Point of Presence Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Point of Presence Advertising - Essay Example The author planned to purchase a movie named Lord of the Rings – Fellowship of the Ring on recommendation of a friend and came across a pack of all the three movies of Lord of the Ring series at a price that was 20% less than the overall cost had the movies been purchased separately. The author realized that he anyway had to purchase the other two movies to complete the story and was delighted to get all the three of them at 20% discount. In the second purchase instance, the author was delighted to realize the value of the package as he owns both a Sony digital camera and Handy Cam. The total price was cheaper by 15%. Such product promotion advertisements resulted in positive impact on the author because the overall value of the buying decisions improved although the author didn’t had planned for part of the purchase. The effectiveness of these two â€Å"Point-of-Sale† advertisements resulted in win-win deal for both the store and the author – the store in creased the net sale value and the author got more useful products at lesser cost. The author was not at all annoyed but was happy with the sales girl for introducing these offers. Massy and Frank (1966. pp383) presented the findings of an exploratory study on behavior of retailer advertising thus establishing some interesting empirical generalizations. They could prove that the brands sell differently in different stores and the support to a brand depends upon the brand’s market share in a particular store type. The author discovered a linkage of this theory with the research by Kumar and Leone (1988. pp178-179) which stated that many customer packaged good manufacturers have resorted to funding short term sales promotion at the store level which primarily has two distinct advantages – the effectiveness of promotions can result in on the spot sales activity and the store management takes pride into participating in on the spot campaigns given increased margins & commissions.Both the manufacturer and the store management gain in this process – the former achieves brand promotion & quick sales and the latter achieves improved profitability of the store.  

The media & role in society Essay Example for Free

The media role in society Essay The media plays a crucial role in society. It is responsible for developing viewpoints through the images it represents. People form opinions through what the media provides. However, more often than not, the media is also responsible for presenting inaccurate and biased images which greatly influence the perception of people. Naturally, the wrong kind of representation sends the wrong kind of message. The 2004 movie â€Å"Crash† is a good example of how the media promotes unfair judgment, as its story increased the stereotyping of African-Americans through the negative depiction of one of its black characters. The movie â€Å"Crash† is not a typical film with one story told in a linear fashion. Instead, it presents multiple vignettes woven in a web of a single narrative. In essence, the movie is about the different lives of people living in Los Angeles. It features the life of a police detective and his lover partner, 2 car thieves, a locksmith, a store owner, a TV director and his wife, the district attorney and his wife, and 2 police officers. While the stories of the characters are introduced to each other’s lives through car crashes, these are more importantly connected by one thing: racial discrimination. The issue of race sits at the core of the story, as the film exhibits the conflict created by the various races of people residing in Los Angeles. All races are represented in the movie: African-American, Asian, Caucasian and Hispanic. These races collide in the story and the end result reveals the prejudices they have against each other. The story of each character ends differently; while some change for the better, some remain the same. Hence, â€Å"Crash† can be considered as the film which explores racial discrimination and its consequences through the point of view of diverse personalities. Upon watching the movie, Director Paul Haggis seems to convey two messages through his masterpiece. He intended the audience to recognize two realities that are often overlooked. First, he wanted to show that everyone is guilty of racial discrimination. Regardless of which race a person belongs to, this person may have judged another based on their race. The traditional notion is that only white people are guilty of having prejudice towards African-Americans and other races. However, the movie showed that those who are often victims of racial discrimination are also guilty of participating in it. The second reality that Haggis intended to show through his film is the interconnectedness of people. No matter how different people are, they are all linked in the society they live in. He showed that actions of one individual affect the actions of another, which explains the gravity of the consequences of racial discrimination in society. Thus, the intention of the filmmaker was to open the eyes of the audience about two realities. â€Å"Crash† can be considered as a remarkable piece of cinema, but it does have its flaws. It is an award-winning film with a socially relevant story to convey. Nevertheless, despite the film’s noble intention to preach against racial discrimination, it is guilty of giving a negative depiction of African-Americans, specifically the character of Anthony. Anthony, who was played by rapper Chris â€Å"Ludacris† Bridges, is a young African-American man who is a thief by profession. With his friend Peter Waters (portrayed in the film by actor Larenz Tate), Anthony steals vehicles to be sold to a chop shop. In fact, the first time they appear in the movie is when they steal the Lincoln Navigator which the Rick and Jean Cabot (Brendan Fraser and Sandra Bullock) own. However, it is not only the act of stealing that gives Anthony’s character its negative portrayal. It was the discrepancy between his attitude and actions that set him in a negative light. Anthony is depicted as an African-American fighting against the racial discrimination of his race. When Anthony first appears on screen, he was ranting to Peter about the unequal treatment he received from the African-American waitress. He complains that he was not served at the same speed as white customers, despite the fact that the waitress was of the same color as he. At this point, the audience recognizes Anthony’s awareness of the racial discrimination African-Americans suffer in society, sometimes even from people of the same racial background. Then, Anthony reveals his hatred of white people when Rick and Jean Cabot walk towards their direction; he becomes enraged when the Jean clings closer to her husband when she sees Anthony and Peter. Eventually, both men force the white couple out of their vehicle and steal their vehicle. Throughout the story, Anthony continues to react against the discrimination of blacks in society. He says that he would not hurt his fellow African-Americans, though by the latter part of the story he broke this promise. The depiction of Anthony’s character is negative because it shows the audience the contradictory nature of African-Americans. Anthony is a character who strongly opposes the unfair treatment against his race. Initially, such fervent opposition may seem as a good thing. However, his own actions encourage others to discriminate about him. While he hates the way white people discriminate against African-Americans, he gives these people enough reason to unfairly judge his race. The fear of white people towards blacks originates from the crimes or criminal activities that African-Americans are associated with. Instead of doing good things and proving society wrong about black people, he steals cars and justifies the fear. At one point, he even robbed an African-American man (Cameron Thayer as played by Terrence Howard). In addition, his actions also reflect his discrimination of others. He has extreme hatred of white people. Just as the white people discriminate against them, he also discriminates against them. He is also guilty of racial discrimination towards Asians; he ran over an Asian man he called â€Å"Chinaman. † Hence, the character of Anthony was depicted in a negative light as an African-American man who does not like to be discriminated but participates in the discrimination of others. The character of Anthony is also depicted negatively because it follows the stereotype of African-Americans in media. The media has often portrayed African-Americans as involved in criminal or illegal activities. The portrayal of Anthony is no exception. He was a young black man who lived on stealing other people’s vehicles. A stereotype is a representation of those who belong to a specific group which upholds common belief or unjustified bias. The stereotype of African-Americans in the media paints an unpleasant picture of a race, as it presents them as citizens who disrespect the law. Due to Anthony’s depiction in the film â€Å"Crash,† this stereotype remains. Again, African-Americans are categorized as those that are not capable of living without breaking the laws. In real life, this is not the case. While there are black people who are involved in criminal activities, there are also African-Americans who live honest lives and earn money through hard work. Because of the stereotype that is used in the movie, the behavior of those who abide by the laws are discredited while the behavior of those who break the laws overshadow them. The negativity of a portrayal or depiction is based on the unpleasant or unfair presentation of a character. For instance, Anthony is negatively depicted because the movie upheld the stereotype of black people being criminals. The existence of such stereotype is obviously pleasant and remarkably unfair. As was earlier established, not everyone from the African-American community is involved in illegal activities. Because Anthony was portrayed as a car thief in the movie, the general perception of people that blacks are criminals still remain. Through Anthony’s negative portrayal, the movie contributed to the existing stereotype of African-American people. â€Å"Crash† by Paul Haggis is a movie which explores racial discrimination in Los Angeles. It highlights the existing tension between different cultures and races. While it is a distinctly fine film, it contributed to the stereotyping of African-Americans through the negative portrayal of the character of Anthony. By presenting a black man as a criminal who also discriminates against others, the movie helped little in improving the general perception of black people in society. Instead, it furthers the public’s unfavorable opinion about people of color. Therefore, the story of the movie â€Å"Crash† increased the stereotyping of a group. Reference Reimer, R. , Korbelin, J. , Grasic, M. (Producers) Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Motion picture]. United States: Lionsgate.

The Intent of Forrest Gump Essays -- Art

The Intent of Forrest Gump No, this isn't another essay about Forrest Gump and - oh, the great American dream. Instead, it is an essay about the marketability of a movie in which all else is secondary. You have to understand the producers of Forrest Gump in order to understand why it succeeds. The producers, in the end, like every other being on earth want their movie to succeed. Forrest Gump, however great all the themes one may find it, is just another well-conceived product. Forrest Gump isn't just about the American Dream, nor is it about the way the dumb can succeed in the world – especially not in the one where all things are interconnected and therefore competition is surely eminent. Forrest Gump is a complex set of universal wants and desires. In a way, Forrest Gump bends reality and creates a more livid world full of warm and compassion. The existence of a character named Jenny already bends reality, or rather, it reinforces a universal desire. Jenny exists so the audience can find someone to fall back on, knowing that all goods things happen in such movies as Forrest Gump. She creates stability and a back to fall back on in a world of unrighteousness (people who made fun of Forrest as a kid) and bad luck (Forrest's low IQ). This is another movie about dumbasses that win; In short, Forrest Gump is a feel good movie. When you first began to realize the man sitting on the bench as the feather flies around in the opening scene is the main character of the mov...

Group 4 Reflection Essay

Group 4 project was an interesting learning experience. It forced me to work with people that I haven’t worked with before, take into account our team’s different opinions and make the most out of what we had. We started out with an idea, water suspended on a table without a cup, that we spent a whole meeting on, before we realized that it was not possible to do it, which left us with two meetings to decide what we were going to do. I was then unable to make the two next meetings, and this caused major planning problems, which were reflected during our presentation, added to the fact that I did not talk enough with my team members about what we were going to do, which left our whole group pretty much clueless on our actual presentation. Added to this, we all had different ideas about what we wanted to do with the paper helicopter, what size should it be, how we were going to present it, which led to arguments on the day of the presentation. I am usually stubborn, and it is hard to make me change my mind when I am set in a direction, but we finally managed to come to a compromise which satisfied everyone. From this, I learned that my idea is not necessarily the only working solution, and that there isn’t always one solution to a problem, although better planning and better communication could have avoided such problem on the actual presentation day. Regarding the actual presentation, it was obvious that our planning was not very good. Some material was missing, and we had to run around last minute to gather what was left. My teammates were stressing out because they weren’t ready at all, but being used to doing things last minute, I think that managed pretty well to take charge of the group project to get what was needed and to lead the actual presentation, which surprised me. I am not a very good public speakers, in fact I don’t like standing in front of a class and talking, but I found that during this project, not only was I not afraid of going up, but I actually enjoyed it. I learned that when I put as much effort as I can into something, especially something that I like, my fear of public speaking actually goes away and all the hard work that we put into this project, even last minute, comes out and makes something that can be regarded as good. We did have trouble managing the presentation though, as soon as the class started making their own paper helicopters, it was really hard to get them focused again. Our whole team understood that, and instead we instinctively broke up into small groups to try and help everyone achieve the final design. To me, my overall opinion of our presentation is that although we lacked preparation, we ended up doing something good. What I learned from this experience is that I am not limited to what I have done in the past. Taking over the presentation was something that really surprised me, and although I know that I talked a bit too much, I am glad that it happened that way, as it showed me that public speaking can actually be one strength instead of my weakness.

Sustainable architecture

Worldwide scales are experiencing a rush of population growth, this growth to the ecological balance shown against the environment and the exploitation of natural resources have sued implement new methods of construction using new technologies. (Big & Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21 SST Century). Sustainable or sustainable architecture seeks to optimize natural resources and building systems that minimize the environmental impact of buildings and their inhabitants in the environment.The high energy demand and low production force s to focus on new technologies, methods and ways to economize, reduce costs and expenses. Among these proposals is Sustainable Architecture Think of It from the social environment; It Is what makes complex human, economic, cultural and environmental relationships. Sustainable design and construction are a specific, concrete example, I practice that can contribute to the Implementation of the complex concept of sustainability. (Rosaries Camas , Sustainable Design and Construction: Inescapable Reality).The author makes clear the close relationship between sustainability and the role that the user takes socially speaking. The architect built based on a sustainable paradigm, but ultimately individuals are those who dwell, live and interact within buildings. These are what define how they are responsible for the environment and nature. Home and building automation The technological evolution of deferent disciplines, have enabled an Interaction of the same that has led to the concept of Intelligent building or home automation.The combination of different disciplines to meet the new features and user requirements such as energy saving and automation thereof without affecting the way people live. Home and building automation: smart homes and buildings, Crisp ¶bal Roomer Morale). Implementing these systems so that they have little impact on the social life of people but at the same time help improve the quality of them reducin g the environmental impact by leveraging regulations energy consumption renewable energy.Dimension Policy, Social, Economic. POLICY Reconfiguration of the city. A sustainable city Is defined as a city where there Is adequate mobility, energy conservation and water resources, reduced noise pollution, and creation of public life. Sustainable architecture has an impact on the political dimension by the limitation that is given to new technologies as the predominant practice of governments and institutions is self enrichment, and economically not suit them.ECONOMIC Prefer local materials to promote the development of local industry and promote endogenous economy seeking to strengthen the internal capacity of a region or local community, to strengthen the society and economy from the inside out, to make it sustainable and sustainable SOCIAL The commitment that people have to the environmental impact. This implies the fact of how they will interact with the â€Å"sustainable† space and how effective it will be. Sustainable Architecture Sustainable Architecture The following paragraph is a discussion of sustainability as an architectural concept. The main issue is to illuminate the different aspects of sustainable architecture being more than just a calculation, and rather a tectonic solution with high architectural quality. This closely relates to context and human needs. In recent years, the attention given to sustainable and environmental design has only become more severe as a result of climate changes and rising energy prices. The entire change in architecture and design was initiated decades ago, fiercely debating the ustainability in building construction and city planning to the present day. Though instead of reaching a clear definition, the concept of sustainability has become mainstream and vague. In the genuine architectural practice, sustainability is the concept of saving resources in building developing and city planning, in terms of reducing the use of fossil fuels and other non- ­? renewable energy sources. Instead the site- ­? specific climate and topographic features are to benefit the built environment and architecture. (Pedersen 2009) This is what is immediately and commonly associated with ustainable architecture. Introducing the term Sustainable Development, the Brundtland Commission’s Report of 1987 assumes the same point of view but takes the considerations of sustainability a step further by stating †sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own†. The report suggests a more general approach to the concept than merely environmental aspects, and thus imposes the economic and social aspects to meet the requirements of both present and future generations. The concept of architectural ustainability suggests a more holistic approach to what is genuine sustainable. Not only should the quantitative and physical requirements of i. e. daylight, fresh air, and indoor temperature be implemented; the qualitative and tectonic heritage of architecture should on equal terms be secured to make a durable solution. A solution that architecturally facilitates both experienced and technical aspects that are both considered human need. If not implementing the tectonic, what is the building if not just machine? The environmental aspect has the ability to apply different scales, whether it is he environment of the local community or the global. Due to various use of the term, sustainability has commonly been anticipated as being the same as the notion of environmental design. The general take on the subject is that it is closely concerned with the climatic and modern technologies trying to optimize the energy consumption and emissions of the built. The latest technologies seek to bring pure functionality to the architecture through dynamic facades to either intercept or protect from direct solar radiation. The exploitation of passive solutions, su ch as solar shading, thermal mass and oncepts of natural ventilation is the means of providing technical durability in the built on both a local and global scale. In addition to this, the use of materials has a central role. Whether it is the specific terms of production, the durability or the life span, the use of materials has to meet the requirements of the present as well as the future. For instance, the use of local materials can provide labour to the direct local community, which suggests a link between the environmental and economic aspect. Without an understanding of social sustainability in architecture, buildings, no matter ow environmentally efficient, are not genuinely sustainable. The social aspect is anchored primarily in the larger scale like development of cities and neighbourhoods. Architecture has an opportunity to enhance social sustainability by providing built opportunities for connectivity and balance; connectivity between the individuals within the built and b etween the surrounding community and the occupants. Balance is an aspect mainly focusing on the relation between the individual and collective to prevent a social gap in terms of i. e. ethnicity, income and difference of age. While this embraces diverse and dynamic environment, the general concern of social architecture, and especially in dwellings, is to provide a place for safety and privacy as a part of the local identity. As mentioned, there are some basic architectural needs tied to the idea of dwellings. The dwelling as an archetype is also a product of human needs, and can be defined as having the elementary function of providing shelter. The relationship between inside and out is defined through the basic use of floor, wall and roof to create a place to be; thus creating an inside in the midst of an outside. Exploring the erminology, the German philosopher argues, that to dwell already relates to the notions of preserving, saving and the concern for land. (Sharr 2007; 45) Th is implies more poetic considerations of the architectural space and its significance to the human being. Consequently, sustainable architecture must conceptually be defined as consisting of not only environmental concern and exploitation of modern technologies but also the immeasurable qualities of poetics in architectural space. The concept of sustainability must assume the holistic approach, in which the human being finds comfort and empathy. Sustainable Architecture Sustainable Architecture The following paragraph is a discussion of sustainability as an architectural concept. The main issue is to illuminate the different aspects of sustainable architecture being more than just a calculation, and rather a tectonic solution with high architectural quality. This closely relates to context and human needs. In recent years, the attention given to sustainable and environmental design has only become more severe as a result of climate changes and rising energy prices. The entire change in architecture and design was initiated decades ago, fiercely debating the ustainability in building construction and city planning to the present day. Though instead of reaching a clear definition, the concept of sustainability has become mainstream and vague. In the genuine architectural practice, sustainability is the concept of saving resources in building developing and city planning, in terms of reducing the use of fossil fuels and other non- ­? renewable energy sources. Instead the site- ­? specific climate and topographic features are to benefit the built environment and architecture. (Pedersen 2009) This is what is immediately and commonly associated with ustainable architecture. Introducing the term Sustainable Development, the Brundtland Commission’s Report of 1987 assumes the same point of view but takes the considerations of sustainability a step further by stating †sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own†. The report suggests a more general approach to the concept than merely environmental aspects, and thus imposes the economic and social aspects to meet the requirements of both present and future generations. The concept of architectural ustainability suggests a more holistic approach to what is genuine sustainable. Not only should the quantitative and physical requirements of i. e. daylight, fresh air, and indoor temperature be implemented; the qualitative and tectonic heritage of architecture should on equal terms be secured to make a durable solution. A solution that architecturally facilitates both experienced and technical aspects that are both considered human need. If not implementing the tectonic, what is the building if not just machine? The environmental aspect has the ability to apply different scales, whether it is he environment of the local community or the global. Due to various use of the term, sustainability has commonly been anticipated as being the same as the notion of environmental design. The general take on the subject is that it is closely concerned with the climatic and modern technologies trying to optimize the energy consumption and emissions of the built. The latest technologies seek to bring pure functionality to the architecture through dynamic facades to either intercept or protect from direct solar radiation. The exploitation of passive solutions, su ch as solar shading, thermal mass and oncepts of natural ventilation is the means of providing technical durability in the built on both a local and global scale. In addition to this, the use of materials has a central role. Whether it is the specific terms of production, the durability or the life span, the use of materials has to meet the requirements of the present as well as the future. For instance, the use of local materials can provide labour to the direct local community, which suggests a link between the environmental and economic aspect. Without an understanding of social sustainability in architecture, buildings, no matter ow environmentally efficient, are not genuinely sustainable. The social aspect is anchored primarily in the larger scale like development of cities and neighbourhoods. Architecture has an opportunity to enhance social sustainability by providing built opportunities for connectivity and balance; connectivity between the individuals within the built and b etween the surrounding community and the occupants. Balance is an aspect mainly focusing on the relation between the individual and collective to prevent a social gap in terms of i. e. ethnicity, income and difference of age. While this embraces diverse and dynamic environment, the general concern of social architecture, and especially in dwellings, is to provide a place for safety and privacy as a part of the local identity. As mentioned, there are some basic architectural needs tied to the idea of dwellings. The dwelling as an archetype is also a product of human needs, and can be defined as having the elementary function of providing shelter. The relationship between inside and out is defined through the basic use of floor, wall and roof to create a place to be; thus creating an inside in the midst of an outside. Exploring the erminology, the German philosopher argues, that to dwell already relates to the notions of preserving, saving and the concern for land. (Sharr 2007; 45) Th is implies more poetic considerations of the architectural space and its significance to the human being. Consequently, sustainable architecture must conceptually be defined as consisting of not only environmental concern and exploitation of modern technologies but also the immeasurable qualities of poetics in architectural space. The concept of sustainability must assume the holistic approach, in which the human being finds comfort and empathy.

Wireless and Mobile Technology essays

Wireless and Mobile Technology essays Wireless and mobile technology have been around for a surprisingly remarkable duration. In 1940, a well-known actress, Hedy Lamarr, and film composer, George Antheil, discussed over dinner a scheme that would permit armed, radio-controlled torpedoes the ability to travel undetected by jamming enemy transmissions. They would patent the invention in 1942 that would later form the basis for what would be known as spread-spectrum communications. Their invention becomes even more incredible when it is taken into consideration that it came before the advent of digital electronics. Now, over 60 years later, spread-spectrum communications has been adapted to today's electronics to allow for an inexpensive way to communicate over long distances, wirelessly. Development of wireless radio technology, through spread-spectrum communication, was a decelerated process throughout the early 1940's when the United States Navy decided to buy into the technology but then decided not to use it and kept it a secret. It was not until the late 1940's that the concept of a cellular phone came to light. A company, which would later be known a Motorola, created a lightweight handheld two-way radio for the United States Army during World War II. After the war, in 1946, AT It wasn't until 1973 when Martin Cooper, an employee with Motorola, used the first handheld cellular phone to contact rival, Bell Labs. In 1970, a professor with the University of Hawaii built up...

Missing Information in MLA Referencing

Missing Information in MLA Referencing Missing Information in MLA Referencing There are few things more frustrating when writing a college paper than finding a great source, but then being unable to find the publication details. Don’t worry, though! You can still cite a source with missing information. In this post, for example, we will look how to handle missing information in MLA citations and the list. Sources Without a Named Author When a source has no named author, you can use the source title in citations instead. For example, to cite an article with no named author, we might write: Many predicted that 2012 would be the end of the world, but this proved premature (â€Å"Apocalypses Through History† 12). Here, for example, the citation is for page 12 of an article called â€Å"Apocalypses Through History.† If the source title is too long, moreover, you can shorten it to fit in citations. The same rule applies in the list, so use the source title in the first position there if no author is named. However, make sure to check carefully for an author. Typically, there will at least be a corporate author to cite. This will be the organization responsible for producing the source you are citing. In-Text Citations Without Page Numbers Some sources have no page numbers to cite (e.g., websites and ebooks). When this happens, MLA recommends using paragraph or line numbers instead if these are available: Page numbers are a thing of the past (Smith par. 12). This citation, for instance, would point to paragraph 12 in a source. However, if the source does not include its own paragraph or line numbers, simply leave this information out of citations. Other Missing Information in the List Finally, we have the list. This is where you give full source information. If you cannot find certain details, however, you will need to adapt your reference accordingly. The MLA Handbook, Eighth Edition. The MLA Handbook does not have strict guidelines about how to handle missing information in the list other than using the title when there is no named author (see above). Generally, then, if you cannot find a piece of information within a source (e.g., place of publication or publication date), you can skip this and move on to the next detail. However, the MLA Handbook does say you can include source information from an external source such as a database or publisher’s website. To do this, simply place the information in question in square brackets. Your teacher or supervisor may also have preferences about how to approach missing information in MLA style references. For example, some suggest using â€Å"n.d.† to indicate a missing date of publication, so remember to check your style guide if you have one available. Summary: Missing Information in MLA Referencing If you cannot find information about a source you have cited, MLA recommends the following: When a source has no named author or suitable organizational author, use the title instead. This applies to both citations and the list. When a source has no page numbers, leave these out of citations. You can use paragraph or line numbers if these are included in the source itself. For other missing information in the list, if it is available from a third party, include it in square brackets. If not, skip the detail in question. And if you want help checking yours referencing, get in touch with Proofed.

The Incredible Disappearing LinkedIn Profile

The Incredible Disappearing LinkedIn Profile Okay, I might be exaggerating when I say your LinkedIn profile is disappearing, piece by piece. But it might feel that way. With the new LinkedIn, you might be wondering where those old familiar functions went! For me, it’s a bit of a â€Å"Where’s Waldo† experience, with some items hiding under my nose. LinkedIn has a history of removing features, often without notification. With its newest revision, true to form, LinkedIn has taken away or moved a few of the items that I, for one, had been taking for granted. Here are a few things to watch out for: 1. Your Summary section. Okay, well, it hasn’t entirely disappeared. It’s just that only the first 210 characters (including spaces) are visible when you initially view someone’s profile. This means that whatever you consider the most important information for viewers needs to be in your first 210 characters. If you attract enough interest in your opening lines, people will click on â€Å"See more† to read the rest of your summary. 2. Job descriptions. Similarly to the summary, although your first (most recent) job description will appear in its entirety (up to 2,000 characters), all other positions will be curtailed and your viewers will have to click on â€Å"See description† to read more. Done with reading the description? Click on â€Å"See less.† 3. Contact Information. This information hasn’t actually disappeared either. It has, however, been relocated to the right navigation bar in a section called â€Å"Contact and Personal Info.† To view someone’s deets, including email, phone number, and web addresses, click on â€Å"Show more† and you’ll be greeted with lots of valuable info. To edit your own contact information, when viewing your profile, click on the pencil icon and you’ll be brought to an â€Å"Edit contact info† box. At the bottom, you can choose whether you contact details are visible to your connections, your network, or all LinkedIn members. 4. No more Interests section. There used to be an opportunity to use up to 500 characters to list both your professional and personal interests. This section no longer exists that I can see (if you find it let me know!). If you backed up your profile as I urged you to do before the rollout, you’ll have access to these in case you want to add them back in another way. Otherwise, while probably easy to reconstruct, whatever you previously had in your Interests section is gone gone gone. 5. No more subject lines. You used to be able to insert a subject line into messages sent through LinkedIn. No more. Now you will simply have a title-less ongoing thread of your conversations with other members. The good news is that it’s much easier now to see the complete history of your communications with your connections. 6. No more saved searches (but wait†¦!). LinkedIn took away saved searches, and got so much pushback about it that they added it back in! How about that †¦ LinkedIn listened! 7. Alumni and other top navigation items. The top navigation bar used to include Home, Profile, Connections, Education, Jobs, and Interests. The new bar comes with seven â€Å"core areas†: Home (Your Feed), Messaging, Jobs, Notifications, Me (with your profile image), My Network, and Search. Then the â€Å"non-core areas†: Work and Advertise. The old â€Å"Connections† tab had an Alumni option which is no longer located under the comparable â€Å"My Network.† Your choices are â€Å"Invitations† and â€Å"People you May Know.† To find alumni now, put the name of your school in the main search bar and then click on your school from the dropdown. You’ll be taken to a page where you can then click on â€Å"See alumni.† The old Alumni page is hidden under that â€Å"See alumni† button! Under these statistical bars will be images of your current connections, followed by images of other alumni with whom you might want to connect. Thankfully, if you click â€Å"Connect† you will be brought to a window to write a message. LinkedIn will NOT send a generic message for you! Alumni are some of the highest quality connections you can make on LinkedIn, so explore this function thoroughly. 8. Education. This tab used to be its own navigation item. Now, instead, go to the Work icon and click Learning to access the courses available through LinkedIn. As you can see, there are several other features hidden under that â€Å"Work† menu as well. Please check all the items out to see which are most valuable for you. 9. Tagging and Notes Tagging and notes really have been eliminated. No joke. If you want to add tags or notes to your contact list now, you have three choices that I am aware of: 1) Upgrade to Sales Navigator for a pricey $79/month, 2) If you’re using Chrome, get the Chrome Extension Dux-Soup, or 3) Invest in the CRM solution Nimble ($25/month). I have not tried this extension myself but it’s recommended by Viveka von Rosen of LinkedIntoBusiness. 10. LinkedIn Groups While LinkedIn Groups are still around, there’s a lot of talk that they might be becoming irrelevant or extinct. Many group owners have been shutting down their LinkedIn groups and moving them to Facebook or the newer platform, beBee. One of the main complaints is that group notifications of discussions and group announcements have not been working properly. According to my sources, LinkedIn knows about this issue and is working on it. I am not ready to abandon LinkedIn groups, but my curiosity has been piqued about beBee, an engagement-based community with 12 million users worldwide. After I get some other projects complete, I’ll be thinking about joining some hives and creating some buzz on that site! Is there anything else that’s gone missing from your LinkedIn profile? Let me know and I’ll see if I can find it for you! Or, I’ll write another blog about all the things I didn’t notice disappearing at the time of this writing. I also invite any questions or comments about the new LinkedIn redesign. I will answer them! Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save

Critique Article writing Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critique writing - Article Example ciates the significance of addressing the research question by deriving the importance of measuring and enhancing patient satisfaction in evaluating adequacy of treatment. Indeed, the study reckons that understanding the patients perception will help the nurses to meet analgesic goals (Bozimowski, 2012). The study notes the motivators of the research question by highlighting the significance of adequate patient teaching in enhancing patient satisfaction and perception. The research study notes the research gaps in previous studies that addressed the same topic by stating the failure of utilizing simplified tool to assess patients satisfaction. The study defines the most effective methods of addressing the research question in a clear, accurate, and simplified manner. The research study depicted a significant level of coherence and congruence by relating the most relevant qualitative factors and variables to address the research problem. Indeed, the study seeks to establish the congruence between nurses perceptions of their patients satisfaction with pain management and patients self-report (Bozimowski, 2012). It also establishes the correspondence between patients level of satisfaction, type of therapy used, and adequacy of teaching related to their pain management plan (Bozimowski, 2012). The data collection method and the research population were equally relevant to the study. However, the mixing of the evaluative study of the variables and the pilot study was seemingly confusing since one would struggle to establish the actual results. Indeed, the use of a simple survey to measure satisfaction demeaned the value of the research problem. The analysis of the collected data was reliable and the results correlated with the study by addressing the research question. In criticizing the nursing article, â€Å"Pain neurophysiology education for the management of individuals with chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis† by Clarke et al. (2011), I

Management Information Systems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management Information Systems - Assignment Example Evidently, these activities will assist the organization to improve its productivity automatically and hence to optimize communication across all layers of the organization and between the organization and the supplier. To illustrate, each football kit sold in a retail outlet is communicated to the supplier automatically and the supplier in turn will send more football kits to the retailer to address the shortage of items sold. Electronic data interchange is the most applied form of inter-organizational system and it facilitates instantaneous information transfer from computer to computer. An effective IOS can benefit an organization in several ways. First, it greatly aids the organization to reduce overall risk level in the organization, and to take advantages of economies of scale. Second, an IOS helps the organization to utilize the exchange of technologies and to increase competitiveness to a great extent. Finally, this system is beneficial for organizations to eliminate investme nt barriers and enhance global communication. There are some potential challenges to inter-organizational systems. ... Since there are no effective assessment methods and benefits measurement processes, system managers find it difficult to convince the top management about the feasibility of financing an inter-organizational system. Due to this weakness, managers cannot evaluate employee performance in connection with the IOS operations. In short, it is difficult to identify how an IOS influences the supply chain efficiency and the overall organizational performance. If the employees are not familiar with the inter-organizational system, it can be a challenging task for the system managers to ensure proper flow of information within the organization. Lack of funding is another challenge unique to IOS. As mentioned already, the top management often hesitates to fund IOS needs because most of the IOS benefits are intangible and the top management officials cannot be easily convinced about the potentiality of those intangible benefits. Finally, fast changing technologies, particularly information techno logy raise potential threats to the efficacy and affordability of the inter-organizational system. 2. Digital Economy Digital economy can be simply stated as an economy which is based on technologies. Digital economy is interchangeably referred to as internet economy, web economy, or new economy. With the emergence of new business practices and technologies, the concept of digital economy is being greatly intertwined with the traditional economy but a clear delineation is very difficult. The term digital economy was coined by Don Tapscott in his book titled ‘The digital economy: Promise and peril in the age of networked intelligence’. According to the Australian

How techolgy changed our life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How techolgy changed our life - Essay Example The car changed the history of mankind forever. This paper discusses the effect the car had when it was invented and its impact on society today. People prior to the invention of the car were not able to transport themselves at will to any location at fast distances. The trains were a mass transportation system that allowed fast travel but the travelers were limited to traveling to the routes the train covered. The car changed that because each vehicle was independently owned by the person. The job sector in American society increased because the car provided workers with the ability to travel from the rural area to the urban sectors. Family life became more enjoyable as adults could take their kids to different leisure locations such as beaches, parks, and circuses in short amounts of times without any human effort since the car provide all the force needed to travel. Three American companies led the industry during the early part of the 20th century. The Big Three are Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. These companies built many luxury, economic, and sports car models for users in America and worldwide. In the latter half of the 20th century Japanese companies such as Toyoda and Honda dominated the industry. In the 20th century cars become a basic necessity of all adults. The banking industry made money by financing the purchases of cars. Cars in the 20th century became more sophisticated and attractive for buyers. Even though cars provide great benefits for society they also have cons. The emissions released by combustion engines polluted the environment. The production of cars consumes natural resources such as aluminum. The fuel that powers cars is gasoline which is derived from the natural resource petroleum. In 2005 the US consumption of gasoline was 22.16 barrels per day (Greencarcongress, 2006). The invention of the car changes the lives of

How did the Roman Republic become the Roman Empire Research Paper

How did the Roman Republic become the Roman Empire - Research Paper Example The Roman Empire owes its expansion to able rulers who ruled with autocracy. The Roman Empire was able to stand for that long because of the religious believes of the Romans. This is because they believed in their supreme deity Jupiter. They believed Jupiter granted them limitless empire. Thus they believed that the whole world should be under their rule perhaps this explain their endless effort to extend their empire. Latin language was the universal language and this provided cohesion. The Roman Empire was so big that it is can be equated with 40 countries of nowadays. It extended from north England, Asia, Africa and Mediterranean. It is also important to note that it has not been smooth ceiling for the Romans in the transition from a republic to an empire. This is because this transition was characterized civil wars as people were against the extension. The Roman Empire had diverse cultures since it existed and controlled many people. The rulers had to adjust to give everyone free dom of worship. Their style of ruling has had a large contribution to the modern politics. Their religion too has affected the way people worship. An example is the Roman Catholic Church. This religion came into existence because of the Christian rulers who ascended to power. The advancement of Roman Empire in such a quick way was because they had military prowess. There was no nation at that time that matched the military prowess of the Romans. They conquered almost the whole of Europe, Asia, Mediterranean, Persia and Egypt. Despite their military prowess, they were unable to conquer Germany. This is because the Germans resisted their advancement. The Germans were decentralized as opposed to other communities that were centralized hence it was difficult to subdue the Germans. This later led to the collapse of the Roman Empire. There were several reasons that made Roman Empire to rise and dominate the largest empire in the world for so long. The first reason is the naval dominance. The Romans dominated the coastline for long. This ensured that they had military or naval advantage since they could locate approaching enemies from far, thus giving them time to prepare. They were also able to deploy their army with ease along the coastline hence giving them military advantage. The naval dominance also was lucrative. This is because they were able to control trade as they controlled the coastline. This enabled them to amass wealth from proceeds of trade. Their success in naval dominance came after the defeat of Carthage by Romans in the Punic war, which gave the Romans the chance to control fully the Mediterranean. The Romans further used appeasement to advance. This is because they ensured that the local were satisfied to reduce military work. They gave the locals freedom of worship and allowed them to observe their culture. This ensured that military concentrated on further advancement of the empire rather than using them for controlling the local thus, they were able to reduce drain on military. The other reason is that the Romans provided political stability and promoted commerce. The people under the Roman Empire received protection from enemies by strong military. They ensured there was free trade and they provided unitary currency to ease transactions. With this, they ensured that the locals were happy to reduce internal conflict. In fact, few people in the Roman Empire were below poverty line. The other reason

Major assignment (fa) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Major assignment (fa) - Research Paper Example t economic development growths of different regions, the news that Ireland will be the fastest growing economy in the European Union spurred my interest to look out for the surrounding facts that brought this growth. Several authors have published articles about economic growth of Ireland; prediction of growth for instance (RTE News, Nov. 2014). However, much that has been written about Ireland’s growth was focused on economy, but there is not a great deal of discussions on other important sources of growth. The goal of this paper is to bring together in this research the overall transitional developments of this country, from the past, modern, and up to present civilization. This research therefore focuses on collaborating facts that figured out this robust growth. . To achieve this goal, this article is organized into five sections. The first section, provides the Geography that consists of Ireland’s Absolute & Relative Location, Size (metric), Hydrological Features, Orographic Features, Climatic Features, Flora & Fauna, Population, etc. The second section talks about important historical developments of the country, and on the next, the political system is discussed. Third subsection discusses the country’s economy and fourth subsection deals with the culture and tourism. Final section is devoted to the author’s views and comments. Ireland is situated in Western Europe, occupying five-sixth of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, West of Great Britain. (See Appendix 1 for map). Its Geographic coordinates is: 53’00 N 8:00 W. It takes up an area of 70,723 sq. km. divided into 68,883 sq. km. of land and 1,390 sq. km. of water. Country boundary is UK 360 km. Ireland ranks as the 120th largest country in world ranking, and only slightly smaller than West Virginia. Ireland has a coastline of 1,448 km. (CIA World Facts). It has a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (nm). In 2013, Ireland has a registered exclusive fishing

Students eye careers in creating mobile applications Research Paper

Students eye careers in creating mobile applications - Research Paper Example After analyzing the external environment, the business proposal focuses on the internal issues. The internal assessment requires different requirements such as business name and the products that shall be provided to the potential customers. In the similar fashion, the next part elaborates rationale and reasons that were used to select a particular business. Having entertained these objectives, the business proposal elaborates mission, vision, goals and objectives. Being strategic in nature, it was highly important to consider these factors before moving ahead. The PESTLE analysis The PESTLE analysis takes into account and evaluates external business environment. The political aspect of the analysis considers political dimensions of the external business environment. In the business proposal, the UAE’s political environment remains investment friendly and supports investment activities in the country. The economic analysis considers external economic factors which directly or indirectly affect businesses and their operations. It takes into account GDP rate, trade balance and so on. The social analysis considers social issues. It uses education, health, population and other indicators and evaluates them in the light of objectives. In the business proposal, the UAE education graph has been constantly increasing, showing the resolve of the UAE government toward the education cause. The technological analysis puts light on technology related issues. The UAE is experiencing a substantial growth in the IT and telecommunication industry. In this regard, the role and contribution of DSO has been remarkable towards the technological development of the UAE. The legal analysis takes into account the legal aspects that are prevalent in the external environment. The UAE has most efficient and competent judicial system. The environmental analysis describes environment-related issues. It takes into account pollution, CO2 emissions, green house gases and other issues af fecting local or international environment. The UAE government has introduced EIA program. The main objective is to assess environment and factors affecting the environment. For that purpose, the UAE government has put in place strong measures. Business name, products and services This segment includes business name, products and services that the company shall provide to potential users. U-Phone Mobile Company Limited has been proposed name for the company. The company shall be registered with this name and having patent rights attached with the name. The proposed business shall offer numerous mobile applications development that include iPhone, Android, BlackBerry OS shall be used to develop different mobile applications. Reasons for selecting the business The purpose of this section is to highlight the reasons behind the selection of the proposed business and the proposed industry. It takes into account different angles and measures which are relevant to the proposed business and the proposed industry. This segment has a considerable significance in comparison with the other segments of the business proposal. First, it highlights the specific industry and its current business, marketing, demand and supply aspects of the business. It not only focuses on the mobile users, but also indicates the changing trends and patterns from the traditional use of the mobile services to the

Major assignment (fa) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Major assignment (fa) - Research Paper Example t economic development growths of different regions, the news that Ireland will be the fastest growing economy in the European Union spurred my interest to look out for the surrounding facts that brought this growth. Several authors have published articles about economic growth of Ireland; prediction of growth for instance (RTE News, Nov. 2014). However, much that has been written about Ireland’s growth was focused on economy, but there is not a great deal of discussions on other important sources of growth. The goal of this paper is to bring together in this research the overall transitional developments of this country, from the past, modern, and up to present civilization. This research therefore focuses on collaborating facts that figured out this robust growth. . To achieve this goal, this article is organized into five sections. The first section, provides the Geography that consists of Ireland’s Absolute & Relative Location, Size (metric), Hydrological Features, Orographic Features, Climatic Features, Flora & Fauna, Population, etc. The second section talks about important historical developments of the country, and on the next, the political system is discussed. Third subsection discusses the country’s economy and fourth subsection deals with the culture and tourism. Final section is devoted to the author’s views and comments. Ireland is situated in Western Europe, occupying five-sixth of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, West of Great Britain. (See Appendix 1 for map). Its Geographic coordinates is: 53’00 N 8:00 W. It takes up an area of 70,723 sq. km. divided into 68,883 sq. km. of land and 1,390 sq. km. of water. Country boundary is UK 360 km. Ireland ranks as the 120th largest country in world ranking, and only slightly smaller than West Virginia. Ireland has a coastline of 1,448 km. (CIA World Facts). It has a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (nm). In 2013, Ireland has a registered exclusive fishing

Initial Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Initial Report - Essay Example In this context, mathematics and especially algebra are regarded as having a significant role in the development of all aspects of human life mostly because of their use in several other sciences like physics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy and so on. In fact algebra is considered to be among the first sciences developed by human. Findings from ancient civilizations have proved the use of algebra in ancient times as a basic tool of commerce and astronomy. Through the years, the use of algebra has been extended to all industrial sectors. One of the periods that have been characterized by radical changes in sciences (including algebra) is Renaissance. During this period, the development of algebra reached extremely high levels offering the appropriate framework for the improvement of all other sciences related with algebra either directly or indirectly. This project has been divided in two main parts. In this context, in Chapter One all the details related with the choice of the subject (such as the statement of the problem, the research methodology and the reasons for choice of the project) are presented. The project is mainly developed in Chapter Two which has been divided into sub-sections in order to cover more effectively the issue under examination. In this context, in Chapter Two all particular aspects of algebra – as part of modern science - are presented while a short reference is made to the history of algebra in the pre-Renaissance period. Also, in Chapter Two the history of algebra after the Renaissance is analytically explained making primarily a short reference to the influence of Renaissance in algebra as it has been evaluated by historians of the particular period. Finally, in Chapter Three Conclusions and Recommendations on the subject under examination are made taking into account the characteristics of alg ebra as developed through

The Gediminas Castle Essay Example for Free

The Gediminas Castle Essay The funicular is 71m long and will take you 40m high. The angle is said to be 36 degrees. Opening hours 10.00 19.00 all year round. Tickets: up and down adults 3Lt, pensioners and school children 2Lt up OR down adults 2 Lt, pensioners and school children 1Lt The so called Upper Castle, or Gediminas Castle, was built at the beginning of the 14th century on the site of an earlier wooden one. A century later it was rebuilt and strenghtened. Along with the Lower Castle (now gone) and the defensive wall it formed a powerful defensive system. But slowly itlost its importance and after the damage caused in the war with Russia in 1655, it was left unrebuilt. After the World War II the best surviving tower was restored. It now houses a museum and an observa- tion platform. The museum is open: May Sept 10.00 19.00 whole week Oct April Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00 to 17.00. Entrance fee 5Ltl for adults, pensioners and school children 2Ltl. To the east of the tower are the ruins of the ducal palace. The Gediminas Tower is an important historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania. It is the only remaining part of the Upper Castle. The first wooden fortifications were built by Gediminas the Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. There is historic evidence of a castle being located at the top of Gediminas Hill since the early 14th century. The original castle was made of wood and there is uncertaintainty around when exactly the stone castle was built. Originally the castle was built to protect the city of Vilnius from invaders and gave a great vantage point ove the city and surrounding countryside. Over the centuries the city of Vilnius was attacked five times but the castle was never successfully taken. It was only in the 17th century, during the war with Moscow, did the castle finally succumb to foreign invasion when  it was nearly completely destroyed. Recently, parts of the castle have been restored, but access to the interior of the castle is still not possible for visitors. Fairly easy walk (assuming youre wearing good walking shoes) up Gedeminas Hill allows for wonderful views of Vilnius. The orange-red roofs of old town spread out below, while taller modern buildings can be seen in the distance, a reminder that Vilnius is both a historical site and modern, living city. At the top of the hill stands the remains of the Upper Castle, built in the 15th century. Inside the tower is a museum detailing some of the citys history. Climb to the top of the tower for even better views of the city below. For a change of pace, take the funicular down to the bottom of the hill when youre ready to leave. Its a fun ride, and quick! The first timber castle was built on Castle Mount by Grand Duke Gediminas around 1320. It was replaced by a brick one in the second half of the 14th century, which had to be re-built by Grand Duke Vytautas after a fire in 1419. The castle served the Polish kings as a bell foundry and a jail and, later, as King Sigismund Augusts library. In 1655 it was conquered by the Muscovites, which was the start of its gradual decline. The only remaining part of it at present is just one tower which houses the Museum of the Castle. From its top you can admire the panorama of Vilnius. Unfortunately, we could only see the castle from below. There were no signposts to the funicular and it was getting too late for us to attempt a walk. The pictures of the panorama of the town were taken by my friend on her stay in Vilnius. All Lithuanians know a legend about establishment of Vilnius city. It was the beginning of 14th century when Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas stopped for an overnight near confluence of Neris and Vilnele rivers. That night he dreamt an iron wolf howling on a hill. In the morning his soothsayer Lizdeika explained his dream as a sign for him to build here a city as it will become a well known and widely resounded in all over the World. Gediminas ordered to pour a mound at the same place he slept. On the hill there a castle was built, the predecessor for the nowadays Gediminas castle. According to archeological researches, the hill where Gediminas castle stands nowadays was already inhabited in a Neolithic period. In 11-13th centuries a wooden castle here stood. The same as Vilnius city, it was mentioned in 1323 for the first time. For more than 250 years since 1315, when a dynasty of GediminaiÄ iai ruled the Grand Duke of Lithuania, the complex of Vilnius castles served as a solid defensive structure. The complex included the Bottom castle, the Upper castle and the Skew castle. The Bottom castle extended in a territory of a few hectares. It stood at the same place where now the Vilnius Cathedral stands. It looked as a separate city as it included a school, an arsenal, stables, living buildings, a cathedral. However, it finally vanished in 1800. The newly built Palace of Grand Dukes of Lithuania nowadays symbolizes the former Bottom Castle. The Skew castle stood on the Skew hill, the same one which nowadays is known as the Bleak hill where a monument called â€Å"Three Crosses† is erected. The Skew castle was burnt in 1390 by German Order. Remains of the Upper castle are still standing on Gediminas hill. This castle is also called Gediminas castle. There were times when it was one of the most important political centers in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. There is also a tower of Gediminas castle located which can be seen well from any place in Vilnius Old Town. The tower nowadays serves as a museum, an observation square and a symbol of Vilnius and the whole Lithuania. The museum located in the tower of Gediminas castle is a part of National museum of Lithuania. There is an exposition called â€Å"Guns and an iconography of the castle† exposed. Visitors can get acquainted with models of the complex of Vilnius castles, historical weaponry and iconography of the old Vilnius. Tourists can climb up the Gediminas hill themselves in order to visit the castle and the tower or they can use an elevator working there daily. Marvelous views of Vilnius city open from the top of the Gediminas hill. Some people, especially youth, like settling on a spacious stone fence here and watch the city life from above. It is an impressive place where young fellows like to take their girlfriends, city guides always include this destination to tours around Vilnius, the hill is often visited by schoolchildren excursions and separate tourists. The only inconvenience about the place is that you must be on time to get down the hill in order  not to be locked in the hill territory. The hill is not available to climb up all day long.

Ryanair: PESTEL and Porters Five Analysis

Ryanair: PESTEL and Porters Five Analysis 1.0 Introduction Ryanair is an Ireland based airline company and it involved in commercial aviation business since 1986, operating scheduled passenger airlines, serving short haul and point to point routes primarily between Ireland, Britain and Europe. It is the pioneers of low fare airline in Europe and even until now Ryanair is the only airline that offers cheapest air fare to passengers travel around Europe. Micheal OLeary is the CEO of Ryanair, holds 4.6% stake of the company, His dynamic low fare strategies along with the evolution of Ryanair have had led to burst of many budget airlines and some of them had been bought by Ryaniar around Europe, simply because of their inability to compete with Ryanair. European aviation industry is wider, but squeezed with many incumbents that are operating both short haul and long haul routes. As European short haul airline market segment is price sensitive, Ryanair handles no frills strategy and charges lowest price from its customers. In order to obtain bett er margin in the low fare demanding market Ryanair held in a position of cost leader and fundamental low fare strategy supports for rapid growth of its business. The strategic capabilities underpinned by its unique resources and core competences are the preliminary constituents for Ryanair to be a cost leader and offer low fares. This will be explained in detail under below topics about the feasibility of various strategic circumstances. 2.0 External Analysis: The analysis of Macro-environment explores core cause of factor; assess the nature of effects and immediacy. PESTEL analysis has been undertaken to evaluate the external environment of Ryanair. 2.1 PESTEL Analysis: (P)olitical/(L)egal factors: Preferential Treatment of home base airlines in some countries, at the same time they prevent thriving foreign companies and inflict them in more operational cost. Increased terrorists activities have prompted airline industry to tighten security measures and alleged terrorist plots will adversely affect flight turn-around time. Detrimental mental effects are also possible due to any terrorists plots targeted on Ryanair. The rapidly changing government rules and regulations are an inevitable legal factor for Ryanair. This will be discussed in detail under suppliers bargaining power. (E)conomic factors: The instability in fuel price cause major problem for airline industry. If they do not hedge, the fuel price hike is inevitable and they need to find cost savings in other spheres of business when the fuel price is soared. Ryanair was especially more vulnerable to fuel price rises in the past. For example: In the last quarter of 2008, when the fuel price was in its hike, Ryanair reported losses of $130 million dollar and it blamed a 71% increase in the price paid for fuel during the quarter due to the abnormal surge of fuel price of more than $ 1,100 a ton (K, Capel. Airline. The Telegraph, Feb 2 2009.). (E)nvironmental factors: As the world is heading towards more and more greener, all governments taking appropriate measures to control greenhouse gases from carbon emission which would lead to catastrophic human and economic consequences. Ryanair has network virtually in all European countries, so it is more vulnerable to all EU environmental rules and regulations. The mounting pressure on EU laws to tax aviation fuel and anticipated charges on environmental pollution by airlines would have direct impact to Ryanair. (T)echnological factors: Technological factors such as internet, innovative developments in telecommunications such as video conferencing, instant messaging, web conferencing etc. will mean less need for travel, especially on scenarios such as business meetings. 3.0 Industry environment: 3.1 Segmentation and positioning: Ryanair is positioned in the lowest fare segment and has least customer experience among other budget airlines in the European market. The market segment for its rivalries is broader with larger geographical area including operations to main airports, whereas Ryanairs networks are limited only to low cost secondary airports with smaller geographical area. Ryanair predominantly focuses on only people who are desperate for low fare and it has no separate segment for people who want luxury service or business class. Despite, Ryanairs continuous traffic growth, shows that the people wanting low fare in European market are tremendous and European market is for the low fare short-haul carriers. Perhaps, high air fare carriers neither cope up nor sustain against low fare carriers. The competitive position is deeply elaborated in section 3.2. 3.2 Porters five forces: Industry environment analysis figures out the foreseeing competitive pressure in European aviation and the profitability of the industry likely to be in future. It explores the magnitude impact of Threat of substitutes, Threat of Entrants, Rivalries in European market, bargaining power of supplier and bargaining power of customers. Rivalries: The high rivalry impacts for Ryanair are from Easy Jet, Air Lingus, Lufthansa, Iberia, SAS, Airfrance, KLM and Air Lingus. Few airlines (Easy Jet, Air lingus and Lufthansa) the first three of them are roughly more or less equal in size to Ryanair and some of their performances are even better in terms of customer service. This is considered as a significant threat to Ryanair. Despite, among all short-haul carriers Ryanair is the cost leader with having highest market share in the European market. Although Ryanair has firmly improving its competitive advantage, the core strategy of the company is to maintain the operational cost as minimum and offer low fare to customers, which is virtually same among its rivalries, but the outstanding scenario is Ryanair constantly creates new paths to bring down the operational cost . Threat of New Entrants: The short haul no frill airline market is a highly profitable business in Europe so far, while long haul market in Europe is experiencing huge losses like Air Lingus long haul airlines. So, the business scope in the short-haul market may attract new entrants. Although, European airline industry is de-regulated and open for both national and international companies, Airline business is not something like setting up a dot.com with minimum capital in anticipated profit. Hefty capital investment is required to acquire route, fleet, set up flight maintenance centre, building infrastructure etc in order to establish an operation. Industry knowledge and time associated with entry are significant for companies that want to start short haul airline business in Europe from other industries such as tourism and Rail way etc, but for airline companies from some other market like Asia, South America, North America and Australia can trace out the European market in some extent and such huge investm ents also may be affordable for them. Threat of substitutes: The threat of substitute is possible threat for Ryanairs traffic growth as passengers tendency to switch to other means of transport such as buses, trains and cruise. This kind of threat has medium effect over Ryanair, despite, the ubiquity of other means of transport to travel across European countries. Particularly rapid growth of railway network is considered to be a most influential substitute for short haul air travel across Europe. Congestion in airports and difficulties (such as boarding, airport journey) involved in air travel could cause passengers more likely to choose railway. Some government like U.K is substantially funding for the expansion of high-speed rail networks to and from Europe, especially to curb short haul carriers through heavier taxation due to the pressure arising from the environmental groups to cut down carbon emission by domestic aviation. The government intervention to establish better rail links in other countries such as France, Germany and the Nethe rlands is more vulnerable to Ryanairs routes in those countries (Dan Milmo 2009. The Guardian. 5th Aug). Bargaining power of supplier: Aircraft Supplier: In aviation Boeing and Airbus plays duopoly in manufacturing passenger aircrafts. Boeing is the main aircraft supplier for Ryanair, since its establishment. In terms of supplier bargaining power, Ryanair holds significant scale of power over Boeing, as it can easily switch to Airbus anytime in-case of high price charged by Boeing. The recent Micheal O Learys announcement of negotiation with Air Lingus evidenced the high bargaining power over its Aircraft supplier (Sarah Arnott., 2008. Ryanair looks to order 400 aircraft in plans for massive expansion. The Independent, 8th Aug.). Airports: The enforcement of new rules and regulations by airport authorities are inevitable, eventually they have more control on their bases with both short haul and long carriers airlines operating in any government airports. Ryanair has been either strongly protesting or recklessly withdrawing and switching its routes to alternative airports, at bases wherever it is experiencing significant problems. For example: Recently Manchester Airports Group refused to bring down its prices, which resulted Ryanair to pull nine out of its ten Manchester routes(Sarah Arnott., 2009. Price dispute sees Ryanair cut nearly all Manchester flights. The Independent, 18th Aug.). So, Ryanair can switch its destinations easily in case of its bargain does not take lead. Ryanair holds substantial power in the other spheres of suppliers such as staff recruitment agency, food providers and ancillary product suppliers etc due to substantial availability of those kind of suppliers in the market. Bargaining power of customer: European market is almost saturated with many airline companies including premium services to economy classes. Bargaining power of customers is high as low budget airline a commodity today and presence of more substitutes in European market. Ryanair had shrunken the bargaining leverage to its bottom with no other airlines could possibly offer such low fares, as the result that Ryanair is having extra-ordinary performance in traffic growth consistently year by year, but this growth is uncertain if Ryanair pushes its fare up. More people travelling on Ryanair, because they like the fare and can easily afford it. 3.3 Value Networks and Business Partners: It is necessary to analyse value creating areas in Ryanairs Industry value chain, which consolidates it competitive advantage by delivering those precious values to customers. According to porter, 1985, Value chain of any organization comprises of two activities, primary and secondary activities. Primary activities are directly concerned with delivery of service and that includes inbound logistics, operation, outbound logistics, marketing, sales and services. The support activities include administrative infrastructure management, human resource management, technology and procurement. Inbound logistics: Stock control of Food, beverages and Ancillary sale items: Although, Ryanair is a no frills airline, it is making huge profit through the sales of food, beverages and Ancillary items. Ryanair manages strong relationship with various foods and beverages suppliers, in-order to receive quality standard goods and on time delivery, which adds value throughout its value chain. Route selection and airport base: Ryanair only selects low cost route with the anticipation of traffic growth. Ryanair has strong relationship with various airport authorities around Europe, thus they provide subsidies in exchange for high traffic and low fares. Jet fuel: This is the most significant input that Ryanair has to scrutinize, as jet fuel contributes around half of the operating cost. Well hedged contracts will minimise cost, so recent hedging arrangements adds value to get control of fuel cost in some extent. Aircrafts and Maintenance: Deployment of single type aircraft Boeing 737-800. Operation: Ryanairs operational activities includes passenger check-In, loading ancillary and catering items in the flights, baggage check-In, Hospitality, In-flight services and daily flight operations. Contemporary online check-in system reduces cost associated with staff and avoids passenger queues in airports, thus it provides convenient journey for passengers. This adds value by enabling quick turnover of flights and prompt minimum waiting time of flights at airports. Additionally, Ryanair has contractors at certain airports for ticketing, passengers and aircraft handling (Includes loading various goods into aircraft) as well as for engine repairs and heavy maintenance at competitive rates. (Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 10 Jan, 2010) This third party contracts are more cost-efficient than Ryanair perform these activities itself. Productivity-based incentives, this includes sales bonuses for on-board sale of products by flight attendance to increase ancillary revenue through reward mechanism and pilots are remunerated based on number of hours or sectors flown, which c uts unnecessary staff cost. Ryanair facilitate the usage of onboard mobile and electronic device for its passengers in order to add value for customers. Marketing, Sales, Services and Outbound Logistics: Ryanair advertise its seasonal fares and other company related commercial advertisements on its fleet with zero advertisement costs. Furthermore special ticket offers are being advertised on its website to promote sales. In order to curb substantial operational cost and tackle high number of booking, Ryanair has introduced new Online Reservation System in addition to the host system. The system new has been provided and maintained by an outside contractor, Navaitire. (Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 5, Jan, 2010) It adds value for passengers by increasing system speed and avoid Ryanair is being on exposure to the risk of resolving system failure issues. There is no sales agent commission adds value on passengers fare and it adds value in terms of the distribution cost aggregate nearly to zero and convenient journey for passengers. Online baggage claiming system for baggage l ost passengers, which adds value to passengers as it is an easy way to claim their bags. 4.0 Resources and Capabilities: 4.1 Resources: Resources allocation and capabilities development are the source to gain competitive advantage for a company, while the market and environment establish constraints and pressures. Resources of Ryanair are basically what it holds as productive assets and can be differentiated into three different forms, tangible, intangible and human resources. Capabilities are what it can achieve by exploiting opportunities in the external environment and efficient deployment of its unique resources that exist within the company to achieve competitive advantage. Tangible Resource: Ryanair had 181 aircrafts in operation as of March, 21, 2009, among which 109 aircrafts were funded by The Export and Import Bank, 43 aircrafts were in operating lease, 20 of the aircraft in the fleet were treated as financially leased by Japanese operating leases with call options, 6 of the aircraft in the fleet were encumbered with commercial debt financing and three remaining aircrafts are entirely owned by Ryanair without any finance related encumbrances. Ryanair also owns and operates six Boeing 737-800 flight simulators for the purpose of pilot training. All the above are long-lived assets virtually all of them were aircraft totalled to 3.6 billion Euros. [Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 4 Jan 2009]. Even though many aircraft are encumbrances, ownership accompanied with the bank loan gives greater independency and financially the cost involved in leasing arrangements i s higher than being owner of aircraft. In addition to aircraft, administration offices in Dublin and East Midlands Airport, simulator and training centres are entirely owned by Ryanair. It also has leasehold property in eight airports for the purpose of flight maintenance and an office building in Dublin Airport Business Park. The recent investment of 702 million Euros for the purchase of property, plant and equipment in 2008 is remarkable. [Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 4 Jan 2009]. Ryanair serves over 1000 routes across Europe and Morocco from 40 airport bases, which is considered to be high in numbers compare to its rivalries. (http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2010/q3_2010_doc.pdf, accessed on: 15th Jan 2010). Airport bases served by Ryanair are ultimately considered as strategic assets due to its low cost. Financial Resources: The huge cash reserves held in the company of over 2.5 billion Euros will allow having abundant cash flow for its operation. Cash pile would financially leverage to take strategic decision in future expansion of business. Ryanair holds 93.15 million Euros worth of available-for-sale financial assets, which are not considered as an investment in an associate company due to insufficient power of Ryanair to influence over the investee. And also, Ryanair is the biggest investor on its rivalry Aer Lingus with the acquired stake of 29.8% of Aer Linguss share capital through private acquisition with the total aggregate cost of 407.2 million Euros. Ryanairs long term debt totalled to 2398.40 million as of 2009 annual report, which is an increase of 131.9 million from 2008 annual report. The latest debt increase is primarily due to financing of new aircraft, which will be delivered within two years as per the schedule. [Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 4 Jan 2009]. Intangible resources: Ryanairs climbing traffic growth and established brand name are most consolidated and valuable intangible assets for the company that embedded in its relentlessly flowing low fare strategies to make huge profit. In terms of operational prospective, minimum aircraft age of 3.77 years average age of all its Boeing 737-800s is a unique intangible asset and no aircraft is more than 9 years old. The company also holds considerable intangible asset of landing rights that flows future benefit into the company. Human Resources: There are 6616 staffs working at Ryanair as of March 2009, this includes 1041 additional experienced pilots contracted from employment agencies to satisfy short term pilot requirements. The employees figure is constantly increasing year by year due to rapid expansion of the company. Ryanairs top management comprises of eight boards of directors, all of them are having more than 7 years of experience with the company and their remuneration including different share options scheme are available and based on experience, as well as their job position. David Bonderman, Chairman of the Board and Director, who has served more than 13 years with the company. CEO and Director of Ryanair, Micheal OLeary is the most valuable human resources in the company and he has been successfully leading the company for nearly two decades, as CEO since 1994. (Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 20 Jan, 2010]). 4.2 Capabilities: In this section, we will discuss about the special knowledge and a skill possessed by Ryanair in order to gain competitive advantage and the key success factors that positioned the company as cost leader. The companys innovative pioneer strategies to keep the operating cost low and its ability to carrying passengers at lowest fare demand are the special capabilities it posses. Apart from these, the table below contains Ryanairs last three years operational data up to March 2009, which will demonstrate the operational capabilities during that period. The average yield per revenue passenger mile and average yield per available seat miles are decreased in 2009 due to the intense competition and further reduction of average booked passenger fare by approximately 4 Euros compare to the previous years. Yield management is crucial for airlines as the gross profit of the company mainly depends on it, so achieving better yield would perhaps maximise Ryanairs profit. The fares of Ryanair need to be continuously monitored in a way that would create demand, at the same time that would maximise companys profit. Ryanair has only little control over the fuel fluctuations like many other airlines, so increase in fuel cost is an unavoidable increase in operating expenses. The remarkable factor is the recent fuel hedging arrangements increased Ryanairs power to some extent to influence those cost aroused due to high fuel price. The next factor is cost per available seat miles, which is operating cost by available seat miles. This is one of the mo st success factors that gain competitive advantage for Ryanair, as it always being low compared to all other short haul airlines in Europe. In the table above, the increase in the operating cost in 2009 is mainly due to the rise in fuel cost. The low fare strategy is embedded in the companys capability and it is most valuable for the company by creating demand for its service. The constantly increasing load factors year by year, while the average booked passenger fare is decreasing indicates that the unique capability of Ryanair to make the traffic grow and how well it filling its seats through creating demand by stretching its fare to lowest possible. So the increased load factor is mainly due to decrease in the fares. One of the main mottos of companys CEO, Micheal OLearys is to maximise profit through selling ancillary products. Ryanair is the highest ancillary revenue making airline in Europe, which add extra profit for the company. Motivating cabin crews through commissions to sell ancillary product, consistently increasing and introducing various ancillary products and having many commission based related business are the main source for ancillary revenue. The number of airport served and average flight utilisation hours are some other measurable capabilities of Ryanair. The best service to the passengers in terms of punctuality of its flights and less baggage missing scenarios are in Top Priorities and it makes competitive advantage for Ryanair in its operation. In fact it has the policy of publishing its customer service statistics every month to show the leads from its competitors. The table below shows that the Ryanairs capability in terms of punctuality, Bags handling and journey completions among its few rivalries. 4.3 Strength and intellectual assets: All routes are point to point rather than transitional. Although it is easy to establish point to point routes for a short haul carrier, it enhances convenient journey to the passengers. Ryanair has entered into fuel hedging arrangements followed by the huge losses on 2008. The unprecedented hedging arrangements will provide substantial protection against fluctuations in fuel prices, generally through forwarding contracts covering certain periods in the future. Ancillary services including non-flight scheduled such as Car hire, Hotels, Travel Insurance, in-flight sales, rail and bus ground transport services in its business model adds extra revenue for the company. Ryanair has direct sales channels; the only way to book ticket nowadays is via the website or via Ryanair direct call centre. It helps to take out sale agents commission and special offers would directly reach the customers without any discrepancies. Ryanair has been deploying Boeing 737-800s, same fleet community in all its routes. The company can save training cost as all staffs are only be trained for one type of aircraft and also saves on maintenance supplies and labour as only one type of parts and skills needed. High seat density of 189 seats per aircraft accommodates more passengers (compare to its older version Boeing 737-200A, which had only 130 seats per aircraft) and it tends to extra revenue for the company. The use of Secondary Airport with frequent transport medium to populated cities for the purpose to keep its airport charges low and for high turnaround times. The well known scattered strategy of no frills such as, free food, drink, and lounges etc 4.5 Weakness: Even though its fares are far cheaper than any other airlines in Europe, it is being severely criticised by many people for its extravagant hidden charges. The basic reason for this criticism is advertising fares without the disclosure of most basic inevitable charges such as, taxes, online check-In or airport check-In charge(which is outrageously costlier than the online check-In), card surcharge other than master card (only possible way to pay as the booking can feasibly done through either website or call centre), administration fee etc Ryanairs deliberate controversial advertisements and statements by its CEO such as charging one pound to use the toilets in flight, are practically generate additional free publicity for the airline, but significantly it depletes brand reputation and it often perceived as bad impression among peoples mind. The poor customer service by its staffs employed and disgrace treatment of passengers by its CEO, Micheal O Leary and the company are misleading companys reputation for not even providing the basic services and rudeness involved in customer query replies are the weakness that embedded in its system. According to the comments analysed from 280 websites, Ryanair came bottom of the ranking with minus 40 points. Poor customer service and extra cost the airline charge for check-in bags are the major complaints. [Lisa Minot, 2008. Sun Air News: Ryanair suffer Over Service. The Sun, 2nd Aug.] The company is heavily addicted for traffic growth and rivalry led in European short haul market. Because of that growth, Ryanair is not able to identify the reputation and loyalty in its brand among passengers. 5.0 Strategic situation: Perhaps, I have mentioned about 2.5 billion cash reserves in its financial resources. It has announced plans of start paying dividend from its cash pile to their shareholder from 2013. (Sarah Arnott, 2010. Ryanair to pay dividend from 2013. The independent, 8th Jan). Instead of paying dividend out of its cash reserves or by using companys profit, it should decide to deploy its cash reserves in its on-holding strategy towards long haul routes. The company will get significant future growth by launching long-haul transatlantic routes. According to CEO, Micheal O Learys statement, if Ryanair introduces long haul routes from Europe to six US destinations, two segments of seat will be offered, one lowest unprecedented economic class and ever high fare business class with extravagant services. This rational strategy will generate huge profit by luring middle economic-class passengers; perhaps transatlantic passengers will want something cheaper in their tickets. The cheapest fare no frill for economic class passengers with onboard sale of everything from breakfast to dinner, beverage to entertainment would create substantial ancillary revenue. In spite the airline destinations must be in populated area or rich cities such as Chicago Midway Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport etc to fill up business class seats, Otherwise there is no logic in adding business class seats in long haul routes. Alternatively, it can choose rural destinations in US, but the business class passengers firmly transited to populated cities without any delay and inconveniency by having alliance with US luxury short haul carriers. Although, I have mentioned Ryanairs 29.8% stake over Aer Lingus, its first bid in 2006 to acquire entire share capital of Aer Lingus was firstly blocked by European commission on competition grounds and the second bid in 2007 was also failed after the Irish Government (25% stack holder on Aer Lingus) said Ryanair undervalued the company, while the offer totalled  £701 million. So, Ryanair is not yet planned to make any further bid in recent future, rather it aims to boost its cash reserves. [Pilita, C, Vincent, B, 2010. Third Ryanair bid for Aer Lingus unlikely. Financial Times, 7th Jan.] Perhaps, the acquired stakes consolidate its financial position over Aer Lingus for convenient takeover in the future, in case of any failure or the acceptance of further bid by Aer Lingus. In consideration to Ryanairs future growth in the existing market and anticipated transatlantic expansion, it has to press hard for a horizontal integration over Aer Lingus by raising the offer price from its last bid of  £701 million. The acquisition of Aer Lingus is more likely to see tremendous expansion in European market by acquiring market share and implementing low cost operating strategy over it rivalry. In a situation when a competitor disappears in the market, the competition gets ease for some instance. The acquisition also allow Ryanair to get easy access into the transatlantic routes, as Aer Lingus already operating flights to some major airports in the United States such as, Houston (HOU), Houston (IAH), Indianapolis (IND), Columbus (CMH) and San Francisco (SNF) etc 6.0 Strategic Choice: Identification: The first choice what I suggest is Ryanair can expand its market through Related Diversification by the launch of new international routes from Europe to Selected Asian countries, such as India, Malaysia and Singapore. Ryanair will be able to grow its traffic by selecting core destinations such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Chennai and New Delhi in India, Kualalampur in Malayasia and Singapore. In the other end, Ryanair would be able to cover travellers and tourists from all European countries by setting up transit hubs in selected airports in Europe such as Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Glasgow and Dublin (So, flights from the new market will land in those transit hubs and then passengers can reach their end destination by Ryanairs local network flights through transit from these airport) travelling to our selected destinations in Asia, as it already has firm and established operation in Europe. The above selected strategic choice would be demonstrated under Ansoff Strategic Direction Matrix Market/product choices. According to Ansoff Matrix (developed by Igor Ansoff, 1957) the above selected business is launching of new service in new market, so it will be categorized under Diversification. Although, Ryanair has an on-holding plan of introducing transatlantic routes, but not yet lunged, the new strategic choice is to flourish market share in developing nations. The assumed service in those markets is clearly business to consumer type of activity, as Ryanair directly engaged in carrying passengers or providing service directly to the customers. Ryanairs main targeting customer segment in the above three countries are tourists and passengers who are looking for low fares, as well as high fare over luxury service. The differentiations in fares with price premium for passengers perceive it as on luxury segment and without price premium for passengers perceive cost benefit under low fare segment. All the three countries are developing nations with low income, middle class and rich people. Among them, people who afford to travel to Europe are

Summary and Analysis of The Pardoners Tale Essay example -- Canterbur

Summary and Analysis of The Pardoner's Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Pardoner's Tale: The Host thinks that the cause of Virginia's death in the previous tale was her beauty. To counter the sadness of the tale, the Host suggests that the Pardoner tell a lighter tale. The Pardoner delays, for he wants to finish his meal, but says that he shall tell a moral tale. He says that he will tell a tale with this moral: the love of money is the root of all evil. He claims that during his sermons he shows useless trifles that he passes off as saints' relics. He proudly tells about how he defrauds people who believed they have sinned. He states explicitly that his goal is not to save people from sin, but to gain money from them. The Pardoner says that he will not imitate the apostles in their poverty, but will have food, comfort, and a wench in every town. Analysis Among the various pilgrims featured in the Canterbury Tales, the Pardoner is one of the most fully realized characters. The only character to whom Chaucer gives greater detail is the Wife of Bath. The Pardoner is a fraudulent huckster who shows no qualms about passing off false items as the relics of saints, but he also demonstrates a great sense of self-loathing. The Pardoner shifts from moments of direct honesty to shameless deceit, openly admitting the tricks of his trade to the travelers but nevertheless attempting to use these various methods on these travelers who are aware of his schemes. The Pardoner is in many senses a warped character, unable to hold to any consistent code of moral behavior. Even in his physicality he is deformed. The General Prologue, suggesting that the Pardoner resembles a 'gelding or a mare,' hints that the Pardoner may be a ... ... only expression of any spirituality contained in the Pardoner's Tale. The Pardoner has little concern with actual religious matters and makes no real reference to Christianity. His concern is money, and the Christian religion is only the means to achieve this end. The Tale itself is a relatively simplistic moral fable that hinges on the distinctions between literal and figurative language. The initial personification of death that the young child uses as a metaphor and euphemism leads to the actual physical manifestation of Death as a tangible object: the piles of gold that the three rioters find. The plot of the tale derives from the rioters' literal interpretation of euphemism  ­ since death has taken their friend, they must find death. This personification of death finally becomes metaphor once again when the piles of gold represent the death that they find.