Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Comparison of Themes in The Outsiders and The Kite Runner

For as long as people have had disagreements, there have been social classes divided by both ethnicity and wealth. The rigid social structure formed by these disparate groups often hurts the lower rungs of society, who many times end up disparaged by the rest of society. In S.E. Hintons book, The Outsiders, the main character, Ponyboy Curtis, tries to combat the social separation between the Greasers, presented as poor gang members, and the Socs, depicted as rich and out of trouble. In the book Ponyboy, a Greaser, tries to escape murdering a Soc in self-defence. In Khaled Hosseinis novel, The Kite Runner, Hosseini illustrates the effect of the social and political strife on the country and its people through Amir, a rich Pashtun Sunni†¦show more content†¦His blue eyes flicked to Hassan. Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood. He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with his hands. Afghanistan for Pashtuns, I say. Thats my vision (Hosseini 40). Within Hintons novel, the Greasers are continually clashing with the Socs due to the Socs being rich. They consider the Greasers â€Å"low-brow† and then jump and generally look down on them. â€Å"Most of my friends at school come from good homes, not filthy-rich like the Socs, but middle-class, anyway (Hinton 163).† Although the setting and the forms of the social partitions are depicted very differently in each novel, the eventual realization is made by the main character in both books end up being very similar. Ponyboy realizes that all the constant fighting made between the Socs and the Greasers ended being futile, only causing detriment to both the upper class Socs and the poor Greasers. â€Å"Johnny didnt even try to grin at him. ‘Useless... fightings no good....’ He was awful white (Hinton 148).† Even though this is not Ponyboy but his close friend, Ponyboy later makes the same realization. I would. Id help her and Randy both, if I could. Hey, I said suddenly, can you see the sunset real good from the West Side? She blinked, startled, then smiled. Real good. â€Å"You canShow MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesRalph Ellison (1952) In the Castle of My Skin, by George Lamming (1953)[31] Goodbye, Columbus, by Philip Roth (1959)[32] A Separate Peace, by John Knowles (1959) To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (1960)[30] Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)[33] The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton (1967)[34] A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)[35] I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (1969) Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya (1972) The World According to Garp, by John Irving (1978) The Discovery ofRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesSUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 24 Diagnostic Survey and Exercises 24 Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS) 24 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 28 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 30 SCORING KEY AND COMPARISON DATA 42 Personal Assessment of Management Skills 42 Scoring Key 42 Comparison Data 42 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 43 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 43 PART I 1 PERSONAL SKILLS 44 45 DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS SKILL ASSESSMENT 46 Diagnostic Surveys for

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Secondhand Smoke Kills Should Smoking Be Banned

Secondhand smoke kills: Should smoking be banned in public? Cigarettes have caused harm to society and the economy for the past twenty years. They’re not causing a harm to just the people who proceed to use them, but to those who are around it as well. Cigarettes have copious effects on active smokers, and even have tremendous long-term effects on nonsmokers. The entryway that causes effects for active smokers is called ‘mainstream smoke’ and what causes effects for nonsmokers is called ‘secondhand smoke’. Second hand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher prevalence of cancer and heart disease, causing it to be very dangerous for anybody around a smoker. Second hand smoke, or better known as SHS, is the hazardous†¦show more content†¦A well-known chemical is ‘Carbon Monoxide.’ Carbon Monoxide is an extremely hazardous chemical when inhaled. It supersedes oxygen in the blood, and it takes away oxygen from the heart, brain, and other vital organs. Copious amounts of carbon monoxide can and WILL overpower anybody within minutes without them even knowing it-causing people to lose consciousness and even suffocate. That being said, cigarettes contain about over 4,000 chemicals including 43 known carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds and 400 other toxins. Carbon Monoxide isn’t the only one, Cigarette ingredients include chemicals known as: nicotine, tar, formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, DDT, and carbon monoxide. Active smokers inhale about 35% of the chemicals, leaving 65% being inhaled by others. Which causes them to inhale carbon monoxide and other toxins, leaving them to be moribund with ab solutely no choice. Secondhand smoke doesn’t affect specific people, it can affect anyone. Anybody can inhale SHS: adults, children, adolescents, pets, and even infants. Secondhand smoke is a risk to anybody and everybody, even the smokers themselves. Research has proven that SHS is the cause for tens of thousands of deaths every year for a nonsmoker. Some death rate statistics have shown that there has been 3,400 lung cancer related deaths, and an estimated 46,000 heart disease deaths. They are now proving that this could be another major cause for breast

Friday, May 15, 2020

The Dynamics between Men and Women - 718 Words

Gender The dynamic between male and female is extremely complex. Over the course of human history, men have primarily dominated over women in nearly every aspect of human interaction and daily life. Despite the large progress that has been made in recent decades, women are still heavily subordinated by the male gender both in the workforce and in the private sphere. Examples of this domination of men can be seen in many aspects of everyday life including: interpersonal and social interaction, family, among peers, in education, and in the media. The interpersonal and social interaction of male and female is proven to be highly dominated by the male gender. The ways that people describe one another are based on the differences that are identifiable by physical and mental individualities. Richardson uses language to illustrate interaction which is ingrained in the psychology of the society. Men are stronger than women and therefore it is mankind which dominates. This is also illustrated in th e iconography of advertising where women are often seen handcuffed, gagged, and in some way physically suppressed by the dominant male. Society is patriarchal and male domination is a factor in everything, including the family setting. In the past, the father was seen as the authority figure and disciplinarian while the mothers job was to cook and clean. This is visible in advertising where the proper woman is wife and mother, cleaning house in heels and pearls while cooking aShow MoreRelatedThe Social Dynamics Between Men And Women Of The 1920s1436 Words   |  6 Pageslover s passion, his devotion, his doggedness, but in life, especially today, wouldn t we call them stalkers and stop far short of praising their virtues? It is often difficult to draw a fine line between both a romantic and a fool. I have not really studied the social dynamics between men and women of the 1920s, but to today’s standards Jay Gatsby stands more toward a fool.The general argument made by many c ritics of Jay Gatsby is his efforts to pronounce his undying love towards Daisy BuchananRead MoreAnalysis Of Beyond The Veil By Fatima Mernissi1240 Words   |  5 Pagespundits specifically by men for their own personal benefits. In Fatima Mernissi’s book Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society, Fatima Mernissi focuses on sexual relations between men and women and how it effects societal dynamics. In the novel, Fatima Mernissi attempts to narrate the sexual inequality of women in the Muslim world and explores deeply in male-female relationships as a component of the Muslim society. She fears that the involvement between a man and a woman, whichRead MoreFeminism In Beyond The Veil1305 Words   |  6 Pagespundits specifically by men for their own personal benefits. In Fatima Mernissi’s book Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society, Fatima Mernissi focuses on sexual relations between men and women and how it effects societal dynamics. In the novel, Fatima Mernissi attempts to narrate the sexual inequality of women in the Muslim world and explores deeply in male-female relationships as a component of the Muslim society. She fears that the involvement between a man and a woman, whichRead More`` What Athleticism Is This, That Those Her Golden Tresses By Edmund Spenser989 Words   |  4 Pagestresses by Edmund Spenser is a fascinating poem describing the dynamics of desire that surround men and women. There are distinct differences between men and women, especially in how they attract one another and how they make decisions. Through this poem I felt that Spenser is expressing the beauty that women may harness to attract a man to be her mate. Spenser compares women to hunters when he describes the tactic used by women to attract men. Spenser formerly goes on to describe the feelings that comeRead MoreAn Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1606 Words   |  7 PagesThe play Trifles written by Susan Glasp ell is a mystery story of a murder that takes place in a small farming town. At the time the play was written women in the united states were still not given the opportunity to vote. It is through the mystery of this murder that we find the role of gender to be a major factor throughout the entirety of the play. In the play, we are given tandems of females and males to follow as they seek to solve the mystery of how Mrs. Wright’s husband was murdered. TheRead MoreIs Sexism Still a Force in Our Culture?1212 Words   |  5 Pagesin Our Culture? Sexism against women has been prevalent for hundreds of years, despite the fact that there is nothing inherently sexist about human existence, or that of other animals. In fact, there exist a number of animal species that are not sexist, and the sustained prevalence of sexism among humans is a topic that necessitates investigation. This paper examines sexism as it relates to contemporary culture, with particular emphasis paid to whether women have overcome the oppression that theyRead More Property as Feminist Dynamic in Weltys Delta Wedding Essay examples1014 Words   |  5 Pages Property as Feminist Dynamic in Weltys Delta Weddingnbsp;nbsp; In our traditionally patriarchal society, primogeniture is the norm for inheritance of property. For anyone other than a first-born son to inherit the family estate is unusual. Even more unusual is inheritance by women, who in many localities were forbidden from owning property. Thus, the pattern of inheritance which Robbie notes in Delta Wedding is a significant departure from cultural norms. Eudora Welty depicts a domesticRead MoreSimone De Beauvoir And Frantz Fanon And The Oppression Of Women1649 Words   |  7 PagesSecond Sex.† De Beauvoir tackles the oppression of women. While not a minority, women are written out of society by a more dominant male society, and experience oppression like that felt by the minority. Like minority groups, women are relegated to a status of â€Å"otherness† in society, which defines them as outside the bounds of the accepted and controlling group, men. De Beauvoir was a revolutionary academic and advocate for the cause of women, at a time when such a cause was minimal. As such anRead MoreEssay on Gender and Sexuality897 Words   |  4 PagesWhat does it take to be a man or a woman? Our sense organs alone do not determine whether we are men or women. Our gender includes a multifaceted combination of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do we act, behave, and talk like a man or a woman? Each one of us has a sex, a gender, and a gender identity that are all aspects of our sexuality. These aspects describe who we are, in different personalities and attributes but related. Society’s categories for what is masculine and feminine mayRead MoreThe Institutions Of Classroom Dynamics944 Words   |  4 PagesThe institutions of classroom dynamics in educational settings reveal social differences in the American educational system. Within the American educational system, students and teachers alike are subject to both visible and invisible forms of inequality and difference. Within this system, concepts, such as the double bind, subordination of women, and androcentrism expose how both student/teacher dynamics and student/student dynamics define gendered boundaries. Moreover, these boundaries perpetuate

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Number by Alex Berenson Book Review Essay - 1108 Words

Such an intense focus has been placed on quarterly earnings as an indication of a company’s success by everyone from analysts to executives that ethics have for the most part been thrown out the window, sacrificed to the all important number, i.e. earnings per share. This is the theory in Alex Berenson’s book â€Å"The Number: How the Drive for Quarterly Earnings Corrupted Wall Street and Corporate America.† This number has become part of a game to be played, a figure to be manipulated – beat the number and Wall Street all but throws a parade, miss it and a company’s stock may be abandoned. Take into account the incentives that executives have to beat the number and one can find plenty of reasons to manage earnings. In the first part of†¦show more content†¦225) but laments in the afterword that in the years since the book was written nothing has changed, that investors are still unaware and blindly investing in companies in which they k now nothing about beyond their reported numbers. Having absolutely no stock market experience, I was very interested in the history that was laid out in the book, and the way that the stock market has morphed from what it started as to what it is today. â€Å"The Number† is a great primer, skillfully written, giving the average Joe background and fundamentals about the stock market to help readers begin to form their own opinions independently rather than only using Wall Street research. The footnotes of the book give great information, tips and nuggets of wisdom along the way – very similar to the way that the footnotes of financial statements can be very informative. This is a great book to use to get your feet wet on the stock market and corporations today. The point of view that Berenson has in this book is that the market should be more heavily regulated, that regulatory agencies should crack down harder on accountants, and that prosecuting and jailing offender s is the only way to stop bad behavior. While I agree with this point of view, I also believe that it will always be an ongoing battle. The world is in constant change – people, politicians, technology, companies, etc. – and the regulatory agencies willShow MoreRelatedSolution Manual, Test Bank and Instructor Manuals34836 Words   |  140 PagesPratt William Kulsrud Solution Manual 2011 Corporate, Partnership, Estate and Gift Taxation, 5th Edition_James W. Pratt, William N. Kulsrud (SM+TB+IG w TB) 2011 Individual Taxation, 5th Edition_James W. Pratt, William N. Kulsrud (SM+TB) A First Book of C++, 4th Edition_Gary J. Bronson (SM+TB+IM) A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 5th Edition_Daryl L. Logan (SM) A First Course in the Finite Element Method, SI Version, 5th Edition_ Daryl L. Logan (SM) A Framework for Marketing ManagementRead MoreChannel Conflict When Adding Internet Channel on Existing Store Based Retailer23250 Words   |  93 Pages CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments Executive Summary Introduction Internet as a marketing channel Multi-channel system Research problem Research question one Research question two Research question three Research question four Delimitations Literature review Benefits from multi-channel retailing Challenges of a multi-channel system Channel conflict Causes of conflict Impact of channel conflict Approaches to minimize channel conflict Methodology Empirical evidence/ Discussion of findings Demographics Research

Theravada Buddhism and Escaping Rebirth Essay - 1192 Words

Many of the mainline religions have the ultimate goal of receiving enlightenment. Most of which, enlightenment comes in the form of eternal afterlife in a superior setting with the higher power. Buddhism however, reaches enlightenment or also known as Nirvana by escaping the cycle of rebirth. Buddhism has been around as a religion for quite some time now an in today’s society it may seem too be viewed a bit different but still the main principles it was founded on still stand. Buddhism gets more in detail and specific if it is being observed to that extent, into three branches also known as vehicles. Theravada (the small vehicle) even called Hinayana is one branch, Mahayana (the large vehicle), and Vayrayana (the thunderbolt, or†¦show more content†¦The First Noble Truth is that life is suffering. Dukkha in Pali stands for life is suffering, but what some people fail to realize is that an opinion that life is bad or suffering. In Buddhism it is realized that life bein g suffering is a reality to everyone and an outlook on life. As we go through life we lose loved ones to death, friends for many various reason, and etc. From the Buddhism perspective there is no way to escape the things in life that cause suffering and therefore looking for the good things in life or things believed to bring happiness are pointless. Birth is suffering; decay is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering. Presence of objects we hate is suffering; separation from objects we love is suffering; not to obtain what we desire is suffering. (Young, 2005) Complete understanding of this First Noble Truth is important to be able to prosper along with following and understanding the proceeding Truths. With the First Nobel Truth being life is suffering (dukkha); it leads to the Second Noble Truth (Tanha) which states suffering is caused by craving. It is that craving that leads back to birth, along with the lure and the lust that lingers longingly now here, now there: namely, the craving for sensual pleasure, the craving to be born again, the craving for existence to end. (Young, 2005) In other religions this craving too in similar manners is a down fall to humanity. Hinduism is the most similarShow MoreRelatedDifferences Of Theravada And Mahayana Buddhism1181 Words   |  5 Pages There are two major divisions of Buddhism. These two major divisions are Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Both of these divisions of Buddhism are similar but also different in some aspects. Theravada Buddhism is known as the traditions of the elders and Mahayana Buddhism is known as the expansive way. I will talk about three difference in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. There are also many lit tle differences in both they will also be brought up in the describing the two divisions. OneRead MoreThe Main Elements Of The Doctrine Of Salvation1454 Words   |  6 PagesINTRODUCTION Buddhism is one of the oldest religion in the world. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama during the sixth century B.C. Siddhartha’s life is divided into three periods: enjoyment (563-534 B.C), enquiry (534-528 B.C) and enlightenment (528-483 B.C). He became the Buddha (meaning â€Å"the enlightened one†) after he resisted the temptations of Mà ¢ra, the evil one. Then he devoted his life guiding people into the way to enlightenment or salvation. There are two main branches in Buddhism: â€Å"Mahayana†Read MoreThe Jataka Tale Of The Hungry Tigress947 Words   |  4 Pagesprotagonist to the practice and teachings of the Arahat of the Theravada school, the Bodhisattva of the Mahayana school and the follower of the quicker path to Buddhahood of the Vajrayana school. However, the self-sacrificial actions of the bodhisattva at the end of the tale is analogous to the Guru of the school of Vajrayana, leading one to believe that this story best follows the thunderbolt v ehicle of Vajrayana. In the school of Theravada Buddhism, one strives to become an Arahat, â€Å"one who has attainedRead MoreHinduism And Buddhism And Hinduism1276 Words   |  6 PagesOut of the worlds many beliefs and religions, Buddhism and Hinduism make of about 20% of them (The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050). Hinduism and Buddhism are the most influential and popular in the eastern hemisphere, mostly in and around the Asian continent. These two religions have similar ideologies. So much so that many say that Buddhism is an appendage of Hinduism. Such religions have different religious structures, which allow broader interpretations toRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Theravada Buddhism Essay2239 Words   |  9 PagesTheravada Buddhism is known as the â€Å"representative school of the earliest of the branches of Buddhism†, as it is also known as â€Å"Hinayana or the small vehicle† (Young). Founded by Buddha, this branch of religion is extremely simil ar to Hinduism in the fact that it seeks to help people reach a state of liberation from the cycle of Earthly rebirth, but one major difference is that Buddhism â€Å"emerged from the Buddha s honest and penetrating assessment of the human condition† instead of focusing on theRead MoreTheravada Buddhism And The Human Condition Essay2258 Words   |  10 PagesTheravada Buddhism is known to be the â€Å"a representative school of the earliest of the branches of Buddhism†, as it is also known as â€Å"Hinayana or the small vehicle† (Young). Founded by Buddha, this branch of religion is extremely similar to Hinduism in the fact that it seeks to help people reach a state of liberation from the cycle of Earthly rebirth, but one major difference is that Buddhism â€Å"emerged from the Buddha s honest and penetrating assessment of the human condition† instead of focusingRead MoreWat Buddharangsi Of Miami : Theravada Buddhist Temple1799 Words   |  8 PagesMiam i: Theravada Buddhist Temple Site visit: Saturday, 7/15/2016, 2 hour meditation Interviewee: Sunny â€Å"Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.† (Siddhartha Guatamma) This is one of the many wise words spoken from the kindhearted Buddha. After my brief study of Buddhism I feel

Conceptual Model Management Information System

Question: Discuss about the Conceptual Model Management Information System. Answer: Introduction: A marketing information system is a specially designed management information system that supports marketing decisions(Cook, 2008). It comprises of a system that gathers, stores, manages, analyses, and distributes information to managers according to their needs. Data for marketing systems is often collected from sources inside and outside of the organization. It encompasses a set of structured procedure and methods that regular collect and plan data for analysis and presentation that can help making useful marketing decisions. The scope for a marketing information system is to continuously collect data systematically from various sources. Such data yields a variety of information on marketing success and ensures stable operations. Incorporating a marketing information system is extremely important as it strengthens economics of the company and helps takes decisions pertaining to customer behavior and demands. Nature and Purpose of Marketing Information systems The purpose of marketing information system is primarily to strengthen decision making criteria to rely on specific customer needs and better understand the surrounding environment. Thus, marketing information system encompasses people, equipment, analytical tools, techniques, data collection procedures that enables evaluation for taking important decisions(Srensen, 2010). It helps integrate market-monitoring systems along with strategy development as well as implementation of policies as well as procedures which further allows to take steps on customer management applications with marketing decisions support systems. The primary reasons to adopt a marketing information system are; To understand market segments and consumer demands, especially when a company is expanding in the national or international sphere. Consumer brand preferences in their increasing incidence of their income. Marketing Information System helps analyze data pertaining to any information that might be important in making customer choice. Movement of markets from prices to non-price grounds that determine competition is another pertinent area that is catered to by marketing information systems. Thus, the primary advantages of a marketing information system, is that its helps organized data collection, has a broader perspective that helps categories information, helps store relevant data, avoids any sort of crisis, co-ordinates processes, analyses and support planning, allows controlling of processes. But marketing information systems also has potential risks. Key Components The key components of marketing information system comprises of user interfaces, application software, database marketing and system support. User Interface: Existence of a user interface allows effective analysis and use of marketing information. Application software: These are referred to as programs that help collect, analyze and manage data. Database marketing: These are systems where marketing data is arranged, stored and organized. System support: It consists of managers and system administrators that maintains and manages software and hardware as well as network. Along with these components marketing information systems also includes Marketing Decision Support Systems(MDSS), which can be Microsoft Excel, SPSS, online analytical tool aiding data collection procedures and so on. Data is analyzed from data warehouse, that consists of a data repository system which lets store as well as process internal as well as externally collected data. References Cook, R. L. (2008). U.S. Patent No. 7,340,411. Washington. DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Srensen, C. G. (2010). Conceptual model of a future farm management information system. . Computers and electronics in agriculture, 37-47.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Martha and Trap-Ease America

Questions: 1. Martha and the Trap-Ease America investors believe they face a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What information do they need to evaluate this opportunity? How do you think the group would write its mission statement? How would you write it?2. Has Martha identified the best target market for Trap-Ease? What other market segments might the firm target?3. How has the company positioned the Trap-Ease for the chosen target market? Could it position the product in other ways?4. Describe the current marketing mix for Trap-Ease. Do you see any problems with this mix?5. Who is Trap-Ease Americas competition?6. How would you change Trap-Eases marketing strategy? What kinds of control procedures would you establish for this strategy? Answers: Introduction This report is prepared with an aim of developing understanding of the marketing concepts. It will evaluate the marketing initiatives of Trap-Ease America, which are used by company for selling its core products and services. The report will analyze the target market of company and the positioning strategy used by company to serve its target market. It will explore current marketing mix of company along with key problems faced in marketing mix. It will also analyze the competition faced by Trap-Ease America. Finally, it provides suggestions about how the company may change its marketing strategy and what kind of control may be required for success of marketing strategy. 1. Information Need for Martha and Trap-Ease America Investors for Evaluation of Market Opportunities: There is big opportunity for trap ease America, because the problems of mouse are prevailing everywhere in the country. Many of the household women are distressed due to mouse problem prevailing at their houses. So, its a biggest opportunity for trap ease to position their product in the market by making innovations (Ball and Douglas, 2012). The company can draw some special features in their product by working on need and expectations of customers and investing in RD segment. Company requires different types of information to evaluate this opportunity such as to understand why people are buying traditional trap instead of easy to handle mousetrap available in the market (Kotler and Armstrong, 2017). The company needs to evaluate the reason of why people are still involved in traditional mouse traps irrespective of presence of the modern and innovative mouse traps. They also need to evaluate whether the size of product is appropriate or not? They also need to know about what can be appropriate design of mousetrap for people, which can easily be handled without any hurdle. The company can also evaluate, whether their product is easily available in the market or not and does the companys product meet the consumers need (Sebastian-Coleman, 2012). Company can evaluate different kinds of mousetraps available in the market. How these product are different from companies product from various point of views like the price other companies charging for a particular product etc. A group may write its mission statement in such a way that can allure its customers to buy their product. A kind of statement that gives assurance to customer that they should switch to this product. The way of writing Mission Statement: One complete solution for mouse problem in your house can be appropriate tag line and mission statement of Trap-Ease America. A mission statement would be like- we will get presence in every house by producing a product, which is easy to handle, which can be used by anyone at ones place, so people can make their houses pleasant and disease free without much efforts (Jones and Kahaner, 2011). 2. Best Target Market for Trap-Ease Martha has so far identified women as the target market for their product, because womens do not like unpleasant mess and they need to take care of their children as well as pets at their houses. So, as per Marthas research, women expect from the companies to manufacture easy to handle mouse trap products, so that they can make their house mice free or we can say disease free in efficient way (Huang and Sarigolu, 2014). As women are indulged in their daily chores they cant spare enough time to cope with the problem of mice. So there are chances that companys product may gain popularity in womens group. And to reach this target market, companys CEO has decided to distribute products via national grocery, hardware and drug chain stores. She has decided to sold the products directly through retailers and to avoid the wholesalers and middleman. There are various market divisions that company may aim such as the food keeping shops or we can say grocery shop where there is big possibility of mouse. So shopkeepers require something to deal with mice problem or to save their grocery products. The others divisions faced with similar problem are like pantry of grains, where the grains are kept for ample time. To make the gunny of grains protected from mouse, they require something to deal with such problem. So the company can target pantry houses as well (Bidgoli, 2010). The restaurants also face the mouse problem, because in restaurants foods are hold for long time. Or the other target market of this company is also the apparel shops, where the clothes to be kept for long time until sold out. So, apparel shop owners need something to deal with mouse problem to make clothes safe. The need for this product may also be found in chemical laboratories, where there is necessity of such kind of products. So, company can target laborato ries as well to gain more and more customers. 3. Positioning of the Trap-Ease for the Chosen Target Market One of the important part of market mix is product positioning. Positioning is a process in which company focuses on the need of customers. Proper care should be taken while positioning a product in the market. It is a process, by which company places its products in a market with a particular brand name (Njoku, 2015). However the company positioned its product in very well defined manner but it can position their products in some other ways also. Well the strategy obtained by company to position their product is like they plan a proper budget and then divide it into various perspectives (Chernev, 2015). Company positioned its product from womens perspective. It demonstrated the mousetraps as easy to handle and more convenient to use that consumer can use safely and easily without causing an injury while loading it with fingers. It avoids the unpleasant mess and requires no clean up. Use till then you require and then throw it away. Company sale their product in package of two. Other ways of Positioning of the Product: There are various other ways, by which company can position its products. Positioning might be like it allures customer to buy their product. When the product genuinely meets the need of the customer, it will automatically benefit the company. But pricing policy of a product is also a big cause of concern as customers tilt is on that side where they find low cost price product. So at the time of positioning a product company must keep in mind the price of products (James, 2014). Because when the price of a product is low customer will buy more. Once a company successfully positioned their products, customers like their product and there will be lesser possibility of reposition by other brands. 4. Current Marketing Mix for Trap-Ease Current marketing mix of trap ease is as follow- Product-companys product mousetrap is a plastic product. Its design or measurement is 6 inches square tube bent at 30 degree angle. Price- The higher price strategy along with product differentiation is followed by company. They are currently charging $ 2.49 for their product. Place- To reach the target market, the company has contracted with national grocery, drug chain, Safeway, hardware, Kmart, Hechingers and CB drug. Promotion- Company has planned budget around $ 60,000 for promotion of the product. Out of this budgeted amount $50000 was used for travelling purpose like go to trade shows or go for sales call etc. and the remaining $10000 was used for advertisements. Problems faced with the Current Marketing Mix: There are different types of problems, which were there in companys marketing mix- Product- There can be some sort of problems in companys product such as its product is bit big in size (Baker, 2014). If company tries to curtail the size of product, then there might be a possibility that company can attract more and more consumer for their product. Price- The price that company charges for their products is extremely high, especially when we compare the price of this product to the other competitors product. So, there is big need to curtail the price of product to gain more and more customer. Place- To avail the products in the market, company has targeted only national grocery, drug chain and hardware. Through this way, the company cannot reach to its target customers and the customers queries cannot be answered properly (Jeston and Nelis, 2014). To expand their growth company has to expand their mode of distribution also. Promotion- Initially product got much publicity, so they didnt focus more on the advertisement and just stuck to 2 3 magazines like good housekeeping and home and shelter magazines. But to gain a good amount of customers such advertisement is not good enough (Baker, 2014). When a customer knows about a product or the features of a product then he / she will buy companys product. So there is need for company to start some program where product can be demonstrated to customers. 5. Competition Faced by Trap-Ease Americas In the present time, there is very tough competition that is going on in the market. If companies are not changing their style of working and product quality as per the demand of time, then they will not be able to survive in the market. There are large no of small vendors, who have a presence in the market that affect the business of the big organization. Therefore, all those companies which are making mousetrap products to kill mouse are the competitor of trap ease America. In a market, there are bulk of low cost mouse traps and poison that kill pets and mice (Sherman and Sherman, 2017). However, some of them can spread smell in the houses but still people buy those products because they are cheaper for example rat poison. There are various companies which are big competitors of trap ease such as d CON. Its product line comprises of traps and baits, which use throughout the home for entrapping and killing of mouse (Jennings, 2015). Company such as Havahart has also same product pr oducts that tenderly trap mice. Victor, Riddex, JT Eaton are also the major competitors of the company. 6. Changes in Trap-Eases Marketing Strategy Sales team is the face of the company, who presents the company in the market. The first thing the company should do is to hire some sales person, because so long as customer does not know the advantage of a product, demand of a product will not augment. To generate the demand in the market, company has to hire well experienced sales team. After the hiring process company has to provide the proper training to the sales persons in the proper intervals (Huang and Sarigolu, 2014). Sales person of company can demonstrate products easily, if they are trained. This practice of company can explore the product information in the market in a rapid way, which can generate the demand of the product. Company also has to improve the packaging of the product. If the packaging of the product would be good and attractive, then it will directly affect the sales volume. Along with this, company also has to maintain the proper pricing of the product (Kotler and Armstrong, 2017). It is necessary that the product price is not very higher than the competitors product. Pricing is a policy though which company gains more and more customers. At the initial level, the company should keep the price low. It will generate high demand. Additionally, there may be a possibility of customer switch from traditional mousetraps to companys product. Control Procedures for the Strategy Controlling is an important function for any organization. Under controlling procedure, company should take corrective measure, if any shortcoming is found in working area or if working did not goes as per the planning (Baker, 2014). To make the marketing strategy profitable, company needs to maintain the proper control over the working of their sales personnel. Company should ensure sales teams are completing their assigned target properly (Fifield, 2012). Company needs to manage and allocate appropriate budget for promotion activities. Other thing that company can do is to take corrective action, when any shortcoming is found and be ready for unforeseen events that may occur in future. Conclusion From above analysis, it can be concluded that mouse trap is the core product of Trap-Ease America. At the same time, women are specific target market of company. The company should focus on understanding the needs and expectations of customers with regards to design of mouse trap. The company should focus effective marketing of its products by showing the superiority of products and ease of use. This would contribute to growth of sales performance of company. The investment in promotional activities can also be beneficial for the company growth. References: Armstrong, G., Adam, S., Denize, S. and Kotler, P., (2014)Principles of marketing. Australia: Pearson. Baker, M.J., (2014)Marketing strategy and management. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Ball, M.J., and Douglas, J.V. 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