Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Analysis Of Plato s The Ring Of Gyges - 1510 Words

Brenden Seidel December 15, 2014 GVPT 241- Professor Alford TA Joan Timoneda What if you had a magic ring like the ring of Gyges (Republic, 359d)? Why be just or moral? Develop the complete answer of Socrates in Plato s Republic, through 449a. Then consider whether Plato s Socrates in The Apology would answer in a way that was any different, in substance or in tone. Your own opinion is worth a page of so, but focus on the argument of Plato s Socrates. When Glaucon attempts to argue that no difference exists between the just and unjust man, he tells the tale of the Ring of Gyges. In this paper, I will analyze the implications possessing a magic ring like the Ring of Gyges and will outline Socrates’ response to Glaucon’s story. I will articulate my stance on morality. I will then make the following arguments: 1) Socrates never actually explains why the just life is inherently and intrinsically better than the unjust life. Rather, Socrates’ entire argument revolves around the consequences of being unjust. 2) The arguments brought forth by Plato’s Socrates in â€Å"The Republic† and Socrates in â€Å"The Apology† are not remotely similar and egregiously conflict with one another. In The Republic, Glaucon tells the story of the Ring of Gyges. The myth follows that Gyges, while tending to his flock sheep, finds a magical ring that gives the user the ability to turn invisible, at will. Gyges ultimately abuses the power afforded to him by the ring and ends up using the ring toShow MoreRelatedPlato s The Republic Socratic Dialogue And Tsugmi Ohba And Takeshi Obata Death Note1769 Words   |  8 Pagesbetween just and unjust is very fine and at the same time very different for each person depending on their circumstance’s, The Republic explores this through a fable named â€Å"The Ring of Gyges† and the Death Note through the ‘Death Note’. Another topic which the two texts explore is the noble lie, which is a theory created by Plato which states a lie which promotes piece is better than the truth at the price of chaos, The Republic explores this idea through the â€Å"Myth of the Metals† and Death note throughRead MoreJustice Is Not Only A Good Thing2112 Words   |  9 PagesGlaucon, and Adeimantus offer counterclaims to Socrates’ argument in order to elicit elaboration on the role of justice and its importance. While looking at each interlocutor’s arguments, one can see that they all are convincing, but with further analysis, each it flawed in proving whether justice or injustice is the most favorable. Based on the arguments proposed, I believe the views of injustice given by Thrasymachus, Glaucon, and Adeimantus benefit the individual in attaining short-term, extrinsicRead MoreThe Lord of the Rings: Our Motivation in Committing Evil Acts3549 Words   |  15 Pages The following analysis deals with the nature and source of evil and whether, given our innate motives and moral obligation, we willingly choose to succumb to our desires or are slaves of our passion. From this argument, I intend to show that our human nature requires that we play into our desires in order to affirm our free will. This is not to say that our desires are necessarily evil, but quite the opposite. In some sense, whatever people actually want has some relative value to them, and

Sunday, December 15, 2019

“Twelfth Night” Review Free Essays

Shakespeare’s twelfth night is inevitably marked with deep social insight. The differences in power, the paltry of gender and social identity are all equally put into question in this seemingly light hearted comedy. The start of the play introduces us to the motive of our main character, Olivia and casts light unto the main problem that has to be resolved through the course of this play; the separation of twin brother and sister, who if not for their infallible discriminator â€Å"sex† would just as easily be put in each other’s shoes without triggering any significant event to throw the balance of our characters into confusion. We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"Twelfth Night† Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now Indeed from the get-go the fact that Viola’s ‘gender-switch’ and Sebastian’s ‘character-switch’ did not shock anyone out of their sealed matrimonial bliss or the attainment of such a prospect seems rather foolhardy to miss and in considering the Bard’s infamous dramatic puppetry, they are such issues as we have to get to the bottom of, scraping a glimpse, if not an epiphany that would resurrect the act’s glamour from it’s ancient casket. Assuredly, Sebastian, on receiving the news of his sister’s disappearance falls into the supposition that she is dead, and with little remorse kicks off with his pal Antonio to the arms of freedom, where no embrace shall feel the smother of bondage, where it between the closest relatives even. His sister, though, rises to the occasion and with undying hope declares her brother’s survival, and her quest to bring his authority into this expectation. Here, we see where the pall of gender lies. Though Sebastian and Viola are not of any distinguishing feature that might divide the cast’s opinions about their identity, Sebastian for one, thinks his sister is dead. This reflects the attitude of society towards the weaker sex, who cannot be expected to bring fortune to their aid much less entertain the notion of keeping life. Men, however, are the most capable of doing such and so, and in following this principle Viola disguises herself in manly attire and takes such a w orthy title in hand or in name†¦ The fact is, she turned man to suit a position she could not fill as a woman. Early on, we can thus put our hands on which of the twins was the reliable one in this sibling relationship. Not to be hard on Sebastian, the reason for his inaversion to Viola’s advances towards him might just be his need for someone to replace what he has lost in his sister. More so, he doesn’t protest to Olivia even when he finds out she was bearing feelings for his sister; doesn’t shrink from a quarrel even when it rams him face-on. A man: through and through†¦ But when talking about Olivia, it is difficult to sympathize with what she has been through. She bore feeling for a poorer man and rejected Duke for all he was just to conform to the society’s value of male dominance over women. To neglect all what she has been blessed with, taking for granted the responsibility and ingrature, that comes along it and divert in affection to a random male who’s quality, in her flawless judgment, was much the same as her brother’s. Again, none of the characters seem to protest to the predicament they were forced into in this play which seriously makes me question: what were ye looking to get from all yer blunders? Ay, the proposition is nigh. But all our characters just seem to get pulled into their quarters much as the position they put themselves into dictate in term and sequence. A good example to take would be Duke, who seems the only wise guy around. He doesn’t put himself into situations where he is forced to act out of necessity. Everything he takes is as half-hearted as he, and only at the provocation of one Viola does he get up from his seat and seek to prove himself to the world. Only he gets proofed himself: when confronted with the possibility that his loyal messenger was doing dibs behind his back with one Olivia, he issues the order of execution as per the noble must stake themselves. All is well, though. Sebastian arrives. The conflict is resolved. Everything seems to make sense again. And Duke is inevitably forced by the situation that he invoked; or that which invoked itself unto him, to marry Viola. Indeed the characters in this play are balanced by their relationships. The first and foremost cause was to gain stability while obliging the rules of higher society, which the playwright so successfully threads. The only thing that seemed to spark a glint of intelligence to the characters’ identity was the presence of one Fool, who is the only reason this whole play didn’t mentally incapacitate the audience. Nevertheless, the play culminates with the return of reason (logic); though the governing dynamics are still the same threaded by higher powers, to an understanding of which I hope to bring the reader of my essay. How to cite â€Å"Twelfth Night† Review, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Research paper on Marketing Management of The TUI Group

Question: Evaluation of current situation linked to objectives Inclusion of all aspects of marketing plan Identified target, segmentation and positioning approach Outline of key aspects of marketing mix (using the 7Ps model) Answer: Introduction The Thomson Holiday Group is a travel operator from the United Kingdom and it is also a subsidiary of the TUI Group. Initially, the Thomson Corporation of Canada owned the company. It was then included in the London Stock Exchange and it has its headquarters in Luton, England (Holidays 2016). Roy Thomson, the founder of the Thomson Company was born in Toronto in the year 1894. He belonged to a poor background. He worked in a coal yard and earned $5 per week. He tried to invest in many businesses. However, all his attempts failed. He started a radio station and later owned the newspaper The Press. By the year 1943, Roy owned four newspapers and he branched out into commercial television as well. In 1965, he started the travel business and with it, the Thomson Travel came into existence. The emergence of the Thomson Travel Group followed from the acquisition of four tour operators namely Riviera, Skytours, Gaytours, Luxitours and the British Airways airline. There was a tough competition among the four operators by Roy Thomson and as a result, the Clarksons Travel Group gained a competitive advantage and became the lead player in the target or the potential market. It brought down the sales of the Thomson group, as the group did not have an effective and reliable strategy t o regain its position in the competitive market. However, the company regained its position with the appointment of Bryan Llewellyn, the seventh Managing Director. He created a separate and a new Board of Directors, which allowed the business to be rebranded under the name Thomson Holidays (Lumsdon 2016). This particular report will deal with the analysis of the company in the competitive market. The analysis will include the PESTLE, PORTER and McKinsey analysis, which will provide a better view of the company. The report will also deal with the market segmentation, positioning and the strategic choice of the company. The values of the company will be evaluated by the use of Marketing Mix. Background of the Company The Thomson Holiday Group is a company based in the United Kingdom. It deals in the travel business. Roy Thomson founded it in the year 1965 (Kudoshops.com 2016). It has its headquarters in Luton, England. The products offered by the company are package holidays, cruise lines, scheduled and charter passenger airlines, resorts and hotels. The main service provided by the company is travel agency. The owner started with many businesses before branching out into the travel business. Competitors It is a vital part of the company. The company always tries to know their competitors and take necessary actions. The main competitor of this group is the Clarksons Travel Group. The Clarksons Group gained much profitability during the downturn in the British economy (Clarkson.cruiseholidays.com 2016). It slowed down the business of the Thomson Group. They suffered a huge loss. However, they were much capable of regaining their position and fighting against their rival, the Clarksons Travel Group. Customers Customers are the essential part of the group. It is because a company cannot run without its potential customers. The customers of the company were mainly the people who loved travelling. It is a travel agent and provides services to the customers interested in travelling (Major and McLeay 2014). The individuals planned their holidays by the attractive packages offered by the company. The businesspersons who went on went on official tours were also the potential customers of the company. The customers are regarded as the external stakeholders. Market By the 1990s, the Thomson Group became the market leader in the travel business (Borodako and Rudnicki 2014). However, in 1998, the group was floated in the stock exchange and the parent company retained twenty percent of the total shareholding. The business was heavily dependent on the British market. The Air Tours Company challenged the market share of the Thomson Group. The companies had a price war between them and in the end, the Thomson Group transformed into a private Travel Company and it dominated the home or the local market. It occurred in the mid-2000s and the Thomson Group was taken over by the Preussag group. Values The Thomson Group, under the guidance of the Preussag Group had grown and expanded. Numerous services like Britania Airways, Thomson and Lunn Poly came under the single name Thomson. The group has over 750 retail stores in the United Kingdom and it has a market share of around twenty percent in the travel market of the United Kingdom (Schnzel and Smith 2014). The company sells over 2.7 flights and holidays per year. MACRO- PESTLE Analysis The Thomson group is aware of the government policy of the country. The Thomson Group knows the political factors such as labour law, tariffs, taxation, local council law and environmental law (Ansari, Fiss and Zajac 2014). It also knows the economic factors like inflation rate, interest rates, and economic growth and takes necessary decisions. The social factors include the population growth rates, the cultural aspects. The company considers these factors and makes a huge profit. On the other hand, it is very important to know about the latest technologies that can help the company to deliver good and swift services. The use of high-speed internet services helps the company to deliver quick services to their potential customers. Another important element of the Thomson group is the environmental factors that include the weather, climate, waste issues and so on. Therefore, the company keeps special attention into these matters to provide the best services to the customers (Refer to A ppendix 1). The company keeps a watch on the legal affairs of the business and has full-proof policies to face unavoidable circumstances. MICRO- Porters Five Forces The threat of new entrants is medium in the company. It is because it will be very expensive for a new company to enter the market. The existing company has the capability of being the chief operator in the tourism business. It is the market leader and therefore, the new entrants do not have much effect on the smooth functioning of the business. The bargaining power of the buyers is quite high. It is because the tourism industry experiences a fluctuation with the changing needs and demands of the buyers. The buyers have a variety of services to choose, with the increase in competition. The buyers also have the capability to eliminate the tour operators and deal directly with the suppliers. On the other hand, the bargaining power of the suppliers is quite low (Refer to Appendix 2). The company uses backward integration. It means that the company acts as its supplier. The threat from the substitutes is also very high (Krcher 2013). The demand for strategic differentiation increases wit h the growing tourism world. The customers look for new and innovative experiences. The widespread of the company in the United Kingdom increases the substitute threat in other parts of the world. The competitive rivalry can be considered medium. The tourism industry includes some competitors to deliver their best performances and services. The level of competition increases because of the market distribution. The Thomson group has attained a competitive advantage because of its leadership and brand in the potential market. INTERNAL- McKenseys Analysis The McKensey Analysis uses the 7-S model (Pitt and Koufopoulos 2012). These factors are interdependent and categorized as either hard or soft. The hard elements are usually easier to identify and define and the management has the power to influence them directly. On the other hand, the soft elements are difficult to describe. They are more influenced by culture and are less tangible. The soft elements are equally important as that of the hard elements. The strategy adopted by the company has helped it to maintain, as well as, build a competitive advantage over their competitors in the potential market. The backward integrated structure of the organization helped it to maintain its suppliers. The system of the organization is quite modern and it has helped the company to maintain a competitive advantage. The core values of the company have helped the company to gain a larger portion of the market share in the United Kingdom. The leadership style of the company has helped the company t o increase their sales by expanding their business to different countries. The staffs of the company are quite able and skilled and therefore, they deliver their best services to maintain the reputation of the company in the target market (Refer to Appendix 3). Smart Objectives for Thomson SMART Objective 1 Specific- the specific goal for Thomson Holiday Group would be To increase the company market share by 5% at the end of 2016 due to the opportunity of expanding our holiday package in Europe. Measurable- Thomson Group should try to attract the majority of the customers into the market by giving discounts and offers on the packages in Europe Attainable- the company should focus on modifying the products and services to attain the specific goal in Europe with proper promotional strategies. Relevant- The desired goal is quite relevant and it is easy for the company to attain it if proper strategies are adopted. Time-Bound- the company should try to attain its objectives within 5 months and this would help the company to gain a competitive advantage in the target market. SMART Objective 2 Specific- the specific goal for Thomson Holiday Group would be To increase the customer satisfaction by 10% at the beginning of 2017 by giving different categories of packages such as summer vacation family package, couple package or adventurous trip package in UK. Measurable- Thomson Group should try to attract the majority of the customers in the home country UK Attainable- The Company should focus on modifying the packages to attain the specific goal set by it. Relevant- The goal is relevant for the masses for upcoming vacations and the company can afford it Time-Bound- the company should try to attain its objectives within a year and that would add to competitive advantage in the target market. SMART Objective 3 Specific- the specific goal for Thomson Holiday Group would be To increase the company market share on a whole by 10% at the end of 2017 with customer retention and new products strategies. Measurable- The Company can provide as number of packages all over the world. Attainable- The Company will be able to achieve the targets if it devises a plan of packages given in each quarter or on a half yearly basis to the premium as well new customers Relevant- The desired goal is tedious but efficient and relevant for the company on growing expansion of market and to gather more market across the world. Time-Bound- the company should try to attain its objectives within a span of 2 years. Segmentation The company follows the geographic segmentation strategy (Diamantopoulos et al. 2014). The diversified segmentation of the company has helped it to achieve larger economies of scale. They have penetrated into the markets of India, China and Europe. They have diversified their segments of business in logistics of the container-shipping department to gain a competitive advantage in the potential market. However, to meet the marketing plan strategy, the company will first expand in Europe, than UK and later adopting to the cost effective strategy that will help in achieving and expanding the customer base in the world. The company has adopted consolidation for their brand development in the global sector. They have also done this (consolidation) to ensure cash flow from the developed economies and ensure the long-term growth of the tourism business of the company. Key Target The company aims at the individuals who prefer travelling. The family men and the people from the corporate sector are considered the potential or the key target of the company. The key targets are the families, couples as well as children who wish to spend some time with their spouse or families out of their busy schedules. The company aims at providing the best services to its potential customers (Mariani et al. 2014). The customers are the asset of the company. Therefore, the company takes every possible measure to keep their customers satisfied. It offers various pricing strategies and discounts to attract the potential customers. Positioning The company holds the market position at the top level. It has gained the leading position in the target market because of its unique business strategy and leadership skills. The company has built a brand image and has also gained a respectable position in the target market. This has helped the company to maintain the top position in the target market. The company has the highest shares of tourism business in the market of the United Kingdom (McKercher, Mak and Wong 2014). The company aimed at controlling the cost and differentiating its product in the market. The use of Hybrid strategy (a combination of cost control, price and differentiation) by the company has helped it to gain a competitive advantage in the potential market and maintain the leading position in the target or the potential market The Thomson brand can lead to repositioning of the strategy in Europe as well as the world according to the response in the home country. Marketing Mix The company delivers its values quite efficiently to the target customers. The company uses its marketing mix to deliver the best services to their potential customers. The marketing mix includes the analysis of seven factors namely, Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical Evidence, People and Process. The analysis of seven Ps is as follows: Product- the product sold by the company is products of tourism. It includes the hotels and resorts package, the airline packages and the food packages. The tourism industry in the United Kingdom is quite popular and hence, the company has gained a competitive advantage to expand their business in the said industry. The company also offers cruise lines, which is an innovative way of expanding the business (Stangl, Kastner and Polsterer 2012). Price- the company has adopted customer and the competitor pricing strategy to increase their market share. They know that customers always look for discounts, offers and low prices. They keep low prices to attract the customers. They also keep a note on the prices offered by the competitors. They try to keep low prices than their competitors (Falzon 2012). On the other hand, they try to provide better services than that of their customers. Therefore, the company has adopted unique pricing strategy to attract new customers and retain the existing customers (Refer to Appendix 5). Place- the place is a very important factor of the marketing mix. The sale of products depends on the place of selling of the products. Therefore, it is very necessary for the companies to decide their place of selling the products. This helps them to approach the potential customers and increase their sales. The Thomson Group is a UK-based tourism company. The company has gained much importance in the market of the United Kingdom (Budeanu 2012). The country is beautiful and therefore, the demand of the tourism industry has increased in the past decade. The palace is suitable for the company to expand and increase their market share (Refer to Appendix 5). Promotion- the promotional mix of the Thomson group is a very important part of the marketing mix. The Thomson group uses all the promotional elements, which helps in promoting their services and products in the potential market. The main element of promotional mix adopted by the company is advertising (Aziri and Nedelea 2013). The company uses advertisement methods such as radio, television, magazine, newspaper, social network, cinema and billboards to promote the services and products of their organization. Personal selling is the next method for promotion, adopted by the company. The company holds sales meetings, sales presentations and training, as well as, incentive programs for the salespeople. This helps them to interact smoothly with the customers. Sales Promotion is another method of promotion (Llodr-Riera et al. 2015). The company uses coupons, sweepstakes, rebates, exhibitions, contests, product samples and so on to attract the customers. Public Relation is another method of making the public aware of the products of the company. The company has adopted various plans to make relation with the public and this helps them in building a brand position in the target market. The plans may include press conferences, press releases, corporate logos, sponsorships and exhibitions. Direct Marketing is another method of promoting the products and services of the company (Charnykh 2015). The Thomson Group do direct marketing like a telephone conversation, e-mail, sends leaflets and vouchers to the houses of the customers. It helps the company to maintain a good and a healthy relationship with the customers (Refer to Appendix 5). Physical Evidence- the physical evidence is the most important element of the operating service of the Thomson Group (Mitchell, Font and Li 2015). Physical evidence is all about the decoration of the as well as the services that it provides to its customers. Thomson is very particular in these aspects and this has helped the company to attract more customers (Refer to Appendix 5). People- people refer to the employees, customers, management and public. The staffs and employees of the company are quite skilled and effective (Kleeman 2014). They believe in providing the best services to the customers. They see to the fact that the customers do not face any difficulty while dealing with their company. This helps the company to gain the trust of the customers and increase their sales (Refer to Appendix 5). Process- the systems and processes adopted by the company have proved beneficial for the customers of the company. The employees of the company are provided with proper training and it helps them to execute their services to the potential customers in a proper way (Modica 2016). This increases the reputation of the company in the potential market. The Thomson Group use high-speed internet service to provide swift and best services to their customers (Refer to Appendix 5). The company has a good communication level with all its branches, which helps in maintaining a good process. Strategic Choice The Ansoff Matrix is used to analyse the implementation of the business and the corporate strategies for the companies to grow and expand (Refer to Appendix 6). During the years of 1997-1999, the Thomson Group saw a scope of penetration of their business into the German market with their existing products (Burghouwt and de Wit 2015). The main aim of the company was to increase their market share. The group entered the European market in the year 2000 with a very strong market share. They focused on developing their products and introducing low-cost travel airlines in the year 2003 with the setting up of TUI China. They increased their cash flow by agreeing to sign the joint venture in Russia. The introduction of the virtual tour operator helped the company to gain top position in the tourism industry and develop a respectable position in the target market. The tourism industry of the group was subdivided into five sectors namely Northern Europe, Central Europe, Western Europe, other tourism activities and destinations. The growth of the company has helped the other individual countries to compensate their difficulties and problems. Moreover, the company can achieve its cost effective strategy by making some cost initially to gain higher returns as it already holds the market but with growing market, the company is in need to expand its customer base as well. They have extended their business segments in India, China and Europe. Consolidation is one of their main market strategies to develop the brand image and earn high returns on investment (Busby and Huang 2012). Porters Generic strategies The Porters Generic Strategies can be based on the efficiency of the products and packages elaborated in the market. Moreover, the cost effective yet cost differentiated strategy of the company helps in providing a base for the company to expand its customer base and market share. The cost leadership will be achieved in home country at the first followed by a broader view on the world. Though, the cost will not be considered at first while developing holiday packages to do marketing globally but later with the use of offers to retain and expand the new customer base, the cost effecting strategy will be applied. On the other hand, differentiation strategy can be achieved based on the different kinds of holiday packages offered to the customers in the home as well as foreign country (Refer Appendix 7). The differentiation focus will be expanding globally with offers and discounts that only help the company to achieve competitive advantage but also help in building the reputation of Tho mson Holiday Group (Nordin, Radzi, Ismail and Ahmad 2013) Actions and Controls The actions and controls taken should highlight the effectiveness of the Thomson Holiday Group are given as: Thomson should always provide quality of high merchandise to its customers. Conversely the company should keep in mind the promotional strategies that the company has adopted so that there is no ill scheduling of the product. The cost effective (reduction) strategy should be kept in mind while devising holiday packages in home country as well because the customers might me more demanding in opting for the packages. The costs of vertical integration are effectively made in elaborating the strategy while adopting the risky ventures of going global. The products should be launched right before the venet to get maximum attention of the public. Moreover, retrenchment strategy should be applied in achieving suitable as well as feasible financial performance by take advantage of the core competencies at a different level and side by side strengthening the balance of activities. Conclusion At the end of the report, it is clear that that the Thomson Group has gained a competitive advantage in the potential market because of its leadership and brand image. The company has worked hard to gain the brand image and reputation in the potential market. The company has kept in mind the political, economic, social, technological, and environmental and the legal factors to ensure smooth functioning of their business. The company has the efficient and skilled personnel to deliver swift and best services to the potential customers of the company. The company uses various promotional strategies to make people aware of the products and services of the company. They have been successful in maintaining a good and a healthy relationship with the customers. This helped them to expand their business and increase their market share. The company has gained the leading position in the potential market. They have been adopting various unique strategies to maintain their leading position in th e market. The company is very effective in delivering its services to the customers and therefore, it is the best tour operator in the United Kingdom. They have penetrated to other markets and have gained higher returns on investment from the individual markets. References Ansari, S., Fiss, P.C. and Zajac, E.J., 2014. Made to fit: How practices vary as they diffuse.Academy of Management Review, January,1(2010), p.35. Aziri, B. and Nedelea, A., 2013. Business strategies in tourism.Ecoforum Journal,2(1), p.1. Borodako, K. and Rudnicki, M., 2014. 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