless may be disenfranchised that does not mean that the homeless do not contribute towards liberal democracy in Britain. The work of charities and pressure groups helps the homeless to voice their opinions in public, and those groups actively promote the interests of the homeless. Shelter and the Big Issue hope to sway public opinion, as well as influencing the incumbent government’s social welfare and housing policies to assist the homeless as much as possible. In a liberal democracy like Britain, public opinion can influence government policies as well as governments attempting to shape public opinion in order to gain electoral advantages or support. The way in which democracy operates mean that political parties, pressure groups, and the media compete with each other to shape public opinion. In return the public often regard some issues as being more important than other issues. For instance, the state of the National Health Service, education, law and order, besides the state of the economy are often the most important issues during general election campaigns. The responsibility for service provision for the homeless goes across government departments, and the measures needed have to compete for funding with other policy areas such as health, education, and defence. Political parties naturally adopt the policy stances that fit in with their ideological beliefs, yet maximise their chances of electoral success. Once governments are elected they have to decide who provides public services and the extent of the services that are provided (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 pp. 48-50). In Britain the government has an important part to play in dealing with the problem of homelessness, even if the government has not caused those problems in the first place. For the government to effectively manage and reduce the problem of homelessness it helps for the government to understand the various causes of people losing their homes (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p.70). The majority of causes for people being homeless are social or economic rather than political. The government can prevent some people from becoming homeless by adopting social welfare and housing policies. The majority of causes for people becoming homeless are social or economic, rather than political. The government can prevent some people becoming homeless by adopting social welfare and housing policies, although the government cannot prevent the social circumstances that potentially lead to homelessness. The government is not in a position to prevent the break up of family units that make men and young people pa rticularly vulnerable to becoming homelessness. Men actually are the group most likely to face homelessness in the wake of relationships breaking up. Women have a higher chance of keeping their homes when relationships end. Other s factors that contribute to the problem of homelessness are related to crime, or more specifically those people that serve prison sentences and then have nowhere to live after they have been released. People with drug addictions, alcoholics, and those with mental health problems all have an increased risk of becoming homeless during their lives. These people have been helped by groups like Shelter, Crisis, and the Big Issue that provide services to get their lives back on track (Jones et al, 2004, p. 294). Although governments in Britain may not be able to prevent the circumstances or factors that make people become homeless, governments are in a position to help people find homes to live in. Governments are the key decision makers when it comes down to deciding upon the s w and housing policies that are the main ways of preventing people from losing their homes. Government policies can make it easier, or alternatively make it harder for people to stay in their homes or find new accommodation when it is required. For instance, the Thatcher government’s decision to sell off council houses was very popular with existent council house tenants, one million of whom went on to buy their homes from their local authorities. The selling off of council houses might not have been so detrimental to efforts to keep people housed if the local authorities had been allowed to build replacement houses in the same quantity. Selling off council houses made it harder to find affordable accommodatio n to rent, whilst the local authorities had a declining number of homes to provide housing for those that wanted it (Moran, 2005, p.28). Even if such a high volume of council houses had not been sold off, new homes construction has lagged behind the demand for homes to rent or buy. In turn the shortage of houses to rent or buy continues to make rents and mortgages even higher and less affordable for many people. Both Conservative and New Labour have refused to intervene to lower house prices or rents to allow more people to find a home (Fisher, Denver, Benyon, 2003 p.291). However New Labour has launched a programme to increase both the actual capacity and the quality of hostels and temporary accommodation with a budget of  £90 million. That programme allows non-governmental organisations to improve the quality of the services that they provide to the homeless (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005 p. 8). However, it would be wrong to assume that British governments do nothing to prevent the problem of homelessness growing. The government has to decide which services are provided to the homeless. Local authorities or Registered Social Landlords are still responsible for housing many people and New Labour has been expanded the amount of new construction that can undertake (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 70). The main way in which the government helps to prevent the problem of homelessness increasing is through the social security system. Individuals and families in receipt of social security benefit or low income are generally entitled to housing benefit, which means that they have all or at least a high percentage of their rent paid for by the relevant local authority (Jones, 1999, p.176). Local authorities administer the housing benefit system and are then fully refunded by the government via the Department for Work and Pensions. Housing benefits pays out a great deal of money each year t o prevent people being evicted and subsequently homeless, it provides a service for millions of people (Jones, 1999, p. 176). Despite been means tested, housing benefit is still one of the biggest amounts of expenditure on the social security budget (Whitaker’s 2007 p. 450). For instance, in the financial year 2002 –03 the government spent over  £11 billion on housing benefit which, demonstrates the importance attached to preventing homelessness through the services provided by the Department of Work and Pensions in conjunction with local authorities (Department for Work and Pensions, 2003 p.32). Bibliography Coxall B, Robins L Leach R (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke Department for Work and Pensions, (2003) Departmental Report 2003, The Stationary Office, London Eatwell R Wright A, (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London Fisher J, Denver D, Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Longman, London Jones B, (1999) issues in British Politics Today, Manchester University Press, Manchester Jones B, Kavanagh D, Moran M, Norton P, (2004) Politics UK, 5th edition, Pearson Longman, London Jones M and Lowe R (2002) From Beveridge to Blair – The first fifty years of Britain’s Welfare State 1948-98, Manchester University Press Manchester and New York Lacey R, (2006) Great Tales from English History, the Battle of the Boyne to DNA, 1689 – 1953, Little Brown, London Malin N, Wilmot S, Manthorpe J, (2003) Key Concepts and Debates in Health and Social Policy, Open University Press Buckingham and Philadelphia Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2005) Sustainable Communities: settled homes; changing lives, Crown Copyright, London Moran M, (2005) Politic and Governance in the UK, Palgrave, Basingstoke Seldon A Kavanagh D, (2005) The Blair Effect 2001 – 5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Whitaker’s, (2007) Whitaker’s Almanack 2007 – today’s world in one volume, A C Black, London

The Quintessential Negative Utopia in George Orwells 1984 Essay

The Quintessential Negative Utopia in George Orwell's 1984 1984 is George Orwell's arguably his most famous novel, and it remains one of the most powerful warnings ever made against the dangers of a totalitarian society. George Orwell was primarily a political novelist as a result of his life experiences. In Spain, Germany, and Russia, Orwell had seen for himself the peril of absolute political authority in an age of advanced technology; he illustrated that peril harshly in 1984. Orwell's book could be considered the most acknowledged in the genre of the negative utopian novel. The mood of the novel aims to portray a pessimistic future. This prospect is to show the worst human society imaginable and to convince readers to avoid any path that might lead toward societal degradation. Orwell's world of post-atomic dictatorship, in which every individual is ceaselessly monitored through the telescreen seemed just possible enough to terrify. When Orwell postulated such a society it was only 35 years into the future that made the horror depicted by the novel seem more relevant and real. While the year 1984 has long since come and gone it is more than obvious that the world Orwell describes has not materialized. But the message of 1984 remains relevant enough to frighten, and accurate enough to feel possible. War is used as a device for political manipulation on television--a concept presented strikingly in the recent film Wag the Dog. The governmental forces have historical records rewritten to match the political ideology of the ruling Party. This is a technique has been used by the Soviet Union and is still all too common in some parts of the world. The warning remains significant: the world has not completely escaped from the dangers Orwell describes. The novel is based on the experiences of Winston Smith, an insignificant member of the ruling Party in London, in the nation of Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes, even his own home, he is watched through telescreens, and everywhere he looks he sees the face of the Party's omniscient leader, a figure known only as Big Brother. The Party controls everything from history to language. The Party is currently forcing the implementation of an invented language called Newspeak, which attempts to prevent political rebellion by eliminating all words related to it. Even thinking rebellious thoughts is illegal. Thoughtcri... ...r reading this novel. Big Brother is the figurehead of a government that has total control. The Big Brother regime uses propaganda and puts fear in its citizens to keep the general population in line. â€Å"Big Brother is watching you†(5) is just one example of many party slogans that puts fear in its citizens. Big Brother uses various ways to catch people guilty of bad thoughts And the term Big Brother is used though out other literature as well as other forms of media and communication. Lesson Ideas 1. The entire class would have to comply with the societal rules that Winston has to. By either having the class have a discussion on how to make everyone completely equal. If one person has glasses they all would have glasses. Etc. 2. Write a paper in Newspeak, or have a class conversation in Newspeak. 3. How would they feel if their entire life was predestined? What if the only was to survive was to conform. 4. What is freedom? What is this type of society born from? If a class of seniors is they involved with government or do they allow it to happen? 5. Might teach Civil disobedience along with this. At least a supplemental reading for a one-day discussion.

Benvenuto Cellini and the Importance of Individualism, Masculinity, Family and God Essay

Benvenuto Cellini and the Importance of Individualism, Masculinity, Family and God The Renaissance era, to this day, is thought to be the most influential period in human history as it brought about the rebirth of classical forms, interest in humanisms, and the concern for individualism. Renaissance, over many years, has been known as the idea of rebirth, expansion of culture and art, and individualism. There have been many Renaissance before but the most recognized was that of the Italian Renaissance. It led to the rebirth of art, architecture, Latin, religion, law which are just a few of many more. This era gave birth to the Humanist movement, which advocated the importance of individualism and human values. Most importantly, the Renaissance included some the most magnificent minds, which were polymaths and had immense skill and creativity. Over the years these great minds have come to be known as Renaissance men or women, people who are well educated and or excel in a wide variety of fields. Renaissance men like Michelangelo inspired all of Italy and Europe with his architectural designs and sculptures, the father of Humanism, Petrarch changed the concepts of scholastics, while Leonardo da Vinci left his fellow Italians in awe with his magnificent artistic and engineering skills. All of these men advocate the idea of secular ideas, freedom of thinking and individualism. It was during this substantial growth in the arts, sciences and religion that Benvenuto Cellini, one of the greatest Italian Renaissance Man, was born. Benvenuto Cellini was born in Florence on 3rd November 1500 and was professionally an Italian goldsmith, musician, sculptor, soldier and painter. This background of the Renaissance from the fourteenth and fifteenth century and the intellectual and artistic ideas of the sixteenth century are what shaped Benvenuto Cellini and his life to come, and then ultimately led him to write undoubtedly the most famous autobiography and the most important biography from the Italian Renaissance Era. Cellini started writing his autobiography at the age 58, in the year 1558, as he believed that he had lived a significant portion of his life and that he should write so people could learn of his great battles and achievements throughout his lifetime. Cellini mentions, â€Å"All men of whatsoever quality they be, who have done anything of excellence, or which may properly resemble excellence, ought, if they are persons of truth and honesty, to describe their life with their own hand; but they out not to attempt so fine an enterprise till they have passed the age of forty† (section 2, page 4). Although Benvenuto thinks of himself as an uneducated man, his beautifully written sonnets and carefully orchestrated work, says otherwise. Unlike many works of his time, the â€Å"Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini possesses both a historical and cultural significance. Benvenuto Cellini was the son of Maestro Giovanni Cellini and Madonna Elisabetta, who were both Florentine citizens. This fact, with others, act as a driving force in his love for Florence and why he decided to start writing his autobiography when he came back to Florence after several years traveling around Rome, France and many other cities. The reader can obvious conclude that this document can be of great importance in the study of Italian life during the Renaissance, but the tone with which Cellini wrote, remarkably relates to the movements that took place during the latter years of the Renaissance. Benvenuto unquestionably shows fondness toward individualism, humanism and self-development, two of which movements were common around the sixteen century. The term Autobiography is defined as study of oneself, and is obviously an ideal example of individualism. Cellini’s Autobiography surpasses that of his time, autobiographies during the sixteenth century exhibited a narrative of the works of the author. While Cellini expresses a detailed chronicle of his life, the triumphs he faced, the deepest secrets and his feelings towards his actions. No one from his time was able to document a masterpiece like such. Benvenuto shows the importance of individualism, masculinity, family, and God through this detailed account of his life. This style of writing was rare during the sixteenth century as Benvenuto opened his soul put it on a document, everything that he loved or hated, his legal or illegal actions, his friends and enemies. Benvenuto, like many others during the Renaissance era, was a true believer of God and that whatever good happened to him was due to the gift of God. He talks about the great lineage of his family and that he was born into a family with honorable men and states that God is very pleased that he should be born so that he could sustain this great foundation his ancestors laid down. One can see here that he exhibits everything that is of great importance to him. Family, as he talks about the honorable foundation of his family, individualism and masculinity is shown when he boasts about have great qualities to hold the foundation, and finally God, which he believes that it pleased God that he, was born. Even though Benvenuto believes that he is a true Christian, his actions are a long way from Christian, they prove otherwise. People during the renaissance were seen to have very unclear value and moral during to different renaissance movement. This effect is seen with some of Benvenuto’s decisions and actions throughout his autobiography. More than half of his conflicts and stories were handled immorally, for instance Benvenuto kills a person he dislikes without even thinking of the consequences or him fathering some illegitimate children. One can see from his tone that Benvenuto does not realize that he has committed a sin according to Christianity. He recognizes that there is a God and cherishes the religious ceremonies but does not live by it when it comes to morality. Here we can see that the idea of individualism and masculinity is of more importance to him. On one occasion Benvenuto he had to pay bail for an argument he had with his competitors. So, he reached out to his cousin for bail money, but the cousin refuses. To many people this does not seem like a big reason to be angered but Benvenuto’s anger causes him to kill around half a dozen of his enemies. Clearly, Christian morals were not thought about when Benvenuto decides to murder those men. Another important Renaissance aspect that was exemplified by Benvenuto in his autobiography was individualism. Individualism is defined by Webster’s as a theory maintaining the political and economic independence of the individual while stressing individual initiative, action, and interests. However, in context of Benvenuto’s work, individualism has a much deeper significance. He describes that his father began to breed him in many trades and hobbies especially music. The idea of individualism is greatly displayed here because even though his father wanted him to be interested in music and playing the flute, he followed his own interest and learned to become a skilled goldsmith. Today this type of action is very common, but as historians know, the profession on men in renaissance Italy depended on the profession of their father or family. The fact that Benvenuto thought was becoming a goldsmith shows that some of the renaissance movements had an affect on Benvenuto’s decisions. Although you also see here, the importance of family, Benvenuto decides to play the flute at times just to please his father, even though he hates playing a musical instrument. This family influence plays an important role in making Benvenuto part of the great list of Renaissance men, a good musician, magnificent goldsmith and many others. At a very young age, he mastered the skill of time management and gave up immature activities. This level of discipline was obviously very crucial because it would stick with him for the rest of his life also for the same reason make him one of the most famous figures in the Italian Renaissance Era. Boasting about oneself was not very common among autobiographies during the time of the Renaissance, which is what makes Benvenuto’s autobiography such a unique and important one. As mentioned earlier about his conflicts, Benvenuto loved to show his masculinity when he wrote about his conquests and his time as a soldier. Normally, the first time any person kills another human being, they do not brag about it but Benvenuto seems not affected by it and boast about how masculine it was. He describes in detail, â€Å"I found them at table; and Gherardo, who had been the cause of the quarrel, flung himself upon me. I stabbed him in the breast, piercing doublet and jerkin through and through to the shirt, without however grazing his flesh or doing him the least harm in the world. When I felt my hand go in, and heard the clothes tear, I thought that I had killed him; and seeing him fall terror-struck to earth, I cried: Traitors, this day is the day on which I mean to murder you all. Father, mother and sisters, thinking the last day had come, threw themselves upon their knees, screaming out for mercy with all their might; but I perceiving that they offered no resistance, and that he was stretch for dead upon the ground, thought it too base a thing to touch them†¦ When I got among them, raging like a mad bull, I flung four or five to the earth, and fell down with them myself, continually aiming my dagger now at one and now at another† (Section 17) Obviously, this detailed episode was meant to show the readers that he was the bravest man in Italy and that no one can bring him down. His masculinity was not all bad because it had a major contribution to his goldsmith profession. When he first got into a fight in Florence along side with is brother, he mentions that even though they were throwing stones at him, he never left his brothers side. He also mentions that the soldiers that rescued them praised and wondered how a young boy had such a valor. But this played to his advantage because due to this fight, he was banished to Siena for six months, during which he took up the goldsmith’s business and mastered his skill. Lastly, he mentions that when someone killed his brother, Benvenuto, in response to this, in an act of revenge, murdered his brother’s killer. After which he fled to Rome. This was the purest form of masculinity because it has to do with power, both physical and mental. Benvenuto embodied his masculinity by over powering his brother’s killer and taking revenge, really showing that he was a man. Lastly, importance of family and heritage was very common during the Renaissance Era, which meant family always came first. Benvenuto shows a great attachment to his family and was proud of his heritage as he says that his ancestors were men of valor. All throughout the autobiography he mentions his father and you can see that he always seeks for his fathers approval. As we know Giovanni Cellini was a musician and also made his own instruments, he wanted Benvenuto to follow in his footsteps but Benvenuto had no interest. Nevertheless you see on several occasions that Benvenuto plays the flute just to please his father. Giovanni Cellini’s influence is greatly seen in Benvenuto’s life, as he is partly responsible for why Benvenuto chose to become a goldsmith. He mentions in section seven that Giovanni posses a simple vein of poetry, instilled in him by nature, together with a certain touch of prophecy, through which he wrote these four verses under the arms of the Medici crest: These arms, which have so long from sight been laid Beneath the holy cross, that symbol meek, Now lift their glorious glad face, and seek With Peteris sacred cloak to be arrayed. This beautifully written verse inspired Pope Leo X to the extent that Giovanni was invited to Rome to take his place in the palace. Seeing the great influence this one inscription had on the Pope, Benvenuto commenced goldsmith in Rome. The earning he made from this business were also sent to his father because he was always worried about him. Clearly you can see that family was of great importance to him. Benvenuto Cellini’s life story is only one example of the Italian Renaissance Era. Observing all the events that took place in his life, we can now conclude how the Italian Renaissance affected individuals during that time period. But more importantly, the ramifications of the Italian Renaissance can still be seen in today’s modern world. Freedom and individuality is what American was built on and I conclude that many historical events played a role in world freedom, with specific significance on the Italian Renaissance Era. It is significant because it changed the thought process of people. Going back to Cellini and his self-development in terms of multi-mastery in a variety of tasks, art, music, sculpting, goldsmith, etc; now, imagine that every person during that time was improving himself or herself. When a movement like the Renaissance affects a mass population, the influence of it can be sustained and passed on from generation to generation for years. With his autobiography, Benvenuto shows the mastery of narrative and cleverly recites his life story as if the reader was listening to the great Benvenuto Cellini tell us about the great tales of his life. The successful way of incorporating his personality into his saga makes this autobiography a work of art. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Source Cellini, Benvenuto. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini. London: Penguin, 1998. Secondary Source Cellini, in Italian Renaissance Reader, 343.

Seguro médico de viaje internacional para EE.UU.

Seguro mà ©dico de viaje internacional para EE.UU. Los turistas extranjeros no estn obligados por ley a comprar seguro mà ©dico internacional para viajar a Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, carecer de cobertura mà ©dica en ese paà ­s puede causar consecuencias econà ³micas y migratorias muy graves. Puntos Clave: seguro mà ©dico de viaje para EE.UU. Costo medio visita a Emergencias: $2.168 dà ³lares americanosCosto seguro mà ©dico de viaje: a partir de $1.50Cà ³mo elegir el mejor seguro: Travel Insurance Center, SquaremouthProblemas migratorios: Cancelacià ³n de visa de turista o ESTA. Problema cada vez ms frecuente. Costo de gastos mà ©dicos en EE.UU. No cabe duda de que en Estados Unidos hay mà ©dicos y hospitales que son los mejores en su especialidad a nivel mundial como, por ejemplo, en el tratamiento de cncer. Pero tambià ©n es la sanidad ms cara del mundo. Segà ºn datos del National Institute for Health, el costo promedio de una factura por asistencia mà ©dica en Urgencias de un hospital (ER, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), es de $2.168. Adems, hay que tener en cuenta que el costo puede variar enormemente no sà ³lo segà ºn la naturaleza del problema de salud, sino que tambià ©n depende del tratamiento, de los anlisis practicados y del lugar en el que se reciben los cuidados mà ©dicos. Por ejemplo y segà ºn datos de International Insurance Travel Group, los gastos facturados pueden ser los siguientes: Dolor de cabeza: de $15 a $17.797Infeccià ³n de orina: de $50 a $73.002Piedra en rià ±Ãƒ ³n: de $128 a $39.408Consulta mà ©dica tà ­pica: de $150 a $200Anlisis de sangre: pueden llegar a costar $1.200 Recientemente varios medios de comunicacià ³n se han hecho eco de dos casos en los que una mujer recibià ³ una factura de $2.229.11 por tres puntos de sutura y un hombre de ms de $3.500 por cinco puntos, a pesar de que el costo promedio est entre $150 y $350. En esas cifras queda claro que los costes son altà ­simos y que dependen en gran medida del lugar dà ³nde se recibe el cuidado mà ©dico. El problema es tan grande que, de hecho, los costos mà ©dicos son la principal causa de bancarrota familiar en el paà ­s ya que tan solo en 2016 se solicitaron 770.846 segà ºn el National Bankkrupcy Forum. Los turistas internacionales visitando los Estados Unidos deberà ­an comprar un seguro mà ©dico antes de salir de sus paà ­ses para evitar tener que pagar ese tipo de gastos mà ©dicos por problemas que puedan surgir durante la visita.  ¿Cul es el mejor seguro mà ©dico de viaje para EE.UU. y quà © est excluido? Un buen nà ºmero de aseguradoras que venden seguros de viaje internacionales excluyen a Estados Unidos de sus pà ³lizas por el alto costo de los servicios mà ©dicos en este paà ­s. Por ello es fundamental asegurarse de que el seguro que se quiere cubre Estados Unidos. Adems, es altamente recomendable preguntar cun grande es la red de mà ©dicos y hospitales en el paà ­s de la aseguradora, si est incluido un servicio de traduccià ³n si no se habla inglà ©s y tambià ©n de evacuacià ³n mà ©dica, ambulancia y repatriacià ³n. Una vez que esos puntos se han clarificado, lo que es el mejor seguro depende de las necesidades de la persona que lo contrata, de su salud e incluso de su edad. Tambià ©n de si prefiere pagar una cantidad alta y no hacer co-pagos o prefiere abonar una pequeà ±a y, si hay un accidente o enfermedad, realizar un pago junto con el seguro. Cabe destacar que en la mayorà ­a de los seguros para turistas que viajan a EE.UU. estn excluidos todas ls enfermedades y condiciones pre-existentes entre los que se encuentran la diabetes, el cncer, problemas de corazà ³n, etc. Adems, con carcter general no estn incluidos en estas pà ³lizas los gastos ocasionados por un embarazo, el parto, consultas genà ©ricas de cualquier clase, vacunas, exmenes oculares o dentales y procedimientos cosmà ©ticos.  ¿Cà ³mo comprar un seguro mà ©dico de viaje para EE.UU? Se puede comprar cualquier seguro mà ©dico internacional que expresamente incluya Estados Unidos. A la hora de comprar es recomendable consultar con precios y condiciones de varias aseguradoras. Adems, el seguro mà ©dico de viaje se puede comprar online en la pgina web de Travel Insurance Center, que est afiliada con USA Tourist.com y ofrece una gran variedad de seguros. Tambià ©n es recomendable verificar con Squaremouth y comparar entre cientos de seguros para ver cul es el ms conveniente para cada caso. Tanto Travel Insurance Center como Squaremouth estn recomendadas por embajadas y consulados americanos.  ¿Cul es el costo de un seguro mà ©dico de viaje para EE.UU.? Hay una gran variedad de precios dependiendo de, entre otras cosas, quà © cantidad de cobertura mà ©dica se compra. Es prctica frecuente asegurar entre $50.000 y $100.000 para viajes inferiores a tres meses y de $100,000 a $500,000 para estancias previstas superiores a un trimestre. Obviamente, se puede asegurar ms cantidad o, incluso, sin tope mximo. Adems de la cantidad asegurada influye en el precio del seguro mà ©dico el tipo de beneficios que se incluye y quà © se excluye, si hay co-pago cada vez que se utiliza el seguro, si hay deducible y la cantidad de à ©ste. El deducible –deductible en inglà ©s – es la cantidad de dinero que el asegurado debe pagar por un gasto mà ©dico cubierto por la pà ³liza antes de que empiece a pagar el seguro. Por ejemplo, si hay un deducible de $2.000 eso quiere decir que el asegurado debe gastar esa cantidad en recibir servicios y cuidados mà ©dicos antes de que el seguro comience a pagar. El deducible es diferente al costo del seguro, que se conoce en inglà ©s como premium, y debe pagarse en el momento en que se contrata el seguro. Teniendo en cuenta todo lo dicho en los prrafos anteriores, el seguro mà ©dico puede costar entre $1.50 por dà ­a a ms de $10 por dà ­a, dependiendo de lo que se asegure. Es muy recomendable guardar facturas siempre si se acude a un mà ©dico o a un hospital. Adems, en el caso de las medicinas la mayorà ­a de las aseguradoras siguen la polà ­tica de que el turista debe pagar por ellas y ms tarde le regresa el gasto, pero debe recibir factura que le debe enviar el asegurado.  ¿Dà ³nde recibir tratamiento mà ©dico barato en EE.UU.? Los tratamientos mà ©dicos en Estados Unidos pueden ser muy caros aà ºn estando asegurados porque, por lo general, la mayorà ­a de los asegurados deben pagar parte de la consulta o procedimiento. Por esta razà ³n es muy comà ºn que, salvo casos de emergencia, se acuda a centros econà ³micos y nunca a Salas de Emergencia de hospitales para asuntos como dolor de garganta, resfriados, infeccià ³n de orina, dolores de cabeza, etc. En Estados Unidos prestan estos servicios un abanico de centros, entre los que destacan las Clà ­nicas de Salud Comunitarias, las Clà ­nicas de Cuidado Urgente y las clà ­nicas Walk-in. Se puede consultar sus ubicaciones y cul es la ms cercana en la pgina de la Asociacià ³n Nacional de Clà ­nicas Gratuitas y Caritativas (National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, en inglà ©s. Por à ºltimo, cabe destacar que en cadenas como CVS, Walgreens o Walmart es habitual que brinden un servicio para rutinas mà ©dicas a cargo de enfermeros y asistentes mà ©dicos.  ¿Por quà © cuando un turista no paga una factura mà ©dica puede tener consecuencias graves? Los turistas, tanto los que viajan con visa como los que pueden hacerlo con ESTA, pueden sufrir la revocacià ³n de esos documentos y la prohibicià ³n de ingresar a Estados Unidos por no pagar un gasto mà ©dico. La razà ³n est en la Ley de Tratamiento Mà ©dico de Emergencia (EMTALA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) que dice que los hospitales y mà ©dicos tienen la obligacià ³n de atender las emergencias de todas las personas que lo necesiten. Emergencia en EE.UU. significa, entre otras cosas, que no se haya ingresado al paà ­s para recibir ese tipo de tratamiento y que de no recibir el cuidado mà ©dico urgente la persona enferma o accidentada puede morir o sufrir un fallo de un à ³rgano o parte de su cuerpo. Adems, para ser emergencia el problema debe haber surgido de repente, es decir, no puede ser el resultado de una condicià ³n previa debilitante. Como ejemplos de emergencias pueden citarse los partos, la amputacià ³n de una pierna o brazo, un ataque de apendicitis, etc. En estos casos de emergencia que el hospital debe atender si el enfermo o accidentado no paga o/y no tiene seguro mà ©dico el que acaba pagando es Medicaid, que est financiado con dinero de impuestos de los estadounidenses a travà ©s de aportaciones de los estados y de dinero del gobierno federal. Precisamente esto à ºltimo es lo que puede causar problemas migratorios de anulacià ³n de visa o ESTA y de no poder conseguir visas inmigrantes o no inmigrantes a partir de ese momento porque se puede considerar a la persona que no pagà ³ como una carga pà ºblica y, por lo tanto, inadmisible para ingresar a EE.UU. Puede tomar esa decisià ³n un agente consular o cualquier miembro de la CBP (Patrulla Pronteriza). Asà ­, puede darse casos como, por ejemplo, que una seà ±ora dà © a luz en EE.UU. como turista y a partir de ese dà ­a ingrese al paà ­s en varias ocasiones sin ningà ºn tipo de problema. Y de repente un dà ­a en el puesto de control migratorio se le niegue la entrada al paà ­s y se le revoque la visa o la ESTA por decisià ³n de la persona encargada en ese momento de checar los papeles. En la actualidad, à ©ste es un problema cada vez ms frecuente que afecta a unas personas pero no a todos, ya que depende de la decisià ³n personal de agente de la CBP o del consulado. En estos momentos no es posible saber con certeza ni quià ©n se va a quedar sin visa por esta causa ni cundo pero sà ­ que es una situacià ³n cada vez ms comà ºn. La CBP no ha notificado pà ºblicamente cà ³mo se entera de que una persona no pagà ³ una emergencia mà ©dica pero en algà ºn momento durante la emergencia mà ©dica se obtiene el pasaporte del turista, se escanea y se envà ­a a las autoridades en todos los controles migratorios en las aduanas. Adems, en el caso de haber dado a luz a un nià ±o en EE.UU. los datos de ambos padres se obtienen fcilmente al solicitar el pasaporte estadounidense para el menor. Cada vez son ms frecuentes los casos en los que en ese momento se anula las visas de los dos progenitores. Adems, destacar que à ©stos no tienen derechos migratorios mientras el hijo es menor de 21 aà ±os. Por à ºltimo, cabe destacar que ningà ºn hospital o mà ©dico atiende a turistas sin seguro o sin pago previo exceptuando ese caso de emergencia explicado en los prrafos anteriores por lo que es altamente recomendable comprar un seguro mà ©dico de viaje antes de ingresar a EE.UU. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es consejo legal para ningà ºn caso en particular.

Compare and Contrast The Grauballe Man Essays

Compare and Contrast The Grauballe Man Essays Compare and Contrast The Grauballe Man Paper Compare and Contrast The Grauballe Man Paper Both poems are inspired by Heaneys fascination with bog people age-old corpses preserved naturally by bogs. The Grauballe man concerns a photograph of a bog man found by Heaney. Heaney creates a vivid connection between the bog and man throughout the poem. As we see in the first stanza, the man lies on a pillow of turf and seems to weep the black river of himself. The man and bog seem to be one with the black river of himself. They appear linked and connected. The atmosphere seems calm and tranquil. The man, although brutally murdered, seems somewhat relaxed and peaceful; he lies on a pillow of turf. The idea of connection between bog and man continues as Heaney writes, the grain of his wrists is like bog oak. Heaney seems to suggest that he has been there so long, they have almost merged together to become one being. Over time, the man has gradually become part of the bog; they have a mutual relationship. This theme continues as the mans instep is described as being like a wet swamp root. The man has gradually become at one with his surroundings, to the point that he and the swamp have effectively fused into one being. Throughout the first four stanzas, Heaney picks the man apart, comparing his various body parts to different elements of the swamp, namely in stanza four his hips are the ridge and purse of a mussel, his spine an eel arrested under the glisten of mud. This is done to the point that the man seems less human and more like an object, as you would view any other part of the bog. Furthermore, it seems to Heaney he appears to be an object of beauty. He describes him intensely, like a natural wonder. The persona seems fascinated by the body. The first four stanzas act as a significant contrast to the opening description of Punishment. There is no sense of the beauty or delicacy that we find in The Grauballe man. Heaney violently begins with I can feel the tug of the halter at the nape of her neck. This discomforting beginning immediately creates a dark mood. Whilst in The Grauballe man you are merely observing a body, here you are immediately being forced to connect and identify with it. It is much more personal. The raw description continues with the wind of her naked front. The body seems exposed and undignified, in a different way to the Grauballe man, like an object. The Grauballe man is described to be a thing of beauty, whilst the body in punishment seems discarded and degraded. This idea continues as we see she has a shaved head like a black stubble of corn. We can see she has been ritually disgraced and removed of her dignity. Heaney describes her drowned body and the weighing stone that drowned her. Thus is unlike the Grauballe man, who, although we find has also been murdered, seems relaxed and peaceful. The descriptive language used in the first half of each poem is also very different. Punishment uses short, abrasive sounding words such as tug and nape. Heaney uses small amounts of vowels, packing words full of consonants, such as rigging. The verbs used are forceful and aggressive such as, tug, shake and drowned. This all amounts to create a feeling of tension, aggression and unease. The language used in the first half of The Grauballe Man is very dissimilar. Heaney uses longer, smoother sounding words. He employs long vowel sounds in words such as poured and grain, creating a much more relaxed mood. This relaxed mood, however, is abruptly broken as Heaney unexpectedly uses the phrase slashed throat. It is a stark contrast to the language we have heard up to this point. So far, the language used has been smooth and gentle, opposite to the harsh, coarse sounding slashed throat. It completely breaks the atmosphere of the poem. The harsh sounds emphasise the brutality of the wound. This continues with tanned and toughened. Yet this is only a brief lapse in mood, as the poem reverts to its previous state. The language is again calm. Heaney manages to find beauty in even the most brutal element of the man with the cured wound opens inwards to a dark elderberry place. He sees rich, deep colour in the savage wound. Both poems experience similar changes in focus half way through. The focus changes from just description to thought and consideration of the described. In Punishment, we begin to sense a feeling of guilt coming from Heaney as he first describes the woman as little adulteress. From here, the poem takes on a different level. A similar transition occurs in The Grauballe Man, as Heaney begins to question the reader with Who will say corpse to his vivid cast? Who will say body to his opaque repose? Heaney views the man as more than just a corpse or body, he mocks such defamatory notions. He sees the man as much more. Furthermore, Heaney goes on to compare the man to a foetus and baby. He is comparing an age-old corpse, which we would usually never associate with any form of life, with possibly the clearest expression of life, a baby or foetus. Heaney describes the profound effect the image of the man has on him, perfected in my memory, down to the most specific detail, the red horn of his nails. In Punishment, we see the persona begins to feel guilt as he looks as the body. Heaney describes the tar-black face of the body and addresses her as poor scapegoat. We see now she was killed for committing adultery, the tarring and feathering a common social humiliation for committing such a crime. Heaney goes on to say I almost love you, but would have cast, I know, the stones of silence. This is the beginning of his apparent admission of guilt. It is from this point that Heaney begins to relate the poem to modern day Ireland. Heaney describes himself as the artful voyeur, partly responsible for her situation, as he goes on to say I who have stood dumb when your betraying sisters, cauled in tar, wept by the railings. He is referring to the common humiliation of catholic girls in the period of the Irish Troubles, who would be publicly tarred and feathered if found to be corresponding or romancing with protestants or British soldiers. Heaney is saying he has seen such incidents occur and stood dumb, letting it happen. Heaney describes himself to connive in civilized outrage, yet understand the exact and tribal, intimate revenge. Although he would appear to be outraged, he says he understands the tribal revenge. The use of the word tribal is also very significant; as there were tribes hundreds of years ago at the time of the dead girl, there are now Catholics and Protestants. He is consumed by guilt at the sight of the brutalised corpse, as he sees he is no better than those who killed the girl. In much the same way, Heaney also relates The Grauballe Man to modern day Ireland. As we see with hung in the scales with the dying Gaul with the actual weight of each hooded victim slashed and dumped he compare death of a warrior Gaul with the futile, anonymous deaths of present day sectarian victims. Both poems follow this format, ending by relating the bodies to modern day Ireland. Both poems are concerned with the cyclical nature of humanity. Heaney aims to show that although societies change and we develop fraudulent notions of how civilized we are, we remain intrinsically the same. We are always capable of committing the most horrific acts of brutality. He is trying to tell us that there will always be fighting tribes and they with never differ hugely. Images from two thousand years ago match perfectly with the headlines of Ireland in the period of the Troubles.

Marketing Project Essay Example

Marketing Project Essay Example Marketing Project Essay Marketing Project Essay Executive Summary Wentworth Industrial Cleaning Supplies is an organization whose potential is currently clouded by their lack of competitive strategy. Through analysis of their current situation, several key issues were identified: * Market Research is ineffective and unimplemented * Product line ignores majority of market * Roles of key personnel are illogical and inefficient * Relations with distributors are hostile and unsustainable * Profits and growth is stagnant in an advancing industry * Communication mechanism is fragmented After evaluation of the alternative courses WICS has for consideration, recommendations to address and rectify each issue were chosen. Through assigning specific tasks to the marketing department and enabling a communication mechanism along the personnel chain, objectives and opportunities can be shared. By making strategic role changes to the territorial and area managers, redundancies can be eliminated and the goal of developing and maintaining a unified network can be achieved. Through the addition of a big-tickets sales team and the outsourcing of economy chemical for use in private labels, WICS can gain a larger market share and sustain increased profits for years to come. In combination, these actions provide the basis for the development of a large-scale, well-branded organization with responsiveness to growth and opportunities in the market. Issues with Current Operations Market Research WICS lacks the marketing insight to target clients appropriately. As a solely premium brand, market research is crucial to customer perception and increasing the 40% share of customers willing to pay premium prices for WICS products. Moreover, new lines or line extensions are difficult to launch when there is no market research. In an evidently growing industry, the inability to provide an appealing value proposition to 60% of the customers has caused WICS to halt sales growth and struggle to keep its current market share. Furthermore, the justified frustrations of the area managers cannot be resolved until WICS is able to give them appropriate job descriptions and requirements contingent on the nature and changing behaviour the industry derived from market research. Product Line â€Å"Only 8 percent of customers describe their experience as superior, yet 80 prevent of companies believe the experience they provide is indeed superior† Roger J. Best Current Segments Opportunity for Growth Distributors claim â€Å"WICS products are basically no better than anyone else. This is a dangerous mentality when they are currently responsible for actively promoting and marketing WICS products. Their products, priced in the premium category, are reliant on promotion to build a strong perceived value. Furthermore, only 40% of consumers are willing to pay premium prices, leaving 60% of end users uninterested in WICS. This presents a unique marketing challenge for WICS- the need to expand to reach a greater s hare of the market while upholding their image as a premium manufacturer. Role Distribution For managers, a lack of job autonomy creates a feeling of resentment towards superiors and inhibits productivity. (Quote OB Book). Furthermore, the current incentive program stresses disproportionate selling techniques by placing heavy emphasis on hunting at the expense of neglecting farming attained accounts. This focus on hunting new accounts has resulted in acquiring unprofitable accounts that do not allocate a sufficient amount of their total purchases to WICS products. It is expensive and frustrating for distributors to maintain these clients, and they ultimately add little value to the corporation. Finally, the allocation of area manager duties (exhibit 6) results in low productivity by emphasizing ineffective selling techniques and needlessly excessive time spent on demonstrations Communication Discrepancies Internal communication is crucial for any functioning business competing in any industry. The marketing vice president de-motivates his staff members by projecting low confidence in their abilities and using threatening tactics to scare employees into scrambling to do their work for the sake of maintaining their jobs (OB BOOK). Moreover, SSDs feel neglected in the sense that they lack direct communication to management level WICS employees and/or the ability to relay their concerns/recommendations via area managers. Distributor Relations The perceived subjection to â€Å"pressure tactics† and the lack of belief in WICS products amongst distributors is an ongoing promotional issue that must be immediately addressed. As well, the combination of WICS current high minimum buy-ins and lack of communication between SSDs and management level WICS staff has yielded an environment retardant to growth for WICS products. WICS’ refusal to grow geographically with its respective SSDs is limiting both to SSD relations and company growth. Requiring SSDs to beta test WICS products is detrimental to both WICS brand image and once again, SSD relations. Because the products currently require timely demonstrations, high sales costs for SSDs have occurred. Recommendations Additional Duties for Territorial Managers The territory managers will be responsible for hunting new distributor clients that would work with WICS and assigning them to an area manager. The territory manager will allocate the new distributor to a manager in accordance with the ratio that we have in place: 1 Territory Manager: Area Managers – 4:1 Area Manager: SSD’s 2-4:1, based on size of SSD 1 Territory Managers: Area Manager – 4:1 4 2-4 Teea Manager – 4:1 Maintaining this ratio will allow territory managers to operate more effectively. Reallocation of Area Managers’ Duties Currently, the Area Managers’ roles and expectations are outdated and ineffective. Their duties need to be reallocated to give more autonomy to the Area Managers when hunting new clients. In this way, they can use their discretion when choosing which methods they prefer to use with their clients, based on their skills and what they feel is most effective. We propose they no longer push the demonstrations onto the SSDs, and instead offer sample Kits that the SSDs would give out to customers to sample the product before making their buying decision. Consequently, the Area Manager will cut this time in half and instead give information sessions for SSD staff about the DIY Sample Kits, negotiate lowering margins, and implement new products. Another 20% of the Area Managers’ time will be spent on the relationship with the SSD’s. Creating and Motivating Personnel Network WICS’ distributor network will be more interactive, fostering communication amongst all three key players- SSD’s, Territorial and Area managers. The Area managers will visit distributors on a weekly basis to receive feedback, address concerns, and discuss routine business logistics. In addition, distributors will receive a bi-monthly visit from their allocated territory manager, who will ensure that any feedback on the effectiveness of the area manager is heard and acted upon. Similarly, there will be weekly communication between territory managers and area managers. This will allow any corporate objectives to be reached, and to share ideas on tactics for reaching sales goal. The evaluation of the SSD’s roles will be done by area managers, with autonomy to create and execute incentive programs within a given budget. Although area managers will have the ability to identify the measurement tactics and rewards for managers, the general incentive drivers will be determined based on sales goals by the marketing department and manager. This will allow the company to emphasize sales of particular products, balance goals for growth with those of customer maintenance, and deliver a customizable incentive program to distributors that will ensure a strong partnership. For Area Managers, incentive programs will be designed and measured by Territorial managers. In a similar fashion to the distributor incentive structure, this method will allow WICS to balance their need for resonant, customized rewards with their efforts to align progress with corporate objectives. Drivers for measuring area manager success may include looking at feedback from SSD’s to evaluate communication and negotiation skills, looking at results in efforts to attract new customers, and evaluating their ability to foster an effective and profitable network through working with their subordinates and superiors on the WICS personnel chain. As area managers are a key link between WICS management and their front-line sales force, it will be essential to harness the competitive nature of the individuals working as area managers through recognition and reward. As a result, winners of incentives and titles will be well-publicized with the corporation, and the objectives by which measurement and designation of winners are achieved will be constantly re-evaluated to ensure that it is meaningful. Providing Raw Materials for Private Labels Only 40% of end users are willing to pay premium prices leaving the majority of customers within the janitorial cleaning supplies industry unaddressed by WICS. In order to maintain active growth, WICS needs to address the unserved 60% of the market. There are two typical ways to approach this problem ) create economy product lines 2) create a flanker brand The first solution not only poses the problem of diluting WICS premium brand image, but also presents the problem of cannibalization. The second approach, although separating WICS from the name of its economy brand, still faces strong opposition as SSDs will be hesitant to hold products that are directly competitive with their private labels. A more innovat ive and successful approach is to being providing SSDs with competitive incentives to sign over their private label outsourcing to WICS. In doing so, WICS will promise to match or provide SSDs a lower price for the raw core materials required to create their private labels. WICS will not pursue/take over any private label outsourcing activities if the prospects prove to be unprofitable, however it will strive to reap economies of scale in the production their raw chemicals, and to strengthen their vested interest in the market segments by sharing in the growth and profitability of the economy lines of the distributors. Hunting and Farming Tactics for Market Share Development WICS will be most successful in its business development efforts if it targets customers using the most successful tactics. For new, high-end customers willing to pay premium prices, tactics such as spotters, use of personal network, research and cold-calling can be used. This will allow WICS to identify potential large-contract clients and either reach out to them via connections or cold-call and pitch their value proposition. Examples of events in which WICS can capitalize on the need for industrial cleaning products include: * Sporting Events- 1992-1996 is the most concentrated time in history for the Olympic games- with two games in 1992, and two more in 1994 and 1996, WICS has the opportunity to capture huge contracts and expand into other sporting event clients * Airlines- in 1992 alone, 86 new airlines were launched. WICS should aim to approach start-up companies in travel and high-growth tech segments for potential contracts * Malls- with Mall of America opening in 1992, WICS should capitalize on the opportunity to develop a sales pitch aligned specifically with the needs of retail malls. Through the sale of chemicals to distributors private labels, Wentworth now holds a vested interest in 100% of the industry. As a result, they have the opportunity to pair with SSDs to farm current customers and pitch a full-package contract in which the SSD private line and WICS products cover all the needs of the client. Special Sales Force Big Ticket Clients With the aforementioned large-scale contract opportunities, WICS needs to devote highly effective salespeople specifically to the attainment of big-ticket sales. The strategy behind acquiring such â€Å"big-ticket† clients involves partnership with market leaders from the other three segments in the institutional maintenance chemical market (EXHIBIT 1). Through partnership, it becomes possible to offer such big clients with massive cleaning requirements in every segment with relatively cheap product bundles. Product bundles are able to be priced as low as necessary to entice clients to pursue them exclusively because of economies of scale. Market research would determine viable market leaders that suit WICS brand image to be pursued by WICS Special Sales Force. The Special Sales Force would initially comprise of two management- level staff members (SEE NEW ORG. CHART) who strictly work towards pursuing the logistics of â€Å"big-ticket† clients. This number can expand as WICS grows contracts and profitability in new sales segments. Further advantages of creating product bundles with the other three respective segments in the institutional maintenance chemical market is utilizing partners as spotters. Spotter perks involves exchanging market research, customer information, and referring prospective customers. Furthermore, some big tickets clients may present unprecedented marketing opportunities for WICS. For example, if the product bundles are successful in attaining most of the purchasing of one or both of the Olympic games, WICS could always offer further discounts in exchange for soft advertising such product placement. Implementation of Strategic Recommendations: * Within the next 6 months: The measures taken during the next six months are going to lay the groundwork for WICS to become more efficient, reduce costs, forge better relations with SSDs and staff, and increase market share. Firstly, area and territory managers need to be retrained into their new roles with in the company. This training needs to be carefully implemented, and WICS needs to ensure that the staff are happy with the changes and behind the revamped corporate strategy. Once staff understand their new roles, the infrastructure and products must be ready. The chemical products need to be available for sale as soon as possible for the area managers to start sales. Area managers need to get to work on private label sales as quickly as they can in order to begin penetrating the market. As well, the do-it-yourself kits need to be made and sent out to distributors so that customers can begin testing WICS products without the distributors and area managers having to worry about the timely demonstrations. With the new roles in place, the feedback mechanism will immediately begin so that the distributors begin to feel the shift in customer focus that WICS will be adopting. With the increased support from all WICS staff, and the lower cost of sale, this will motivate the distributors to push WICS products more, without the pressure from area managers, and will grow market share and sales for WICS. * Long term goals: As adoption rates of WICS raw chemicals increase, the company should work towards an objective of serving products in 100% of the industrial cleaning market’s segments. This will be achieved by a combination of increased sales in the WICS line, representing 75% of the market, and the addition of private label products which serve the remaining 25%. This goal should be attained within the next three years, and the mechanism for its realization is the ability of area managers to negotiate and finalize outsourcing contracts with their distributors.

Political Science - Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Science - Global Warming - Essay Example The most prevalent of these gases is carbon dioxide. There has always been a natural layer of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, but the present augmentation is widely held to be the result of human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and environmental alterations, especially deforestation. The burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – is mainly done in industrial processes, in energy production, and also in transport. Because fossil fuel consumption is much greater in industrialized and more economically developed countries, North America, Europe and Asia are responsible for over 90% of global fossil fuel output. Deforestation, meanwhile, is most serious in South America, and especially in the Amazon basis. Furthermore, if current trends continue, fossil fuel consumption will continue to increase, especially as countries with large populations, such as India and China with a combined population of over 2 billion, rapidly indust rialize. All of this is causing the temperature of the Earth to increase at a much faster rate than is usual, and perhaps at a rate faster than it has been for thousands of years. The increasing blanket of greenhouse gases traps heat from solar radiation in the Earth’s atmosphere, and as the temperature within becomes higher, water stored as ice in glaciers or the ice caps is melting, causing sea levels to rise.