Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Do you struggle to find equilibrium between excelling at work and spending productive, quality time with loved ones at home? With the technology that is available in the twenty first century, it is now possible for educated professionals to decide whether they would like to work from home and collaborate with family members to meet work demands. Alesia Montgomery is an African American Ethnographer who wrote â€Å"Kitchen Conferences and Garage Cubicles: The Merger of Home and Work in the 24-7 Global Economy†. This study was one of many published in 2008’s book entitled The Changing Landscape of Work and Family in the American Middle Class: Reports From the Field, which focused on â€Å"providing insights into the changing nature of working families in the United States† (1008). Montgomery’s main argument is that today’s modern society and global economy have enabled families to â€Å"merge work and home in quasi-entrepreneurial ways† (1018), which will in turn deepen the attachment between family members. Her secondary claim is that the merging of these two worlds does not come without a downside; your home will no longer â€Å"serve as a refuge from job pressures† (1018) and job demands may be â€Å"made more invasive by the use of innovative communication technology† (1019). The main purpose of this essay is to identify and analyze Montgomery’s main and secondary arguments, to describe two types of support she uses, how they help her claims, and to identify her intended audience. Montgomery proposes that â€Å"transformations in gender relations, management strategies, and technological practices† (1018) play integral roles in the opportunities for families to decide how to combine or balance their home lives with work demands. She goes on to state that women’s access to equal education and equal employment opportunities have â€Å"expanded the possibilities for spousal collaboration in technical professions† (1010), and that being able to collaborate on work projects at home will create a more intimate and interdependent family. She then provides statistics showing the percentage of women graduating with a degree in engineering jumped 16. 5% in just 30 years (1011). The statistics provide hard evidence to her claim that women are gaining increasing access to technology based jobs, and appeals to the reader’s logos. Montgomery spent a period of five years in the field following a couple in their thirties, who were living in one of these collaborative, â€Å"job-sharing† (1012) middle class families in order to obtain â€Å"a view of the world from their perspective† (1008). Basing her argument off this research provides a stronger emotional connection to the writing than if Montgomery were to use sweeping generalizations throughout. Montgomery structures her essay in a narrative format, writing in the first person. She was successful at attempting to appeal to her audience’s ethos by making her writing less formal while keeping an educated voice. The writing opens with an introduction to Marjenah and Steve, who share a home with Marjenah’s parents in Silicon Valley. Montgomery appeals to her readers’ pathos by illustrating the family’s world: â€Å"Emails, faxes and phone calls linked their home to high-tech firms within Silicon Valley. Although there were no parking lots or numbered suites, their neighborhood†¦was, in some sense, a busy industrial park† (1009). Montgomery recalls the different ways in which they rely upon each other, and states that the interdependence this family possesses is an opportunity for each member help one another handle job demands. She details the countless nights Steve spent on his wife’s projects after getting home from his job as well as the way Marjenah was needed to proof read Steve’s reports and to review her mother’s paperwork for her department store job. The father worked at an outside tech firm, but served as the family’s technical support (1016). This ethnographic research directly relates to her main point that equality in the education within a family has enabled collaboration in the home, and allows us to spend more time with those we love. Combining the statistics that show women gaining access to technical jobs are increasing with the representation of a modern, job-sharing family that include both sexes collaborating on high-tech projects helps validate the essay’s argument. Montgomery’s goal is to inform families of new opportunities on how to balance work and home life, so in order to provide a full picture; she explores the potential downsides to living in a modern job-sharing family. Montgomery’s secondary claim states that working collaboratively on â€Å"job tasks at home† (1018) will increase â€Å"family cohesion† (1018), but that this combination will in turn eliminate the idea of your home being an escape from job pressures. She helps substantiate this argument by referring again to the subjects of her study, an emotional appeal. Steve summarized his perception of the situation, explaining that â€Å"job demands limited the control that they had over the time and space of family life† (1019). Montgomery makes her audience connect to this point on an emotional level by describing the conflicts the couple experienced because of the stresses their job-sharing created. She details Marjenah having to â€Å"constantly manage sounds† (1015), as well as the couple getting into arguments over the amount of energy each puts into one another’s work, citing that sometimes the main incentive for them to make up was the pressure of work calling again. It is clear to the reader that Montgomery is simply making an argument to explore this alternative lifestyle. She uses many different types of support throughout her writing in order to make her argument more informative; two will be analyzed further. Montgomery continuously includes professional opinions with quotes from past studies that are on the same topic as her own work. This gives the reader necessary background knowledge on the topic, by allowing the audience to have a more complete understanding as to how the economy has been playing a role in the decisions we make regarding how we balance our lives, since the Industrial Revolution. She opens with a quote from nineteenth century writer John Ruskin, which states home will only be home, until â€Å"the anxieties of the outer life penetrate into it† (1008). This grabs her reader’s attention, and provides a possible thesis for her writing. Montgomery explains separating work and home life has not always been the normal ideal, giving her reader a brief history on the â€Å"transformation of family labor from agrarian to high-tech work† (1010). She does this with quotes and ideas from over ten different sources, many of the sources she chose are known in the fields of Anthropology and Sociology. This is extremely helpful for her ethical appeal, because it shows Montgomery took the time to gain an understanding of the contextual relevance of her selected topic. Some of the work she cites claims things such as â€Å"In the early twentieth century, corporations supplanted many family firms, credentialed engineers replaced informally trained mechanics, and ‘big science’†¦rose to prominence. †(1011) and that â€Å"Industrial transformations†¦increasingly removed production from the home, while cultural transformations valorized home as a haven from the harsh work world† (1010). This relates to the quote she opens with, because Ruskin was one of the numerous writers pushing to get the â€Å"rising middle class to embrace this new ideal† (1010), raising the question of the motives behind said quote. Including other pieces of writing that claim technology is what played a key factor in changing the way individuals and families balanced their two lives, historically, helps her introduce the idea that â€Å"separate spheres are not necessarily the most desirable family and work forms† (1018). Montgomery uses examples to support her arguments, which helps create a mental image in her audience’s mind while reading her work. Her research gathered while with Marjenah’s family, is her most used example, and is a very effective form of support. In Montgomery’s eyes, â€Å"Marjenah’s family exemplifies how new technologies, management strategies, and gender relations are changing the possibilities for work collaborations within households† (1012). She refers to their specific situation as a way to personalize Montgomery’s generalized emphasis on women’s equality in education and job opportunities as being the main factor in society once again giving families the option to â€Å"draw in† and collaborate on work. She uses examples while giving her audience background knowledge of this topic. She starts with an example describing how â€Å"employers relied upon fathers to discipline family work units in some early factories† (1010). She makes the claim that shop-keeping families saw â€Å"kin as sources of income† (1010), more specifically using examples such as â€Å"the baker’s wife iced cakes a few steps from her husband, the butcher and his son chopped meat on the same counter, and for the family of grocers home and work merged† (1010). These examples support her statement that â€Å"the separation of spheres was neither decisive nor abrupt. † (1010). Montgomery does a sufficient job regarding the amount of support she provides her audience with to back up her argument. Every writer has an intended audience. Montgomery’s study was published in a book that has a goal to highlight how culture shapes family life during shifting social and economic landscapes, so it should address a fairly educated audience. The background information provided implies that she was keeping in mind the fact that not everyone who picks up her book will have an understanding of the different norms our society has gone through regarding the separation of work and home life. To conclude, Montgomery was very successful in presenting her argument that â€Å"contemporary gender relations, management strategies and technological practices enable divers family and work forms†¦Far from weakening family bonds, these mergers of work foster family cohesion† (1010). She appealed to her audience’s logos by providing facts, statistics, expert opinions, and by citing other pieces of work on her topic. This also helped her ethical appeal, as did the personal afterward detailing her background and her credentials. Using the example of Marjenah’s family, along with the baker, butcher and grocers, helped Montgomery emotionally appeal to her audience, and to get her point across. Overall, Montgomery presented her argument very clearly; it was fact based, and very informative which makes her exploratory purpose a success.

The Hypocrisy Of The Civilized Society English Literature Essay

The Hypocrisy Of The Civilized Society English Literature Essay In the relatively short time of the existence of the United States, society has allowed the written word to seep into our everyday existence. What has been written forms our everyday lives; our country, democracy, freedom, laws, religions, news, stories, and our history that is passed on through generations. Much of the written word has found its way to be presented in rather elegant form, but not always so in subject matter. Throughout the history of America, the views of civility and civilized society have changed through times of progress, conflict and peace. Perception of ideals has shifted, political correctness has emerged, and cultural rules have changed. The literature of America reflects the hypocrisy of civilized society and uncovers truths that need to be told and that want to be heard. Annotated Bibliography of The Selling of Joseph, by Samuel Sewall Amacher, Richard E. Samuel Sewall. American Colonial Writers, 1606-1734. Ed. Emory Elliott. Detroit: Gale Research, 1984. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 24. Literature Resource Center. Web. 6 Mar. 2011. When delving into the some of the early American Literature, one does not expect to find much available in defense of the African American race, and the common mistreatment endured by the people of a certain birthright or skin color. The Selling of Joseph, written in 1700, by Samuel Sewell, is one such surprising piece. Richard E. Amacher, in his Biographical Essay on Samuel Sewall, contrasts The Selling of Joseph, with work that focused on taming African Americans and rationalized their slavery, sale and mistreatment. In as much as the Puritans used the bible and the Word of their God to rationalize societys treatment of African Americans as slaves, Sewall uses the bible and quotes it directly to show that their God certainly does not agree with the mistreatment of any human. Sewell argues that in the common mans belief of Adam and Eve, that all men were heirs of the couple who fell from grace with temptation and gained their liberty, for better or worse. All heirs were entitled as equals to Adam and Eve. The gift of liberty was violated by the sale of Joseph by his brothers. (Amacher 13) Gods word in Exodus 21:16 supported this argument; This Law being of Everlasting Equity, wherein Man Stealing is ranked amongst the most atrocious of Capital Crimes. (Amacher 13) (Sewell 2) Richard E. Amachers comparison of Samuel Sewells The Selling of Joseph with other work of the same time period confirms that not all people of society agreed with the ownership of people or their employ or indenture as servants or slaves. A cultural rule of the 1700s was wide acceptance of slavery. Sewall looked at the Humanitarian aspect, and how society should treat all people. His attempt to influence society to change this pattern would not be realized for a great many years, yet his literary contributions show that not all bought into this ideal. Amacher emphasizes that: Sewalls [work] concentrated on human liberty as such, although he, too, good Calvinist that he was, buttressed his mainly humanitarian interests with many scriptural quotations. (Amacher 13) Theologically, the people of a society owe liberty to all descendants of Adam and Eve, as equals. Each side of the argument of slave ownership is supported by the same book, and end in different interpretations; each claiming to be correct based on their texts. Annotated Bibliography of The Gettysburg Address, by Abraham Lincoln Lodge, Henry Cabot. The Democracy of Abraham Lincoln The Democracy of the Constitution and Other Addresses and Essays. Charles Scribners Sons, 1915. 122-159. Rpt. In Nineteenth- Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Janet Mullane. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale Research, 1988. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7, Mar. 2011. Henry Lodge Cabot speaks of the true meaning behind the words of Lincolns Gettysburg Address, in his essay titled the Democracy of Abraham Lincoln. Cabot explains his opinion about Lincolns idea concerning the government of the people. It is a government made up the citizens (the people) and its purpose is for governing of the people. The constitution is shown to be a continual pillar in our country. The document has basically been the same since the foundation of our nation. There have been some changes to the Constitution, such as three war time amendments, and the establishment of the income tax. The paper continues to state that Lincoln stated his opinion so clearly that there was no escape from its meaning. The Democracy of Abraham Lincoln is a good source about Lincolns Gettysburg Address as Cabot seems to fully grasp Lincolns meaning behind this famous speech. The information stated seems to show Lincolns belief that he could just deliver a basic message and with his words were fully understood. It is an example of a man who took his beliefs that the government should be for all the people. On review of this authors work I can definitely agree with his statement as follows; In his usual fashion he stated his proposition so clearly and with such finality that there is no escape from his meaning. This actually shows the fact that Lincoln simply told it how it was, with no fluff or exaggeration. The true meaning behind The Democracy of Abraham Lincoln supports the statement that as time change, the literature of that time changes to reflect the views of society. This address was a major turning point in civilized society. For the United States, the address was to be a benefit to the entire nation. The point of the address was to show that it is for all people but our society did and continues to show hypocrisy. It was not the original intent of our government but has shown to be a real issue in the world. Cabot explained Lincolns reasoning behind this speech but the overall result is not truly carried out in our country. Annotated Bibliography of Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson Grimm, Reverend David E. Introducing Unitarian Universalism. Interfaith Conference. Washburn University. Yager Stadium, Topeka, Kansas. October, 11, 2003. Web. 3 March 2011. Reverend David E. Grimm is a Unitarian Universalist minister, as was Emerson. The Unitarian Universalists have held Ralph Waldo Emerson in high regard for a great many years. Some of their principals come directly from the work of Emerson, and others were influenced by it. One of their principals is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Reverend Grimm gave a speech on Unitarian Universalism, where he introduced the Religion at an interfaith conference. In this speech, he gave a brief overview of Emerson, and stated that the desirable state of affairs where one could actually read the moral law directly for oneself was called self-reliance by a young Unitarian minister named Ralph Waldo Emerson. Grimm interprets the Essay by Emerson to mean that one should learn to trust the power within yourself to discern the higher law, to know whats right. This idea that a person could discern right from wrong without the guidance of the bible was not necessarily a new idea, but was not put out in the open so eloquently until Emerson wrote Self Reliance. Emerson was a Unitarian minister, but he left the church to pursue a career of writing. His writing still reflected his Unitarian beliefs, and in todays time, they are not only Unitarian, but more Unitarian Universalist, which only came to be after a merging of the two religions. The implications from the insight of Emerson brought an understanding of moral norms to Unitarianism. Grim States: After all, in the light of self-reliance, the Bible was seen for what it was: second-hand religion, a religion handed down from the past to us, from somebody elses original reading of the moral law long ago. (Grimm 15) Grim concludes that Self reliance unseated the hold of not only the Bible, but the sacred texts of other religions as well. All were someone elses interpretation of the moral law. It was the act of the interpretation that Emerson explained that a person could do for themselves. Grimm claims that Self Reliance put a truth out for people to consider: And so, over time, not just the Bible, but sacred texts from all of the worlds religions, came to be honored among us [Unitarian Universalists] as expressions of this universal human attempt to know what is right, and to do it. (Grimm 15) Emerson said Whoso would be a man, must be a non-conformist. (Emerson 7) meaning not to revolt against the system of man, but to question it, and gain knowledge that it holds. To accept answers on the basis of anothers opinion was trust not placed well. The major religions relied on their bible to relay right and wrong. Emerson attempts to tell the people that they already know right from wrong, and they only need to pull these morals from within. The work of Self Reliance coincides with the literary periods of Romanticism and of the Transcendentalists. This was a time of discovery and appreciation for nature. It was an enlightenment of the people, yet a grim realization by Emerson that dependence on societys demands and behaving correctly was becoming a major part of the human existence. Emerson says that men are overly concerned with reputations and the opinion of others so much so that they can no longer be genuine, and instead become hypocritical and cynical. Emerson further states that Society Never Advances. (Emerson 45) For every advancement, something is taken away. Emerson details this in a large selection: The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. He is supported on crutches, but lacks so much support of the muscle. He has got a fine Geneva watch, but he has lost the skill to tell the hour by the sun. A Greenwich nautical almanac he has, and so being sure of the information when he wants it, the man in the street does not know a star in the sky. The solstice he does not observe; the equinox he knows as little; and the whole bright calendar of the year is without a dial in his mind. His notebooks impair his memory; his libraries overload his wit; the insurance-office increases the number of accidents; and it may be a question whether machinery does not encumber; whether we have not lost by refinement some energy, by a Christianity entrenched in establishments and forms some vigor of wild virtue. For every stoic was a stoic; but in Christendom where is the Christian? (Emerson 46) These statements prove that throughout history, the views of civility have changed, and that the perception of such has changed with political correctness thus changing cultural rules. Emersons Self Reliance shows that civilized society is indeed flawed, and is inherently tainted with hypocrisy. Annotated Bibliography of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Grant, William E. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-4. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. Mark Twain gave the world The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1876. It was a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain opens this novel by explaining to the reader that he is being true to the characters of the book by keeping their regional dialects. According to William E. Grant, in his criticism titled Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published in Masterplots, states: The skill with which Twain elevates the dialect of an illiterate village boy to the highest levels of poetry established the spoken American idiom as a literary language and earned for Twain the reputation, proclaimed for him by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and many others, as the father of the modern American novel. (Grant 13) Aside from the dialect of the characters, Twain manages to bring forth an uncanny goodness in most of the characters. Twain successfully depicts the world the characters live in as volatile and ever changing. Every character is in some sort of conflict. Themes of the novel are: Society in itself is hypocritical, Freedom, Slavery, Search for a Father Figure, the common man versus the world (or society) and the brotherhood of man. According to Grant, Twain believed human beings to be innately good though increasingly corrupted by social influences that replace their intuitive sense of right and wrong. (Grant 14) The character of Huck battles with his conscience many times in trying to decide what would be the right thing to do. He fakes his death in order to save himself, yet, feels it could be the reason his father died. Huck struggles with Jims status as a slave and if he should turn him in or not. Huck eventually decides to go to Hell and maintain his decision to break what is considered morally and legally wrong, and not turn Jim in; in fact, he protects Jim at every turn. Edwards feels that Twain compellingly establishes the irony that Hucks sin against the social establishment affirms the best that is possible in the individual. Within the novel, references are made to code of Honor with the Shepherdson boys, who live under the law of vendetta against the Grangerfords. There are also numerous references to civilize. The Widow Douglass attempts to Civilize Huck, making him wear fancies on Sundays and act proper and sit up straight. She wanted to teach him religion, yet she ironically holds slaves. She seemingly does not hold herself to what even she feels is not wholly right; she will not have her slaves sold to anyone else because she cares for them very well and she would not have them sent to someone who would treat them as good as she. Grant is of the opinion that slavery provides Twain his largest metaphor for both social bondage and institutionalized injustice and inhumanity. He further feels that the novel is not an anti-slavery novel per say, but rather than attacking an institution already legally dead, Twain uses the idea of slavery as a metaphor for all social bondage and injustice. (Grant 15) The novel was published nearly thirteen years after the end of the civil war, yet opinions and perceptions on race were not yet settled. Both Huck and Jim were literally and in perceptual slavery to the Widow Douglass. They both flee to begin a new life in a slave free state, yet cast off headed south on the Mississippi. Grant offered insight to the direction of the raft as It is almost irrelevant that Twain has Huck and Jim running deeper into the South rather than north toward free soil. Freedom exists neither in the North nor in the South but in the ideal and idyllic world of the raft and river. (Grant 15) The raft and the River both play catalyst to the heart of the relationship of Huck and Jim. The two see themselves fleeing the same situations, in their minds. Both take risks for one another, and there are consequences of being caught for both Huck and Jim. Huck is perceived as an abolitionist, punishable by death. Jim is seen as the murderer of Huck, punishable by death. While each has their life on the line for the other, they sincerely protect each another, almost as father and son. They make stops along the river for supplies and rest, each stop bringing an adventure that sends them fleeing once again for the sanctuary of their raft. Grant considers It is onshore that Huck encounters the worst excesses of which the damned human race is capable, but with each return to the raft comes a renewal of spiritual hope and idealism. Grant 16) William E. Grants essay enforces the idea of Hypocrisy in Civilized Society. The novel brings situations of Slavery, Civility, rules and wrongs that many people of the 19th century simply did not want to hear about, speak of, or deal with. They would have to turn the mirror inward and have a good look at themselves, because most people simply followed the cultural rules, and did not speak out even if they thought something was wrong. Grant ends his essay of criticism of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with a most well written statement: Through the adventures of an escaped slave and a runaway boy, both representatives of the ignorant and lowly of the earth, Twain affirms that true humanity is found in humans rather than institutions. (Grant 14) While this novel continually takes a beating for its content, the underlying moral truths that are exposed can still be applied to current times, with only a slight twist. It is literature such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that should remain as originally written, unedited, in order to maintain the integrity with which it was intended. Annotated Bibliography of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Grimes, Linda Sue. Robert Frosts Tricky Poem. Analysis of The Road Not Taken. Suite101.com Media Inc., 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. . The Road Not Taken was written by Robert Frost. This poem characterizes an assertion of individualism. In Robert Frosts Tricky Poem, an analysis by Linda Sue Grimes, she states that Frost claims this poem was about his friend Edward Thomas. They [Frost and Thomas] would periodically go on walks in the woods near London. While they would be enjoying their walk they would come across two different roads to take. After choosing one road, rumor has it; Thomas would always wonder what was down the other road. According to Grimes in Robert Frosts Tricky Poem, the first stanza is describing the situation, which was the dilemma of choosing one road over the other. The second stanza describes the road he decides to take. Because it was grassy and wanted wear he takes the road that is less traveled on, even though he stated that they were and were not exactly the same. The third stanza continuities to describe the roads, he notices the difference between the two. Such as the leaves were freshly fallen and both had not been walked on. Â  The forth stanza has tricky words, I shall be telling this with a sigh, the word this can be interpreted as a relief or regret in the decision of the road he takes. (Frost 16) Different interpretations can be identified after reading The Road Not Taken, such as views upon friendship or his future behind the road he has taken and his experiences because of his choice. In the beginning of the 20th century there was a strong focus on individuality and nature, as it offered an escape from focus of World War I. Various processes in industrialism were taking shape in the country and changing views of society. Frosts poetry served as a system check back to reality from the chaos of the times. As Grimes says: In this poem, it is important to be careful with the time frame. When the speaker says he will be reporting sometime in the future how his road choice turned out, he clearly states that he cannot assign meaning to sigh and difference yet, because he cannot know how his choice will affect his future, until after he has lived it. (Grimes 11) Annotated Bibliography of Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau Yarborough, Wynn. Readings of Thoreaus Resistance to Civil Government. American Transcendentalism Web. Virginia Commonwealth University. 1995. Web. March 11, 2011. Wynn Yarboroughs paper, titled Readings of Thoreaus Resistance to Civil Government, is an overview of Thoreaus Resistance to Civil Government, which is sometimes simply called Civil Disobedience, is based on a variety of sources from the 1920s through the 1970s. In the early paragraphs, Mr. Yarborough goes through the stages of Thoreaus life and different ways in which his work was perceived through the years. The remainder of the paper consists primarily of variety of different opinions and how each of them plays a part in certain time periods. The overall view of the references used by Mr. Yarborough is that Thoreau was a man with a great ability to justify his beliefs. Each of the views expressed by him seems to be validated by others in the years to come. It is my belief that Mr. Yarborough was very informative with this paper. It was an overview complied from many sources over an extended period of time. Each of the critics shows a side of Thoreau and they use his beliefs to back up their choices. The government is reflected in different ways during each of the reviews that Mr. Yarborough states. I feel that each of the critics of Thoreau may believe that his ways were not justified and that perhaps he was not rational. Critics such as Vivas, Parrington and MacKayne all show a variety of beliefs which may be justified by critiquing Thoreau. One example in Mr. Yarboroughs research that speaks to the significance of Thoreaus writings is In the 1960s, Thoreau became not only relevant but almost a popular icon. The statement that as time changes the literature of that time changes to reflect the views of society is shown correct with this review and how Thoreaus work is used to further many causes. Each time period from the 1920s through the 1970s has shown that the government had ever changing values. While time continues to change literature, time changes to reflect the views of society. Hypocrisy will always be a part of the government as it was so many years ago and it continues today. It is not the intention of the people involved but it is how society seems to function as a whole. Annotated Bibliography of Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg Niven, Penelope. Carl (August) Sandburg. American Poets, 1880-1945: Third Series. Ed. Peter Quartermain. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 54. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. Penelope Nivens Critical essay, titled Carl (August) Sandburg, offers a look at the life and work of Carl Sandberg, an American Poet. Niven opens with a brief biographical essay, highlighting that Sandburg came from humble beginnings as the child of immigrants from Sweden. His parents met after they arrived in the United States, in Illinois. They were in search of a share of American democracy and prosperity. (Niven 4) His father was a hard worker, being employed by the railroad yard as a blacksmith. Sandburg was born in 1878, and was raised speaking both English and Swedish. According to Niven, Carl Sandberg was eager to assimilate into American Culture and Society at a very early age. When he was in grade school, he changed his name from a Swedish sounding Carl to a more American Sounding Charles. (Niven 4) There were many children in the Sandburg household, and after the deaths of two of the children, in 1892, Charles was forced to leave school to help with the familys needed income. In 1897, Sandburg left his family, at the age of eighteen, and toured the United States on the rails as a hobo. He gained knowledge of different areas, and worked odd jobs with the local working class people to get a small bit of money that helped him from one place to another. His desire to travel was immense, and he eventually volunteered for service in the Spanish American War in 1898. (Niven 6) His status as a veteran allowed him to attend college at no cost. He did attend, but did not excel, and eventually left. Sandburg was more interested with people and the landscape than he was with proper schooling. Sandberg began to write about the American people being candid and rugged, speaking in individual free-verse style which spoke clearly, directly, and often crudely to the audience which was also his subject. (Niven 10) He became an investigative reporter for the Chicago Daily News; he further developed passionate social concerns. Nivens states: He covered war, racial strife, lynchings, mob violence, and the inequities of the industrial society, such as child labor, and disease and injury induced in the workplace. These concerns were transmuted into poetry. Sandberg published several books of poetry, the first being Chicago Poems, that gave realistic views from the working class, children, and the inexplicable fate of the vulnerable and struggling human victims of war, progress, business. The following volume of poetry was titled Smoke and Steel (1920), which focused on the harsh reality of the times. The volume vividly depicts the daily toil of the working man and woman, the people who must sing or die.' Within the volume, a poem also titled Smoke and Steel, Sandburg uses Smoke from steel mills, spring fields, and autumn leaves as metaphors for the blood of a man. He considers them a life force, but also that which gives the people commonality. The poem details the struggle of the common man. Nivens finds that the Volume as a collection is uneven and concludes with contradictory critical views. She further states that other critics have labeled Sandburg as having no sense of the past or vision of the future. Some critics, however, did find that this son of Swedish immigrants was particularly suited to write about the incomplete, but urgent and hopeful American democracy and that Sandberg allows others to see our national life in the largeits beauty and glory, its baseness and shame. This article by Penelope Nivens offers a great look at the life and times of Carl Sandberg, and does relate his work, as a whole, to spotlighting the hypocrisy of American Society, within the time period that it is written, the 1920s, in the height of the Industrial Revolution. Within the poem, Smoke and Steel, the focus is on the lifeblood of all the people and what the people must do and conform to in order to make society work, and work for each of them. Even those who wish to escape the hypocrisy of civilized society and do something else will eventually return because of the jobs provided by industry. The anthem learned by the steel is: Do this or go hungry. (Sandburg 104, 105) Nivens concludes Yet as the spokesman for the great human family, Carl Sandburg, biographer, historian, troubadour, and poet, speaks to any period, any place. Annotated Bibliography of Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg Yannella, Philip. The Other Carl Sandburg. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1996. Google Books. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=9T9h_xAdxGwCprintsec=frontcover#v=onepage qf=false Phillip Yannella has written immense material analyzing the poetry and works of Carl Sandburg, a poet of the early 20th century. In his book titled, The Other Carl Sandburg, Yanella looks at several of the books that Sandburg wrote, and attempts to shed light onto each volume, and give a bit of a representation to some of the more important individual poems contained within the volumes. The volume, Smoke and Steel, comprised many poems, and was the second book for Carl Sandburg. The first book reflected positively on the working class, and its eventual happiness to be active and productive. The second book, Smoke and Steel, has no heroic working class about to rise up to take its just due, no models of proper working class behavior, no noble immigrant workers, no happy autonomous humanistic workers, workers who danced and sang in spite of their lowness. (Yannella 144) Instead, with Smoke and Steel, Sandburg portrayed the worker as an angry and violent soul, and who harbored hostility against society. The worker was invisible. The time when the work was written, the 1920s, is important because the Race Riots had just happened, and there was a steel dispute that caused workers to decline in numbers, the union to strike, and allowed technology to take many a workers job. The poem titled Smoke and Steel is the longest in the volume of the same name. It contains some of the most intense, suggestive language he ever wrote. (Yanella 145) Sandburg metaphorically compares the smoke to the blood of man. He says that there is smoke in the mills, in the fields, in the burning leaves, and this smoke is from the work done by the common man. This man puts so much of himself into the task that the smoke becomes his blood and without it he cannot sustain, as the work cannot sustain without the worker. Smoke into blood, and blood into steel. They make the steel with men. The work of Sandburg and the Analysis by Phillip Yannella prove the thesis that society is hypocritical in itself, by requiring things to be made through industry to support it, yet it is the man who works in industry, and in doing so, suffers. The poem, Smoke and Steel, has powerful language that exposes the fact that steel is part of our everyday life, and it creeps into the everyday existence of every person. What is of the person and family who worked so hard and sometimes gave their life to give these often meaningless things to society? Sandburg states Smoke and blood is the mix of steel connecting the product with what has gone into making it. (Sandburg 45) He continues, as if every other person in the country is named Steve. Steve and the rest of us end on the same stars; we all wear a hat in hell together, in hell or heaven. (Sandburg 71) Sandburg touches on the environmental aspect as the byproduct of the steel that is made, slag, is washed out by fire and wind, and states Forever the slag gets washed in fire and wind because slag will contaminate wherever it lies forever. Sandberg shows that in our time or progress, we find need for steel and other industry, for our planes, our warships, and our rails. Sandburg humanizes the workers as brothers, and extends their reach as smoke from all industry to reach every American. Annotated Bibliography of I have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dlugan, Andrew. Speech Analysis: I Have a Dream Martin Luther King Jr. Six Minutes. Six Minutes, Jan. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. . On August 28, 1963 the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech, is called Dream Day. Andrew Dlugan, in his speech analysis, states I Have A Dream is one of the most memorable speeches of all time. (Dlugan). That title represents an uplifting illusion to all who had the honor of listening to the speech, at least once in their lifetime. According to Dlugan, There are many uses of literally terms in the topics of Kings speech, such as rhetorical methods, including repetition, metaphors, inspiration, identification and persuasion. Dlugan points out that I Have A Dream is repeated eight times. This is an example of anaphora in modern rhetoric. The repetition of words is common within the speech. Freedom is repeated 20 times, mainly because freedom is the primary theme. The words, we, 30 times, our, seventeen times and dream, eleven times. In paragraph two of Kings speech, Five score years ago refers to Lincolns famous Gettysburg Address speech which began Four score and seven years ago This allusion is particularly poignant given that King was speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial (Dlugan). Geographic reference was mention throughout the speech, Mississippi and New York (paragraph 13), Georgia (paragraph 19) and Alabama (paragraph 22). Lastly, metaphors are highlighting the contrast between two abstract concepts. Joyous daybreak to end the long night captivity (Paragraph 2). The Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity (Paragraph 3). This speech and analysis of it prove the thesis by showing that the people do not stand on the moral ground that they think that they do. Society has been living without seeing that other people, who share the same lands as they, are not affo

The Character of Gertrude in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Course

The Character of Gertrude in Shakespeare's Hamlet The Gertrude in Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet is controversial in the sense that some critics uphold her morality and some deny it. Let’s consider this question and others related to this character. Gertrude has many good qualities in the play; she is not evil through and through. Rebecca Smith in â€Å"Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother† presents an image of the queen in Shakespeare’s Hamlet that is perhaps not consistent with that presented by the ghost: Although she may have been partially responsible for Claudius’ monstrous act of fratricide and although her marriage to Claudius may have been indirectly responsible for making a â€Å"monster† of Hamlet, Gertrude is never seen in the play inducing anyone to do anything at all monstrous. . . . When one closely examines Gertrude’s actual speech and actions in an attempt to understand the character, one finds little that hints at hypocrisy, suppression, or uncontrolled passion and their implied complexity. . . . She speaks plainly, directly and chastely when she does speak. . . .(81-82) Gunnar Bokland in â€Å"Hamlet† describes Gertrude’s moral descent during the course of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: With Queen Gertrude and finally also Laertes deeply involved in a situation of increasing ugliness, it becomes clear that, although Claudius and those who associate with him are not the incarnations of evil that Hamlet sees in them, they are corrupt enough from any balanced point of view, a condition that is also intimated by the â€Å"heavy-headed revel† that distinguishes life at the Danish court. (123) Gertrude’s â€Å"contamination† does indeed affect the hero. Courtney Lehmann and Lisa S. Starks in "Making Mother Matter: ... ...//ds.dial.pipex.com/thomas_larque/ham1-col.htm Jorgensen, Paul A. â€Å"Hamlet.† William Shakespeare: the Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publ., 1985. N. pag. http://www.freehomepages.com/hamlet/other/jorg-hamlet.html Lehmann, Courtney and Lisa S. Starks. "Making Mother Matter: Repression, Revision, and the Stakes of 'Reading Psychoanalysis Into' Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet." Early Modern Literary Studies 6.1 (May, 2000): 2.1-24 <URL: http://purl.oclc.org/emls/06-1/lehmhaml.htm>. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos. Smith, Rebecca. â€Å"Gertrude: Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother?† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet†: A User’s Guide. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996.

Goldenrod :: essays research papers

Goldenrod is common name for certain related plants of the composite family. The Canada goldenrod is really â€Å"Solidago canadensis†. They are typical autumn flowers of the United States that grow in a great variety of habitats: woods, meadows, hills, and rocky ground. For many years goldenrod was considered a major cause of hay fever, but experiments with goldenrod pollen have indicated that it is virtually harmless. It is so heavy that certain types of bugs actually have to lift it out. It is the state flower of Kentucky and Nebraska. Goldenrods are perennial herbs with wand like stems and stalk-less leaves. They usually grow to a height of 1.2 m (4 ft), but environmental conditions and species variations give them a range of 30 cm to 2 m (1 to 7 ft). Their yellow flowers are in graceful clusters. The genus goldenrods contain about 100 species, most of which are North American in origin. The Canada goldenrod, one of the commonest species, is of average height and has large panicles of small yellow flowers. The smaller sweet goldenrod has anise-scented leaves used to make herb tea. The wreath goldenrod, a low-growing species, is found in shady places. The November goldenrod is the tallest and bears large hairy panicles of flowers. Only one goldenrod species, the European goldenrod, is native to Europe. Several species of goldenrod that have white ray flowers are commonly called silverrod. Goldenrods make up the genus Solidago of the family Compositae. The Canada goldenrod is classified as Solidago canadensis, the sweet goldenrod as Solidago odora, the wreath goldenrod as Solidago caesia, and the November goldenrod as Solidago serotina. The European goldenrod is classified as Solidago virgaurea and the silverrod as Solidago bicolor. Goldenrods attracted short-lived commercial attention when Thomas Edison found that certain species contain latex. Some species (sometimes called dyer's-weed) have yielded a dye, and the leaves of many species have long been used for medicinal preparations and teas.

rasputin Essay -- essays research papers

Rasputin: The Saint Who Sinned â€Å"It's good to know that if I act strangely enough, society will take full responsibility for me." Ashleigh Brilliant may have subconsciously considered the effect that society has on us all and how wound up we can all get into our lives, our beliefs, and maybe even our visions. Our visions are the most important thing to all of us and one day may get us into the most excellent position or the most hideous position. We always chose to believe what we want to believe no matter what the public tells us. Perhaps they wrapped Grigorii Yefemovich Rasputin up in life and society when he claimed to have a vision of Virgin Mary. At that point he was placed in a most excellent position, but remember we see and chose to believe only what we wish. From that one of the most mysterious and unusual life and death stories ever lived were of Grigorii Yefemovich Rasputin. The greatest events in this man's life can be found in his early life, the Russian influence he achieved, and the u nnatural death that has boggled the minds of many learned scholars. The early life of any child can be and is most of the time the most influential time of a child's life. The life of the parent's is, in that way, important to many. Someone can find passages into the life of the mysterious child. The parents of Grigorii Rasputin are of no exception. They have been apart of their children's lives. The mother of three, Anne Egorovna, took on the task of keeping together the home. The local custom was for the man to tend to the wheat crop and nothing more, and they did, in fact, follow local custom. The house, however, was not that of a wealthy peasant, having only one story. The father of Rasputin, Efimii or Evimii Andreevich, came to Siberia from Saratov, where he had trouble with the law. He was a carter working for the state, and he had passed out dead drunk by his horse on the way back from a fair, only to find that when he awoke someone had stolen the horse. They imprisoned him for losing state property (the horse). He served his term and mov ed east to Pokrovskoe. He established there and stopped drinking, won neighbors respect and married Anne. The two newlyweds bore three children, two boys and one girl, one of which was Rasputin. Grigorii was born on July 10, 1869 in the village of Pokrovsko... ...er and cause of death was drowning. According to an anonymous source, "Some would say that they had seen Rasputin leaving the city . . . of course none of this could be proven but it adds interesting spice to the story of a less than priestly priest whose healing powers seemed equaled by his seeming immortality. The part Rasputin played in Russian history has little to do with facts it comes from the tangled mass of hearsay and innuendo in which he was wrapped. It was not so much what Rasputin did but what he was rumored to do that mattered in history. In this respect he was, literally, a legend in his own time. The legend was known to the whole of Russia, the man to very few. Even the manner of his death was legendary, nor do the legends end with his death. Grigorii Yefimovich Rasputin lead one of the unusual and mysterious life and death stories ever lived. The early life, the Russian influence he gained, and the death of this amazing man all contribute to his legend. Many believed Rasputin was mad, but he was not mad he was a man of spiritual healing in an unknown form. Aristotle sums it up best in saying, "There was never a genius without a tincture of madness."

Best Buy Co., Inc. Customer-Centricity Essay

The consumer electronics giant, Best Buy, was first established in 1966 with a single location and a staff of three in St. Paul, Minnesota, selling audio equipment targeted at 18-25 year old males. Initially Sound of Music/Best Buy grew through acquisition, expanding to nine locations in the Twin Cities area by 1978. The name, Best Buy, and expanded product line, ranging from audio and video equipment to large appliances, were a result of a â€Å"best buy† sale of damaged inventory at bargain prices in 1981. In the mid-1980s, Best Buy launched superstores similar to those of their main competitor, Circuit City and expanded by 15 stores between 1985-86. In 1989, Best Buy launched itself as a self-service, value-store staffed with a salaried sales force to provide a no-pressure shopping experience. This approach resulted in Best Buy becoming the second largest electronics retailer. By 1995, Best Buy was opening an average of 35 new stores annually and in 2000, the retailer respo nded to the market by launching BestBuy.com. Best Buy attributes some of their success to their SOP, standard operating platform, which is a 200 page â€Å"how to† manual for nearly every feasible store situation ranging from product sales and service to inventory management. The purpose of the SOP was to train the sales force and promote uniformity across the organization. In addition to the SOP, Best Buy’s skillful merchandising and marketing, along with their sales force (â€Å"Blue Shirts†) are credited with the success of the retailer. Blue Shirts received extensive training and enjoyed a unique and rewarding corporate culture, with part-time associates making $8.00 per hour and full-time employees earning $20.00. Sales associates often received public recognition for strong performance in addition to immediate rewards such as restaurant vouchers. Supervisors were also incentivized based on annual department and store performance. Starting store managers in mid-size stores were compensated with salaries between $50,000 and $150,000. The success resulting from these practices did not go unnoticed by competitors such as Wal-Mart and Dell, who imitated many of Best Buy’s strategies and stole well trained Blue Shirts. Best Buy continued their growth by opening new stores and through the acquisition of various competitors through the U.S. and reaching into Canada, with the acquisition of Future Shop Ltd. in 2002. By November 1995, Best Buy operated 796 Best Buy stores plus 20 Magnolia Audio Video stores in the U.S. and 162 Best Buy owned stores in Canada (978 stores, not including Geek Squad outlets). In contrast, Circuit City operated over 600 stores in the U.S. and Canada around the same time, however, Best Buy managed to double the sales per square foot of their main competitor. With nearly 1600 stores between the two main players in the electronics market, the market is nearing saturation and growth will have to be achieved by a means other than new store openings. Best Buy’s pre-centricity model was easy for competitors to imitate and encroach on Best Buy’s market share. Best buy borrowed the superstore concept from Circuit City and Circuit City mirrored Best Buy’s staffing model and merchandising decisions. Low prices and a wide selection are hardly inimitable characteristics. While wide selection and expansive product offerings at discount prices (due to volume purchases) may be difficult for new entrants to copy, it is a minor/temporary barrier to entry with the introduction of the internet. Best Buy’s CEO, Brad Anderson, joined the company in 1973 when he joined the staff of three at the then single, Sound of Music, location. A music buff addicted to sales, with his long tenure with company and in the industry seems like the logical choice to lead the company to even greater success as CEO. Prior to becoming CEO in 2002, Anderson had spent 11 years as President and COO of Best Buy. Like most industries, it seems electronics consumers were prone to change as products evolved, so did the end-users and their buying habits. Best Buy had a history of being able to adapt to the changing markets and their ability to do so contributed to their success (i.e. the vastly expanded product line, evolution to superstores, expansion, acquisition, converting from commission to salaried sales force.). The perception that customers were focusing less on the technical aspect of products and redirecting their attention to service and support, led to Anderson’s custom-centricity initiative. This transition and the rollout of 144 new â€Å"centricity† Best Buy stores was being blamed for the company missing third quarter earnings in 2005, resulting in a 12% decline in stock value and a loss of nearly $2B in market capitalization. Did Anderson perform the proper strategic market planning analysis before selecting and implementing the centricity initiative? Assess the need for a change in Best Buy’s strategy when Brand Anderson became CEO. If the centricity concept is being blamed for not meeting earnings and the decline in Best Buy’s stock price and market capitalization, the question becomes was there a need for this change to the company’s strategy, was the strategy poorly implemented, was there a delayed market response to the change, or was the launch an overly aggressive action of a newly appointed CEO? The Best Buy leadership team first needed to evaluate whether there truly was a need for a (drastic) change and if so, was centricity the appropriate response to the market. The electronics industry and retail in general is cyclical and while Best Buy needs to be proactive and receptive to market changes, it is not uncommon for the industry to experience temporary contractions that would not require (costly and risky) restructuring of the company’s value proposition. Granted, Best Buy’s one style fits all approach may have been too broad and unrealistic for the long-term. Ignoring the signs that the market was changing or a delayed reaction to those changes could be more costly or even fatal than centricity and the alleged result on earnings and stock price. There are several approaches for Best Buy to evaluate this situation, the most desirable of which might be the Structure-Conduct-Performance-Paradigm. I will provide somewhat of a Resource Based View (listing a few marketing resources) and mention some of their Dynamic Capabilities, as provided in the case. Best Buy should fist consider their resources and the strengths that have made them successful in the past. While the past is not always indicative of the future, a historical perspective will provide some insight as to not only what has worked in the past, but how the company was able to implement various strategies to learn from their successes and failures. Historically, Best Buy has utilized their knowledge resources well. Their rapid growth and success would imply a strong customer and competitor knowledge. Overall, the Best Buy reputation, as the place to get brand name electronics at discount prices with just the right amount of customer service, has proven to be a positive reputational resource. Blue Shirts are a (human) resource that should not be overlooked; retention is crucial, as training is costly. Blue Shirts are a valuable (informational) resource to gain insight into what customers â€Å"really want,† as sales associates have the most direct customer interaction. Extracting this information from sales associates is a cost effective approach to assess the market before implementing major changes, such as centricity. Best Buy’s unique culture and structure are organizational resources that distinguish the company from the competition and support (non-managerial) employee retention. While supplier relationships are clearly a solid relational resource, customer relationships are somewhat of a gray area for Best Buy, as many customers are not loyal and often buy through various channels. Best Buy has responded to trend by launching their Reward Zone program to incentivize return customers and as a source to gain customer knowledge. An obvious physical resource of Best Buy is its number of stores, which results in volume purchases, allowing the company to sell brand name merchandise to customers at discount prices. In contrast, an operation of this size with nearly 1000 stores and 120,000 employees incurs significant overhead costs (a potential weakness and often the first resources to be cut in an effort to reduce expenses). Many of the aforementioned resources are imitable in some way or another. For example, employees can be trained or Blue Shirts poached or the competition could open more stores and purchase more inventory, strengthening their relationships with suppliers and pass along the resulting volume discounts to customers. A resource based view would indicate that while these are valuable resources to Best Buy, they (along with many of the company’s resources and capabilities) are substitutable (i.e. suppliers can be interchanged) and imitable by the competition. In response, Best Buy strives to not only offer the customer similar products and attributes as the competition, but to find a way to do so that provides a sustainable advantage. What makes Best Buy superior to its rivals? This requires a constant assessment of Best Buy’s marketing capabilities and this need to differentiate might explain Anderson’s drastic centricity approach. Pricing management is a complicated marketing capability at Best Buy with new technology products being constantly introduced, while others are becoming obsolete. It seems Best Buy excels in the selling and channel management marketing capabilities, with their ability to attract and retain knowledgeable sales associates and to maintain ongoing relationships with key suppliers. The likely and often misused approach would be for the organization to perform a current SWOT analysis to consider their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. I have already listed a few of Best Buy’s strengths (size, supplier relationships, Blue Shirts). Additionally, Best Buy has a history of evolving in response to the changing market and applying various innovative concepts in response. The ability to foresee or quickly assess and respond to market change seems to be a strength of the retailer. While extensive product offerings are a strength of Best Buy, having a significant inventory of products that rapidly become outdated is a necessary weakness of being an electronics retailer; finding a way to manage this would be a significant opportunity. Accordingly, keeping up with rapidly changing products and customer interests are a threat of Best Buy any technology retailer. Anderson is exploring the opportunities component of the analysis when he and his team identified and pursued the following initiatives: â€Å"customer centricity, efficient enterprise, win with service, and win in entertainment,† ultimately selecting on customer centricity. A few obvious threats to be considered are competitors such as Wal-Mart, Circuit City, and Amazon, as well as the ever changing electronics market. Not keeping up with the latest trend, product, or channel could be fatal and explains why Anderson and his team concluded the need to focus on customer centricity, which he felt was a proactive response to the shopping experience that customers were seeking going forward. What does the Customer-Centricity strategy imply and how is it different from a strategy of simply providing great service? The Customer-Centricity strategy implies that Best Buy knows their customers well and that only a few sub-segments are profitable enough to merit an increased level of service and attention. This increased focus on these target segments or fewer/more profitable clients and the assumption that catering to these customers will result in solution purchases is the foundation of Anderson’s initiative. The concept seems to do very little to increase sales to the groups outside of the target segment(s) and seemingly does not consider the untapped potential of these customers. This approach is in contrast to the concept of trying to be â€Å"everything to everyone† or â€Å"one style fits all.† Centricity was an effort to meet customer individual needs while still maintaining the chain’s broad focus. The idea of centricity was based on research that had found many of Best Buy’s customers were leaving dissatisfied and that roughly 20% of customer visits were unprofitable. It was an effort to revamp the store’s value proposition, which was a deviation from their previous winning formula and questionably a step a in a different direction from a core competency. Instead of the â€Å"one style fits all† approach which admittedly would leave some customers dissatisfied, while attempting to cater to the masses, Best Buy’s approach to centricity involved focusing on only one or two distinct customer segments at each store, which also required a new set of segment leaders. This approach was also a focus on Best Buy’s most profitable segments in an effort to deter their unprofitable shoppers. Best Buy could have expanded their customer service efforts, while still maintaining the â€Å"one style fits all† concept through a far less radical change than centricity required. This would seem to be the logical choice and would have relied more on the strengths that made Best Buy great. With the market nearing saturation due to the number of stores, the focus became to sell more to existing customers (versus adding stores to acquire new ones) based on a better understanding of customers’ requirements and â€Å"lavishing them with attention, service, and know how.† This would have been attainable by tweaking Best Buy’s current strategy. Both approaches would involve collecting and analyzing customer data and creating an appropriate action plan based on the findings. One aspect of the change was to â€Å"encourage employees to think and behave as owners and engage with customers to meet their unique needs.† This is one way to provide great service and obtainable outside of the centricity strategy. The objectives of building loyalty with profitable segments and leveraging the company’s existing assets, is not unique to centricity and could have been achieved by providing great customer service to all customers, while focusing on those that are more profitable. Both options involve customer research and additional training of sales associates; it would seem not implementing centricity, which required revamping the store format, new processes, and risked isolating some segments would be the more cost effective method to address the expected shift in the market. Best Buy assumed that their customers were comprised of 5 major segments, who combined accounted for 50%-90% of total revenue. These 5 segments were identified by shoppers’ demographics, behaviors, and attitudes, then assigned a name (Barry, Buzz, Jill, Ray, or BB4B (small businesses with less than 20 employees)) and assigned a segment leader focused on deeply understanding their segment’s shopping behavior and attitude. The case states â€Å"the idea behind customer-centricity was to become the customer’s â€Å"smart friend† and provide a â€Å"complete solution.† While being a trusted advisor to customers and working to sell bundles of products is a logical response to the changing customer orientation, this could have been achieved by less drastic means than those used to implement Anderson’s centricity. This concept seems to center around Best Buy’s market orientation, specifically the increasing customer benefits component, as Be st Buy already cannot take much action to further decrease the buyer’s costs. The introduction of Reward Zone was a step in the right direction for the centricity initiative. The benefits of the reward program were multifaceted; providing additional customer data as well as incentivizing current customers to be repeat customers and to make additional purchases. This is one means by which to help Best Buy achieve a SCA, however, many competitors offered similar programs. It is unclear whether Best Buy directed much, if any attention on their competitor orientation. In addition to gathering and analyzing customer data, it is advisable for the company to consider the strengths, weaknesses, strategies, and capabilities of their competitors. Anderson’s centricity plan does not appear to consider competitor orientation and focuses solely on a few select target segments. Keeping with the market orientation research, Best Buy already uses low costs as a source of competitive advantage and they are hoping that centricity will be a source of differentiation, however, competitor orientation is critical to the success of such an initiative. Customer-Centricity has many similarities to simply providing an increased level of customer service. The most significant difference is the focus on the chain’s most profitable segments, specific to each store and complicated testing and implementation process that was chosen for the launch. Both concepts could be used to move toward solution selling and the â€Å"smart friend† concept. Centricity and improved customer service could involve empowering managers and encouraging employees to think and behave as owners. Centricity was a drastic way to improve customer service, which resulted in some pilot stores reporting double the performance gains of other U.S. locations. There were many benefits that resulted from Anderson’s strategy such as reward zone and Geek Squad, which complimented the goal of providing a solution by adding a service component that Best Buy did not previously provide. Geek Squad was also a means by which to suggest a solution sale as well as it placed the retailer in the customer’s home or business, further strengthening the relationship with customer and providing the opportunity for addition recommendations and referrals when the â€Å"Geek† was onsite. The scientific approach that was used in the implementation of centricity was unique to the strategy, but in many ways could have been applied to multiple approaches to improve the customer experience. Centricity was ultimately a differentiation strategy used in hopes of being difficult for competitors to imitate. When Anderson launched centricity, he clearly realized that long term survival is more important than short-term profits. If nothing else the st rategy is rare and difficult to imitate. How was the new Customer-Centricity strategy implemented? What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy’s implementation as described in the case? The Customer-Centricity strategy was first introduced in 12 laboratory stores, then 32 pilot stores (most of which were in California), then introduced to 110 addition stores after some pilot stores reported performance gains double some comparable U.S. stores. Deviating from the clearly defined SOP, associates were now trained to approach problems using a scientific method involving the creating of a hypothesis regarding the customer, testing it, and analyzing the results. If the hypothesis was substantiated, it could be tested in other stores, and ultimately become a general recommendation throughout the organization. This was concept of centricity that empowered associates and increased innovation from within, which is a strength of the new strategy. In contrast, the SOP was created to promote uniformity across the organization; this scientific component of centricity is a deviation from the uniform concept(s) that had been attributed to the company’s success. The resulting confusion in practices and procedures, while they may ultimately lead to a positive outcome and greater innovation, could be viewed as a weakness of the strategy (at least during the transition period). The additional responsibilities placed on managers and staff, were a struggle and weakness. Employees who had previously been given guidelines for most any issue were now being given the freedom to develop and test their own responses, however, they were held accountable for the resulting outcomes. It was now up to the store manager to execute the value proposition. GMs were expected to lead by example, in light of the increased responsibility. The new processes were stated to take â€Å"five times more time† and while the resulting innovation is good, the extra effort required resulting in a turnover rate of two-thirds among GMs and an expectation among associates to be compensated for their extra effort. However the ability for associates to tailor responses to individual customer situations, should ultimately improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to increased profits. The entire focus of centricity is to increase customer satisfaction and improve retention, as acquisition is becoming increasingly difficult. This realization and reaction is itself if a response to the changing market, which is a strength of the organization. The empowerment of employees will result in exceeding customer’s initial expectations, as they are not accustomed to individualized solutions. This is another strength of centricity and how it was implemented. I question why the majority of the initial 32 pilot stores were in California and why only top performing stores were selected for centricity conversion. It would seem focusing on a single geographic region would generate findings based on an isolated group of similar customers. Marketing studies suggest that in order to increase confidence, research must be replicated in diverse environments over time. This does not appear to be the approach with the testing of centricity at Best Buy and could be viewed as a weakness. I further question the decision to launch the concept in only top performing stores. It makes sense to test the strategy in some top performing stores to see if their performance improves further; it does not make sense to risk a large number of top performing locations with an unproven theory that could negatively impact their performance. It seems logical to use the profits from top performing sites to offset some of the potential losses that are typical with the ramp up period of any significant launch or change. If a store is a top performer, I would first analyze what contributing factors make those stores top performers, be it location, management, or customer interactions, etc. to see if these points of differentiation could be applied to other locations to improve the performance of lesser stores, before revamping how the most successful locations achieve their success. There are many strengths and weakness of centricity and how Best Buy chose to implement it, the reality is that it is a long-term approach, which typically result in short term struggles and reduced profits. How would you resolve the tension between the three parts of the organization (merchandizing, stores, and segments)? Is the notion of a three-legged stool viable? Can Best Buy sustain its competitiveness with P&L responsibilities residing with three different organizations? The new strategy forced collaboration among groups that had not previously collaborated. It increased responsibility and accountability, while taking away control from groups that were accustomed to being in power. Shifting focus from a wide segment to a particular customer’s needs was a new concept requiring different resources. Segment organizations were now held accountable to deliver incremental growth. As a result of all these changes, the various parts of the organization felt â€Å"completely handcuffed.† As the previous sections indicate, higher gross profit margins could not compensate for the conversion costs of the changes being implemented. While the goal may have been to â€Å"have everybody feel like they’re part of the same story,† making three parts of the organization responsible for their individualize P&L only added to the tension. I do not dispute that the organizations should monitory P&L and be held accountable, but when the success of the organization is the common goal, they should be working together to improve the overall P&L of the organization. This approach made it unclear which part owned customer insight and who should report to whom and how they should work together. Clarifying these gray areas of ownership and responsibility are the first step in resolving the tension among the groups. The current practices promote confusion and tension. A uniformed approach would be optimal. In a retail organization, such as Best Buy, merchandizing, stores, and segments, are all critical to success. In varying situations, one â€Å"leg of the stool† may receive greater attention or responsibility, but that is typically for the advancement of the organization as a whole or to offset some of the focus of another part of the organization. All three legs are necessary for Best Buy to properly deliver their value proposition and all three are necessary to help management implement the marketing strategy. Merchandizing, stores, and segments are all part of Best Buy’s marketing mix. Merchandising and segments contribute to stores, but all are intertwined. The individualized P&L structure and scorecard assessment add to the tension and switch the weight placed on each leg, but without a leg or if one leg gets too weak (not enough focus), the stool (entire organization) could collapse. As new products are suggested and tested, this changes the (buying and selling) processes, causing merchandising to be more reactionary than they were accustomed to being in the past, shifting the weight from one leg to another, but not reducing the importance of that organization. The absence of any one particular group or attribute could be detrimental to the organization as a whole. While each piece is interdependent and critical to the whole and policies should be designed accordingly. The realization that each piece contains and shapes the other will result in policies that help to reduce the tension between varying parts of the organization. While Best Buy is focusing on the customer and tailoring products and services to meet their needs a reflection on internal practices and satisfaction would be helpful and achieving those goals and should be considered, tested, and adjusted as well. It will difficult for Best Buy to sustain its competitiveness with P&L responsibilities residing with three different organizations. As mentioned in the prior to sections, this practices ad tension to the organization, which is not good toward long-term success, and causes undue competition among the various organizations. Merchandizing is encouraged to improve their P&L, this may come at the price of a negative impact on the store’s P&L. This is the result of collaboration and reduces the competitive advantage of the overall organization. Centricity involves significant and complex changes, which both help and hinder the marketing strategy implementation. The success of the change will require the cooperation of all groups within the organization, especially merchandizing, stores, and segments. Having policies and practices in place that discourage cooperation within the organization by holding complimentary groups accountable for separate measurements does not help Best Buy (or any organization) create synergies leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. The degree of alignment in itself is an implementation driver and contrasting accountability measures do not lead to alignment of goals. Best Buy experiences enough competitive rivalry in the marketplace without encouraging it internally among organizations. Best Buy is clearly a marketing organization and contributing factors of success are: â€Å"all the components of marketing organization fit together †¦ in a way that simultaneously fits with the requirements of the firm’s strategy †¦ while also matching the needs of the marketplace.† Centricity is Anderson’s strategy to match the needs of the marketplace; the changing strategy requires some changes in various aspects of the company (including merchandizing, stores, and segments), however, it is still a requirement that they fit together, like the legs of a stool. I question if the continuation of separate P&Ls are the optimal way to maintain the fit and cooperation that is necessary for the success of a marketing organization. This seems contradictory to fit and is obviously a source of tension. How long before this becomes apparent and reveals itself to the marketplace; what effect with this have on stock price and market capitalization? In order for centricity to be successful, Best Buy must alter their resource deployments to conform to their strategy changes to achieve the intended goal(s) vs. creating practices that foster tension without any long-term benefit. Granted, it is a tradeoff to fit the strategy to the structure or the structure to the strategy, which is complicated by the complexity of the organization. It is a requirement that they match their resources to their capabilities to their strategy and to market conditions. I hope that I have provided a few suggestions on how they could go about achieving this goal. While I have questioned many aspects of centricity and its implementation, it was obviously a success as unlike Circuit City; Best Buy still exists today (although they continue to struggle due to short product life cycle and the ever changing technology market).

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