International financial market - and- corporate risk management Essay

International financial market - and- corporate risk management - Essay Example The above equation evaluates the return on a risky asset in terms of (a) its minimum compensation and (b) its potential risk compensation. Within the thinking on modern portfolio theory, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) establishes the theoretical relationship between risk and return, where average expected investor return is determined by the average market return, as shown below: ÃŽ ² represents market sensitivity. An investor can, hence, estimate returns (r) by understanding ÃŽ ², the risk inherent in the stock, when only the stock’s history is considered. In a well diversified portfolio, though, the volatility of the individual stock has little influence on the portfolio’s overall performance. Empirical data gathered in investigations of CAPM, however, argues against the predictions of the model and this has largely invalidated many applications of the model. Portfolio Theory is focused on investors. Two fundamental choices have to be made: what proportion of risky assets should be included in the portfolio; and asset allocation, which depends on the conservative or aggressive requirements of the investor. The theory of diversification allows lower standard deviations and variances of returns within a portfolio. Additionally, the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) suggests that the prices of assets fully reflect available information: the implication is that the market cannot be consistently outperformed, since future share prices cannot be predicted based on historical data (weak-form efficiency); share prices adjust immediately to all available information (semi-strong-form efficiency); share prices reflect public and private information (strong-form efficiency). Diversification suggests two subsequent approaches to the management of the portfolio: active management requires the selection of stocks and the timing of the market, whereas passive management requires the purchase and long-term

Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) Vs. Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) Essay

Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) Vs. Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) - Essay Example The model derived rate of return will then be used to price the asset correctly - the asset price should equal the expected end of period price discounted at the rate implied by model. If the price diverges, arbitrage should bring it back into line. The theory was initiated by the economist Stephen Ross in 1976.(Ross,1976) If APT holds, then a risky asset can be described as satisfying the following relation: Some commonly accepted factors are Business Cycle, Time Horizon, Confidence, Inflation, Market Timing, oil prices, term structure of interest rates, industrial production, default premiums etc. It has been shown that the empirical specification of the APT need not be unique.( Otuteye,1991) In other words, no one set of economic factors constitutes "the factors" of the APT. Any set of factors that fulfills the requirements of the returns generating process and the resulting linear relationship between expected returns and factor sensitivities will be an equally valid set of APT factors. However, there is a gradual consensus towards the use of some common factors. (Brown, Weinstein, 1983) The CAPM does not appear to adequately explain the variation in stock returns. Empirical studies show that low beta stocks may offer higher returns than the model would predict. Some data to this effect was presented as early as a 1969 conference in Buffalo, New York in a paper by Fischer Black, Michael Jensen, and Myron Scholes(Black et.al,1972). Either that fact is itself rational (which saves the efficient markets hypothesis(EMH) but makes CAPM wrong), or it is irrational (which saves CAPM, but makes EMH wrong - indeed, this possibility makes volatility arbitrage a strategy for reliably beating the market). The CAPM assumes that investors demand higher returns in exchange for higher risk. It does not allow for investors who will accept lower returns for higher risk. The model also assumes that all investors agree about the risk and expected return of all assets(Homogeneous expectations assumption). The model assumes unrealistically that asset returns are lognormally distributed, random variables. As a result, large swings (3 to 6 standard deviations from the mean) occur in the market more frequently than the normal distribution assumption would expect. These swings can greatly impact an asset's

Marketing Factors In Pepsi Cola Organisation

Marketing Factors In Pepsi Cola Organisation Company Background Pepsi Co is a world leader in convenient snacks, foods, and beverages, with revenues of $60 billion and over 285,000 employees. PepsiCo owns some of the worlds most popular brands, including Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Lays, Doritos, Tropicana, Gatorade, and Quaker. Our brands are available worldwide through a variety of go-to-market systems, including direct store delivery (DSD), broker-warehouse, and food service and vending. PepsiCo was founded in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Tropicana was acquired in 1998 and PepsiCo merged with the Quaker Oats Company, including Gatorade, in 2001. Divisions Report operations results as follows, by six segments: PepsiCo Americas Beverages (PAB) Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) Quaker Foods North America (QFNA) Latin America Foods (LAF) Europe Asia, Middle East Africa (Investors/Corporate-Profile.html, 2010) I have selected the carbonated drinks industry for this report and discuss relative to the Pepsi under their industry conditions. International Business of Carbonated Drinks Industry Carbonated Drinks Market is growing High profitability and lack of barriers to entry led to the emergence of many new players in the market of carbonated drinks. Competition in the market is increasing and as a result profitability has been decreased by 15% in 2 years in the UK market. Company held the strategic analysis and decided to begin expansion to the new market. Companies are doing marketing researches in all geographical locations and try to find better new market for entry. Despite the presence of several competitors in the market the companies having chance to enter in to new locations and try to find grab predominant market share. The drinks market is attractive for the Pepsi Company because of its lowly competitive and having huge target audience throughout the UK. Company hopes to built there strong brand that will defend chosen market from penetration of new players and give the company profits at the higher level. The companys strategy involves building a strong distribution network in small satellite c ities in addition to the urban areas. Bad condition of the water from the municipal central water supply system and lack of prospects for their repair and modernization Unsuitable for drinking and cooking water supplied from municipal central supply system greats a high demand for pure drinking water purified populations. This situation is general for the whole country and its solution requires great financial cost. According to the current economic situation in the country the current situation is unlikely to be rectified in the next 10 years. The marker of pure drinking water is very big. Every resident should to consume every day about 2 liters of water, so the company considers a promising development of its activities in this market in the next 10 years. Therefore people trust the pureness of bottled carbonated drinks and avoid the bad effects of them. Growth by 15 times the tax on the production of drinking water / Carbonated Drinks in bottles from 1 may 2010 Carbonated drinks in bottles are substitute of water sold in the consumer packaging. Despite of its high price it has a raw of advantages such as Accessibility in every grocery in a city and Presented by famous brands. This drinks came directly as a response to public demand for pure drinking water and during that time became very popular in spite of price that 2-4 times higher than for drinking water sold in the consumer packaging. The introduction of the rule of this law will lead to the transition of customers to the consumption of water sold in the consumer packaging and persuade people to drink carbonated drinks due to the cost advantage. Improvement of technologies of individual water purification system and reducing of their cost This substitute is very popular in the market. Advantage of individual water purification systems is a possibility of their using directly at a consumer home by using water from the municipal central supply system. Cost of purification of 1 liter of water with the use such system is approximately equal of price of drinks sold in the customer packaging. However such systems have a number of weaknesses. Cheap models that cost about 10 USD purify water with a middle quality that significantly inferior to the quality of water purified by professional systems. It can be also dangerous for health to use such systems because delays in the replacement of filters can cause the user to use water with bacteria and viruses. Expensive individual purification water systems that give higher water quality comparable in quality with given by professional systems have high initial cost about 100-300 USD, that for considerable cost of UK populations in a monthly income. Also they dont purify water from bacteria and viruses. However cheap individual purification water systems are becoming more popular in the market. Companies should to develop response strategy for these substitutes. Because of all above factors the carbonated drinks market is still growing with huge industrial rivalry. The international business environment 2.1 Micro / Macro factors affecting to Pepsi in Globally SWOT Analysis Strengths S1 Experience in developing distribution chain in the industry S2 Experience in conducting promotion in the industry S3 Company provides strong control of servicing customers S4 Competitive and flexible pricing S5 High quality of water which is ideal for food that confirmed by certificates Weaknesses W1 Lack of natural drinks in the range of the company and specialized in carbonated drinks. W2 Company doesnt have service of delivering drinks to customers home W3 Difficulties in branding in the industry to heavy competition and should maintain promotions daily Opportunities O1 Growth by 15 times the tax on the production of drinking water in bottles from 1 may 2010 O2 Low prices for the rental of retail space and down wages, that allow company to cut cost O3 The market has a big potential of growth and now it is completed just for 30% O5 There is low competition in the chosen market O6 Bad condition of the water from the municipal central water supply system and lack of prospects for their repair and modernization O7 Growing concern of the population about their health O8 Development of vending technologies for selling pure drinking water O9 Severe pollution of water resources in the region Our strength S4 and S5 will help us to grab opportunity O1 and take some customers from segments of water in the bottles Our strengths S1 with opportunity O2, O3, O8 will help us to develop distribution chain in the city very quickly Our strengths S2, S3, S4, S5 with opportunities O3, O5, O6, O7, O9 would contribute to great sales of the company in the chosen market Weaknesses W1, W2 prevents us to fully utilize opportunities O3, O5, O6 Treats T1 Improvement of technologies of an individual water purification systems and reducing of their cost T2 The absent of barriers in the industry and low initiate investments attract new players T3 Expected growth prices by 10% for water from the municipal central water supply system that used by company for purification drinking water Our strengths S1 , S2 and S4, S5 will help us to minimize impact on the market The treat T1 Our strengths S1, S3, S4 will help us to minimize chances of new entrances to the market Opportunity O2 will eliminates treat T4 Weakness W2 with treat T1 can cut share of the industry in the market of pure drinking water. We need to develop promotion program that will stimulate population to use just quality water purred by professional systems Weakness W1 with treat T3 great opportunity for other companies to entry the market with offer of natural drinking water sold in the customer packaging and grab segment of the market. So company should initiate project of sales natural drinking water from own distribution chain for the segment of the market that want to drink just natural water 2.2 PESTEL Variable Factors Political and Legal Growth by 15 times the tax on the production of drinking water in bottles from 1 may 2010 Total corruption in the controlling state bodies Bad condition of the water from the municipal central water supply system and lack of prospects for their repair and modernization Economic Low prices for the rental of retail space caused by economic recession in 2009 Down wages, high level of unemployment Expected growth prices by 10% for water from the municipal central water supply system that used by company for purification drinking water Reduction in purchasing power of the population Socio-cultural Growing concern of the population about their health Negative attitude of population toward quality of water from municipal central water supply system Technological Improvement of technologies of an individual water purification systems and reducing of their cost Development of vending technologies for selling pure drinking water Ecological Severe pollution of water resources in all around the world 2.3 Porters 5 Forces Analysis Buyer Power is moderate: Bottling companies and retailers constitute the main buyers in the carbonated soft drinks market. The latter represents the most significant force yet despite their large size and concentration, it is the public that drives the market (heavy marketing campaigns and brand consciousness are a warrantee that popular products must be stocked, reducing the power of buyers). Although Pepsi does not do any bottling, the company owns about 36% of Pepsi Enterprises which is the largest Pepsi bottler in the world (Murray, 2006a). Since Pepsi owns the majority of the bottler, that particular supplier does not hold much bargaining power. Suppliers Power is moderate: Pepsi is dependent on suppliers for various ingredients and vulnerable to certain commodities price fluctuations. However, the availability of substitutes reduces their power. N.B: the advertising and marketing agencies represent key suppliers (very concentrated) but their power is moderate. New Entrants threat is weak: they face important barriers such as strong brand loyalty and substantial fixed costs. The nature of the market also demands an intensive marketing campaign in order to create and maintain a successful brand awareness and image. The difficulty in dislodging the main players of the market is linked to the importance of economy of scale which inevitably benefits current mass manufacturers. Substitutes threat is moderate: there are various substitutes such as alcoholic beverages, tea, coffee and non-carbonated soft drinks. But the diversity of public demand ensures that a wide range of products offered by Pepsi will be stocked by retailers. For many consumers, such products represent alternatives and not substitutes. Industry competition is a moderate force: with only a limited number of players, competition is lessened as each established competitor secures an important segment of the market thanks to strong branding and product differentiation. Coca Cola and Pepsi Co dominate the industry with strong brand names and great distribution channels. Forces Factors Threat of substitutes The individual water purification systems. The cost of water with the use of the individual water purification systems is approximately equal to the cost of water sold in the customer packaging. Cost of cheap purification systems sold at the supermarkets is low (about 10 USD), so its the easiest way for customer to have pure water directly at home. Drinking water in bottles. This water is available in any store in the city. Its price higher by 3-4 times than drinking water sold in the customer packaging. Small part of customers uses this water every day for drinking and cooking. Some companies specialize in supplying the offices of drinking pure water in bottles. This market is strong competitive. Threats of new enters Licences or any other special permission arent needed to entry the market. Initial investment to start business in this market is about 20  000 USD, so it is some easy to entry in the market. It is easy to organize distribution chain by setting up chain of outlets in a chosen area. It is low chances for new outlets to be opened near existing one, because owners understand that there much area is free in the market and strong competition will kill profits. Density of rivalry Industry is growing by 20-30% every year In the chosen market competition is low, existing sellers are getting super profits Brands arent developed at all. The companies havent differentiated their products in the minds of buyers because of low competition and havent provide any marketing events The market has a big potential of growth and now it is completed just for 30% The most important competitive advantage is a dense distribution chain Bargaining power of buyers Buyers are individual and amount of purchase is small, so buyers dont have significantly impact on prices. Buyers can easy switch on substitute products or on purchasing water from a competitor outlet if it is available in the nearest area. Product cost isnt significant for buyers, so their sensitivity to price isnt very big Buyers are sensitive to quality of product and to information about it Bargain of suppliers Producer of drinking pure water distribute it by own distribution chains and use water for purification from municipal water supply system International strategies of the company Strategies As for the growth strategy, I choose the Product Development strategy because decided to create a new product for existing customers and because it is a medium risk strategy. And for the competitive strategy, I choose the differentiation strategy because Pepsi is a very innovative company, the unique selling point being having a great Energy drink with the amazing taste of Coke Zero. It is costly but Coca is a multinational company and the leader in its market. STP Segmentation criteria: Market Size: UK, Males, Age: 15-35, Wage: , Students, Professionals, Sports People, Urban people. Targeting criteria: Influence, Strategic Fit, Disposable Income, and Reachable, likely to buy. Targets: Professionals and Sports People. Positioning: Sporty, Cool, Young, Adventure, Personality, Unique. Tactics Product Core Product: NRJ Coke Zero, satisfy the need of thirst and vitamins Second Product: (first added value): taste, design, quality, brand, innovation, Third: After sales, cool personality, differentiation, Why innovation: Rationale for my product development: Stay competitive in the energy drinks market Retain market share Trends NPD (New Product Development) Idea Generation and screening Business Analysis Market Testing Commercialise Price Price Elasticity: Perfect Elasticity: Intermediate pricing Place / Distribution Channels Indirect distribution because it allows more market reach, maximum availability of products, minimum costs of ownership and infrastructure. As a matter of fact, the targeted segments are very large (FMCG product). Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages such as the brand is diluted: the competitors can have a stronger power on retailers which might lead to less availability or lack of presentation and merchandising. Also commissions: The power of retailers may have adverse impacts on the companys margins and profits. Intensity of Distribution: Intensive Distribution: Prelaunch exclusive then intensive starting from the introduction stage. Integration of Distribution: Backward Vertical Integration: B2B: Upstream relationship (with suppliers: contracts, acquisition of suppliers and bottlers, mergers, joint ventures, strategic alliances). Forward Vertical Integration: B2B with retailers: Downstream. B2C: CRM, Mass Media, Loyalty cards, research. Pepsi collects information from the retailers, Promotion / Communication: Objectives: D Æ’Â   Differentiate 40% R Æ’Â   Reinforce the message 0% I Æ’Â   Inform 40% P Æ’Â   Persuade (call to action) 20% In the introduction stage, my main objectives are to inform and differentiate. Then develop a COMMUNICATION STRATEGY: PUSH: Pepsi Æ’Â   Retailer ( trade magazines, promotion, incentives) (25%) PULL: Pepsi Æ’Â   Customer ( TV advertising..) (25%) PROFILE: Pepsi Æ’Â   Retailers and Customers ( brand image, sponsor events, celebrity endorsement). (50%) because main CSF is strong brand image Develop Brand: Umbrella branding: NRJ Pepsi Zero Promotional Mix ABOVE THE LINE ( Mass reach, not customised) TV teaser, TV adverts, Radio, Press, Billboards BELOW THE LINE (Customised) Direct Marketing, Personal Selling, Sales Promotion THROUGH THE LINE (Cinema, fashion magazine, event sponsor,) Sponsorship Samples Exhibitions PR/ Publicity 2012 London Olympic Games 04. Effectiveness of the companys international strategies 4.1 Value Chain Analysis In Bound Logistics: Some of Pepsis most notable suppliers include Spherion, Jones Lang LaSalle, IBM, Ogilvy and Mather, IMI Cornelius, and Prudential. These companies provide Pepsi with materials such as ingredients, packaging and machinery. In order to ensure that these materials are in satisfactory condition, Pepsi -cola has put certain standards in place which these suppliers must adhere to (The Supplier Guiding Principles). These include: compliance with laws and standards, laws and regulations, freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced and child labor, abuse of labor, discrimination, wages and benefits, work hours and overtime, health and safety, environment, and demonstration of compliance (Pepsi Cola 2006). Process: Pepsi purchases its own ingredients through use of future contracts (to avoid market volatility) and produces its concentrate from its own facilities. Once this is done, these companies send their concentrate out to bottlers upon approval of contract for bottling company. Outbound Logistics: Once the bottling company receives the shipment of concentration, it is diluted to the correct concentration by adding the correct amount of carbonated water, and sugar, and bottled for sale. This is done for two reasons. One reason is so that Pepsi can maintain its exact mix of ingredients as a well-kept secret, and not let the bottling companies know what exactly goes into its product. This affects the image of the product, and preserves it as something of higher value, and actually applies a sense of prestige to the Pepsi products that are kept such excellent secrets. Pepsi operates by sending concentrate to bottlers, who then take the necessary actions, and ship out its products to consumers and vendors. Automation in technology in cash registers allows Pepsi and the bottling companies who bottle and ship the contents of each bottle to know exactly how much of their product the merchant is carrying. This allows for a quick delivery of more products for the merchant to sell in a nice and timely procedure. (Source: article VCA) JDA Software Group has announced that Pepsi Bottling Co. Consolidated, with 6,000 employees and $1.4 billion in annual revenue, has upgraded its JDA Software supply chain management solutions to Version 7.4, including JDA ® Demand, JDA ® Fulfillment and JDA ® Transportation Planning, all powered by Manugistics ®. Pepsi Consolidated expects to further improve forecast accuracy, customer service levels, order fill rates and on-time deliveries with the support of JDA Software. JDA Softwares Supply Chain Optimisation and Transportation Logistics Management solutions allow companies to respond rapidly to shifts in consumer demand, as well as manage, optimise and execute the strategic, operational and tactical business processes that transform the supply chain into a strategic differentiator. (Source: Forecasting Demand Planning). Sales Marketing: Marketing and Sales for Pepsi e is huge. Pepsi relies extensively on advertising and sales promotion in marketing its products. Pepsi Enterprises and TCCC have established a Global Marketing Fund, under which TCCC pays Pepsi Enterprises $ 61.5 million annually through December 31, 2014, as support for marketing activities. (Source: annual report). After Sales: David Johnston, JDA Software senior vice president of manufacturing and wholesale distribution, said, JDAs innovative supply chain solution enabled Pepsi Consolidated to achieve substantial inventory reductions while also delivering significant improvements in customer service levels. Additionally, sales from new product introductions improved greatly. More and more companies are focusing on achieving true supply chain optimisation excellence in a quest to deliver improved market responsiveness, better lifecycle management, optimised network-wide inventory levels, increased customer service levels, and reduced logistics costs. JDA Software has continually delivered innovation that provides manufacturers, wholesale distributors and retailers with unparalleled optimisation and visibility into the extended supply chain that enables them to delight their customers and shareholders alike. (Source: Forecasting Demand Planning). 4.2 7 Ps and 7 Ss 7 Ps STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES PRODUCT 1. Great Energy drink with the popular Pepsi Zero taste 2. Carbon drink 3. Enriched with vitamins 4. Innovation in products and packaging 5. Consumer and customer goodwill associated with the brand portfolio 6. Very strong brand awareness ensures that Pepsi popular products must be stored by retailers 1.Seasonality in the UK 2. The energy drinks are usually considered as unhealthy and too sweet 3.Competing with Red Bull which is the leader ( de loin) PRICE 1. Same price as Red bull 2. Affordable for Coke Zero consumers 3. Price package architecture (different pricing options) 1. Ingredients and packaging costs per case increase, as finished goods and increasing cost of sparkling beverage concentrate. 2. Same price as Red Bull but same taste as Pepsi, so needs to justify the price by insisting on the added vitamins and quality of Stevia sweetener. PLACE 1. Pepsi owns the largest beverage distribution system 2. NRJ Coke Zero will be available everywhere 3. Will benefit from the Pepsi existing and well established distribution channels 1. Changes in the relationships with large customers may negatively impact financial results 2. Disagreement among bottlers could lead to complicated negotiation with customers, suppliersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 3. Dilution of the Coke brand as it is sold in the retailers shelfs 4. Referencing challenge as it is a question mark product for the retailers PROMOTION 1. Heavy marketing and advertising campaigns 2. Heavy use of celebrity endorsement 3. Effective PR 4. TCCC is the official sponsor of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in the UK 1. Expensive Marketing and Advertising campaigns 2. Expensive promotion as it is to inform and differentiate the product PEOPLE 1.Great customer service 2.Improved customer service through the implementation of a new selling system for smaller customers 1. The customer facing staff are not part of the TCCC personnel, their customer service is not homogeneous and dedicated to Pepsi 2. The staff are not expert of the new product and will not be able to sell it properly or explain its attributes to the final customers PROCESS 1. Constant innovation in the equipment and in supply chain infrastructure improvement 2. Very efficient supply chain, linking the retailers stocks to TCCC bottling partners directly for reordering 1.Long processes as it is a multinational 2. Long decision making process PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 1.Great vending, dispensing machines, coolers 2. Great head offices 3. Strong brand, trademark, Pepsi bottler, great packaging and design 4. Very comprehensive and well elaborated website 1. Variety of shops Recommendations for improvement The marketing plan takes the corporate objectives and communicates them into measurable outcomes. Piercy (2002) states that The real strategic problem in marketing is not the strategy it is marketing the implementation and the change (p166 CIM) Lack of skills An effective organizational structure and committed leadership is needed to deliver the marketing plan (CIM p166). Improving marketing skills in the company Presentation of operational proposal for addressing the : Lack of Resources A lack of sufficient financial budgets and people to support the required task needed to implement the plan. Time constraints can also affect the delivery of the plan. Organizational Culture The culture of the company could hinder the development of the marketing plan across the company. The existing shared values of the organizations. The established processes and company traditions can make departments resistant to change. Systems Internal Marketing Internal marketing and resource allocation will need to be planned to Ensuring people sell expected targets and Undertaking effective communicate brand images and ensure value based marketing Strategy not suitable for the business The strategy needs to be approved by Managing directors to determine its accuracy and Turbulent market environment The unpredictable changes in the market will make the marketing plan The inclusion of an contingency planning and benchmarking

Good Advice :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Good Advice Good advice is different for everyone and is distinct each time you receive it. Sometimes I receive advice and don’t realize what it is until I actually need to apply it. This occurred in Andrea Kunze’s paper. Her dad had always warned her that boys were the devil and on her first day of school the advice he had been giving her all along suddenly could make sense. Some advice I’m given allows me to ponder over options I hadn’t thought of before. Other times who ever happens to be helping me envisions a solution that is a variation of what I had contemplated. This goes with the theory that two heads are better than one. The way I think differs from everyone else’s conceptions. When two people work on the same problem they’re able to come up with variations on how to solve it. By listening to what someone else has to say about a situation, they bring in an objective opinion that might shed a different angle of lightening on a possible solution. An example of this is when I had to make a model of the human heart out of clay for biology. I was trying to mold the outside of the heart while still showing the parts of the inside. My dad noticed me struggling on this project so taking it from me, he restructured it by cutting the heart in half so you could still see what the outside looked like on one side of the model whil e the other side showed what the heart looks like in the inside. Whenever I seek guidance I turn to my friends, parents, acquaintances, and teachers because I respect their judgment. Given a difficult decision to make, even though I know what their response will be, I still look to them for help. I search for their understanding to reinforce what I already know I need to do. It’s easier for me to make a decision because when I hear the same solution being said by someone else I know someone is behind me, supporting my choice even if I mess up. They can show me options that would work for my situation and they won’t try and mislead me by giving advise that could cause me to get hurt. Like Douglas Crane wrote, â€Å"The advisor doesn’t have secret plans to use the advise for their personal gain, the advisor had respect and in most/all cases, love for the advisee.

Analysis and Interpretation of “Company of Wolves”

Angela Carter: â€Å"The Company of Wolves† (1979, excerpt) Men are powerful, strong, dominant. But what are women's strengths? This question was widely discussed in the late seventies during the women's liberation movement. Women all over the world were fighting for their rights, and this inspired female authors to put their thoughts into stories. Women could be manipulative, deceiving. They could control men when they wanted to. So why were the men in control of the world?By rewriting â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†, Angela Carter turns the norms of the fairytale upside down, and thereby shows the development in contemporary society. In â€Å"The Company of Wolves†, a young girl beats the most manly of all creatures: the werewolf. The short story is chronological and is told by an omniscient third person narrator with a clear narrative voice:†Children do not stay young for long in this savage country†(p. 22). This gives the reader an insight in the hu ntsman's thoughts as well as the girls, and we get an understanding of the decisions taken by the characters.The short story has intertextuality, as it's a rewriting of the fairytale â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†, but it's uncharacteristic as a fairytale as it does not start with the usual â€Å"once upon a time†, and does not end with â€Å"they lived happily ever after†. Angela Carter has chosen to rewrite a story almost everyone knows to make her message easier to understand. But the language in the story is quite formal. This makes it more difficult to understand properly, and it shows that Angela Carter wanted to address the story to the educated part of society.The formal language is also a way of pointing out that women can actually write in a high level of language. The short story's setting is midwinter in a forest. The winter embodies the color white, the color of innocence. The color white is used frequently in the story as well as the color red to pe rsonalize the girl. The white color symbolizes her innocence and the red color represents a grown woman, her lethality and female passion in contrast to her innocence and sensibility. The girl is the main character in the story, as she undergoes a clear development from a young girl to a grown woman.She starts out as a young and innocent girl, casually walking through the forest on her way to her grandmother's house. But as she meets the young huntsman, the man, the wolf, it starts snowing. The huntsman threatens her innocence symbolized with the prelude to a blizzard. At the end of the story, just as the girl has gone to bed with the huntsman, it stops snowing (â€Å"The blizzard died down†, p. 27). The white snow, her innocence, has died down, and her innocence is lost forever. Angela Carter is using a woman as the hero in the story, which is quite unusual for a fairytale.She was trying to break away from the norms of the fairytale by letting the girl use her female strengt hs to beat the werewolf. She is deceiving and manipulating the werewolf, and ends up sleeping with the werewolf instead of being eaten. The huntsman is Angela Carter's symbol of masculinity. In this story men are shown as beasts, just like the huntsman. He's a werewolf, he's hairy, he's â€Å"carnivore incarnate† (p. 25). When the girl was walking through the forest, â€Å"†¦ she heard the freezing howl of a wolf† (p. 23), (â€Å"†¦ but she saw no sign of a wolf at all, nor of a naked man†, p. 23).By adding this, Angela Carter implies that a naked man and a wolf are the same thing, (and thereby she lets her thoughts as the writer be apparent). The huntsman eats the grandmother. He is literally feeding on women, just as Angela Carter indicates that men are feeding on women in society. Most of the women at that time were still cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children at home singlehandedly, and could proceed to take care of their husband when he got back from work. Women were the unappreciated pillar of society. The colors red and white are the main symbols in the story.These colors are mentioned throughout the story (â€Å"†¦ her cheeks are an emblematic scarlet and white†, p. 22). The first sentence starts with â€Å"It is midwinter and the robin†¦ † (p. 22), the midwinter is white and the robin is red. As mentioned earlier, red and white symbolizes the girl's innocence, passion and femininity. Red is not only used to symbolize the huntsman's lethality (â€Å"†¦ eyes the size of saucers, saucers full of Greek fire, diabolic phosphorescence†, p. 25), (â€Å"There was a faint trace of blood on his chin†, p. 24), the girl's red dress shows how the girl is equally lethal to the huntsman.By writing this story Angela Carter is focusing on women's strengths, such as how the girl uses manipulation and deception to beat the werewolf. She indicates that a woman can take a man into her mer cy in any given situation (even when he's about to eat you). But does Angela Carter really think manipulation and deception are strengths? Isn't this to display women's weakness, if these are their only strengths? Angela Carter uses the fairytale to catch the reader's attention, and by making the girl succeed in manipulating with the werewolf, she dissociates herself from the classic fairytales in which a man is the savior.Angela Carter shows men as beasts, merely feeding off of and toying with women, though they can't go for long without the love of a woman. Men are unintelligent as they just follow their feral instincts, and can be tricked by even the most innocent girl at any given time. But Angela Carter does not end up giving the reader a positive interpretation of women either. They use manipulation and their female bodies to deceive men. This short story is Angela Carter's contribution to the discussion of gender roles in society at that time.Hvad har jeg gjort? Jeg har selvf olgelig rettet de fejl som du gjorde opm? rksom pa, og provet at fa teksten til at passe bedre til konklusionen. Egentligt er det mere konklusionen jeg har provet at tilpasse teksten, da jeg har sv? rt ved at udv? lge, hvilke dele af analysen der burde udelades. I et par af analysepunkterne har jeg uddybet, sa sammenh? ngen med konklusionen er mere klar. Jeg har provet at omskrive den del af analysen, hvor du var uenig i at jeg anklagede Angela Carter, hvilket jeg godt kan se, er at ga for langt.Tror jeg blev grebet af, at jeg folte at jeg havde fat i noget, og korte den lidt for langt ud. Jeg har dog holdt fast i pointen. Jeg har forsogt at uddybe hvorfor Angela Carter har valgt en alvidende 3. persons fort? ller, og rettet mine fordanskede udtryk. Du bad mig ogsa om at uddybe enkelte dele af analysen, og det har jeg provet at gore, dog uden at komme med en ny pointe som gar tabt i lobet af analysen. Jeg er i tvivl, om det er bedst at skrive â€Å"can not† eller â€Å"can't † / â€Å"she's† eller â€Å"she is†, eller om det er ligegyldigt.

Obesity †Nutrition Essay

Fast food is something that every American knows about. Most likely you, the person reading this has had fast food before, and probably enjoyed it. Whether it may be Mcdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, KFC, etc. There is nothing as cheap, quick to get, and tasty as fast food. With the ever-growing population of obese Americans, people are looking for a reason and for most that reason is fast food. Now according to the CDC (centers for disease control) the definition of overweight is having a BMI (body mass index) of 25-29. 9 and the BMI for an obese person is 30 or higher. Could it be that fast food is causing 78 million Americans 20 years or older to be obese, or that 17% of all children and teens in the US are over weight because of it? I think not. Sure, fast food may not be the healthiest choice for you, but seriously, no one is forcing you to eat that cheeseburger and no one is forcing you to drink that soda. You see fast food is not the problem, the decision making of the obese American population is. Now just so we’re clear I have nothing against obese people and there is a big difference between a little chunky, which is okay and obese. Now just so your aware of the obesity problem here in America, here’s some cold hard facts about obesity. Here in the US more than 35% of adults are considered obese, that’s more than 78 million people across the country that are obese. Seventeen percent of children and young adults are obese, which is triple the rate of a generation ago. Studies have shown that obesity gives you a greater chance of getting type2 diabetes and even cancer. If you are wondering why there are so many obese people in America today just ask your self a few simple questions. Would you rather go for a nice evening jog or stay home and watch your favorite TV show? Would you rather eat a salad or something not as healthy like a burger or pizza? And finally would you rather go to the gym or hang out with friends? If I had to guess I’d say most of you would rather hang out with friends, eat junk food, and watch your favorite TV show. You see most people have the time to work out and eat right they just choose not to and just like every choice made in life it comes with it’s benefits and consequences. You don’t have to pay for a gym member ship just walk up some steps or play catch with your kids or take a walk at the park, anything is obviously better than nothing. Now researchers will argue against my claims, and that’s understandable. They’ll mention that 33 percent of children and adolescents in the U. S. consume fast food on a typical day; they’ll also state that on average adolescents will visit a fast food restaurant twice a week. Well all I have to say to that is whose fault is that? How are these kids buying the fast food? With their parent’s money of course. Why can’t the parents make them something healthy and control what there kids eat instead of giving them money to eat fast food? It’s the parent’s fault that the kids are eating fast food so often. Fast food isn’t going to make you obese unless you eat it most of the time. If you eat it occasionally but you also eat your fruits and vegetables you’ll be fine. It is crazy to know that in the U. S. 49% of money spent on food is spent away from home. Which means people are choosing to buy food from restaurants and other places rather than go to the grocery store and cook at home. That percentage is always increasing due to the fact that people now a days are looking for more convenient ways of getting there food. If your wondering just how much money is being spent on quick service restaurants, in 2011 quick service restaurants were expected to gain 168 billion dollars, 3% more than 2010. If people would just spend half the amount of money that they usually spend on fast food and cook a nice healthy meal instead there would be no problem with fast food. Once again the decisions of the American people are to blame. Hit the gym and help yourself get slim. Studies have shown that physical activity plays a big role in loosing weight but of course you knew that, its common sense. But what many people don’t know is that according to the CDC (center for disease control) fewer than 2 out of 10 Americans and less than 30 percent of adults get the recommended level of exercise. Also that more than 25% of U. S. adults do not devote any time to physical activity, the worst states being Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It is very intriguing that correlations have shown that those states with the least amount of exercise have the most health problems. Type2 diabetes is mostly triggered by obesity, and in 1980 5. 5 million adults had it; now approximately 25. 6 million adults have type2 diabetes. The ever so increasing percentage of obesity and decreasing percentage in physical activity is definitely to blame. An interesting fact is that by loosing weight and getting from overweight to normal you can save on average $1400 a year on medication. If you don’t have time to hit the gym, there are a few tips that can help you get fit. First don’t drink soda; on average if you drink a soda can a day you’ll gain 15 pounds in a year, that is if you don’t work out of course. Take the stairs or walk around the block, a few extra steps could be the difference in burning some extra calories, and finally anything is better than nothing, curl some soup cans or do some crunches while watching TV. Any of those things can help you with your obesity, then you wont have to blame it on fast food. Fast food companies are now making a bigger push to serve healthier items in their stores, but it is up to the customers to get them otherwise it is all for nothing. McDonalds is taking the biggest step with there new items like the all fruit smoothies, apple slices, salads, and there brochures that show you there below 400,300,200, and 100 calorie items. Jack in the box is jumping on board as well with their 3 choices of salads, and serving grilled chicken instead of fried in there sandwiches. These fast food chains are realizing that healthy is the new way to go but yet the majority of people in America aren’t. We need to watch what we eat, eat healthier brown rice or bread instead of white, more fruits and veggies and less burgers, next time you go to mcdonalds get a salad instead of a Big Mac it might change your life. In conclusion the fast food industry is not to blame for Obesity in the United States of America. They’re taking steps in the right direction and the people of America should too. We need to start exercising more and getting active because that is the true reason for the increasing obesity. Make better decisions in your life style, choose a healthy one and like I said get a salad next time you go to McDonalds. – http://www. getamericafit. org/statistics-obesity-in-america. html – http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/08/14/obesity-rate-by-state_n_1774356. html.