Taste of Iron Water

Cary Wolfe Professor Murrey English 200, Tuesday & Thursday Class 26 February 2013 Word Count 1008 The Appalachian: Separation An Analysis of Separation in Jim Wayne Miller’s â€Å"The Taste of Ironwater† My small Appalachian hometown is peaceful, with its flowing streams and rolling hills, somewhat untouched by the rest of the world, a place I hope to never leave again. Separation is defined in multiple ways; the one used in this story is the process of separating or the condition of being separated (DEF. ).Just like Buddy, the main character in Jim Wayne Miller’s â€Å"The Taste of Ironwater,† I once was in a state of overwhelming separation from the armed forces, my spouse, and my Appalachian home. After finishing my last deployment in the United States Army, I came home to an empty house and a Dear John letter. I was only sixty days from becoming a civilian. Then I had to decide through all of the anxiety from separation what I wanted to do: I had fami ly close by that had found me work, if I wanted to stay in the south, or I could return home to endless possibilities.This story helped me see the trials and tribulations of separation in a different light. In the story a man named Buddy had run into an old friend, L. C.. They talked about the good old days, and their friends who had made something of themselves. Odell took the hell raiser to preacher approach in life, while Haskill Bayes (a not as intelligent person) had graduated from a community college that had open up near their hometown. Soon afterward, Buddy’s mom had sent Preacher Odell to pay him a visit, and in return Buddy decided to return home.Throughout Jim Wayne Miller’s â€Å"The Taste of Ironwater,† Miller showed the pattern of separation in Buddy’s life, through the military, his wife, and the small hometown he had left behind years ago. One way, Buddy’s transition from military to civilian life is not just a change in employment, but a change in culture and lifestyle as well, played a part in his separation from civilians. Buddy had a soured personality; he didn’t enjoy or have a want to be around anyone. â€Å"And you take, lots of folks from Wolf Pen’s up here workin, but just getting up, goin’ to work, comin home, you hardly ever see anybody† L.C. said (155). â€Å"He liked it just that way—not seeing any body† Buddy’s thoughts (155). â€Å"Buddy’s dad had a room over on Oak, Buddy hadn’t seen him in two-three weeks, didn’t want to† (155). Buddy’s strict way of life had disappeared, no one had the disciplined that had been in graved into him, it’s was easier for him to just be alone. Another pattern of separation in the story would be Buddy’s parting from his wife, Evie. Buddy was in complete denial with his departure to Evie, until Odell the preacher confronted him. â€Å"Man, I got two weeks off.Evie†™s visitin’ her folks—out in New Mexico† (155) Buddy said. â€Å"Right now I’m batchin, L. C. Lookin’ for a place. When Evie gets back† (155). Then Buddy and Odell had a conversion that explains a lot of his actions. â€Å"Buddy, lookit me. You’re lyin too me. All I know is what your Mom told me, Buddy—about you and your wife separating and all† Odell said (158). â€Å"They know, they know down home. When she went back to New Mexico to visit her folks, Buddy had known even before he got the letter that she was long gone† Buddy’s thoughts (158).Buddy’s separation from his wife was actually a small death to him, he no longer had a will to keep going until he found out more people knew the truth about his separation. Finally, the separation that’s had its affects throughout Miller’s â€Å"The Taste of Ironwater† was Buddy leaving his Appalachian Home. These next few sentences were descriptions of how Buddy was feeling about finally going back home. â€Å"It was November, and Wolf Pen would be gray and muddy, but he always remembered it the way it was in spring and early summer† (158). â€Å"Buddy could see it as clear as the grains of sand on the bottom of a spring.And lying there, thinking of home, hating it, loving it he was so homesick for that place he could taste it, like lying on his stomach at a spring down home, drinking the ironwater with its rusty taste—water that stained coffee cups, dippers and water buckets† (159). Up to this point, Buddy hadn’t had any pleasure or any self-satisfaction until he realized that he had just reunited himself with his hometown. â€Å"Hello, home! † Buddy said, turned up the radio and started singing along (159). This was Buddy’s only reconnection, from all of the separation he had been facing throughout the story.We will all deal with some type of separation in our lives, and more than likely it will come in many shapes and forms. Buddy had several separation issues that compared and even reminded me, of many personal events that took place in my very own life, most were issues that are affecting many people today. Separation was showed in mainly negative issues with changes, people don’t enjoy going through and can bring the feeling of life is over, but it also was to remind us life is only what we make of if it, if we let it get us down, it will.The story never told if Buddy had overcome all of his separation issues, but as the story ended there were lots of hints that Buddy was on his way to writing a much better chapter of his life, then again who knows what life has in store. Works Cited â€Å"Separation. † The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Company 15 Feb. 2013 http://www. thefreedictionary. com/separation Miller, Jim Wayne. â€Å"The Taste of Ironwater. † Home a nd Beyond: An Anthology of Kentucky Short Stories. Ed. Morris Allen Grubbs. Lexington: UP of KY, 2001. 154-161. Print.

Personal Philosophy of Education Essay

Teaching is mostly a social activity; it begins with social interactions between teachers, students and their peers through conversation and demonstration. The information received in these social interactions is then processed cognitively in their working memory and hopefully stored in their long term memory. This learning process has two main stages the social stage and the cognitive stage which then can be broken down into many other stages. Given that that social interaction and cognition are in my opinion the most fundamental parts of learning I have gained much interest in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social but from the social to the individual’, (Vygotsky, 1986, p. 36). This idea argues that the social relationship between the teacher and learner is crucial in their cognitive development and that the information learned by the student is not simply passed down from the teacher but it is constructed internally through mutual social interactions. The importance of social interaction means that as a teacher I must use every opportunity I can to allow students to be involved socially while building their knowledge. This will involve planning lessons which involve carefully guided class discussions. This allows students to express their views while the teacher can guide their thinking and correct them if needed. I believe learners mostly process new information by comparing it to previously stored information. In many cases the teacher may need to show the student how it is related to the new information by comparing it to what the student previously learnt. It is the teacher’s job to bridge the gap between known and unknown and I believe this is best described using Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. Vygotsky (1986) argues that it is the teacher’s job to assist the student to build on their previous knowledge rather than just provide them with new information, turning them into passive recipients. Allowing students to process information critically with some guidance leads to better understanding and allows students to regulate their own learning. In order for this to be effective the teacher must be aware of the different ability levels of the students as if the information is placed outside of their proximal development zone they will be only memorising information without truly understanding its meaning. In my classroom I would aim to have knowledge of all my students’ abilities so that I may pose questions within their zone of proximal development which will then deepen their understanding of the topic. There are many simple ways of doing this such as giving analogies that compare pieces of information in a way that they understand or by giving them hints about the correct method to solve the problem. Education is a lot more complex than having knowledge of relevant theories. This is due to the huge diversity among students who may have different ethnicity, socio economic status and moral values. These are all external factors which are mostly out of the teachers control and while it is important to consider these differences I believe motivation is the key to allowing students to get the most out of their education. Current views conceptualise motivation as a dynamic and complex phenomenon comprising many cognitive, affective and social processes that instigate, direct and sustain action (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002). Given that motivation is sustaining the student’s interest in their learning it is up to the teacher to keep them motivated. A cognitive approach to motivation is achievement motivation which allows students to build on their successes by motivating them to be successful in the future. This can only be achieved if the knowledge is within the student’s ability which once again reinforces to me the importance of being aware of my students’ abilities and using their zone of proximal development to its full advantage. Having the ability to motivate and understand students differences are traits which I believe are essential for a successful teacher but in order to possess these abilities the teacher must first be able to build a quality relationship with the students. When there are high levels of closeness and low levels of conflict and dependency, students are more likely to be motivated to succeed, to feel successful in educational pursuits and, consequently, to perform better than students without such supports (Koomen, Zee, Van der Veen 2013). The research shows that positive student teacher relationships not only improve academic achievement but allow students to work more independently. As a teacher I will strive to build these quality relationships in which I can allow students to work independently with some guidance. This will allow more freedom in their learning and will ultimately motivate them towards better academic achievement.

Work and energy Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Work and energy - Lab Report Example em corresponds to the net force that is the gravity, friction, and resistance through acting on the particle possessing kinetic energy either gained or lost by the prevailing particle. In a mechanical system, energy is neither generated nor devastated but is can be shifted from potential energy to the kinetic energy or from kinetic to potential. For an isolated system, there is the application of the Work-Energy Theorem states that any alteration in the total energy of a system occurs because of work. In case the system works on the outside the universe, then the W is positive, and the corresponding energy required executing work emanate from the system. Moreover, in case work done is done from the outside the system then W becomes negative and the energy of the system escalates. In case no work is done, the total energy of the underlying system does not alter. Taking a mass on the inclined plane and attached to the spring. The system gives two potential energies emanating from gravity and spring (Chen,pp.124-189). Concisely, the gravitational potential equivalent to the corresponding work demanded to the place the object at that height represented as PEg=mgh. Taking the height h, distance x and the angle ÃŽ ¸, gravitational potential becomes PEg= mgxsinÃŽ ¸ The underlying computer was booted in the bid to make the first set of the measurements. Motion Sensor’s phone plugs were connected to the Digital Channels 1 and 2. Yellow-branded (pulse) was filled into Digital Channel 1. Moreover, plug (echo) was also connected to the Digital Channel 2. The track was placed on the horizontal surface, and the lab jack was placed at one terminal track to the raise that ends. The end stop for the track ought to be placed at the higher end of the track so that the underlying magnets face away from the prevailing the track. The angle indicator was used to measure the incline angle of the track and recorded in the table. Motion Sensor was mounted at the low end of the track, and

Managed Project Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managed Project Learning - Essay Example The essay "Managed Project Learning" considers the advantages and disadvantages of the construction plan of eco-friendly housing units in the area east of the Port Dunda’s branch of Forth and Clyde. There is a canal about 35 miles long known as the Forth and Clyde canal that borders the proposed eco-friendly homes construction site. This canal runs right across Scotland. A major concern for the developers will be the landscape of the area. In the context of accessibility, is the proposed area in close proximity to services? The assessment focuses on determining whether or not services required for a person to lead a normal life are available. The services should also be close to the residential units that are to be developed. Certain facilities such as post offices, shops, restaurants should be within cycling, wheelchair or walking distance.The proposed area is very near the Glasgow City. This means that the occupants of the New Generation eco-friendly houses will have easy ac cess to very many services such as employment, hospitals, leisure, transport hubs, out-of-town retail shops, schools, stadia etc. the travel demands required in order to access most of this services have partly been met by the Pinkston road that joins with the M8. This will need to be reconsidered since the local authority believes that the Pinkston road already serves to its intended capacity. The soil is extremely important as it has many wide and important functions. These include support for plants, agriculture, and biodiversity.

Harold Lasswell's theory of the socialization Essay

Harold Lasswell's theory of the socialization - Essay Example This is why even the best of governments are known as necessary evils. The difference between the society and the government is that the society has unlimited wants whereas the government is a source of the so called ‘wickedness’. For instance, Friedrich Engels attacked the state by stating that the important fact about the state on religion is that it puts the anxiety of mankind before itself. Often, it has been said that only those who are corrupted seek power. Political affairs are a much variegated web of many vices and virtues along with a small possibility of truth and false hood of every shape interwoven (Lasswell 8). Moreover, politicians and statesmen are compared to men who are skillful in juggling and making all kinds of incantations and tricks of all kinds. With this kind of men it is very difficult to escape their influence. In spite of all the evil associated with power, not everything about power is a symbol of evil. Power can be used for worthy purposes by the good and the strong. Not all those with power work for strange and cunning occults arts to gain power and keep it. As for those who believe that power is evil, the sometimes agree that not all who use power are evildoers. On the contrary, some men in power have been named as the heroes of mankind, great men in history, liberators, founders of nations and even statesmen (Lasswell 9). From this perspective, power, personality and government are judged favorably. Recent expansions and discoveries in the psychological, social and medical science have added to the knowledge of power and those who seek power. From a social political objective, there is instrumentation of democratic values. The connection between power and personality can be associated with service of human dignity. According to Lasswell, power is an interpersonal situation; those who hold power are empowered (10). As long as those in power give

Gender Differences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Gender Differences - Essay Example The preparation and the aftermath of any of the above mentioned occurrences requires special planning and assistance. The research will show that due to our "classic conditioning", we are systematically excluding a segment of our population from participating in an all important undertaking. The literature will use the educational system to show how we view gender, and how this time honored perception skews the method and attitude of instruction and attention, in fostering a mere tolerance, and not an equal commitment to the presence of girls in the classroom. The fact that gender differences in the classroom is not viewed as a significant entity, is stunting the growth and denying the full potential of a majority of the school age population. Additionally, the literature will also address the gap and the absence of ethnic gender diversity considerations in the educational system. The system addresses this matter as if the low income minority female is present in the classroom, only to bide her time, until something else comes along. She receives little credit for her achievements and given only casual acknowledgment for her efforts. The literature sets out to highlight the existence of gender differences and whether the presence of these differences is fertile ground for bias. And whether the bias results in a disadvantage for any of the groups affected. Is it a fact that boys are educated differently from girls, and if so, does the advantage have a positive or negative impact on the achievement of the gender or race of those without the advantage. Are remedial measures necessary to assist in obtaining gender and ethnic equality The review clearly points out the existence of gaps in standardized test scores among various students classifications, for example, a Caucasian female student who has a high GPA will invariably score, on average, 30 points less than her Caucasian counterpart on the SAT. Even if the male has a lower GPA than the female, his scores will be higher than the female.This phenomenon is so pervasive until college admission officers have adopted a policy to make a 30 point allowance between male and female scores when making admission decisions. 2.0 CHAPTER TWO 2.1 GENDER IDENTITY Gender identity is the individuals private experience of his/her gender; the concept of the self as masculine or feminine. This is such an important part of a person's self concept that in most adults it is virtually impossible to change it. There are several different perspectives on how gender identity is formed and this writer finds the following concepts the most appropriate; psychoanalytical, social learning, and cognitive development.Psychoanalytical theory describes a process in which the young child identifies3 with the same sex parent. She internalizes the characteristics and behavior styles of that parent and begin unconsciously to react in similar ways; Social Learning theory suggests that the child develops a gender identity through a learning process that involves modeling, imitation and reinforcement. The theory rests on the assumption that boys learn to be boys and girls to be

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Research Project - Essay Example tz, 2002), one of the greatest accomplishments at the onset of the 21st century is the continuous pursuit of fitness since the beginning of our existence. Fitness remains to be paramount to health and well-being. In cognizance of the recognized importance of fitness in the life of everyone, fitness centers or health clubs commonly known as a gym emerged almost everywhere. Fitness gyms cater to almost all age groups but usually to teens, adults and even elderly. The Fitness Center is a health, recreational and social facility geared towards exercise, sports and other physical activities. It may be for a for-profit commercial facility or a community or institutionally supported center. A successful facility will accommodate both the serious athlete and the casual recreational user. (Mion, E.G. 2010) It was found that fitness centers in the past 20 years have not only proven to be popular and very much in demand by fitness conscious consumers but also a very profitable business opportunity. There are many aspects to carefully consider prior to starting a fitness center. However, with careful research and proper planning fitness center can be a fabulous business to start, operate, and own not to mention that it also has the potential to be very profitable. Opening a fitness center requires careful planning and research and the following are some aspects of the business that should be considered: Where will the fitness center be located, how much square footage would be required/ focus of the business (caters to all people or one specific group, service (Will the center be full service meaning optional aerobic classes and one-on-one personal training for clients, staff, marketing, competition(How much does the competition charge?). ( Business Idea Center: Fitness Center) The fitness centers shall continue to be a profitable business venture. It may also important to know that top fitness trends for 2011 include fitness programs for older

Contemporary Issues in International Business Assignment - 1

Contemporary Issues in International Business - Assignment Example It should be also noted that the environment in which international businesses operate is briefly explained so that the position and the challenges of global clothing industry to be fully understood. Businesses that operate globally have to face a series of issues. The willingness of investors to support global business initiatives is not standardized. In fact, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows in markets worldwide present high variation, being reduced from time to time, usually because of local political or economic crises.1 FDI has become popular due to the low level of its risks, compared to other internationalization strategies. Justin explains that FDI can be described as ‘the investment in the real assets of a foreign company so that a product is produced or marketed.2During the last five years, FDI shows important downturns probably because of the recession of 2008. The specific fact is reflected in Graph 1 and Graph1a (Appendix) where the changes in FDI globally, both as inflows and outflows, are presented. The recent trends in regard to FDI globally are also presented in Graph 2 (Appendix) where the emphasis is given on the FDI inflows in developing countries. It should be noted that a firm that wishes to secure its position in the global market needs to be able to continuously improve its productivity in order to respond to global competition, which tends to favor the most powerful organizations.  In fact, due to globalization, competition has become stronger not only in the international market but also in local markets.[i] Another issue for international business is the elimination of trade barriers. In practice, it has been proved that trade barriers can significantly threaten the prospects of firms in the global market, either temporarily or permanently.   

Natural sciences Essay Example for Free

Natural sciences Essay Knowledge involves acquaintance with truth, principles or facts as with a certain subject or a branch of learning. People have various perceptive of knowledge. There are those who belief that knowledge is found in many forms which must be proven with evidence. It is possible to doubt everything that exist because it is a misconception or it may be seen as an illusion. Doubt is important in knowledge because learning through from the senses or through the senses can be deceptive. For example, senses can deceive because one may smell something sweet and senses deceive that it is going to have sweet taste. However, this is wrong because not everything that smells sweet taste sweet. Dreams are also deceptive as they are just false delusions because occasionally when one is asleep one is deceived by the illusions in dreams. These are just ways that knowledge through the senses can deceive. Therefore, it becomes necessary to doubt everything so that one can get the true knowledge. So as the proverb hold doubt is key to knowledge. Knowledge creates doubt and doubt pave way for gaining more knowledge. If its is not for doubt then there would be no knowledge or the knowledge that would be available would be one that is not complete knowledge (Urdahl, pg 27-29). In natural sciences, scientists have a lot of experience with doubt and uncertainty. This is experience that is very necessary in gaining knowledge in natural sciences. When one does not know the answer to a problem then this can be termed as ignorance. Then one has a hunch as to what the results are, for example, of an experiment, then it means that one has uncertainty. When one is darned sure of what the result would be then it means that one has some doubt. Therefore, it is paramount important that in order to have progress it is important to recognize the ignorance we have in natural sciences and leave room for doubt. This is because scientific knowledge is a body of statements, which have varying degrees of certainty. The degrees vary from being unsure, nearly sure and none absolutely certain. Doubt is a good thing in natural science because if one knows the answer or thinks that one knows the answer then it becomes easy to fail to seek more knowledge about that particular subject. Doubt helps to come out of that emotional attachment that people have in certain beliefs or from the theory of determinism. Example of areas where doubt has assisted in gaining and verifying knowledge is in the assumptions in relativity that inertial mass and gravitational mass are equal. In order to show that they are not the model has to be revised. Scientists have engaged in refining their ability to measure the two. It is the doubt that has developed in this area that has made the scientist revise this model until they have realized that inertial mass and gravitational mass are different at finer degrees. Therefore, they doubt has made it known that the two are not equivalent as has been held in the past. In this case, it is not that the same experiment is repeated but the real key to this is to look at the statements and test if they have been examined to the extent that they should. Doubt allow the use of new tools in scientific experiments which allow new discoveries which do away with the old ideas or theories. Science in this case becomes a process of doubt. Natural scientists are always nor sure and this is the reason as to why they repeat the steps in experiments in order to make sure that it is right. Another area where doubt has necessitated growth of knowledge is in the evolution theory. At the beginning people had strong belief that creation theory was the one that provided call the knowledge about the evolution of human being. However, as knowledge grew people started to doubt some aspects of the evolution theory and developed other theories such as the Darwinian theory of evolution. This is a theory which resulted out f the doubts about some of the aspects of the former theory. This is not the end theory because doubts in some aspects of the evolutions theory have also led to development of some other theories (Axtell pg 87-88). Doubt has also contributed to increased knowledge in other areas, for example, in social science and history. There are two areas that information collected or knowledge gained depends on research or theories which were constructed in the past by various scholars. However it becomes tricky to use such kind of theories to their full because history and social sciences are dynamic. For example, the society change as time moves. Therefore, this is also in the same way that the theories are supposed to change. For example, if theories that were constructed in the fourteenth century are used in the twenty first century then there is no doubt that the theory would contain a lot of faults because of the changes that have occurred in the society. People have developed in their way of reasoning as in these days there are more sources of information than in the past. Reason is one part of gaining knowledge that enhances the development of doubt. This is because it is after deductive reasoning that a person is able to develop hypothesis that proves some knowledge as relevant or irrelevant (Gotschl, pg179-180). Historians do their research and base most of their research on the researches that were conducted in the past. The information in the research where they base their research would be biased or exaggerated. This is what cause doubt and enhance new research to be conducted regarding some issues. Despite the fact that some people are emotionally attached to some believes doubt has made them to relent some of their believes. For example, different ethnic groups have their own myths about where they originated or who is their god or where their god lived. In traditional society people had strong emotional attachment to these beliefs (Chang pg 581). However, as time has passed people have developed doubt about these believes to develop other believes. This is because most of the beliefs in the traditions are not well reasoned and are also biased to particular ethnic people. People have developed other believes that are more inclusive of other ethnic groups all over the world. This has risen out of the doubt that people have some of the things that happened in the past (Lamm Norman pg 11-12). Despite that knowledge plays a key role in knowledge I think that knowledge or truth is a fixed situation because truth is not questionable. So if true knowledge is out there to be discovered or to be learned then it means that when we know or acquire knowledge then there should be no room for doubt. I also think that knowledge depends mostly on human perception. Natural sciences have more upper hands in investigating the truth. However these sciences are still subjected tout human brains. Curiosity is also key to knowledge rather than doubt. Human beings are always curious to know more about their nature. The curiosity allows them to make discoveries and also strive to find the truth. Looking critically at the discoveries that have been made in the past it is out of curiosity that this has happened. This curiosity leads to knowledge, which then leads to wisdom. Doubts make us to know hat our knowledge is correct instead on believing in something blindly. However I do not feel that doubt makes us to make any discovery or learn anything that is new to us. It is curiosity that allows us to acquire new knowledge more quickly. Work cited Axtell Guy. Knowledge, belief, and character: readings in virtue epistemology, 1st edition, Rowman Littlefield, 2000. Chang Larry. Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing, Gnosophia Publishers, 2006. Gotschl Johann. Erwin Schrodingers world view: the dynamics of knowledge and reality Vol 16, New York, Springer, 1992. Lamm Norman. Faith and doubt: studies in traditional Jewish thought, 3rd edition, KTAV Publishing House, Inc. , 2007. Urdahl Halvor. Key of Knowledge, New York, Kessinger Publishing, 1998.

Motivational Letter Example Essay Example for Free

Motivational Letter Example Essay This letter is to express my interest in bringing my diverse professional background and experience to your organization.   I possess excellent interpersonal skills and am effective in motivating, mentoring, and coaching others demonstrating solid leadership skills. As you can gather from my attached resume, I am currently working as a Realtor for a major real estate firm.   My professional background includes working in both the public and private sector and it demonstrates my flexibility and adaptability to work in a variety of work environments. In addition to the skills noted on my attached resume, I can also offer your organization: Excellent customer service skills and a proven ability to increase customer satisfaction. An ability to work in a fast-paced environment utilizing my multi-tasking skills. Self-motivated and goal-oriented professional dedicated to achieving personal and professional growth. It is my hope that my education and professional experience will convey to you that I have the qualifications to make a valuable contribution as a School Counselor at any institution.   Should you have any questions, I can be reached at the number listed above.

Effectiveness of E-Marketing

Effectiveness of E-Marketing Virtual Era- New Features In Marketing Cap Synopsis Aim: The purpose of this study is to analyze the current practices going on in the Indian market in terms of using the virtual market and virtual marketing as tool to enhance bottom top line and for a better penetration. It would also throw light on various marketing strategies can be synchronized with web marketing for better and optimum results. Objective: The study would predominantly give an idea about the effectiveness of E-Marketing in contemporary scenario wherein most of the companies are using it as the most effective tool to ensure that their product or services are being reached to masses, because of the pervasive nature of web market its another feather in the cap of market. This thesis depicts how a small sized Business-To-Business company can create an e-marketing plan. For this purpose, this thesis would incorporate most of the industries that are into the business of serving customers with their product services. The thesis first carries out a literature study to explain the concepts and methods related with the e-marketing activities. Furthermore, the case company is introduced. Since an e-marketing plan is similar to a marketing plan, the products, target markets and competitors are also introduced among others. During the case study, the advices and the strategies are proposed. Since the thesis has a â€Å"hands-on implementation† feature, some of the strategies are implemented by sticking to the â€Å"action plans† in an iterative way. Doing so, thesis depicts evaluation for the recommended strategies. Finally, conclusions and areas for future work are presented along with the â€Å"Lessons Learned† during the project. Methodology: The method used for finding the relevant information for the research is mentioned below: 1) Secondary Research a. Internet Assistance b. Books, Articles working papers c. Magazines Journals 2) Primary research Primary research would predominantly look on analysis part of consumer behavior to track their behavior of web marketing. a. General Observation on site I. Closer observation on shoppers Behavior II. Functionality of Industry III. Impact of E-Marketing b. Questionnaire I. Sample size would be 100 II. Multi-dimensional Sampling III. Factor Analysis c. Focus Group Interview I. General Discussion with customers d. Interview I. Extensive Meetings with Industry people.Based on this I will conclude that whether consumers are being affected by the ways of web marketing of industries or not or what should be the modus operandi of companies to allure their target audience. Virtual market Forty nine of the Worlds leading food, beverages, and consumer products companies have joined hands to form the largest business to business e-Market place Transora.com. The new company is the first of its kind owned by the consumer products industry. Transora will help consumer products companies across the world to streamline business transactions with their buyers, suppliers and distributors through the internet. Transoras services will span the entire supply chain-from suppliers to manufactures to retailers-and provide procurement, vendor, and product catalogues, online order management, supply chain collaboration, and financial services. The companies have committed nearly us $ 250 million for funding Transora (CBI News Bulletin, July/august 2000) The buzz word viral marketing and coral advertising and virtual marketing refers to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks produce increase in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self replicating viral processes, analogues to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word of mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive flash games, Adver games, EBooks, brand able software, images, or even text messages. The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify individuals with high social networking potential and create viral messages that appeal to this segment of the population and have a high probability of being taken by another competitor. The term viral marketing or virtual marketing has been also used pejoratively to refer to stealth marketing campaigns- the unscrupulous use of astroturfing on line combined with under market advertising in shopping centers to create the impression of spontaneous word of mouth enthusiasm. Internet marketing Internet marketing also referred to as marketing, web marketing, online marketing or eMarketing is the marketing of products or services over the internet. The internet has brought media to a global audience. The interactive nature of internet marketing in terms of providing instant response and eliciting responses is a unique quality of the medium. Internet marketing is sometimes considered to have a broader scope because it only refers to the internet, email, and wireless media, but it includes management of digital customer data and electronic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the internet, including design, development, advertising, and sales. Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along with different stages of the Customer Engagement Cycle through search engine Marketing(SEM), Search Engine Optimization(SEO), banner ads on specific websites, email marketing, and web 2.0 strategies. In 2008 the New York Times, working with co score, published an initial estimate to quantify the user data collected by large internet based companies. Counting four types of interactions with company websites in addition to the hits from advertisements served from advertising networks, the authors found the potential for collecting data upward of 2500 times on average per user per month. eMarketing EMarketing is a subset of e business that utilize electronic medium to perform marketing activities and achieve desired marketing objectives for an organization. Internet marketing, interactive marketing, and mobile marketing for example, are all the form of e marketing. eBusiness EBusiness means utilizing electronic medium in everyday business activities. There are several levels of involvement in when it comes to EBusiness. For example where one organization relies completely on e business the second one way chooses a mixed presence and means of doing business. Difference Difference between eBusiness, eCommerce, and eMarketing †¢ eBusiness is a very broad entity dealing with the entire complex system that comprises a business that uses electronic medium to perform or assist its overall or specialized business activities. †¢ eCommerce is best described in a transactional context. So for example an electronic transition of funds, information, or entertainment falls under the category handled by principles of eCommerce. Technically e commerce is a part of e business †¢ eMarketing is also a part of e business that involves electronic medium to achieve marketing objectives. E marketing is set on a strategic level in addition to traditional marketing and business strategy. Difference between e marketing and interactive marketing eMarketing is a broader term that describes any marketing activity performed via electronic medium. Interactive marketing is generally a sub of eMarketing that involves a certain level of interaction. Difference between eMarkeitng and internet or web Marketing: There is no real difference between eMarketing and internet or web marketing. However, with the arrival of mobile technologies such as PDAs and 3G mobile phones, as well as interactive television, both terms would see eMarketing and internet or web marketing as subtly different, for example chaffy; Internet {or web} marketing is achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies. eMarketing is achieving marketing objectives through use of electronic communications technology. Whilst this distinction is wholly acceptable, it is difficult to see where the distinction lies between digital technologies and electronic communications technologies, especially with the convergence of technologies such as mobile devices. Advantages of eMarketing Following are some of the advantages of e marketing: à ¼ Reduction in costs through automation and use of electronic media. à ¼ Faster response to both marketers and the end user. à ¼ Increased ability to measure and collect data. à ¼ Opens the possibility to a market of one through personalization. à ¼ Increased interactivity. Disadvantages of eMarketing Following are some disadvantages of eMarketing: à ¼ lack of personal approach , à ¼ Defensibility on technology, à ¼ Security, privacy issues, à ¼ Maintenance costs due to a constantly evolving environment, à ¼ Higher transparency of pricing and increased price promotion, à ¼ Worldwide competition through globalization. eMarketing Plan eMarketing plan is a strategic document developed through analysis and research and is aimed at achieving marketing objectives via electronic media. eMarketing plan represents a sub set of organizations overall marketing plans supports the general business strategy. Every good eMarketing plan must be developed in line with the organizations overall marketing plan. In a broad sense e marketers generally start by analyzing the current micro- and macro economic situation of the organization. eMarketers must observe both internal and external factors when developing an e marketing plan as trends in both micro environment elements are: pricing, suppliers, customers. Examples or macro environment are: socio economic, political, demographics and legal factors. In order to reduce a viable e marketing solution, e marketers must first understand the current situation of the company and its environment, profile, segment the target market and then strategically position the products as to achieve optimal response with the target market. This is generally achieved through SWOT analysis. By assessing organizations strengths and weaknesses and looking at current opportunities and threats one can devise an e marketing strategy that can improve the organizations bottom line. eMarketing(in brief) eMarketing is essentially a part of marketing. But à ¼ What is the difference between eMarketing and internet or web marketing? à ¼ What are the eMarketing tools? And how do marketers plan for eMarketing? The American marketing association definition 2004 is as follows: Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. Therefore e marketing by its very nature is one aspect of an organizational function and a set of process for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. As such an aspect, eMarketing has its own approaches and tools that contribute to the achievement of marketing goals and objectives. This also helps us to differentiate between eMarkeitng and eCommerce, since eCommerce is simply buying and selling online: What are the eMarketing tools? The internet has a number of tools to offer to the marketer. à ¼ A company can distribute via the internet e.g. amazon.com, à ¼ A company can use the internet as a way of building and maintaining a customer relationship e.g. Dell.com, à ¼ The money collection part of a transaction could be done online e.g. electricity and telephone bills, à ¼ Leads can be generated by attracting potential customers to sign up for short periods of time, before signing up for the long-term e.g. which.co.uk, à ¼ The internet could be used for advertising e.g. Google Adwords, Finally, the web can be used as a way of collecting direct responses e.g. as part of a voting system for a game show. How do marketers plan for eMarketing? There are two ways to looking it; à ¼ An existing organization may embark upon some eMarkeitng as part of their marketing plan. à ¼ An organization trades solely on the internet and so their marketing plan focuses purely on eMarketing. The marketing plan in either case is the next step, whether focused upon eMarketing or all, marketing. The next lessons focus upon a tailor-made eMarketing plan which conforms to the Acronym AOSTC {from our generic marketing planning session} Situation analysis for VIRTUAL marketing The situation analysis for eMarketing bridges the internal audit and competitor research. It answers the question where are we now in terms of our marketing (internal v/s external perspective)? The analysis literally considers your eMarkeitng situation by considering the fit between internal and external factors. There are similarities with traditional concepts and techniques, but you need to focus upon digital commerce. Here we consider the 5ss of internet marketing, the customer life cycle, and the application of SWOT analysis. The Customer Life Cycle (CLC) The customer life cycle is a tool that creation and delivery of lifetime value to customers i.e. CLC looks at products and services that customers need throughout their lives. It is market oriented rather than product oriented. Key stages of the customer relationship are considered. SWOT analysis-ranked and weighted SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Some of the problems that you may encounter with SWOT are as a result of one of its key benefits i.e. its flexibility. Since SWOT analysis can be used in a variety of scenarios, it has to be flexible. To overcome these issues, one should employ a power SWOT. SWOT analysis-Power SWOT SWOT analysis is a marketing audit that considers an organizations strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats. Our introductory lesson gives you the basics of how to compete your SWOT as you begin to learn about marketing tools. As you learn more about SWOT analysis, you will become aware of a number of potential limitations with this popular tool. This lesson aims to help you overcome potential pitfalls. Some of the problems that you may encounter with SWOT are as a result of one of its key benefits i.e. flexibility since SWOT analysis can be used in a variety of scenarios, it has to be flexible. However this can lead to a number of anomalies. Problems with basis SWOT analysis can be addressed using a more critical power SWOT. Power is an acronym for personal experience, order, weighting, emphasizing detail, and rank priorities. This is how it works. How do you the marketing manager fit in relation with the SWOT analysis? You bring your experiences, skills, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs to the audit. Your perception or simple gut feeling will impact the SWOT. Often marketing managers will in adversely reverse opportunities and strengths, and threats and weaknesses. This is because the line between internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats is sometimes difficult to spot. For example, in relation to global warming and climate change, one could mistake environmentalism as a threat rather than a potential opportunity. Too often elements of a SWOT analysis are not weighted. Naturally some points will be more controversial than others, so weight the factors. One way would be to use percentages e.g. threat a=10%, threat b=70%, and threat =20 %{ they total 100%} Detail, reasoning, and justification are often omitted from the SWOT analysis. Where one tends to find is that the analysis contains lists of single words. For example, under opportunities one might find the term technology. This stage word does not tell a reader very much. What is really meant is: Technology enables marketers to communicate via mobile devices close to the point of purchase. This provides the opportunity of a distinct competitive advantage for our company. This will greatly assist you when deciding upon best to score and weight each element. Once detail has been added, and factors have been revived for weighting, you can then progress to give the SWOT analysis some strategic meaning i.e. you can begin to select those factors that will most greatly influence your marketing strategy albeit a mix of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threatens. Essentially you rank them highest to lowest, and then prioritize those with the highest rank e.g. where opportunity c= 60% opportunity a= 25% and opportunity b = 10% you marketing plan would address opportunity c first, and opportunity b last. It is important to address opportunities primarily since your business should be market oriented. Then match strengths to opportunities and look for a fit. Address any gaps between current strengths and future opportunities. Finally attempt to rephrase threats as opportunities (as with global warming and climate change above), and address weaknesses so that they become strengths, Gap analysis would be bridge the gap between them. Competitor research for Virtual marketing (External perspective) As you plan for eMarketing and during the plans implementation, one needs to play careful attention to the activities of competitors, so competitors research for eMarketing is essential when attempting to answer the question where are we now (external perspective). There are a number of approaches that can be employed, with the emphasis on each approach shifting depending upon the nature of our e business and market. Here are some key tools of competitor research for eMarketing. à ¼ Use search engines. Ø General topics such as Google, yahoo And msn Ø Type names of competitors Ø Type industry, product or term Ø Search ‘down in to a directory structure e.g. yahoo Ø Search a competitors web site Ø Product information , press released, job opportunities Ø Pricing information Ø Distribution information such as where to buy. à ¼ Hunt for trade associations Ø Search for personal pages or blogs Ø Different perspective e.g. fans, ex-employees. Ø e.g. v www. blogger. com , v www. myspace. com, v www. youtube. Com. à ¼ Ask your target market. Ø Send question to named personnel, newsgroups, personal pages, mailing lists. Ø Conduct a survey using. Ø Buy secondary reports e.g. data monitors, mintel. à ¼ Newsgroups and post queries, Ø newsgroups on bulletin boards or forums Ø Deja. com(Google) Ø Read online financial information Ø research public companies Ø iii.co.uk ample up Ø ft.com up à ¼ Read online competitive information. Ø e.g. hoovers.com paid for, inus à ¼ Study demographic reports Ø statistics.gov.uk/ census in up Ø census.gov inus à ¼ Original source material Ø Business source elite, newspapers, Kellys compass. à ¼ Monitor special interest material Ø Business source elite, newspaper, Kellys, compass. à ¼ Monitor special interest material. Ø E.g. marketing week (BSE), campaign (BSE), marketing (BSE). à ¼ Use a professional researcher EMarketing Mix The eMarketing mix is essentially the same as the marketing mix. it is simply the adaption of price, place product, and promotion to the eMarketing context. Of course one could also include physical evidence, people, and process when marketing planning for an online service. Below are a series of lessons that consider how markets can apply the eMarketing mix to their organizations own product, service, brand, or solution. E marketing price The eMarketing mix is simply an adaptation of the traditional marketing mix and ‘P for price. However, the internet has influenced how online businesses price in a number of ways. E Marketing Place {Place tactics as part of the eMarketing mix.) The e marketing space consists of new internet companies that have emerged as the internet has developed, as well as those pre-existing companies that new employ eMarketing approaches as part of their overall marketing plan. For some companies the internet is an additional channel that enhances or replaces their traditional channel of place. Pre Existing companies that have adopted eMarketing These are traditional companies that trade on the internet, Banking and financial services e.g. HSBC bank. Banks and financial services have benefited tremendously from the popularity of internet usage. There is a mixture of new online banks and traditional banks, both offering online banking services. Essentially banks no longer need to invest in high cost, high street selling unit i.e. old fashioned town-based banks. Labor costs have also been reduced since much of the traditional banking bureaucracy is done using it and the use of overseas call centers has meant that salaries are much lower. Software also means that customers can be retained by using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) eMarketing approaches. E marketing product Considered product as part of the marketing mix. Two previous tools for product decision-making have been introduced- Product Life Cycle (PLC) and the three levels of a product. Both of these tools and equally applicable to the context of e marketing and can be easily applied to include e marketing and product. For example a product marketed solely online will go through a life cycle in the same unpredictable way as a product marketed through any traditional channel (PLC). Products marketed online will have a core benefit tot eh customer, be an actual tangible product, with augmentation that ads value such as insurance, warranties and so on three levels of a product). Although tools actually specify the term ‘product, they can be easily adapted to include brands. Services or solutions. E marketing product/business matrix (depicted below should be used in conjunction with Product Life Cycle (PLC) and the three levels of a product. It represents additional tools for audit that bridges existing businesses and new online start-us, and existing products and new products. It allows marketers to categories those marketing on the internet as an online extender, an online alternative, an online innovator (existing business), and Oran online innovator (online start-up). Let us look at it in more detail; A- Online extender An on line extender is an existing business that has a strategy whereby it extends its marketing activities to the internet. It could be any traditional, terrestrial organization that has historically grown through using traditional channels of distribution to get existing products, brands, services, or solutions to market. B- Online alternatives The online alternative is a new start-up that uses the internet as an original channel of distribution to get products, brands, services or solutions, currently available elsewhere, to, arekt. Some segments may be better targeted with this online alternative for example remote or fragmented markets. C and d- Online innovators Online innovators come in two forms; C- Online innovators are existing businesses that see a benefit to launching new and innovative products, brands, services or solutions online by leveraging new technology. Existing businesses have a wealth of knowledges and learning that underpin their moves onto the web. Remember, the internet is not a business paradigm shift (at last not yet) and so current business approaches are often adapted for the internet. Existing businesses have experience. D- Online innovators are start-ups that seize the opportunities to launch new and innovative products, brands, services, or solutions online. Deposit not having as much knowledge and learning as some of their competitors, they are flexible and can move much more quickly. Start-ups often experience. We have already considered product as part of the marketing mix. Two previous tools for product decision- making have been introduced product life cycle and the three level of a product. E marketing promotion Ø It looks at ways of increasing the popularity of your website by looking at the internal optimization of the website itself. It considers many important ways of building your traffic, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) approaches. Ø It looks at ways of increasing the popularity of your website by looking at external sources of internet advertising. Ø Lesson internet marketing and promotion: internet advertising. Ø This lesson looks at ways of increasing the popularity of your website by looking at external sources of internet advertising. Ø Pay per click advertising Ø Google ad words. Google ad words are a Cost per Click (CPC) online advertising program. Identically that means that you decide upon key word that relates closely to your product or service. Using Googles tools, you price how much it would cost your per click for your chosen keyword- this could be lucent, $1.50 or more, depending on the popularity of the keyword. So the keyword marketing would be more expensive than the keyword marketing cheese china because of its level of popularity. You then allocate a budget, and pay Google by credit card. You can control the length of your campaign, or end it as soon as the money in PPC management (Pay per Click Management) or recruit a verified Google awards professional. Adverts appear alongside Google search results- so go to Google and search for marketing. The ads appearing alongside the main search results are cps. Ads also appear on selected content websites-such as www.chichesteuk.com-look at the adverts along the top, and down the right hand column- this is where ads based upon the keyword chic ester would appear. You only pay for adverts that get clicked- not for page views- so you pay nothing if your advert is simply viewed. There is also an opportunity for ‘Smart pricing whereby you pay more for the advert if a sale is guaranteed e.g. you have a website based upon fishing- you write a review of a new type of fishing rod, the visitor then sees an ad for the same rod in an ad words text ad running on the same page then clicks on it and buys from the advertiser. Adwords is a very targeted and controllable way of online advertising hence the huge rises in income and profit for Google over recent times. EMarketing Price (Pricing tactics as part of the eMarketing mix.) The eMarketing mix is simply an adaption of the traditional marketing mix and ‘P for price. However the internet has influenced how online businesses price in a number of ways. International pricing and competition give consumers access to the lowest price for any generic good. For example, British consumers benefit when buying products from the United States since there is almost two dollar to the pound. Conversely this makes British goods more expensive to the American consumer. So it is cheap to buy spectacles from a us website and then to import them into the UK (even including transport costs and import taxes) Online auctions are a popular and innovative way of pricing, for example ebay. Here you register with the online auction company as a seller and/or a buyer. You can place an item into auction where buyers bid against each other. The highest bidder wins. The auction websites takes a commission. The commission is factored into the price you pay. Greater access to pricing information, more quickly and in a format that makes pricing comparable and transparent. There are a number of sites that will compare and contrast prices for the same or similar goods and services e.g. prices on car insurance. Pricing could also include the cost of an online advertising medium such as Google ad words. Here an online supplier would buy a keyword located in a text or image based advert onto Googles own search engine or onto a website belonging to a Google publisher. For example you search term hair straightness on Google and you are directed to a site about hair dressing. On this site is plenty of information about hair straightening, placed next to some contextual adverts. You click on the advert and you are taken to a site selling hair dressing supplies. You buy the hair straightness and your supplier pay a small ‘Pay-Per-Click fee which is split between Google and their publisher. This is factored into the price you pay. Traditional pricing tactics used in eMarketing Of course the internet marketers still has a whole selection of the more traditional pricing approaches to choose from that can be adapted to eMarketing scenarios: Premium pricing e.g. selling music via iTunes. à ¼ Penetration pricing e.g. giving away free subscription to land grab market share for new start ups such as youtube.com and myspace.com. à ¼ Economy pricing e.g. selling basic products and services online likes basic design or paperclips. à ¼ Price skimming e.g. new product launches online such as albums or games. à ¼ Psychological pricing e.g. products and services sold at 99p or $99.99 (price point perspective). à ¼ Product line pricing e.g. subscription 1 @ free, subscription 2 @ $10.00(with added value) and subscription 3 @ $49.99 for 10 year. à ¼ Pricing variations e.g. budget airlines selling tickets online where the first tickets bought are the cheapest, and the last ones bought tend to be more expensive. à ¼ Optional product pricing e.g. selling a holiday online with travel insurance. à ¼ Captive product pricing e.g. once you buy virus software from one brand, your updates must also come from them. à ¼ Product bundle pricing e.g. buying internet access which comes with free online phone calls. à ¼ Promotional pricing e.g. betting incentives, such as free dollars to gambles online for current customers that gamble on football games to tempt them to play online pocker, or vouchers with codes sent by email as rewards e.g. Amazon.com. à ¼ Geographical Pricing e.g. Microsoft pricing in different currencies in different international markets. Search marketing {Overture and yahoo} Overture is the yahoo equivalent of Googles ad words. Now known as yahoo Search marketing, overture has a series of sub-products that make up its internet marketing program. Here some examples: 1) Sponsored search: Displays your advert at the top of the search engine results. So your potential customers search for a ‘keyword and your advert appears at the top of the results page. Again, as this ad words, the advertisers bid against each other to obtain the position that will generate the most convertible traffic to their site. Popular keywords will cost more-obviously. 2) Local advertising: Gets your business listed in yahoos business directory. So if you wish to promote products in specific regions next to specific search keywords, this is a much targeted geographical services. Overture h Effectiveness of E-Marketing Effectiveness of E-Marketing Virtual Era- New Features In Marketing Cap Synopsis Aim: The purpose of this study is to analyze the current practices going on in the Indian market in terms of using the virtual market and virtual marketing as tool to enhance bottom top line and for a better penetration. It would also throw light on various marketing strategies can be synchronized with web marketing for better and optimum results. Objective: The study would predominantly give an idea about the effectiveness of E-Marketing in contemporary scenario wherein most of the companies are using it as the most effective tool to ensure that their product or services are being reached to masses, because of the pervasive nature of web market its another feather in the cap of market. This thesis depicts how a small sized Business-To-Business company can create an e-marketing plan. For this purpose, this thesis would incorporate most of the industries that are into the business of serving customers with their product services. The thesis first carries out a literature study to explain the concepts and methods related with the e-marketing activities. Furthermore, the case company is introduced. Since an e-marketing plan is similar to a marketing plan, the products, target markets and competitors are also introduced among others. During the case study, the advices and the strategies are proposed. Since the thesis has a â€Å"hands-on implementation† feature, some of the strategies are implemented by sticking to the â€Å"action plans† in an iterative way. Doing so, thesis depicts evaluation for the recommended strategies. Finally, conclusions and areas for future work are presented along with the â€Å"Lessons Learned† during the project. Methodology: The method used for finding the relevant information for the research is mentioned below: 1) Secondary Research a. Internet Assistance b. Books, Articles working papers c. Magazines Journals 2) Primary research Primary research would predominantly look on analysis part of consumer behavior to track their behavior of web marketing. a. General Observation on site I. Closer observation on shoppers Behavior II. Functionality of Industry III. Impact of E-Marketing b. Questionnaire I. Sample size would be 100 II. Multi-dimensional Sampling III. Factor Analysis c. Focus Group Interview I. General Discussion with customers d. Interview I. Extensive Meetings with Industry people.Based on this I will conclude that whether consumers are being affected by the ways of web marketing of industries or not or what should be the modus operandi of companies to allure their target audience. Virtual market Forty nine of the Worlds leading food, beverages, and consumer products companies have joined hands to form the largest business to business e-Market place Transora.com. The new company is the first of its kind owned by the consumer products industry. Transora will help consumer products companies across the world to streamline business transactions with their buyers, suppliers and distributors through the internet. Transoras services will span the entire supply chain-from suppliers to manufactures to retailers-and provide procurement, vendor, and product catalogues, online order management, supply chain collaboration, and financial services. The companies have committed nearly us $ 250 million for funding Transora (CBI News Bulletin, July/august 2000) The buzz word viral marketing and coral advertising and virtual marketing refers to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks produce increase in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self replicating viral processes, analogues to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word of mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive flash games, Adver games, EBooks, brand able software, images, or even text messages. The goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to identify individuals with high social networking potential and create viral messages that appeal to this segment of the population and have a high probability of being taken by another competitor. The term viral marketing or virtual marketing has been also used pejoratively to refer to stealth marketing campaigns- the unscrupulous use of astroturfing on line combined with under market advertising in shopping centers to create the impression of spontaneous word of mouth enthusiasm. Internet marketing Internet marketing also referred to as marketing, web marketing, online marketing or eMarketing is the marketing of products or services over the internet. The internet has brought media to a global audience. The interactive nature of internet marketing in terms of providing instant response and eliciting responses is a unique quality of the medium. Internet marketing is sometimes considered to have a broader scope because it only refers to the internet, email, and wireless media, but it includes management of digital customer data and electronic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the internet, including design, development, advertising, and sales. Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along with different stages of the Customer Engagement Cycle through search engine Marketing(SEM), Search Engine Optimization(SEO), banner ads on specific websites, email marketing, and web 2.0 strategies. In 2008 the New York Times, working with co score, published an initial estimate to quantify the user data collected by large internet based companies. Counting four types of interactions with company websites in addition to the hits from advertisements served from advertising networks, the authors found the potential for collecting data upward of 2500 times on average per user per month. eMarketing EMarketing is a subset of e business that utilize electronic medium to perform marketing activities and achieve desired marketing objectives for an organization. Internet marketing, interactive marketing, and mobile marketing for example, are all the form of e marketing. eBusiness EBusiness means utilizing electronic medium in everyday business activities. There are several levels of involvement in when it comes to EBusiness. For example where one organization relies completely on e business the second one way chooses a mixed presence and means of doing business. Difference Difference between eBusiness, eCommerce, and eMarketing †¢ eBusiness is a very broad entity dealing with the entire complex system that comprises a business that uses electronic medium to perform or assist its overall or specialized business activities. †¢ eCommerce is best described in a transactional context. So for example an electronic transition of funds, information, or entertainment falls under the category handled by principles of eCommerce. Technically e commerce is a part of e business †¢ eMarketing is also a part of e business that involves electronic medium to achieve marketing objectives. E marketing is set on a strategic level in addition to traditional marketing and business strategy. Difference between e marketing and interactive marketing eMarketing is a broader term that describes any marketing activity performed via electronic medium. Interactive marketing is generally a sub of eMarketing that involves a certain level of interaction. Difference between eMarkeitng and internet or web Marketing: There is no real difference between eMarketing and internet or web marketing. However, with the arrival of mobile technologies such as PDAs and 3G mobile phones, as well as interactive television, both terms would see eMarketing and internet or web marketing as subtly different, for example chaffy; Internet {or web} marketing is achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies. eMarketing is achieving marketing objectives through use of electronic communications technology. Whilst this distinction is wholly acceptable, it is difficult to see where the distinction lies between digital technologies and electronic communications technologies, especially with the convergence of technologies such as mobile devices. Advantages of eMarketing Following are some of the advantages of e marketing: à ¼ Reduction in costs through automation and use of electronic media. à ¼ Faster response to both marketers and the end user. à ¼ Increased ability to measure and collect data. à ¼ Opens the possibility to a market of one through personalization. à ¼ Increased interactivity. Disadvantages of eMarketing Following are some disadvantages of eMarketing: à ¼ lack of personal approach , à ¼ Defensibility on technology, à ¼ Security, privacy issues, à ¼ Maintenance costs due to a constantly evolving environment, à ¼ Higher transparency of pricing and increased price promotion, à ¼ Worldwide competition through globalization. eMarketing Plan eMarketing plan is a strategic document developed through analysis and research and is aimed at achieving marketing objectives via electronic media. eMarketing plan represents a sub set of organizations overall marketing plans supports the general business strategy. Every good eMarketing plan must be developed in line with the organizations overall marketing plan. In a broad sense e marketers generally start by analyzing the current micro- and macro economic situation of the organization. eMarketers must observe both internal and external factors when developing an e marketing plan as trends in both micro environment elements are: pricing, suppliers, customers. Examples or macro environment are: socio economic, political, demographics and legal factors. In order to reduce a viable e marketing solution, e marketers must first understand the current situation of the company and its environment, profile, segment the target market and then strategically position the products as to achieve optimal response with the target market. This is generally achieved through SWOT analysis. By assessing organizations strengths and weaknesses and looking at current opportunities and threats one can devise an e marketing strategy that can improve the organizations bottom line. eMarketing(in brief) eMarketing is essentially a part of marketing. But à ¼ What is the difference between eMarketing and internet or web marketing? à ¼ What are the eMarketing tools? And how do marketers plan for eMarketing? The American marketing association definition 2004 is as follows: Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. Therefore e marketing by its very nature is one aspect of an organizational function and a set of process for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. As such an aspect, eMarketing has its own approaches and tools that contribute to the achievement of marketing goals and objectives. This also helps us to differentiate between eMarkeitng and eCommerce, since eCommerce is simply buying and selling online: What are the eMarketing tools? The internet has a number of tools to offer to the marketer. à ¼ A company can distribute via the internet e.g. amazon.com, à ¼ A company can use the internet as a way of building and maintaining a customer relationship e.g. Dell.com, à ¼ The money collection part of a transaction could be done online e.g. electricity and telephone bills, à ¼ Leads can be generated by attracting potential customers to sign up for short periods of time, before signing up for the long-term e.g. which.co.uk, à ¼ The internet could be used for advertising e.g. Google Adwords, Finally, the web can be used as a way of collecting direct responses e.g. as part of a voting system for a game show. How do marketers plan for eMarketing? There are two ways to looking it; à ¼ An existing organization may embark upon some eMarkeitng as part of their marketing plan. à ¼ An organization trades solely on the internet and so their marketing plan focuses purely on eMarketing. The marketing plan in either case is the next step, whether focused upon eMarketing or all, marketing. The next lessons focus upon a tailor-made eMarketing plan which conforms to the Acronym AOSTC {from our generic marketing planning session} Situation analysis for VIRTUAL marketing The situation analysis for eMarketing bridges the internal audit and competitor research. It answers the question where are we now in terms of our marketing (internal v/s external perspective)? The analysis literally considers your eMarkeitng situation by considering the fit between internal and external factors. There are similarities with traditional concepts and techniques, but you need to focus upon digital commerce. Here we consider the 5ss of internet marketing, the customer life cycle, and the application of SWOT analysis. The Customer Life Cycle (CLC) The customer life cycle is a tool that creation and delivery of lifetime value to customers i.e. CLC looks at products and services that customers need throughout their lives. It is market oriented rather than product oriented. Key stages of the customer relationship are considered. SWOT analysis-ranked and weighted SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Some of the problems that you may encounter with SWOT are as a result of one of its key benefits i.e. its flexibility. Since SWOT analysis can be used in a variety of scenarios, it has to be flexible. To overcome these issues, one should employ a power SWOT. SWOT analysis-Power SWOT SWOT analysis is a marketing audit that considers an organizations strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats. Our introductory lesson gives you the basics of how to compete your SWOT as you begin to learn about marketing tools. As you learn more about SWOT analysis, you will become aware of a number of potential limitations with this popular tool. This lesson aims to help you overcome potential pitfalls. Some of the problems that you may encounter with SWOT are as a result of one of its key benefits i.e. flexibility since SWOT analysis can be used in a variety of scenarios, it has to be flexible. However this can lead to a number of anomalies. Problems with basis SWOT analysis can be addressed using a more critical power SWOT. Power is an acronym for personal experience, order, weighting, emphasizing detail, and rank priorities. This is how it works. How do you the marketing manager fit in relation with the SWOT analysis? You bring your experiences, skills, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs to the audit. Your perception or simple gut feeling will impact the SWOT. Often marketing managers will in adversely reverse opportunities and strengths, and threats and weaknesses. This is because the line between internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats is sometimes difficult to spot. For example, in relation to global warming and climate change, one could mistake environmentalism as a threat rather than a potential opportunity. Too often elements of a SWOT analysis are not weighted. Naturally some points will be more controversial than others, so weight the factors. One way would be to use percentages e.g. threat a=10%, threat b=70%, and threat =20 %{ they total 100%} Detail, reasoning, and justification are often omitted from the SWOT analysis. Where one tends to find is that the analysis contains lists of single words. For example, under opportunities one might find the term technology. This stage word does not tell a reader very much. What is really meant is: Technology enables marketers to communicate via mobile devices close to the point of purchase. This provides the opportunity of a distinct competitive advantage for our company. This will greatly assist you when deciding upon best to score and weight each element. Once detail has been added, and factors have been revived for weighting, you can then progress to give the SWOT analysis some strategic meaning i.e. you can begin to select those factors that will most greatly influence your marketing strategy albeit a mix of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threatens. Essentially you rank them highest to lowest, and then prioritize those with the highest rank e.g. where opportunity c= 60% opportunity a= 25% and opportunity b = 10% you marketing plan would address opportunity c first, and opportunity b last. It is important to address opportunities primarily since your business should be market oriented. Then match strengths to opportunities and look for a fit. Address any gaps between current strengths and future opportunities. Finally attempt to rephrase threats as opportunities (as with global warming and climate change above), and address weaknesses so that they become strengths, Gap analysis would be bridge the gap between them. Competitor research for Virtual marketing (External perspective) As you plan for eMarketing and during the plans implementation, one needs to play careful attention to the activities of competitors, so competitors research for eMarketing is essential when attempting to answer the question where are we now (external perspective). There are a number of approaches that can be employed, with the emphasis on each approach shifting depending upon the nature of our e business and market. Here are some key tools of competitor research for eMarketing. à ¼ Use search engines. Ø General topics such as Google, yahoo And msn Ø Type names of competitors Ø Type industry, product or term Ø Search ‘down in to a directory structure e.g. yahoo Ø Search a competitors web site Ø Product information , press released, job opportunities Ø Pricing information Ø Distribution information such as where to buy. à ¼ Hunt for trade associations Ø Search for personal pages or blogs Ø Different perspective e.g. fans, ex-employees. Ø e.g. v www. blogger. com , v www. myspace. com, v www. youtube. Com. à ¼ Ask your target market. Ø Send question to named personnel, newsgroups, personal pages, mailing lists. Ø Conduct a survey using. Ø Buy secondary reports e.g. data monitors, mintel. à ¼ Newsgroups and post queries, Ø newsgroups on bulletin boards or forums Ø Deja. com(Google) Ø Read online financial information Ø research public companies Ø iii.co.uk ample up Ø ft.com up à ¼ Read online competitive information. Ø e.g. hoovers.com paid for, inus à ¼ Study demographic reports Ø statistics.gov.uk/ census in up Ø census.gov inus à ¼ Original source material Ø Business source elite, newspapers, Kellys compass. à ¼ Monitor special interest material Ø Business source elite, newspaper, Kellys, compass. à ¼ Monitor special interest material. Ø E.g. marketing week (BSE), campaign (BSE), marketing (BSE). à ¼ Use a professional researcher EMarketing Mix The eMarketing mix is essentially the same as the marketing mix. it is simply the adaption of price, place product, and promotion to the eMarketing context. Of course one could also include physical evidence, people, and process when marketing planning for an online service. Below are a series of lessons that consider how markets can apply the eMarketing mix to their organizations own product, service, brand, or solution. E marketing price The eMarketing mix is simply an adaptation of the traditional marketing mix and ‘P for price. However, the internet has influenced how online businesses price in a number of ways. E Marketing Place {Place tactics as part of the eMarketing mix.) The e marketing space consists of new internet companies that have emerged as the internet has developed, as well as those pre-existing companies that new employ eMarketing approaches as part of their overall marketing plan. For some companies the internet is an additional channel that enhances or replaces their traditional channel of place. Pre Existing companies that have adopted eMarketing These are traditional companies that trade on the internet, Banking and financial services e.g. HSBC bank. Banks and financial services have benefited tremendously from the popularity of internet usage. There is a mixture of new online banks and traditional banks, both offering online banking services. Essentially banks no longer need to invest in high cost, high street selling unit i.e. old fashioned town-based banks. Labor costs have also been reduced since much of the traditional banking bureaucracy is done using it and the use of overseas call centers has meant that salaries are much lower. Software also means that customers can be retained by using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) eMarketing approaches. E marketing product Considered product as part of the marketing mix. Two previous tools for product decision-making have been introduced- Product Life Cycle (PLC) and the three levels of a product. Both of these tools and equally applicable to the context of e marketing and can be easily applied to include e marketing and product. For example a product marketed solely online will go through a life cycle in the same unpredictable way as a product marketed through any traditional channel (PLC). Products marketed online will have a core benefit tot eh customer, be an actual tangible product, with augmentation that ads value such as insurance, warranties and so on three levels of a product). Although tools actually specify the term ‘product, they can be easily adapted to include brands. Services or solutions. E marketing product/business matrix (depicted below should be used in conjunction with Product Life Cycle (PLC) and the three levels of a product. It represents additional tools for audit that bridges existing businesses and new online start-us, and existing products and new products. It allows marketers to categories those marketing on the internet as an online extender, an online alternative, an online innovator (existing business), and Oran online innovator (online start-up). Let us look at it in more detail; A- Online extender An on line extender is an existing business that has a strategy whereby it extends its marketing activities to the internet. It could be any traditional, terrestrial organization that has historically grown through using traditional channels of distribution to get existing products, brands, services, or solutions to market. B- Online alternatives The online alternative is a new start-up that uses the internet as an original channel of distribution to get products, brands, services or solutions, currently available elsewhere, to, arekt. Some segments may be better targeted with this online alternative for example remote or fragmented markets. C and d- Online innovators Online innovators come in two forms; C- Online innovators are existing businesses that see a benefit to launching new and innovative products, brands, services or solutions online by leveraging new technology. Existing businesses have a wealth of knowledges and learning that underpin their moves onto the web. Remember, the internet is not a business paradigm shift (at last not yet) and so current business approaches are often adapted for the internet. Existing businesses have experience. D- Online innovators are start-ups that seize the opportunities to launch new and innovative products, brands, services, or solutions online. Deposit not having as much knowledge and learning as some of their competitors, they are flexible and can move much more quickly. Start-ups often experience. We have already considered product as part of the marketing mix. Two previous tools for product decision- making have been introduced product life cycle and the three level of a product. E marketing promotion Ø It looks at ways of increasing the popularity of your website by looking at the internal optimization of the website itself. It considers many important ways of building your traffic, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) approaches. Ø It looks at ways of increasing the popularity of your website by looking at external sources of internet advertising. Ø Lesson internet marketing and promotion: internet advertising. Ø This lesson looks at ways of increasing the popularity of your website by looking at external sources of internet advertising. Ø Pay per click advertising Ø Google ad words. Google ad words are a Cost per Click (CPC) online advertising program. Identically that means that you decide upon key word that relates closely to your product or service. Using Googles tools, you price how much it would cost your per click for your chosen keyword- this could be lucent, $1.50 or more, depending on the popularity of the keyword. So the keyword marketing would be more expensive than the keyword marketing cheese china because of its level of popularity. You then allocate a budget, and pay Google by credit card. You can control the length of your campaign, or end it as soon as the money in PPC management (Pay per Click Management) or recruit a verified Google awards professional. Adverts appear alongside Google search results- so go to Google and search for marketing. The ads appearing alongside the main search results are cps. Ads also appear on selected content websites-such as www.chichesteuk.com-look at the adverts along the top, and down the right hand column- this is where ads based upon the keyword chic ester would appear. You only pay for adverts that get clicked- not for page views- so you pay nothing if your advert is simply viewed. There is also an opportunity for ‘Smart pricing whereby you pay more for the advert if a sale is guaranteed e.g. you have a website based upon fishing- you write a review of a new type of fishing rod, the visitor then sees an ad for the same rod in an ad words text ad running on the same page then clicks on it and buys from the advertiser. Adwords is a very targeted and controllable way of online advertising hence the huge rises in income and profit for Google over recent times. EMarketing Price (Pricing tactics as part of the eMarketing mix.) The eMarketing mix is simply an adaption of the traditional marketing mix and ‘P for price. However the internet has influenced how online businesses price in a number of ways. International pricing and competition give consumers access to the lowest price for any generic good. For example, British consumers benefit when buying products from the United States since there is almost two dollar to the pound. Conversely this makes British goods more expensive to the American consumer. So it is cheap to buy spectacles from a us website and then to import them into the UK (even including transport costs and import taxes) Online auctions are a popular and innovative way of pricing, for example ebay. Here you register with the online auction company as a seller and/or a buyer. You can place an item into auction where buyers bid against each other. The highest bidder wins. The auction websites takes a commission. The commission is factored into the price you pay. Greater access to pricing information, more quickly and in a format that makes pricing comparable and transparent. There are a number of sites that will compare and contrast prices for the same or similar goods and services e.g. prices on car insurance. Pricing could also include the cost of an online advertising medium such as Google ad words. Here an online supplier would buy a keyword located in a text or image based advert onto Googles own search engine or onto a website belonging to a Google publisher. For example you search term hair straightness on Google and you are directed to a site about hair dressing. On this site is plenty of information about hair straightening, placed next to some contextual adverts. You click on the advert and you are taken to a site selling hair dressing supplies. You buy the hair straightness and your supplier pay a small ‘Pay-Per-Click fee which is split between Google and their publisher. This is factored into the price you pay. Traditional pricing tactics used in eMarketing Of course the internet marketers still has a whole selection of the more traditional pricing approaches to choose from that can be adapted to eMarketing scenarios: Premium pricing e.g. selling music via iTunes. à ¼ Penetration pricing e.g. giving away free subscription to land grab market share for new start ups such as youtube.com and myspace.com. à ¼ Economy pricing e.g. selling basic products and services online likes basic design or paperclips. à ¼ Price skimming e.g. new product launches online such as albums or games. à ¼ Psychological pricing e.g. products and services sold at 99p or $99.99 (price point perspective). à ¼ Product line pricing e.g. subscription 1 @ free, subscription 2 @ $10.00(with added value) and subscription 3 @ $49.99 for 10 year. à ¼ Pricing variations e.g. budget airlines selling tickets online where the first tickets bought are the cheapest, and the last ones bought tend to be more expensive. à ¼ Optional product pricing e.g. selling a holiday online with travel insurance. à ¼ Captive product pricing e.g. once you buy virus software from one brand, your updates must also come from them. à ¼ Product bundle pricing e.g. buying internet access which comes with free online phone calls. à ¼ Promotional pricing e.g. betting incentives, such as free dollars to gambles online for current customers that gamble on football games to tempt them to play online pocker, or vouchers with codes sent by email as rewards e.g. Amazon.com. à ¼ Geographical Pricing e.g. Microsoft pricing in different currencies in different international markets. Search marketing {Overture and yahoo} Overture is the yahoo equivalent of Googles ad words. Now known as yahoo Search marketing, overture has a series of sub-products that make up its internet marketing program. Here some examples: 1) Sponsored search: Displays your advert at the top of the search engine results. So your potential customers search for a ‘keyword and your advert appears at the top of the results page. Again, as this ad words, the advertisers bid against each other to obtain the position that will generate the most convertible traffic to their site. Popular keywords will cost more-obviously. 2) Local advertising: Gets your business listed in yahoos business directory. So if you wish to promote products in specific regions next to specific search keywords, this is a much targeted geographical services. Overture h

It’s Time to Demand More from Corporate America Essay -- Argumentative

It’s Time to Demand More from Corporate America Michael Moore exposes corporate America's dark side in Roger and Me, Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint, and The Big One (Moore).   These show that corporate America is committing a form of domestic terrorism by dehumanizing and exploiting their workers then forcing them to the streets to survive. The actions by individuals such as Roger Smith and Phil Knight are perfect examples of capitalists constantly oppressing the working class described by Karl Marx.   By dehumanizing workers business owners are able to push them to the streets by closing factories and remain a good public image.   Who cares if these degenerate people lose their jobs?   The first step in the terrorism plot is to strip the workers of their livelihood.   When the workers are oppressed they will eventually break down and lose their identity making them easy to push around.   Mike Lefevre demonstrates this idea in his interview with Studs Terkle.   "Everybody should have something to point to." Mike says suggesting the loss of identity he feels with being a labor...

Photos, Photography, and Images - The Superiority of Images Over Words :: Free Argumentative Essays

The Superiority of Images Over Words The battle for superiority and dominance between words and images is long and on-going. Both can be found everywhere, mostly in books, magazines, television, paintings, and movies. However, in more recent years, the dominance of images over words can be seen. In a world where better, faster, and easier communication is necessary, images are a far better option than words. Mitchell Stephens in â€Å"By Means of the Visible: A Picture’s Worth,† Ward Churchill in â€Å"Crimes Against Humanity,† and the director of Within These Walls, Mike Robe, concur that images such as gestures, symbols, and pictures have a widespread and profound influence. In truth, â€Å"painting is much more eloquent than speech, and often penetrates more deeply into one’s heart† (Stephens 473). Thus, images are more powerful than words because they communicate more clearly and concisely, cater for a wider and more diverse audience, and connect with people on a deepe r level. Images such as pictures dominate words because they can relay messages in a clear and succinct manner. The purpose of being able to communicate in the most effective way possible is to spread knowledge and information. However, when miscommunication becomes a factor and a problem, the quality of the knowledge being relayed becomes tainted. Stephens has found that images are a way to remedy this. He reasons that because â€Å"primates are visual animals, and think best in pictorial or geometric terms,† humans need images in order to fully explain and/or understand a concept (480). Unfortunately, the Nazis understood the power of this theory. Churchill found that while spreading anti-Semitic propaganda, the Nazis drew â€Å"grotesque caricatures of Jewish faces† (498). Immediately, messages of inferiority and hatred spread throughout Germany. Even without words, such pictures had a profound effect. It influenced â€Å"average Germans to later indulge in th e outright liquidation of Jewish ‘vermin’† (501). Even though images were used negatively, it is clear that they have a deep effect on people’s perception and understanding. Words, however, cannot have the same effect. Because abstract words and emotions such as hate require â€Å"a deep understanding,† they â€Å"can be put into images but are difficult to put into words† (Stephens 480). Therefore, images remain dominant over words because a single picture can depict complex emotions that no word or group of words can accomplish.

Gender Analysis of “The Tigers Bride” by Angela Carter Essay

The short story_The Tigers Bride_ raises thought provoking concepts around gender through a plot both alike and unlike traditional Beauty and the Beast. The role of both genders is explored and true freedom questioned within the bounds of society. The text delivers a powerful and even handed message to the genders that constraints are merely a construct, a mask which can slip and shatter when pressure is applied. Angela Carter sketches a bleak setting, and equally bleak outlook for the female protagonist, caught in a powerless, debased and objectified position of social standing. Agency is firmly placed with The Beast, and the father, opening with the line; ‘My father lost me to The Beast at cards’. Objectified from the outset for her beauty, the narrator is declared a ‘treasure’ by both men and a ‘pearl beyond price’ by her father. The barb is deepened with Christmas, the day of items named as the day of her birth. Her nickname ‘Christmas rose’ gives rye commentary on the traditional symbolism of the rose, which re-emerges later stained with her blood, representing the loss of innocence at the hands of the patriarchy much as her mother before her who ‘did not blossom long’. Despite her predicament the narrator represents herself and her gender atypically to binary stereotype with a cynicism and wit that cuts through the flaws of the hegemonic dominated society around her. Receiving a rose from The Beast, she calls it ‘unnatural and out of season’ and tears it apart whilst being bartered as an object in the card game. Her disdain for her predicament and surrounds are powerless in these early stages and are blended with a sadness ‘you think there is no winter but forget you take it with you’. The narrator fast becomes a heroine to the audience, through a nurtured appreciation of her budding inner strength. This is emphasised by the stark contrast to the insipidness of the father and veiled vulnerability of The Beast. The windup soubrette doll becomes a leading symbol of the dehumanising ideals of society on the female gender with the heroine  likening herself to the doll, initially. The valet’s statement ‘surrounding ourselves for utility and pleasure with simulacra is no less convenient than for most gentlemen’ casts light on the hegemonic expectation of society. However the heroine’s character grows in strength with every denial to The Beast and her rejection of society’s expectations of ‘her skin as her sole capital’ she acts on this through her rejection of the gifted diamond earrings. Role reversal occurs when The Beast himself unclothes in vulnerability ahead of the heroine. Transformation is near complete when she views the soubrette in a new light and intends to send the doll back to perform the stilted role of father’s daughter, realising that true freedom from the limitations of society means shedding and joining the ‘beasts’. The text proposes that gender constraints are a construct and are not limited to the suppression of female power. The bounds of society on The Beast and his estate are also evident and ironically his visage, scent and abode is criticised by the heroine as failing to comply with expectations. Her animosity towards The Beast is likely birthed in her predicament, his mask a reminder of the too perfect hegemony she detests. However The Beast conducts himself with a subtleness and dignity that can be afforded to no human in the story. Contrasting The Beasts behaviour with the character of the father or the viscous rumours of the nursemaids highlights the authors point that the limitations gender and society have created hamper the full potential of character. The Beasts compassion and coyness suggest an inner subordinate or complicit form of masculinity, the hegemonic persona forced, donned as disguise to conform. The story outlines an ideal place; ‘nothing human lives here’, a place where identity is essential to being not performed as a requirement. The message is bittersweet; the escape to freedom in a new skin is a relative exile from society; a clear rebuke to a society which forces such drastic methods upon the genders to avoid cultural ideation. Bibliography: Carter, Angela, (1996). The Tiger’s Bride. In Carter, Angela, Burning your boats : the collected short stories, (pp.183 – 201). London: Vintage.