Psychoanalysis in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment Essay -- Crime and

Analyzing the mind of a sociopath has been one of the most important tasks that psychoanalysts face today. The more they know and understand the complexities of the disturbed, the more they hope to find treatments and eventually a cure for the illness that they believe can cause the ultimate violent criminal. Perhaps Dostoevsky himself wanted to weigh in on the mind of the sociopath and the journey toward their violent lives. Due to his vivid description of Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky shows his readers first hand what a sociopath is like. First one must understand that there is no such affliction as sociopath. The technical name is antisocial personality disorder and there are certain criteria a person must meet in order to receive this diagnosis. It is reserved for the most violent criminal minds and therefore is taken very seriously by the psychiatric community. In order to be diagnosed, one must have been previously diagnosed as having a conduct disorder by the age of fifteen. This is what many refer to as the child version of antisocial personality disorder. â€Å"Along with depression and anxiety, the individual also exhibits an increase in antisocial behavior, aggression, destruction of property, and deceitfulness or theft† (Strickland). They may also act out against small er things that they can control, such as smaller siblings and/or animals. Once a person with conduct disorder turns eighteen and is considered to be a legal adult, they are re-evaluated and then diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2nd Edition lists the criteria that psychologists use to base their diagnosis. They must meet three of the following. 1. fails to conform to social norms, as indicated... ...order, examining Raskolnikov’s actions and personality, and taking a closer look at arrogance, we can assert that Raskolnikov is simply an arrogant man; viewing himself as superior to society. Raskolnikov’s actions were done through purely selfish motives and the mentality that he should not be punished, because the paramount of his actions benefited society. This is the profile of a man that is arrogant and selfish, not the profile of an individual suffering from a mental illness. Works Cited Dostoevsky, Feodor. â€Å"Crime and Punishment†. A Norton Critical Edition 3rd Ed. Levinson, David. Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment Vol. III. Sage Publications. London, 2002. Merriam-Webster. â€Å"Merriam-Webster Online†. http://www.m-w.com. December 18, 2005. Strickland, Bonnie. The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology 2nd Ed. Gale Group. Detroit, 2001.

The Effects of Classical Music on Individual

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research paper is made possible through the help and support from everyone, including: parents, teachers, family, friends, and in essence, all sentient beings. Especially, please allow me to dedicate my acknowledgment of gratitude toward the following significant advisors and contributors: First and foremost, I would like to thank Kamal Vai who is the lead guitarist of the band Aurthohin and one of the most renowned musician of our country for his support and encouragement. He gave me numerous  valuable information and admiration to my research.And my course instructor for giving me guidelines and supports through the research. Secondly, I would like to thank my friends Zahid Neloy, Nahid Islam and Nahian Mahmud Alvi to read my thesis and to provide valuable advice, a brother Jefry to reproof the paper, as well as all the other people who have taught me a lot about classical music. Finally, I sincerely thank to my parents, family, and friends, who provide the advice and financial support. The product of this research paper would not be possible without all of them. ABSTRACT Music has immense influence on people.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.Almost in every culture they have their own traditional music and anthem. It is actually another way of expressing ideas and emotions. Classical music is the root of all music and still practiced by a number of musicians. For my primary research I surveyed general people where I tried to cover all groups of age for their opinions about classical music. How different feelings generate through this music and what do they think of this music. What I found is that so many other genres took the position of classical music and its popularity is on decrease.But still there are groups of people who are well aware of its contribution to music and influence on people and tradition. It is still a great source of entertainment and used widely in background music on TV programs and movies. It is used in restaurants, family parties and clubs. It has effect on peoples mind and many research and studies have done if it can be used in betterment of humanity. It is indeed different from other genres and people have respect and feeling about this music. Comfort is what come to most of the peoples mind when listening to it.TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Research Questions 4. Hypothesis 5. Methodology 6. Data Presentation and Analysis 7. Summery and Findings 8. Conclusion INTRODUCTION â€Å"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. † ?  Albert Einstein Can you find any people who doesn't listen to music at least in some extent? At present days it is really hard. People's feelings and emotions are connected to music.And when talking about classical music it goes back centuries. There are lot to know about music and its development. And when it come s to development of music, classical music cannot be avoided. Because it is the root of all music. It is as much interesting as it seems at first glance. There is lot to know about music and how it evolved to modern day music. I found many astonishing information about classical music which people would yearn to know. Before starting I want to mention the name of Mozart . He is one of the most prominent musician all time.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart(27 January 1756  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 5 December 1791)  born in Germany, was a prolific and influential composer of the  Classical era. He composed over 600  works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of  symphonic,  concertante,  chamber,  operatic, and  choral  music. He is among the most enduringly popular of  classical  composers. Classical music is one of the most influential musical genres in the music industry. Many writings, speeches, poets have been written to it. Many people find it useful to listen to this music. Comfort is what comes to their minds while listening to it.Different music is for different situation. People choose it to be heard in calm environment. They recommend classical music in restaurants, clubs and family parties. The effects of classical music can vary from person to person. There is a term called â€Å"The Mozart Effect† which refers to effects on the pregnant woman and the newborn baby. Classical music improves cognitive ability which has positive impact on both young and old. However, it is commonly agreed that music has a profound effect on mood, spatial intelligence, memory and language.This is why in the west it is used as background music in some schools. BACKGROUND Studies suggest that listening to classical music decreases tension and improves mood (Rea et al. , 2010). Research also indicates that playing music enhances specific aspects of intelligence such as verbal ability and spatial-temporal reasoning, though it does not increase general intelligence. Classical Music and Linguistic Abilities A number of research studies have supported the fact that classical music can have a positive effect on linguistic abilities.One study found that those who listened to Vivaldi while exercising increased their scores on verbal fluency tests after their workouts compared to those who exercised without music (Ohio State University, 2004). Another study of 90 boys in Hong Kong between the ages of 6 and 15 found that those who learned to play music with their school’s string orchestra program scored higher on tests of verbal memory than a control group that did not receive musical training. The boys in the music group were also able to learn more new words than those in the control group (Yim-Chi Ho et al. 2003). The Mozart Effect The Mozart effect has been the subject of much research in recent years, after it was found that listening to Mozart’s music may increase specific types of intelligence, particularly spatial-temporal abilities (Raus cher et al. 1993). However, a recent meta-analysis conducted by Pietschnig et al. (2009) suggests that simply listening to classical music is unlikely to produce these gains, but various studies indicate that playing music does enhance certain brain-based skills. Rauscher et al. 1997) found that children who were given keyboarding lessons, taught musical notation and other music-related skills, and learned to play simple melodies by Mozart and Beethoven achieved scores that were approximately 30% higher on tests of spatial-temporal reasoning than children of the same age who did not receive musical training, and these effects did not diminish over time. Thus, it appears that greater gains can be achieved by not only listening to music but also learning about it and creating it. Experiments have also been conducted to determine whether rats and mice are subject to the Mozart effect. Rauscher et al. 1998) found that in-uteri and early childhood exposure to Mozart improved the ability of rats to solve mazes quickly later on, though Steele (2003) argues that the evidence is weak, given that some other researchers have not been able to replicate the results. David Merrill conducted an experiment in which one group of mice were subject to round-the-clock classical music and another to heavy metal music while a third acted as a control group in a no-music condition. The Mozart mice made good progress in reducing their maze-solving times, but the first experiment was cut short when the heavy metal mice attacked and killed one another.A second experiment with lower music volumes and mice separated to prevent violence yielded results in favor of Mozart: The classical music mice solved the mazes more rapidly than those in the other two groups, and the heavy metal mice became worse at maze-solving than when they had first been introduced to the mazes (Wertz, 7 February 1998). Mozart’s Music and Epilepsy Mozart’s music has a beneficial effect on those sufferi ng from epilepsy. A study of epileptics found that listening to Mozart’s music, even when unconscious, decreased epilepsy brain activity in the majority of subjects.A case study of one girl found that her seizures decreased significantly after listening to Mozart for just 10 minutes of each waking hour (Jenkins, 2001). Concentration and Classical Music Despite the above results, there have been several studies that indicate that although classical music is helpful for memorizing, it is not as helpful for mental concentration and or test-taking. A research study conducted by Robert Hjortsberg of Loyola University found that their test subjects performed mental tasks more effectively without any music as compared to classical music.A research study conducted by Mike Manthei at the University of Nebraska confirmed the above results and found that classical music had a negative impact on students taking math exams. How Classical Music Can Be Used On Classroom Background Finding o ut about which type of music is best to play in the classroom can help students enjoy your classes and improve their concentration. Many studies have been conducted on the effects of music on cognitive ability, and the potential benefits music can have on concentration, enjoyment, comprehension and spatial-temporal reasoning have attracted the attention of many researchers.According to research, any music is better than no music, and baroque, classical and rock music can have positive effects. Classical Music Improves Surgery Music soothes savage beasts of all ages. The power of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and other classical composers lay in their ability to create a variety of moods. For centuries, listeners have relaxed with classical music, energized themselves, honed their concentration, or captured elusive sleep. With classical music, a romantic interlude still appears in the middle of a turbulent day or a solemn occasion turns inspiring.Read on to learn how to relax with classica l music. Additional Classical Music Experiments Capers (2009) details the use of classical music to reduce crime in various contexts, the most impressive of which was the London Underground experiment, whereby classical music was piped throughout London's crime-infested subway system. The result was a 37% decrease in vandalism, a 33% reduction in robbery and 25% fewer staff assaults. North et al. (2003) found, in keeping with prior research in other contexts, that people spend more money when listening to classical music.Those eating at a particular restaurant purchased more food and drinks when the restaurant played classical music than they did listening to pop music or in the no-music condition. RESEARCH QUESTIONS As you have seen in my topic my research is about influence of classical music on individual. For conducting my research I came up with some major questions. I will be focusing on these questions which will help me go through my research. My research will address the fo llowing research questions: * What do people feel about classical music? * What is the special thing about this music comparing to other genres? What do musicians say about classical music? * How popular is it? * In which areas classical music can be used? * In what state of mind classical music can be useful? * What image in the mind comes out while listening to classical music? HYPOTHESIS With these research questions I am expecting to have all my answers which will help me go through my research. I expect classical to be averagely popular among the other genres of music. Though this music feels soothing I expect it to be difficult to cover and only expert musicians are seen to cover.I expect people's feelings should be different because different people has different taste of music. I expect this music is for calm peoples and those who are middle aged. There is a group of young generation among whom classical music is very popular. There was a huge popularity of classical music i n the early 19th century among renowned musicians and I expect it remains the same today. METHODOLOGY For my primary research, I conducted a survey of a representative sampling of the general public in Dhaka City on their views and feelings about classical music.To that end I designed a questionnaire with different types of questions so as to get a range of useful data which will help me to answer my research questions. I took my survey on 51 people from whom 35 of them were male and 16 were female. My target ager groups were 18-24 and 25-36. But most of the representatives of my survey were in 18-24 group. For my secondary research I planned to see the resources of the library and also consulted few books and autobiographies of people who are attached to music. I also browsed the internet and use standard search engines like Google for further information. DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSISLet me go through and explain the data I found through my primary research. Do you listen to musi c? This is my first question in my questionnaire. The reason of this question was I wanted to ask a general question about music that how people likes music. It resulted that around 84% of the people listens to music. 12% of them somewhat listens. And only 4% of the people doesn't listen to music. So, we can say that almost all people listens to music. How would you grade classical music among other genres? Here, the peak was for â€Å"very good†. 46% people graded very good comparing to other genres. Slightly below was â€Å"fair â€Å". 2% of the people said classical music is fair. The other two was significantly low, 10% for poor, and 12% for excellent. What kind of feeling do you get while listening to it? This is another question about how people feel while listening to classical music. Lagging far behind others options comfort got 46%. Joy and neutral was somewhat near, 20% and 14%. Others choices were significantly low. When are you to listen to this kind of music? Another important question was in what situations and circumstances people tend to listen to classical music. 34% people chose anytime. A slightly below 30% said in a free time.There are people who would like to listen to it while working(14%) and when taking a rest(16%). Another was on a journey which took only 6%. How classical music is popular among people? Here I just wanted to know what people think of its popularity. Only 6% said it is very popular. 40% was the highest somewhat popular. A little less got the neutral part around 34%. 6% of the people said that it is very unpopular. How likely are you to listen to this music? Most people are somewhat likely to listen to this music as the graph above shows. Here around 41% are somewhat likely to listen to classical music.Very likely and neutral both got 17% of the vote. Others are insignificant. Classical music is for all generations. Lastly I asked a question where people would stop and think for a while at this question. 64% pe ople agree that classical music is for all generation. Way below only 20% people disagreed with it and even lower 16% people strongly agreed. No one marked for strongly disagree. SUMMARY AND RESEARCH FINDINGS After all the research I have done, what I found is some important notations on classical music. Classical music is an average popular genre of music. Its popularity is on decrease.Many of the modern genre has taken place of it. People mostly young ones are rarely to listen to such music. People who are middle aged are mostly the customers of classical music. One thing people agreed is that classical music is the root of all music. It has created a foundation by which other genres made its' appearance. It has influence on number of different cultures including ours. Thus no one can refuse it's importance. CONCLUSION Nothing comes without a reason. If classical music had no influence there were no practices, compositions, covers, performance, notation, theory of this genre.It ha s indeed did great to individual and society. Different people find different essence with it. Different people recommend this music in different situations. There had been famous musicians of classical music who have taken places in history. Researchers have been done and studies had been conducted to find suitable ways for this music. Though it is not that popular as it were in early classical era it is indeed practiced by many musicians still now and people still has great respect for it. REFERENCES Adams, St. (2012). Classical music improves surgery. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www. elegraph. co. uk/health/healthnews/9169589/Classical-music-improves-surgery. html Beentjes, J. W. J. , Koolstra, C. M. , ; van der Voort, T. H. A. (1996). Combining background media with doing homework: Incidence of background use and perceived effects. Communication Education, 45, 59-72. Campbell, Don (1997). The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Min d, and Unlock the Creative Spirit. ISBN  0-380-97418-5. Cox, M. 0. (1981). Effects of hypnotherapy and relaxation training on mathematics achievement. (Doctoral Dissertation, Texas A;M University, 1981).Dissertation Abstracts IntemationaL 42/10, 4186. Etaugh, C. , ; Michaels, D. (1975). Effects on reading comprehension of preferred music and frequency of studying to music. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 41, 553-554. Fagen, J. , Prigot, J. , Carroll, M. , Pioli, L. , Stein, A. , ; Franco, A. (1997). Auditory context and memory retrieval in young infants. Child Development, 68, 1057-1066. Friedman, B. (1959). An evaluation of the achievement in reading and arithmetic of pupils in elementary school instrumental music classes. (Doctoral Dissertation, New York University, 1959).Dissertation AbstractsInternational, 60, 3662-A-3663A. Jourdain, Robert. Music, the Brain and Ecstasy. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. ,1997. Lundin, Robert W. An Objective Psychology of Music. Malabar: Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company, 1985. Pool, M. M. , Koolstra, C. M. , ; van der Voort, T. H. A. (2003). The impact of background radio and television on high school students' homework performance. Journal of Communication, 53(1), 74-87. Rauscher, F. H. , Shaw, G. L. , Levine, L. J. , Wright, E. L. , Dennis, W. R. , & Newcomb, R. L. (1997).Music  training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children's spatial-temporal reasoning. Neurological Research, 19, 2-8. Steele, K. M. , Bass, K. E. , ; Crook, M. D. (1999). The mystery of the Mozart effect: Failure to replicate. Psychological Science, 10 (4), 366-369. Thompson, W. F. , Schellenberg, E. G. ; Husain, G. (2001). Mood, arousal, and the Mozart effect. Psychological Science, 12(3), 248-251. Wertz, M. , the Schiller Institute. (17 February 1998). â€Å"Why Classical Music Is the Key to Education† in â€Å"Towards A New Renaissance in Classical Education. † SchillerInstitute. org.

Love Hurts - 2097 Words

Love Hurts The air stream was strong, and the wind whistled through open windows; it was the dead of night and the street looked as lifeless and forlorn as ever. The cobbles still remained unscathed, as if nobody had wanted to pace onto that territory. The dense gardens of boarded up houses lay untouched, whilst houses which were occupied had the same warmth glow that homes have, like the homes where families live in and play in their gardens for the duration of summer. Although this convivial street had lit up windows, only one street light remained operational, all the same it still flickered intermittently, sometimes leaving the street in obscurity for hours, and then there will be that unambiguous buzzing hum and then become†¦show more content†¦As the sun set in the horizon he softly turned her head to him and tenderly kissed her divine lips, he then persisted to move and whispered softly in her ear, ‘Can I share my years with you?’ The envied duo hugged closely and rolled around in the long jewelled grass, they intended to get married at Christmas and agreed to move to England. This youthful young at heart pair were intensely in love. Their daughter, who was conceived on that very fateful night, Summer, grew up to be an especially dejected, deep little girl. She wouldn’t play with her dolls like normal 9 year olds or dress up the cat, in its place she would just sit in her room and draw mournful pictures. 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10 Tips for the SAT Essay

1. Follow the rules.Don’t score a zero for failing to follow instructions. Use the essay paper that is provided. Do not write in your booklet. Do not change the question. Do not use a pen. 2. Divide your time. You will have twenty-five minutes to write your essay. As soon as you begin, make a note of the time and give yourself benchmarks and limits. For example, give yourself five minutes to brainstorm for main points (which will become topic sentences), one minute to come up with a great introduction, two minutes to organize your examples into paragraphs, etc. 3. Take a stance. You will be writing about an issue. Readers judge essays on the depth and complexity of the argument you make (and you will be taking a side), so be sure to show that you understand both sides of the issue you’re writing about. However, you can’t be wishy washy! You will pick one side and explain why it is right. Demonstrate that you understand both sides, but pick one and explain why it is correct. 4. Don’t get hung up if you don’t actually have strong feelings one way or the other on a subject. You don’t have to feel guilty about saying things you don’t really believe. Your task is to show that you can craft a complex argument essay. That means you will have to make specific statements about your position and expound upon your individual points. Just take a side and argue it! 5. Don’t try to change the subject. It may be tempting to change the question to something that is more to your liking. Don’t do that! Readers are instructed to assign a zero score to an essay that doesn’t answer the question provided. If you try to change your question, even slightly, you are taking a risk that the reader will not like your answer. 6. Work with an outline! Use the first few minutes to brainstorm as many thoughts as possible; organize those thoughts into a logical pattern or outline; then write as quickly and neatly as you can. 7. Talk to your reader. Remember that the person scoring your essay is a person and not a machine. As a matter of fact, the reader is a trained educator—and most likely a high school teacher. As you write your essay, imagine that you are talking to your favorite high school teacher. We all have one special teacher who always talks with us and treats us like adults and actually listens to what we have to say. Imagine that you are talking to this teacher as you write your essay. 8. Start with a fabulous or surprising introductory sentence to make a great first impression. Examples:Issue: Should cell phones be banned from school property?First sentence: Ring, ring!Note: You would follow up on this with well-crafted, fact-filled statements. Don’t try too much cute stuff!Issue: Should the school day be extended?First sentence: No matter where you live, the longest period of any school day is the last one. 9. Vary your sentences to show that you have a command of sentence structure. Use complex sentences sometimes, mid-sized sentences sometimes, and two-word sentences a few times to make your writing more interesting. Also--don’t keep repeating the same point by rewording it several ways. Readers will see right through that. 10. Write neatly. Neatness counts to some degree, in that the reader must be able to read what you’ve written. If your writing is notoriously difficult to read, you should print your essay. Don’t get too hung up on neatness, though. You can still cross out mistakes that you catch as you proofread your work. The essay represents a first draft. Readers will like to see that you did, in fact, proof your work and that you recognized your mistakes. Further reading: How to Write a Descriptive Essay

Sexual Education Should Be Taught - 1483 Words

Sexual education has been prominent in the United States for many decades. It has been the backbone of teaching adolescents what comes from sex and what does not it dispels certain beliefs such as not being able to get pregnant for the first time. There are many views on whether or not sexual education should be taught in school. Some of those include that they are too young to know about such things and others conclude that anytime will be the appropriate time to teach children about safe sex. A large number of research has been done regarding the two different programs that are implemented in the United States, the AOUM, abstinence-only-until-marriage, and the EBIs, â€Å"evidence-based† interventions. I believe that evidence-based programs,†¦show more content†¦Since AOUM programs preach that condoms and contraceptives are morally wrong, they convey the wrong idea because they want the children to abstain from sexual activities hoping to prevent the spread of STIâ €™s and teenage pregnancy. These programs also claim that that their curricula have done its job in providing accurate information about â€Å"sexual intercourse,increasing condom use, or promoting secondary abstinence† (Shalet 2014), however this is not true. People against safe sex education are worried that comprehensive sex-ed will also promote children to go out and learn more about these sexual activities. The purpose of sexual education is to educate kids on the topic of sex. These programs are there to help teach adolescents about the outcomes from sex and what could happen if they are not safe. Children are suppose to learn the the scientific facts about the use of condoms and contraceptives, what are the causes of STIs and what happens, as well as what could be a result of unsafe sex such as teenage pregnancy. They should not be fed lies like the AOUMs provide. Advocates for Youth, a well known organization for promoting youth rights, provided information that over 80 percent of AOUM programs present lies and false information. They are distorting â€Å"information about the effectiveness of

Credit Rating Agencies Role in Financial Crisis Free Essays

1. Credit rating agencies present one of the key problems in reconfiguring the global financial architecture. Why? What are the options? What is the most likely solution? * The rating agencies present one of the key problems because they were behind the rating of the complex CDOs as well as taking an active part in creating these mortgage-related products which created conflict of interest. We will write a custom essay sample on Credit Rating Agencies Role in Financial Crisis or any similar topic only for you Order Now The ratings given to the CDO tranches did not effectively disclose the true credit quality of the underlying securities which contained a much higher default probabilities. * Options: * More regulations by SEC to control the â€Å"issuer pays† model. â€Å"To correct the competition problem within the â€Å"issuer pays† model, the SEC could place limits on the competition that occurs among the rating agencies. † (Acharya Richardson, 2009) * â€Å"An alternative structure (†¦) would be for the SEC to create a department that houses a centralized clearing platform for rating agencies. † (Acharya Richardson, 2009) * Another option is to deregulate the industry and allow free-market competition forces to shape its further growth and development which could bring in players like Bloomberg that would offer bond rating as a value-added services to its clientele. Most likely solution: * Although it is a very complex situation and it would require a series of regulatory changes, a regulatory oversight agency that would closely monitor the rating agencies and act as an intermediary in matching the issuers with the rating agencies. 2. Greece is in trouble. Why? Fast-forward 5 years and describe the most likely outcome of the current problems and their consequences for global banking and financial markets. * Greece is in trouble because it has failed to keep under controls its ballooning debt and accumulated a total national debt of over 113% of the country’s GDP. In April and May of this year Greece has to repay a total of $23 billion of its maturing government bonds which raised the question of whether it will be able to refinance the debt at its current financial state. * It has come to light that Greece used a series of financial transactions facilitated by Goldman Sachs to make its financials appear much nicer to adhere to the EU requirements of the member countries having to maintain the budget deficit under 3% of GDP. â€Å"†¦concerns about Greece’s high level of debt led the three main international credit ratings agencies to downgrade Greek government bonds in January, so when Greece issued its bonds, it had offer them at much higher interest rates (five percent higher than those offered on benchmark German bonds) in order to attract investors. † (Fleeson) * Depending on how EU deals with the Greece problem, the Euro zone could become stronger in the outcome or it could face a moral hazard when more of the problemat ic EU countries (Portugal, Ireland, and Spain) encounter the same problem as Greece and will expect EU to bail them out. If Greece is allowed to default on its international debt it will put pressure on the entire Euro zone and will make it more problematic for Portugal, Ireland, and Spain, who have â€Å"ratios of debt to gross domestic product that are three times higher than the EU ceiling of three percent†, to borrow in the near future. (Fleeson) * If EU backs Greece, it will be more easier for the country to borrow at favorable rates and it will ease the pressure from the speculators which were betting against Greece and aggravating the problem even more. On a more positive note, the fact that the euro has weakened during the past four months as a result of the situation with Greece has the made the European goods relatively cheaper and export conditions more favorable. * Most likely outcome is that EU will eventually back Greece in some shape or form, once the member co untries can agree on the measures, to keep it from defaulting and impose stricter economic rules on the members to adhere to in order to create sounder economic environments. â€Å"†¦analysts say that supportive talk (and even credit guarantees) will probably not be enough to salvage Greece’s finances and that ultimately the country is likely to need a package of loans put together by other EU governments and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). † (Fleeson) * â€Å"As part of the deal being forged in Brussels, Germany and France are demanding that the eurozone rewrite its rule book about economic convergence, including sanctions against governments (such as Greece’s) that deceive their EU partners about their real financial situation. (Maudave) * â€Å"The emergence of changes of this sort, including effective measures of discipline against offending eurozone countries, the new fiscal discipline and beginning of collective economic governance among the eurozone countries, could be an important step forward to the EU’s global clout. Such progress toward economic coherence and credibility could amount to progress on a par with the Lisbon treaty – and, for the long run, a silver lining to the current economic hardship being inflicted on the EU economies. (Maudave) References Viral Acharya, Matthew Richardson. â€Å"Restoring Financial Stability: How to Repair a Failed system. † New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. , 2009. Print Tony Spadaccia. â€Å"U. S. is Resembling Greece’s Economic Decline. † The Breeze, March 18, 2010. Web. Sat. 20 March, 2010 ; http://breezejmu. org/2010/03/18/us-is-resembling-greeces-economic-decline/; Will Fleeson. â€Å"Sovereign Debt Liable to Overwhelm System in the EU’s Five â€Å"PIIGS†. † The European Institute, February 2010. Web. Fri. 2 March, 2010 Will Fleeson. â€Å"Euro Zone Acts to Dodge Greece’s Bullet — But More to Come From P IIGS? † The European Institute, February 2010. Web. Fri. 12 March, 2010 http://www. europeaninstitute. org/February-2010/euro-zone-may-dodge-the-bullet-from-greece. html Basil Maudave. â€Å"EU Bail-Out For Greece? Time Has Come, Reportedly, To Do It — With Conditions. † The European Institute, March 2010. Web. Fri. 12 March, 2010 Arthur E. Wilmarth, Jr. â€Å"Controlling Systemic Risk in an ERA of Financial Consolidation. † How to cite Credit Rating Agencies Role in Financial Crisis, Papers

Analysis of Hillberg and Berk Company †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Analysis of Hillberg and Berk Company. Answer: Introduction There are certain strategies that a company focuses to maintain its brand reputation in the market and to gain competitive advantage. The chosen organization for the analysis is Hillberg and Berk founded by Rachel Mielke in 2007 (Hillberg Berk. 2018). It has a personal plan to create world class jewelry with the goal to achieve brand presence in the market. Its goal is to empower women and build strategies that would make its customers loyal. The report will highlight a complete strategic analysis of the organization with specific tools and frameworks namely, value chain, PESTLE, SWOT, Power matrix, Porter's five forces and VRIO analysis which will help to evaluate the overall strategic and company current profile. It will also help to identify certain strategic issues with amended solutions to fix it. The other part of the report will recommend the go-forward strategy to the business when expanding. In addition to it the external vision, organizational vision, mission, values would be further recommended in order to provide Hillberg and Berk with a better opportunity towards performance and collaborative approach. The report will also include a designed balanced scorecard and performance measures to support the strategic imperatives and present the organization with a roadmap to depict strategies and implement them effectively. Discussion: Value chain Primary activities Inbound logistics: it stocks its material in the factory under inventory management. Operations: the company manufactures its jewelry with the help of their women employees to give the customers that are mainly the women, a unique and personalized design. Outbound logistics: The company uses boutique retailers, retailers in location and online store to distribute its product. Marketing and sales: Investments in the national and international women organizations and various effective strategies such online marketing and shopping are adapted (Harmouche, 2017). Service: HB offers personalized jewelry with fine quality. Support Activities Procurement: This is controlled internally by HB Technology: Technology is used in the distribution, manufacturing, polishing and designing departments to enhance the operations at a faster pace. Firm infrastructure: the company works supportively with the suppliers and carries its mission to empower women. Human resource management: The organization provides its employees with several kinds of training and development programme which will induce the employees to develop their skills for the organization growth. Strategic Issues HB is operating with only one product order which can be a drawback as it needs increasing investment with normal sales. SWOT Strength Weakness The company strength lies in its high quality jewelry at competitive prices. Women empowerment Skilful and trained employees Strong brand identity Strong presence over media. Supply chain, in times of rapid growth Inventorymanagement Limited product range Opportunities Threats Diversification in the field of women garments. Innovate and create new jewelry lines Explore ways include freelancers for fresh ideas and designs Expand distribution channel Copy of design collection Competitors as Swarovski, Pandora and Kendra Scott Downturn in Global economy Fluctuations in raw materials Strategic Issues The organization do not have a strong supply chain which is a critical issue if not resolved will affect production and brand reputation. PESTLE Political: the political factors are essential as they play an important role in the operating of the organization. Tax policies, trade control, tariffs, discrimination law, employment laws, health and safety laws and competition regulation are considered by the organization. Economical: Per capita consumption can affect the Hillberg and Berk business and its consumer purchase. Interest rate in banks, production factors, confidence level, consumer behavior and the interest of the consumers are preferred by Hillberg and Berk. Social: People consider gold and luxury fashion products and love to invest in the same. Diamond and gems have become arising interest in the market. Also, several financial schemes that are being introduced in turn of the jewelries are adding importance to the gem and jewelry industry. Technological: Technology solutions are available for production control, supply chain and inventory management. The company have skilled labours and workforce to maintain its value chain. In case to maintain quality production of gems and diamonds technology is enabled in the environment. Legal: the legal issues are the manufacturing laws and regulations of the country that affect the business. Trade laws, taxes and suppliers acts combinable affect the organization. Environment: the organization does not hold any critical social responsibility regarding environment but any how does not even harms the environment significantly. Strategic Issue HB lacks in competing and achieving technology advancement in its processes to bring efficiency and effectiveness. Porter's Five Forces Bargaining power of suppliers: The Hillberg and Berk have low concentration over its suppliers. The added value of the quality of the products matters the most to the customers for which the company increases its investment frequently to maintain suppliers. The organization is a new emerging in the industry for which there are medium chances of bargaining power of the suppliers. Bargaining power of Customers: the HIllbeerg and Berk and the other players o f the industry enjoy low bargaining power of customers. Even the price of the product will increase still the buyers will purchase the product. It is a long-term positive impact on the industry. The choices are limited to the buyer which again ends up paying for the product at available prices. However, the buyer requires quality and customization. The threat of substitutes: There are limited numbers of substitutes regarding designs offered by HB. The designs are made of great quality which later is copied exactly to same design but with low performance and quality. As there is low risk of competitors which enables the customer not to switch to other product easily. The threat of new competitors: As the gems and jewelry industry is a cost assuming industry the threat of new competitors is medium to Hillberg and Berk. There are barriers to entry such as strong distribution network, high requirement cost and a strong brand reputation. Existing rivalry: There are several competitors of HB some are large-scale competitors and some small influencing company's. The riding power of the existing organizations is high as many are established way before the establishment of HB. Strategic Issue HB lacks in making value relations with the suppliers to prevent fluctuations with suppliers power of bargaining. The threat of new competitor is a significant issue that can affect the organizational brand value and market position. Power Matrix Low A Stakeholders/customers Suppliers B Suppliers employees High C Stakeholders/customers Competitors D Newsletters Website Social media High Low Meeting the needs of the customers and suppliers is done by the company to maintain and increase the level of interest in order to perform effectively. It also engages consultant with them to prevent risk to the sales of the product. Hillberg and Berks key players are its suppliers and employees that contribute their efforts to make achievements. The company maintains its relation with the suppliers and engages its employees in decision making. Stake holders and competitors are generally communicated and monitored to make them keep updated with the information of current product and offers. They monitored in terms to make of low influenced to aim to shift them to the right. The organization uses newsletters, a well organized website and properly makes uses of social media such as Instagram, twitter and Facebook to make its customers keep informed. Strategic Issue The organization is less focus towards its suppliers and hence need to monitor its competitors strategy to override the market demand. VRIO analysis Strength/Resources (what are those strength and resources that the organization have that it can leverage on) Valuable Rare Inimitable Organizationally Supported Brand identity YES NO YES YES Personalized jewelry YES YES NO YES Sparkle collection YES YES NO YES Designs of jewelry YES YES NO YES Quality of the jewelry YES NO YES YES Women based organization YES YES NO YES Employee development and women empowerment YES YES NO YES Warranty period of one year NO NO NO YES Strategic Issues The designs offered by HB are not likely to be imitated, but it gets designed in the same complete style which is a drawback for the organization. Recommendations and Implementations Go-forward option along with maintaining creative culture The company should hire leaders that would support the employees to develop new skills and allow them to make smart decisions that will help in the growth of the company as well. Provide the employees with the training skill of using and handling the computer-aided design software, to make the designing of the object in 2D and 3D designs. The company can give a boost to its creativity and design making of jewelry by giving an additional opportunity to the potential women or fresher that cannot work as a full-time employee but can contribute huge quality. This will enable the company to grab freelancers and fresh perspectives of designs. Also, maintaining the organizational culture to empower women. It is highly recommended to Hillberg and Berk to offer for gathering the feedback from its customers and all connected resource suppliers before expanding the business. This enables the organization to understand the requirement of the clients with regard to the local market to be able to craft an effective go-to-market strategy (Macchion, Danese Vinelli, 2015). The work life balance programme should be promoted to provide the employees more space to relax regarding the stress generated from their personal life. It would make ensure that the employees are relief from their personal life, hence would enhance the work attitude and culture of the employees. It is necessary to build an inspired workspace for the employees. Providing wide work space, advanced technology with airy space will let the innovation come out of and develop new ideas. Organizational vision: It is recommended to Hillberg and Berk not to change the organizational vision of empowering women and develop a corporate culture with sustainable business growth. Additionally, the company can add ensuring quality and growth of profit to their vision to make competitive position in the market. Values: External stakeholders are the key elements of success for Hillberg and Berk. It is recommended to gather the valuable insights of the customers, suppliers and even the top management to inspire the growth of product lines. Balanced scorecard Key strategic Objective (that needs to be achieved) Initiative (initiatives to achieve the objective) Measures (how do you measure the achievement) Customer/communities Improve customer retention Customers are to be awarded with various collections of designs to prevent switching to another brand. It can be measured with the growth of sales revenue. Financials Lowering the cost Increasing the revenue By introducing new product line the company would benefit in spreading brand awareness which would lessen the advertisement cost. Increasing supply chain will result into increase profit It can be measured with the growth of sales revenue. Internal Processes/Operations Increase process efficiency Empowering the women Making close working relation with the suppliers will enable efficiency Making training and development programs. Increase in suppliers supply in time. Encouraging women contribution in the organization Organizational Compacity and Technology Improve knowledge and skills Improve tools and technology Introducing CAD program to the employees. Introducing technology in distribution, polishing and cutting of diamonds and gems Skilled employees contributing in organization process. Speed in process. Strategic imperative Acquisition Strategy HB should adapt acquisition strategy to increase growth and revenue. Acquiring retailers will benefit the company to increase its distribution strategy. HB is not a large organization, for which it needs to build its strategy strongly (Cooper Finkelstein, 2014). Increasing business opportunities The company after extending the product lines and by broadening the target can develop a new brand identity. This will also prevent investing more capital to improve brand image. Sales strategy HB should engage in organizing events to display the jewelry collections to the customers. The shows may be of different kinds such as trade fairs, exhibition, craft shows, art festivals and organizing galleries (Ingram et al., 2015). High level implementation The organization should adapt Push and pull strategy to increase customer satisfaction by developing new product lines to increase its market share and enter into new business. The push strategy includes the product development with the help of its resources whereas the pull strategy includes customer feedback/demand to develop the new product (Carrigan et al., 2017). The organization should implement Hallmarking in its jewelry which will enable the organization to build brand reputation and customer loyalty by protecting them against victimization of the jewelry and quality. It will ensure that organization that the designs that are being copied do not harm its reputation. The organization is recommended to reduce its cost without cutting out the quality and making the time lower to design its products by making the close relationship with the suppliers will gradually increase the profitability. The organization always needs to make extra effort towards brand building to stay constantly a strong competitor of the market by promoting more of its consumers interest and attracting them with discounts and gifts. However, adding up all the strategies the organization might invite certain issues such as product failure regarding expanding new product lines. The company would need extra investment into its research of the market and for a new product to introduce. The company would also face tensions when the price of diamond and gems decrease which can be challenging. To increase distribution channels, the acquisition might be a risky part to explore where the acquisition is to be done in the country (Pantano, 2016). Conclusion It can be concluded that HB founded by Rachel Mielke in 2007 was a result of her passion for jewelry design and entrepreneurship. The organization is operated under the maintenance of women, and they drive each of the facility. After completing the analysis of HB with the help of Value chain, SWOT, PESTLE, power matrix, Porter's five forces and VRIO analysis it is observed that the company is mainly focused to empower women with providing various training on skill development and establishing a future for the company. Relating to this mission the organization contributes to several women organizations and charitable organizations. The organization is standing upon its success on the feet of brand loyalty, and it further has a lot of opportunities as building the stronger brand reputation with the help of delivering more qualitative products and designs with the help of its employees. The threat of the organization is its existing rivals that are well established in the market. Howeve r, the organization can adapt to acquisition strategy to acquire local retailers which will in turn help to increase its distribution strategy and revenue growth. Then by increasing the product line by introducing garments for women and men will also help to increase brand awareness without investing much. By putting extra effort and implementing the strategies effectively, HB can increase its impact on the market. References Carrigan, M., McEachern, M., Moraes, C., Bosangit, C. (2017). The fine jewellery industry: Corporate responsibility challenges and institutional forces facing SMEs.Journal of Business Ethics,143(4), 681-699. Cooper, C. L., Finkelstein, S. (Eds.). (2014).Advances in mergers and acquisitions. Emerald Group Publishing. Harmouche, B. (2017). Nurturing empathy for social cohesion: Participatory, community-based communication design research with gay youth living with HIV in Lebanon. Hillberg Berk. (2018).Hillberg Berk Gemstone Jewellery, Engagement Rings, Jewellery Stores.Hillberg Berk. Retrieved 6 April 2018, from https://hillbergandberk.com/?utm_expid=55757320-5.pU51p37CT8-cVr_q_zgRDA.0utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.in%2F Ingram, T. N., LaForge, R. W., Williams, M. R., Schwepker Jr, C. H. (2015).Sales management: Analysis and decision making. Routledge. Macchion, L., Danese, P., Vinelli, A. (2015). Redefining supply network strategies to face changing environments. A study from the fashion and luxury industry.Operations Management Research,8(1-2), 15-31. Pantano, E. (2016). Benefits and risks associated with time choice of innovating in retail settings.International Journal of Retail Distribution Management,44(1), 58-70.