Douglas Coupland's Microserfs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Douglas Coupland's Microserfs - Essay Example The exploration of one’s identity is a theme that is discussed by the author and other characters in the novel. In this paper, we will analyze how the characters examine their identities and what is the influence of their profession on their identities? The influence of their professions on their identities is so far-reaching that they start to think about themselves in technical terms. The environment in their workplace has affected the characters in the novels to such an extent that they are not able to think about their lives beyond this setting. The character of Karla, a coder and colleague of the Daniel, is most expressive about her feelings regarding identity. Her thoughts about identity can be gauged from the following paragraph, â€Å"Its all about identity," [Karla] said. She said, "We look at flock†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦What makes any one person different from any other? Where does your individuality end and your species-hood begin? As always, its a big question on my mind.† (Coupland, pg.236). While working, the identity of all the characters is connected with their work. The individuality of person is lost in the settings that are dominated by the machinery. Karla also feels that her identity is being overwhelmed, by the environment of her workplace. While talking with Daniel, her conversation reflects her thoughts about identity. â€Å"She said that we, as humans, bear the burden of having to be every animal in the world rolled into one. She said that we really have no identity of our own.† (Coupland, pg.17). The thoughts of Karla represent the identity crisis that people are experiencing in the wake of a demanding professional life. People are so consumed with their aims and ambitions that they have lost the perception of their true identity. Karla also points towards this attitude of human beings. â€Å"She said, "What is human behavior, except trying to prove that were not animals? She said, "I think we have strayed so far away from our animal origins

The Republic Of The Philippines History Essay

The Republic Of The Philippines History Essay The Republic of the Philippines has a long and colorful history with influences from numerous countries. It is primarily comprised of Roman Catholics in the north and Muslims, which are the minority, in the south. The Muslims desire an independent Islamic state because they feel the government of the Philippines treats them as inferior. As their core grievances are ignored, the Muslims resort to terrorist activities. The U.S. has identified them as threats to the Republic of the Philippines as well as U.S. interests. This paper identifies the internal threats, analyzes the situation and discusses recommended solutions to counter these terrorist organizations. Breeding Ground in the Philippines The southern Philippines have long been a breeding ground for terrorist activity (Bhattacharji, 2009). This is due to poverty, a lack of education as well as a lack of support from their local government. The Philippine government gained their independence in 1946 and has experienced numerous armed confrontations since. The United States (U.S.) has identified two internal threats within the Philippines. They are the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is the foundation from which both of the groups started. Both organizations are predominantly located in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) covering Sulu, Mindanao, and Palawan located in the southern Philippines. It is important to understand what the problem is and where it began in order to be able to defeat it. The original settlers in Mindanao were Muslim and tribal residents. In the 1950s, the Philippine government gave away land to migrants and poor farmers from other regions of the country. Christian settlers began populating Mindanao in large numbers which soon caused problems with the original inhabitants. The Muslim and tribal residents felt as though their way of life, land, and economic opportunities were being deprived. This grievance led to intense distrust between the Philippine government and the indigenous Muslim population. This eventually led to the birth of the MNLF within their region. The MNLF was founded in 1972 by Nur Misuari who was a professor at the University of the Philippines. This political organization was established in order to secede from the Philippines and establish an Islam state which would cover Sulu, Mindanao, and Palawan. The MNLF stated that represented the Philippine Muslim liberation movement which proceeded to start the Islam Insurgency in Mindanao. They intended to achieve independence, or at a minimum local autonomy for the southern Philippines. The movement would later cost both sides great amounts in personal sacrifice. There were many lives lost during this insurgency with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 200,000 in total. Eventually the Philippine government would hold peace talks in 1976 with the MNLF which led to the Tripoli Agreement being negotiated. The Tripoli Agreement basically set up a cease fire as well as autonomy with a broad understanding that Mindanao would remain part of the Philippines. This agreement would allow Muslims their own legislative assembly, economic and financial systems, schools, administrative system, executive council, courts, and special regional security forces (Muslim Mindanao for journalists and other communicators, 2008). The cease fire eventually hurt the MNLF more than it helped due to the internal factionalism which led to the group fragmenting into separate elements. There were disagreements within the organization on how to deal with the government. The more conservative members wanted to hold a violent insurgency while the liberal side favored non-violent opposition which led to a separation. The conservatives eventually left and organized into the MILF. The MILF is the largest Islamic liberation organization in the Philippines with an estimated 15,000 active members, out of which 2,900 are troops. Salamat Hashim formed the MILF in 1977 and was backed by the ethnic Maguindanaos. Hashim received support from Egypt after the split and officially established the MILF on March 1984. Hashim didnt want to accept treaties with the government and he wanted an Islamic education system in a more traditional manner. The MILF would experience the same issues later with the more extremist members leaving and forming the ASG (Economic expert.com 2010). The ASG is a more radical organization which splintered from the MILF because they too didnt agree with the way their mother organization dealt with the government. The ASG was founded by Abdurajak Janjalani in 1991 on the island of Basilan. Janjalani fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union with the mujahedeen. The Abu Sayyaf task force was created in 1986 by an Afghan professor named Abu Sayyaf who operated his own guerrilla training school in the mountains near Peshawar, Pakistan (Barreveld, 2001). After returning to the Philippines, Janjalani formed the ASG to fight for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Janjalani named his group after his professor in Peshawar: Abu Sayyaf-the Father of the Sword (Barreveld, 2001). In 1998 Abdurajak Janjalani was killed by the local police in Lamatan, Basilan during a shoot out. This caused a power struggle within the organization which led to his younger brother Khadafi Janjalani eventually taking over. The government refers to them as bandits primarily because of their thug like activities. This organization is famous for kidnap for ransom operations, piracy, operating with Al Qaeda (AQ), attacking the Catholic community by conducting abductions of teachers, nuns as well as priests. They have extorted from wealthy businessmen and companies and have terrorized their community through bombings and massacres. Militant organizations like the ASG and the MILF operate in the Sulu archipelago and easternmost island of Mindanao, where a rugged terrain, weak rule of law, sense of grievance among the countrys Muslim minority, and poverty make it difficult for the government to root them out (Bhattacharji, 2009). Both groups are considered threats against the Republic of the Philippines. The United States considers them a threat because of their ties with AQ and global terrorist organizations. The United States and the Philippine government signed a treaty of general relations between the two governments on July 4, 1946. This treaty identified the independence of the Philippines as of July 4, 1946 as well as recognizing the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippines. In February 1987, the Philippines adopted a new constitution that instituted the presidential-style republican form of democracy, which resembles the U.S. model much more than the European parliamentary system (Library of Congress, 2006). The Philippines has a centralized form of government and federal rule of law which is supreme to the states or provinces. There are other organizations in the Philippines government that mirror the U.S. such as their military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is made up with four branches of service consisting of Army, Navy Air Force and Marines. In total the AFP has approximately 150,000 military personnel forces and about half of which are reserves (Global security.org 2010). The AFP Army has a Light Reaction Battalion (LRB) trained in counter terrorist operations and is used often in combat today. The LRB was developed, equipped, and trained by U.S. Army Special Forces. The Philippine governments gross domestic product exceeds $160 billion; however they spend less than 1% of their GDP on military expenditures. Aside from the LRB most of the AFP is under equipped and poorly funded. The United States and the Philippines have a mutual defense treaty that has been in effect since 1952. Total U.S. military assistance to the Philippines rose from $38 million in 2001 to $164 million in 2005, which would make the Philippines the fourth largest recipient of U.S. foreign military assistance (Library of Congress, 2006). The U.S. is supporting the Philippines government by providing for their military. This coincides with how we are conducting Irregular Warfare (IW) when considering the Trinity model. There are other areas that need to be addressed in the Philippines as well. Economic growth in the Philippines has averaged 4.5% per year since 2001. Despite this growth, poverty worsened during the term of Macapagal-Arroyo, because of a high population growth rate and inequitable distribution of income (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). Thirty three percent of the Philippine population lives below the poverty line. This leads to corruption and crime which drains resources available to further develope the government. It will also undermines confidence in the government from the population. The Republic of the Philippines has an extreme problem with crime and corruption at all levels because of poverty and lack of education across the country. This effects the governments ability to take care of the relevent populations critical needs. The Muslims in the Philippines consist of thirteen ethno-linguistics groups. The Muslims who traditionally inhabited Mindanao, the islands of Basilan and Palawan, and the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelago in the south of the Philippines identify themselves as Bangsamoro (Lingga, 2004). Christian Malays make up over ninety percent of the total population, Muslim only make up about four percent, Chinese 1.5 percent, and others 3 percent (Library of Congress, 2006). Muslims are often treated like second class citizens because of their minority status. This is part of the reason why they want independence in the ARMM. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state, but Christianity predominates, and Muslims historically have been marginalized (Library of Congress, 2006). The Philippine population communicates in many languages; however English and Filipino (based on Tagalog) are the official languages spoken with eight other major dialects. There are additional barriers or obstacles the country has to deal with because of this. This leads into how they communicate across the Philippines. Cell phones are the primary method of communications in their country. The Philippines is known to be the text messaging capital of the world. Digital phones currently outnumber the landlines based telephones. It is very common for the military to use their cell phones as a means of communication during operations. This has the potential for compromise during missions, which causes their commanders to collect phones from the soldiers before theyre briefed on the details of the operation. The lack of education in the southern Philippines reduces the necessity for newspapers or magazines to be sold. The Philippines government will use billboards, posters, and the radio to communicate their message to the local population in Mindanao. Additionally, they also use the mayors and village leaders by word of mouth system through the military. As an archipelago, the Philippines have more than 1,000 ports, of which 117 are regarded as international ports. About 12 of the 117 international ports have major cargo and passenger terminals (Library of Congress 2006). The ports in the southern Philippines need upgraded to support the fishing industry. Sixty percent of the roads are unpaved and the rest are in need of repair to some degree. The infrastructure needs upgraded in order to support and build on the local economy. It is critical to address the political, military, economic, social, information, and infrastructure (PMESII) issues listed above. The Muslims will support the government and work against the insurgency when their basic needs are being taking care of. This will in turn bolster the countries internal stability and will ensure that they have legitimacy and influence over the relevant population. The U.S. realized how serious and evolving the global terrorist threat was after 9/11. The Philippines is an ideal location for AQ to establish training camps, safe havens as well as recruitment base. Conditions for recruitment are perfect when there is a lack of education; bad economy, and there is a lack of support from the government. The U.S. goal is to eliminate or contain extremist Muslim terrorists organizations across the globe. The U.S. will do this in order to preserve our four enduring national interests which are security, values, prosperity, and international order. The following paragraphs will explain the recommended way to defeat the terrorist threats. In order to do this in Mindanao both the U.S. and Philippines government will need to look at the whole of government (WOG) concept and use the four elements of national power which are diplomatic, informational, military, and economic (D.I.M.E). Irregular Warfare (IW) is predominantly the U.S. way ahead when looking at combating the insurgency. To be successful, IW will need to be applied at all three levels of war. At the Strategic Level both countries will need to develop and fund plans to eventually gain control and influence over the relevant population. This is done at the national level and with ideally SOF elements used as the primary tool to get initial ground truth information to the decision makers. The U.S. deployed SOF forces into Mindanao in 2002 and are still conducting FID operations in the area today. The U.S. government will need to continue to monitor the status and make changes as necessary. The more indirect approach will be the focus when looking at the Operational Level. There is a Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) established in Zambowonga which takes the guidance and end state from the Strategic Level and applies it to tactical operations. The JSOTF is responsible for planning and conducting operations and campaigns. The enlisted staff positions needs to be filled with operators that have experience and ideally graduates of the Joint Special Operations Force Senior Enlisted Academy (JSOFSEA). The next level that IW would be applied is the Tactical Level. First Special Forces Group currently has a Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) on the island of Jolo. The SOTF is currently being run by a company rather than a battalion. This is due to the other requirements that need to be met in other countries. The Tactical Level is the most critical for numerous reasons. This is where the plans come to life in order to meet the National Strategic Strategy (NSS). Whatever the operator does on the ground will either support the NSS or possibly hurt it. The U.S. military are conducting Foreign Internal Defense (FID) operations in the southern Philippines as part of the Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P). They will need to continue to provide military assistance by training through, by, and with the AFP. As part of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines, U.S. military forces are strengthening the Philippines military and using civic action to drive a wedge between rebels and the Muslim populace (Crisis Group, 2008). Philippine military and law enforcement agencies conducted intensive Civil-Military and internal security operations to eliminate terrorist safe havens in the Sulu Archipelago and central Mindanao (U.S. Department of State, 2009). Many of the programs that have been put in place are currently working. The economic development programs need more support from other countries. The Japanese government has been the largest provider of financial aid for Mindanao, having financed 166 different projects valued at a total of 363 million dollars since 2002 (Carames, et. al., 2008). The U.S. needs to work with other countries in order to get more participation in this area. The enticement or need to join the terrorists organizations will decrease if the jobs are available and the infrastructure is built up on the island of Mindanao and the ARMM. The State Departments USAID will need to continue to retrain combatants from the MNLF, MILF, and ASG as well as providing micro-grants in order to bolster the economy. USAID as well as civilian non-government organizations (NGOs) will need to continue to work on infrastructure development. This is critical to the success of the campaign. When schools, roads, wells, and mosques are repaired the quality of life is dramatically improved. In conclusion eradicating the insurgency means an end to the silent discrimination, respect for the Muslim religion in all its aspects. In order to minimize or stop the threat and terrorist activities we must attack ideological and financial angles as well. Developing the economy, infrastructure and improving education in Mindanao will win over the local populace faster than using military force. This must be done in order to protect the Philippines national interests. The U.S. will continue to have an invested interest in the Philippines so that we can prevent Mindanao from becoming a safe haven and training ground for Muslim extremists across the globe.

The Tragedy of Ambition in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- GCSE English

The Tragedy of Ambition in Macbeth      Ã‚   Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth, shares common themes with many other stories and actual events. Many scandals, both historic and current, can be linked to greed, ambition, and abuse of power.   Typically, the key figures are motivated by, and are inevitably destroyed by, ambition.   This is also the case in Macbeth, where ambition leads to the downfall of the once great character, Macbeth.    William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, is a play about a man's ambition to become king.   Since the first part of the witches' prophecy, "All hail Macbeth! Thane of Glamis"(I.i.52-53)! was already a fact, and the second part was fulfilled almost as soon as the witches pronounced it, "All hail Macbeth! Thane of Cawdor"(I.i.54-55), Macbeth begins to think the part, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King, / hereafter"(I.i.56-57)! might also come true because, "supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good" (I.i.151-152).   Encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth murders King Duncan while he is a guest in Macbeth's castle.   As a result, Macbeth becomes king of Scotland.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to his critical essay on Macbeth, "Shakespeare and the Hazards of Ambition," Robert N. Watson comments asserts that ambition becomes the enemy of all life, especially that of the ambitious man himself, in this play (Watson 31).   Shakespeare puts on displays a man's lifelong aspiration that seems to be fulfilled, but at the cost of his mental and emotional well-being.   Macbeth's desire to gain wealth and status completely overpowers him, reducing him to something less than human.   Macbeth becomes ever more ambitious as his wife goads him and the witches tease him with more prophecie... ...them to walk away with a win.   Sometimes this is found out and the athletes are stripped of their honors; other times, the drugs are found in the athlete's corpse.   In either case, as with Macbeth, blind ambition can lead to a downfall, or even to death.    Works Cited and Consulted: Dominic, C. Catherine. Shakespeare's Characters for Students. Detroit - New York - Toronto - London: Gale Research, 1997. Garber, Marjorie. "Macbeth: The Male Medusa." Shakespeare's Late Tragedies, ed. Susan L. Wofford. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1996, 74-103. Scott, W. Mark, ed. Shakespeare for Students. Detroit - Washington, D.C.: Gale research, 1992. Staunton, Howard, ed. The Globe Illustrated Shakespeare. New York: Gramercy Books, 1979. Watson, Robert N. Shakespeare and the Hazards of Ambition. Cambidge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1984

Jones Case Study

Jones Case Study Scenario 1: Since it seems like the Jones’ are set on having a family and that family is important to them this scenario will focus more on what could be best for them to do to make sure their family life is stable. In this scenario it seems to me that Jim needs to find a job closer to home that maybe works him a little less. He has stated that he would like to spend more time with his son and that could be achieved by working closer to home. The commute itself would save him about 7 hours weekly that he could spend with his child.Jim has also mentioned that his job isn’t particularly exciting so this might be his chance to go after something he likes more while giving him more time at home. Since his wife makes more money it might not be bad if he took a little pay cut as well in order to accomplish his goals. As far as Lisa goes if having a family is truly a main priority for them she may not want to take the job in Atlanta. She already has a job that makes quite a bit and a move to Atlanta would only mean more work and probably would mean that they wouldn’t be able to have another child for a couple of years.Also moving to a bigger city will also mean that they will have to find new child care which may cost more, another home which will cost more and Jim will have to definitely find another job which could put a strain on the marriage if he is unsuccessful or if he is making considerably less that she is. I see the best outcome with this scenario if Jim can find a job closer to home in order to spend more time with his son and also find a change of pace with his job. Lisa would need to stick with her current position in order to make having a bigger family more attainable for the moment.Scenario 2: If Jim and Lisa put a priority on being financially secure and more so value Lisa’s career then these are some options they might consider. First off Lisa would definitely need to take the promotion and they would move to Atlanta. This would be great because they would definitely have enough money for their home as well as childcare. They would also have more financial security and would be better able to save for things like their kids education and retirement since Lisa is now making more money than both of them were combined.If Jim also found another job they would be very secure financially and potentially with the move it might open up more job options for Jim and he may find something that he enjoys more. Moving to a bigger city also opens up the options for better childcare and better education for their children in the future should their family grow. However as mentioned in the last scenario this may put a strain on the marriage if Jim is unsuccessful in finding another job. Also this new job for Lisa will probably mean more hours at work and less time with the family.It will probably also mean not having another child for quite sometime and maybe never depending on what her new roles ar e at her job. The family might definitely have to be put on the backburner for a little while as the transition occurs. Scenario 3: This scenario would be kind of an extreme mix of the two previous scenarios. Since Jim has stated that he wants to spend more time with their son he could possibly become a stay at home dad. Lisa could take the job in Atlanta, which would definitely make more than enough money to support a family of three especially since they could cut childcare costs.Some cons to this situation however would be that they would have to overcome the social stigma of having the wife work and the dad stay at home. That would be the biggest challenge in my opinion. Especially if Jim started to feel like his worth had been diminished. This could definitely put a strain on the marriage. Also Lisa would have to deal with turning over her motherly duties somewhat and spend less time with the family. She would also probably not be able to have kids anytime soon as well but if t hey decided to at least this way she wouldn’t have to take as much time off since Jim would be home tending to the new child.Jim could also start up some type of business he could run at home. This would allow him to feel like he is contributing to the family income but also spend time with the kids. Reflection: This assignment is a good preparation for big decisions that we all make in our lives. One thing that it shows is that there are many possible solutions to any problem and that we must look at the risks and rewards with each and decides which is best for our own unique family situation. These decisions would be much easier for a family with no children vs. family that already has 3 or 4 kids. If my wife and I were presented with the same situation I would think that we would follow scenario 1 the closest since family is most important to us. Neither of us are really looking to make a lot of money and for myself I wouldn’t mind being a stay at home dad. My wife may object but I love kids and spending time with them and if my wife was offered a job that paid a lot of money, enough to support a family, and it was something that she wanted to do and was passionate about I would like to think that I would support her in doing that.Every family is different though and needs to meet different needs so there is no wrong or right way to go about this. I personally believe that family should always come first but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to spend a lot of time with them. I think it is important though that you are there for your spouse or your kids when they need you and that you are there to support them in the things that they do. If they feel your love and support I don’t think it matters how many hours you work or how much money you make.

Inderstanding Consumer Behaviour Towards Luxury Products Essay

Studying consumer behaviour enables marketing researchers to predict how consumers will react to promotional messages and to understand why they make the purchase decision they do. Marketers realized that if they know more about the consumer decision making criteria, they can design marketing strategies and promotional messages that will influence consumers more effectively. The importance of consumer behaviour made marketers to think of a separate branch in marketing research – Consumer research, to deal exclusively for consumer related issues. The current focus of this report is on study of underlying needs and motives in taking purchase decisions, consumer learning process and attitude formation process. The study has been initiated for Club Mahindra Holidays. The purpose of this study is to analyze consumer perceptions of luxury products and the factors that influence his purchase decisions. The objective is to understand consumer behaviour towards luxury products and the steps followed while purchasing it. To achieve the above objectives, we first look at how luxury goods are different from regular goods and then go on to explore some facets and trends of the luxury goods as well as their market and consumers. We will understand the definition of luxury products through secondary research. Post secondary research we will develop few hypotheses which will give us the direction for our next step ie Qualitative Research. We will use interview method in qualitative research which will give an insight into the mindset of the consumers and their purchase steps involved and then follow it up with quantitative research (survey method). Through this we will quantify our findings for the Indian luxury consumer and their buying behaviour. We will analyze the factors that influence the consumers in buying the luxury products. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 4 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Research Abstract Scope: This project is a part of a job assigned to the planning department. This project is an initiative taken to understand the behaviour of consumers towards luxury products. Purchase of a luxury product involves lot of planning and research before taking any decision. There are number of factors that affect an individual?s decision making process as well as his choice about the product. These factors are different for different types of luxury product. A research into these aspects will give us an insight into the mindset of the consumer and will help to study the consumer better. Method: Primary research was done in two steps. ? Qualitative Research – Depth Interview Method ? Quantitative Research – Survey Method 1) Qualitative Research: For qualitative research, few high income people were asked open ended questions which were formulated based on the secondary research and in line with the hypothesis. Depth interview of 10 people were taken which gave an insight into their purchase behavior and their decision making process for a luxury good. Based on this interviews and a further review of the secondary research reports, a final survey questionnaire was prepared. 2) Quantitative Research: For quantitative research, after making the initial questionnaire it was pretested with 5 participants and was improvised. The final sample was 30 with target group being A and A+ socio-economic class people. In June 2009, the survey was conducted to observe the behavior pattern of consumers in buying luxury products. This allowed us to find out about the behaviour of the consumer towards luxury products across various income groups. Also we asked them about what all factors Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 5 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products influence them to buy such products and which brand of products do they feel are luxurious. We also understood the price range that they feel makes the product luxurious. Thus in future while designing any interactive campaign the output of this survey would be of great use for positioning the product as a luxury product. Also some secondary data was mined regarding what exactly influences an individual? s decision. Conclusion: Luxury products are high involvement products which require high thinking and are defined by their exclusivity and brand. They are mostly bought as a symbol of status. People have high emotional attachment with luxury products and are mostly influenced by their family members in decision making as most of the products are bought for family use. These products are also used as a means to gift their closed ones. Endorsing a film star or sport personality does not affect the image of a luxury product to a great extent. Luxury products give a feeling of pride and most of the purchase decision making is influenced by family members especially spouse. This entire initiative was one of its kinds and will help the INTERFACE COMMUNICATION to design its campaigns for Club Mahindra Holidays in a way to advertise them as a luxury club. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 6. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Acknowledgement I would like to give my sincere thanks to my Industry Project Guide Mr. Nilesh Talreja, Senior Executive, Strategic Planning, Interface Communications and Ms. Nahid Elavia, Account Planner, Strategic Planning for their kind support and guidance during my project and also for providing me with a great opportunity to work with such a valuable organization. I would also like to thank Mrs. Shamla Sathe, Account Planning Head for giving me this great opportunity to work with Account Planning Department. It is her visionary thinking, which has been the guiding force for whole of the division and my report. I would also like to thank Mr. Amit Dhokai, my colleague, who has provided me with the necessary information and his valuable suggestion and comments on bringing out this project in the best possible way. I would also like to thank all the faculties at SIMSR who have helped me directly or indirectly in the completion of this project. I thank Interface Communications (A part of Draft FCB+Ulka) for such a valuable learning experience. Thank you Jitesh A Sanghvi MMS – 137 (2008-2010) K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 7 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Sr. No. 1 2 2. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Company Overview Secondary Research Luxury Products: Getting to know luxury 2. 2 2. 3 Difference between regular & luxury goods Consumer Behavior: What is Consumer Buying Behaviour 2. 4 2. 5 2. 6 Stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour Types of Consumer Buying Behaviour Consumer Involvement: Causes of Consumer Involvement 2. 7 3 4 4. 1 4. 2 5 6 Models of Consumer Involvement Research Method Primary Research Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Analysis Recommendations Appendix 23 26 28 30 35 59 60 17 19 21 15 16 Page No. 9 12 14 Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 8 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products LIST OF FIGURES & CHARTS Sr. No 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3 Particulars Difference between regular and Luxury goods Stages of Consumer Buying Behavior Consumer Involvement Page No. 15 18 20 Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 9 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products COMPANY OVERVIEW. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 10 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products About Interface Communications History Interface Communications is the second agency of the Draft FCB Ulka group. The Draft FCB Ulka group has a 125 year heritage of pioneering concepts which define advertising and a 40 year heritage in India. Interface has grown from a single office to 5 offices in India and is one of the 1st few Indian agencies to boast of a pan Asia network. We are a team of 115 professionals across Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai. Interface is the first Indian agency brand that has gone beyond India. Interface has opened offices in Malaysia, Hong Kong, China. In 2003 we launched operations in Taiwan, Singapore. Work with some of the best known brands in each country. Business Interface is a second agency that is created to handle large scale clients. We work with some of the biggest brands across sectors from FMCG to automobiles, from real estate to finance companies, from consumer durables to holidays and many more. Majority of our clients are industry leaders and we are proud to be their strategic partners. Our clients have stuck by us as we are a process driven company. We have our share of global proprietary tools to provide a strategic edge to the clients we work with. Some of the more often used tools include: ? ? ? Mind and Mood and Moments The Wheel VIP and ICON Inspite of being process driven we are still a very people oriented organization. Our teams work together like a family and there is at all times a casual and jovial Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 11 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products. work environment maintained. We believe in an open door policy where any employee can express himself/ herself freely. As an organization we believe in constant learning and thus stress on training and development at all times. The Draft FCB Ulka group is one of the only advertising agencies in India to run a 2 month long training program for fresh recruits. This program called ‘The Star One training’ is a rigorous training ground for the future advertising biggies. This program is an annual feature and has been going strong for more than a decade. Draft FCB Ulka and Interface are some of the few agencies to have a very low attrition rate and most of the senior level management have been with the company on an average for more than 15 years which is a long time in advertising which sees constant churn. We at Interface live the values we believe in and for us our mantra is : We provide strategic communications partnership to our clients – to help sell their brands today, and build brand value over time Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 12 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Secondary Research on luxury products Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing. Page 13 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Secondary Research: Luxury Products Getting to know luxury Luxury brands have often been associated with the core competences of creativity, exclusivity, craftsmanship, precision, high quality, innovation and premium pricing. These product attributes give the consumers the satisfaction of not only owning expensive items but the extra-added psychological benefits like esteem, prestige and a sense of a high status that reminds them and others that they belong to an exclusive group of only a select few, who can afford these pricey items. The luxury sector targets its products and services at consumers on the top-end of the wealth spectrum. These self-selected elite are more or less price insensitive and choose to spend their time and money on objects that are plainly opulence rather than necessities. For these reasons, luxury and prestige brands have for centuries commanded an unwavering and often illogical customer loyalty. Luxury has never been something easy to define, yet this mystery concept is something highly desired by one and all alike. We look at delving deeper into this mystery and aura of luxury goods by way of comparing them against „regular goods? as well as highlighting the characteristics of the luxury industry. But before beginning with that, lets first attempt to understand some common terms associated in the world of high-end goods : ? Luxury and prestige brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Cartier represent the highest form of craftsmanship and command a staunch consumer loyalty that is not affected by trends. These brands create and set the seasonal trends and are also capable to pulling all of their consumers with them wherever they go. ? Premium brands are those brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger that aspire to be luxury and prestige brands but their marketing mix strategies are more attuned to a mass market, albeit a luxury mass market. They are also termed as mass-premium brands or mass-luxury brands. ? Fashion brands on the other hand are those that address the masses. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 14 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Difference between regular & luxury goods Fig 1. 1 Differences between Regular and Luxury Goods Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 15. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Consumer Behaviour What is Consumer Behaviour Buying Behaviour is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products. Consumer Buying Behaviour refers to the buying behaviour of the ultimate consumer. A firm needs to analyze buying behaviour for: ? Buyers reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms success. ? The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix (MM) that satisfies (gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the what, where, when and how consumers buy. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 16 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour Fig 1. 2 Stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour The above figure shows Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process (For complex decisions). Actual purchasing is only one stage of the process. Not all decision processes lead to a purchase. All consumer decisions do not always include all 6 stages, determined by the degree of complexity†¦ discussed next. The 6 stages are: 1. Problem Recognition (awareness of need)–difference between the desired state and the actual condition. Deficit in assortment of products. Hunger-Food. Hunger stimulates your need to eat. Can be stimulated by the marketer through product information–did not know you were deficient? i. e. you see a commercial for a new pair of shoes, stimulates your recognition that you need a new pair of shoes. 2. Information search-o Internal search, memory. Page 17 Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products o External search if you need more information. Friends and relatives (word of mouth). Marketer dominated sources; comparison shopping; public sources etc. A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set. Hungry, want to go out and eat, evoked set is o o o o Chinese food Indian food Burger king Klondike kates etc 3. Evaluation of Alternatives–need to establish criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants or does not want. Rank/weight alternatives or resume search. May decide that you want to eat something spicy, Indian gets highest rank etc. If not satisfied with your choice then returns to the search phase. Can you think of another restaurant? Look in the yellow pages etc. Information from different sources may be treated differently. Marketers try to influence by â€Å"framing† alternatives. 4. Purchase decision–Choose buying alternative, includes product, package, store, method of purchase etc. 5. Purchase–May differ from decision, time lapse between 4 & 5, product availability. 6. Post-Purchase Evaluation–outcome: Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction. Cognitive Dissonance, have you made the right decision. This can be reduced by warranties, after sales communication etc. After eating an Indian meal, you may think that you really wanted a Chinese meal instead. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 18 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Types of Consumer Buying Behaviour There are four types of consumer buying behaviour which are as follows: ? Routine Response/Programmed Behaviour–buying low involvement frequently purchased low cost items; need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples include soft drinks, snack foods, milk etc. ? Limited Decision Making–buying product occasionally. When you need to obtain information about unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires a moderate amount of time for information gathering. Examples include Clothes–know product class but not the brand. ? Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement, unfamiliar, expensive and / or infrequently bought products (Luxury Products). High degree of economic / performance / psychological risk. Examples include cars, homes, computers, education. Spend a lot of time seeking information and deciding. Information from the companies MM; friends and relatives, store personnel etc. Go through all six stages of the buying process. ? Impulse buying, no conscious planning. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing. Page 19 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Consumer Involvement Some consumers are characterized as being more involved in products and shopping than others. A consumer who is highly involved with a product would be interested in knowing a lot about it before purchasing. Hence he reads brochures thoroughly, compares brands and models available at different outlets, asks questions, and looks for recommendations. Thus consumer involvement can be defined as heightened state of awareness that motivates consumers to seek out, attend to, and think about product information prior to purchase. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 20 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Causes of consumer involvement The factors that influences consumer involvement include personal, product and situational. ? Personal Factors Self-concept, needs and values are the three personal factors that influence the extent of consumer involvement in a product or service. The more product image, the value symbolism inherent in it and the needs it serves are fitting together with the consumer self- image, values and needs, the more likely the consumer is to feel involved in it. Celebrities for example share a certain self image, certain values, and certain needs. They tend to use products and services that reflect their life style. They get highly involved in purchasing prestigious products like designer wear, imported cars, health care products etc. ? Product Factors The consumer involvement grows as the level of perceived risk in the purchase of a good or service increases. It is likely that consumers will feel more involved in the purchase of their house than in the purchase of tooth paste, it is a much riskier purchase. Product differentiation affects involvement. The involvement increases as the number of alternatives that they have to choose from increases. This may be due to the fact that consumers feel variety which means greater risk. The pleasure one gets by using a product or service can also influence involvement. Some products are a greater source of pleasure to the consumer than others. Tea and coffee have a high level of hedonic (pleasure) value compared to, say household cleaners. Hence the involvement is high. Involvement increases when a product gains public attention. Any product, that is socially visible or that is consumed in public, demands high involvement. For example, involvement in the purchase of car is more than the purchase of household items. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 21 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products ? Situational Factors The situation in which the product is brought or used can generate emotional involvement. The reason for purchase or purchase occasion affects involvement. For example, buying a pair of socks for yourself is far less involved than buying a gift for a close friend. Social pressure can significantly increase involvement. One is likely to be more self conscious about the products and brands one looks at when shopping with friends than when shopping alone. The need to make a fast decision also influences involvement. A consumer who needs a new refrigerator and sees a „one- day- only sale? at an appliances retailer does not have the time to shop around and compare different brands and prices. The eminence of the decision heightens involvement. The involvement is high when the decision is irrevocable, for example when the retailer does not accept return or exchange on the sale items. Thus involvement may be from outside the individual, as with situational involvement or from within the individual as with enduring involvement. It can be induced by a host of personal-product-and situation related factors, many of which can be controlled by the marketer. It affects the ways in which consumers see, process, and send information to others. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 22 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Models of consumer involvement Learn-Feel-Do Hierarchy Model Buying decisions vary according to the way there are taken. Some decisions are taken with lot of thinking; others are taken with great feelings. Some are made through force of habit and others are made consciously. The learn-feel-do hierarchy is simple matrix that attributes consumer choice to information (learn), attitude (feel), and behaviour (do) issues. The matrix has four quadrants, each specifying a major marketing communication goal to be informative, to be effective, to be habit forming, or promote self-satisfaction. Thinking and feeling are shown as a continuum – some decisions involve one or the other and many involve elements of both. High and low importance is also represented as a continuum. Fig 1. 3 Consumer Involvement ? High Involvement / High Thinking Purchases in first quadrant require more information, both because of the importance of the product to the consumer and thinking issues related to the purchases. Major purchases such as cars, houses and other expensive and infrequently buying items come under this category. The strategy model is learn-feel-do. Marketers have to furnish full information to get consumer acceptance of the product. Luxury products fall in this category. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 23. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products ? High Involvement / High Feeling The purchase decisions in second quadrant involve less of information than feeling. Typical purchases tied to self-esteem- jewellery, apparel, cosmetics and accessories come under this category. The strategy model is feel-learndo. To encourage purchases marketers must approach customers with emotion and appeal. ? Low Involvement / Low Feeling The purchases in this quadrant are motivated primarily by the need to satisfy personal tastes, many of which are influenced by self-image. Products like news paper, soft drinks, Liquor etc., fall under this category. Group influences often lead to the purchase of these items. The strategy model is do-feel-learn. It helps marketers to promote products through reference groups and other social factors. ? Low Involvement / Low Thinking It involves less in thinking and more of habitual buying. Products like stationery, groceries, food etc. , fall under this category. Over a period of time any product can fall in this segment. The role of information is to differentiate any „point of difference? from competitors. Brand loyalty may result simply from the habit. The strategy model is do-learn-feel. It suggests that marketers induce trial through various sales promotion techniques. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 24 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Research Method: The study is classified based on the consumer buying preferences and factors that influence purchase decisions. The research method adopted is exploratory as the research is still in its initial stage and the preliminary information that will be gathered will help in defining the problems and suggest hypotheses. We are set to learn about consumer behaviour across various product categories of luxury. We intend to understand the influence of various factors including family members and friends on purchase decision, emotional attachment with the product, purchase of counterfeit products and endorsing a film or sports personality for luxury product. We also want to understand purchase behaviour for car, planning of holidays and perception of holiday clubs. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 25 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products PRIMARY RESEARCH Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 26 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Primary Research: Methods Primary research was done in two steps. ? Qualitative Research – Depth Interview Method ? Quantitative Research – Survey Method 1) Qualitative Research: For qualitative research, few high income people were asked open ended questions which were formulated based on the secondary research and in line with the hypothesis. Depth interview of 10 people were taken which gave an insight into their purchase behavior and their decision making process for a luxury good. Based on this interviews and a further review of the secondary research reports, a final survey questionnaire was prepared. 2) Quantitative Research: For quantitative research, after making the initial questionnaire it was pretested with 5 participants and was improvised. The final sample was 30 with target group being A and A+ socio-economic class people. In June 2009, the survey was conducted to observe the behavior pattern of consumers in buying luxury products. Purpose Based on the existing data and the findings of the survey, it can be understood what influences a consumer to buy a luxury product and how to reach a consumer. The different perspectives of luxury products from a consumer?s point of view can be understood giving a detailed insight as to how to position a product as luxury product. Consumer? s expectations from a luxury product will help us to understand the modifications needed in a product to be categorized as luxurious product. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 27 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Sampling Sampling procedure: The sample is selected in a random way, but those having a car with nearly worth more than 5lakhs. It was collected through mails and personal visits to the known persons, by formal and informal talks and through filling up the questionnaire prepared. The data has been analyzed by using the graphical method prepared in Microsoft Excel. Sample size: The sample size of my project is limited to 30 only. This is limited due to time constraints. Sample design: Data has been presented with the help of bar graph, pie charts, stacked graphs etc. Limitation: ? Time limitation ? Research has been done only at Mumbai ? Some of the persons were not so responsive ? Possibility of error in data collection ? Possibility of error in analysis of data due to small sample size Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 28. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Analysis: In qualitative research, a personal interview was conducted of 10 people to understand the perception of luxury products and their purchase decision making process. The layout of the interview was: Warm up General details about the person, his family background, his interests and his lifestyle Luxury Product To understand their perception of luxury products and steps involved in purchasing a luxury product. Car, Holiday & Club To understand his perception of a luxurious holiday and his planning process while going on a holiday. To understand his attitude towards clubs and decision making of a car Factors influencing To understand various factors that influence his decision for buying a particular luxury product. For qualitative questionnaire see appendix 1 For quantitative questionnaire see appendix 2 Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 29 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Qualitative Analysis: The Depth Interviews conducted gave some valuable insights into the mindset of the consumer? s perception about luxury products and their decision making process during purchase. Some of the interesting responses based on which quantitative questionnaire was made are as follows: 1) What is your opinion about luxury products? â€Å"Depends, it may be different for different people. DVD, TV and other stuffs would be luxury for me. † â€Å"They are good for show off† â€Å"Luxury products are created by seller. They are not necessities for a buyer but a need has been created by the seller. The way the products are advertised, branded and presented, a need is created to buy it. † â€Å"First and foremost it gives you a satisfaction in life, satisfaction that you are making use of the dreams that are available in the market. It can also be used as a status symbol. † â€Å"If you can afford it one must consider luxury products. What is the point if you can earn so much money and still don’t spend on luxury products? † Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 30 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Observation: Luxury Products have different perceptions with different people. Some think it is a need created by buyer where as some feel these are products good for show-off. Some consider it as a status symbol. 2) Is luxury a necessity? â€Å"Today a four vehicle has become a necessity. Though a four wheeler is a luxury still it becomes a necessity. Second example is the latest technology mobile phones. We use mobile phones even while travelling, before sleeping, after getting up, checking emails. So whatever you say about these products they have become a necessity. † â€Å"It is all in the minds of the people. If they get attracted to the promotions of the product and offers, it becomes a necessity for them. As said earlier, the need is created by the seller. † 3) Name a few luxury products? Expensive Car/Bike Jewellery Club Membership Branded Perfumes Travel Holidays Expensive Car/Bike Big House Jewellery Trendy Mobile Club Membership Travel Holidays. Club Membership Travel Holidays Electronic Gadgets Branded Perfumes Branded Apparels Club Membership Electronic Gadgets Travel Holidays Branded Perfumes Branded Apparels Observation: Club Membership, Travel Holidays and Expensive Car/Bike are considered Luxury products whereas other products like Jewellery, Electronic Gadgets, Branded Perfumes and Branded Apparels are considered semi-luxury products. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 31 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products 4) Can you take us through the entire process of buying this product right from the wish to buy – actual purchase? â€Å"My process to buy a new house started 10-12 years back. I saw an advertisement in the newspaper and then went and saw the house. Once finalised, I took a loan, sold the old house and bought this new house. † â€Å"My old car was giving me lot of problem. So I decided to buy this new car. I wished to buy this a year back. I didn’t want to take loan, so saved money for a year and finally bought this. In this period, the prices went down, so it helped me. † â€Å"I had a car before I bought this new one. It took me 2 years to buy this. It was the European car of the year. I saw the ad in the newspaper and decided I wanted to buy this. Observation: Purchase of a luxury product requires lot of planning and it takes many months to buy such high value products. Proper research and information needs to be obtained about the product before finalising the product. 5) What is your opinion of holiday clubs? Would you consider them as a luxury holiday club? â€Å"If you travel around a lot, than it is worth. It is not a luxury holiday because they have different offers which are affordable by most of the people. † â€Å"I would consider it as a luxury. Most of these packages are designed in such a manner that you can get discount during weekdays. Weekends are expensive. So those are the times when you have time. † â€Å"They are good and give you the necessary relaxation. I don? t consider them entirely luxury because nowadays most of the people can afford it. † Observation: Opinions about holiday clubs are varied as there is not clear understanding of necessity. There are number of clubs providing cheap holidays and hence clubs seem to be losing on the title of luxury club. Jitesh Sanghvi – MMS -137, Marketing Page 32 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products 6) Would you buy a counterfeit Rolex watch for a cheaper price? â€Å"I am not a watch person so I would definitely go for a counterfeit. But for.

The Age Of Innocence Essays

The Age Of Innocence Essays The Age Of Innocence Essay The Age Of Innocence Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: The Age Of Innocence The age of innocence is a book on choices. It is the story of how the character Newland Archer finds himself happily engaged to May Welland a beautiful young woman who happens to be sophisticated, polite and well mannered, and it certainly does not hurt that she is an aristocrat. He believes that he has finally found what he was looking for and is looking for a life of blissful happiness with her. He then meets Countess Ellen Olenska, May’s cousin from America, who is in the process of separation from her husband who he finds to be beautiful but lacking charm. At first, he is concerned that his innocent young fiancee is sitting next to a woman whose morals he considers questionable notwithstanding the fact that they are cousins. He has heard gossip among men and is surprised by rumors of her infidelity toward her husband, whom she is planning to divorce. The beginning of the book the author sets a scene of elegance, affluence where the author distinguishes between what is proper in that time and age, and what is distasteful conduct. She also shows the close bond between Archer and May, which is evident in the fact that even through non-verbal communication they understand each other perfectly and are in harmony. The author also shows that acceptance into this â€Å"club† is characterized by affluence, good etiquette and how well one can conceal their unpleasant side. Archer considers his own good fortune at his engagement to May who he deems perfect. On the subject of Ellen’s divorce, He opines that it should be granted as he advocates that she is deserving of the same rights, as any man should. He listens to Ellen’s critiques and opinions and though he feels they should not be brought up, he nonetheless finds them insightful. He also muses that his fiancee is a product of the society she was brought up in, and regards her as so bonded with her lifestyle that anything different would be unsuited to her persona. As Archer learns more of Ellen’s background, he becomes somewhat sympathetic toward her. Ellen narrates to him how it feels when the society in new York wishes her to be someone she is not. Moreover, she states that the reason society imposes this on her is that it causes them discomfort to view anything different than what they are used to. She believes that the society judges her more harshly than necessary. While ke en to fit into the New York scene, she is not willing to subject her personality to any changes. After a spell, bored of the monotony of his life, Archer tries to convince May to move up the wedding date even suggesting elopement, which May finds funny. Here, he begins to view her imperfections are such that she cannot even think for herself going as far as comparing her to a cavefish. He thinks her too set in her ways. Meanwhile, he comes across a letter that would be damaging to Ellen’s reputation and attempts to convince Ellen’s husband not to go through with his intended divorce. The letter makes Archer judgmental of Ellen, and he views her disdainfully due to the allegations of adultery against her. Archer watches a scene, which particularly moves him and makes him contemplate his relationship with Ellen. In the scene, he watches an actor turn back and not notice her lover kissing a ribbon that hangs from her neck. This reminds him of his and Ellen’s relationship, which he feels, is filled with chances that were missed and which he cannot reclaim. Archer meets his friend Ned, a failed author and during their conversation, he is reminded of how narrow and constricted his own life is. Archer joins May on vacation and is happy to see her, but his mind is dulled by the simplicity of her’s. He again tries to convince her to shorten their engagement. She mentions to him that he is trying to do so because he may still be in love with a past mistress. Archer meets Ellen after he comes back from his vacation and states his love for her, telling her that he would break off his engagement, and she would finalize her divorce, and they would be together. Ellen refuses this stating that she would not like to cause anyone pain. She asks him to be practical and after he states that, he would rather see her dead than return to her husband she states, â€Å"You say that because it’s the easiest thing to say at this moment- not because it’s true.† After the Archers’ wedding, while on honeymoon, archer is still surprised by May’s naivete and gives up on her stating, â€Å"There was no use in trying to educate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free.† Their honeymoon is three months long and Archer slowly forgets Ellen referring to her as a â€Å"ghost†. On return to New York, he is sent by Ellen’s grandmother to go see her. He finds her at a beach with her back to him and states that he will not go to her if she does not turn to face him. After she refuses, he leaves her alone, mentally ending his relationship with her. Archer is soon bored of the repetitiveness of his married life. He decides to visit the country hoping to bump into Ellen there, but does not find her. He decides to go to Boston on business where he runs into Ellen. He questions her about the day on the beach, and she states that she purposely did not turn back. She reveals to him that her husband is offering a vast amount for her return and that she is considering it. She also reveals to be heartbroken about their separation and claims that she cannot even return to Europe because she does not wish to be far from him. Ellen and May become friends to the delight of Archer. Ellen stays close to take care of her grandmother who has had a stroke and Archer is glad that she is close. Abruptly, Ellen leaves and May reveals to Archer that she is pregnant. She then tells him that she had told Ellen of her pregnancy tow weeks earlier. It becomes clear to Archer during Ellen’s farewell party that everyone thought they had been having an affair for years and this surprised. May dies of pneumonia abruptly after nursing their youngest son back to health. At the end of the book, we see that Archer had misjudged May too harshly. He saw her as a naive, foolish woman whose only assets were her beauty but it seems that she was much more perceptive that he gave her credit. May was on many occasions able to deduce Archer’s feelings, and this is most clearly seen at the end, when her son tells his father that she had once â€Å"made him give up what he wanted most† referring to his relationship wi th Ellen, which she had known about.

Bureaucracy in the United States Essays

Bureaucracy in the United States Essays Bureaucracy in the United States Essay Bureaucracy in the United States Essay Some examples of bureaucracy in the United States are:the International Revenue Service, which collects taxes from citizens.The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which looks into crimes for American citizens.The Postal Service, which delivers mail to citizens and the Health Care Financing Administration, which reimburses states fro money, spent on health care for the poor. An Iron Triangle is the relationship among an agency, a committee and an interest group.For example the Department of Veterans Affairs is a triangle made up of the house and Senate committees on Veteran Affairs and Veterans organizations.These three would make up a strong alliance with each other.The department would do what the committee wanted them to do and in return get political support and budget appropriations and the committee would do what the department wanted and in return get votes and campaign contributions. The Department of Housing and Urban Developing is also and Iron Triangle because it works clo sely with mayors and real-estate agents. Another example of this is the Department of Agriculture, which works closely with form agencies.The Small Business Administration works closely with congress and loan programs that make it so strong that even the most popular President cannot beat them.The Federal Communications Commission works with broadcasters and heads of cable-television companies.They however are feeling the pressure of separate demands coming from both the television guys as well as the broadcasters. The common government agency today is not an iron triangle but an issue network.An issue network consists of people in Washington based interest groups, on congressional staffs, in universities and think tanks, and in the mass media who regularly debate government policy on a certain subject.The networks are split along political, ideological, and economic lines.