Slang In America Essays - Sociolinguistics, Slang,

Slang In America For hundreds of years, English has been continuously changing. Words that were unacceptable 300 years ago are now commonplace. English has always had a trademark of being a comfortable language, the language of the common people (MacNeil 143). Change in the grammar and diction of a language is natural, and English is always confronted with changes. Among them are the use of slang, clipped word endings, and new dialects. Some Conservatives do not like changes because they claim that standard English is a perfect language; they do not want to corrupt it. Others simply do not like change. Neither group of Conservatives has any new arguments, and nothing to fear from change. Slang worries Conservatives the most because it affects the vocabulary of English. American English, especially, is always adding new words to its vocabulary for social, scientific, or artistic reasons. The scientific and artistic words do not bother these people; only the social, or slang, words do. Slang is usually created by children or teens who seek social status (Morrow 137). Because kids are the source of new slang, some adults look down on it with the assumption that kids are unintelligent and simply rebelling against established English grammar and diction. However, most of the adults did the same thing when they were children. Adults have been frowning on slang for generations (Crystal 104). Conservatives also look down upon slang because slang is not used by people of high status. If they hear someone speaking in Jive, they will be angry because Jive is not the way that high class people speak. People who do not like slang are usually prejudiced as well. They do not want to hear other ways of talking because it deviates from the way they talk. Also, much slang comes from other languages, of which Conservatives might also be prejudiced. The dialect that a person uses may make him comfortable, but this is not considered. If a language is not comfortable, why would you want to speak it? Language has always changed to fit the paradigms of society (Crystal 105). For example, in Shakespeare's time, many contractions used today were considered poor English. Rarely could a person of high social status be found using "don't" in a sentence. Today, however, people may use contractions without fear of being scorned by society. This simply illustrates The same types of people who opposed contractions in the past are opposing slang and new dialects of English. They do not realize that the way they speak differs from the way that their predecessors spoke. People opposed to language change only defend their dialect, which will die out anyway, and prove their intolerance of change. Language will be thought of differently in the future because new mediums of communication will be used, the largest one being the Internet. Today, many people are using the Internet to "talk" to people all over the world. The Internet has its own language, which Conservatives view as computer slang. No matter what diction or dialect you speak, you still have to type out an Internet message in standard Internet. There are words used specifically for the Internet, usually acronyms that are universally understood, that will probably appear in dictionaries in the future. Conservatives have no reason to bother with whether a person's dialect or diction will be understood in spoken language, because most communication will be typed, not spoken, in a neutral Internet language. Conservatives claim that the lack of standard English is due to an education deficiency. They explain that the reason some slang is created by kids in inner-city areas is that the kids drop out of school, because the kids are stupid, and therefore never learn standard English. In reality, the kids drop out of school because they are told that the way they speak is stupid (Seymour 123). The Conservatives are not willing to help the kids with "bad" dialects. Perhaps this is because of a prejudice, sort of "once slang, always slang" mentality. The Conservatives should use the kids' dialects to help the kids learn standard English. Conservatives have one reason to oppose language progression: fear. Conservatives have a fear that the language they speak will not be the primary one. For this reason, they will put down other dialects simply because these dialects are not standard English. Standard English is just another dialect, however, and thinking one dialect greater than another is mere bigotry. If Conservatives had their way, people would never be able to express themselves in new ways because there would never be

Comparison of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Flight

Comparison of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Flight Empathy is one of the things that distinguish a human being from other species. This concept can be understood as the ability of an individual to recognize and understand the feelings and emotions of another person.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Empathy in the Novels The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Flight specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In some cases, the word empathy implies that a person can accept the humanity of others despite social, economic, or political differences. This paper is aimed at discussing two novels, namely The Reluctant Fundamentalist written by Mohsin Hamid and Flight by Sherman Alexie. These novels have recently attracted much attention of critics and scholars. One of the main themes that the authors explore is that the ability to empathize can often be impeded by the borders of race, nationality or culture. Moreover, it can be limited by the memories of violence, humiliation, and loss. Nevertheless, both Mohsin Hamid and Sherman Alexie create protagonists who can transcend these borders. These authors focus on the idea that empathy is essential for the fulfilling life of an individual. The writers also undermine popular stereotypes about the behavior of an individual. For instance, Mohsin Hamid shows that the need to achieve success does not deprive people of their ability to feel loyalty to ones country or fellow countrymen. In turn, Sherman Alexie demonstrates that different worldviews and ideologies do not necessarily separate people and make them hostile to one another. These are the main questions that should be examined in more detail. Special attention should be paid to the narrative techniques that the writers employ. They rely on the first-person narration which is particular suitable in those cases, when the author wants to focus on the feelings, attitudes, and emotions of the protagonist, rather than people with whom he/she interacts. For inst ance, Sherman Alexie starts his novel with the following introduction. ‘Call me Zits. Everybody calls me Zits. That’s not my real name, of course. My real name isn’t important’ (Alexie 1). To a great extent, this is an allusion to the famous novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Similarly, at the beginning of Mohsin Hamid’s novel, Changez introduces himself to the reader and identifies oneself as a Pakistani. Overall, this form of narrative voice is important because it implies that the major characters may be very subjective when evaluating the behavior of other people and their own actions. Overall, such form of story-telling is often regarded as unreliable narration. It is possible to say that subjectivity is one of the things that prevent a person from being empathetic because he/she is unable to place oneself in the position of others or look at the problem from a different perspective.Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literatu re? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This statement is particularly applicable to Zits and his unjustified hatred toward others. Moreover, they tend to focus on their own experiences and may disregard the feelings of others. So, extreme subjectivity is one the main challenges that both Changez and Zits have to overcome. There is another thing that Zits and Changez have in common. They are aware that they are different from the majority of the population since they are perceived as non-white people. They also understand that they may not be fully accepted by others. This is one of the things that the protagonists are keenly aware of. For instance, Changez knows that as a Pakistani he had to face more challenges when he was applying to Princeton (Hamid 4). In turn, Zits also understands that he has a complex identity. In particular, the protagonist says, â€Å"I’m not really Irish or Indian. I’m a blank sky, a hu man solar eclipse† (Alexie 5). He cannot identify with any particular group in part because he has never felt the care of his mother or father (Hamid 3). This lack of care is the underlying cause of his animosity toward others. On the whole, the problem of identity is important for each of these characters. Changez wants to become a full member of the new society, but at the same time, he is attached to his Pakistani heritage. In turn, Zits is convinced that the community in which he leaves is hostile to him, in part because his father was a Native American. Thus, the concept of identity plays an important role in each of these novels. In both cases, the characters understand that they are different from others. This is one of the main things that should be taken into account by the readers of these novels. One can identify other barriers that can make empathy very difficult for the protagonists. For instance, Changez has to be competitive in the workplace, and this competitio n prompts an individual to focus on his/her strengths, but it is difficult for him/her to be sentimental or compassionate. On the whole, the author shows that Changez’ need to achieve success as a professional and his willingness to integrate himself into the society can often impede his ability to empathize with other human beings. Changez has a chance to climb a career ladder in the firm but he eventually rejects this opportunity and returns to his homeland. So, one should remember about this decision when discussing this character. This is the critical moment in the development of his character and his attitudes toward others.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Empathy in the Novels The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Flight specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his turn, Zits is afflicted by the memories of abuse both at home and in school. He cannot expect anything good from other people, especiall y from adults. Moreover, this boy is keenly aware of the social inequality that has become typical of the modern American society. For instance, Zits says, â€Å"I hate my country. There are so many rich people who do not share† (Alexie 26). It should be noted that this boy frequently uses the word hate, and it is directed against various social, ethnic, or religious groups. The protagonist does not explain why he feels in such a way. He cannot even accept the possibility that other people can face the same misfortunes. Certainly, one has to admit that this boy has endured a lot of suffering, but he cannot accept that other people do not deserve his hatred. So, at the beginning of the novel, empathy is not typical of him and he even tries to reject it. This is how the character behaves at the very beginning. Nevertheless, Mohsin Hamid and Sherman Alexie show that an individual can overcome these obstacles that prevent a person from being empathetic. To some extent, they are a ble to recognize the humanity of other people and see that they can encounter the same problems. However, their empathy takes different forms. When speaking about Changez, one should first speak about the September 11 attacks and increasing suspicion of Pakistani people. This is why Changez begins to empathize with his compatriots, especially when he notices that they can be treated unjustly. This is why he quits his job at a prestigious consulting firm and prefers to move back to Pakistan. On the whole, the behavior of this character undermines the so-called common sense story according to which an individual strives primarily for success. Certainly, it is important for the wellbeing of a person, but he/she also wants to have a sense of belonging to a certain community. Without it the life of a person can hardly be fulfilling. This is one of the reasons why Changez chooses to highlight his Pakistani descent, for example, by growing his beard (Hamid 130). Later, he decides to become a teacher in a Pakistani university, but he could have made a career in a prestigious American firm. This is how he deviates from the traditional common-sense story. Still, one should bear in mind that his empathy is primarily directed to his compatriots; Mohsin Hamid does not show that Changez can be equally compassionate toward people representing other nationalities or religions. So, his empathy still has national boundaries and to a great extent it is very limited. The main protagonist of Flight also undergoes a dramatic change. Sherman Alexie is able to create a series of flashbacks during which Zits places himself in the position of other people. For example, he sees himself as a mute Indian boy, an Indian hunter, and most importantly the father of the protagonists. On the whole, these flashbacks demonstrate to him that his hatred leads only to self-destruction. He can see that other people can encounter the same problems or similar forms of injustice.Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, he can see the futility of violence and its adverse impacts on an individual. He understands that his deviant behavior, such as shooting can actually harm other people who have nothing to do with problems. So, in this way, Sherman Alexie was able to show how empathy could overcome such barriers as the memory of loss and the feeling of alienation. Only when he comes to this conclusion, he finds the family where he can feel at rest. On the whole, Sherman Alexie has been able to show the transformation of the main character and this is one of his major achievements as a writer. These novels tell the stories of people are different in terms of age, education, nationality, and cultural background. However, they struggle to find their way to empathy. The protagonist of Sherman Alexie’s novel is affected by alienation from others, abuse, and the feeling of loss. This is one of the reasons why he is obsessed with hatred, and the very idea of empathy is unacceptable to him. In h is turn, Changez is affected by the need to achieve success and integrate himself into the society. However, due to various external factors, the main characters realize that the ability to empathize is critical for the happiness of a human being. It gives a person a sense of belonging. This is one of the messages that Sherman Alexie and Mohsin Hamid try to convey. The main message that the writers try to convey is that political, cultural or national differences do not deprive a person of his/her right to empathy. Alexie, Sherman. Flight, New York: Grove Press, 2007. Print. Hamid, Mohsin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, New York: Harcourt, 2007. Print.

De Beers - Blood Diamonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

De Beers - Blood Diamonds - Essay Example After creation of social legislation in 1970s, employees, environment, and consumers are recognised as legitimate stakeholders of companies and every decision of the company must incorporate them. For instance, a firm involved in building a school for its workers children will be undertaking its social responsibility. In another case, by innovating in new ways of manufacturing its products that are friendlier to the environment, a company will also be undertaking its social responsibility as it maximises its profits. This paper discusses De beer-Black Diamonds company’s ways of undertaking its social responsibilities. Carroll Model Early theologians tried to define company social responsibility. For instance, J.M Clark emphasized the importance of transparency in business dealings and emphasized that men must take responsibility of their own actions whether the law recognised it or not (CSR Quest, 2012, P.1). In 1960, Keith Davis suggested that, â€Å"social responsibility re fers to businesses decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firm’s direct economic or technical interest† (CBE, 1991, P.1). Carroll Model is similar to the suggestions of these two theologians. He conceived CSR as divided into four obligatory parts namely, economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary. The major responsibility that shareholders vests on the company managers is to increase the economic value of their assets. Therefore, businesses must work hard to earn profits to keep the company going. In all its undertakings, the company must do so in accordance to the laws of the land. The third responsibility is for corporate companies to do what is right, just, fair, and avoid harm to employees and the neighbourhoods. Lastly, a corporate company is expected to contribute its resources towards improving the life of the surrounding community (Slide share, 2009, P.1). For instance, at the place of mining, there is no good Medicare for the min ers. A mining company may build a hospital or a community clinic where its workers can access medical services. Background Information of the Company De Beers is an international company that operates mines in South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, Canada, and Namibia. It dominates the Diamond world in open-pit mining, underground, large-scale alluvial and deep-sea mining. It has existed for more than 100 years now and has spent lots of money to advertise the diamond products it produces as a symbol of love, purity, and beauty. De Beers acquired its monopolistic powers before the twentieth century via buying individual diamond dealers and spoiled the market for those who could not join in. However, this monopoly ended in 2000 after Russian entry in the market. De Beers Company employs about 20,000 employees around the world. It sells the rough diamonds through Diamond Trading Company and $5.9bn sales were recorded in 2007. The company sells its finished jewels through a joint venture wit h French Luxury Goods Products Today the company is acquiring a new name â€Å"Blood diamonds† or â€Å"conflict diamonds† since the African nation that hold most of its mining grounds want to reclaim their lands. There are so many disputes and blood shed over the mining grounds and it is believed that the weapon used in these fights comes from the west. According to Durham, â€Å"

Auto Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Auto - Term Paper Example The â€Å"Big Three† of the auto industry are known as Ford, Chevy and Chrysler. The Big Three are shadowed by smaller auto companies such as Toyota and Nissan. These auto companies together make up the auto industry. The auto industry is one of the largest job providers since it provides over one million jobs in the United States. In November of 2010 the auto industry provided over 700,000 jobs (Linebaugh2010). It takes a strong industry to be able to provide that many jobs. An industry of that size is dependent on being organized in a manner that allows managers and CEO’s the resources needed to make strong business decisions. Events Leading Up To a Struggling Auto Industry Many factors played a role in allowing the auto industry to decline into its current position. In 2008 gas prices jumped to over $4.00 a gallon for most of the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics2011). The rise in gas prices nearly halted the production of vehicles that got terrible gas mileage. Many Diesels, SUV’s and large Trucks were no longer popular. Many just could not afford to use the vehicles because of the price of gas. Smaller options better on gas mileage were a new trend. Since the vehicles were not being sold, there was less of a need to manufacture the vehicles. Less manufacturing meant for less income and decisions to slow and shut down many manufacturing facilities. Globalization has allowed the auto industry to target markets throughout the whole world and not just the United States. The auto industry was more focused on setting up manufacturing facilities in other parts of the world and somewhat neglecting issues that were happening in their home country. Many are upset about allowing jobs to go oversees and will not even buy new vehicles from the auto makers. Decisions made to globalize the auto industry have put a damper on U.S. sales, jobs and reputation. This type of damage takes a lot of re organizing in order to return to a happy medium where business can boom and customers are satisfied. Current Situation of the Auto Industry, What went wrong? The current situation of the auto industry is somewhat of a mess. Stocks for the auto industry have declined, auto makers have filed bankruptcy and production has been drastically reduced. Chrysler which is one of the big three auto makers filed for bankruptcy in April of 2009 (Isodore2009). This bankruptcy was a final attempt to try and save the auto maker. Even after receiving a large bail out from the government, Chrysler was still unable to clear its deficit. Chrysler is not the only company caught up the mess of the auto industry. Bad manufacturing by Toyota has caused for those in authority positions to be forced to rethink ethical decisions about the quality of vehicles manufactured. Toyota had over 100 issues of vehicles causing accidents by the gas pedals getting stuck. This type of problem has reduced sales and could have been prevented by being better orga nized in Toyotas safety department. It is apparent that being better organized and prepared for rising gas prices and a decline in sales could have stopped the hurt of the situation that the auto makers are currently in. Being better prepared could have reduced the need for a government bailout. It would have been in the auto maker’s best interest to address the issue at the first sight of declining sales rather than pretending as if the fallout was not going to happen. Prevention would have lessened the impact on the rest

God’s rule over human happenings Essay Example for Free

God’s rule over human happenings Essay God controls events of human history to accomplish of his purposes. God’s rule over human happenings is demonstrated many times in the Bible. One of the clearest examples is recorded in the first four chapters of the book of Daniel. Daniel and three of his friends were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In Babylon they are trained to be special servants of the king. When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and apparently forgot it, he demanded that his wise men tell him what he dreamed and give its interpretation, on penalty of death if they didn’t. When Daniel heard about this situation, he and his friends prayed to God to learn about the dream and its interpretation. When God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel, Daniel thanked God by saying, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. . . . He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. . . . I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known . . . the kings demand (Daniel 2:20-23, NKJV). The dream was about a man with a head of gold, his chest and arms of silver, his thighs of bronze, his legs of iron, and his feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Daniel told the king that God had revealed to him the dream and its interpretation. He declared that different parts of the man represented various kingdoms. The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar. His was the greatest kingdom. After him would come lesser kingdoms, represented by the inferior medals, until the coming of the greatest – an everlasting kingdom – represented by a stone, uncut by human hands. The stone would strike the image and broke it in pieces. It would then became a great mountain and fill the whole earth. Nebuchadnezzar was grateful to Daniel for telling him his dream and its interpretation. He declared, Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret (Daniel 2:47). The king then promoted Daniel to be ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. Moreover, Daniel’s three friends were placed in positions of power in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was a most powerful king. He was also very conceited. He built an image of gold, ninety feet tall. Why he built it is not declared in scripture. However, it may be because the dream, wherein he was represented as possessing a kingdom portrayed with a head of gold, motivated him to exalt himself in that way. He called for everyone to fall down before the image and worship it. But Daniel’s three friends refused. Nebuchadnezzar threatened them, saying that they would be put into a furnace of fire if they didn’t prostrate themselves before it. They still refused, saying that God would deliver them, but even if he didn’t, they would not worship the image. Nebuchadnezzar, full of fury, had them put into the fiery furnace. Afterward, however, when he looked into the furnace, he was greatly surprised. There was a fourth person, one like a son of the gods, walking among them and none of them were burned. When Nebuchadnezzar called for them to come out of the furnace, he discovered that they were not singed, nor did they have even the smell of fire on them. Therefore he said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him . . . that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this. (Daniel 3:28-29) He then promoted them in the province of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar thus came not only to recognize, but also to appreciate the Most High God. Nevertheless, Nebuchadnezzar was still filled with great pride. In his own words, Nebuchadnezzar told how he came to be humbled by God. He had another dream which none but Daniel could interpret. The dream was about a great, strong, and high tree with lovely leaves and abundant fruit. In it the birds lodged, under it animals found shade, and from it all flesh was fed. But a voice from heaven commanded the tree to be cut down. Even so, the stump and roots were to be left, bound with iron and bronze in the grass of the field. Before being told the meaning of the dream, Nebuchadnezzar recognized that This decision is . . . in order that the living may know  that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men (Daniel 4:17). When told the dream, Daniel was disturbed because he knew it was against the King. The tree represented the king. Although the king was great, he would be cut down but not destroyed. His heart would become like that of an animal and he would eat grass for seven times (probably seven years). However, Nebuchadnezzar was assured that the kingdom would be his after he came to realize that Heaven rules. Daniel then advised the king, break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity (Daniel 4:20). The dream began to be fulfilled a year later while Nebuchadnezzar was walking in his palace. He said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? (Daniel 4:30). It was then that a voice from heaven said, King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses (Daniel 4:31-32). And so it was. Nebuchadnezzar ate grass like an ox, his body was wet with the dew of heaven, his hair grew like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like bird’s claws. At the end of the time, Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding returned to him, as did his kingdom, honor, splendor, counselors and nobles. He then blessed the Most High, saying, His dominion is an everlasting dominion, . . . He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ (Daniel 4:34-35). He then praised and honored the King of Heaven, saying that his works are true and his ways just. Moreover, he said, those who walk in pride, He is able to put down (Daniel 4:37). God rules. He sent dreams to Nebuchadnezzar. Through Daniel, God made their interpretations known. In this way God caused Daniel to become ruler over  all Babylon and his friends to be elevated to rulership positions. God changed Nebuchadnezzar’s heart and made him to be a believer in the Most High God. He also humbled and then restored Nebuchadnezzar to his kingdom. He thereby caused His name to be heralded by the King throughout all Babylon (Daniel 4:1-3). Nebuchadnezzar came to know that God ruled. Yet he probably did not understood the extent or purposes of God’s rule. He may not have realized that in all these things God was preserving the Israelites in their captivity. When we see disturbing conditions in our world (just as the Israelites saw and were disturbed by the fall of Jerusalem and the overthrow of their nation by the Babylonians) we should realize that God reigns over the nations, God sits on his holy throne (Psalm 47:8; See also Jeremiah 18:7-10). He still rules in the kingdom of men. And while we may not know the extent of God’s rule, we should realize that God is working out his own purposes through contemporary human events.

Atrribute of God :: essays research papers fc

Truth an Attribute of God   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The definition of truth according to Webster’s is conformity to fact or actuality, reality, actuality. Ryrie defines truth as â€Å"agreement to that which is represented it includes veracity, faithfulness, and consistency.† To say that God is true is to say that he is consistent with himself. He is all that he should be; he has revealed himself as he really is. His revelations are completely reliable. For man to understand that truth is knowable to him and life does make sense, he should first understand that all truth is known to God regardless of if it is found in the Bible or other sources. Therefore, it should be called God’s truth because Colossians 2:3b says, â€Å"are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.† People think that God has hid his truth from them, making it inaccessible to man so they cannot understand God’s truth. Men do not practice good exegesis when the word ‘hid’ is taken out of context and means, to some people, that God is hiding his truth from them. I think that Paul is trying to say that the truth about Christ is the focal center to which all other truth about everything in creation is connected. That is to say, God is truth. We are totally dependent upon God to know truth because God is the creator of all things. He is our source for knowledge. God revealed both grace and truth to us by incarnating himself. Truth is unchanging and universal; it is not relative but is absolute. (Holmes 8) The Old Testament term for truth is emeth. This is primarily ethical rather epistemological term. Truth depends on unchanging reality, is personal, cannot change, and remains the same for every time and place in creation. It is absolute. To say these things is to say that God’s knowledge is complete and perfectly true. Truth is the implication that God exist. So one cannot believe in truth and believe that God is non-existence. We need a renewed commitment to the truth as found in the Scriptures and as summarized in theological and doctrinal propositions. (Phillips 26)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Pilate ask the question ‘what is truth,’ the Lord answered this in the upper room when he said â€Å"I am the way the truth and the life†. No one should deny to Christ a personal identification with truth. Before we say we hold Christ and the Bible as central to education, we need to do some serious thinking about God’s Truth.

Plc, Bcg Matrix, Product, Services Etc of Mahindra Scorpio

Customer Needs , Wants & Demands Needs are the basic human requirements. People need air, water, food, clothing and shelter to survive. People also have strong needs for recreation, education and entertainment. These needs become Wants when they are directed to specific objects that might satisfy the need. Wants are shaped by our society. Demands are wants for specific products backed by an ability to pay. Needs are of five types – ?Stated needs ?Real needs ?Unstated needs ?Delight needs ?Secret needs The SUV, â€Å"Mahindra Scorpio† comes under Real needs.Real need is a need where a customer wants a 4 wheeler whose operating cost , its initial price is low. A customer opts for a Mahindra Scorpio because †¢It has a combination of pulling capacity. †¢It is a safer vehicle because of its larger and heavier built and some people like a vehicle with broader seat arrangement with proper thy support. †¢It has a very good cargo capacity. †¢It's an All Terra in Vehicle made for rocky roads and smooth glass like roads for a comfortable journey. †¢It has very powerful CRDE Engine with a higher torque full on capacity to drag itself with ease when the throttle is fully pressed.SWOT Analysis of Mahindra Scorpio SWOT analysis stands for Strengths ,Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . It’s a way of monitoring the external and internal marketing environment. The analysis is as follows- Strengths Analysis :- oIt has a very low maintenance cost with a gracefully tough masculine look . oIt has an extremely smooth performance in the rural, hilly, city and highway roads. oHas a well designed seating arrangement. oExcellent performance in case of covering long distance. oA very well impressed loyal brand positioning with good numbers of service centers.Weakness Analysis:- oIt has a very limited International market. oThere are no airbags for protection Opportunities Analysis:- oHard work of the R department to innovate some new attrac tive featured models. oIncreasing the purchasing power and attraction towards heavy cars of common people. oMaking the models more fuel efficient models and try to introduce CNG models. Threat Analysis:- oIncreasing competition with global players. oIncreasing fuel prices. Porter's Generic Strategy Of Mahindra ScorpioFive forces model of Porter's generic strategy of Mahindra Scorpio is as follows – Threat From Buyers – Mahindra Scorpio is a low and favorable SUV available in the market as in comparison with other car manufacturing companies. Threat From Suppliers – Mahindra is in collaboration with some leading foreign car parts company for delivery of the car parts. Threat From Competitors – There are competitors of Mahindra Scorpio in the market but no one has a SUV at this price range of Mahindra. Threat From New Entrants – There is a threat from the new entrants as Government has approved FDI , so foreign players may come .Threat From Substitut es – The main substitute of Mahindra Scorpio are the low range luxury cars. BCG Matrix in terms of Mahindra Scorpio Here in the BCG matrix the product which has a low market growth rate with low market share showed as Dog , the product which has a low market growth rate with high market share showed as Cash Cow , the product which has a high market growth rate with low market share showed as Question Mark , the product which has a high market growth rate with high market share showed as Dog . The Mahindra Scorpio comes under Star. The Value Delivery Chain In Respect of Mahindra ScorpioA value chain is a chain of activities. Products pass through all the activities of the chain in order and at each activity the product gains some value . As the picture shows above first the firm infrastructure is developed. Mahindra and Mahindra was already a giant automobile house when they launched Scorpio. Mahindra Scorpio is being developed at its Nashik plant. The primary value chain acti vities which are used in Mahindra Scorpio are: Inbound Logistics i. e the receiving and warehousing of raw materials and their distribution to manufacturing. Mahindra’s inputs primarily comprise raw materials and purchased components.Now it's time for assembling the raw material which is called as Operations , makes a car complete. In the next section that is in Outbound Logistics section the car is delivered to the various dealers located across India as their requirement. Now comes the most important part Marketing and Sales portion for which Mahindra has a qualified team and at last it's time for the after sales services. In maximum urban areas of India Mahindra has a service center. Customer Value & Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is the perception of the customer which comes after using the product .When the customer uses the product he compares between the products actual performance and the assurance provided by the company during the purchase. In case of Mahindra S corpio, they give the actual stated features and specifications to the customers along with a very good after sales service. It makes people delightful and influensive to purchase Scorpio. Marketing Plan Of Mahindra Scorpio Mahindra being a Indian company always kept in mind the price along with fuel efficiency . Now they targeted the urban areas along with hilly roads and promoted for that with the help of the brand name Mahindra.The distribution network of Mahindra was too much strong with distributors available across India and service centers followed by it. The car first launched in the metro cities and then entered in the smaller cities as per the awareness and promotion goes on. The Marketing Environmment Of Mahindra Scorpio Marketing environment consists of the two parts one is internal environment and another is external environment. Micro Environment :- The micro environment consists of the attributes such as – †¢The company that includes all the departments, à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Suppliers, Marketing intermediaries, †¢Customer markets, †¢Competitors †¢Publics Macro Environment:- The Macro environment consistes of †¢Demographic, †¢Cultural forces, †¢Economics, †¢Natural, †¢Technological, †¢Political, The micro environment is the environment which is related to the company's internal matters as the company. Here if we check Mahindra Scorpio we can see that it has strong company profile along with that a well design supply chain and suppliers from all around . Along with this company profile the mahindra still has its compititors in the market such as Toyota , Honda who also has SUV.And now the attribute is Publics or the customers who actually buy the car and uses it. The Macro environment is the external environment . Here we can see that the Demographic stands for the classification in terms of age and income . The Scorpio is mainly used by middle aged persons with a higher income than middle income group. Now the cultural forces which actually not affects Scorpio. Scorpio overcame the Natural obstacles and launched a product which is as preffered as on the hilly roads also preffered in the noraml highways for a long drive. Market ResearchMarket research often refers to either primary or secondary research. Secondary research involves a company using information compiled from various sources, which is about a new or existing product. Primary market research involves qualitative research as well as field tests or observations conducted for or tailored specifically to that product. Primary research, which is also called field research or original research, is useful for findings new information and getting customer’s views on products. now as we defined in earlier we did it in terms of Scorpio .Having defined the competitive framework, the next task undertaken was that of analyzing the consumer. Consumer segments of B and C category car buyers were analyzed in terms of their expe ctations from a car, their perceptions about cars and their relationship. Proprietary techniques of research, of the advertising agency Interface Communication, like Mind &Mood, ICON and VIP were used to understand this consumer. Segmentation , Targeting & positioning Segmentation :-A market segment consists of a group of customers who share a similar set of needs and wants.There are four different dimensions used to describe a product’s market segmentation. These four things are ? Demographic ?Behavioral ?Psychographic ?Geographic The Demographic segmentation includes ?Adults ?Male & Female ?Mostly middle aged people ?Mostly higher income group Behavioral segmentation is the most powerful approach because it uses ? Actual consumer behavior ?Product usage to make distinctions among market segments. Behavioral segmentation consists of some decision role attributes like Initiator ,Influencer, Decider, Buyer & User . Initiator buys it in his own decision.Influencer influences pe ople to buy the product such as a person using Mahindra Scorpio will influence other people to their near and dear ones to buy it. The decider here could be someone who is the head of the family and decides for his family to buy it. Behavioral Variable consists of Occasions , Benefits , User Status , Usage Rate , Buyer – Readiness , Loyalty Status , Attitude . Mahindra Scorpio is a car which can be used in all the occasions from family programs to daily life. A user uses it very frequently. In Geographic Segmentation we can say that it is good on the hilly roads as well as on the highways for a long drive.For the Psychographic segmentation the higher class is commonly purchased among people who have a family, since it’s a SUV. Reasons for its use are ? Safety ?By being a SUV it gives you a certain status among society. By being a SUV it gives you a certain status among society. Targeting M&M strategized to target a wider target audience, beyond UV customers – C class and B class, but would cut across rural and urban customers. It wanted to avoid the taxi trap that Indica and Qualis had fallen to it and did not offer color of white. Targeting was for those who wanted a lifestyle product that assured style, performance and ruggedness.The ruggedness appeal came from the parent brand itself. Class was more of the growing upper middle class. Positioning M&M built an innovative positioning around the theme of an SUV with a `car plus' package. The positioning communicated that the vehicle was better than competition in terms of any of these cars and is a better buy in terms of money. The commercials intentionally used foreign models to give an international look and feel to the product, there was a deliberate emphasis on the aspirational and world-class orientation of the Scorpio.It adopted a bold â€Å"car plus’ approach that because it was a totally new frame of reference that was being created. The primary focus was on the lifestyle â €“ a carefree, successful and bold attitude depicted by cruising on international highways. Mahindra purposely wanted to break way from its brand of ruggedness. The ‘nothing else will do’ was another play on the excellence that was attempting to be pushed. Advertising was strongly reinforced with below the line marketing – sponsoring events and strong test drive marketing.