Mental illness Essay Example for Free

Mental illness Essay Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper, relays to the reader something more than a simple story of a woman at the mercy of the limited medical knowledge in the late 1800s. Gilman creates a character that expresses real emotions and a psyche that can be examined in the context of modern understanding. The Yellow Wallpaper, written in first person and first published in 1892 in the January edition of the New England Magazine, depicts the downward spiral of depression, loss of control and competence, and feelings of worthlessness that lead to greater depression and the possibility of schizophrenia. The beginning emphasis will be on the interaction and roles of the husband and wife in The Yellow Wallpaper, which are based on the male dominated times of the late 1800s. The main character, a woman whose name is never revealed, tells us of the mental state of mind she is under and how her husband and his brother, both physicians, dismiss it. You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and ones own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression a slight hysterical tendency what is one to do? The doctors seem completely unable to admit that there might be more to her condition than just stress and a slight nervous disorder even when a summer in the country and weeks of bed-rest have not helped. It might be thought that it is a simple matter of a loving husband being overprotective of his ill wife, but this assumption is quickly washed away by his arrogant atti tudes, combined with his callous treatment of her that only serve to compound the problem. At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies. John treats his wife in a manner that gives her reason to doubt herself and her capabilities. Her husband John has explicitly forbidden her to do certain things, although we are never told why; but it can be assumed that it is because of her frailty that some of these activities have been taken away from her. As such being prohibited to work and not being able to contribute to the household as a proper wife and new  mother she begins to feel helpless. So I am absolutely forbidden to work until I am well again. Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Additionally, she has been told not to write: There comes John, and I must put this away he hates to have me write a word. With no creative outlet her mind starts to find things upon which to dwell, things that only she can see. Virtually imprisoned in her bedroom, supposedly to allow her to rest and recover, she slowly starts to go insane. Without compassion or an outlet for her creativity, her mind turns inward and focuses on her now increasingly shrinking universe. She has no say in the location or the decor of her room. I dont like our room a bit. . . But John would [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u7t0TuAnKU] not hear of it. She is not allowed visitors, It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship . . . but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now. In large part because of this oppression, she continues to decline. I dont feel as if it was worthwhile to turn my hand over for anything and Im getting dreadfully fretful and querulous. However by keeping her a prisoner in a room with offensive wallpaper and very little to occupy her mind, John almost forces her to dwell on her psyche. Prison is supposed to be depressing, and she is pretty close to being a prisoner. The story does hint to the fact that John knows he could have done more but simply does not seem to want to be bothered with the effort of such an endeavour for his wife. He never acknowledges that she has a real problem until the end of the story, at which time he fainted. John could have obtained council from someone less personally involved in her case, but the only help he sought was for the condition of the house and the baby. He obtained a nanny to watch over the children while he was away at work each day: It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. He also had his sister Jennie take care of the house. She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper. There is one instance, however, when he does talk of taking her to an expert for assistance, John says if I dont pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall. Nevertheless she took that as a  threat since Dr. Mitchell was even more domineering than her husband and his brother. Perhaps, if she had been allowed to come and go and do as she pleased her depression might have lifted, I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me. It seems to her that just being able to tell someone how she really feels would have eased her depression, but her husband would not hear of it because of the embarrassing consequences it could bring to the family name. Thus, John has made her a prisoner in their marriage where her opinions are pushed aside, and her self-worthiness questioned. She does have a rebellious spirit in her and the fact that this spirit is being crushed is the final nail towards her insanity. Her desperation is almost like someone being buried alive and screaming knowing that there are people just above but who seem not to hear or care. Her reaction is to seek to prove her husband wrong, John is a physician, and perhaps . . . perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster . . . While putting on an appearance of submission, in actuality she was frequently rebelling against her husbands orders. She writes when there is nobody around to see her, and she tries to move her bed, but always keeps an eye open for someone coming. As her breakdown approaches she actually locks her husband out of her room, I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path. I dont want to go out, and I dont want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him. This forces him to see that he has been wrong, and, since she knew he could not tolerate hysteria, to eventually drive him away. While there is supporting evidence that her husbands treatment of her was a major contributing factor to her madness, the possibility also exists that her madness was caused by an internal illness which, given the level of medical knowledge, her husband was unable to deal with appropriately. As mentioned in the beginning of this essay, Gilman creates a character that has real emotions and a real psyche that impresses upon the reader that she is slowly deteriorating into a mental illness known as schizophrenia (a disintegration of the personality). This illness, however it manifests itself within the personality of someone is usually highlighted through a variety of symptoms. The leading character exhibits these symptoms sporadically throughout the story. To begin with, one of the more obvious of her symptoms is her irrational obsession, displayed by relentless thoughts of and about, the yellow wallpaper that wraps the walls in her room. It is a room that she feels captured by and her obsessions start from the beginning of the story. I never saw a worse paper in my life, she says. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study Taken in isolation, this kind of observation might appear to be harmless to the uninformed observer, but as her obsession with the wallpaper grows, so does her dementia. At one point she describes lying on her bed and follow[ing] that pattern about by the hour . . . I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of conclusion. Interconnected with the first symptom of irrational obsession is that of thought processing disorder. This disorder can range in severity from a vague muddiness of thinking to a complete breakdown of ones mental processes. The first real clues that she is having trouble controlling her mental state of being comes into focus when she states, I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes . . . I take pains to control myself before him, at least, and that makes me very tired She tries to discuss her feelings rationally, but this only brings a stern reproachful look at which she gives up and returns to her room. Again her condition is revealed a few pages later when remarking that, It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight. Soon, other noticeable changes in her mental state start to take shape. She slowly begins to show symptoms of paranoia, yet another unfortunate schizophrenic trait. She speaks of how happy she is that her baby is not exposed to the same torturous existence that she has to endure in her room with the yellow wallpaper. Of course I never mention it to them any more I am too wise, but I keep watch of it all the same Even the mistrust of her caretakers is further evidenced when she says, The fact is I am getting a little afraid of John. He seems very queer sometimes, and even Jennie has an inexplicable look When catching Jennie looking at the yellow wallpaper, she thinks to herself, But I know she was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself? This type of  paranoia is a firm indication that her psychological state is continuing to deteriorate towards complete schizophrenia. Another in the list of common symptoms of schizophrenia that the protagonist exhibits is hallucination. Of these hallucinations, one is when she sees people walking in the paths that she views from her bedroom window. As her condition worsens, she begins to have other hallucinations, this time focused on the yellow wallpaper itself. This is noticed when she exclaims, At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it [the wallpaper] becomes bars! The outside pattern, I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be. In addition to her mental hallucinations, she starts to also have ones where she can smell things as well, the only thing I can think of that it is like is the colour of the paper! A yellow smell. The climactic stage of her hallucinations comes when she realizes, that woman gets out in the daytime! It is at this point that her deranged thought processes become a coping mechanism to help her deal with her mental state of being. She passes into a full schizophrenic state and transforms from a helpless, self-pitying woman, to one who feels, in her mind at least, that she has broken free of her shackles. She feels that she has gained a sense of control, no matter how false that sense may be, as she says, I dont want to go out, and I dont want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him. Much has changed by the end of the story, so much in fact that in the end it is she who is metaphorically and literally creeping over John, who has fainted after seeing her in a deranged state of being. This is in contrast to their interactions up to this point when it was John who usually dictated and condescended her. The fact that the protagonist in this story is schizophrenic is supported by various bits of evidence. However, the question that remains to be answered is why a diagnosis of schizophrenia is important to interpreting The Yellow Wall-Paper. Schizophrenia is a logical choice in that it explains why the protagonist behaved in the way that she did. For her to overcome her submission to an environment that has sought to oppress her, she had to discard the personality within her that was meek and mild. This is a common defence mechanism of the mind in order to deal with situations it perceives to be uncontrollable. It is quite  possible within the realm of psychological study that the combination of the stress of childbirth, post-natal depression and the mental strain of having to repress her emotions triggered the schizophrenia. This terrible condition may have resulted from the bonds she felt would not allow her to express herself as a human being, mother and wife, a freedom that she so desperately needed. Her slide into madness, as a way to deal with her entrapment, is similar to a caged animal that, when backed into a corner, will fight for its life.

Product life cycle and its concept

Product life cycle and its concept All products and services have certain life cycles. The life cycle of a product, also known as PLC, is a model that illustrates the six different stages that a product/service will go through. The PLC shows the life of a product from its conception to its final withdrawal and each phase has its own characteristics and varies in length depending on the product/service. When a company introduces a new product in the market is very important to identify the six stages of its products life cycle because it has to take specific marketing actions in each stage in order to have the more profits it can. The understanding of the PLC can help the businesses to find out the right timing to introduce or withdraw a product from the market and realize whether their products are successful or not. THE HISTORY OF THE PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE AND ITS CONCEPT The product life cycle concept was developed in the 1950s and became very popular during the next decade. Up until now, it represents a core element of marketing theory and it is widely accepted because of its extensive applications. The PLCs concept can be applied to other theories such as new product development, portfolio analysis etc. The concept of PLC involves that: All products and services have a limited life similar to the human life (or the life of any other living organism). The product sales range. They pass through several and unique stages which pose certain challenges, opportunities and problems. The profits of a product/service range also. During different stages the profits are bound to rise or fall accordingly. Finally, at each stage of PLC, the firms must alter their strategies and their marketing in order for their product to be as profitable as it can. The product life cycle and its stages refer to three production levels: As far as it concerns a specific product (brand) of a company (e.g. Samsung captivate Galaxy S cell phone). A specific company that produces similar and parallel products (e.g. Samsung cell phones). And the whole industry. The group of companies that produce competitive products (e.g. the whole cell phone industry). The brands usually have shorter product life cycles. The products on the other hand, follow standard PLC, while the product categories (industries) have the largest PLCs and stay in maturity phase for a long time, sometimes indefinitely. THE PLC STAGES The products life cycle consists of six phases: Development Introduction Growth Maturity Saturation Decline Fig.1 3821925.gif PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PHASE The development phase begins when a company generates and develops a new product idea. Its a process that demands the translation of different kinds of information (market and consumers trends, competitors products, environmental analysis etc.) which will have to be organized, combined and incorporated into the new product. This product must pass several test market and laboratory tests (Beta testing) in order for the company to see if it will be profitable and if the customers will benefit from it. Only those products that survive the tests can be introduced into the real market. Its obvious that during the development stage the company does not have any sales or profit. INTRODUCTION PHASE The introduction phase begins with the launch of the product in the market. The company tries to promote the new product, develop a market for it and spends a great deal of money in order to achieve this. During this phase the sales generally are low and the profits of the company even tend to be sometimes negative (low sales, high unit costs). The companies produce a small amount of products and their employees must be highly educated. Expertise is needed now. There is little or no competition and there may be high skim pricing for the company to recover the development costs. Finally, the distribution is very selective until the consumers start showing acceptance of the product and start buying it. Sadly, most of the times, the new products fail this stage and the company must withdraw them early from the market. GROWTH PHASE The products that managed to pass the first two stages with flying colors can now proceed to the growth stage. Thats the most profitable stage for the firms. The product takes-off in the market place and the sales increase rapidly. Costs decline on a per unit basis and we have scale economies in production. Thats the time that the company wants to increase the market share and find loyal customers (brand loyalty). However, the success of the product draws the competitors attention. The pricing, which would have be maintained with little competition, starts changing. The company must now become the leader, indicate all the products offerings and differentiate the brand from those of competitors. Basically, the companies during this phase try to find sources of competitive advantage and establish position in the market. The promotion continues as well, but not in the same extend that was needed in the second phase and is also aimed at a broader audience. Finally, distribution channels are added since the product is now successful and the demand continues to increase. MATURITY PHASE Its the stage where the sales have reached to their maximum point (peak) and now start decreasing. The strong growth in sales diminishes and the competition becomes harsher. Now there is a plethora of similar products in the market and the first basic product becomes less wanted. However, if the company managed to achieve its market share goal, now is the time to enjoy the most profitable period. The maturity stage is a period that the firms try to extend their products life as we will show further down. During this stage, pricing strategies change and usually the companies lower their prices because of the new competition. Price wars start. Discounts, coupons, BOGOF offers etc. give an advantage to those who are leaders, helping them to withstand the crisis caused by the low prices. Promotion changes and focuses in finding new buyers. Emphasis is given to the product differentiation especially in terms of quality, use, reliability and price. The distribution becomes more intensive and the use of multi distribution channels begins. The phase of the maturity is a period that drives many companies to stop the production and withdraw (shake-out) since they cannot handle the competition. Its a phase that lasts for a long time and includes the majority of products (mature products of mature industries). SATURATION PHASE This phase usually is excluded because it has many characteristics of the maturity phase. However, the saturation stage is even more extreme. During this stage, sales are impossible to increase and the profits decline sharply. The competition becomes more and more austere and relentless and the customers now search for the low cost substitutes. Meanwhile, the quality of the similar products gradually rises and the previously new product straggles to keep up and not fade away. DECLINE PHASE This is the final stage. In the decline phase sales decrease rapidly either because new products are launched in the market or the buyers behavior starts to change. Its the time that the companies start to withdraw their products, minimize the promotion and lessen the distribution channels. Sometimes, the firms continue to sell their products in a lower price to their loyal customers but that cannot continue for a long time since ultimately the costs will exceed the profits. At this phase the firm has several options such as: To maintain the product by adding new features or by finding new uses of it (extension strategies). Sell the product to another company which is willing to continue the production. This is called divestment and basically refers to companies that want to associate the dying product with their production line or sell it to a different market. Harvest the product. With this option, the companies reduce costs and offer the product until they run out of stock. Most of the times the product is sold to the loyal customers who already know the product and the places where they can acquire it. The group of these loyal customers is also called Niche segment. Withdraw the product. (Sometimes this becomes a 7th phase called the abandonment phase). Fig.2productLifeCycle.gif Fig.3product_life_cycle-2-797072.gif Fig.4 (a PLC compared to the companys profits) product_lifecycle.jpg In the table bellow there is a summary of the strategies that the companies must follow in each product life cycle phase. The table has been taken from the book Strategic Industrial Marketing Development Phase Introduction Phase Growth Phase Maturity Phase Decline Phase Strategic Goal Make your product known and establish a test period Acquire a strong market position Maintain your market position and build on Defend market position from competitors and improve your product Milk all remaining profits from product Competition Almost not there Early entry of aggressive competitors into the market Price and distribution channel pressure Establishment of competitive environment Some competitors are already withdrawing from market Product Limited number of variations Introduction of product variations and models Improvement upgrade of product Price decrease Variations and models that are not profitable are withdrawn Price Goal High sale to middle men Aggressive price policy (decrease) for sales increase Re-estimation of price policy Defensive price policy Maintain price level for small profit Promotion Goal Creation of public market product awareness Reinforcement of product awareness and preference Reinforcement of middle men Maintain loyal to middle men Gradual decrease Distribution Goal Exclusive and selective distribution trough certain distribution channels and creation of high profit margins for middle men General and reinforced distribution through all distribution channels available General and reinforced distribution with good supply to the middle men but with low margins of profit for them General and reinforced distribution with good supply to the middle men but with low margins of profit for them Withdrawal from most channels of distribution except those used in development phase Source: Avlonitis G. THE DIVERSITY OF PRODUCT LIFE CYCLES Beside the usual and common product life cycle that we have just analyzed, there are some special categories. They are usually called alternative Product Life Cycles and appear very different PLC patterns. As the majority of products go through the normal six stages of their PLC, there are many that do not or will not follow them. These special categories of PLC are mainly five: the style, the fashion, the fad, the low learning and the high learning. However other PLC patterns are also the instant bust, the aborted introduction, the market specialty, the growth stump -maturity pattern, the cycle recycle pattern, the scalloped pattern etc. STYLE Style is a basic and distinctive model of expression appearing in a field of human endeavor. Once a style is invented it can last for generations Examples of Style appear in clothes, home art etc. FASHION Fashion is a currently accepted and popular style in a given field. It passes through four stages. The stage of distinctiveness, where some buyers approve something new and innovative that will characterize them. The stage of emulation, where other buyers approve this fashion in order to imitate the fashion leaders. The stage of mass fashion, where fashion becomes very popular and companies start producing in large quantities (mass production). The stage of decline, where the customers live behind the particular fashion and begin heading towards a new one. FAD Fads are fashions that rapidly appear to the consumers. They become accepted with great enthusiasm, peak early and decline very fast. Their acceptance cycle is very short and products that we will come across in this category are the tattoos or the body piercings. HIGH LEARNING PRODUCTS High learning products are products which have very long introductory phases. After their appearance in the market, they need time in order to become accepted either because they are complicated (require significant education of the customer) and expensive or simply because they are not compatible with the existing values of the society (e.g. Video phones, microwave ovens etc.). LOW LEARNING PRODUCTS Low learning products are the exact contrary of the high learning ones. Their introduction is very fast and some time it is difficult to separate the introductory and the growth stage. They peak rapidly because of their high relative advantage. The customer already knows how to use them and understands the benefits of having them. ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT LIFE CYCLES As we have already mentioned, there are also other product life cycles which do not exhibit a bell shaped PLC. Growth slump maturity pattern Its a pattern that usually comes up in new drugs. At the beginning, the products success leads to a high sale level but later slumps. After that point the sales fall to petrified level (other examples are the kitchen supplies like spoons, mixers, kitchen knives etc.). Cycle recycle pattern Cycle-recycle pattern often suits in the pharmaceutical industry. At start, the firm aggressively promotes the product. As a result sales grow producing the first cycle. After their peak, sales start declining and the firms give another promotion push in order to have other smaller growths which produce a second, third cycle and so on. The Scalloped pattern The scalloped pattern on the other hand, differs from the other two. Here sales go through a series of PLCs. This succession of life cycles is the result of good marketing. The company finds new uses of the product, discovers new future customers and sometimes the launches the product to new foreign markets. A great scalloped pattern example would be again a certain drug which company found new applications of it. Other Other alternative Product Life Cycles would be the Instant Bust, the Aborted Introduction, The Market Specialty and the Extended Life Cycle which is the most common type and we are going to analyze next. EXTENDING PLC EXTENSION STRATEGIES The life cycle of the products varies, as we have already mentioned, but sooner or later all products will eventually reach the maturity stage which will be followed by the decline stage. Since the most profitable period of the PLC is during the stages of growth and maturity, companies pay strong attention on the life cycle of their products and try hard to extend them especially as those life cycles near an end. This kind of extension can be achieved by operating certain strategies which usually are introduced during the maturity phase. The most usual and effective PLC extension strategies are the following: Re-Packaging Re-Branding Pricing Re-Designing Promotion New Markets RE-PACKAGING Re-packaging the product means basically that you alter the image of a mature product. The companies try to give a new image to their products in order to make them look more appealing to their existing customers and/or attract new customers. This slight alteration can be done by changing the materials, the size or the messaging on the package. Take for example a chocolate that a company has been selling for decades. Though the product was popular in the 1970s, the new generations will not buy it because is not as modern as they would like it to be. However, if the company changes it just a bit, then it can reach out to those people who will start buying it. RE-BRANDING Re-branding a product is a difficult extension strategy because the companies must change the packaging, the name and the total appearance of their product. This strategy is usually followed when the company wants to reach out to a different audience, target a different market. Take for instance a shampoo. The firm must consistently offer improved versions of this product to maintain the interest of its customers. Re-branding this product would mean giving it a fresh look and name and can involve developing comparative ads that explain how the product has changed and is now better than ever before. PRICING A widely used extension strategy is the re-designing of the products pricing strategy. This can be done by either reducing the products existing price, discounting, or by offering different pricing options. By using this technique, the companies reach out to target markets that couldnt afford the product, gain customers and sustain market share for the products that they offer. RE-DESIGNING Re-designing a mature product is actually the modification of the products features. This strategy is usually followed when the product must adapt to market changes or changes in buyers preferences (customers behavior). In order to do so, the companies, can change the color, the shape or the decoration of the product depending on what their target groups want. Additionally, the companies can add new features to a product providing alternative uses for it. These modifications must be noticeable to the buyer and satisfy his needs in a better way than before, or satisfy him in more ways. Finally, there are two types of value adding modifications: The retention type modification that increases the attractiveness of a product/service to the loyal customers of the company. The conquesting type modifications that allow a company to attract another companys loyal customers by increasing the appeal of its product/service to them. PROMOTION Promotion is used for every single product no matter the stage they are in. However when a product nears the end of its life cycle, the company tends to increase the advertising in order to increase awareness and remind customers the benefits of purchasing this product. The marketing departments can develop new advertising campaigns or stick to the old ones but increase the frequency of the ads. By using persuasive promotional techniques such as BOGOF (Buy One, Get One Free), companies try to stimulate demand. NEW MARKETS Companies can always expand abroad and launch in new markets. By expanding their products abroad, they can reach out to completely different customers (numerous cultural, social, political or geographical differences) and extend the PLC. This strategy can be very expensive since the market will be new and unknown, however, if its done properly, the product will be very profitable and wont fade away. To sum up, if the above product life extension strategies are done properly and be successful, then they can increase the profitable period of a product, generating additional profit from a mature or declining product. THE PROBLEMS OF PLC MODEL As mentioned above the standard PLC model is not followed by each and every product/service. In spite of the companies efforts, sometimes the poor marketing or the misunderstanding of the environments and the consumers messages can lead a product straight to the decline stage. Usually, the firms cannot predict the time that their product will need to go from one phase to another and sometimes they cannot even realize their products current stage. All these ultimately will lead the firm to take marketing actions too early or too late. Since every product is bound to spend different lengths of time in each stage there is no physical way of showing this on the PLC model. As Day (1981: 65) points out: The identification of the boundaries between phases will be affected by the variety of product life cycles patterns. The more variations of the PLC identified, the more difficult the positioning process becomes. Through the years, several scientists and authors have criticized the PLC model and have questioned its validity. In the table below we present some of those along with the problems that they found in this extraordinary model. Major criticisms and problems Authors The PLC concept has no practical use Levitt (1963: 93) It is still difficult to determine at which phase of the PLC a product or service is Levitt (1963: 93) Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976: 102-110) Grantham (1997: 9) The PLC concept has not yet been tested systematically Polli and Cook (1969: 385-400) The PLC led many companies to make costly mistakes and to neglect opportunities. It is often difficult to accurately determine in which phase of the PLC a product actually is. Shortcomings on the practical application of the PLC concept Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976: 102-110) There is still no evidence of the efficacy of the PLC as a tool to predict marketing strategy Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976: 102-110) Grantham (1997: 9) Most empirical studies testing the product life cycle concept have found that it lacks validity or usefulness for explaining sales growth Weber (1976: 125-132) The problem with the PLC concept is that sales are modeled primarily as a function of time and are expected to produce curves that display growth, leveling and decline Tellis and Crawford (1981: 125-132) In many markets the product or brand life cycle is longer than the actual planning life cycle or organizations Mercer (1993: 269-274) There is still serious doubt about the application of the product life cycle as a marketing tool Grantham (1997: 4) THE INVERTED PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE The inverted product life cycle was first invented by John A. Weber. Its a new framework that provides new aspects for viewing and understanding the possible growth opportunities for the organization. It is nothing more than the classic PLC concept. However, this inverse expands it into a detailed, inquisitive and intuitive tool for planning future growth. According to Weber the inverted product life cycle will help organizations to estimate the sales likely to result from taking advantage of available growth opportunities. The inverted PLC uses the industrys life cycle and not the products itself. It can be used in plenty ways such as to help the top management and the product line managers, assess alternative growth choices and international markets, separate the market segments etc. PRODUCT CANNIBALISM Product cannibalism is a phenomenon that appears when a company launches a new product, similar to other pre-existing ones, regardless of their market position. This is mostly due to the introduction of new technologies in the market, which makes cannibalism common among technologically advanced companies. When a firm decides to follow this strategy, it launches a new product to replace previews ones, which cannibalizes on the market share of its predecessors. The favorable case of cannibalism Product cannibalization has both a negative and a positive side. In a usual case of cannibalism, the improved product is introduced to the market when the older one reaches its peak sales. Prices for the new product are high, in order to sustain profit, as the previous version reaches the end of its life cycle. Sometimes, companies introduce a new product, before the existing one even reaches its maturity phase. It is important, for managers, to know exactly the right moment to introduce the new product, as mistimed actions can be catastrophic. The unfavorable case of cannibalism If cannibalism is implicated without caution, the results might be harmful for the company. These are: Smaller contribution to profit, as the new product sold at a lower price, does not yield as much profit as the previous one and does not expand the companys market share. Switching to a new product causes smaller combined profits from both products, compared to not cannibalizing. Changes in the manufacturing process may be too expensive to handle and cause a decrease in profit. A new product with higher risk may cause an unexpected rise in production cost and a decrease in profit margin. Offensive and Defensive Cannibalism strategies Product cannibalism can be used in order to hit the market leader, or repel competitive companies from stealing market share. Offensive cannibalism is useful when a company wishes to establish itself in a new market or expand its market share. For the market leader it is advisable not to cannibalize, until it is necessary. Companies should wait for the right moment, when they have developed or acquired technology allowing them to develop an innovative product. When competitors arise, they will be ready to quickly launch their new product, not only sustaining their market share, but increasing it as well as gaining larger profit. This is not always the case, as delays give competitors the opportunity to attack market share, before the leader is able to react. Defensive cannibalism strategies include: Cannibalizing before competitors, using proper timing. Early use of this strategy causes profits to drop, while late use causes a loss in market share. Using product cannibalism as a way to maintain a technological advantage over competitors. The market leader adjusts the length of the products life cycle this way. This is the case with Intel corp. cannibalizing its older processors in favor of new ones. Adjusting the cannibalization rate to pricing. The price of a new product determines the mix in sales between new and old. Giving the new product at a lower price causes cannibalization to be slow. In the opposite case, cannibalization becomes fast, as the new product is considered to be superior to the previous one. Minimizing cannibalization with the introduction of a new product to specific market segments. This strategy helps the company to maintain a balance between gain and loss in the market. Cannibalism and e-commerce Cannibalism is also common among companies that operate on the internet. Their strategy is to offer products at a lower price on the internet, compared to retail prices. Since buyers are affected by prices they choose to buy online, causing a reduction in volume for retail sales. Large companies such as Toys R Us (United States of America), have launched online ventures in order to achieve this result. THE PLC AND PRODUCT PORTFOLIO THE BCG MODEL Bruce Henderson of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has developed a matrix called BCG matrix. The BCG matrix is a portfolio planning model which is used to identify products, current and future market position, profitability, capital requirements and development opportunity. The BCG matrix is based on the theory of product life cycle and it is a well-known portfolio management tool. The BCG matrix is often used to know which products in company gets more funding and attention. Each product has its product life cycle and each phase in the product life cycle represents a different profile of risk and return. A company should retain a balanced portfolio of products that includes both high growth and low growth products. The high growth product is a new product that has to get to the market and it takes a lot of effort to get it there. The high growth products are those which are expected to bring the most profit in the future. A low growth product is already established and known by th e market. In other words these products are the milking cows that brings a constant cash flow. It is important for the companies to know what phase their products are in and in order to find this out they can use the BCG matrix. The model has four categories in a portfolio of a company. These four phases are: Star. If a product is placed in the category of stars it has a high growth and a high market share. The products are also those which are the leaders in the business but still they need to retain the market share with a lot of marketing and promotions. If the company manages to keep the market share the stars will grow into cash cows. The most important thing for a star product is to maintain the strong market position to later develop into a cash cow and try to avoid moving to a dog. Cash cow. When a product has reached a high market share in a mature market it becomes a cash cow. It is characterized by a low growth but a high market share. Due to the high market share there is no reason to invest on the product. A cash cow generates a lot of cash flow because of the high profit margins. This phase of the product life cycle is what every business strives for. Question mark. This phase of the products life cycle exists when the product enters the market and is waiting for the buyers to discover it. The strategy is to get the customer use the products. It is about a high growth and a low market share therefore question marks have high demands and low returns due to the low market share. If the managers do not manage to increase their market share these products will become dogs. When a product reaches this phase the company has to decide if they want to invest in it or to sell it. Dog. When a product has reached the low growth limit and when it has a low market share it is time for the company to remove the product from the market because expensive turn around plans do not help. One possibility the company has is to focus on a defensible niche. Generally, dogs should be avoided and minimized. These four steps of the BCG model can be compared to the model of the product life cycle. When the product life cycle is compared to the product portfolio concept, the marketing manager can take strategic decisions with greater certainty. We can compare the question mark phase to the introduction phase. When the product has evolved to become a star it has reached out to the market and also managed to get a strong market position. This can be compared to the phase of growth. After the period as a star the product turns to a cash cow which is also the maturity stage. Finally a declining product can also be called a dog. CONCLUSION The product life cycle model has been a central and crucial element of marketing theory for four decades. It has been helpful to marketers in their attempt to understand, conceive and analyze their products success and profitability and has proved itself to be an important research tool. Despite the criticism that it has received and the g

Pope John Paul IIs Influence on the Fall of Communism Essay -- Biogra

THESIS STATEMENT Both the words and actions of Pope John Paul II were crucial to the downfall of communism in Germany as well as his native Poland. PURPOSE STATEMENT This paper will discuss Pope John Paul II’s role in the fall of communism in Germany and his native Poland through in depth research and an analysis of biographical research. INTRODUCTION Even as a child, people knew that Karol Wojtyla was destined for greatness. Even his mother bragged to all her neighbors that her newborn son would grow into a great man. And that he did. He served as pope from 1978 until his death in 2005, a period of over twenty-six years. He was the youngest pope of the Twentieth Century as well, elected at the age of fifty-eight. However, the most striking aspect of his election was that he was Polish – the first non-Italian pope since the Fifteenth Century! He was a remarkable man, who â€Å"with bold religious zeal and diplomatic shrewdness†¦forced open doors† (Accattoli et al 45). He forced people to seriously think about their lives. About morality, conscience, religion. He attacked communism will every ounce of his will and helped to bring down the Berlin wall. He â€Å"demonstrated in action that Christian conviction can be the agent of human liberation† (Weigel 847). It’s almost impossible to believe that such a famous man had such humble beginnings. Born in Wadowice, Poland on May 20th, 1920, Karol Wojtyla grew up in an environment of communism and depression. His mother was sickly and died at a young age, leaving him and his father alone, as his older brother Edmund was away at school. Many times Karol, or â€Å"Lolek,† as he was called by those dear to him, would enter his father’s bedroom late at night and see him knelt on the floor ... ...e like Pope John Paul II in their lifetime. Someone intelligent, virtuous, courageous, and, for lack of better words, miraculous. A man who could look at the political situation with optimism and say â€Å"’Even Communists are people, and people change’† (Accattoli et al 52). Undoubtedly, without the inspiring speeches, actions, and overall presence of Pope John Paul II, the communist regimes in Germany and Poland would have never met their downfall. â€Å"One of Communism’s basic tenets is that reality shapes one’s consciousness. But consciousness also shapes reality, and the pope’s visions electrified the consciousness of the masses† (Accattoli et al 49). Both the actions and words of Pope John Paul II were crucial to the downfall of communism in Germany and his native Poland. Without his courage in the face of adversity, Europe today would be completely different.

Fear Factor :: essays research papers

Fear Factor Journal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  H. P. Lovecraft once said â€Å"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.† Everybody has or has dealt with some sort of fear in their life. For some, fear only manifests itself in some form of mild discomfort, but for others it can be so great that it creates an emotional vice-grip and holds it victim captive. I have my share of fears in life. One of these fears, which I have had since childhood, is my fear of supernatural and evil spirits. I am Christian and I believe in God, therefore I must also believe that there is a devil. As a Christian I am also aware of the contest between good and evil, so I am no doubt afraid of Satan and the infections of evil that he has brought to this earth. In the Bible it says that God allows Satan and his fallen angels a limited amount of power on earth. When I was younger I began hearing stories of people practicing witchcraft and worshipping Satan in a nearby town called Cassadaga, Florida. I was frightened at the thought of people that would deny God and follow Satan. This fear is commonly known by many as satanophobia. To confront this fear I must be prepared to possibly be in the presence of people that worship the dark prince and possibly demons or spirits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One September day I decided to go out to Cassadaga and confront my fears of the stories that I had heard. I told myself that there should be no place where I may go that God will not be with me to protect me. With that in mind, I found the directions to this town of only 55 residences. I began driving and soon enough saw a sign that said â€Å"Cassadaga 1 mile†. Once I entered the city limits I realized that my surroundings looked like the setting of a modern day horror film. There were tall trees that were dead with no leaves, rundown houses, broken fences, dirt roads, and rotted wooden signs. The main road was paved and as I drove through the town I saw signs everywhere out front of houses that read â€Å"Spiritual Readings, Psychic Readings.† This didn’t really bother me, because I kept thinking of funny old people like Miss Cleo from paid programming on T.V. I decided to drive down some of the narrow dirt roads.

Police Brutality: Black Lives Matter Essay -- Use of Excessive Force, R

A father purchased a toy gun as a birthday gift for his young son. His son went outside to play and and encountered a police officer who shot him seven times. This incident occurred in Sonoma County in October 2013. A similar incident occurred in November 2014 when Cleveland police killed a 12-year-old boy carrying a toy gun. Use of excessive force by police is common in impoverished "black" or "brown" communities. The website, uslegal.com, defines police brutality as: Police brutality is a civil rights violation that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force by using an amount of force with regards to a civilian that is more than necessary. Excessive force by law enforcement officers is a violation of a person's rights. Excessive force is not subject to a precise definition, but it is generally beyond the force a reasonable and prudent law enforcement officer would use under the circumstances (â€Å"Police Brutality Law & Legal Definition†,2013). Cases of brutality from people, who are supposed to protect against it, have existed even when the United States was a fairly new country. The oppression by people in power, even the U.S. Constitution excludes â€Å"Illegal persons† as three fifths of a person, which includes slaves, immigrants, and Native Americans. Another example of oppression by individuals in power would be during the Indian Removal Act of 1830, millions of native peoples were removed from lands that they had been living on and cultivating for generations. Although many tribes had tried to fight this removal, the Cherokee tribe had fought this act through the court system, which had granted them to stay on their land. The United States President, Andrew Jackson, disregarded the court's decision to gra... ...vidge, A. (2013). Hundreds rally statewide against police brutality in wake of Lopez death. Available at: http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/hundreds-rally-statewide-against-police-brutality-/nbnmT/ â€Å"Police Brutality Law and Legal Definition† (2013). Uslegal.com. Available at: http://definitions.uslegal.com/p/police-brutality/ Rodney King Beating and Riots. CNN documentary (Full length). (2011, March 6). YouTube. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWhYmb1sANM Police Brutality Statistics. (2011, April 13).| Cop Block. Retrieved December 18, 2013, Available at: http://www.copblock.org/2841/police-brutality-statistics/ Goodman, B. & Dewan, S. (2007, April 27). Prosecutors Say Corruption in Atlanta Police Dept. Is Widespread. The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/us/27atlanta.html

Bangladesh – an overview

Bangladesh is a small country and is situated at the head of the Bay of Bengal. On its landward margins India almost surrounds it. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country. Bangladesh is a low lying country, 3/4 of it under a.s.l. It can be divided into 2 main regions. The first is a vast alluvial plain, dominated by the delta of the Ganges. The second consists of the only areas of highland, which are in the east and southeast. The Chittagong Hills in the southeast rise to an average height of 650m and in Silhet there are similar ridges that only reach 60 – 90 m. The country has a Tropical monsoon climate and the main features of this include high temperatures, high humidity and heavy rainfall and a marked dry season. COUNTRY STATISTICS Area: 50,260 sq. miles (130,200 sq. km) Population: 120,400,000 Population Density: 836 people/sq. km Population Growth: 2.16% Capital: Dhaka Languages: Bengali, English Religions: Muslim, Hindu Total GDP: US$ 215,400,000,000 Imports: US$ 4,600,000,000 Birth Rate: 35.5/1000 people Death Rate: 11.7/1000 people Life Expectancy: 55.6 years Per Capita PPP: US$ 1,510 Exports: US$ 3,000,000,000 Aid: 26 billion dollars a year 80% below poverty line RURAL ACTIVITIES Bangladesh is 84% rural and the majority of the population lives in villages. There is no defined pattern of urban use and cultivated fields can be found inside towns. 80% of the population depends directly or indirectly upon farming and it accounts for 33%of the country's GNP. Most farms are small i.e. less than two hectares and are often fragmented. Not all farmers own their own land and many are share-croppers. For winter crops to be grown, irrigation is essential but of the total land cropped only 20% is irrigated. The main crops are: rice, pulses, winter wheat, vegetables, bananas, jute, tea and sugar cane, the last three of these being cash crops. Jute has been the leading cash crop for over 100 years. It is used for sacking, carpet backing and string. Since the 1970s jute production has suffered from competition by other countries like China and India. The majority of farmers in Bangladesh are subsistence farmers many of whom have been encouraged to grow cash crops such as jute and tea. However the cultivation of rice is the single most important activity in the economy, and nearly 80% of farmed land is occupied by rice. There are numerous fisheries in Bangladesh and fish products account for 13% of exports and 70% of animal protein in the diet. Land use in Bangladesh: 67% arable land, 2% permanent crops, 4% meadows and pastures, 16% forest and woodland, 11% other. ISSUES OF CHANGE In Bangladesh like in many other LEDCs, rural-urban migration is dominant. Many people especially from the younger generation flock to the cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong in search of work and a better quality of life than in the rural areas. They hope to find better healthcare and education, better paid jobs and improved housing. However when they arrive in the cities they usually find this not to be the case. There is often not enough housing for the new influx of people and so shanty towns, made of poor quality- makeshift housing, develop on the edges of the city. These shanty towns have no access to clean water or sanitation and as a result disease spreads easily in them. The increased population of the urban areas has a strain on the local services and this creates further problems relating to water supply and sewage. Rural-urban migration has caused the process of urbanization to increase and the capital city Dhaka has grown in size significantly. PROBLEMS FACING GOVERNMENT Bangladesh has many problems both natural and human that the government has to try and tackle but being one of the poorest countries in the world and having little capital to invest in solutions, it is not easy. Bangladesh is prone to cyclones which travel northwards up the Bay of Bengal. These cyclones can be devastating and can destroy villages and infrastructure but can also cause storm surges which can cause flooding. Flooding is the most severe problem that faces the country on an annual basis. About one third of Bangladesh is flooded each year during the monsoon. The country is so prone to flooding due to a number of reasons both physical and human. Most of the country consists of the huge floodplain and delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. 70% of the country is less than 1m above sea level and rivers, lakes and swamps cover 10% of the land area. Snowmelt from the glaciers in the Himalayas in the late spring and summer increases discharges. There are heavy monsoon rains especially over the Himalayas, the uplands in Assam and the Central Indian Plateau. Of these, the heavy monsoon rains are the main physical cause of the flooding. In some years including 1998 the rains were exceptionally heavy, (see graph) causing river levels to rise and severe floods to occur. Various other problems in Bangladesh such as deforestation and overpopulation are also responsible for the problem of flooding. The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers have their headwaters in Nepal and Tibet where in recent years the rapidly increasing populations have caused the removal of vast areas of forest, to provide fuel, timber and grazing land. In Bangladesh the forests are in crisis. There has been a rapid depletion of forest in the last 20 years for crop land, fuel and due to illegal logging. The forests play a major role in the hydrology of the upland drainage basins absorbing water from the ground, binding the soil particles and reducing the impact of rain droplets on the ground surface. Overall the forest cover slows the journey of the water to the river channels reducing the flood risk. The removal of the forest cover has reduced interception and increased landslides, soil erosion and overland flow. The silt and soil is deposited in the river channels causing the raising of the riverbeds and reducing the capacity of the rivers. It is estimated that soil is being lost 400 times faster in deforested areas and is raising the river bed of the Brahmaputra by 5cm per year. Urbanization is also a factor that effects flooding in Bangladesh. Recent development schemes involving the construction of networks of roads and embankments have probably added obstacles to the free drainage of water from the land. The problem that the government faces is that it can not afford to provide sufficient precautions and safety systems, like cyclone shelters, to safeguard against flooding, whilst it has to pay off a huge national debt. Many countries do not see Bangladesh as a viable state and so therefore are reluctant to invest money in it.

Martyn Pig Quotes Essay

â€Å"Something I don’t know what it was. It wasn’t real. † â€Å"It’s strange, the lack of emotion, the absence of drama in reality. When things happen in real life, extraordinary things, there’s no music, there’s no dah-dah-daaahhs. There’s no close-ups. No dramatic camera angles. Nothing happens. Nothing stops, the rest of the world goes on. † â€Å"Reality. When you gradually come to realise that all that stuff in books, films, television, magazines, newspapers, comics – it’s all rubbish. It’s got nothing to do with anything. It’s all made up. It doesn’t happen like that. It’s not real. It means nothing. † Morality â€Å"Badness is a relative thing† Death/Tradgey/Sadness â€Å"I pulled the trigger, the pistol spat, and the sparrow fell. Just like that. I stared in Disbelief. I’d killed it. Stopped its life. Shot it dead. † (pg 150) – Short statements separated by commas describing the process of killing the sparrow (incites imagery in readers mind, enables them to vividly imagine the scene) illustrate the simplicity of killing and how easy it is to murder. Indicates that Martyn isn’t really a bad person, there was no hatred or revengefulness behind the deed, he was just curious. Short, consise sentences highlight his disbelief. â€Å"I can still here the sound of it now. That sickening crack of bone on stone. I knew he was dead. Instantly. I knew. † – The rhyming of bone and stone emphasise the impact of William Pigs body as it hit the fireplace, but also emphasise the impact that his death would have on the rest of Martyn’s life. The short sentences illustrate Martyn’s instant feeling of shock that engulfed his body, so much so that he couldn’t string together long coherent sentences and could only manage small outbursts during his brains realisation of the terrible thing that had just happened and how his world is now changed forever. â€Å"I hated him. I hated every inch of him. From his broken-veined, red-nosed face to his dirty, stinking feet. I hated his beery guts. But I never meant to kill him. † Pg 24 – â€Å"hoping I could get away with pretending that he was ill in bed, asleep. Not dead, just asleep. I had no choice. Do you understand ? I had no choice. † Alcoholism â€Å"He looked like what he was: a drunk. † Pg 10 – Short and simple, no beating around the bush. Martyn has given up denying the terrible state is father is in, it is clear that he accepted long ago hi father has a serious alcohol problem. The sincerity of the sentence infers Martyn’s resentment and hatred towards his dad’s self-imposed alcoholic condition. â€Å"But with me, he was a drunk with responsibilities, a drunk with child benefit, a drunk with someone to clear up the sick. † Pg 11 – ‘But’ highlight two alternate realities and how different Billy Pig’s life would be without Martyn, showing the positive impact that Martyn has had on his life. Ironic because William Pig had a very negative impact (relative to readers opinion) on Martyn’s life. â€Å"Alcohol. It sucks the life out of a face and replaces it with its own dumb shine of inanity. It’s up to you. If you want to lose yourself, have a drink. † – Talking directly to the reader engaging them in the story and emphasises how badly his dad alcoholism impacted his life, and strongly warns the readers against it. Loneliness/Isolation: â€Å"A great swirling mess of sound searing its way into my head† – Martyn’s mind is different; he is isolated from the outside world.