A Chiling Hike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Chiling Hike - Essay Example The trails were set aside by the City of Desoto and Dallas County. The Roy Orr Hiking Trail is a 3.6 mile trail nestled in the heart of Desoto, and it consists of five different possible routes: Mirkes Parkway-Town Center, Town Center-Polk Street, Polk Street-Meadows Pkwy, Meadows Parkway-Plantation, and Plantation-Murphy Hills Park. Depending on the season, the trail includes beautiful waterfronts and rolling hills, a few of which are gentle and a few of which are steep. In my opinion, it is one of the best hiking areas in the metro area. I decided to walk the trail in spite of the wintry weather Texas was experiencing. I hadn’t walked the trail in about four months, so I set out to see what new things I would discover during my wintery walk. It was the first time that I had walked the trail during the winter months. Texas is usually seasonable even in winter; people don’t associate it with snow and ice. However, sometimes it does snow in Texas, and during my hike, thi s was one of those times. I wore lots of layers and took a notebook, a pencil, and my thermos full of hot coffee. When I started on the trail at 1PM, it was 17 degrees, and there was no one around. Usually I see a few other people around on the trails, but on this day it was very empty. Also, because the trees had all lost their leaves, I was able to see farther along the sides of the trail.

What and How Human Resources Strategies Can Be Implemented Essay

What and How Human Resources Strategies Can Be Implemented - Essay Example Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers in the world and implements effective human resource practices and strategies to maintain the diverse work culture in the company. The company maintains a detailed database for its human resources and keeps eye to the intricate details of proper recruitment, training and development, compensation and performance management for the employees. The effective management and human resource practices are identified as the key factors for driving the success of Wal-Mart through decades of its operations across the globe. Strategic human resource management plays a critical role in delivering the performance of Wal-Mart. Therefore, the company pays major attention to the human resource practices followed in the organization. 1. Recruitment Wal-Mart over the years of operations has taken various recruitment and staffing policies in order to maximize their outputs with the minimum costs incurred. In 2013 June the company had been hiring only the tempora ry staffs for their U.S. stores. Though the temporary recruitment is one of the popular policies of the retail organizations during the holiday seasons when they would require additional employee strength. However, the company had adopted this policy at a time when there is no such pressure of the holiday season in the US market. According to the managers of the organization that policy was taken to ensure that there is no dearth of employee in Wal-Mart in running their day to day activities. They also claimed that it was not something that the company had taken in order to cut the cost of hiring the employees (Morrison, 2006, pp. 75-91). This is because the cost of hiring a permanent employee is much more than what it takes to hire a temporary worker. But this was denied by the managers of the organization. The Human resources managers has taken this strategy on the ground that the temporary workers would be adequately able to meet up the needs of Wal-Mart on the nights of the week days and on the weekends when the number of footfalls in the stores in the greatest. Thus there would no need for hiring the additional permanent staff that would otherwise be required (Needle, 2010, pp. 112-137). This would however lead to a slackening of the employment in the country of US since the employment in the company is huge and would comprise of the large section of the employed population of the company. This policy may not be considered as a feasible policy considering the long run scenario (Marching ton and Wilkinson, 2012, pp. 45-59). This is because the temporary employees are generally not loyal to the company and therefore if they get better offer they would switch to the other companies from Wal-Mart. There would also be lack of motivation among the employees to do the job because of the lack of loyalty among the employees and the lesser remuneration that they would derive out of the organization. This is also unethical on part of the company to recruit the tempor ary workers in order to dodge the healthcare costs (Kew and Stredwick, 2008, pp. 241-297). This is because the new healthcare laws of the United States demand that the organizations that hire the workers on a permanent basis have to provide them with healthcare benefits. In order to retain the loyalty of the employees and to keep them motivated to the work the company has to provide them with these healthcare benefits as well. They should also be provided with the insurances in order to take care of the ethical aspects of the business. 2. Training and Development In

The Key Political Ideas Essay Example for Free

The Key Political Ideas Essay Over the past 150 years a number of new political ideas have developed and been accepted as normal practice throughout the majority of European and international society, these come from all sectors on the political spectrum; ranging from extreme left to extreme right. Most of these have been manifested in one way or another since as far back as the middle ages, but it is only in very recent history that they have really ‘stolen the limelight’. These ideas are not only responsible for forming the contemporary societies we live in, but also along the way they have influenced some of the most principal and key events history cares to remember. These political ideas that have developed can be classified into two separate categories. The first category includes liberalism and nationalism, both of which are not confined to one country, these are broad ideals and can be found in many ideologies throughout the world we live in today. The second involves the more radical and extreme ideologies such as Fascism, Communism and Nazism. The main school of thought indicates that the first category contains the base ideals for the second categories more extreme politics. For example Nationalism is widely believed to be the basis for Fascism. History is created when something changes and we look back at what it was before. The period of study is full of history, therefore it is also packed full with change and developments. Main areas of change were the specific areas of politics, societal change and economic change. 150 years ago, perhaps the most significant change in recent history was sweeping the world. Industrial revolutions were now seen as the way forward and Britain was at the heart, other countries were beginning to follow suit. Gone were the days of people and animals powering the machines that would draw in the harvest or produce the goods. Now machines would signify a better and more stable economic life for everybody. Or would they? One of the most prominent effects of the industrial revolution was that now people had lost their jobs to machines then surely they would not be needed by the owners of the means of production. It would only take a small number of men to operate the machines, surely the rest would have to look elsewhere for work? Not long before a German Sociologist and Historian named Karl Marx had warned against the dangers of the industrial revolution for the workers. His theory was largely ignored at the time of writing but by the time ten years had passed, his ideas had become widely accepted, cue Socialism. Marx had felt that the industrial revolution would shorten the gap between the owners of the means of production and the upper classes. A bourgeoisie culture would arise, but if these people were getting richer then the poor would only get poorer. The proletariat as he referred to them, would not benefit from this industrial revolution, the new economic age would only heighten the gap between bourgeois and proletariat. Only a small number of workers would benefit with the revolution, the rest left to become the minority, the ‘proles’ who had no influence or power, by the early 1850’s, the Proletariat had become the largest growing class group in Europe, yet they still held the minority status. Only a small number had joined trade unions, but the reason behind this was that they were illegal in a lot of places. For the Proletariat, any benefits the revolution may hold would have to wait in the future. Marx’s ideas would soon become a force in driving the striving proletariat into achieving what they believed to be a healthy state of living. Marx highlighted the fact that throughout the whole of history, the mode of production was decided upon by a small elite who only stood to gain from it, by making themselves in charge and reaping the benefits, whilst the majority of people would tire night and day helping the elite achieve their aims of being richer and more powerful. Marx also wrote on how every system that would take this form would be plagued with conflict, as the rich attempted to exploit the poor. He realised to the people however, that every system that relied so heavily on this exploitation had cracks that could be widened until the system eventually destroyed itself, he felt that Capitalism would eventually ‘Choke on it’s own wealth’. Marx felt that once the Capitalist system had destroyed itself, the system would be replaced by a new ideal, of a government run by, and for the people. The oppressed would turn against the oppressors, private ownership would be abolished, industry and commerce would now not be in the business of profit-making, but more to do with producing what was needed to get by. This was prophesised by Marx, who believed it would occur in the most highly advanced and capitalist countries in the west of Europe. This prophecy by Marx is yet to come true, many have tried and failed to instil the ideals, but pure Marxism has yet to be realised. By the many, it is meant that for example in Russia where the Bolsheviks, a Communist group, came to power, the country that lay before them did not comply with the stringent conditions Marx had laid for the realisation of his theory. Russia at the time of the Bolshevik revolution, was largely a backward country. Many of the citizens were illiterate peasants with no political experience whatsoever, the country had only just shown shades of industrialisation and the economy was in a terrible state. The previous system of government had been the Autocratic Tsarist system, not strictly a Capitalist system, due to the lack of industrialisation. This system of government had weakened after a series of reforms had been demanded, it eventually crumbled away leading a period of political tempest and reformation, this was then succeeded by the revolutions of the Bolsheviks, a group of Russian-Marxist Zealots led by Lenin, they seized power and later became the Communist Party. From the onset the Communist party were faced with a indomitable task, to take a country as backward as Russia and speed up the economy, prepare the people for twentieth century life and later industrialise to a similar level as the rest of Europe, whilst at the same time becoming a military power. Russia had been devastated from World War I and the only way to succeed in bringing any remote prosperity to the land was through a method of rule which involved suppressing individual power and concentrating every into state hands. The result was a term that very much summed up the Communist rule, ‘Totalitarianism’, in a way this was similar to the autocratic rule of the Tsar, but the consequences were promised to be better than the hardship and backwardness of the nineteenth century. The totalitarian system of government was not quite as apparent under Lenin’s rule as his was under his successor’s leadership. Such was the totalitarian extent of Joszef Stalin’s rule that many have substituted the word ‘Totalitarianism’ for ‘Stalinism’. The police state was everything, harsh discipline and economic limitations had to be imposed for success purposes. The government had total power, citizens were basically a tool of the state, used for work and as a catalyst to reach the utopian goal. This form of rule however, was in no way the method of reaching the utopia society that Marx had foreseen, there was absolutely no way forward for the people of Russia. This became apparent by the late 1980’s, when over thirty years after the death of the tyrant Stalin, the USSR was still managed in an authoritarian method, a huge bureaucratic regime where the people were distanced from the management and the communication routes for individual expression lay false and laden with danger. Official word of the Soviet government however was still promoting the false dream that the Socialist state had been achieved and that pure Communism was only a heartbeat away. It would not be fair to say that the Bolshevik system had replaced one evil for greater one. Since the second World War, the state of Russia had made huge strides towards security both economically and socially. By the 1980’s the USSR had become the world’s second highest ranked industrial country, living standards had risen significantly (although still lower than that of the Western Countries), and scientific and technological advances helped illustrate that the government had made good strides into educating a workforce quite capable of intelligent thought. However, coupled with this was the fact that the government was still of totalitarian stock and therefore had only reached the pivotal stage in Marxist theory, the dictatorship of the masses. There was no way that this could have progressed towards the final utopia. By the end of the decade this had finally dawned upon society, Nationalist uprisings throughout the Soviet Bloc, and internal political disagreements led to the final dissolution of the Soviet rule in 1991. The people of the great Soviet Union had been led on too long, they had finally decided that the decades of low economic standards and harsh militarial rule were no longer aimed at reaching the goal, they were just installed now to keep the people quiet. The people were grateful for the changes that had been made but were now impressed by the high standards of living that were rumoured about in the west. When the ‘Iron Curtain’ finally fell, the state of Eastern Europe was not one of complete turmoil, but the picture painted was of one of hardship, violence and oppression. If this was pure Communism then Capitalism need have very few worries. If Communism involved a police state and oppression, then at the other end of the scale was liberalism, a political ideal that was the exact opposite, designed to combat these exact values and create a state that was fit for mankind to live in humanely. European Liberalism can be first documented from the time of the French Revolution. The 1789 revolution draws largely upon liberalism as the reason why they are revolting against the oppression and autocratic rule. The classic quote from the ‘Declaration of the rights of man and the citizen’ reads ‘protection of the unprescriptable rights of liberty, security, property and resistance to oppression.’ These were basic rights that every man should have, it is a kind of humanitarian ‘communism’ whereby everybody is equal as a man and everybody is equal in front of the law, regardless of wealth or status. These ideals recurred in every demand by liberals for reform from that moment on. Following the rise of the new European Middle Classes in the early nineteenth century, a new challenge arose to those who had the power due to being born into the right family. The educated society outside of nobility were tired of being oppressed into accepting the ‘blue blooded’ constitutions that had evolved over centuries. They did not believe in the divine right to rule. They felt that the true way to run a country was through electoral motion, whereby a Parliament of educated and responsible elite took the power away from the ‘blue blood’ and made democratic decisions over what was right for the country they lived in. Yet because they were not committed revolutionaries intent on causing havoc until their demands were met, they were making very few steps towards achieving their goal of the liberal and Parliamentary society, especially when faced with experienced ministers as Metternich, the ‘main man’ in the Hapsburg Dynasty of Austria. Their suggestions were constantly laughed off, that was until 1848 when things finally came to a head. Early in this year the revolutions that had been imminent throughout Europe for almost twenty years finally were set into motion. These revolutions had been expected for a long while, the national revolutionaries were the most recognised groups fighting for change. However this time they were joined by a number of Liberal Revolutionary groups. Most of the liberals came from middle-class backgrounds and were businessmen fighting for the right to self-government and personal liberty, demanding that the servant-culture so apparent throughout the monarchical countries be severed and replaced with a freedom of speech for all policy. They managed to turn a few heads when at the end of the revolutions, their manifesto had been well received, and what seemed like a group of almost revolutionaries had managed to alter the course of political, social and economic history forever. However, with hindsight it is noted by major historians that the 1848 revolutions which had seemed so successful were not quite what they were thought to be. Trevelyan writes ‘1848 was the turning point at which modern history failed to turn.’ Recent historians suggest that 1848 did not bring much social and political change, this however is only apparent when looking from a liberal perspective, not from a nationalist view. In a number of ways liberalism ties in very well with Nationalism and the fact that both had their roots lie in the French Revolution promotes a sense of enormous brotherhood amongst them. The nationalists above all follow the idea that the ‘source of all sovereignty lies in the nation’, whilst the liberals have an intense dislike of Conservative Foreign powers. The nationalists in this sense were not racially orientated, nor were they into any kind of aggression about expansion and power, they basically wanted the same sort of brotherhood that the liberals wanted. One where the nation treats everybody similarly in the eyes of the law, and a nation where the rule of a number of elite intelligentsia will work for the greatness of that nations and not for the greatness of themselves. If liberalism was the glue that helped to initiate the revolutions of 1848, then Nationalism was by far the brush that it was applied with, it was the forerunning catalyst that engaged the need change. It was their campaign that led to the clash with the old orders and eventually caused them to give somewhat. The revolts had started a process of modernisation amongst the European System of governing, some of these changes were not strictly in keeping with the aims of the nationalist idealists. One of the more notable leaps into modernisation was the arrival of the new conservative rulers who realised that to pacify the masses they must appeal to them in a way that would suit their interests. Rulers who had before seen themselves as the divine ruler and kept unquestionable power were now beginning to see the benefits they would receive if they adopted a favourable stance towards nationalism. Before they had been opposed to Nationalism but now they saw it as a way of making the masses accept them as a king or queen, the masses could relate more to a leader if they were seen to be working for the greatness of the country at large, some rulers even went one step further by setting up institution that would now concentrate more power into the citizen’s hands. Whilst this was going on, German and Italian middle class liberalists who had failed to realise unification through the use of liberal tactics now turned away from their allegiance in favour of adopting a more nationalist stance. Middle class militants throughout Europe now grew closer intent on securing the goal of Conservative Liberalism and soon the prospect of two new states of Germany and Italy was shining through the previous dark clouds. In the Italian state of Piedmont, Camillio di Cavour was Prime Minister, he had been implementing economic policies that were proving admirable to the Italians of nearby states. His liberal stance was realised by the calculated leaders of some of the more powerful modernising states throughout Europe. They came to him with a redrawn map of political Europe with an aim of creating a new Kingdom of Italy. He already had the admiration of most nearby Italians, he was then left to use political diplomacy in order to force the Austrians out of Italy, his plans and policies proved successful and the new Italian Kingdom was just about complete when all but two states had joined the kingdom dominated by Piedmont, those two states joined ten years later. His cunning policy had gained him the success in creating a united Italian state, this was the success that had been eluding the more idealistic nationalists that wished for the same result. The same sort of thing was going on in Germany whereby Prussian Minister-President Otto Von Bismarck, was following similar policies to Cavour and soon had initiated the German state. However, in contrast to Cavour, Bismarck had won mass support for his king and together they devised a type of Nationalism that was more conservative and incorporated Bourgeois economics and popular authoritarianism. This conservative Nationalism allowed Bismarck to modernise the economy and constitution in Germany without having to become a liberal. Once these states were achieving political modernity the whole of Europe began a process of economic modernisation. This allowed the already industrialised states to become highly industrial, and also for the rest to join the industrial revolution. These changes in political styles of governing allowed the way for new breakthroughs in science and technology. Major breakthroughs in natural science coincided with the idea that science was now the way to answer all theoretical questions about life, humanity and other relevant topics. No longer the romanticism of the philosophical answers, idealism was now a thing of the past and the stage was set for the realist attitude that had been sweeping European politics to become the new and socially approved way of thinking. Nationalism provided the chance for members of the old order to restructure the way that they governed their lands, the people had called for change and conservative nationalism had provided the answer. However with Nationalism came the patriotic idea, and the danger that lay within this idea was that it could become too fierce. This did indeed happen and the resulting political ideal was perhaps the most dangerous we have seen throughout history, Fascism. The basic concept of Fascism was to ensure a process of regeneration in the areas of the social, economic and cultural ways of life through the concept of ethnic belonging and identity. Fascism was a strictly conflict theory and quite violently rejected liberal ideas such as freedom of expression and individual rights. The way Fascism works is that it is so extremely nationalist that it often leads to wars and destruction. The concept of Fascism really only arose in the early part of the twentieth century, even though it was not widely popular, there was usually a Fascist group operating in every country of any significance. The key to Fascist success lay within the mass destruction and suffering that had occurred in World War I, coupled with this physical devastation a number of countries were also in the middle of political upheaval. The fierce patriotism that resulted would be played upon by the Fascist groups. However it is safe to say that with the quite notable exceptions of Germany and Italy, Fascism in itself never managed to do much in the rest of Europe. In both Italy and Germany the Fascist movements managed to manouvere themselves into power, which would last until the end of World War II. The result as we know is a period of intense totalitarian rule that would lead to the deaths of millions of people. It seems easy to write but it is almost impossible to get across on paper exactly how in tense this Fascist-era was. The major Fascist force throughout Europe was the Nazi Party in Germany, although Mussolini was the founder of the ideal and the first leader, he was in effect extremely weak and ineffective. Hitler’s Germany on the other hand was a well-oiled Fascist bandwagon that kept going from strength to strength. Hitler’s plans to destroy an old and unfit Germany and replace it with the most potent nation in the world was no secret. Through the abolition of democracy and such institutions causing a person to choose, Hitler’s Nazis managed to remove anything that would cause National divisions. The replacement was the implementation of the Third Reich ideal, something that the German’s as a people could work towards, the core and the roots of the new healthy Germany. The Third Reich promoted German culture, youth and it’s importance to securing future strength and above all an allegiance to the Aryan ideal both physically and mentally. Nazism used this ethnic ideal to create it’s foreign policy, this was the same foreign policy that would lead to world war. Firstly it involved the unification of all German’s into a mother country, then once that objective had been fulfilled they would initiate the imperial policy of a Nazified Europe free from all racial enemies. It was this myth of Nazi superiority that really appealed the Germans as a people. Nazi literature would write of scientific proof that Natural Selection had led the Aryan to becoming the most advanced race on Earth, this theory of Social-Darwinism also prescribed that the Jewish race were the ‘primates on the chart’, the least evolved of all races, and it was this that was supposed to excuse the barbaric nature with which they were dealt with. This culturally based belief was one of the two most significant parts of Nazism as a political ideal. The second was the development of a modern economic structure and a modern social stratification system. Even after the devastating terms of the Treaty of Versailles, German society was still one of the most advanced in the world. The Governmental infrastructure was superior and the standards of education and living really were good in context. Coupled with the huge economic potential of industry Germany were still near the top of the power structure in Europe. One advantage that the German’s had, was their deep belief in culture and identity. They respected their history and had utmost respect for great Germans, this is why they were not really ready for democracy. They had been living under Autocratic rule for a long time and to simply adjust is not as easy as it sounds, it was almost inevitable that a dictatorship be formed as the people were more or less crying out for it . Hitler’s take on Fascism was far more extreme and committed than that of Mussolini’s. The German had a great deal more commitment to the Totalitarian principle, the race based ideology. Mussolini on the other hand was a little more liberal and didn’t really have a watertight plan as to his aims. This is not to say that the Italian was not committed, and Italian Fascism is still radical. In Italy Fascism was far less effective than in Germany and it did not really enter into peoples lives as much as the German take on it. However the two ideals came together when it came to overall aims, for Italy the idea was a rebirth of the Roman empire that once had made Italy so great; for Germany the concept was the re-aryanisation of Europe to create the ideal national community. Vitally important to both states were the state economies. Germany’s economy had been struggling since the double impact of the Ruhr crisis and the Wall Street Crash, she had been keeping extremely low reserves of foreign currency and her Balance of Payments was in drastic deficit. However, the Nazis employed Schacht to control the economy, he was a supremely efficient economist and by clever manipulation managed to produce impressive and more than stable results. The Italian economy on the other hand was fluctuating between ‘bad’ and ‘worse’ when Mussolini and his crew took charge. Mussolini took on board his own concept of the ‘corporate state’, whereby socio-economic classes lived and ruled themselves in harmony. The ‘corporate state’ however was merely a myth and the result was that behind it Mussolini was approving economic supremacy for propertied interest. The plan for it to yield prosperity for all was ludicrous. The Nazi party were also in the business of creating a huge social change throughout Germany, this was a plan to create a harmonious people who would stay allied to the cause. This was not quite as important as the economic program but no less effort went into it to ensure that it was successful. The truth is however that no matter how hard they tried the Nazis could not attain the social revolution they wished for. In the end they had to settle for a contented society, not one who were happy all the time with the government. One thing that they did manage though was the near elimination of unemployment, this was a minor miracle in itself, especially considering that in 1929 almost 6 million Germans were receiving no salary at all. The rise in production and sales figures for consumer goods in the early thirties suggest a rise in the standard of living. Because of the lack of commitment in Italy, the Fascist period for them was one of a decline in living standards, researchers have found it hard to put an accurate estimate on the extent of the decline, but one of the best estimates is that a farm labourer lost half of the value of his real wages in the period 1929-1937. One thing that the Fascists did give was a range of benefits for the worker, such as sick pay, holiday pay, severance pay and end of year bonuses. Many of these benefits were important to the Fascists and their success is easy to see as most are still in use today in all industrial countries. Over the past 150 years, it is quite clear that some of the political ideas have in some way or another influenced the change and development that has occurred in society. Some have influenced society in a positive way, whilst others have perhaps added a negativity to society. Socialism has helped highlight the fact that it is easy for Capitalist systems to neglect and exploit the worker. The reaction to this has been to make a number of reforms and draw up a list of workers rights. If Socialism had not been realised then even today we may still see men growing extremely rich upon the exploitative toils of the common worker. As it is men do grow rich off of workers toils but the exploitation is certainly not considered a regular problem in European society. The extremity of Socialism, Communism however has illustrated that attempts to create utopian societies are more or less in vain as human nature dictates that the equality and economic similarity cannot be achieved. Liberalism and Nationalism are perhaps the most influential political ideals that have come about in the last century and a half. They have helped design the standard style of government for contemporary society, whereby democracy prevails and the issues of the masses are dealt with in a way that best suits them by people they have elected to represent them. The Nationalist approach has seen the modernisation of economies and encouraged all European countries to industrialise. This has been for the good of all as a more stable economy creates greater employment and subsequently a better standard of living. The Fascist and Nazi dawns have obviously shed a darker light on the development of society. They have shown how barbaric people can really be, however had they not occurred then society would be a different place. They have helped show that in a multi-cultural society extreme racism is not acceptable, and hopefully with the disastrous consequences they inflicted upon themselves, they will have dissuaded people today who may have the urge to try and take over Europe. The basic underlying theme is that without these ideals then the world as we know it today would be different, our economies have been modernised by them, our living standards have been raised by them and our political influence has been greatened by them, these are the three most significant changes they have influenced and the fact they have covered social, economic and political factors is an example of how important the development of new political theories and ideals is. What these political ideals have left us with is the latest theory, and the one that many societies use today, Liberal-Capitalism is believed to be the end of history. The way in which free market business is encouraged, yet the exploitation of the common worker is not the norm. Whether this is the end of history is yet to be determined, for we don’t know whether Marx’s pure, utopian Communist society will happen, or whether a Fascist regime that has all the appeal to control Europe could occur. In my opinion these ideals have contributed to the development of the fairest society possible today, but tomorrow who knows?

Effect of Globalisation on Spatial Patterns of Economy

Effect of Globalisation on Spatial Patterns of Economy Globalisation and the spatial structure of the economy: Critically discuss how changes related with globalisation can affect cities and the spatial patterns of economic activities? Globalisation has become one of the key concepts in the social sciences at the turn of the twentieth century. A term that has come to be used globally which relates to the processes of social relations acquiring relatively distance-less and borderless qualities that place can be argued as a homogenous landscape (Scholte, 1997). However as Julius (1997) finds there is confusion about globalisation continuing within the disagreement over whether it is â€Å"a process or an end-state†. Globalisation can be seen as the world-wide interconnectedness between nation-states. In which social arrangements such as power, culture, politics and norms become intangible from their spatial context due to the acceleration, diffusion and expansion of transnational flows of people, goods, finances and information (Berkens, 2004).Globalisation can be seen as essentially a process driven by economic forces, having profound effects on cities and the economy (Sideri, 1997). Globalisation can be argued as a more recent expansion of the previous emerging relationship between urbanisation, industrialisation and economic development which initially began in Western Europe in the late fourteenth century; associated with the development of European wide trade links (McCann, 2013). However the concept can date as far back to Colonialism and the colonial power of Europe. The first era beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America (1492) combined with the expansion of the Spanish and Portuguese empires (Friedman, 2007). This westward colonial expansion of Spain to America after 1492 proceeded the sixteenth century with the transatlantic trade links; the first economic global expansion for European countries, the development of overseas empires in non-adjacent regions (McCann, 2013). This concept enabled globalisation to be defined as an economic structure whilst being a political phenomenon, shaped by negotiations and interactions between institu tions of transnational capital and nation states (Guttal, 2007). Dating Globalisation back to the colonisation of Asia, Africa and America alongside the search for new markets and sources of wealth fanned by the industrial revolution; resulted in the production of international commodity markets and mercantilist trade (Guttal, 2007). By 1800 Britain was argued as most industrialised country in the world due the enhancement of the industrial revolution. London was seen as the second largest city in the world and some 57% larger than Western Europe’s second largest city (McCann, 2013). Due to the establishment of colonies and industrial trade links since the Second World War much of the world has become more interlinked through innovations and advances within transportation, communication and information technology (Guttal, 2007). During the 1980’s the development of engineering techniques and technologies facilitated the reduction in skilled labour and movement towards machinery within batch production. Variety and availability being the main drivers of these advancements resulted in an alteration of the economy; a reduction of jobs and movement of manufacturing out of the city to suburb locations (Duffy, 1995). Furthermore labour intensive sectors located in innermost locations such as clothing and tobacco have been outsourced overseas to cheaper labour intensive factories in order to maximise profit. The new jobs created will need white collar workers and will require meeting the need of the consumer, so location needs to optimise their competitive advantage (Duffy, 1995). By the latter of the twentieth century there was an unprecedented increase in economic capacities, power and reach of private corporations which many were operating transnational. New York was seen as the principal city whilst all cities had become the economic engines increasing in size and increasingly interlinked (McCann, 2013). Globalisation has been as a result of modernisation and capitalist expansion, engaging the incorporation of all economic movement into a â€Å"global† homogenous market place. Materialisation of this integration is due to the collapse of nation barriers to external trade and finance centres, deregulation of the economy, expert driven economic growth and the facilitation of free market capitalism (Guttal, 2007). The modern structure of regions has enabled regional organisations to combine highly contrasting elements of zones of abandonment, with areas of primary resources whilst comparing and contrasting the reurban/suburban areas to the outlook of the urban zones (Claval, 1998). In the past decade the notion of globalisation yielded numerous pieces of literature and has led to widespread debates over the explanation. Various disciplines have deliberated the subject area merely concluding that the concept involves change whilst new arrangements are emerging that differs from those in previous times (Berkens, 2004). This notion of change has altered cities and economies spatially. Globalisation has led to the homogenisation of consumer tastes, the amalgamation and expansion of corporate power, increases in wealth and poverty, the â€Å"McDonalisation† of food and culture and the growing of democratic ideas (Guttal, 2007). All of which have caused the outsourcing of production overseas. Trans National corporations (TNCs) today are seen as the main drivers of globalisation; they are the primary beneficiaries of international trade and the most powerful promoter of liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation of production. TNCs are global interconnected businesses which segment the manufacturing process, due to collapse of trade barriers and global regulations (Buckley and Ghauri, 2004). This outsourcing multiple partial operation approach of production combined with the development of cheap transportation and communication networks has allowed an increasing division of production globally. This spatial dispersion of economic activity (Sassen, 2001) has allowed for TNC’s to outsource manufacturing to subtracting independents many of which are located within South East Asia and Mexico. This outsourcing approach allows for companies to meet the demand of the consumer induced population whilst maintaining profits and cheap transportation and communication costs (Claval, 1998). This reorganisation of production overseas resulted in the expansion of international trade and the integration of financial markets. The expansion and spatial dispersion of economic activity has brought about capital mobility. This reorganisation of the financial industry has been typified by the sharp growth production of innovation and multiplication of financial firms whilst shifting the industry away from American transnational banks to major hubs of finance. The integration of markets being a defining characteristic of globalisation (Buckley and Ghauri, 2004) has enabled the integration of local markets into regional trading systems which obtain continental links as a result of the overseas journey of innovation. This spatial change of economic activity from the movement of jobs from highly developed areas to less developed low wage locations has enabled capital mobility. This is not only comprised spatially but through the technologies that provide capital mobility and by maintenance of the decentralised global production system (Sassen, 1988). This increased mobility of capital has altered the geographic or ganisation of production and the network of financial markets whilst reorganising the employment structure. Financial markets goods, services or labour are all moving towards social integration. This change has meant no individual national capital market can have a sustainable independent existence. Regional economic integration is becoming increasingly efficient in integrating goods and services whereas labour markets are functionally separate at national level and integration being resisted by national governments (Buckley et al, 2001). Due to this the largest multi-national enterprises can exploit these differences within the markets to maximise profits (Buckley and Ghauri, 2004). The increase in volume of financial industries (Sassen, 2001) has given major cities a key role in the management and control of such global network. The importance of centralisation has enabled cities like New York, London and Tokyo to become centres of finance and global servicing. All have contributed to the increase of centralised services for management and regulation of the economy accelerating transactions globally (Sassen, 2001). This increased shift of economic activity to finance and highly specialised zones has altered management within companies from an activity focussed on production to one that is financially focussed. The involvements of the complexity of transactions lead to the array of specialised services leading to the high densities and agglomeration economies. This continuous building of high rise office complexes accelerates land price triggering a competition for land. This process of agglomeration represents a phase in the formation and expansion of an industrial complex controlled by command functions and finance; whilst referring to benefits that accumulate when firms locate in â€Å"propinquity† to one another (Bingham Mier, 1993). Alfred Marshall a leading economist observed that firms often continued to cluster successfully in the same locations because of knowledge â€Å"spillovers†, local and non-traded inputs and a local skilled labour pool (McCann, 2013). Marshalls’ model looks at how individuals acquire skills by interacting with one another with denser areas increasing in rate; with the strength of the economy rising there is a higher mean and variance of skills (Glaeser, 1999). The integration of local and national economies into an agglomeration whilst unchanged by protectionism allow for economic grow th. Wealth will be created and shared with more people to enjoy the benefits of modernisation, technological advancements and society. However critics may argue that globalisation has resulted in the clustering of the affluent and educated class whilst fracturing working classes and marginalising the poor who may not have the skills and economic asset to gain from an open market approach (Guttal, 2007). The agglomeration approach gives sense to global cities; bases of spatial organisation and communication of production and markets (Duffy, 1995). On a smaller scale â€Å"second cities† such as Birmingham have consolidated position as the source of services for businesses. The process allows similar or like economies and industries to cluster together in order to raise price, competition and consumers to raise their economic profile. Allowing benefits from reduced transport and negotiating costs, pool of labour and the sharing of speciality machinery (Bingham Mier, 1993). This competition for inner city location can be monitored by the Bid Rent model by Alonso, 1964 (McCann, 2013). However once a centre of agglomeration has occurred it becomes difficult for institutions to locate outside of the area due to the profound benefits and links that have evolved, however FDI may offer a solution. Within the recent global economy the emphasis of new investment and transactions is centred by Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); the allowance to inquire a firm in a foreign country (Sassen, 2000). In recent years the internationalisation of production to developing economies has been the main focus. Throughout the 1990’s developing countries had a lower investment flow than developed countries; it was still observed as high in historic terms, hence reflecting the growing internationalisation of economic activity (Sassen, 2000). Expansion of economic growth driven by the outsourcing and investment of primarily manufacturing has enabled areas such as China to grow and become a global economic driver. The urban economic agglomeration which occurs throughout China has enabled itself to be an economic superpower (Chow, 2002). The rise of China has enabled a manufacturing, production and service base for a labour intensive industry. The optimum location can thrive off a growing economy with the ability to absorb raw materials whilst having in exhaustible cheap labour for production and a growing internal market. Since 2003, China has been the main location of Asian exports and served as the primary incentive of growth within the world’s economy over the past decade (Guttal, 2007). The more recent approach of The Asian Tiger economies has led to the independence of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea. By the twenty-first century all four nations had seen advancements towards high income economies, specialising in aspects of competition. This enhancement altered their global economic structure; changing from traditional, agriculturally based societies to rapidly growing NIC’s with economic centres (Davies and Gonzalez, 2003). An expansion of these economies led to the snowball effect of â€Å"second-tier† East Asian developing economies; the emergence of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. With the resurgence of Asia being the most significant global shift; becoming economic focuses within the spatial economy (Dicken, 2007). The agglomeration of local goods and services enables the â€Å"death of distance† (Cairncross, 1997), the reduction of friction of services between goods and individuals. This Global process does not solely just affect economic activities it affects the social and population structure of a city. Due to the diversification of cultures and norms across globalisation, population groups can agglomerate together. The creative class brings innovative new ideas to create change (Clifton, 2008). This innovation of clustering has enabled creative connectivity and the ability of creative individuals to push forwards to the frontiers of research within MNE’s. This area of potential allows the integration of individuals (Antonelli, 2000). It has been noted by academics that population loss within a city can occur due to globalisation; largest decrease in inner city areas (Duffy, 1995). Housing and workplaces were cleared in replace of lower income density housing and public amenities. However the opposite occurred in other locations known as counter-urbanisation. Within the core of the city homes and amenities where produced to attract the middle class back into the city, with the attempt of inner city redevelopment. Thus as a result of globalisation a snowball effect happened with the migration of the population which in turn led to redevelopment of the inner city. As Duffy (1995) states a city shall strive higher if there is a mix of population and norms as opposed to a uniform homogenous landscape. Whilst Glaeser identifies that high skilled and high income workers migrate back to city centres as a result of re-urbanisation as part of the consumer city hypothesis (McCann, 2013). Nonetheless there are challenges in which affect regions, whilst large markets offer investors great liquidity and competitive prices of stocks and greater security. Agglomerations of economic power in major metropolitan regions cause the peripheral areas of regions to be plundered for their raw materials and inexpensive unskilled labour intensive rolls. This economic clustering causes greater income inequalities whilst destroying the linkages of local communities and the homogenisation culture of western values (Buckley and Ghauri, 2004). However Rugman (2000) found that it is hard to address these issues because they hit directly at the logistics of a capitalist approach. For example due to the dynamics of the market system old jobs are destroyed whilst new jobs are being created and as the process escalates jobs become ever more insecure (Burchell et al, 2005). In conclusion the outsourcing and global expansion approach offers profound effects on cities and economic activities. Cities which were once industrialising hubs have lost the capital from old industrial centres and have transformed into the inflow of capital into NIC’s and TNC’s (Sassen, 2001). Globalisation has allowed for the development of physical and technological infrastructure enabling global linkages and the share of economic activity through the internet being the backbone of society (Castell, 2001). The interconnectedness of cultures and norms through the realms of trade offers endless benefits and negatives throughout spatial economies and cities. Development of economies can be modelled using regional econometric models which look at economic linkages that exist within and between regions worldwide. The model can predict that an increase in regional wage can have a long term effect on the population balance through in-migration; occurring whenever the regi onal wage rises relative to the national wage (Armstrong Taylor, 2000). Models allow prediction of the affects globalisation has spatially allowing analysis and discussion. Reference List Antonelli, C. (2000) Restructuring and innovation in long-term regional change, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp.373-394. Armstrong, H. and Taylor, J. (2000) Regional Economics and Policy, 3rd Ed. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 437. Berkens, H.J.J.G. (2004) Global Opportunities and Institutional Embeddedness, UNITISK, Czech Republic Bingham, R.D. and Mier, R. (1993) theories of local economic development: perspecvtives across the discipline, SAGE publications, California, 319 Buckley, P.J., Clegg, J., Forsans, N. and Reilly, K.T. (2001) Increasing the size of the ‘country: regional economic integration and foreign direct investment in a globalised world economy’, Management International Review, vol.41, issue 3, pp. 251-274. Buckley, P.J. and Ghauri, P.N. (2004) Globalisation, Economic Geography and the Strategy of Multinational Enterprises, Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 81-98 Burchell, B., Ladipo, D. and Wilkinson, F. (2005) Job Insecurity and Work Intensification, Routledge, London New York, pp.240 Cairncross, F. (1997) The Death of Distance: How the Communications Revolution will change our lives, Harvard Business School Press, Boston Chow, C.G (2002) Chinas economic transformation, Blackwell, Oxford Claval, P. (1998) An Introduction to Regional Geography, Blackwell Publisher, pp.299 Clifton, N. (2008) The â€Å"Creative Class† In the UK: An initial Analysis, Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, vol. 90, issue1, pp.63–82. Davies, J.C. and Gonzalez, J.G. (2003) Scholarly Journal Articles about the Asian Tiger Economies: Authors, Journals and Research Fields, 1986-2001, Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, vol.17, issue 2, pp.51-61. Dicken, P. (2007) Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy, 5th Ed. SAGE publications ltd, London pp.599 Duffy, H. (1995) Competitive Global cities: Succeeding in the Global Economy, Chapman Hall, London, 195. Freidman, T, L. (2007) The world is flat: A brief history of the Twentieth Century, (3rd Ed.), Picador, New York Glaeser, E.L. (1999) Learning in Cities, Journal of Urban Economics, vol.46, issue 2, pp. 254-277. Guttal, S. (2007) Globalisation. Development in practice, vol.17, no.4/5, pp.523-531 Julius, D. (1997) Globalisation and Stakeholder Conflicts: A Corporate Perspective, International Affairs, vol. 73, no.3, pp. 453-468 Scholte, J.A. (1997) Global Capitalism and the state, International affairs, vol. 73, no.3, pp.427-452 Sassen, S. (1988) The mobility of labour and capital: A study in international investment and labour flow. London: Cambridge university press Sassen, S. (2000) Cities in a world economy 2nd Ed. Pine forge Press, California, 182. Sassen, S. (2001) The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, 2nd ed, Princeton University Press, pp.447. Sideri, S. (1997) Globalisation and regional integration, European Journal of Development Research, vol 9, issue 1, pp. 38-81. NEED McCann 2013 Rugman 2000 Castell 2001 Page 1 of 11

Athens VS Sparta Essays -- essays research papers

During the late Archaic Greek and Classical periods, two particular city-states were in existence with significant similarities as well as differences. These two city-states, Sparta and Athens have unique formations of government, histories, goals, as well as societies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After experiencing the effects of a rising population and shortage of arable land, the Spartans moved through their mountainous western frontier in hope of seeking a new spacious land to live upon. Their decision to change their home grounds put the Spartans in great danger as they found themselves entering into the fertile plain of Messenia. Fearing that they may be overthrown by power by the Messenian resistance and the helot status, the Spartans began to seek protection for their city-state and their citizens. In hope of protecting themselves, the Spartans began a new way of life by introducing a dominant military camp that would keep their community alert and aware at all times. This was the foundation of how the Spartans became a military based society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other end of the Greek city-states, the Athens chose a relatively different path as their governmental system, a democracy. Although the Athens did not prosper into a democracy over night, each step taken revealed a transition into the new governmental system they were yet to obtain. In hope of avoiding a civil war, a member of the aristocracy, Solon, was appointed as authority to posses ...

Images and Imagery Helps Us To Understand Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

Macbeth: Imagery Helps Us To Understand Its Themes and Characters      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For me to answer this essay question I must first find out what exactly imagery is,   to do this I used an Oxford dictionary and this is the definition; Imagery n. Images collectively;   statuary,   carving;   mental images collectively;   ornate figurative illustration,   esp.   as used by author for particular effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An image is a picture that the author places in your head by graphic descriptions about a subject.   This image is designed to help the reader understand the plot or mood or to simply add life to a story. Shakespeare uses imagery a lot in his books and this imagery also symbolises a person or a theme in the story.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the first line of act one scene two Duncan is asking his Lords who the bloody man stood before him is.   He says that judging by his wounded state he could tell them of the latest news of the battle.   This opening sentence sets the scene for the whole of the play, a bloody war. There is more blood when MacBeth and his lady have killed Duncan,   the blood symbolises guilt so Lady MacBeth smears blood onto the guards and then cleans herself of the blood on her.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "A little water clears us of this deed," meaning that if there is no blood on them they can not be guilty.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Banqueting,   eating and food symbolise a happy and unsuspecting atmosphere.   When you are in a crowd you feel safe and not threatened.   If you are with a lot of people when there is a crime you have a very strong alibi.   When Macbeth was at his banquet he made a toast to Banquo who was not present,   MacBeth knew exactly why Banquo was not present because it was he who sent out two murderers to kill him;   the play is full of such lies and stories to cover up crimes so much that the criminals can not handle the guilt.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The whole play is a reflection of chaos and order.   The population are all in an order and set rank but at the top of the hierarchy where the order matters there is a state of chaos and this is filtered down through the hierarchy to everyone in the play.   The people are fighting for order to be restored and justice done.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the book there are a lot of dark and light images.   The witches are always in the dark because the darkness represents a fear full unknown. It is in the dark where crimes occur   because they can go

Understanding Marketing and Marketing Process

Understanding Marketing and Marketing Process Marketing Is the organizational function charged with defining customer targets and the best way to satisfy needs and wants competitively and profitably. Since consumers and business as buyers face an abundance of suppliers seeking to satisfy their every need, companies and nope FLT organizations cannot survive today by simply doing a good job. They must do an excellent Job if they are to remain in the increasingly competitive global marketplace.Many studies have demonstrated that the key to profitable performance is to know and satisfy target customers with imitatively superior offers. This process takes place today in an increasingly global, technical, and competitive environment. The Marketing Process The marketing process is the process of analyzing market opportunities, selecting target markets, developing the marketing mix, and managing the marketing effort. Target customers stand at the center of the marketing process. There are fo llowing steps in Marketing Process: l.Analyzing marketing opportunities II. Selecting target markets Ill. Developing the marketing Mix IV. Managing the marketing effort l. Analyzing marketing opportunities First step of the marketing process is analyzing market opportunities and availing these opportunities to satisfy the customer's requirements to have competitive advantage. The marketing function of analyzing market opportunities is important in the marketing planning process. Any marketing manager must analyses the long-run opportunities In the market to improve the business unit's performance.To evaluate its opportunities firms needs to operate a reliable marketing Information system. Marketing research is an indispensable marketing tool for this purpose. Researching the market allows the company to gather intimation about their customers, compete y environmental changes to determine the market opportunities. II. Selecting the target Market: To succeed in today's competitive mar ketplace, companies must be customer centered. They must titers and an win customers from competitors and keep them by delivering greater value. Ђ Sound marketing requires a careful, deliberate analysis of consumers. Since companies cannot satisfy all consumers in a given market, they must divide up the total market (market segmentation), choose the best segments (market targeting), and sign strategies for profitably serving chosen segments better than the competition (market positioning). Ill. Developing the Marketing Mix Once the company has decided on its overall competitive marketing strategy, it is ready to begin planning the details of the marketing mix.The marketing mix is the set of control lovable marketing variables that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix consists of everything that the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. These variables are often referred to as the â€Å"four AS. † 1). Produ ct stands for the â€Å"goods-and- Irvine† combination the company offers to the target market. 2). Price stands for the amount of money customers have to pay to obtain the product 3). Place stands for company activities that make the product available to target cons mummers. ). Promotion stands for activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade target consumers to buy it. An effective marketing program blends all of the marketing mix elements into a coordinated program designed to achieve the company's marketing objectives by delivering value to consumers. Some critics feel that the four As omit or underestimate certain important activities. 1. â€Å"Where are services? † they ask. 2). â€Å"Where is packaging? † 3). The 4 As seems to take the seller's view rather than the buyer's view. 4).Perhaps a better classification would be the 4 CSS: a). Product = Customer Solution. B). Price = Customer Cost. C). Place = Convenience. D). Promotion = C ommunication ‘V. Managing the Marketing Effort The company wants to design and put into action the marketing mix that will best achieve its objectives in target markets. This involves four marketing management functions. The four functions are: analysis, planning, implementation, and control a. Marketing Analysis: Marketing analysis involves a complete analysis to the company's situation.The company performs analysis by Identifying environmental opportunities and threats. Analyzing company strengths and weaknesses to determine which opportunities the company can best pursue. Feeding information and other inputs to each of the other marketing management functions b. Marketing Planning: Within each business unit, functional plans must be prepared, including marketing Pl mans. Such plans include marketing plans which are aggregate plans consisting of plans for product lines, brands and markets.Marketing planning involves deciding on marketing strategies that will help the company to attain its overall strategic objectives. A detailed plan is needed for each business, product, or brand. A product or brand plan should contain the following sections :executive summary, current marketing situation ,threats and opportunity analysis, objectives and issues , marketing strategies, action programs, budgets, and controls. C. Marketing Implementation: Marketing Implementation is the process that turns marketing plans into marketing a actions in order to accomplish strategic marketing objectives.Whereas marketing planning addresses the and â€Å"why† of marketing activities, implementation addresses the â€Å"who†, â€Å"where†, â€Å"when†, and â€Å"how†. One firm can have essentially the same strategy as another, yet win in the market- place through faster or better execution. Successful implementation depends on an action program that pulls all of the people and activities together and forms sound formal organizational structure i ts decision and reward structure (HARM functions and procedures) and the firm's marketing strata shies fitting with its company culture (the shared system of values and beliefs). Marketing Control Marketing control is the process of measuring and evaluating the results of marketing strategies and plans, and taking corrective action to ensure the marketing objectives are attained. 4 Marketing Opportunities 1 . Market Penetration Market penetration meaner trying to increase sales of an organization's existing products or services in its existing markets. This can be accomplished by strengthening current customer relationships to increase their rate of product/ service utilization or trying to attract competitor customers or current non-users. . Market Development Market development meaner trying to increase sales of an organization's current products or services in new markets. Market development may also involve identifying new uses for an existing product or service. 3 Product Devel opment Product development meaner offering new or improved products or services in an organization's existing markets. 4. Diversification Diversification meaner moving into entirely different lines of business—-unfamiliar products, services or markets. All organizations must find new attractive marketing opportunities to grow.But the challenge lies in determining which marketing opportunity offers the most long-term success. Strategic Marketing Services is available to help your organization through this basic marketing opportunity assessment and any other relevant market research activities specific to one of the four marketing growth strategies. Contact us to talk with one of our experienced project managers about your organization's unique marketing opportunity. Develop a marketing strategy Effective marketing starts with a considered, well-informed marketing strategy.A DOD marketing strategy helps you define your vision, mission and business goals, and outlines the steps you need to take to achieve these goals. A marketing strategy sets the overall direction and goals for your marketing, and is therefore different from a marketing plan, which outlines the specific actions you will take to implement your marketing strategy. Your marketing strategy could be developed for the next few years, while your marketing plan usually describes tactics to be achieved in the current year.Write a successful marketing strategy 1. Identify your business goals To develop your marketing strategy, identify your overarching business goals, so that you can then define a set of marketing goals to support them. 2. State your marketing goals Define a set of specific marketing goals based on the business goals you listed above. These goals will motivate you and your team and help you benchmark your success. Make sure your overall strategies are also practical and measurable.A good marketing strategy will not be changed every year, but revised when your strategies have been a chieved or your marketing goals have been met. Also, you may need to amend your strategy if your external market changes due to a new competitor or new technology, or if your products substantially change. 3. Research your market Research is an essential part of your marketing strategy. You need to gather information about your market, such as its size, growth, social trends and demographics (population statistics such as age, gender and family type).It is important to keep an eye on your market so you are aware to any changes over time so your strategy remains relevant and targeted. 4. Profile your potential customers Use your market research to develop a profile of the customers you are targeting and identify their needs. The profile will reveal their buying patterns, including how they buy, where they buy and what they buy. Again, regularly review trends so you don't miss out on new opportunities or become irrelevant with your marketing message.While you try to find new customers , make sure your marketing strategy also allows you to maintain relationships with your existing customers. 5. Profile your competitors Similarly, as part of your marketing strategy you should develop a profile of your competitors by identifying their products, supply chains, pricing and marketing tactics. Use this to identify your competitive advantage – what sets your business apart from your competitors. You may also want to identify the strengths and nakedness of your own internal processes to help improve your performance compared with your competition. . Develop strategies to support your marketing goals List your target markets and devise a set of strategies to attract and retain them. An example goal could be to increase young people's awareness of your products. Your corresponding strategies could be to increase your online social media presence by posting regular updates about your product on Twitter and Faceable; advertising in local magazines targeted to young peo ple; and offering discounts for students. 7. Use the ‘5 As of marketing' Identify your tactical marketing mix using the 5 As of marketing.If you can choose the right combination of marketing across product, price, promotion, place and people, your marketing strategy is more likely to be a success. 8. Test your ideas In deciding your tactics, do some online research, test some ideas and approaches on your customers and your staff, and review what works. You will need to choose a number of tactics in order to meet your customers' needs, reach the customers within your target market and improve your sales results.