Reality versus Illusion in Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Essay

Reality versus Illusion in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his play, The American Dream, Edward Albee unveils a tortured family that is symbolic of the reality beneath the illusion of the American dream.   In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Albee takes a more traditional approach than the theater of the absurd, and his language is more natural, but he returns to this theme with a vengeance.   For in all of drama there are few plays about domestic relationships that are as caustic, violent and as poisoned with the milk of human bitterness, cynicism and pessimism as is Woolf.   The story regards George and Martha, a married couple (he a history professor and she the University President's daughter).   Verbally and emotionally George and Martha are as skilled at cutting each other without going for the final kill as much as a professional torturer trained to prolong his victim's agony.   Into this volley of abuse come Nick and Honey, a young couple who also share a vision of the "American dream," but Albee portrays Nick as the victor in his battles with George because George is of the old school and Nick has already been indoctrinated into the new American culture of capitalism for its own sake.      The theme of the play, other than touching on the disillusionment of the American dream for the younger generation, and a robotic-like acceptance of the evolved "capitalized" version by the older generation, is that each of the characters in the play, like each of us in real life, are destined to struggle through our own personal hell, a struggle that we face alone "It becomes clear that each character is engaged in an isolated struggle through a personal hell" (Murphy 1113).   The plot centers around George and Martha's p... ...e his themes in the play.   Truth versus illusion, reality versus perception, and union versus inability to come together are the main themes the author chooses to highlight throughout the work.   In the end, once all illusions have been stripped or peeled away, Martha and George have a chance to come together in an effort to save their marriage.   As Martha says to end the play in response to George's singing "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf"; "I...am...George...I...am..." (Albee 242).   Only from this point of truth can George and Martha hope to save their troubled marriage.    WORKS   CITED Albee, E.   Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.   New York:   Signet, 1962. Carter, S.   Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"   The Explicator.   Vol. 56.   June 22, 1998, 215-218. Murphy, B, ed.   Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia.   New York:   HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.

Critique on Open City Essay -- Film Movies

Critique on Open City â€Å"Open City† is a neo-realist film that followed the movement in Italy during World War 2. The film is neo-realistic because it has that ‘reality’ like feeling to it by following specific characters through their daily stressful lives that are screwed up from poverty and war. It has many qualities that make it in some ways ‘closer’ to the characters. While watching, the viewer is sucked into the story and immediately feeling emotional with the families and the other various characters in the film. The main reason is Rossellini's choosing dramatic music and kids with big eyes. This film is divided into two separate parts. First, is a story that shows a situation in Italy during the Nazi occupation of World War II. There are a couple of members of a secret underground movement that try to keep the Nazis away from them. This movement is made up of poor Italians, who are troubled by the war and other Nazi ideologies. One of the members of the revolutionist group is engaged to a mother of the young boy, and the wedding is about to take place in a matter of days. But all sorts of problems follow, and all of this is based on how the Nazis will finally catch up with these traitors. The second, more effective and emotional part of the film is a tragic melodrama. At the beginning, the movie appears to be very dark and gloomy. This is shown from the riot at the bakery and the young revolutionist running away from authorities. There was so much trouble that the family went through to eat, and survive. The tension increases so smoothly yet it drives the nerves of the watcher during the family argument scene (which proves to be very effective). The only relief of any kind is portrayed by the younger generation. They are the only ones that manage to actually have explosives. Smart move by the director as the kids are the only sense of any kind of future since there was so much trouble the day the Nazi’s entered the OPEN CITY. Some more devastation is the mistreatment of women by Nazi soldiers when families are evacuated from their houses. The soldier still tried to molest the women despite her vulgar responses to his gripping. The following scene when the revolutionist was caught and taken by authorities had a very good build up to it. Rossolini showed us all the trouble in a matter of minutes and to add to it, the running of the woman... ...res about. In this scene though he pointlessly attempts to protect the Jesus statue from the nakedness of the other statue the same way he tries to protect his friends from the ‘enemy’ or fascists. This is another good example of how Rossellini seems to be more of a documentary-style reality film. This film was part of the Italian Neo-realism era that did not use standards in filmmaking. They used a few different elements like non-professional actors doing most of the minor roles. The film was mentioned in class to be shot in 1945 when the war was still occurring and it was great timing for shooting in Italy. Mainly because the scenery they used was real. In the long-run, the film’s main topic was based on a widely spoken about important issue at the time- war. Open City is one of the most interesting films due to many aspects. Mainly for giving a picture of a situation which at the time happened not too long before the end Nazi occupation and enhanced the effect by being a melodrama. At times the film felt like a documentary, but that’s what made it quite interesting as well. These historical facts guarantee that Rossellini’s film is important, even if not always perfect. Critique on Open City Essay -- Film Movies Critique on Open City â€Å"Open City† is a neo-realist film that followed the movement in Italy during World War 2. The film is neo-realistic because it has that ‘reality’ like feeling to it by following specific characters through their daily stressful lives that are screwed up from poverty and war. It has many qualities that make it in some ways ‘closer’ to the characters. While watching, the viewer is sucked into the story and immediately feeling emotional with the families and the other various characters in the film. The main reason is Rossellini's choosing dramatic music and kids with big eyes. This film is divided into two separate parts. First, is a story that shows a situation in Italy during the Nazi occupation of World War II. There are a couple of members of a secret underground movement that try to keep the Nazis away from them. This movement is made up of poor Italians, who are troubled by the war and other Nazi ideologies. One of the members of the revolutionist group is engaged to a mother of the young boy, and the wedding is about to take place in a matter of days. But all sorts of problems follow, and all of this is based on how the Nazis will finally catch up with these traitors. The second, more effective and emotional part of the film is a tragic melodrama. At the beginning, the movie appears to be very dark and gloomy. This is shown from the riot at the bakery and the young revolutionist running away from authorities. There was so much trouble that the family went through to eat, and survive. The tension increases so smoothly yet it drives the nerves of the watcher during the family argument scene (which proves to be very effective). The only relief of any kind is portrayed by the younger generation. They are the only ones that manage to actually have explosives. Smart move by the director as the kids are the only sense of any kind of future since there was so much trouble the day the Nazi’s entered the OPEN CITY. Some more devastation is the mistreatment of women by Nazi soldiers when families are evacuated from their houses. The soldier still tried to molest the women despite her vulgar responses to his gripping. The following scene when the revolutionist was caught and taken by authorities had a very good build up to it. Rossolini showed us all the trouble in a matter of minutes and to add to it, the running of the woman... ...res about. In this scene though he pointlessly attempts to protect the Jesus statue from the nakedness of the other statue the same way he tries to protect his friends from the ‘enemy’ or fascists. This is another good example of how Rossellini seems to be more of a documentary-style reality film. This film was part of the Italian Neo-realism era that did not use standards in filmmaking. They used a few different elements like non-professional actors doing most of the minor roles. The film was mentioned in class to be shot in 1945 when the war was still occurring and it was great timing for shooting in Italy. Mainly because the scenery they used was real. In the long-run, the film’s main topic was based on a widely spoken about important issue at the time- war. Open City is one of the most interesting films due to many aspects. Mainly for giving a picture of a situation which at the time happened not too long before the end Nazi occupation and enhanced the effect by being a melodrama. At times the film felt like a documentary, but that’s what made it quite interesting as well. These historical facts guarantee that Rossellini’s film is important, even if not always perfect.

Book Report on “The Interview” by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Essay

The story entitled â€Å"the Interview† by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is a depiction of a man’s character in the eyes of the people around him. Even if this story is in first person point of view, the narrator itself accepted and proclaimed the fact of being lazy and egoistic. The way he perceived his life is unpredictable in a sense of negativity because he could not able to appreciate things and could not live his life for the betterment of his own self and his wife.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"The last time I had an interview, it was very unpleasant for me. One of the people who was interviewing took a dislike to me and shouted at me very loudly† (Jhabvala 267). This part of the story showed that the narrator or the persona of the story finds different flaws and inaccuracy to the places and situation that he used to have in order to refuse and become unable to obtain the situation. It is a form of escape for the character from the different situations that occurs in him. Despite of having a notion of completeness and advantages, he still perceived that he is empty and unhappy to his situation but he did not accept the fact of his psychological problems that only him could understand and determine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ending of the story is simple a representation of laziness of the character but the author did not stated any transformation of the character’s point of view. It means that the character is full of anxieties and insecurities within him that he did not want to recognize because it will lead him into an uncertain situation that he himself would not eventually obtain. Therefore, the character is flat and static because he did not change all throughout the story that made him incapable of understanding his own self. Reference Jhabvala, R. P. The Interview. pp. 259-271

Evaluation of Comptronix Corporation: Identifying Inherent Risk and Control Risk Factors Essay

1. Professional auditing standards present the audit risk model, which is used to determine the nature, timing, and extent of audit procedures. Describe the components of the model and discuss how changes in each component affect the auditor’s need for evidence. The audit risk model is used to determine the nature, timing, and extent of substantive audit procedures. The components of audit risk model usually stated as follows: DR = AR/(IR x CR) Where: DR = detection risk; AR = audit risk; IR = inherent risk; CR = control risk Detection Risk: auditors’ procedures will lead them to conclude that a financial statement assertion is not materially misstated when in fact such misstatement does exist. If auditors want to decrease DR, they had better collect more evidence and make sure the validity of evidence. Audit Risk: auditors may unknowingly fail to appropriately modify their opinion on financial statements that are materially misstated. If AR should be keep in low level, which means the other risks also should be low. Inherent Risk: The risk of material misstatement of a financial statement assertion, assuming there were no related controls. As inherent risk increases, PDR decreases, which in turn increases the auditor’s need for stronger evidence. Control risk: The risk that a material misstatement that could occur in an account will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control. If the strength of internal control is assessed as decreasing, the auditor should pay more attention to control risks. 2. One of the components of the audit risk model is inherent risk. Describe typical factors that auditors evaluate when assessing inherent risk. With the benefit of hindsight, what inherent risk factors were present during the audits of the 1989 through 1992 Comptronix financial statements? Inherent risk is a measure of the auditor’s assessment of the susceptibility of an assertion to a material misstatement assuming there are no related internal controls. Some believe that inherent risk would be greater for some assertions and related account based on some conditions as follows: †¢Complex calculations rather than simple calculations. Once the company lost their a key customer, Management have a strong motivation manipulate sales and operating performance to satisfy investor expectations because the loss of a key customer put too much pressure on management to meet the requirements of external users. †¢Public Offering of Stock: After Comptronix made its public offering of stock , they have the pressure which push the management to manipulate operating performance too meet the expectations from the external users. †¢Technological Improvement: Comptronix is a manufacture company which main products are circuit boards and the circuit boards’ development depend on technological improvement. The technological improvement has a negative impact on operating performance. †¢Pressures from a new star Company: By the first year of the fraud (1989), Comptronix became a new company which can employ more than 1,800 employees in less than a decade , and at same time, the company expanded its the size of the company in three different locations. The rapid development of company made the management adjusted their operations instead of monitoring company operations. †¢Estimation of Accounts: The high inherent risk accounts include Accounts receivable/ payable, inventory, and property, plant, and equipment. But all the accounts’ computation is based on estimation which led the numbers are very unreliable and subjective. †¢Cash Flow Pressures: Comptronix suffered net losses from 1986. Until the company attracted a venture capitalist, the company was able to generate strong sales and profits. Prior to 1989, Comptronix had generated only two consecutive years of profit after several years of net losses. cash flow of financial statement cannot cover many years of recurring losses. The management has motives to make up operating accounts to look perfect to attract more investors. 3. Another component of the audit risk model is control risk. Describe the five components of internal control. What characteristics of Comptronix’s internal control increased control risk for the audits of the 1989-1992 year-end financial statements? Five components of control risk are: control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, and monitoring. Control environment set the tone of an organization by influencing the control consciousness of people. Risk assessment is management’s process for identifying, analyzing, and responding to the risks. Control activities are policies and procedures that help ensure that management’s directives are carried out. Information is needed at all levels of an organization to assist management in meeting the organization’s objectives. Monitoring of controls is a process to assess the quality of internal control performance over time. The information and communication is seriously weak in that he three executives were able to perpetrate the fraud by bypassing the existing accounting system. They could record the fictitious entries manually and other employees were excluded from the manipulations to minimize the likelihood of the fraud being discovered. Besides, the weak control activity and monitoring is represented by the fact that Mr. Shifflett or Mr. Medlin could approve payments based solely on an invoice. Therefore, the fraud team was able to bypass internal controls over cash disbursements. Internal controls were also insufficient to detect the manipulation of sales and accounts receivable. Mr. Medlin had the ability to access the shipping department system. 4. The board of directors, and its audit committee, can be an effective corporate governance mechanism. Discuss the pros and cons of allowing inside directors to sere on the board. Describe typical responsibilities of audit committees.What strengths or weaknesses were present related to Comptronix’s board of directors and audit committee? As shareholders have limited access to the sufficient information, they are hard to monitor the daily transactions and management. They would delegate the responsibilities to the board of directors. Then, board of directors require inside directors to provide sufficient information in order to make decisions those are in the maximum profits of shareholders. However, if the inside directors have improper purposes, it’s easily to be a manipulation tool for management. Audit committee is responsible for ensuring that the company’s financial statements and reports are accurate and use fair and reasonable estimates. More specifically, it is charged with overseeing the financial reporting and disclosure process, monitoring choice of accounting policies and principles, overseeing hiring, performance and independence of the external auditors, oversight of regulatory compliance, monitoring the internal control process, overseeing the performance of the internal audit function, and discussing risk management policies and practices with management. The control environment is significantly influenced by the effectiveness of its board of directors or its audit committee. Factors that bear on the effectiveness of the board or audit committee include the extent of its independence from management, the experience and stature of its members. However, among the seven individuals in Comptronix board of directors, five members are either inside directors or directors had close affiliations with management. In addition, the primary responsibility of the board of directors is to protect the shareholders’ assets and ensure they receive a decent return on their investment. Board members act as trustees of the organization’s assets and must exercise due diligence to oversee that the organization is well managed and that its financial situation remains sound. But the composition of Comptronix’s board of directors obviously lacks objectivity. A qualifying audit committee should be composed of independent directors who are not officers or employees of the organization and who do not have other relationships that impair independence. However, The audit committee of Comptronix is made up two outside directors and one gray director, which would inevitably impair the independence. What’s more, to qualify, the committee must be composed of outside director with at least one qualifying as a financial expert. Nevertheless, for Comptronix Corporation, there is no indication of whether any of these individuals had accounting or financial reporting backgrounds. Lastly, the audit committee met only twice during 1991, it was not efficiently and sufficiently to monitor and oversee the financial reporting. 5. Public companies must file quarterly financial statements in Form 10-Qs, that have been reviewed by the company’s external auditor. Briefly describe the key requirements of Auditing Standards (AU) Section 722, Interim Financial Statements. Why wouldn’t all companies (public and private) engage their auditors to perform timely reviews of interim financial statements? The term interim financial information means financial information or statements covering a period less than a full year or for a 12-month period ending on a date other than the entity’s fiscal year end. A review consists principally of performing analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters, and does not contemplate (a) test of accounting records through inspection, observation, or confirmation; (b) tests of controls to evaluate their effectiveness; (c) the obtain net of corroborating evidence in response to inquiries; or (d) the performance of certain other procedures ordinarily performed in an audit. The decision to have a review engagement is a joint decision of the client and auditor. So a review would be performed when the benefits to the auditor and to the client exceed the costs to both parties. In general, firms with high complexity are more likely to be reviewed than firms with low complexity. Firms with high growth opportunities a less likely to be reviewed than those with low growth opportunities for they may be associated with higher information and litigation risks. And it’s also about the firms’ audit assurance and insurance needs. 6. Describe whether you think Comptronix’s executive team was inherently dishonest from the beginning. How is it possible for otherwise honest people to become involved in frauds like the one at Comptronix? We don’t think Comptronix’s executive team was inherently dishonest from the beginning. In opposite, we think there are two main reasons for the company committed the fraud. The first is its weak internal control. First comes to the company’s board of director. The board of directors is responsible for overseeing the actions of management. Factors that bear on the effectiveness of the board include the extent of its independence from management, the experience and stature of its members, the extent to which it raises and pursues difficult questions with management, and its interaction with the internal and external auditors. the audit committee of the board of directors should be composed of independent directors who are not officers or employees of the organization and who do not have other relationships that impair independence. In addition, the audit committee should have one or more members who have financial reporting expertise. However, Comptronix’s board of directors consist of the CEO and the COO of the company, And two of the other five directors who had close affiliations with management, one served as the company’s outside general legal counsel and the other who served as vice president of manufacturing for a significant customer of Comptronix, and one of the remaining outside directors who was a partner in the venture capital firm that owned 574,978 shares (5.3%) of Comptronix’s common stock, the second outside director who was the vice chairman and CEO of the local bank originally loaning money to the company, and the third outside director who was president of an international components supplier based in Taiwan. And there was no indication of whether any of these individuals had accounting or financial reporting backgrounds. 28.6% of the board consisted of inside directors. And even all of the board of directors disobey the independence and effectiveness of the formation of the board of directors. The interest relationship with the company increased the potential risk for the management to commit fraud. The second reason is the huge pressure of harsh competition for the companies in the industry. The fraud was motivated by the loss of a key customer in 1989 to the three executives’ former employer, SCI. Since the first manipulation of the financial statement, they were forced to manipulate the other years and evidences to hide the manipulation, which created a vicious circle. In conclusion, the weak internal control system provided a good environment for the commission of fraud. The huge pressure of the company brought the motivation of the fraud. Both of them played important roles for the honest people to become involved in frauds. 7. Auditing Standards (AU) Section 316, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, notes that three conditions are generally present when fraud occurs. Research the authoritative standards for auditors and provide a brief summary of each of the three fraud conditions. Additionally, provide an example from the Comptronix fraud of each of the three fraud conditions. (1) Three fraud conditions First, management or other employees have an incentive or are under pressure, which provides a reason to commit fraud. Second, circumstances exist—for example, the absence of controls, ineffective controls, or the ability of management to override controls—that provide an opportunity for a fraud to be perpetrated. Third, those involved are able to rationalize committing a fraudulent act. Some individuals possess an attitude, character, or set of ethical values that allow them to knowingly and intentionally commit a dishonest act. (2) Examples The incentive for top company executive to do fraud is that after the company went public, the company needed an increasing number for profit on the income statement, to attract more investors and make the stock price higher and higher. One of the opportunities for fraud perpetrated in Comptronix is that their internal controls were so insufficient. The three executives had so many authorities to get access to various accounts. They can get control of both checks and accounts payable, which enable them to make fake equipment purchasing recording. Because Comptronix`s quarterly filings were unaudited, the executives were successful in manipulating quarterly financial statements. After they successfully manipulated 1989 year-end sales and receivables, they thought their performance may not be discovered by external auditors and SEC, so they began recording fictitious quarterly sales frequently. 8. Auditing Standards Section 316, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit, notes that there is a possibility that management override of controls could occur in every audit and accordingly, the auditor should include audit procedures in every audit to address that risk. a. What do you think is meant by the term â€Å"management override†? Management override of internal controls is the intervention by managers in handling financial information and making decisions contrary to internal control policy. Managers may think they have the ability to operate outside of the internal controls, but this is not true. b. provide two examples of where management override of controls occurred in the Comptronix fraud. For example, Mr. Medilin, as controller and treasurer, has the authorization to manipulate both sales documents and accounts receivable documents. Thus he can enter bogus sales into the accounting system then make fake accounts receivable to overstate the company`s earnings. Moreover, in order to overstate the equipment and accounts payable, the three company executives cut fake checks to the bogus accounts payable vendors associated with the fake purchases of equipment. However, the check preparing and recording of equipment purchases jobs should be distributed to different staff. Handling these two jobs at the same time by same executives provide them opportunity to make overstated recording of equipment purchasing. c. Research AU Section 316 to identify the three required auditor responses to further address the risk of management override of internal controls. Three required auditor responses to further address the risk of management override: (1) Examining journal entries and other adjustments for evidence of possible material misstatement due to fraud. (2) Reviewing accounting estimates for biases that could result in material misstatement due to fraud. (3) Evaluating the business rationale for significant unusual transactions.

I Love College Essay

I Love College by Asher Roth is considered 2009’s college anthem. A dance song about college parties, complete with under-age drinking, possible date rape, and the lack of focus on academics, I Love College is on most teenagers’ iPod playlist, especially the teenagers who are planning on going to college in the fall. I Love College by Asher Roth is not only degrading to women and sends the message to impressionable teenagers that women are only for men’s enjoyment. The lyrics of I Love College are offensive, to say the least, to all college students, not only women. The lyrics imply that all a college student does is go to parties and drink. However, women suffer the most because of these lyrics. This song is a prime example of men taking advantage of women. For example, the chorus of this song details how a college student went to a party, got drunk and high, got a girl â€Å"completely naked†, and did it all over again the next night. This song, because of its catchy beat, sends the message to teenagers that this behavior is acceptable, and it implies that every college student acts this way. The music video for I Love College could be considered more offensive than the lyrics. The music video opens with a man standing up from sitting on a couch, pushing a girl, who is passed out, off of him. The next view the video shows of women is a group of girls, half nude, playing what appears to be strip poker. Throughout the video, Asher Roth kisses many different women, all of them wanting to be near him. The only image of women that viewers get from this music video is women undressing; this is all the women in this video did. To impressionable young people getting ready for college, this video, along with the lyrics, send the message that men are superior to women, and that women are only there for men’s entertainment. The lyrics and music video for I Love College also sends the message that college is for partying and taking advantage of others, not for studying for a career, for a successful future. The lyrics and music video put women in a degrading light, portraying them as toys for men’s pleasure. This sends the wrong message to teenagers. The future of the American society is in trouble if these are the messages young people are getting through the entertainment they love so much.

Methods of Research

Price Scientist conducts research on a daily basis. The purpose of this research is exploration, description, explanation, and application. In the area of criminal Justice things are getting researched all of the time. Take murder for example, the police have to explore to find out what actually happened. They have to describe the events leading up the the murder. They have to explain the facts to try and come up with a suspect. Finally, they have to use the process of application to put it all together so they can make an arrest.When using the different purposes of research it Is important to examine each purpose by Itself because each purpose has Its own different aspect when It comes to research design. The exploration stage Is the first stage that researchers begin with when using research methods. â€Å"This stage is typically done for three purposes: to satisfy the researcher does curiosity and desires for better understand, to test the feasibility of undertaking a more extens ive study, and to develop the methods to be employed in any subsequent studies. (Grossman, 2014) A researcher will use the exploration take of research when they want to find out about something that there is little known about. Take drugs for example; let's say a researcher wants to find out how bad the drug problem is in the United States. There are a couple categories that a researcher may want to explore. Such as; â€Å"how many were arrested for drug sales or possession each year and how many hours per day do drug dealers work and how much do they make? † (Misfield & Babble, 2009) The next purpose of research is description. The researcher explores and then describes what they explored.For example; the U. S. Census, â€Å"the goal of the census Is to describe accurately and precisely several characteristics of the U. S. Population, including race/ethnicity, age, sex, household size, and income. † (Grossman, 2014) The description stage is widely used in the crimina l Justice field. For example; it is used to describe a certain crime problem that a certain city or state may be having. It can be used to measure how much burglary is committed in the city of Joplin, Missouri. The descriptive stage is used to answer the questions what, when, where, and how something happened.The third stage of research is the explanation stage. The explanation stage attempts to describe why something happened. The description and the explanation stages work together. The descriptive stage explains what happened the explanation stage explains why It happened. Take the burglary rate In Joplin the descriptive stage tells you how much burglary Is committed and the explanation stage will tell you why burglary is committed in Joplin. Application research: evaluation and policy and problem analysis. An example would be â€Å"determining whether a program designed to reduce burglary actually had the intended effect. (Maxwell & Babble, 2009) Criminal Justice organizations gather all their research from exploration, description, and explanation in the application process to come up with a conclusion for all their research. There are four different stages of research that the criminal Justice organizations use to find answers to things that are unknown and also to find out the what, where, when how, and why things happen. Most researches that are done contain all four stages of research. For example take auto theft. A researcher would use the exploration stage to learn about the case.

IKEA marketing concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

IKEA marketing concept - Essay Example Information on what encompasses a target group is crucial in coming up with ideal market segmentation. Characteristics such as lifestyles, language, climate education background, gender, family size, race, nationality, interest and religion of the target group helps in the segmentation process. The market segment in the target market of IKEA Company is accessible, measurable, profitable and market responsive. The target market is mainly located in urban centers. This has made the company to open most of its outlets in urban centers for easy access. The products are designed to meet the needs of both the middle and wealthy. The market segments of the target market are quantifiable in terms of the estimated population size and the estimated disposable income. Generally, the large size of the market segment and their average disposable incomes promises good returns. The target market has in the past shown some positive response to the products. Penetrating the market space will require communicating to the market segment in a way that corresponds to their relevant needs. Every market segment has distinct characteristics such as lifestyle, fashions, tastes and preferences. Communication based on these characteristics can help to reach out to a wider market base. IKEA Company utilizes catalogues and advertisement through the mass media to penetrate the market segments. The diversified commodities which are of different styles, tastes and fashions are the key to the penetration of the market space. Maintenance and protection of the market space requires the company to constantly review on the customers’ needs. To oversee this, the company has customer success...It also stands for the competitive prices offered by the price leader. IKEA Company cuts across the diverse cultures of different countries and so the brand represents the meeting point where global tribes that mind the cost and design converge. The shopping premises of the company are similar and share similar architectural designs and interior designs. They are easy to recognize to its distinct yellow and blue coloration. These combinations make the IKEA a strong global brand. The weakness of the company’s brand is that it is rarely seen and most unknown. The company’s activities are largely concentrated in some countries especially in Europe. The brand is therefore popular and frequently seen within these countries. For the citizens of these countries, it is rarely seen and to most, it is absolutely unknown. This implies that the company has not fully penetrated the target market. There is the potential unexploited market space. The competitiveness of the brand can be heightened by creating awareness of the brand existence in the unexploited areas. Awareness could effectively be done by use of mass media that reaches most people in a continental level. It can also be done through international trade exhibitions that bring international communities together. Sponsoring international activities such sport can also be opportunities of reaching out potential buyers.