Romantic Love Is a Poor Basis for Marriage

Romantic love is a poor basis for marriage. Many songs had been written about romantic love, and a lot of books had been devoted to this topic. Up to now this is still a favorite theme for many movies and publications. But what is this in the real life, and how does romantic love affect a relationship between man and woman, and especially in marriage? What Romantic Love and True Love really are? Let’s look on this more carefully and try to answer on these questions. It’s difficult to disagree that falling in love is a very wonderful feeling.It seems like wings suddenly grow on your back, and the world shrinks where it is only you and your love, and you would give everything to keep this feeling forever. When I felt this feeling the first time, it was something amazing and indescribable. However, for me this feeling didn’t last long, and usually disappeared in several months. Now I’m married; is this feeling still alive in my marriage? We will see this late r. Sometimes people say that love is blinding. Is it true, or more correctly, is it love?I will not say that romantic love is always something negative. No, it’s a wonderful feeling, and it’s very good if partners have it in a marriage. However, can we build our own future family only on these feelings? I think, the best way for the family is if these feelings grow up in true mutual love in the marriage. On the other hand, what do we do if this doesn’t happen? Unfortunately, life shows in most cases that this romantic love ends after the wedding, and everyday life begins with its usual joys and troubles.You may say to me that it’s not your case, and in your life all will be perfect. Maybe it is true, as I also thought that way before my own marriage, but now I have changed my mind. It's good for all to be prepared for this. When romantic love ends after the wedding, what remains after it? Now we have approached to the definition of what True Love really i s in my opinion. I think, that true love it is not feeling, but it is a choice.When we decided to get married, we gave a promise to love each other forever, and this means that we cannot stop loving one another anymore. If our relations based only in romantic love, then when we live together we will see many differences and many weaknesses are inside one another. We can become disappointed with our decision to make this marriage. However, if we will know that true love is a choice, we can’t return back, and we will be more responsible for our decisions to get married. So, as we can see, romantic love is a poor basis for marriage.This foundation is not strong enough to stand against many difficulties, which we will meet in everyday life in marriage. We have to have the strong decision inside us that in any situation, with any obstacle against us, we will continue to love our spouses. This means that we will continue to respect, to understand, to seek not our will, but our spou se’s. We will continue to try please each other and sometimes even to give up our selfish desires. And then our marriage will be strong and lasting, and we will be together until death do us apart.

Tiffany & Co Marketing Plan

MARKETING PLAN I. Executive summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 A. History of Tiffany & Co†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 II. Current marketing situation †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 A. Market overview†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 i. Market demographics and needs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 ii. Market t rends and target market growth†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 B. SWOT analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 i. Strengths †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 ii. Weaknesses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 iii. Opportunities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 iv. Threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 C. Competitive and industry analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦14 D. Product overview†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 17 E. Keys to success and critical issues†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦20. III. Environmental analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦23 A. Macroenvironmental factors †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦23 B. Microenvironmental factors †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 24 C. Competitive strategy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 IV. Marketing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦25 A. Mission†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦25 B. Marketing objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦25 C. Financial objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦26 D. Target market†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 27 E. Positioning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦27 V. Marketing Mix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 28 A. Product †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 28 B. Pricing †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 30 C. Promotion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 D. Channel †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦32 E. Service †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦34 VI. Marketing research †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦35 VII. Financials †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦37 A. Sales/revenue forecast†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 37 B. Expense budget†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦39 C. Break-even analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦40 D. Profit and loss analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 41 VIII. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 42 I. Executive summary A. History of the company The 1830s in New York City were a time of dynamic growth, extravagant tastes and golden opportunity for anyone with a little capital and an abundance of imagination. In 1837, New York became the proving ground for twenty-five-year-old Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young, who opened a â€Å"stationery and fancy goods† store with a $1,000 advance from Tiffany's father. On their way to the new emporium at 259 Broadway, fashionable ladies in silks, satins, and beribboned bonnets faced a gauntlet of narrow streets teeming with horses and carriages and the hurly-burly of city life. At Tiffany & Co. they discovered a newly emerging â€Å"American style† that departed from the European design aesthetic, which was rooted in religious and ceremonial patterns and the Victorian era’s mannered opulence. The young entrepreneurs were inspired by the natural world, which they interpreted in exquisite patterns of simplicity, harmony and clarity. These became the hallmarks of Tiffany design, first in silver hollowware and flatware, and later in jewelry. Tiffany first achieved international recognition at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1867. The company was awarded the grand prize for silver craftsmanship, the first time that an American design house had been so honored by a foreign jury. Tiffany was the first American company to employ the 925/1000 standard of silver purity. Largely through the efforts of Charles Lewis Tiffany, this ratio was adopted by the United States Congress as the American sterling silver standard. The silver studio of Tiffany & Co. was the first American school of design and, as one observer remarked, â€Å"a teacher of art progress. Apprentices were encouraged to observe and sketch nature, and to explore the vast collections of sketches and artwork assembled by Edward C. Moore, the head of the studio. By 1870 Tiffany & Co. had become America's premier purveyor of jewels and timepieces as well as luxury table, personal, and household accessories. At the turn of the 20th century the company had more than one thousand employees and branches in London, Paris, and Geneva. In 1878 Tiffany acquired on e of the world's largest and finest fancy yellow diamonds from the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa. Under the guidance of Tiffany's eminent gemologist, Dr. George Frederick Kunz, the diamond was cut from 287. 42 carats to 128. 54 carats with 82 facets (most brilliant-cut diamonds have only 58), which gave the stone its legendary fire and brilliance. Designated the Tiffany Diamond, the stone became an exemplar of Tiffany craftsmanship. In 1886 Tiffany introduced the engagement ring as we know it today—the Tiffany ® Setting— an innovation that lifts the diamond above the band with six platinum prongs, allowing a more complete return of light from the stone and maximizing its brilliance. Today the Tiffany Setting continues as one of the most popular engagement ring styles and shining symbol of the jeweler’s diamond authority. During New York’s Gilded Age, Tiffany was prospering as never before. At the same time, the world had embarked on the Age of Expositions, the era of show-stopping extravaganzas that took place in the last decades of the 19th century and into the 20th in Paris, Chicago, Buffalo and St. Louis. At every venue, Tiffany won the highest honors and recognition as the undisputed leader in the world of jewels. The company’s exhibit at the 1889 Paris fair was heralded as â€Å"the most extraordinary collection of jewels ever produced by an American jewelry house. † Tiffany produced an equally praiseworthy collection for the 1900 Paris fair, along with magnificent silver pieces based on Native American pottery and basket designs. The unprecedented commendation and number of awards bestowed on the jeweler led to Tiffany’s appointment as Imperial Jeweler and Royal Jeweler to the crowned heads of Europe, as well as the Ottoman Emperor and the Czar and Czarina of Russia. With the death of Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1902, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the founder’s son, became Tiffany’s first Director of Design. An entire floor of Tiffany & Co. was devoted to merchandise crafted in the Tiffany Studios, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s atelier. His position as America’s leading designer was well established by 1882, when President Chester Arthur invited him to redecorate the White House. By 1900 the younger Tiffany was a world leader in the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. The famed artist created a remarkable range of designs, from technically brilliant leaded lass to colorful Tiffany favrile glass, and enameled and painterly jewels based on American plants and flowers. Throughout the jeweler’s history, the most prominent members of American society were frequent Tiffany customers. Vanderbilts, Astors, Whitneys and Havemeyers, as well as J. P. Morgan, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Paul Mellon, commissioned Tiffany to produce gold and silver services. Admirers of Lillian Russell ordered a sterling silver bicycle. President Lincoln purchased a seed pearl necklace for his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. And a young Franklin Roosevelt purchased a Tiffany engagement ring in 1904. As the twentieth century progressed, Tiffany designs captured the spirit of the times, from the extravagance of the 1920s to the modernism of the 1930s and the aerodynamic age of the 1940s and 1950s. Tiffany china set the stage for White House dinners and Tiffany jewels accented the elegant clothes of the world’s most glamorous women, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Babe Paley and Diana Vreeland. Very often world-renowned jeweler Jean Schlumberger created their jewelry. Hired in 1956 by then Tiffany chairman Walter Hoving, Schlumberger’s lavish, nature-inspired jewels remain the pride of Tiffany & Co. Throughout Tiffany’s history, the United States and foreign governments have called upon the company to create special commissions. Among them are the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military award; and the 1885 redesign of the Great Seal of the United States, which can be seen on official government documents as well as on the one-dollar bill. Business and professional organizations have also called on Tiffany design expertise through Tiffany Business Sales. The most famous of these commissions is the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the National Football League Super Bowl Championship. Tiffany has had the distinction of creating this original and well-known design since the first Super Bowl in 1967. The legendary style of Tiffany design is perhaps best represented by the annual Blue Book Collection, featuring Tiffany’s and the world’s most spectacular and glamorous jewels. Initially published in 1845, the Tiffany Blue Book was the first such catalogue to be distributed in the U. S. Today’s version showcases the elite of diamonds and colored gemstones in custom-designed settings, crafted with time-honored jewelry techniques and inspired by jewels in the Tiffany & Co. Archives. Over the past two centuries, Tiffany has built an international reputation as a premier jeweler and the ultimate source of gifts for life's most cherished occasions. Whether it's a milestone in the life of a company or a family, or an individual's crowning achievement, Tiffany gifts wrapped in the signature Tiffany Blue Box ® symbolize the rich heritage and unparalleled reputation Tiffany & Co. has enjoyed as one of America's great institutions. II. Current marketing situation A. Market overview i. Market demographics and needs Official estimates put the population of Kazakhstan at 15. million as of 1 July 2008, of which 47% is rural and 53% urban population. The 2008 population estimate is 4. 8% higher than the population reported in the last census from January 1999 (slightly less than 15 million). Kazakhstan underwent significant urbanization during the first 50 years of the Soviet era, as the share of rural population declined from more than 90% in the 1920s to less than 50% si nce the 1970s [pic] Next table summarizes information about Kazakhstani market and gives more detailed understanding of current market situation. Year (January)  Ã‚   |Population (‘000)  Ã‚   | |Opportunities |Threats | |Currently isn’t widely presented |Logistics problems | |Integration in lower priced segments |Threat of fakes | | |Luxury niche is under threat of crisis | | |Low brand awareness | | | | Strengths 1. Customer service. Operating by its mission statement to be the world’s most respected retailer, Tiffany focuses heavily on customer service. New employees complete six to eight weeks of training in knowledge, skills, and product training. They must also pass a written test before they are allowed to meet with customers. Once in the field, sales representatives work for two years to complete a rigorous certification process. According to John Peterson, senior vice president of corporate sales, the process helps the company uphold its unique tradi tion and culture. 2. Unique quality. Tiffany also places extreme value on the quality of its products, paying attention to every detail of the Tiffany experience. Charles Lewis Tiffany began this practice with his original selection of the blue color for Tiffany boxes, shopping bags, and catalogs. Tiffany focused on the final, and often neglected, step in brand positioning: giving customers something symbolizing Tiffany quality, commitment, consistency, respect, and reputation long after they have walked out of the store. According to Denise Meyer, creative director of Frenchman Marketing, an advertising agency that specializes in jewelry marketing, â€Å"Tiffany wants you to forget the product and remember where it came from†. 3. Recognition. As one of the world’s most recognizable brand symbols, Tiffany takes all of its blue box’s components, from the quality of the blue paper to the way the ribbon is tied, very seriously. Because the blue box represents the Tiffany experience, the company even sends their employees to a class to perfect the art of tying the white satin ribbon so the box lays flat. According to James Mansur, principal of Mansur Design, a retail branding consultancy in New York, â€Å"[The blue box] represents refinement, luxury, elegance, good taste, quality, and it confers status on both the person who gives it and the person who receives it†. Weaknesses 1. Brand positioning problem Tiffany & co is positioned as luxury brand, for people with high income. However tiffany introduces middle cost items, which is part of company strategy. But people can’t realize that tiffany’s jewellery becomes more affordable and think that starting price for tiffany rings is 3000$, while really it is only 900$. The same positioning problem can occur in Kazakhstan. In order to prevent this company should inform Kazakhstan populating about their prices by means of advertizing, PR and other activities. Opportunities 1. Currently isn’t widely presented All over the Kazakhstan there is only one Tiffany store, located in Almaty. This store is a franchise. Assortment is not great, and silver products care absolutely not presented. Also very poor assortment of yellow gold. . Integration in lower priced segments Tiffany adopts new strategy, in order to attract new customers. Appearance of 100$ and below items in tiffany products lit will attract new customers, for whom brand name is important. So in strong competition with well-known brands like Bvldary, Cartier and Chopard Tiffany offers luxury goods for affordable prices. Threats 1. Logistics problems Tiffany & Co is American company and jewelers should be transported from US. Almaty franchise transports goods from US. However, because of big distance orders may come not in time, or breakage rate may be high. Also during transportation goods may be stolen. 2. Threat of fakes In Kazakhstan patents and copyrights are almost not important, so in case of good promotion and increased brand awareness faces from China could be easily broad to the market and brand reputation will be damaged 3. Luxury niche is under threat of crisis Nowadays financial crisis is on the peak and people suffer from lack of money , so they will rather prefer to save money than to spend them on luxury goods 4. Low brand awareness Besides Tiffany & Co is extremely popular in the west in Kazakhstan brand awareness is very low, and a lot of funds should be spend for advertizing B. Competitive and industry analysis Competitors: Signet Group (SIG) is the world's largest specialty jewelry retailer in terms of sales, with $3. 3 billion of revenue in 2008; the company is based in the United Kingdom and operates 1,959 stores in the U. K. and the U. S. , including Kay Jewelers and Jared The Galleria of Jewelry chains in the United States. Signet Group exceeds Tiffany's in revenu e and size; however the company currently lacks a presence in Asia. Tiffany, on the other hand, is in a good position to take advantage of new wealth developing in Asia due to the fact it already has stores in that region. †¢ Zale (ZLC) specializes in diamond jewelry and operates mostly mall-based stores as well as mall kiosks only in North America. It lacks an international presence, however makes up for it through volume in North America: The company has 2,135 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Both Zale and Tiffany sell low-priced jewelry, but Zale only extends to moderately-priced pieces while Tiffany seeks to maintain a â€Å"high-low† approach by selling $200 pieces next to $50,000 ones. †¢ Blue Nile (NILE) is the largest online-only retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry. The company's 2008 sales were much smaller than Tiffany's. The fact that the company sells its goods exclusively online makes it available to a wider audience than Tiffany's, whose goods must be purchased through its own stores. Company |Net Sales (mm) | |Increase in store sales |9-10% | |Increase in Direct Marketing Sales |10% | |Expense growth |13% | |Advertising expense |6% | In terms of financial objectives for the full year 2009, Tiffany &Co are now projecting sales growth of approximately 15% which includes comparable store sales increasing 9-10% in the US and in the high single digits internationally on a constant exchange rate basis. For the fourth quarter, that implies a mid single digit comp increase in the US, strong comp growth in the European and Asia/Pacific regions and a modest increase in total Japan sales. Tiffany now half way through the all important November/December holiday selling season, although the vast majority of sales activity is still ahead of company in the next several weeks. C. Target Markets: 1) Women Aged 34- 54 years old 2). Middle-High income, upper class in KZ –$2000 and more 3). Status-oriented- Business women 4). Discerning customers who appreciate the finer things in life and the emotional pleasure of owning the best there is. ). Women, knowing that mostly men will be making the purchases. Rings start at relativ ely affordable level ($1000) and go up to over a million dollars. It is known that about 39% of sales are outside the United States. There are stores in Brazil, Europe, Australia and Asia. Stores are located in larger cities while the catalog and internet cater to non-urban customers. D. Positioning People who pay much attention to the fashion world may know that Tiffany& Co is one of top three jewelry producers in the world. Among those fashionable and exquisite ornaments, tiffany rings are undoubtedly the one that gains more attention than any other ones. When divided by function and occasion, tiffany rings can be divided into three major categories that are tiffany celebration rings, engagement rings and wedding rings. Each kind of them has its own unique and irreplaceable functions. All the tiffany rings are beautifully crafted pieces of remarkable elegance. Tiffany & Co rings are unequaled in quality, with close attention to detail. I. Marketing Mix A. Product. Tiffany and Co. ’s offerings include diamonds, gemstones, necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets, charms, brooches and earrings. In addition to the classic items, Tiffany and Co. collection reflects unique items like their elegant decorative keys, jeweled boxes, heart-shaped lockets, letters of the alphabet and crosses. Also for men, Tiffany and Co. has a range of rings, watches, necklaces and money clips. Among those fashionable ornaments, tiffany rings are undoubtedly the one that gains more attention than any other ones. When divided by function and occasion, tiffany rings can be divided into three major categories that are tiffany celebration rings, engagement rings and wedding rings. Each kind of them has its own unique and irreplaceable functions. To take celebration rings as an example, there are so many important occasions and moments in one's life to celebrate. To capture and keep down these rare and important moments and occasions is so important for every person. Therefore, Tiffany celebration rings are just specially designed and prepared for you these people to come. [pic] Tiffany engagement rings are perfect for those young lovers who are to be engaged. Also it will make the whole ceremony full of joy and happiness and give off the flavor of luxuriance and magnificence. [pic]Tiffany wedding rings are the necessity for every bride and groom who are dreaming of a grand and luxurious wedding ceremony. Tiffany wedding rings are particularly distinctive, with designs ranging from classic solitaires to elaborate multi-stone arrangements. Each ring is accompanied by detailed certification as proof of its superior quality. It is true that tiffany rings are perfect for every occasion. It is prized for its quality, sophistication, and beauty. The four Cs of diamond quality have the greatest effect on the stone’s price: Carat: The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. The more carats, the heavier the stone, and the more expensive it is. Color . A diamond’s color grade is a key quality evaluation, but often misleading. This is because the ideal engagement diamond is characterized by a lack of color. Diamonds can be laboratory treated to reduce their color. At the Tiffany Gemological Laboratory, the color of each diamond is determined by comparing it to authenticated â€Å"master diamonds. Clarity: A diamond’s clarity rating has a direct effect on a diamond’s beauty and price. The clearer a diamond is, the more expensive it will be. Cut: The cut and shape of the diamond affects its price depending on the difficulty involved. Emerald and princess cuts are among the least expensive because they follow the crystalline shape of the stone, while heart-shaped, pear, and oval cuts are more expensive. Tiffany diamonds are always cut for beauty, not size. Other Factors in Engagement Ring Cost: Metal: Yellow gold is the most common choice for engagement rings, and it is in the mid-range for prices. Silver is less expensive, while high-grade karats of yellow and white gold are pricier. Platinum, titanium and tungsten are generally more expensive. Design: Simple solitaires are often the least expensive design because they lack elaborate side stones or other embellishments. More intricate rings, such as Celtic patterns, bridal sets, or three stone rings are more costly. B. Pricing. Today, tiffany settings are one of the most popular choices for ring settings. Company offers different ring designs, including channel set bands and minimal setting diamond bands that emphasize the stones.. Three stone engagement rings are increasingly popular, and Tiffany engagement rings often use fancy shapes such as ovals, hearts, pears, and tapered baguettes for exquisite arrangements. Rings | Price ranges | |Sterling silver rings | $100 -$1000 | |Gold rings |$250 – over $ 5000 | |Platinum rings |$250 – over $ 5000 | |One carat diamond ring |$95,00-$35,000 | |White gold rings |$500 –over $5000 | Every ring is unique, each with its own precise gemological cha racteristics, pricing will vary. All rings meet Tiffany’s strict quality requirements and Tiffany engagement ring prices are offered: C. [Promotion. Tiffany & Co periodically conducts product promotional events and regularly advertises, primarily in newspapers and magazines.. In Fiscal 2007, 2006 and 2005, company spent approximately $174 million, $162  million and $137  million, respectively, on worldwide advertising, which includes costs for media, production, catalogs, promotional events and other related items. Public Relations (promotional)  activity is a significant aspect of Registrant’s business. Management believes that Tiffany’s image is enhanced by a program of charity sponsorships, grants and merchandise donations. For example, Tiffany & Co. serves as the Awards Sponsor of the inaugural Pasadena Marathon organization presented by Kaiser Permanente. The organization's mission is to promote an enhanced quality of life for those who work, live, or attend school in the Pasadena area. Thus, company offers financial and logistical support to local civic and charitable agencies. In addition ,in support of its mission to preserve the natural heritage that distinguishes great urban centers, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation announced grants on September 25, 2008 to three organizations—Hermann Park Conservancy in Houston, Parkways Foundation in Chicago, and The Vizcayans in Miami—for the restoration of parks and gardens in their individual cities, totaling $2,750,000. These grants expand the Foundation’s urban parks program that originated with support for New York City’s parks Donations are also made to The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, a private foundation organized to support the charitable organizations with efforts concentrated in environmental conservation and support for the decorative arts. Tiffany also engages in a program of retail promotions and media activities to maintain consumer awareness of the Company and its products. Each year, Tiffany publishes its well-known Blue Book which showcases jewelry and other merchandise. Registrant considers these and other promotional efforts important in maintaining Tiffany’s image. D. Channel of distribution. The Company operates in three segments: Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Americas includes sales in TIFFANY & CO. stores in the United States, Canada and Latin/South America. Tiffany distributes a selection of its products in the United States and Canada through its Websites at www. tiffany. com and www. tiffany. ca. Tiffany also distributes catalogs of selected merchandise to its list of customers in the United States and to mailing lists rented from third parties. In addition, Business account holders may make gift purchases through the Company’s website at http://business. tiffany. com . Price allowances are given to eligible business account holders for certain purchases on the Tiffany for Business website. Moreover, products and services are marketed through a sales organization, through advertising in newspapers and business periodicals and through the publication of special catalogs. The retail sales in Asia-Pacific region consists of sales transacted in TIFFANY & CO. locations in Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Macau and Malaysia. The Company does business in Japan through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tiffany & Co. Japan, Inc. The Company offers a selection of TIFFANY & CO. erchandise for purchase in Japan and Australia through its Websites at www. tiffany. co. jp and www. tiffany. com/au. Selected TIFFANY & CO. merchandise is sold to independent distributors for resale in Asia-Pacific markets, predom inantly in the Middle Eastern region. As for Europe , retail sales consists of sales transacted in TIFFANY & CO. stores in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and Ireland. The Company offers a selection of TIFFANY & CO. merchandise for purchase in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland through its Website at www. tiffany. com/uk International Retail The following tables set locations operated by Tiffany & Co | | | |  | |Europe |  |  |   |  | |   | |Austria: Vienna |  | |Italy: Milan |  |  | |France: Paris, Galeries Lafayette |  |  |Italy: Rome |  | | |France: Paris, Printemps Department Store |  |  |Switzerland: Zurich |  | | |France: Paris, Rue de la Paix |  |  |United Kingdom: London, Harrods |  | | |Germany: Frankfurt   |  |United Kingdom: London, Old Bond Street |  | | |Germany: Hamburg |  |  |United Kingdom: London, Royal Exchange |  | | |Germany: Munich |  |  |United Kingd om: London, Selfridges |  | | |Italy: Bologna |  |  |United Kingdom: London, Sloane Street |  | | |Italy: Florence |  |  | | | | |   | | | | | |  | |Canada and Central/South America |  |  |   |  | |   | |Canada: Toronto |  |  |Mexico: Mexico City, Palacio Store, Perisur |  | |Canada: Vancouver |  |  |Mexico: Mexico City, Palacio Store, Polanco |  | |Brazil: Sao Paulo, Jardins |  |  |Mexico: Monterrey, Palacio Store |  | |Brazil: Sao Paulo, Iguatemi Shopping Center |  |  |Mexico: Puebla, Palacio Store |  | |Mexico: Mexico City, Masaryk |  |  |Mexico: Santa Fe | | Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan |   |  |  | |Australia: Brisbane |  |  | |Australia: Melbourne |  |  | |Australia: Sydney |  |  | |China: Beijing, The Peninsula Palace Hotel |  |  | |China: Beijing, Oriental Plaza   |  | |China: Shanghai, Jiu Guang City Plaza |  |  | |China: Shanghai, Plaza 66 |  |  | |China: Tianjin |  |  | |Hon g Kong: Elements |  |  | |Hong Kong: Hong Kong International Airport |  |  | |Hong Kong: International Finance Center |  |  | |Hong Kong: The Landmark Center |  |  | |Hong Kong: Pacific Place |  |  | |Hong Kong: The Peninsula Hotel |  |  | |Hong Kong: Sogo Department Store |  |  | |Korea: Busan, Lotte Department Store |  |  | |Korea: Seoul, Galleria Luxury Hall East Dept. Store |  |  | |   |  |  | |Korea: Seoul, Hyundai Department Store |  |  | |Korea: Seoul, Hyundai Coex Department Store |  |  | |Korea: Seoul, Lotte Downtown Department Store |  |  | |Korea: Seoul, Lotte World |  |  | |Korea: Seoul, Shinsegae Main |  |  | |Macau: The Venetian Resort |  |  | |Macau: Wynn Resort |  |  | |Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, KLCC |  |  | |Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Pavillion |  |  | |Singapore: Changi Airport |  |  | |Singapore: Ngee Ann City |  |  | |Singapore: Raffles Hotel |  |  | |Taiwan: Kaohsiung, Hanshin Department Store |  |  | |Taiwan: Taichung, Sogo Department Store |  |  | |Taiwan: Taipei, The Regent Hotel |  |  | |Taiwan: Taipei, Sogo Department Store |  |  | |Taiwan: Taipei, Taipei Financial Center | | | E. Service [pic] Customer service is a company's most effective tool, therefore, they strive to keep customers happy. Tiffany representatives are available for telephone and email support twenty-four hours a day. There are numerous informative FAQs and articles on their website. Email customer service. Any customer who has question or assistance can complete the special form. They can find this form in the web site of company. Jewelry care. Professional cleanings are recommended as often as once a year. For this reason company encourage customers to bring their Tiffany & Co. jewelry back to us for professional servicing. Company staff is knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of jewelry care: cleaning gemstones, restringing pearls and repairing clasps and earring backs. Due to the fact that our items are bought over the Internet, cannot be tried on ahead of time and are bought site unseen, company have developed the following return and exchange policy for customer service purposes. For Returns: All returns must be postmarked within 7 days of delivery and must be in resalable conditions. Buyer is responsible for the shipping charges to return. The $9. 99 shipping fee and a 15% restocking fee will be deducted from the refund amount For Exchanges: Exchanges are only allowed for the items which are defective or damaged upon receipt or the items do not fit and are not subject to a restocking fee. Items must be returned within 15 days of delivery and the customer is responsible for shipping charges to return. All items can only exchange for equal price replacement Tiffany also arranges to have items resized. All purchases through Tiffany& Co. s website include a 30 day, full refund, satisfaction guarantee. II. Marketing Research Going into Kazakhstany market is a market development for company Tiffany, so managers of Tiffany need information in order to introduce products and services that create value in the mind of the customer. But the perception of value is a subjective one, and what customers value this year may be quite different from what they value next year. As such, the attributes that create value cannot simply be deducted from common knowledge. Rather, data must be collected and analyzed. The goal of marketing research is to provide the facts and direction that managers need to make their more important marketing decisions. In order to screen the market, our group made a standard test research, we created the questionnaire, that helps to identify if the population of Kazakhstan is ready to buy Tiffany products, sum of money, that people want to pay and finally the product mix, that will be appropriate in this country. The questionnaire has the following form: ? ! 1. . ( ) 2. ?) 18-24 b) 25-32 ?) 33-39 d) 40-46 e) 46 3. : ?) $1000 b) $1000 $2,500 ?) $2,500 ? 4. ? Tiffany? . , 5. ? 6. ?) $100-$250 b) $250-$500 ?) $1,000-$5,000 d) ? 7. - . , , 8. Tiffany? , , 9. a) ? b) ? c) ? d) ? 10. Tiffany? ?) b) c) ? 11. Tiffany? a) , b) , c) d) , ? , ! Our group made a research, 50 random respondents have answered questionnaire, and after the survey we received following results: 27% of respondents doesn’t know anything about Tiffany 48% are ready to buy Tiffany products, bu t have never done it before 18% know about Tiffany and already have use its production % are not interested in Tiffany products III. Financials A. Sales/revenue forecast(s): By territory: |   |  |Years Ended January  31, |  | |(in thousands) |  | |   | | |Net sales: |  |   | |   |  |   | |   |  |$ | By Products:    |  |   |  | |(in thousands) |  | |   | | |Net sales: |  |   | |   |  |   | |   |  |$ |  | | | | |2| | | | |,| | | | |8| | | | |5| | | | 9| | | | |,| | | | |9| | | | |9| | | | |7| |(in thousands) |  | |   | | |Expenses: |   |   |  |  |  | |   |   | | |(in thousands, except per share amounts) | |   | | |Net sales |   |$ | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Net Income |   |$ |220,022 |   |   |$ |323,478 |   |   |$ |272,897 |   |   |   | | References: 1. Kotler P. (2003) Marketing Management. 11th edition. New Jersey, Pearson education Inc. 2. www. Gazeta. kz, (02. 01. 09),  «  ». [Online]. Available from: http://www. gazeta. kz/art. asp? aid=124611 [Accessed June 21  209] 3. , (03. 02. 09),  «  ». [Online] Available from: http://www. rosbalt. u/2009/02/03/614987. html [Accessed June 21 2009] 4. Tiffany , â€Å"Shareholder information† [Online] Available from: http://investor. tiffany. com/faq. cfm? SH_No_JavaScript=yes [Accessed June 21 2009] 5. www. Murman. ru,(05. 02. 09)  «  » [Online] Available from: http://business. murman. ru/research/33/473/? id=108 [Accessed June 21 2009] 6. Export. by,  «  », [Online] Available from: http://export. by/? act=s_docs=view=1615=by_country=58=archive=64 [Accessed June 21 2009] 7. http://www. tiffanyandcofoundation. org/news/article/08%20Urban%20Parks%20Program. spx – Tiffany & CO foundation 8. http://sec. edgar-online. com/tiffany œco/10-k-annual-report/2006/03/31/Section3. aspx -Annual report of Tiffany & Co 9. http://www. tiffany. com/ – the main website 10. http://online-jewelry-review. toptenreviews. com/tiffany-amp-co-review. html – Online Jewelry Review ———————– [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] World Wide Scale Increase the number of loyal users Attract new customers Different loyalty programs Make the products more affordable The price range starts from $100 Discounts, Coupons Tiffany’s lamp Charles Lewis Tiffany First Tiffany Store Tiffany Store in Tokio Wedding Rings Bvlgari rings Cartier rings

Death of a Best Friend

It was In a sixth grade classroom with about twenty strangers, where I learned my best friend would not return to school. The sun glaring through the window nearly blinded me as I turned away from the class to hide my tears. Facing away from the quiet room, still knew everyone's eyes were fixed on the teacher as they waited on her to say something else. After sitting in silence for what seemed like forever, the class turned their attention to the school guidance counselor frantically rushing Into the room.I kept my position toward the window until she hurried over to my desk and told me my parent's were there to check me out of school. It was the most unusual feeling I had ever felt. I had been to a few funerals before and I had even lost both of my grandparent's, but losing Alison was different; it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It seemed so unreal because Just the day before I was sitting in the same seat talking to her. How strange it is that someone can be so full of life, but in Just a short moment God can take them away.In that one short moment I lost so much. I lost the person I could confide In, the first person I told my secrets to, and the one I could be my complete self around. Friends like Alison do not come along everyday. On August 16th, 2006, only the third day at my new school, I found out how strange death is. Though some may not understand because they have never experienced it, the death of a best friend is easily the most painful feeling; it is an experience full of mixed emotions and countless life changing realizations.On that third morning of school, our teacher, Ms. Andy, calmly announced to the class that Alison was in a wreck on the way to school. The only thing I could think about was how mad I had been at my parent's for not allowing me to ride to school with Alison and her brother. The entire school, which could not have been more than here hundred people, met In the gym to pray. Mr.. Skipper, our headmaster, prayed int o the microphone, but while he spoke I did not listen; I prayed a special prayer of my own. After Mr..Skipper said â€Å"Amen,† he proceeded to tell us Alison had to be flown to Birmingham. I knew that meant she was seriously Injured. Then, the bell rang and silently walked to break with some girls Alison Introduced me to. While I sat at the table attempting to eat my breakfast, I could not help noticing the teachers crying. With hope that they were not crying about Alison, I walked nervously to the classroom after the second bell rang. I slowly returned to my seat, where I would soon learn that when Allison helicopter reached the hospital. He was pronounced dead. Seven years ago on August 16th, my life was forever changed. Alison was the type of person that had that effect on people; she made an impact on so many people's lives even before her death. She began to influence my life the day I met her in pre-school and has continued to Influence me after that atrocious day. Ali son taught me so much, but the most precious thing being what a true friend is. Alison was the type of friend hat told me what I needed to know regardless of whether I wanted to hear it or not.She was someone who never got on my nerves even after being together for days. She was the first person I would go to when I made plans, needed someone to talk to, or needed to be cheered up. Alison not only showed me what to look for In a friend, but she also taught me how to be a good friend. Soon after she died, her death 1 OFF away from Him, but when I miss Alison I pray. On earth and in Heaven, Alison has brought me closer to God. Losing her was the hardest thing I have ever done, but it made the most important difference in my life.

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 7

International Marketing - Essay Example This marketing plan identifies a new marketing strategy for the organisation in order to improve its contemporary image. The plan recommends an integrated marketing communications strategy involving many elements of public relations theory and practice. Currently, the mission of the London’s Ships of Historic Interest Partnership is to â€Å"provide a valuable source of information and inspiration, as well as facilities to inform and educate the public on our need of the sea† (londonships.org.uk 2010, p.1). In most respects, the current communications strategy is that of information exchange as a primary goal. This is not working effectively to build consumer interest and raise revenues needed to offset the costs of renovation in order to make these old vessels gleam with modern appeal to diverse consumer audiences. They key is to change the marketing message being delivered. The objectives of the new and enhanced marketing strategy are to remove the emphasis on education and information, making the venue appear more exciting and relevant to the needs of a new style of consumer target group. The goal is to increase revenues by 30-40 percent within one year, using a blend of public relations strategies and modernised communication practices. The plan anticipates turning the attraction around from being a niche activity to a broad-based tourist hotspot that appeals to mass markets with varying demographics and lifestyle values. Reassessment of current marketing strategy led to a variety of marketing literature that was mainly focused on the use of Internet tools, from website development to use of social networking tools as the main focus for promotion. However, this strategy had no direct linkage to relevant tourism sites and therefore was an inferior promotional strategy. This could be due to the fact that the current target market is misaligned with revenue goals,

My Teaching Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My Teaching Philosophy - Essay Example As such, there are a number of things needed in order to facilitate effective teaching and learning. Among the areas of concern are flexibility, knowledge ability and the global orientation. To begin with, flexibility is of critical importance in order to be successful in teaching and learning. Flexibility is the ability of changing from an ordinary course to a more effective course in order to meet the demands of a system. Flexibility is important since it allows the trainer or the teacher to deal with a number of problems that might deter the learners from achieving the best if things were to be done the way they have been done before. This is achieved through cognitive flexibility. (Chieu, 2007, p. 33). Students also get the most out of a flexible learning system since issues that are a hindrance to their better understanding are dealt with when the teacher is flexible. Secondly, flexibility allows for learning of new skills and strategic deviation from the old ways of doing things. This eventually leads to a well skilled team of learners that are able to effectively compete within the educational system, since cognitive issues are individually based. (Palincsar, 199 8, p. 346). Thirdly, flexibility acts as a motivation to learners since it facilitates the introduction of new things that act as novel stimuli. (Casey & Wilson, 2012, p. 82). For instance, new techniques in dealing with problems Mathematical problems can be adopted. Being knowledgeable is also important in effective teaching. The teacher ought to be knowledgeable about the subject he or she is teaching in order to effectively impart the same skills on the learner. Being knowledgeable about what one is doing is of great importance in a number of ways. Firstly, being knowledgeable creates a leeway of better teaching methodologies. (Metzler & Woessmann, 2010, p. 2). A Knowledgeable teacher will know

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction Research Proposal

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction - Research Proposal Example These results reveal that majority of people view marriage as bondage that hinder their liberty or put extra responsibilities on them. Although marriage is meant to share responsibilities, ideas, happiness and grieves, and rear offspring, people view marriage quite the other way. This anti-marriage phenomenon seems to have erupted as a lack of understanding, a lack that demonstrates absence of similarity essential to sustain marriage relationship. While identification of the factors influencing marital satisfaction is of theoretical interest to social psychologists and potential practical value to clinical psychologists working with married couples, research in this area provided only minimal information about the specific characteristics of stable and/or happy marital relationships and has provided no coherent theory of marital satisfaction. Social psychological theories of love and marriage are, in general, based on the principle of similarity, i.e., that we tend to associate with others who reward us and not associate with those who don't (Walster and Walster, 1978). The theory of Complementarity proposed by Winch (1952) was based on Murray's theory of needs. The theory postulated that within a field of eligible (which necessitates a certain level of similarity) an individual will seek out the person who can offer maximum need-gratification. Specifically, Winch suggests that the need patterns of A will complementary, rather than similar to the need patterns of B. By complementary he means that the needs of A will be different in kind from those in B (Type I Complementarity) or they will be different in intensity (Type II Complementarity) from the needs that are met for B. in one of the first studies, (Winch, Ktsanes & Ktsanes, 1954) findings suggested that for a sample of married couples, individuals tend to select mates whose needs are complementary rather that similar to their own. Subsequently, Winch (1954) attempted to explore additional evidence of complementary needs while also taking into account the contradictory viewpoint of similarity of needs. By examining the correlations between husbands and wives, results showed husband-wife correlations were lower on average that the correlations of randomly paired dyads. Since these findings failed to support the idea of similarity, Winch argued that they supported Complementarity theory. There have been several studies that have tried to replicate Winch's findings, but most research has failed to do so. For example, Bowerman & Day (1956) attempted to replicate Winch's findings of need Complementarity of married couples. Sixty college couples who were engaged or going steadily filled out the Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results suggest a pattern of similarity rather than complementary. Another study also attempted to address Winch's theory of complementary needs by examining data from standardized psychological tests, to determine whether married couples are characterized by Complementarity of needs, as well as to determine whether there is a positive relationship between the degree of Complementarity and marital happiness (Blazer, 1963). Fifty married couples who were emotionally well-adjusted (i.e. neither partner had history of mental illness) completed the Wallace Marital Happiness Scale and Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results do not support the complementary nee

The context of international business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The context of international business - Essay Example The company was founded by Jack Cohen in the year 1919, the number of stores as on April 2012 happens to be 6,351 stores. (Burgemeister, 2003, p. 192). The total revenue of the company happens to be ?64.539 billion as on 2012. The total market share in U.K. is 30.2%. The major global competitors of the company are Walmart, Carrefour, Aldi, Royal Ahold and Metro. Identifying the company’s main drivers of accessing foreign markets using theories of FDI FDI stands for foreign direct investment. There are various theories of FDI like the product life cycle theory, internationalization and eclectic paradigm theory of the OLI frame-work. Among these the internationalization theory has been used to identify the key drives. The internationalization theory states that a company operating in a matured economy needs to expand the horizon beyond the local market to get competitive advantage and economies of scale. In the early 90s Tesco was lagging behind Sainsbury’s as the second largest retailer in the country and the operations of the country was subjected to the U.K. market only. But the global economic reforms couples with the drive to become a global major retailer urged Tesco to enter the global market. The first phase of internationalization begun as Tesco entered Hungary in 1994. Since then there has been no turning back, Of-course there has been certain problems in countries like France, but looking at the overall perspective the results speak for themselves. Today Tesco is largest retailer in U.K. and the third largest retailer in the world right after Wal-Mart and Carrefour. Mainly Tesco is a general merchandise and grocery retailer and operates as following the business to consumer framework. External Environment Analysis External or macro environmental factors are those that cannot be controlled by an organization and yet the modus operand of an organization gets severely affected by the changes or developments in the external environment. The m ain external environmental factors include political, economic, social and technological factors. However, the legal factors are also to be included. Bit, since most of the legal legislatures in a country are developed by the government itself the legal factors are hereby included in the political factors. Here it is to be added that Tesco entered in U.S. in the year 2007. Therefore the PEST analysis has been based on the external environmental situation in 2007 -2008 only (Henry, 2008, p. 89). Political United States has always been a politically stable country. And the governments in U.S. have always welcomed business investments from both local and international firms. Many specialists have tagged U.S. as a very stable political country irrespective of the political regime. Probably due to such attitude of the political leaders of the country the country has become one of the strongest economies in the world. As mentioned earlier as far the legislative system goes the country as mentioned has a business friendly legal environment welcoming investments. Legal and Regulatory reforms in the 1970s actually resulted in de-regulation in various sectors and enhanced competition and efficiency.

I believe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

I believe - Essay Example When I was in junior high school, I joined the basketball team, we had matches held every Saturday against other schools in the league, we practice a lot during the whole week days and we were confident to think every time that no team is better than us. In our first game we were defeated with the score 80-2. I was so much disturbed that I never thought we would be so bad, and at that time I just felt that simply training is not enough. I went back home and during dinner I told my dad about the basket ball team and my idea to quit the basketball team and join the soccer team. I said that the basketball team was a mere waste of time. My dad seemed to be inconsistent with my opinion, he went mad and shouted at me, he told me that â€Å"if one loss makes you to think of giving up, I am sure you will neither match my success and nor will make your life meaningful† He told me that, when he was young and just started working for his father he had to confront with variety of people and a range of treatments. They were of the view that my dad contracted this position because his dad was the owner of the company, but that didn’t stop him. He remained deaf towards their comments and was contemplating on improving his working style and within 3 months he became a salesperson with a fantastic proof of selling the maximum number of product of that year... Even then I found myself not convinced with his moral; I was still obsessed with the thought that his experience has a lot of discrepancy with mine... The team was so bad, but in order to flee from my dad’s resentment I remained in the basketball team itself. During that year we had lost most of our games, the thought of quitting was taunting me every time when I went for the match, but the words of my dad kept echoing â€Å"Do not think of Giving up!†.. So I decided to stay, and started concentrating in practicing and trying to analyze the

Reaserch Paper on Othello the Moor of Venice, as a tragedy Research

Reaserch on Othello the Moor of Venice, as a tragedy - Research Paper Example Aristotle’s concept of tragedy is based on a sum total of a few essential fundamentals that are a complex plot with a suitable beginning middle and the end, organic unity, appropriate length, the unities of time and place, apt relationship between the character and plot, goodness, consistency of characterization, hamartia, peripity, anagnorisis or discovery, feelings of pity and fear and catharsis.1 Based on the parameters as established by Aristotle for a worthy tragedy, William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice is an ideal Aristotelian tragedy. Othello is a specific tragedy of passion and to label it as an Aristotelian tragedy is certainly appropriate. Of all Shakespeare’s tragedies, Othello is the most painfully exciting and the most terrible. As one goes through it, one experiences the extremes of the feelings of pity, fear, sympathy, disgust, sickening hope and dreadful expectation. Outline I. Introduction A. Cursory analysis of Othello B. Aristotle parameters for a tragedy and a â€Å"tragic hero† II. Body A. Tragedy and plot B. Attributes of a â€Å"tragic hero† as per Aristotle B. Catharsis and tragedy III. Conclusion A. Othello, the Moor of Venice satisfies all attributes of a tragedy enunciated by Aristotle Essay Introduction Othello, the Moor of Venice, could and should essentially be classified as a typical Aristotelian tragedy and Othello is the most worthy tragic hero of Shakespeare who satisfies almost all the credentials of a tragic hero as evinced by Aristotle. As one goes through the play Othello, one experiences the extremes of the feelings of pity, fear, sympathy, disgust, sickening hope and a dreadful expectation.2 Evil is displaced before the reader in such a way that one simply watches its progress in an awed and fascinated manner. A lot of factors contribute to the exciting and painful impact of this play as the conflict in Othello’s mind, the ensuing sexual jealousy, Desdemona’s h umiliation and murder, the accompanying intrigue and so much.3 Besides, the role played by ‘accident’ in Othello produces not only a strong sense of the working of fate, but makes the play more terrible. In Othello, so many things happen by chance to aid Iago’s plot that one feels that his victims are also the victims of fate. Then there is the little comic relief in the guise of Iago’s humor, which is most of the times grim rather than amusing. In the context of the tragedy and a tragic hero, Aristotle in his work Poetics elucidated on some specific requirements as to the nature and form of plot and the qualities of a tragic hero. It will be really interesting to gauge Othello, the Moore of Venice, on the parameters set by Aristotle as to establish that it is a worthy tragedy with a suitable tragic hero. Plot In the context of a tragedy, Aristotle stresses the primacy of plot.4 He begins his ranking of the six parts of the tragedy with the assertion that â€Å"The most important of these parts is the arrangement of incidents, for tragedy is not an imitation of a man, per se, but of human action and life and happiness and misery.†5 Aristotle further reinforces the need for the right plot by declaring the human life to be a process. Aristotle holds that the human life is constantly changing and the changes that a man experiences tend towards happiness or unhappiness. Thus a tragedy is not possible

Characters in Two Kinds Essay Example for Free

Characters in Two Kinds Essay Both, Madame Loisel and the daughter from two kinds, find themselves in similar situations. The situations seem different but in reality they arent, as both of them are expected to do certain things, the only different is that the daughter from to kinds in forced to do thing and Madame Loisel just feel like she had to do or to have a certain thing. The difference in the expectations between the two characters, is made by making one character want a certain thing, and the other to be forces to do something. So in other words one of the characters is wants to have certain thing and feels like the society expects the character to have these things. And the other one is made or forces by on other person or character from the story to do certain things, and is expected of certain things. The daughter is the forces character this is because the mother makes her do what she doesnt want to. Her mother tries to make he a wonder kid and to change the way the daughter is. The mother tries to make her daughter a wonder kid and the daughter starts to respond in a way that she just doesnt care. Then in some time the daughter be really tiered of the testes that the mother is making her that and the fact that the mother is trying to change her. And so, she starts to take short cut, and with the only intention to stay the way she it, the stops listening to her mother, doesnt pay intention at the piano lessens. On the other hand there is Madame Loisel, which is a character that just feels that it is her duty to be what the society expects of all women. She feels that she has to be in the high class, that she is worth a lot and that all because of her beauty should adore her. She also had an opinion that if she wants something she has to get it or it is the end of the world. In addition, her believe is that her just deserve, also for whom she is, expensive cloths, and expensive necklace. Both of the characters respond very similar to their pressures and expectation that they are faced in the story line. The daughter responds by not agreeing to her mother and by trying to do the opposite of what she is told to do and in addition, she doesnt listen nor try her best at the test that her mother makes her face. and a bit similar, Madame Loisel responds to  the expectations of society in a way that she just wants something and if she doesnt get it its the end of the world, as if she just is the centre of the world and that she deserves all. So in other words she believes that she is worthy of having the best of the best. Then furthermore, both of the characters change in the end of their own stories. Madame Loisel becomes more realistic about life and gets a true self-esteem for what she had actually achieved. And in addition she loses her opinion that everything that she gets or receives is granted. Then, the daughter listens to her mother in the end of the story and starts playing the piano. As a conclusion both of the characters result in the same position in other words both of the characters are dramatic characters. This is because their view and their characteristics change and became completely different in the end of the story. Madame Loisel changes in a way that she becomes more aver of life and stops taking everything for granted. The daughter also changes to the positive site as she in the end of the story starts playing the piano and in other words listens.

Engineering Practice Review Report

Engineering Practice Review Report Introduction I worked for Christie Civil during both of my Internships and received a wide variety of experience during both of these six-month blocks. I worked on several different sites, which included the upgrade of an RTA owned road to the renovation and construction of parts of the Holsworthy Army Barracks. I found out about Christie Civil through the university-run website I2MS. I applied for the advertised position, as well as many others as soon as they became available online. Although I didnt receive a reply as soon as I would have liked. About 2 and a half months after I applied for the job, I received a phone call and an invitation to have an interview with the companies Sydney manager, Martin Carey. I felt the interview went very well and I was initially happy with my first impressions of the place and the people. One week later I was one of the two successful applicants and began work on the 1st of August 2007. In the semester before my second internship, I contacted Christie Civil in the hope of obtaining some information about a site I had previously worked on, for a university assignment. It was then when the Project Manager I was talking to, inquired about where I was working for my second internship and invited me to come back and work for them. Since I enjoyed working there, and I felt that I previously hadnt learnt as much as I could have, I decided to return to the company. About the company Christie Civil is a medium sized construction company that specializes in civil contracting within the Sydney region. For over 40 years, Christie Civil has worked as a Quality Endorsed company whose typical scope of works includes: Foundations (piles, footings, underground structures, shoring and underpinning) Bulk and detailed Earthworks Subdivisions (Site clearance, roads and drainage, services) Concrete Structures (Bridges, water and wastewater treatment tanks, detention tanks) Integrated Services (mechanical/ electrical/ hydraulics/ utilities) Retaining Walls Car parks and Pavements Environmental Remediation Christie Civil employs over 35 people including many Civil engineers, Project Managers and Foreman. On a typical site, Christie Civil provides the On Site Over Heads (OSOH) and usually subcontracts skilled labour (such as carpenters, plumbers and electricians) to professional companies with a good reputation and a proven record. The company also often works in conjunction with a labour hire company called Christies People, as both companies were founded by the same person. First Internship 2007/2008 During my first internship, I worked with Christie Civil for over 6 months between August 2007 and February 2008. Throughout this time, my role varied significantly as the Christie Civil management team placed me in several different positions so that I might gain experience within different aspects of the company (see Figure 1a). The major roles I had are explored below: Figure 1a) Site Engineer As a site engineer I was given the responsibility of preparing and maintaining all of the Quality Assurance (QA) documentation regarding the construction sites to which I was assigned. The QA documents basically provide a system in which to monitor the progress and quality of the construction processes ensuring that it is done in a safe manor, to an acceptable standard. Regularly I was required to: Conduct site inductions, which were aimed at highlighting the important safety rules and regulations for anyone new to the site. Prepare and maintain Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) which describes the appropriate precautions that must be taken in order expose potential hazards and minimize their risks. Give toolbox talks to the subcontractors and laborers. These talks outline current safety issues and highlight the appropriate action that is to be taken in order to maintain a safe workplace. Conduct Safety and Environmental Checklists. These checklists highlight any potential hazards that may have come about during construction. E.g. Excavations greater than 1.5m that require fencing. Prepare, maintain and sign off on Inspection and Test Plans. Record and monitor the location of newly placed concrete batches. Correspond with the Client Aid the project manager Aid the laborers I was assigned to two main sites during my first internship, the first of these being the construction of a sewerage overflow tank just off Gunnamatta Bay in Cronulla, NSW. This site basically involved the removal of an existing retaining wall, the excavation of the pit for the tank, the construction of the 5m x 3m tank and the restoration of the wall and the surrounding plants. It was only a fairly small, two month job with a budget of about $300,000. The second site I was assigned to on my first internship was a huge multi-million dollar construction and renovation project of the Holsworthy Army Barracks. On this site, several companies were subcontracted to John Holland to complete specific aspects of the job. Christie Civil had the role of excavating the trenches, laying the storm water pipes and the construction of the roads throughout the site. Systems Engineer As a Systems Engineer I was based in the head office, but was regularly required to visit the different sites and conduct Project Review Meetings (PRMs) with the Foreman or Project Managers. The data from these PRMs were collected and collated to form a set of OHS statistics which aim to compare the number of hours worked, with the number of Work Related Incidents (WRIs) and loss time injuries sustained. This allowed the company to gain an overall picture of performance with a focus on Occupational Health and Safety. Also it is a necessary procedure to prove the companies safety records and to build the companies reputation as a safe working company. This is done for the sake of tendering and as documentation in case an authority audits the company. Estimator As an estimator I assisted the estimating division in calculating the price of the different jobs for which we were tendering. This involved communicating with the Senior Estimator and referring to several engineering drawings in order to calculate the cost of the processes involved with the different jobs. For example from the engineering drawings we could calculate the approximate volume of material to be excavated. We could then approximate the time this would take for a certain excavator to complete, and then we would get several quotes from our subcontractors in order to compile a competitive tender for the prospective client. Other In conjunction with the major positions explored above I also had many other less specific roles within the company. Regularly I was required to drop off tenders, buy tools, conduct dilapidation reports, collect information regarding potential work sites, print and interpret engineering drawings and follow instructions as needed. Second Internship 2009/2010 After my first Internship I felt that I had not learnt as much as I could have at Christie Civil, hence I took up an offer to return to the company for my second internship. During this time, I worked for Christies for over 7 months between July 2009 and February 2010. As a result of my previous experience, I spent less time learning the ins and outs of my role within the company, but rather, was put out on one of the companys major job sites straight away. Throughout the course of my second internship I worked on two major sites, the first site involved the upgrade of Hillsborough Rd, a fairly major RTA road located in the heart of Warners Bay near Newcastle. As a site engineer on this particular job I was required to do much of the same work I had done during my first internship, although having a period of about one and a half years away from the company I was fortunate to have another site engineer with me for the first few weeks to remind me of my role. This particular site was unlike any other job I had worked on prior, because the construction client was the RTA. This meant that I was required to read through and understand many RTA specifications to do with the correct process for the construction of an RTA road, and submit all the testing and evidence that was need to prove to the RTA that the construction complied with the specifications. Specifically, this involved submitting Hold Point Release Forms (See Appendix A), to the RTA at particular stages of the construction process, and waiting for them to approve the quality of particular aspects of the current construction, before we could continue. Learning Outcomes The learning outcomes addressed below were chosen because they are not directly looked at elsewhere in the report. Eg. I didnt include the learning outcome about ethics, because it is directly addresses in the Ethics section. to review past experience, so as to plan and prepare for future workplace participation at a graduate and professional level. After reviewing both of my internships, and my university experience as a whole, I think that in the immediate future after graduation, I would like to get a job as a design engineer to experience a different side of my profession. An older civil engineer said to me when I first began my degree was that in his experience, the best design engineers are the ones who had worked in construction beforehand, because they know the practical workings of the job and can apply their experience while designing. So I deliberately went about looking for a job a site engineer for my first and second internships. At university I have enjoyed and found satisfying, the design subjects such as concrete design and steel and timber design, and could honestly see myself pursuing that sort of thing as a career. I would also like to achieve Chartered Professional Engineering Status to further open up opportunities for my career throughout my life. to refine and develop your approach to securing employment for professional engineering practice Since both of my internships were in construction, I hope to eventually get into engineering design, where I can incorporate the practical experience gained from working on site with the designs I am required to complete. As a result I have been looking out for, and focusing my attention to companies which are actively involved in both the design and construction aspects of engineering. I could use my construction experience to get into the company, and then hopefully move on to more of a design role within the company. to extend your knowledge of workplace cultures and organizational behavior Working in the construction industry, gave me the opportunity to learn about and be amongst two very different workplace cultures. The difference between the cultures on site and in the office is extravagant. Workplace culture in the office was professional which meant we were required to wear pants and a collared shirt. The atmosphere in the office was serious compared to the site as most of the people I worked with in the office were skilled engineers and project managers. In the same way, this was confirmed by the fact that everyone worked in their own office, quietly without fuss. On site however, there was many practical jokes and a lot of swearing. Work was done to keep on schedule, but there wasnt a major push for completion. Most days were relatively stress-free and for the most part everyone got along. There was no set time for lunch breaks, and sometimes the opportunity to work through lunch and finish early. to develop a critical basis for understanding principles of management, and of planning and design Throughout my work experience I have had much more to do with planning and construction rather than design. I have worked closely alongside a few different construction managers. I have seen and helped with much of the work they do and seen what is required of them to get the job done. Similarly I have been assigned to construction projects from their beginning, and have been involved in the initial planning of a job. My work experience also has been complimented with subjects I have studied at university, such as Construction and Engineering Project Management, whereas subjects like Concrete Design and Steel and Timber Design, have introduced me to the foundational concepts behind design, which I hope will someday come into use in the near future during my career. to develop and demonstrate effective communication skills appropriate to professional engineering Communication was one of the essential skills I needed in order to complete my job properly. As explored above, working in the different workplace cultures of site and the office, required me to be able to communicate effectively, with different types of people. Typically, when in the office I would be talking to engineers and Project Managers. As a result, the conversations were generally more technically based often referring to specific design specifications and engineering drawings. On site however, conversations, if about work, were regarding the practical aspects of the construction such as getting the grader to trim the road base down 20mm. to relate the theoretical knowledge gained in your experience to your studies, so as to be able to apply it in your capstone project During my internships, I found that a lot of the material and engineering knowledge I had gained at university was reinforced through my practical experience. Subjects such as Surveying, Construction and Engineering Project Management provided invaluable preparation for what I was to learn while working on construction sites throughout Sydney. Working on site, however, helped me to see the bigger picture of civil engineering and how each stage of the engineering process †¦ from initial conception, to design and finally construction of a project, is just as important as each other. Other subjects such as Steel and Timber Design and Concrete Design also introduced me to the other side of engineering, which I am yet to experience in a workplace environment. All of this experience will prove to be a great resource to draw from when completing my Capstone. to identify opportunities to extend your engineering knowledge Since I have had all of my experience within the construction aspect of Civil Engineering, I would like to initially pursue a career within a design consulting company so I can broaden my experience. I have enjoyed completing subjects such as steel and timber design, and concrete design and would love the challenge of applying the skills I have learnt in those subjects, as well as getting a more detailed understanding of engineering design within the real world. Also I love the idea of residential design, and hopefully one day with enough experience, I might be able to design my own house. to develop strategies for collaborative and life-long learning I have found that one of the most simple and beneficial practices to undertake for lifelong learning are to asking questions. The field of Civil Engineering is so broad, that it is rare to find an engineer that can be an expert at it all. Hence, during my internships, I needed to ask questions, not only to understand what I needed to do as a site engineer, but also to understand the reasons for doing such things like environmental inspection reports, or for using material such as heavily bound road base, as opposed to crushed sandstone, during the construction of roads. to develop strategies to secure mentoring and to promote team work While working for Christie Civil, I was basically assigned to assisting one particular project manager on all of his sites. The Project Manager became sort of a mentor to me, as he would be the first person I would contact if I had any questions or issues. In the same way, I have an uncle and a few friends whom are experienced Civil Engineers, and I have often asked for their advice while unsure about particular assignments while at university. During my career, if the company I work for doesnt assign me to a mentor specifically, I would go about seeking someone within the company who would be happy to sit down with me to answer any questions I might have, also I hopefully would still be able to talk to my uncle and civil engineering friends if they work within the same sector of civil engineering. to reflect on, and constructively review, your colleagues practice to help them in their academic, professional and personal development The main place I have been in a position to constructively review colleagues work is at university. As an intern I certainly wasnt in a position to constructively review my Project Managers work, however, I was required to train up another intern, and in doing so I needed to teach him how, and to review the work he had done. In particular, there was one occasion where he completed a Project Review Meeting but it was not done in enough detail, so I had to review it with him, and highlight the main areas of concern before filing the report. At university however I have worked on plenty of group assignments, where I have been required to constructively review members of my groups work. Recently, I found a mistake in one of the other group members work for a computer modeling and design assignment. I went over and gently pointed out the mistake, but it still took further explanation to convince her that she was wrong. Career Episode Reports Career Episode Title: Road Extension, Templar Rd Erskine Park Dates of Career Episode: 01.11.09 to 01.12.09 Length of Career Episode: 30 days Competency Element Claimed This project involved the extension of Templar Rd, Erskine Park further into an industrial area, to accommodate for the increase in traffic to the area as a result of new major industrial developments in the area. My role as a site engineer was basically to act as a bridge between the office and this site, maintain and upkeep of the QA Documentation, collaborate with the foreman and laborers and liaise with the project manager. While I was working here, I was regularly required to manage my own time and processes. I often would move between the office and the site to attend meetings, run errands and deliver items of significance such as inspection reports. To make the most out of each day, I would plan my time and route accordingly to avoid peak hour traffic and determine the most efficient way to complete my tasks. Often during the day, I would be required to cope with change, both in my own daily schedule or in the final design of the project. Sometimes I would be on site and I would get a call from the company manager asking if I could run an errand for him. On one particular occasion, I was asked to drive back to the company office to pick up some important tender documents and drop them off at the Sydney Water head office. I was required to re-adjust my schedule for that day, and prioritize my tasks and complete them accordingly. Similarly, throughout the project there were several design changes. Initially as part of the project we were required to build a large turning bay towards the end of the road, which was designed so large trucks would have easy access in and out of the surrounding industrial warehouses. Just as we were preparing to begin the excavation for this part of the road, the client changed the design and totally removed the turning bay. I was required to adapt and change a lot of the QA documentation such as Inspection Test Plans (ITPs) and the Lot Plans, in order to accommodate for the design change. On site, I was required to complete surveying and leveling tasks in a timely manner. Due to the nature of the site, the client, Penrith City Council, would send out a senior engineer to inspect the levels of each layer of the road to ensure that we were building the road to the design levels. I was responsible for ensuring these levels were correct before the senior engineer arrived to inspect. I did this by calculating the design levels from the engineering drawings and then using a laser level to check the actual road level. If the actual level did not match the design level I would ask the grader operator to adjust the actual levels appropriately, all before the arrival of the Penrith City Councils Senior Engineer. C3.1: Manages Self C3.1a C3.1e C3.1c Signature of Candidate: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Candidates Verifier/s Name: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Verifier Engineering Qualifications: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. I verify that the above narrative is a true account of the candidates own work Verifier Signature: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Career Episode Title: Hillsborough Rd Upgrade, Warners Bay (part 1) Dates of Career Episode: 05.07.09 to 20.08.09 Length of Career Episode: 45 days Competency Element Claimed This project involved the upgrade of Hillsborough Rd, Warners Bay to coincide and accommodate for the construction of a new shopping complex which serviced the Warners Bay and greater Newcastle area. As a site engineer on this site I was required to travel up to Newcastle and spend several days a week supervising, and maintaining all the QA Documentation, whilst collaborating with the client to ensure that the road was constructed according to the design. My role in particular required a lot of communication. I was constantly asking questions, writing emails, sending reports and confirming meetings with my Project Manager, the client and the site foreman. This in itself required me to change the way I communicate, depending on whom I was talking to. For example, there is a very different workplace culture on site with the foreman and laborers on site, compared to the office with the Project Managers and Engineers. I would have to change my approach to communication and language I would use, depending on the context. When talking to my project manager, or the client, I generally would talk with technical terminology, talking about specific aspects of testing such as the RTA approved NAASRA Road Roughness Test or I would make reference to specific reports such as ITPs (Inspection Test Plan) or Hold Points which were required by the client at the end of the job. On one particular occasion, I was required to prepare all the site documentation for an external audit conducted by a company called SAI Global. It took about a week to get everything in order, and I was quite nervous because the auditor was basically going to be rating the organization and completeness of the site documentation and hence, my performance as a site engineer. At the end of the audit, the SAI Global representative highlighted only 2 minor areas which could be improved. My Project Manager turned around and shook my hand and said good job and that he was not really concerned about the minor issues. This event helped me to develop and maintain the trust of and confidence of my project manager and the other staff involved, that I was capable of performing to the required standard. As an Intern working on this site, I came across many new and different materials and processes used to build this road, compared to what I had encountered before. As an RTA road, the material was generally to be of higher quality, with better materials used and significantly more rigorous testing done during construction. As a result I consistently needed to seek answers from internal (my project manager), and the external (the client representative) sources. I asked questions about the benefits of using particular materials (such as Heavily Bound Base, a road base with fly ash and other cement-like properties.) C3.2: Works Effectively with People Signature of Candidate: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Candidates Verifier/s Name: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Verifier Engineering Qualifications: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. I verify that the above narrative is a true account of the candidates own work Verifier Signature: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Career Episode Title: Hillsborough Rd Upgrade, Warners Bay (part 2) Dates of Career Episode: 21.08.09 to 15.10.09 Length of Career Episode: 60 days Competency Element Claimed This project involved the upgrade of Hillsborough Rd, Warners Bay to coincide and accommodate for the construction of a new shopping complex which serviced the Warners Bay and greater Newcastle area. For the second half of this project I continued working as a site engineer, however as the job neared its conclusion, I was required to focus more on finalizing the official documentation to be submitted to and signed off by the RTA representative. In order to understand what exactly was required by the RTA, I need to read through, understand and constantly refer to the RTA Road Construction specifications. Whenever I found the specifications to be ambiguous, I contacted the RTA Rep for clarification as to what he actually required, hence I identified the clients needs. These specifications required me to regularly complete and submit Hold Point and Witness Point Forms to the RTA Representative at critical stages of the construction process. On one occasion the hold points were sent back before being signed off because they did not contain enough detail. For example, A hold point form was required to be submitted before the construction of each new layer of the road. On this particular instant I submitted the hold point form outlining that the previously completed layer (e.g. the crushed sandstone) had passed all the geotechnical tests and asking for permission to continue with the next layer. The RTA rep then sent the hold poi nt from back and outlined that I needed to be more specific about the chainages where the crushed sandstone had been tested and passed. One of the major set of documents I was required to submit to the RTA was the ITPs or Inspection Test Plans. These were Christie Civil Documents that detailed the methods of construction and testing of each construction process throughout the entire job, e.g., Heavily bound base, Storm water, Asphalt etc. It also required the site engineer and client to sign off after each process had been completed. For example, the ITP for the Heavily Bound Base stated the specific type of material to be used, the level of compaction which was to be achieved and the methods of testing among other things. As the job went on, it was my role to sign off on each of the ITP processes once they had been completed. I then regularly submitted these reports to the client to document the companys progress, before finally submitting the entire completed set of ITPs, along with all of the Hold points and Witness Points, and other required documents, as one complete record of the job. C3.5: Maintains customer focus and relationships with clients Signature of Candidate: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Candidates Verifier/s Name: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Verifier Engineering Qualifications: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. I verify that the above narrative is a true account of the candidates own work Verifier Signature: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Social Responsibility Social Responsibility has become one of, if not the forefront issue in engineering in the last twenty years. A civil engineer is responsible and accountable to rest of society for designing, engineering and constructing in a way which will not harm or have dire consequences for the surrounding environment and its occupants. During my internships I found that the two major ways in which Christie Civil work towards a sustainable future is firstly through the prevention of pollution, and secondly through recycling. On almost every site I went on, there were different measures taken to prevent the pollution of the surrounding areas. While I worked in Cronulla, we temporarily installed a silt boom in the section of the lake nearest to the site. This was to prevent dust and silt and any other form of pollution from the site, from leaking into the natural environment. Similarly, on the Holsworthy site, we temporarily installed small silt filters above all the stormwater drains in the area for the same reason. The use of a water cart to keep the ground moist was a common tool to prevent the spread of dust, whereas every truck (including its wheels) needed to be relatively clean before leaving site, so that any mud or other material on the truck would not get accidentally dropped in public. In the same way, on the Warners Bay and Erskine Park sites I worked on silt fences were installed around all the storm water drains in the area, so as to prevent dirt and dust and other materials from entering the drain and being spread into the environment. On these sites in particular, Christie Civil hired a bobcat with a sweeper extension to continually sweep the existing road of any debris and excess material carried off by delivery vehicles, to prevent the material being spread into the natural environment. During my experience, I found that engineers also generally prefer to recycle materials, not only for sustainable reasons, but because it saves money. For example, on the Holsworthy site we were required to construct roads. This involved the detailed excavation, laying and compaction of road base and then finally the laying and compaction of asphalt. In this instance, on another one of the companys sites, they were getting rid of tonnes of sandstone. Fortunately for us, the sandstone complied with the Australian Standards for a road base. Consequently, the project manager at Holsworthy recycled the sandstone from another site, by re-using it as road base. Ethical Practice Ethics is basically the moral code or set of standards to which someone has been shaped as a result of their culture, religion or society. As a result, ethics is a totally subjective concept, in that something that I might consider wrong or inappropriate might be ok for someone else. Nevertheless the seriousness of ethics cannot be underestimated. I believe that ethics is an especially important topic for the civil engineer, as what they do has a direct impact on society as a whole. Thus, the consequences of bad decisions could possibly have huge ramifications. For me personally, my ethical framework has been predominantly shaped by my Christian faith. One of the major ethical issue I faced while on my internship, involved the project manager and project foreman asking everyone to sign a Safe Work Method Statement which they had changed but dated it as if it was months earlier. The incident arose after an excavator nearly hit some overhead power lines. Upon realizing that this issue had not been highlighted in the Safe Work Method Statement (which should be signed upon induction), the project manager edited the document, including the new issue and re-printed it. He then asked all the laborers and other people involved to sign the SWMS as if it were months earlier, when they signed the original document. In my integrity, I couldnt sign the document and lie about the date on which it had been signed. Fortunately since the document outlined the process for bulk and detailed excavation, it wasnt too important that I didnt sign it, as I had little to do with the physical work in this area. On a similar occasion, while I was working on the Hillsborough Rd, Warners Bay site, one of the young laborers was caught by the police, driving a work truck without a licence on a small public ro