Why Marijuana Should be Legal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Marijuana Should be Legal - Essay Example The evidence demonstrates that legalizing cannabis for medicinal in addition to general purposes would prove a benefit to society, evidence which is well-known throughout the scientific, political and public arena but this collective knowledge has yet to be acted upon. The economic feasibility of decriminalizing marijuana has become a much-discussed subject in recent years. The federal government presently spends a lot of capital on law enforcement to combat distributors and producers of drugs. By legalizing drugs this could eradicate much of the profit, bloodshed and corruption of that trade. If legalizing drugs is to have a positive effect on the crime rate, drugs must be made both inexpensive and available. Studies have repetitively suggested that prohibiting marijuana in the U.S. has not shown to be efficient or effective. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, â€Å"U.S. The economic feasibility of decriminalizing marijuana has become a much-discussed subject in recent years.   The federal government presently spends a lot of capital on law enforcement to combat distributors and producers of drugs. By legalizing drugs this could eradicate much of the profit, bloodshed and corruption of that trade.   If legalizing drugs is to have a positive effect on the crime rate, drugs must be made both inexpensive and available. Studies have repetitively suggested that prohibiting marijuana in the U.S. has not shown to be efficient or effective.  Ã‚  

Quality Improvement in the Concrete Blocks' Production Thesis

Quality Improvement in the Concrete Blocks' Production - Thesis Example Corrective Action and Preventive Action 22 2.5. Implementing ISO9001:2008 22 2.5.1. The Quality Statement 22 2.5.2. Document Control 25 2.5.3. Quality Processes 27 2.5.4. Quality Assessment or Baseline 28 2.5.5. Internal Audit 29 2.5.5.1. Root Cause Analysis 30 2.5.5.2. Corrective and Preventive Measures 31 2.5.5.3. Internal Audit 32 2.5.6. External Audit 34 2.5.7. Goal Setting 35 3. Methodology 36 4. Bibliography 54 Quality Improvement in the Concrete Blocks’ Production 1. Introduction ISO 9001:2008 is a set of criteria that can be applied to all organizations regardless of type, size and product or service provided e[Hoy-09). No matter the industry a properly implemented ISO 9001:2008 forces the organization to exceed itself by letting each department involved in production of its product to do a better job after each internal audit [Phil-09]. The primary question that will be answered in this paper shall be whether or not the implementation of the ISO 9001:2008 in the proc esses involved in the manufacture of concrete blocks will improve the quality of each block manufactured by the organization. The secondary question that will be answered by this dissertation shall be: what are the steps involved in the implementation of the ISO 9001:2008? The third question that needs to be answered will be: what are the organizational processes that will be affected by the implementation of the ISO 9001:2008? Another quern that will be posited shall be: how can the quality be improved or maintained when the ISO 9001:2008 is fully operational or implemented already. Using the collective experiences of authors and industry practitioners of ISO 9001:2008 an implementation framework will be developed for an organization that manufactures concrete block to ensure if not guarantee its quality (Cia - 1t). The primary impetus for the organization in ensuring the quality of the concrete blocks they manufacture is to ensure the safety of the people that will be using th em (Cia -101). Concrete blocks are used as walls or support structure of buildings. An improperly produced concrete block could result to injury and even death (Kal). Not only it is imperative to ensure the safety of the concrete blocks but also another immediate concern would be to ensure that the whole production process is efficient and can offer a maximum yield.  The Plan Do Check Act is in the heart of the Toyota way of doing things (Sobek II and Smalley). Toyota has been studied and have been written about several times that it is negligent not to include the lessoned that we can learn in the way they used the Plan Do Check Act concept in their management style. Toyota being the most successful implementation of the concept has not stopped in developing new ways of improving itself. In the true essence of its adherence of continual improvement in the Plan Do Check Act framework the â€Å"Toyota Way† was developed (Lik - 04). The ISO 9001:2008 and its predecessor Qualit y Management Systems have strictly used the same concept in the operation and implementation of the ISO framework. All the authors through their work have been one in saying that the first step towards achieving success in the implementation of a Quality Management System is the organization’s determination and dedication in settling the current state of its manufacturing processes. To determine the current state of the manufacturing process to produce quality products the following has to be established first. What constitute quality in the creation of quality

Quantitative Analysis for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantitative Analysis for Managers - Essay Example This essay describes an allocation of manufacturing overheads and explaines it using an examples. This essay responses to the request for the analyses of the allocation of manufacturing overheads related to two our products. A comprehensive report detailing the allocation basis and possibilities of our two products Rona Loa coffee and Colombian coffee along with their related implications and recommendations are provided for your study. Using activity based costing as the basis for assigning manufacturing overhead cost to products, the researcher established the total amount of manufacturing overhead cost assigned to the Rona Loa coffee and to the Colombian coffee for the year amounts to  £32,900 AND  £7,300 respectively. The amount of manufacturing overhead cost per kilo of the Rona Loa coffee and the Colombian coffee amounts to  £0.33  £3.65 respectively. The unit product cost of one kilo of the Rona Loa coffee and one kilo of the Colombian coffee amounts to  £4.83  £7. 15 respectively. The researcher also calculated costing as the basis for assigning manufacturing overhead cost to products, the total amount of manufacturing overhead cost assigned to the Rona Loa coffee and to the Colombian coffee for the year amounts to  £32,900 AND  £7,300 respectively. For detailed working regarding the calculation of these amounts please refer Appendix A and B. It also provides the reader with the detailed statistics tables and results.... Traditional costing systems therefore can result in significant under-costing and over-costing. However, traditional costing systems are simpler and easier to implement than ABC systems. The use of such a rate enables us to determine the approximate total cost of each job when completed. In recent years increased automation in manufacturing operations has resulted in a trend towards machine hours as the activity base in the calculation. It is believed fluctuations in product costs serve no useful purpose. To avoid such fluctuations, actual overhead rates could be computed on an annual or less-frequent basis. However, if the overhead rate is computed annually based on the actual costs and activity for the year, the manufacturing overhead assigned to any particular job would not be known until the end of the year. Simplistic overhead allocations using a declining labour base cannot be justified, particularly when information processing cost are no longer a barrier to introducing more s ophisticated cost systems (Drury 2004). ABC provides a way to allocate costs more accurately when overhead costs are not incurred at the same rate as direct labor hours. Using ABC means that all the individual activities that are part of a process can be accurately costed. For example in case of our entity it will be possible to accurately determine the cost of each activity involved in processing a coffee from input to final packaging. In this way it will be easy to identify the most and least expensive parts of the process. Process improvement activity could then focus on the most expensive parts of the process. A model could then be constructed showing a comparison between the existing process costs and the redesigned process and its associated costs.

Poetry Analysis Essay Example for Free

Poetry Analysis Essay The poem is quick to assert that, maybe even provide a caveat, that one should take their life seriously and live their life to the fullest. It’s interesting that Byron beings to reflect on his life at this age, and I find it even more interesting that the poem was written on the last year he would live. One thing Byron emphasizes heavily on this poem is love and compassion. His first lines are an admittance that he does not have a partner by his side (lines 5-8). Many people fear dying alone, and Byron is not immune to such anxiety. Byron is even envious for those who have found love (lines 13-15). The â€Å"Chain† Byron says he wears symbolizes loneliness, perhaps even failure. He fears that his ultimate failure in life would be his lack of a companion, and that he cannot fill that void. I think Byron than goes on to say that love is happiness: and to have an absence in love would leave a person empty. Byron realizes he has failed in the one area he defines to be the most important and to recover from that and at least die in an honorable/memorable way is to take the soldier’s death. Since he has no significant other to speak highly of him when he is gone, he could at least have his fellow brothers-in-arms speak of him when he’s gone (most likely due to the soldier’s death). Overall, I’d say Byron is quite malcontented with how he’s lived his life. But I would say he was rather too harsh on himself, he fails to recognize all the great and wonderful things he has achieved in his life. But I also know that no one can determine whether or not someone was successful in life; that can only be determined by how that individual perceives themselves. The poem as a whole seems to be a reflection, but also a sad epiphany that Byron has not done all that he could have done with his life. This leads to the reoccurring theme that has been illustrated by almost all poets of this age: The ‘carpe diem’ seize the day/moment mentality. Darkness At the beginning lines of the poem, Byron sets up the reader to understand that this vision of the future, while not a current reality, could easily become so if mankind does not change his interaction with the environment. A cataclysmic event has occurred in which the sun is destroyed. For the eco-critic, this could be representative of any sort of environmental issue that is the result of man’s irreverence for the Earth – nuclear war, pollution, overpopulation. The poem does not need to explain how the sun was destroyed, just that the event happened and as a result, mankind’s decent into chaos and death was imminent. Mankind’s reaction to the event is to burn both civilization and nature in order to provide fuel to continue its existence. The next section forewarns the reader that following environmental catastrophe will be nothing but destruction. The destruction of nature occurs in the form of the overuse of resources, such as animals for food and trees for fuel. Men and animals would seemingly succumb to an almost hysteric state in which the law of survival becomes the only law, which is heralded as truth. This state of kill or be killed ultimately produced more concerns for the fate of mankind. Not only has the environment begun to be destroyed, here represented by the loss of the sun, but what few resources remain are being consumed at an unsustainable rate. The eco-critic understands that the population of the Earth can and should only become as large as is sustainable by the resources available to it. Byron illustrates this concept through the introduction of famine in the next section of his text. â€Å"The crowd was famish’d by degrees; but two of an enormous city did survive, and they were enemies. † The ultimate warning of eco-criticism is that the result of the widespread destruction of the environment is the widespread destruction of the human race. Byron has created a world in which the only two remaining humans cling to whatever life they have left in the form of a metaphorical flame. The last section of â€Å"Darkness† leaves the reader with a haunting image of a world in which nothing living exists. According to the eco-critic, this is the warning that Byron is delivering to us: either we change our ways and amend our neglect of environmental duty and responsibility, or we eventually perish. The destruction of mankind will come at its own hands, whether it is through environmental cataclysm, overpopulation and the subsequent war and famine, or through the slow poisoning of the Earth. Darkness† is a vehicle by which the eco-critic can forewarn the reader to change. Eco-Criticism, then, becomes a vehicle for change and hope. It is not merely about the destruction of the world, but hope that destruction can be avoided. Epitaph on an Infant This is a short poem, but still has a lot of meaning behind it, pertaining to the circle of life and death. Coleridge is saying that death can come at anytime and any moment, and seize anyone it pleases. Taking the b aby’s life shouldn’t be viewed as an evil or injustice, but rather part of the cycle. The first line can be interpreted to mean that the baby was never able to become exposed to the horrors of the world (sin) or be in the world for too long to have its loss be heart-breaking (sorrow). Not saying the loss of the baby was not a saddening thing, but Coleridge is saying the baby was not in this world long enough for it to be a huge loss. The last line is hopeful, saying the baby was able to â€Å"blossom there†, with there meaning heaven obviously. This, I feel, is how Coleridge viewed situations where the cycle of life seemed to break its own norms with taking a life that many would view as too early to take. This is for those who never got to grasp the mentality that many Romantic embraced during this time, of seizing the day, and living life to its fullest, not having any regrets. Of course, the baby (or any other youngling) is unable to even encounter such mentalities or form its own attitude for life. Even the length of the poem is symbolic; it represents the life span of the young babe, and how short life can ultimately be if one does not take their time to sit back and enjoy it a bit. Human Life Here’s how I interpreted this poem to be, line (cluster) by line (cluster). Lines 1-4: if the human body dies, the soul lives on forever. Lines 5-6: A human is comprised of three things, mind, body, and spirit. Lines 7-9: Everybody dies at some point in their life, and while to may try to prolong it, it is ultimately unavoidable. Lines 10-14: Nature will choose when everyone dies, it does not discriminate. Lines 15-17: When everything does not seem to be going your way, look through your previous dreams, hopes, and fears. Then reflect, and see if everything is as bad as you are making things out to be. Lines 18-22: remember though that each previous event echoes other ones and to be honest why do we wallow in things that are not important, and yet we hide ourselves from matters of much more importance? Lines 23-26: Why do we compare ourselves to events in the past instead of matters in the present moment or future? The past does not change, but we are shaped from it. Lines 27-28: Humans feel what they feel for no apparent reason; yet they seek reasons for why they feel the way they do. And the final line (29): All of a human’s life is nothing but a contradiction. A human will seek answers to many of life’s questions within themselves, but will always have conflict within. With this poem, Coleridge takes a more dark approach to the cycle of life, with his central theme of the poem being clearly stated at the very end â€Å"A beings being is contradiction†. He takes the approach to life of many people spend hours, days, weeks even contemplating the reasons for the seasons, our existence, why we die, and all other philosophical questions; and he asks â€Å"Why even bother seeking such answers? †. Death is unavoidable, and those who try to prolong it or even avoid it, are just walking contradictions. Why try to go against what is everyone’s fate in the end? Coleridge purposes such ideas and asks provocative questions to get his readers to think: Is it wiser to spend one’s life contemplating matters that way over everyone’s head, or rather just accept that your life as you know it will end one day, but in the meantime do your best to live it and not let anything shackle you to the bonds of â€Å"I can’t therefore I won’t†. Once again, the Romantic theme of ‘carpe-diem’ is sensed as a undertone to this poem, as Coleridge is warning people to not let the worldly matters trouble them, instead seek out the best in your life. Ode On The Death Of A Favorite Cat Drowned In A Tub Of Goldfishes This poem was quite uncommon for its time, but it still shared the qualities that make the readers think about life, death, and the cycle of the two. The reader is taken on a journey into the life of this cat, Selima, experiencing not only the beauty that is said creature, but also the sad end she came to, quite undeservingly. The third person view Grey utilizes helps show the struggle between life (the cat) versus nature. With the tone being deadly erious, Grey is showing a portrait of the cat as a cat with her conscious tale and ears of jet ( lines 7,11), trying to accomplish no more than procuring a goldfish for lunch. However, the tale takes a deadly turn when the fated Selima goes a paw too far and tumbles face-first into the goldfish tub. The reader, through this tone (which some might call mock-heroic, could they not see the utter tragedy and seriousness of Selimas fate), is taken into the life and death of a ca t who was merely hungry; alas, she ends up swimming with the fishes. The golden hue of the fish is what catches the tabby’s attention, and the cat then tries to catch it’s lunch. Eventually, the cat falls into the pond, and struggles for a while, with no help coming. This can be seen as no matter what you do in your life, when things really matter (such as a life and death situation), the only person one can rely on is themselves. Unfortunately, Grey has a grim way to convey that. The cat surfaces eight times, each time her life force growing weaker and weaker against the struggle ntil eventually Selima, having exhausted all her life, sinks amidst the objects of her lunchtime ambitions. Grey’s powerful message here is clear; be careful where you step, as you may fall into a pond of goldfish and drown. Furthermore, Gray implies, what you covet, though it may be beautiful, may lead you to your death. This can be tied back to the theme of not taking life for granted, and making each day yours. Should one be weighed down with material possessions and worldly goods, they are depriving themselves of the ultimate ‘good’, life itself.

Internet: How It Changes Traditional Marketing

Internet: How It Changes Traditional Marketing Nowadays, the technology and telecommunication are non-stop developing. These developments lead to the changes of different sectors in different industries. The appearance of search engines such as Google, Yahoo or shopping online with eBay, Amazon is gradually changing the customer shopping trend and it also changes the marketing models to E-marketing instead of Traditional marketing models. The posed question is what E-marketing is all about. According to one of the most famous Marketing authors, Philip Kotler, Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. In other words, marketing is not only the activities to make products come closer to customers, it also creating the awareness of customer about the products, stimulate the purchase, consolidate positive feeling, keep tracking customer complain to adapt the products in order to best suit the customers tastes. E-marketi ng is an element of marketing. The prefix e in eMarketing is considered as electronic. E-marketing uses electronic devices such as computer with Internet, interactive ness or mobile marketing channels. to understand completely about E-marketing matter, lets delve into this topic. II. Critical impact of Internet and the difference between traditional and E-marketing: As well as traditional marketing, eMarketing does all things of marketing but in the electronic sectors. However, traditional marketing has some disadvantages that eMarketing can surmount and improve them. Talking about traditional marketing methods, the first names which are considered immediately will be advertisement on the press, radio, TV or publication. Marketing by ads on newspaper has appeared for a long time and still exists. Although that is a long-standing model of marketing but it has some disadvantages that can be easy to list. A newspaper is updated everyday and information will be the same. It means that all the information of a yesterday newspaper will be old and it can not be the trend if its information is not updated. If a company puts their advertisement on a newspaper, it will be valuable or has validity in the day when that newspaper is published. To refresh and make their advertisement still be closer and attracts customer, the company must to pay more for the updated and keep the place of advertisement on newspaper which they has paid for it before. Thus, today, many companies choose eMarketing as their main marketing strategy instead of traditional marketing like the years ago. Take an example of Tokyo hair salon Mano Mano. For an advertisement on Tuoi Tre newspaper with full page and the text of their promotion al programs , Mano Mano must to pay more than 3 million VND but it just exist for 1 day. To appear on Tuoi Tre again with the same position, Mano Mano must to pay again, at the same price. Now, they change their mind and choose www.tuoitre.com.vn with advertisement section to put their advertisement. Although the space for their ad is not the full site of the web but it appears in customer first look. Obviously, the cost for this marketing method is decreased significantly. Furthermore, Mano Mano ad is available 24/7, a thing that traditional marketing can not do. The next popular method of traditional marketing is Radio. In 198 0s, 1990s, radio is one of the most favorite entertaining channels of human. Based on that, businesses chose radio to do marketing was very commonly used. Among the programs, stations broadcasted the advertisement of products from any industries such as cuisine, fashion, technology, etc. However, like the press, radio programs and advertisement on radio was just one day information and need to be updated. This changing leads to the changing of cost. Companies paid too much for their marketing plan. Nowadays, radio is replaced by audio and podcast. Besides, TV is the most popular device to put advertisement on and it can make products com closest to customer. Thus, the price to make ad on TV is extreme high. Instead of choosing TV, businesses can choose video files to introduce their products and it will be shown on the websites and of course, companies do not need to pay much. The advantage of this method is help businesses to reach closer to clients and also help producer to worldw ide their market and potential clients, also. Take example of Vietnam Idol program. This is the Vietnamese version of the very famous program from USA, American Idol. Although Vietnam Idol appeared the first time 3 years ago but organizer still does marketing as best as possible. They made the clip in their own way and put it on the popular website. Beside the main website, www.vietnamidol.com.vn, the organizer also buys the space in the entertaining websites which have the high turn of accession in Vietnam such as www.mp3.zing.vn , www.24h.com.vn or in the most famous networking in Vietnam, Facebook. The other example is YourSingapore.com. This is the website of Singapore Tourism Board which supplies all information and news about Singapore tourism with so many functions for customer to choose. Like Vietnam Idol, this website choose Facebook to reach closer to global customer. In customer side, eMarketing or marketing online helps them to search their favorite products faster and m ore exactly. As mentioned above, internet development has lead to the appearance of search engines that Google is the best evidence ever. Google is known as the best website for searching information in any sectors. People go online and type google.com for news, global financial news and of course, the products. It is the fastest way to look for the interesting goods. To satisfy this practice of customer, almost the companies, suppliers or producers have their own website to do eMarketing for their goods for products. Besides, they also put advertisements on the other websites which have a good accession to promote their products. This is the good way for companies to reach to customer. With these argument, it is easy to see the advantages of eMarketing. It can help companies control the exact number of customer who interest in their products by checking the number of visitor. In addition, companies can also get information about customers ability to pay for a product or their behav ior to upcoming product. Furthermore, eMarketing support companies to make surveys easily and based on that, companies can get customer information, interests and comments that can help them to improve their product. The companies can control the attractiveness customer easily and also ensure business running. Therefore, eMarketing has changed the traditional marketing of companies and also changed the habit of customer. III. E-marketing and Segmentation: Discuss about the segmentation that Internet can change the traditional marketing in the aspect of, as mentioned above; Internet has changed the trend of choosing and purchasing of customer. However, it does not mean that everybody will use Internet as their engine to find the products or services information. It depends on geographic and demographic of consumer. With customers, who live and work in urban areas, using Internet to search and purchase goods is the best way for them to save their time and their money, also. In the developed countries such as USA, Japan or EU, internet marketing is commonly used and people has accustomed with searching online for their interested goods. Based on that, doing E-marketing in the developed countries is the smart choice for companies to enlarge their market and make their products reach customer. Take example of E-marketing in USA. This is the country which is known as one of the powerful countries in the world. With the developed economy and technological development in USA, E-marketing seems to be an important method in doing marketing. The famous website and the large number of customer around the world that can be listed as eBay Corp. at www.ebay.com , Wikipedia at www.wikipedia.com or tourism in USA at www.USAtourism.com can be the best evidences for E-marketing is this country. Although marketing on Internet is very common in the world but there are some countries, where people do not how to use computer, still exist and Bangladesh is an example. Known as a country which has the third Islam in the world and the economy is under-developed. With the per capita income in 2008 was US$520 compared with US$10,200 of the worlds average, it can be recognized easily that almost people who live here have the low livings (Wikipedia, 2010). Because of those low livings, people do not have ability to have the general idea about purchasing online or marketing on Internet. With Bangladesh people, before purchasing a product or u sing a service, they must to try it first and if it satisfies their needs, they will decide to choose it then. Thus, to the companies in Bangladesh, doing E-marketing will be the worst method and they can not do that. Although not all Bangladeshi can not use computer and online services but the number of people who can do they is small and it just happens in the head offices. Thus, E-marketing will not develop in the countries like Bangladesh. Those arguments above are concerned with geographic and now will be the concerns with demographic of consumer. Depends on the age, gender or income, customer will have different identifications and behaviors about marketing online. Normally, consumers who are younger will be interested in learning about favorite online and shopping online than older. In young peoples opinions, internet can support them to search all details of goods faster and the information is updated. Beside that, with younger people, who are living in the developing times, time is very important and all they want to do is must convenient for them to save their time, as much as possible. In other words, with Internet, young people just need to stay in their place, take the mouse and make a search for the term that they interest, then, burdensome of information will appear. They just click and buy, and after that, the goods will be delivered. Customer may be charged the shipping fee or not depends on the location. Unlike to young people, the older has the different idea that internet just show the general information about product. After deciding to purchase one kind of goods, they will go to the store, take a look and touch directly to their interested product and try it on. If it works well and satisfies all their needs, they will buy it. In other words, the older want to choose the product directly that they ensure it will not have any mistakes in general. Besides the age, different gender can make different behavior to E-marketing. Almost the men l ike gadget and digital equipments. These goods are updated and almost of them are advertised on internet that their loyal and potential customer can get the updated information or updated of products. In other side, women, their interest is all about fashion and with this item, customer must to touch directly and try it on their bodies to get the exact and perfect product for them. Women go online and search for the new trends or prestige tailor or fashion designer that they can get the gorgeous ones from. Therefore, to the men, internet can help them to find out and purchase the best products ever but, to women, its just the engine to get information only. IV. E-marketing and Targeting: With the things have just been mentioned above, its easy to see the target of E-marketing or marketing on Internet will focus on the objects which are the younger customers, customers who have the income from middle level, officers and people who do not have enough time to go real shopping. V. E-marketing and Differentiation: Differentiation is how companies make the difference among the competitors. With the support from Internet, many companies build the website for their own. Making differentiation is the action that concerns with products, services, personnel, channel and image. To impress customer who visit website, companies must to give them alternative as much as possible that they can make decision. Besides, companies must give customer the attractive price of products or packages that they can make comparison with other competitors. The more customization the website has, the more different they are. VI. E-marketing and Positioning: Mentioning about the positioning of companies when using E-marketing, it is how they embed their brand in customers mind. Take Apple as evidence. With the very famous products such as iPod after generations, iPhone, Mac or iTunes, Apple has the numerous customer for its own. There are three reasons why Apple can do that. They are well-known with high technological products and services; the innovation in digital devices and user friendly products. Therefore, whenever a new product of Apple is upcoming, it always receives the best attention of customer ever. Today, Apple has its own position in customers mind and its always the first choice in some decisions of customer. VII. E-marketing and Product: With the convenience of E-marketing is the function of leaving comments of customer, companies can learn more from customer comments and then, they can improve their products to be better. In other side, with using E-marketing, companies can support their customer to taste the new products via betas or trials. Take example of Advance Device Lock Pro. This is a software product to protect mobile device from hackers or make them be safe with passwords. This software appeared a couple year ago it has attracted more customers. For people who know about this software for the first and interest to try, Advance Device Lock Pro will give them trial version in 7 days that customer can try it free in those days. After 7 days, if customer is interested in this software, they will pay about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬15 to have full version. Furthermore, E-marketing can help companies to have the multiview about customer needs, and based on that, the new products will be appeared to satisfy all customer tas tes VIII. E-marketing and Price: In traditional marketing, companies must to pay much for overheads like store, transportation, delivery or maintenance cost, etc. If using E-marketing instead of traditional marketing, companies can save lots of money. Take example of hotel booking online. With the customers information on booking online, hotels can manage the quantity of coming customer and they can be proactive in coordination of staffs, foods and the others. In other aspect, E-marketing support hotels compare their prices to the competitors. Ho Tram Beach Resort is a 4-star resort which is located in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. In their website at www.hotramresort.com , room rate for a Sea View Suit is US$ 303 and customer can book room immediately after checking the rate. However, the price will be discounted a little bit if customer call directly to resorts reception. The point is, the rate on website is competitive price with other resort in same location. Thus, customer can check and compare the price among comp etitors. The competitive and attractive price combine with the impressive design and services will be the plus point for Ho Tram Beach Resort in customers mind. IX. E-marketing and Distribution and CRM: The kind of online products as E-books, E-consult, E- learning or software reach the world wide in accepted conditions such as politic, technology and infrastructure. In CRM aspect, E-marketing helps companies adjust their marketing offering fit to customer individual need. Moreover, it can understand the changing taste of customer, and then, prepare to launch the new products. Take Amazon.com as an example. This is the world wide retailer with numerous brand names and million accession everyday. To purchase goods on www.amazon.com , customer should sign in so they can receive the recommendation to your choice. By signing in, www.amazon.com can know which product their customers are most interested in. If customer has changed their interest, Amazon.com can also manage that and give them the suit recommendation for them. X. Conclusion: Technological development which specific is internet has not only changed a issue but also the whole world. The appearance of internet and Marketing on internet, E-marketing, has changed a habit in selling and purchasing. Although some disadvantages still exist but E-marketing has contributed to the global economic development and its also the bridge between customer and companies and make them reach closer.

Entering the Fast Food Industry

Entering the Fast Food Industry Introduction Pull open the glass door, feel the rush of cool air, walk in, get on line, study the backlit color photographs above the counter, place your order, hand over a few dollars, watch teenagers in uniforms pushing various buttons, and moments later take hold of a plastic tray full of food wrapped in colored paper and cardboard. The whole experience of buying fast food has become so routine, so thoroughly unexceptional and mundane, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light. Eric Schlosser from the book Fast Food Nation The food that people always eat or dont it was always determined by some economical and environmental forces. And the big growth of the Egyptian fast food market occurred according to some main changes in the Egyptian society. One of the main changes was the huge entering the women the workforce, which increased the request on some service which women usually do like cooking, cleaning, and child care. And now you can see the double income of the household which make an increase of the requested fast food. Socially, these fast food chains created many changes within the Egyptian behavioral patterns as well. Cleanliness and quality allowed families to feel safe and comfortable, permitting their children to go out on their own. A cheerful atmosphere and fun promotional items and gifts available at these chains attracted children and the younger generation began to frequent them more often, meeting friends and planning parties. It gave the Egyptian youth a safe acceptable place to go to. From here was born the concept of home delivery, a hugely profitable business today. Now, one can order virtually any consumer product by telephone for delivery and thousands of young people are employed in this sector. As consumers became frequent customers, the database developed into a very important asset. Promoting sales and keeping information classified was a must, not to mention boosting an already-escalating competitive environment. Entering the fast food market can be done in several ways that each one of them differs from the other. There are two main choices; first is acquiring a franchise license from an international-branded fast food chain, the second is to create a new brand that is developed locally and independently. Each one of them has their own advantages and disadvantages, and choosing an entry strategy heavily depends on several factors which will be analyzed in this paper. Before choosing an entry strategy the market has to be assessed extensively and to do so Porters Five Forces and the PEST (Political, Economical, Social Technological) analysis models represent the perfect harmony in analyzing the heavily saturated and very competitive Egyptian fast food market. Office of government commerce, (2006) Definition of alternatives Before proceeding with the market analysis we have to understand clearly what is meant by each one of the entry strategies to avoid any misunderstandings; According to (Treas, 1973) franchising can be defined simply as a business relationship between two entities; the seller (franchisor) and the license buyer (franchisee). The franchisee buys a royalty license from the franchisor to have the permission of doing business and opening fast food chains under the brand name of the franchisor. However, the franchisees are still independent and the chains are under full supervision and management by them but they have to abide to certain quality standards and regulations set by the franchisor to help them maintain and save the brand image of their trade mark. (Treas.1973) (Kaufmann Dant, 2001) On the other hand, opening an independent (locally branded) fast food chain is the total opposite of franchising. Instead of buying a franchise license from a well known established brand, the founder decides to create a new novel brand enduring all of the associated costs and taking the risk of creating a new brand image that requires time to gain the desired reputation. Some of the successful franchises in Egypt could be: McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King, and Sbarro. While Successful examples of independent in Egypt could be: Cook Door, Smileys, Momen, Amo Hosny, Bon Appetite, and Prego. Porters five forces analysis Michael Porter in this analysis suggested a frame that industry influenced by five forces. These forces can determine the competitive intensity and therefore the attractiveness of a market and attractiveness means the overall industry profitability. These forces represent the micro-environment side which is more specific than the more general macro-environment one; they consist of those forces close to a market that affect its shape and stability. (Figure 1: Porters Five forces Model) (Michael E. Porter 1980: 31) Rivalry among existing competitors The first component of the five forces analysis focuses on the competitive rivalry. Competitive rivalry is one of the key areas for an industry, because in many cases it may determine the marketing strategies that will be developed and implemented. The purchasing power of the Egyptian consumers is quite strong and naturally those consumers have high expectations. That is the reason why fast food chains constantly compete for better products and more attractive promotions. For instance, McDonalds was the first fast food chain in Egypt that offers toys and games with meals to trigger childrens interest and this was hugely successful where most of the children buy McDonalds happy meal in order to get the offered toy. Rivalry can be found in many familiar forms such as advertising campaigns, price discounting, new product introduction and service improvement. The more the degree of rivalry the more it becomes an obstacle for profitability, and the degree of rivalry is determined through the intensity of the competition and on how they compete. The intensity of rivalry is influenced by the following characteristics: Large number of competitors: The huge existing numbers of food chains makes the competition more intensified where they have to compete for the same customers and resources in order to gain more market share. The market includes two main categories of chains; local branded fast-food chains which include (Momen, Smileys Grill, Cook Door and El-Shabrawy), and international branded fast-food chains such as (KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and many more) Slow market growth: If the market growth is slow the fast-food chains will fight more for the existing market share. On the other hand, if the market growth is fast, the fast-food chains will be able to improve revenues simply because of the expanding market. Egypt is considered the largest in both Africa and the Middle East in the fast-food service industry where it represents US $7 billion and is expected to reach US $10 billion over the next five years (Schaefer 2008: 1) and due to this the fast-food market in Egypt is very fast growing. Highly perishable products: Food products is considered highly perishable where it urges the seller to sometimes lower the prices and sell the product while it is still consumable, thus it intensifies the rivalry. Low switching costs: When a consumer can freely switch and choose from one product to another there is a greater struggle to capture consumers and since most of the fast-food chains meals prices are nearly similar the threat for competitors is high where consumers can switch to another competitor at any time and this creates a pressure on the fast-food chains to create a competitive edge. Low levels of product differentiation: The low levels of product differentiation tends to increase the levels of rivalry thats why fast-food chains tends to increase their brand identification to maintain their market share since they are all serving relatively the same target customers with relatively similar products. Industry shakeout: The growing market of the fast-food industry and the potential for high profits encourages new competitors to enter the market and the existing competitors to increase their size. A point is reached where the industry becomes crowded with competitors and demand cannot support the new entrants and the resulting increased supply creating a situation of excess capacity with too many goods chasing too few buyers. Exit barriers included the issue of asset specialization which can determine how easy a fast food chain can exit the market without having difficulties in liquidating its assets. Due to the fact that most of the fast food chains require some tailor-made equipments that serve their specific needs and helps in maintaining their brand image throughout their products, the degree of asset specialization is quite high in the fast food market which subsequently creates many exit barriers. (Edward 2010) (Yacoub 2010) (Hamza 2010) When a rival acts in a way that draws out a counter-response by other competitors, the rivalry intensifies. The intensity of rivalry is commonly based on the chains aggressiveness in attempting to gain an advantage. In pursuing an advantage over its rivals, a fast-food chain can choose from several competitive moves: Changing prices: Raising or lowering prices to gain a temporary advantage, and many chains try to offer money saving combo meals that sounds more economically to the consumer. Improving product differentiation: Providing innovative and new products and improving the production process itself. For example, Pizza Hut has recently introduced interesting new types of pizzas that helps them to build a strong product differentiation. Using new channels of distribution: McDonalds was the first fast-food chain to introduce the drive-thru chains that conveniently have suited many consumers helping them to co-op with the fast paced lifestyle. Threat of substitute products or services Porter describes substitute product as it is another product that can be chosen as a substitution of the required product. The elasticity of demand could be affected by more than one variable like the price, quality, availabilityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The consumer buying decision can be changed to substitute products according to the change of the price, this change increase the demand on the substitute products. Also the consumer behavior now increased to healthy food which will affect the fast food market negatively. The threat of substitutes is increased if: The substitute product offers more convenient price or performance rather than the fast-food industry because consumers always choose the alternative that offers him greater value. For example, many consumers could choose eat-in restaurants because it can provide them with more food quality rather than the fast-food chains but eating in a restaurant can be more expensive. The switching cost is low and minimal, the threat of substitution becomes higher and the consumer has the ability to switch between alternatives easily with no extra charge and this is the case in the fast-food market Bargaining power of buyers There are several types of buyer power. The first is related to the customers price sensitivity. If each brand of the fast-food chains is similar to all the others, then the consumer will base the purchase decision mainly on price which will increase the competitive rivalry, resulting in lower prices and lower profitability. For example, some consumers would choose McDonalds rather than Burger King for being cheaper. Also the more number of substitutes is available for the buyer, the more powerful he becomes. The other type of buyer power which is not strongly relevant to our market analysis is the negotiating power where larger buyers tend to have more leverage to negotiate prices. Bargaining power of suppliers The fourth part of the five forces analysis focuses on the power of the suppliers and how is it easy for them to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers available for each key input. The uniqueness of their product or service and the cost of switching from one to another determine how powerful they are. Powerful suppliers can squeeze profitability out of an industry that is unable to pass on cost increases in its own prices. The supply power in our case is represented through the people who provide materials used for the fast-food production such as bakery, poultry, vegetables and packaging. To determine how much the suppliers are powerful we have to asses several aspects; The supplier will become less powerful if he depends heavily on a certain buyer for revenues. For example, Farm Frites-Egypt supply McDonalds for their French Fries, and McDonalds represent a major revenue resource for them where they cannot afford to lose such a strong customer, and this is the case for most of the fast-food chains in Egypt where the suppliers for the materials depend heavily on fast-food chains willing to offer convenient prices for them to become his exclusive supplier for a certain material. (Aly 2010) (Eslam 2010) Changing suppliers for fast-food chains have relatively high switching costs because choosing a supplier comes after several quality tests and approvals by the fast-food chain. Also most of the fast-food chains require exclusive materials and products to be made especially for them like for instance the packaging. (Edward 2010) The supplier will become more powerful if there are no substitutes for him, but in the fast food market in Egypt each key entry has several substitutes that a fast-food chain can choose from. As mentioned before, McDonalds depends on Farm Frites-Egypt to supply them with French Fries, but at the same time McDonalds has the option to choose another supplier with the same standards of Farm Frites such as UniFood. (Aly 2010) Barriers to entry/ Threat of entry It is not only the existing rivals that represent a threat for competitors in the fast-food industry; the possibility that new firms may enter the industry also affects competition. In theory, any competitor should be able to enter and exit a market. In reality, however, there are several aspects that can represent an obstacle for entry and these are called entry barriers. Entry barriers are unique industry characteristics that define the industry; it can reduce the rate of entry new rivals, thus maintaining a level of profits for those already in the industry. These barriers arise from several sources: Government creates barriers Present days, the procedures a fast food chain under-go to open a new outlet is very excruciating, time wasting and requires lots of paper work. This includes; safety regulations, health inspections and taxation procedures. And due to the high levels of bureaucracy in Egypt, the task is never easy. (Aly 2010) (Edward 2010) (Eslam 2010) In the past, the regulatory authority of the government in restricting competition is evident in Egypt during the era of Gamal Abdel Nasser in the sixties, most of the consumer products where locally produced by governmental companies. For example, consumer durables where locally produced by the Ideal national company. Anwar El-Sadats shift of alliance from the Soviet Union to the western world in the early seventies was followed by the Open door policy, or privatization at the expense of the public sector state monopolized large scale industries. The shift from Nassers State capitalist era to full integration into the world capitalist system went hand in hand with encouraging consumerism and franchising activities in Egypt.(Oweiss1988:73-76) b. Patent rights Ideas and knowledge that provide competitive advantages are treated as private property when patented, preventing others from using the knowledge and thus creating a barrier to entry. KFC has their own patent rights for the chicken recipe which positions them aside from other competitors as the leading fast-food chain serving chicken making it hard for competitors to compete in the same market. (Hamza 2010) c. Customer switching costs It becomes harder for new entrants to enter the market if the switching costs are high because it makes it harder for the consumer to switch their decision, and since switching costs between different brands of fast-food chains is low, then it is easy for consumers to switch their decision, thus, making it easy for new entrants to enter the market and gain market share. d. Capital requirement. Since entering the market requires huge financial capital requirement therefore the new entrants will decrease. Capital may be necessary not only for fixed facilities but also to extend customer credit, build inventories and fund start-up losses. There can be two types of start-up costs in our case; the first one is the cost of starting a locally branded fast-food chain, the other one is the cost of franchising an existing internationally branded fast-food chain which sounds easier than starting a locally branded one but can be more costly. Further details will be discussed when comparing between the two market entries alternatives. PEST Analysis. While starting the franchising or broadly speaking starting an international business the new market that the company wants to start business in should be analyzed to make sure that the company operations would work effectively in this market. One of the important tools that companies uses in the analysis process is the PEST analysis which analyze the market considering four factors Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors. In the coming words the four factors will be discussed. Office of government commerce, (2006) (Figure 2: PEST Analysis Model) The Times100 (2008) PEST Analysis of Egypt. 3.1. Political factors Examining the political factors is a very important task any company should do before entering a new market while focusing on the Egyptian case we can find that Egypt is politically stable compared to many countries, however sometimes companies faces some political issues there are many incidents that we can find people trying boycotting specific company because of the home country of the brand as for example USA, In many times there are people boycotting American restaurants therefore we can find many companies as for example McDonalds building on the local identity of the brand by producing a product locally as for example McArabia, McFalafel, etc and that helps in building the feeling that it is a local brand. Waguih (2002) 3.2. Economical factors As mentioned previously the change in the economy in the period of Sadat to his open door policy and globalization helps franchisors to work in Egypt because it is a healthy economy. While starting the business franchisors were used to import every ingredient, but after several years of success, they began in building food factories licensed by the international brands. Consequently, factories became so efficient in the production of quality goods that after fulfilling the local demand, they began exporting their products to countries throughout the Middle East and Europe. Aboul Fath, (2008) In the past few years there were a growth in the Egyptian economy the figure 3 below shows the increase in the GDP per capita which shows that economically the market is attractive for investments. Ministry of Finance Macro Fiscal Policy Unit (2008) (Figure 3: Annual Percent Change %) Ministry of Finance Macro Fiscal Policy Unit (2008) The Egyptian government has identified foreign investments as a critical component to sustained economic growth. As a result, investors are given special exemptions and incentives. However, several barriers to investment remain including a high level of bureaucracy, complex tax systems and customs procedures. To overcome these obstacles, the Egyptian government is currently directing its effort to increase privatization and fiscal transparency, and to improve tax regulations thus encouraging foreign investments and easing the path for franchising. Aboul Fath, (2008) 3.3. Social factors Demographics The group of consumers in Egypt consist of low income families, middle and high income this may secure the success in Egyptian fast food market. In addition to that there is about 50% of Egyptian population young consumer which presented in figure 4. That may make an opportunity for the fast food chains as their young group becomes more targets to the American and European chains. There is also the percentage of the working age where they representing the purchasing power are nearly 62% showed in figure 4 below. The middle aged is seeking fast food as a solution for a ready meal. Awad, Zohry (2005) Shaefer(2008) (figure.4: Egyptian Population by Broad Age groups 1950-2010) Awad and Zohry (2005) Fast food expenditure and consumption patterns: In a study conducted by Fabiosa and Soliman (2008) they focused on explaining the impact of income changes on the expenditure behavior for the households, . Another study by Fabiosa (2008) shows the household food-away-from-home (FAFH) expenditure pattern in Egypt. When reviewing the life style of Egyptians, we can find that Egyptians eats three main meals, traditional Egyptians meals is made of rice or pasta and vegetables. Meat is also included depending on whether they can afford its cost or not. However in the past decade there were rapid increases in the interest of the Egyptians in the fast food especially in the American and European food. However, high class families usually are aware about healthy food and may choose products with lower fat and cholesterol. Fabiosa and Soliman, (2008), Fabiosa (2008) Average income families usually can afford to eat once a month outside, although dining outside of home is increasing in popularity among many consumers. More well-off households and single people may eat out more than once a week. The young consumer segment, especially wealthier segment, typically eats out more than it cooks at home and the consumption can reach as much as four or five times a week. Fabiosa, (2008) 3.4. Technological factors The several advancements in technology have allowed the food production to grow massively and at much lower costs than it used to be. Now, there are several ways a person can order his food; through telephone, internet, and drive-through fast-food chains. All of these ways are of course available beside the traditional way of ordering fast-food which is take-away. Due to technological advancements, buying fast-food is one of the easiest tasks a person can do nowadays. Technological advancement also reached the food itself, now with the increased health awareness, fast-food chains try to focus on producing healthy food and reducing all the harmful ingredients. For instance, KFC announces that they are using Trans-Fat free ingredients which raised many health concerns among consumers. Also technology offers wide array of flavors that can be added to make food more appealing to consumers. A.Hamza, (Branch Manager Hardees Restaurants. Personal Interview. 1st of Feb, 2010). 4. The Egyptian fast food sector Entering the fast food market in Egypt can be successfully done in two main ways according to the successful stories in Egypt which will be explain later; first is acquiring a franchise license from an international-branded fast food chain, The second is to create a new brand that is developed locally and independently. Opening an independent (locally branded) fast food chain is the total opposite of franchising. Instead of buying a franchise license from a well known established brand, the founder decides to create a new brand enduring all of the associated costs and taking the risk of creating a new brand image that requires time to gain the desired reputation. Aboul Fath ,(2008) 5. Franchising as an international business tool Internationalization became one important way of doing business allover the world.1980s shows the increasing in distribution number of international retailers. The retailers were acquired and forced to move and enter international markets as the domestic market gave them a limited option to distribute their products or services. By this increasing numbers of distributing in international markets which continued in 1990s the retailers considered developing themselves to enter new markets outside, Quinn Alexander, (2002). To enter a new market there are three main ways which are first is independent as to invest in the new market and work directly from there. On the other hand there is two ways which are distributorship and formal relationship and these two ways are to work throw another party which could be in many ways, figure 1 briefly explain this ways. Entry modes Independent Distributorship Formal relationship Joint venture Acquisition Franchising Licensing (Figure 5: Modes of entry) Distributorship theory which is having a relation with the supplier, the distributor buys in bulk quantities and sell in smaller quantities, this independent distributor can work with many suppliers and he may not receive training or support from the supplier and the relation simply is to buy the product from the supplier no more. Formal relationship: Elaborating more on the facts showed in the chart, there are other options in this case is to join another party as acquisitions, joint venture, licensing and franchising. 5.1. Franchising Concept Many people think that fast food restaurants like KFC, Pizza Hut, MacDonalds or Burger King are the only examples of franchising but already there are many types of franchising and as Mr. Sidney J. Feltenstein the chairman of international franchising association says one out of every three dollars spent by Americans for goods and services is spent in a franchised business. Homes we buy can be throw franchised business, cars we buy clean or cared also can be through franchised business. We can travel from country to another through franchised business transportation firms so there are many types of franchising. (Beshel, 2000). Beshel, (2000) defined franchising as an agreement between two parties or two independent persons which give that: one from this two parties (franchisee) get the right to trade or to work by the trade mark of the second party (franchisor) Franchisee gets the right to use the operating system of franchisor and his obligation to pay fees to the franchisor. Franchisors obligation to provide rights to support franchisee. So franchise is a continuing relation between the franchisor and the franchisee. This relation depends on the franchisors experience, history, image and success. Also franchisor technique in doing business is important point to be consider when use franchising. The agreement of franchise can be made using several arrangements. It can be by fixed fees, percentage of sum of sales or the franchisee purchasing the product from the franchisor. Rothenberg, (1976). Independent vs. Franchised Comparing between the two routes for analyzing the effectiveness of franchising on food market in Egypt, some points considered to show that. To gather such in-depth information, interviews were conducted with several fast food chains managers and supervisors (franchised and local) to help us compare and choose the most appealing strategy for market entry. 6.1. Start-up Capital To acquire a franchise license is a very difficult task, the reason is that the franchisor expects from his franchisee to be withholding a respectable amount of monetary resources that can enable the franchisee to be up to the franchisors expectations and standards. For instance, the franchisee can be subject to some strict conditions set by the franchisor asking him to open a minimum number of chains with certain quality standards or else the franchise contract will be voided. Kaufmann Dant, (2001) (Calhoun 1975) A.Aly. (CEO of Target Franchises. Personal Interview. 11th of Feb, 2010) On the other hand, starting up an independent local fast food chain can be much easier and much less in terms of cash resources required. You can start small and then expand and grow gradually without having the limitations and strict conditions of a franchise contract that can be in terms of: Huge initial franchise fees Previous experience Quality standards Size vs. time frame available for growth Thus, keeping up with the franchisors conditions and standards require huge capital investments at the beginning which can be a drawback for choosing the franchise route as an entry strategy for the fast food market. But in some cases, financing a franchise can be easier because are sometimes more likely to offer loans to buy a franchise with a good reputation. O.Eslam, (General Manager of Target Franchises. Personal Interview. 11th of Feb, 2010).H.Anis( Founder of Harris Cafà ©. Personal Interview. 28th of Feb,2010). 6.2. Established Name A franchise opportunity provides its franchisee a well established and internationally recognized brand name and image that can acquire customers. In other words, buying a franchise can be like buying a business with built-in customers. Franchising a brand also doesnt carry the same risk as building a new one because when considering the option of entering the fast food market with an independent brand chains, founder will be struggling at first to achieve a good reputation and strong brand image that can earn the trust of consumers without having any doubts related to health or quality issues because one of the most difficult things to do when starting a business is to develop a recognizable presence with customers. This usually only happens over time and franchises eliminate this obstacle which saves both money and time. Also the franchisees will capture the benefits of the parent companys national marketing campaigns and advertising. A.Aly. (CEO of Target Franchises. Personal Interview. 11th of Feb, 2010) S.Edward, (CEO of Future Franchises. Personal Interview. 13th of Feb., 2010). O.Eslam, (General Manager of Target Franchises. Personal Interview. 11th of Feb., 2010). M.Yacoub,.( Branch Manager of Cook Door. Personal Interview. 25th of Feb., 2010). (Peterson Dant, 1990) 6.3 Access to Technology and Training When buying a franchise, the franchisor gives you support usually including training and orientation to help setting up the business and they provide you with manuals telling you how to run the business and ongoing advice. Also, most of the times the franchisor provide you with all the equipment, supplies and materials needed to conduct the business so you dont have to worry about acquiring assets that include state of the art machines and equipments like you do when opening an independent new chain. (Peterson Dant, 1990) M.Telleb,. (Branch Manager Starbucks Cafe. Personal Interview. 28th of feb, 2010). 6.4 Operating cost The franchisee will be able to acquire all necessary supplies at much lower costs because the prices are negotiated by the company with the suppliers in behalf of all the franchise units. Because of the size and regular occurrence of orders, the franchisor is able to get huge discounts on supplies. This gives an advantage compared to the route of entering the market with a new local independent brand. M.Yacoub,.( Branch Manager of Coo

King Lears Self Discovery Essay -- King Lear essays

King Lear's Self Discovery   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although King Lear is an estimable monarch, as revealed by the devotion of men such as Kent, he has serious character flaws.   His power as king has encouraged him to be proud and impulsive, and his oldest daughters Regan and Goneril reflect that "The best and soundest of his time hath been but rash..." and that "he hath ever but slenderly known himself" (1.1.297-298, 295-296).   When Lear decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters, Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan in order to have less responsibility in his old age, he creates a situation in which his eldest daughters gain authority over him and mistreat him.   Lear is unable to cope with his loss of power and descends into madness.   While the circumstances in which Lear finds himself are instrumental in the unfolding of this tragedy,   it is ultimately not the circumstances themselves, but King Lear's rash reactions to them that lead to his downfall.   In this downfall, Lear is forced to com e to terms with himself as a mortal man.    Lear's self-destruction begins when he stands before the court to divide his kingdom and commands his daughters to profess their love for him.   Cordelia, his youngest and most favored daughter, idealistically believes that words are unnecessary in the expression of love and refuses to profess her feelings.   King Lear had planned to give the most land to Cordelia and to stay with her in his old age and he states of Cordelia, "I loved her most, and thought to set my rest/ On her kind nursery" (1.1.125-126).   The king does not understand the motives behind Cordelia's silence and is shocked by her unexpected reaction to his demand.   He loses sight of his careful preparation for his future and in his... ...h.   This gesture is Lear's final relinquishment of the royalty he no longer values, as well as his decisive welcoming of mortality as it provides him with an escape from his grief.    Works Cited and Consulted Artaud, Antonin. The Theatre and Its Double. Grove Press Inc. New York. 1958 Billington, Michael. Gielgud: His Greatest Triumphs. "The Age." May 24, 2000. Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. 1st Touchstone edition. Simon and Schuster Inc. 1996. Noguchi, Isamu. Isamu Noguchi On the Dance. "Texts by Isamu Noguchi." Partee, Dr. Morriss   Henry. Shakespeare Improved. University of Utah English Dept. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear. Jay L. Halio. Ed. The New Cambridge Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press. New York. 1992. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Lear.   Ed. Russell Fraser.   New York: Penguin, 1998.