Hsun Ching’s Life Changing Journey :: essays research papers

Hsun Ching’s Life Changing Journey The journey Hsun Ching would embark on began as nothing more than weight on his shoulders. Little did he know, it would be an expedition that would change his life forever. Not only changing his perspective on the world, but also life, his personality, and character. All the risks and sacrifices that Hsun Ching has to make during his journey are a very small price to pay for the positive benefits on his life. The journey not only revolutionizes his outlook on the world and life, but also on the Sutra and what it truly means to the world. Before Hsun Ching embarks on his journey he has nothing but negative feelings toward the expedition. He sees it as a complete and total waste of his time and doesn’t see the way the journey will revolutionize his life. The beginning of the novel depicts Hsun Ching as a man who does not go back on his word, and always follows through on what he says he is going to do. I think this is the main reason that Hsun Ching goes on the journey in the first place. He does not want to be looked upon as a coward and feels as if it is his duty to uphold his word. Throughout the beginning of the novel Hsun Ching makes his views on the sutra perfectly clear stating that the sutra is nothing more than a waste of time and is not real what so ever. His outlook on the sutra will rapidly begin to Senkbeil 2 change as his journey progresses and he soon begins to realize that the journey his is embarking on is one that will change his life forever. I believe the true reason why he finally decides to embark on his journey to find the sutra is because the sutra will bring eternal life to whoever finds it. Despite how much Hsun Ching dislikes the idea of the journey he cannot resist everlasting life and therefore agrees to go on the journey. The beginning of the journey for Hsun Ching is quite pain staking and certainly unmemorable. He begins to question why he ever agreed to go on the journey in the first place. The trail is hard and very unforgiving and as a result it gets Hsun Ching’s hopes way down. But despite all the negativity he still presses on in search of the almighty sutra.

Marketing Strategy Essay

While there’s merit in evaluating the strategy from a qualitative standpoint (its completeness, internal consistency, rationale, and relevance), the best quantitative evidence of how well a company’s strategy is working comes from its result. The stronger a company’s current overall performance, the less likely the need for radical changes in strategy. The weaker a company’s financial performance and market standing, the more its current strategy must be questioned. Organizations succeed in a competitive marketplace over the long run because they can do certain things their customers value better than their competitors e. offering better quality products with cheaper prices. First we must understand what is the current strategy the company is implementing now; 1. A low-cost leader strategy:  striving to be the overall low-cost provider of a product or service that appeals to a broad range of customers ie;focus on being the lowest cost provider e. g Lidyl , and tal- Lira. 2. A broad differentiation strategy:  seeking to differentiate the company’s product offerings from rivals’ in ways that will appeal to a broad range of buyers i. they want to differentiate from their rivals ie by offering something different eg, Apple and Rolex as a prestige brand, Dr. Pepper with a different taste, Wal-Mart with value and more for your money. 3. A best-cost provider strategy:  giving customers more value for the money by emphasizing both low cost and upscale difference, the goal being to keep costs and prices lower than those of other providers of comparable quality and features (a couple of examples are the Honda and Toyota car companies with customer satisfaction ratings that rival those of much more expensive cars). . A focused, or market-niche, strategy based on lower cost:  concentrating on a narrow buyer segment and outcompeting rivals on the basis of lower cost (The Gap is a good example). A focused, or market-niche, strategy based on differentiation:  offering niche members a product or service customized to their tastes and requirements [examples are Rolls-Royce (sells limited number of high-end, custom-built cars) and men’s big and tall shops (sell mainstream styles to a limited market with specific requirements) i. they aim to focus on a particular target market eg constructions at madliena targeting high class people, or do they try to be the best cost provider ie providing value for money products. Approaches to assessing how well the present strategy is working Qualitative assessement – Is the strategy well conceived, is it well thought ie The strategy should be consistent with the vision and mission of the company, it should be in line with the current market trends. Quantitative assessement – It is the measure of return on total investment, Is the strategy being implemented resulting in higher profits for the company? This means that a good strategy should result in an above industry performance. Key Indicators of How Well the Strategy is Working See the trend in sales/market share Acquiring/retaining new customers Detecting how well is your image and reputation and overall financial strenghth Question 2. What Are the Company’s Resource Strength and Weaknesses and Its External Opportunities and Threats? SWOT analysis provides a good overview of whether the company’s overall situation is fundamentally healthy or unhealthy. A first-rate SWOT analysis provides the basis for crafting a strategy that capitalizes on the company’s resources, aims squarely at capturing the company’s best opportunities, and defends against the threats to its wll-being. A resource strengths is something a company is good at doing or an attribute that enhances its competitiveness in the marketplace. Resource strengths can take any of these forms: a skill-an area of specialized expertise, or a competitively important capability, valuable physical assets, valuable human assets and intellectual capital, valuable organizational assets, valuable intangible assets, an achievement or attribute that puts the company in a position of market advantage. A competence(abilta li jaghmlu xi haga ahjar minn kumpaniji ohra) is an activity that a company has learned to perform well. It is nearly always the product of experience, representing an accumulation of learning and the buildup of proficiency in performing an internal activity. A core competence is a competitively important activity that a company performs better than other internal activities. A distinctive competence is a competitively important activity that a company perfoms better than its rivals – it thus represents a competitively superior resource strength. The competitive power of a resource strength is measured by these four tests: is the resource really competitively valuable? Is the resource strength rare? Is the resource strength hard to copy? Can the resource strength be trumped by substitute resource strengths and competitive capabilities? Competitively valuable resource strengths and competencies call for the use of a resource based strategy. Core concept of Resource-based strategy is that it uses a company’s valuable resources strengths and competitive capabilities to deliver value to customers in ways rivals find it difficult to match, advised to pass on a particular industry opportunity unless the company has or can acquire the resources to capture it. It is management’s job to identify the threats to the company’s prospects and to evaluate what strategic actions can be taken to neutralize or lessen their impact. SWOT analysis are drawing conslusions from the SWOT listings about the company’s overall situation, and translating these conslusions into strategic actions to better match the company’s strategy to its resource strengths and market opportunities, to correct the important weaknesses, and to defend against external threats. The final piece of SWOT analysis is to translate the diagnosis of the company’s situation into actions for improving the company’s strategy and business prospects. What are the company’s resource strengths and weaknesses, and its external opportunities and threats? A SWOT analysis provides an overview of a firm’s situation and is an essential component of crafting a strategy tightly matched to the company’s situation. The two most important parts of SWOT analysis are (1) drawing conclusions about what story the compilation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats tells about the company’s overall situation, and (2) acting on those conclusions to better match the company’s strategy, to its resource strengths and market opportunities, to correct the important weaknesses, and to defend against external threats. A company’s resource strengths, competencies, and competitive capabilities are strategically relevant because they are the most logical and appealing building blocks for strategy; resource weaknesses are important because they may represent vulnerabilities that need correction. External opportunities and threats come into play because a good strategy necessarily aims at capturing a company’s most attractive opportunities and at defending against threats to its well-being. A strength is something a firm does well that enhances its competitiveness eg alliancing. Company Competencies and Capabilities Competencies are assumed to be the company’s valuable resources Competency – A competency is anything a business does well. A business may have numerous competencies. For example a manufacturing company might be extremely successful in keeping its number of defects per thousand units produced extremely low. The Companies Competencies and Capabilities stem from skills, expertise, and experience (esperjenza li kibbret maz-zmien usually representing an accumulation of learning over time and gradual buildup of real proficiency in performing an activity. i. e il-kumpetenza ta kumpanija tigi through the buildup of performing the activity ghax taghmel l-istess attivita kontinwament u l-esperjenzi li jkollha matul l-operations taghha) Core Competency – A core competency is a competency of the business that is essential to its overall performance and success. If this company held itself out to the market as a reliable manufacturer of quality products, this could easily be a core competency, because the ability to consistently provide quality products is a key to its business model. (Core competence tfisser l kompetenza ta xi kumpanija li hija centrali ghall-kumpanija, fejn permezz ta din ilkompetenza se tikkumbatti tajjeb lil competitors l ohra u se tiddistingwixxi ruhha minn ma kumpaniji ohrajn. Importanti li din il kompetenza tkun giet through l-esperjenza tal haddiema eg. Jien immur ghand Toni & Guy ghax jogghobni il-way kif jaqta’ x-xaghar, immure ghand dak ir-restaurant ghax jaghmel ricetti tajbin tal-hut, expertise in integrating multiple technologies to create new products. ) Distinctive Competency eg Toyota (low cost high quality manufacturing of motor vehicles and Starbucks – innovative coffee drinks and store ambience A distinctive competency is any competency that distinguishes a company from its competitors. A distinctive competency is typically a core competency that truly distinguishes a company from the rest of the competition. For example, one of Google’s distinctive competencies is its name recognition and status as the most famous search engine. This competency is hard for competitors to imitate and sets Google apart from the rest of the market (Distinctive competence of a firm refers to a set of activities or capabilities that a company is able to perform better than its competitors and which gives it an advantage over them. Distinctive competence can lie in different area such as technology, marketing. They provide sustainable competitive advantage because these are hard to copy. ) Identifying Resource Weaknesses and Competitve Deficiencies After identifying the Company’s strengths we will now identify the company’s weaknesses. * A weakness is something a firm lacks, does poorly, or a condition placing it at a disadvantage. Resource weaknesses relate to Inferior skills, expertise. * Missing capabilities in key areas Identifying a Company’s Market Opportunities. Opportunities most relevant to a company are those offering enticing prospects which reflect financial growth, is a good resource to outcompete your rivals, good match with its financial and organizational resource capabilities jigifiri li l-opportunitajiet ikunu addatati ghall-kumpanija e,g taghraf li tista tidhol ghall xi sistema gdida eg xetra trading system fejn tista ggib new listings. Identofying External Threats Some possibilities are that other competitors will * Emerg cheaper/better technologies * Introduce better products * Entry of lower-cost foreign competitors * Onerous regulations Rise in interest rates * Unfavorable demographic shifts changes fit-tastes tan nies * Adverse shifts in foreign exchange rates * Political turmoil and/or burdensome government policies Question 3 : Are the Company’s Prices and Costs Competitive The intent of a company is to do things that ultimately create value for buyers. Assessing whether a firm’s costs are competitive with th ose of rivals is a crucial part of company situation analysis. One can assess whether a firm’s costs are competitive through 2 Key analytical tools: * Value chain analysis * Benchmarking Value Chain Analysis describes the activities that take place in a business and relates them to an analysis of the competitive strength of the business. * The value chain (A value chain is a chain of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver something valuable (product or service), Value Chain Analysis is one way of identifying which activities are best undertaken by a business and which are best provided by others (â€Å"out sourced†). It contains two types of activities: * Primary activities – those that are directly concerned with creating and elivering a product.

The Roaring Twenties Essay - 979 Words

The 1920s were an exciting and fascinating time in American history. An old Victorian nation had transformed into a vibrant, modernized America. Often called â€Å"The Roaring Twenties†, this time featured the famous slicked back hair, vibrant Flappers, and of course, marathon dances. From inflated economics to unprecedented invention, forces collided to produce the most explosive decade of the century. â€Å"The Roaring Twenties† encapsulates a captivating story that began with the return of young soldiers from the front of World War I. Those who had once courageously sacrificed their lives for America came home. They came home to adopt a new, regenerated lifestyle. President Warren Harding had inspired a resurgence of optimism and hope. So what†¦show more content†¦By 1927, Henry Ford had sold approximately 15 million Model Ts. What had once been a rare luxury had become part of everyday life. Furthermore, in the latter half of the 1920s, a Scottish engineer named John Baird developed an innovative device at the Royal Institution in London. Within two years, Baird became the first person to transmit images to and from London and New York. He designed electrical recordings, the stereoscopic television, and even color television. Nevertheless, not everyone benefited from the revolution of technology. America was on its way to becoming a service economy. The use of machinery productivity increased while decreasing the demand for manual labors. Furthermore the demand for food remained relatively the same. But as a result, food prices and profits dropped. The small farmer lacked the capital to buy the necessary equipment. Therefore he lost his viability and was sometimes tempted to merge with other farmers in order to compete. As the 1920s climaxed, there was an emergence of the confident face of femininity. Women gained insight on their true womanhood and took on more unconventional lifestyles. For example, they changed their fashion standards. What was once strict Victorian uniform transformed into a sleek, trendy look. Hairstyles and clothing incrementally became shorter and more revealing. This led to the birth of a new woman in 1926. She dressed provocatively, smoked cigarettes, andShow MoreRelatedThe Roaring Twenties3168 Words   |  13 Pagesisolationist minds of Americans in the roaring twenties focused on the dream of total freedom as they strove towards liberation in their daily lives, and were represented by the authors of the modernist fiction era. Throughout the 1920s decade, Americans were a part of the fevered frenzy that accompanied the dream of total freedom; a dream that encompassed the ideas of rebellion and equality. Lucy Moore, author of Anything Goes; a Biography of the Roaring Twenties, describes how Walter Fabian utilizedRead More The Roaring Twenties Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesThe Roaring Twenties Rarely has the world seen such a unique decade in time as the Roaring Twenties. It was an age of prosperity and change. The United States experienced a recession that was followed by a period of unlimited prosperity. Although the United States encountered both positive and negative experiences, it proved to be very influential in the future. The 1920s were definitely Roaring in more ways than one. There were major changes in American Society during the 1920s thatRead MoreOverview of the Roaring Twenties1383 Words   |  6 PagesThe â€Å"Roaring Twenties† were an age of dramatic political, social, and economic change. Women wanted new and improved rights and the nation’s wealth doubled between 1920 and 1929. Culture, values, and the technology of America changed and it had only just begun. The â€Å"Roaring Twenties† were considered as a â€Å"celebration of youth†. The many experiences that came from WWI had transitioned into the growth of cities, new industries, and new morals. Women finally won the right to vote in 1920, and thereRead MoreThe Rise Of The Roaring Twenties1310 Words   |  6 Pages The 1920s, or better known as the roaring twenties changed the lives of women in America politically, physically and mentally. Women were granted more freedom, the right to vote, changed their physical appearance, and focused on materialistic goals instead of moral values. Before World War I, women would wear a high collar, long straight skirts below the knee and long hair that was tied loosely. The roaring twenties brought along swing dancing and jazz which changed the way women dressed and dancedRead MoreEssay on The Roaring Twenties1209 Words   |  5 PagesThe Roaring Twenties Do you ever find yourself wondering why the 1920s were called the Roaring Twenties? The Roaring Twenties was a celebration of youth and culture. During the 1920s, many different forms of art, music, and literature began. There were many changes that took place in the 1920s, and many people were influenced by these changes. The Roaring Twenties was a constant party because America was celebrating the victory of World War I. Many customs and values changed in the UnitedRead MoreRoaring Twenties Essay839 Words   |  4 PagesThe Roaring Twenties The decade of 1920-1929 was a time of great change, reform, improvement, adjustment and alteration of everything Americans had come to rely on. In other words everything changed. Not one part of common life was unaffected. Exciting new events happened in sports, entertainment, science, politics, communication and transportation. It was the age of prohibition, it was the age of prosperity, and it was the age of downfall. The twenties were the age of everything. It hasRead MoreAnalysis Of Roaring Twenties 1746 Words   |  7 Pagesindividuals subscribe to beliefs and purchase goods because of what they represent, caused drastic changes in society. The value of interpersonal relations diminished, and the very meaning of reality was synthesized and then deconstructed. The â€Å"Roaring Twenties† represented a time where no true reality was accepted until it was skewed by the wealthy. Fitzgerald utilizes the character of Owl Eyes and the billboard of Dr. T.J Eckleburg to h ighlight the substantial differences between the illusive faà §adeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Roaring Twenties 1328 Words   |  6 PagesJesus Gonzalez Kelly McMichael AMH2020 24 July 2015 Ricardo Chapman – The Roaring 20s The 1920s I known as the roaring twenties. A time in the United States that roared with prohibition, jazz, and tub made gin. The 20s were not only about the fun but also some of the greatest inventions that have made our lives better were created. Radio broadcasting began in 1920 with the first broadcast done from Pittsburg. The three positioned traffic light, which I believe to be one of the most interesting inventionsRead MoreThe roaring twenties in Australia2952 Words   |  12 PagesWhether or not the term Roaring Twenties is an adequate description of the character of Australian society from 1920 to 1929 depends on the circumstances of the Australian population in this decade, because Roaring implies the 1920s were full of dramatic social changes, which may have came about from spontaneous economical or political incidences and new inventions. In the 1920s Australian politics was dominated by the conservative parties and, despite some industrial discontent and hardshipRead Mor eThe Roaring Twenties And Progressivism2694 Words   |  11 PagesThe Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the Age of Intolerance, and the Age of Wonderful Nonsense are all the names given to the 1920s era (Roaring). People flocked to cities to be part of this great industrial boom that was taking place. The 1920s was a period of economic prosperity and glamor, but in time, the glitter of the era would be brushed away to expose the grime that lay just below the surface (Roaring). The people responsible for this great reveal were called Progressives. The Roaring Twenties