How does Atwood explore the theme of love in the novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood describes the story of Offred, a Handmaid, a woman ascribed a breeding function by the society in which she lives in, and who is placed with a husband and wife higher up the social ladder that â€Å"need† a child. Through Offred's eyes we explore the rigidity of the theocracy in which she lives, the contradictions in the society they have created, and her attempts to find solace through otherwise trivial things. In this essay I will talk and explore the issue of how â€Å"love† is portrayed throughout the ‘Handmaid's Tale. The people and the situations, where love is required and abused, such as in the ‘ceremony! ‘ The immediate form of love in the novel is the love between ‘Offred' and her best friend ‘Moira. ‘ This love is portrayed to the readers through the eyes of ‘friendship' shared between two people through times of childhood, right through to the times of hardship, such as in the society of Gilead. Moira has been Offred's friend right from high school, when she would come around her house, ‘dropping her denim jacket onto the floor†¦ Right through to the times where Offred was having an affair, with Luke, her present husband. Moira's love for Offred seems to come across as her guide and advisor, she is the one individual described by Offred as being a ‘fantasy' and also by the other handmaid's. When Moira and Offred meet one another after a time of separation in the new regime Offred describes being ‘ridiculously happy. ‘ This immediately indicates to the reader, the fact that the friendship shared between these two women is so intense that even after a long separation they are ‘still' excited and happy to see one another. Most readers can relate to this, from their personal experiences, when they have been separated from their childhood friends and then have come into touch, these feelings are both felt and explored by the handmaid's and the readers, who relate to the feelings and emotions of separation. The one factor against their friendship in the society is that they are unable to explain what they feel for one another, they derived of talking and making any form of communication towards one another, ‘Friendships were suspicious†¦ e avoided each other. ‘ This also immediately informs the reader of the fact that these two women care for one another to such an extent that they are unable to cause any harm to one another, if it means to not talk to each other than so be it, they will not talk to one another. They care for one another to the extent that they will not allow a ridiculous law from the Gileadian society to come between their most intense and long friendship. The readers can relate to this from their own experiences, because if they too have intense friendships with their friends then they too will try their utmost hardest to not allow any one or any law to come between them. The ‘love' of friendship between Moira and Offred, outlines the fact that there are still people living in this society that value friendship, even though it is forbidden. Like Moira, from Offred's past she had memories of her husband Luke and her young daughter, whom she loved very much and also the two closest family members she lost the night they were running away from the society of Gilead. Memories of her daughter seem to always be sad, as the flash backs she gets of her daughter are of a distressing nature. This is a clear example of when Offred has a nightmare of the night she was ‘running with her' (her daughter). Offred remembers ‘holding her daughters hand' and then also seeing ‘her go away from me†¦ being carried away from me. ‘ These memories of Offred's daughter are extremely painful for her as she wakes up wiping her ‘wet' face, which are obviously ‘tears. From this the readers come to a conclusion that Offred loved and still loves her daughter so much that even when she thinks or dreams of her it brings tears to her eyes. Offred loves her daughter so much and probably regrets and is saddened by the fact that she was unable to say her final ‘goodbye' to her own daughter. Even though Offred throughout most of her novel doesn't know where her daughter is she, or whether she is still alive or not, she believes in her heart that her daughter is still alive and one day in the future she will meet her. This immediately shows that readers that the love and bond between mother and daughter is so deep that Offred, a mother still is adamant that one day they ‘will' meet again. Luke, Offred's husband, like their daughter has also been taken away from Offred, who has no idea where he has been taken, what he does and whether is still alive. However Offred is still in the belief that like her daughter Luke is well, healthy and one day he too will meet her and all three of them will run away as far as possible where the Gileadian society will not find them. Offred loved Luke so much in her past that she was willing to spend days and even night with him, ‘before the divorce,' of him and his present wife at that time which was not Offred. This immediately informs the readers that the love that was shared between Offred and Luke was so intense that they were willing to leave everything that they had in the past to be with one another, and if this meant Luke divorcing his wife for Offred then so be it. The extent of their love was the result of their daughter. Offred throughout the novel has believed that Luke and her would re unite again in the past, she fanticises of him when she's on her own, ‘I want Luke here so bad†¦ I want to be held, told my name†¦ want to be valued†¦ I want to be more than valued. † This immediately informs the readers that the love shared between Offred and her husband Luke, was a love in which Offred felt ‘loved' and ‘valued' not used for the single purpose of ‘sex,' just to make babies for the ‘un-women! The theme of ‘love' in the novel is given a whole new identity in the ‘Handmaid's Tale,' this, because, ‘love' is if you have strong emotional feelings of affection for someone. The ideas of ‘making love' is when two people ‘in love' and have sexual and romantic feelings towards each other and express it through ‘making love-sex. ‘ However in the handmaid's Tale, the handmaids are being completely used for the function o f making babies for the couples that can't have any. These women are having ‘sex' with men they are ‘not' in love with, with men who ‘don't' feel anything towards them, with men who just want them for the function of making babies and nothing else. There is no emotional attachment†¦ ‘Kissing is forbidden! ‘ this is the total abuse of the name and meaning of ‘love. ‘ As far as the Gileadian society is concerned, there should be no love between two people, women should be baby and sex machines to use whenever they want, this is shown to the readers when Nick is described as not having a ‘woman issued' to him yet! Therefore the context of ‘actual' love does not exist in the novel; love is only sex and babies. No emotional attachment, as in the ceremony, where Offred is held down and ‘fucked,' by the commanders, who ‘fucks' her and leaves. The ceremony in which the commander ‘fucks' Offred is blatantly the most disturbing forms of so called ‘love' in the novel. In this scene, Offred is pinned down by the commanders wife, whilst the commander ‘fucks' her. Kissing is forbidden,' which obviously means that there is no emotional or sexual attachment in the whole process of making love. Offred herself explains that she is ‘not' making love with the commander. It is him who is just ‘fucking her. ‘ From this ceremony the readers come to a conclusion and realise that the actual meaning of love had be re-written, just like the palimpsest, therefore the people living in the society have had to stop the ‘normal' way they should be thinking about making ‘love' and now just have sex for the benefit of having children. Overall I come to a conclusion, that the theme of by Margaret Atwood, ‘love' in the novel has been completely abused by those living in this regime, especially the commanders. I also come to a conclusion that there are still some people in the regime, such as the handmaids, who still crave the desires they have had in the past, such as being ‘valued' and ‘loved' by their husbands. Also I have learnt that ‘love' in this novel is not necessarily about ‘sex' but also the ‘love' between two friends; Offred and Moira, who are each others backbones throughout the novel, inspiring each other to become better people and over come this regime. Finally I have also learn that love is not only about ‘sex' its about loving one another mentally, emotionally and then physically, you only realise what you had in the past, until you lose it†¦ this is what has happen to the handmaid's.

Psychotherapy and Group Essay

The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy†. Moreno developed a specific and highly structured form of group therapy known as  Psychodrama. Another recent development is the theory and method of group psychotherapy based on an integration of systems thinking is Yvonne Agazarian’s â€Å"systems-Centered† approach (SCT), which sees groups functioning within the principles of system dynamics. Her method of â€Å"functional subgrouping† introduces a method of organizing group communication so it is less likely to react counterproductively to differences. SCT also emphasizes the need to recognize the phases of group development and the defenses related to each phase in order to best make sense and influence group dynamics. Furthermore the psychoanalytic concept of the unconscious was extended with a recognition of a group unconscious, in which the unconscious processes of group members could be acted out in the form of irrational processes in group sessions. Foulkes developed the model known as  Group Analysis  and the  Institute of Group Analysis, while Bion was influential in the development of group therapy at the  Tavistock Clinic. Bion has been criticised, by Yalom,  for his technical approach which had an exclusive focus on analysis of whole-group processes to the exclusion of any exploration of individual group members’ issues. Despite this, his recognition of group defences in the â€Å"Basic Assumption Group†, has been highly influential. Universality The recognition of shared experiences and feelings among group members and that these may be widespread or universal human concerns, serves to remove a group member’s sense of isolation, validate their experiences, and raise self-esteem Altruism The group is a place where members can help each other, and the experience of being able to give something to another person can lift the member’s self esteem and help develop more adaptive coping styles and interpersonal skills. Instillation of hope In a mixed group that has members at various stages of development or recovery, a member can be inspired and encouraged by another member who has overcome the problems with which they are still struggling. Imparting information While this is not strictly speaking a psychotherapeutic process, members often report that it has been very helpful to learn factual information from other members in the group. For example, about their treatment or about access to services. Corrective recapitulation of the primary family experience Members often  unconsciously  identify the group therapist and other group members with their own parents and siblings in a process that is a form of  transference  specific to group psychotherapy. The therapist’s interpretations can help group members gain understanding of the impact of childhood experiences on their personality, and they may learn to avoid unconsciously repeating unhelpful past interactive patterns in present-day relationships. Development of socializing techniques The group setting provides a safe and supportive environment for members to take risks by extending their repertoire of interpersonal behaviour and improving their social skills Imitative behaviour One way in which group members can develop social skills is through a  modeling  process, observing and imitating the therapist and other group members. For example, sharing personal feelings, showing concern, and supporting others. Cohesiveness It has been suggested  that this is the primary therapeutic factor from which all others flow. A cohesive group is one in which all members feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and validation. Existential factors Learning that one has to take responsibility for one’s own life and the consequences of one’s decisions. Catharsis Experience of relief from emotional distress through the free and uninhibited expression of emotion. When members tell their story to a supportive audience, they can obtain relief from chronic feelings of shame and guilt. Interpersonal learning Group members achieve a greater level of  self-awareness  through the process of interacting with others in the group, who give feedback on the member’s behaviour and impact on others. Self-understanding This factor overlaps with interpersonal learning but refers to the achievement of greater levels of insight into the genesis of one’s problems and the unconscious motivations that underlie one’s behaviour. Settings Group therapy can form part of the therapeutic  milieu  of a psychiatric in-patient unit  or ambulatory psychiatric  Partial hospitalization  (also known as Day Hospital treatment)  In addition to classical â€Å"talking† therapy, group therapy in an institutional setting can also include group-based  expressive therapies  such as  drama therapy,  psychodrama,  art therapy, and non-verbal types of therapy such as  music therapy. Group psychotherapy is a key component of  Milieu Therapy  in a  Therapeutic Community. The total environment or milieu is regarded as the medium of therapy, all interactions and activities regarded as potentially therapeutic and are subject to exploration and interpretation, and are explored in daily or weekly community meetings A form of group therapy has been reported to be effective in psychotic adolescents and recovering addicts. Projective psychotherapy  uses an outside text such as a novel or motion picture to provide a â€Å"stable  delusion† for the former cohort and a safe focus for repressed and suppressed emotions or thoughts in the latter. Patient groups read a novel or collectively view a film. They then participate collectively in the discussion of plot, character motivation and author motivation. In the case of films, sound track, cinematography and background are also discussed and processed. Under the guidance of the therapist, defense mechanisms are bypassed by the use of signifiers and semiotic processes. The focus remains on the text rather than on personal issues. [16]  It was popularized in the science fiction novel,  Red Orc’s Rage. Group therapy is now often utilized in private practice settings (Gardenswartz, 2009, Los Angeles, CA). Good outcomes have also been demonstrated for this form of group therapy.

Message Passing Interface - not a title just area Essay

Message Passing Interface - not a title just area - Essay Example The MPI specification results from an MPI-Forum that entails several standards upon a movable system. Additionally, the standard is not specific on the explicit joint-memory processes, explicit support, and debugging facilities. The argument is that procedures proposed and established to increase the standard of implementation of the MPI in highly performing clusters like the Gigabit Ethernet and InfiniBand are useful in programming of parallel appliances; most clusters’ demonstration critically depend on the communication presentation of the routines provided by the library of the MPI. Historical Context and Development The message passing interface work started in 1991when a group of researchers began deliberations at a certain retreat in Austria. In another workshop, there were discussions on the Standards for Message Passing within an environment of Distributed Memory Environment in Virginia in 1992. During the workshop, there was a debate on the primary traits vital to a typical message-passing interface and a functional group created to commence the process of standardization (Gropp, Ewing & Anthony 1999, P. 27). Drafting of an introductory draft preceded this process in the same year, as a proposal to the project by three researchers. This was the MPI1. Thereafter, an assembly of the MPI team was conducted in Minneapolis. The working group of the MPI met frequently in 1993, and it comprised of people commonly from America and Europe. The standard of the MPI describes the semantics and syntax of a principal of library practices beneficial to many users drafting programs on portable message passing in C and Fortran (Gropp, Ewing & Anthony 2007, P. 790). In an effort to establish a real platform for message passing, the researchers integrated the most expedient traits of a number of systems into MPI as opposed to choosing one system to assume as a standard. Attributes were utilized from p4, Express, IBM, Intel, and PVM among other systems. Currently, the message-passing standard is striking due to its wide portability. It can thus be used in conveying messages for shared memory and distributed memory networks, multiprocessors, and a mixture of these rudiments (Foster & Nicholas 1988, P. 4). Application of the paradigm exists in several settings, regardless of memory planning or network speed. Critical Analysis of Current Trend The output of the plan for implementing an MPI presents crucial issues for computing systems of high performance. This especially applies for more progressive processor technological systems. Consequently, benchmarking the implementation of MPI on multi-core designs can be measured by ascertaining the Open MPI combined communication performance on the Gigabit Ethernet, as well as the infiniBand group, using SKaMPI (Ismail, et al 2013, P. 455). In the past years, clusters have developed into key architecture engaged for computing systems of high performance. The emergent style of the use of clusters as Hig h Performance Computing has led to numerous research in the discipline, especially in the standard method used for communicating between nodes (Gropp, Ewing & Anthony 1999, P. 29). Another significant factor which can impact the performance of communication of clusters is the clusters interconnect. Slower interconnects are capable of slowing down processes. The preferable cluster interconnect has to offer non-blocking inter-connect architecture and low dormancy great

Freedom of Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Freedom of Speech - Essay Example Given that Hustler defends male dominance in sexual matters one can conclude that Hustler harms and subordinates women. On the other hand, this magazine has also a negative connotation for men promoting their sexual coarseness and inclination towards violence against women. As a result, this leads to the consolidation of the male domination in society that negatively affects the relationship between men and women. In this respect, the legal regulation of pornography may reduce the negative impact of pornography on society. Catharine MacKinnon would point to the fact that pornography is immoral phenomenon, which violates the principles of gender equality and is thus a direct threat to the status of women in society. One can suppose that freedom of speech might strengthen these tendencies in the society, as it will promote the idea that men have a right to sexual dominance over women including the use of

Summarize an economics article and reflect how the material you Essay

Summarize an economics article and reflect how the material you learned in class help you understand the article - Essay Example There is also freedom of choice. Consumers, workers, businesses and owners have the freedom to produce, buy and sell goods and service in the market. The only limiting factor is the price at which they are able and willing to pay and sell and the capital that they have (Amadeo, 1). The property economy is driven by the motive of self interest where goods and services are sold at the highest bidder while they pay the minimum for the services and goods. The forces of competition maintain the prices at reasonable levels and ensure that services and goods are offered efficiently. All sellers and buyers have the same access and information on which they base their decisions. The government ensures that markets are open and operating (Amadeo, 1). Most goods and services wanted are produced in the most effectual manner. There is innovation in this economy which is profitable. Also, the persons and business that are interested in innovations accumulate a lot of capital which can lead to higher quality of goods (Amadeo, 1). The market operates by competition and there are individuals in the society who are underprivileged. In this economic set-up, there is reward for individuals’ adeptness in competition, and thus, it reflects their values and organization (Amadeo, 1). The most commonly thought premier market economy is the US. This has been a success because of its constitution which has maximum requirements that ease and protect the features of a market economy (Amadeo, 1). The materials that we interacted with in class have helped in understanding what is meant by demand and supply and how they control the manufacturing of goods and services. They have been useful in understanding how and why producers are driven by profits while buyers want to save the highest possible amount. Through the materials, one is able to understand why the market has such characteristics as private property, freedom of choice,

What are the benefits and weakness of using focus groups Essay

What are the benefits and weakness of using focus groups - Essay Example Assuming these to be correct, structured group discussion is a relevant procedure to obtain people’s opinions, feelings and perceptions, although the interactions between group members have to be borne in mind. (Blankenship, Breen, G.E. and Dutka, A., 1999, 61) The information obtained can be about what each person feels and thinks, but it can also be influenced by a phenomenon such as ‘groupthink’, through which people conform to what others believe. In judging the popularity and the effectiveness of focus groups, it is important to assess the advantages of the method as well as its limitations. In adult education, focus groups perhaps offer a more concrete opportunity for participants and researchers to learn from the process (Field, 2000, 330), being a powerful way of engaging with professionals, policy makers and end-users. The benefits of using such an iterative process in which ‘people’s views and understandings are shared, debated, challenged and changed’ (Field 2000, 325) are more important than the potential disadvantages. Morgan (1999, 142) notes that the majority of the published articles about focus groups refers to the use of this method along with other methods, such as individual in-depth interviews or with surveys. In the research process, focus groups can be used at different points: at the preliminary or exploratory stage of a study; a preparation for decisions about the precise objectives and design of the study; for the collection of the main data; in the closing period of a study to interpret findings, or to generate further perspecti ves for research. Use of focus groups can be seen in applied research as a strategy for collecting data, especially when doing qualitative research to tap peoples subjective experiences (Sullivan, 2001, 23) Focus groups do not invade peoples privacy in order to come to

Acting style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acting style - Essay Example An acting style is the way a play is presented or the way an actor portrays his character. Â  It can refer to quite a few different things - like period acting (roles that take place in a different earlier, era, place or society), or stylized acting (such as the very specific styles used Restoration comedies etc.), or it may refer to verse acting (such as Shakespeare), or proper classical acting (such as ancient Greek plays), or to the early "declaiming" acting (a very stiff, presentational style directly aimed toward the audience), or to modern-day acting (such as we see today in contemporary comedy and drama where actors act realistically). Â  Two major classifications of acting style can be made as presentational and representational. Where representational refers to modern realistic acting and representational refers to the more formal or exaggerated acting styles of old (Kernodle) In 1971, Alan Schneider directed an historic video taped performance of Samuel Becketts Krapps Last Tape, starring Jack MacGowran. The play dramatized an old mans struggle to repossess his youth by searching through reels of audiotape. The style of acting adopted by MacGowarn is simple and realistic as is characteristic in contemporary cinema. He conveys the old mans age and disability (he is nearly half-blind) through body movements and literally no dialogue at all. There are no other actors and the only props are a single table and chair in an otherwise empty room. The film is totally focused on the old man and his every expression. MacGrowan uses his facial and subtle body movements to convey his infirmity and even the joy and difficulty at eating a banana is emoted with great ability and expression in total silence. In 1964 Camera Three, New York, NY produced a short film featuring James Cahill, John Heffernan & Roy Scheider based on excerpts from Ben Jonsons 17th century comedy of

Satoro Tanaka and Mrs. Hitara Importance in David Masumoto's and Pico Essay

Satoro Tanaka and Mrs. Hitara Importance in David Masumoto's and Pico Iyer's and Texts - Essay Example In Harvest Son Masumoto mentions how his interaction with a buckwheat farmer Satoro Tanaka comes to affect him profoundly, and how he develops a fondness for the farmer. Pico Iyer is a British-born, American-raised eminent writer of Indian descent who decided to settle in Japan. His essay â€Å"Our Lady of Lawson† is about his experiences in Japan as a foreigner who refuses to succumb to the pressure to indulge in native Japanese food. He talks about a convenience store he frequently visited and the effect it had on him, especially the interaction between him and the convenience store manager, Mrs. Hirata. The two stories therefore share the common theme of two foreigners analyzing two different characters in Japan. Discussion In Harvest Son, Masumoto forms a close attachment to a local buckwheat farm and its farmer, Satoro Tanaka, while in Eat, Memory: Our Lady of Lawson, Pico Iyer experiences the same emotional attachment to a local convenience store, Lawson’s, and it s proprietor, Mrs. Hirata. Several similar themes run through both of these narratives, starting from the similarities between both authors. First and most important, both Masumoto and Iyer can be considered as â€Å"wild† children, belonging everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Masumoto is a Japanese-American while Iyer was born in England but has been raised in the United States of America. Masumoto has journeyed back to the land of his ancestors to reconnect with their native heritage while Iyer has chosen Japan as his country of settlement. They are considered, as Masumoto puts it, â€Å"strangers†. Iyer writes of the sense of alienation due to something as basic as his entrenched American eating habits and lack of love for Japanese food; â€Å"my housemates in Japan simply shrug and see this as ultimate confirmation -- me dragging at some lasagna in a plastic box while they gobble down dried fish -- that I belong to an alien species† (Iyer, pg.1). His l ove of the convenience store further serves to solidify his characterization as an outsider who refuses to fit in, even though he insists that his love for Japan is real and on a deeper level. Having lived in the country for 12 years, he should still not be typecast as an alien, yet somehow, he still is. This he attributes mostly to his refusal to conform to Japanese food and his standing firmly by convenience-store meals. It can therefore be said of both of them that they are attempting to fit into their homeland’s culture, and understand and identify with their people. Masumoto identifies with Satoro Tanaka’s buckwheat farming while Iyer points out the specific attributes and values he considers â€Å"Japanese†: It's no easier to understand Japan in Western terms than it is to eat noodles with a knife and fork. Yet it has been evident to me for some time that the crush of the anonymous world lies out in the temple-filled streets; the heart of the familiarity, the communal sense of neighborhood, the simple kindness that brought me to Japan, lies in the convenience store.(Iyer, pg.2). The convenience store, and specifically, Mrs. Hitara, or Hitara-San, as Iyer refers to her in formal Japanese, comes to embody these values: And yet, in the 12 years I've lived on and off in my mock-California suburb, the one person who has come to embody for me all

Do adult students on full-time courses suffer from stress Hypothesis Essay

Do adult students on full-time courses suffer from stress Hypothesis - Essay Example ss† (from the Latin dis = bad, as in dissonance, disagreement), and â€Å"eustress† (from the Greek eu =good, as in euphonia, euphoria)†¦However, the fact that eustress causes much less damage than distress graphically demonstrates that it is â€Å"how you take it† that determines ultimately, whether one can adapt successfully to change.(p.6) Thus, stress may affect an individual positively or negatively. It depends on one’s outlook of the situation. Do adult students on full-time courses suffer from stress? Based on Seyle’s definition, the answer would have to be in the affirmative. Firstly, the adult student would experience distress because as an adult one has several responsibilities namely, children, family, work, or one may even be in the process of fostering a social relationship which will require quality time. As Seyle implied distress or eustress is determined by the individual’s perception of the circumstances. Consequently, an individual who has family responsibilities and is also a full-time student may view the course as a distressing factor because the time lost in attending these courses may have been used to obtain a job that would provide income to attend to the needs of the family. This individual may experience and perceive this lost time as depressing and as a result may respond negatively to the conditions , thus worsening his/her mental and physical well-being. Contrastingly, the same individual could decide to take a different perspective and recognize the value of this time as an investment into procuring a job with better-quality remuneration that could not otherwise be acquired. This student, then by changing his/her viewpoint can reduce the stress level from a high threshold to a low level. Moreover, the acquisition of skills and knowledge allows one to obtain increased earnings. The National Center for Education Statistics purports that the median earnings of males with a college degree in 1993 were $33,000 which was

Time and Generation Essay Example for Free

Time and Generation Essay GENERATION Z A NAME GIVEN FOR THE PEOPLE BORN AFTER LATE 90’S SO WE ARE KNOWN IN A COHORT BY THIS NAME. PAST GENERATION WAS A GENERATION WHICH WAS A GENERATION IDENTIFIED AS THE RISING WORLD OR A DEVELOPING WORLD, WHILE AT PRESENT WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS THE KEY POINT IN OUR GENERATION. OUR PARENTS DID NOT HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY WHICH WE HAVE AT PRESENT WE CAN TAKE 100% ADVANTAGE OF IT IF WE DESIRE. AND EVEN IF THEY HAD, THEY WERE UNAWARE OF IT AS IT WAS A DEVELOPING ERA. TECHNOLOGY AND RELATIONSHIP ARE THE TWO MAJOR DIFFERENCES FROM MY SIDE. TECHNOLOGY PROS IF I GO AMONG THE POSITIVE SIDE IT WOULD HAVE INESTIMABLE POSITIVE EFFECTS, LIKE IF I TALK OF GOOGLE THE MOST WELL-KNOWN WEB BROWSER. BY THE EXPLORATION OF A SINGLE ASSEMBLY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAN GET THE ACCURATE INFORMATION OR ANY SORT OF NEW INFORMATION. IF I WANT TO CONNECT TO MY DISTANT LIVING MATE I WILL JUST HAVE TO OPEN ANY SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE AND CONNECT TO HIM. IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE GENERATION IN WHICH OUR PARENTS’ LIVED. WE DECREASE OUR EFFORT WITH THE HELP OF MACHINERIES. IN SHORT, MY POINT IS THAT WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY BY WHICH WE CAN MAKE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WHICH OUR PARENTS DIDN’T HAVE. CONS AS IT HAS MANY POSITIVE POINTS IT DO HAVE SOME NEGATIVE POINTS WHICH ARE IN A SMALL AMOUNT BUT VERY DANGEROUS. LIKE IF I TALK ABOUT DEPENDENCY. WE ALL ARE COMPLETELY DEPENDED ON THE NEW GENERATION Z’S TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT WE CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THEM. IF WE DO NOT GET ANY OF THE DEVICES WHICH WE HAVE OUR BRAIN WOULD TOTALLY GO BLANK AND ALWAYS A THOUGHT WOULD RUN OVER THE MID THAT HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK POSSIBLE WITHOUT THIS DEVICE. RELATIONSHIP IF WE TALK ABOUT THE MAINTENANCE IN THE RELATIONSHIP, WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO IT WHILE OUR PARENTS KNOW HOW TO MAINTAIN IT. WE EVEN DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAINTAIN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR OWN PARENTS. USUALLY IN HOME THERE IS A BATTLE AMONG A 7 YEARS OLD KID AND HIS MOTHER OR FATHER. THAT’S A VERY SHOCKING POINT IN TODAY’S GENERATION. IF WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO CREATE RELATION BETWEEN WE AND OUR PARENTS THAN HOW CAN YOU CREATE RELATION WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR TUTOR E. T. C WHICH AFFECTS US IN FUTURE†¦ IF I TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE GENERATION ,THEY CAN UNDENIABLY BE AFFECTED BY THE WORK DONE OF THE PRESENT GENERATION. AS I’VE TALKED ON THE MISSING POINT OF THE RELATIONSHIP IN OUR GENERATION THE FUTURE GENERATION WOULD BE LIKE LIVING ALONE. ALL THE HUMAN BEINGS WILL LIVE IN A DUAL LIFE ONE FAKE AND OTHER THE REAL ONE. IN A FAMILY OF 4 MEMBERS, ALL THE FOUR MEMBERS WILL LIVE A DIFFERENT LIFE. WHICH IS NOT A GOOD THING NO ONE COULD GIVE ANYBODY ANY KIND OF OPINION BY THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES BY WHICH THE FUTURE GENERATION WOULD NOT HAVE A NICE FUTURE. SO WE CAN SAY THAT BY OUR PARANOMAL ACTIVITIES OUR GENERATIONS WILL HAVE TO FACE GREAT PROBLEMS. BY ALL THIS INFORMATION WE CAN CONCLUDE THAT OUR PARENTS IN THE MATTER OF TECHNOLOGY SHOULD CO – OPERATE A BIT THEY SHOULD FEEL FREE TO ASK US ABOUT THE LATEST TECHS AND ITS USES. AND WE SHOUD START SPENDING A LITTLE TIME NICELY WITH OUR PARENTS BY WHICH WE CAN LEARN BILLION OF THINGS FROM THEM. SO DO FOLLOW THE WORDS GIVEN HERE AND SAVE YOUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. IF I TALK ABOUT MY FUTURE CAREER THEN EVEN IT WOULD BE SPOILED BECAUSE OF MY RELATIONS WITH MY PARENTS. SO EVEN FOR OUR SELFISHNESS WE SHOULD SPEND SOME TIME POLITELY WITH THEM AND CHANGE ORT FEELINGS FOR THEM.

Marketing Strategy For The Chevy Volt Marketing Essay

Marketing Strategy For The Chevy Volt Marketing Essay In November of 1911, Louis Chevrolet, William Little and Edwin Campbell integrated the Chevrolet Motor Company. Chevrolet offers an assortment of motorized vehicles to the general public such as subcompact cars, sports cars, luxury cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans. Chevrolet made the cut and will continue to serve its customers for years to come, stated Nick Kalapos the Times leader in a documentary about Chevrolet being the leader in their community (15). Chevrolet continues to be on top with performance, price, fuel economy, and value leader for General Motors North America (13). Many people are becoming more aware of global warming and they are trying to find various ways to become more environmentally friendly. Record oil prices have pushed consumers toward fuel efficient vehicles and have prompted many governments to consider electric transportations as a way of traveling (5). Research shows that consumers want eco friendly cars. About 68 percent people say that they are willing to buy an eco friendly car within the next couple of years (1). Will Buss said that in reference to Newtons Third Law of Motion, consumers have reacted to gas prices, which have soared to record levels, by buying fewer gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles and more of the fuel-efficient and hybrid-powered variety. As consumers become more aware of how harmful emissions are and how much oil prices continue to rise they will be more willing to buy and the need for electric cars and hybrids will take over the automotive marketplace (1). Chevrolet is searching for those who are willing go the extra mile to be early adopters for the new Volt that will hit the market in late 2010. The people who are going to be more interested in the Eco friendly cars are the Generation Y consumers, says James Schroer. As Generation Y grows up they are going to demand for their vehicles to become more environmental friendly. Gen Y consumers have grown-up up to be technology savvy and they are known to be more familiar with technology than any other generation (1). By developing high technology that could be appealing to the consumers it would entice drivers to plug in rather than filling up (5). Chevy Volt has soaring technology that will give buyers a smart phone application that will let the owners control key vehicle functions along with On star. I phones, blackberries and android phones will be available with the electric car. Remote access will also be possible from a cell phone web browser that will have applications for starting , locking and unlocking the doors, security system arming and disarming commands, and trunk popping. Also there are applications for honking the horn so people will be able to locate their cars easily. The Chevy volt has new technology innovations for the generation Y. As this generation matures and gains more power, their influence will spread across the country (4). There are also some cultural issues to deal with when it comes to electric cars. Some Issues about the electric car depends solely on the time the vehicle will come out, the cost of the Volt and most importantly the consumers (5). Americans want to do good things for the environment, as long as they do not have to compromise performance, convenience, or comfort which causes a major issue (1). Americans only want to do what is suitable and as long as it does not affect their everyday life. Many Americans have a large family which requires them to need a bigger vehicle like a SUV making a gas eating vehicle more suitable than a small electric car. Bigger issue that arises is the lack of batteries that are available. Many car manufactures have been slow to commit to their decisions about electric vehicles, because they are unsure about how many people will want to purchase the electric car. Without orders being placed battery manufactures cannot invest in the time and money that is necessary to produce the batteries at a timely fashion. Gassenheimer says that he has concern that the United States will trade their dependence on the Middle Eastern oil for a reliance on Asian batteries (5). Many experts say that Western companies have more experience in technology and Asians are the leaders in producing Lithium-iron batteries for electronics. A concern for the U.S is that they really dont know if they have the resources or capabilities to produce mass loads of Lithium-iron batteries and the same concern goes for Europe. So a major concern arises about where the Lithium-iron batteries are going to be made. This is a huge issue due to Asians being the only ones that are experienced in making loads of Lithium-iron batteries. An issue about shipments of the Lithium-iron batteries is that its on a strict International Regulation that would be placed on goods making these goods being labeled in the dangerous goods category. Tollefson stated, When the first generation of anything comes out, to a certain extent car manufactures are rolling the dice and this is the biggest roll of the dice anybody has ever made (5). With the rising gasoline prices and consumers growing preference for environmentally-friendly technologies, the hybrid car market has grown tremendously. Toyota, being a huge competitor to General Motors captured the largest percentage of the hybrid car market. Automobile companies such as DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM) have agreed to double their annual production of energy efficient vehicles by 2010. With all the environmental issues going on, nearly all automobile companies are scrambling to be the first and best new electric or hybrid on the market. Shane Donahue stated, Our competitors and others are pursuing similar technologies and other competing technologies, in some cases with more money available. There can be no assurance that they will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do. With that being said, it can be recognized that General Motors feels that their competitors are one step-ahead of them in the hybrid car market. The GM Chevy Volt will enter the market as a direct competitor to the Toyota Prius hybrid and the Honda Insight hybrid. The Toyota Prius is only a conventional hybrid, the Volt is essentially a plug-in car that has to affirm the companys ability to innovate and turn the company around. However, Nissan has announced that it will beat the Volt to market in fall 2010 with its Nissan Leaf, which boasts a 100 mile range on a charge. The Leafs target launch date will beat General Motors Volt plug-in hybrid, and while Japans Mitsubishi and Subaru both launched EVs for sale to fleets in Japan last month, the cars are smaller, lower-speed, city cars with far less range than the 100 miles-per-charge, claims Nissan for the Leaf. With the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf threatening to steal the green car market, Nissan is accelerating its plans for a plug-in version of the Prius (19) Ford has also announced that it will produce a battery-powered version of its Focus, called Focus EV, in late 2011. As well as many other companies are working on electric cars such as the BMW City, Dodge Circuit, Tesla Model S, and Chinas BYD E6. Although they are way more expensive, Tesla has actually sold a few of its cars, which gives it some advantage. Another eco friendly competitor of Chevrolet is Zenn. Their marketing slogan is Zero Emission and No Noise. The Zenn does not use gasoline but is all electrical The Zenn companys idea on eco friendly cars is about purity and original feeling. The Volt needs at least 8 hours for it to charge fully, but the Zenn can take as little as 4 hours to get a full charge. The price of owning a Zenn is half the cost of the 2010 Volt which has not even hit the market yet. The Zenn has been stated in Time magazine as small, inexpensive electric vehicles that can be charged to cover enough miles to handle the daily commute. (20) The Zenn is a Canada based company which has already launched the car in Canada and in the United States. Its sales are increasing with the concerns of a bad economy. A Zenn has significantly less parts than a regular vehicle that will have to be maintained on a regular basis. The owner will never have to worry about changing the oil, replace a filter or muffler and there i s absolutely no need for an emission test. Chevrolet has many routes to take its new innovations with its worldwide channels of production and distribution. GM has organized its brands into four channels: Chevrolet, Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Cadillac-Hummer-Saab and Saturn. Now it has changed the job responsibilities and titles of several of its channel leaders (3). A channels brand name depends on where the vehicles are being produced and sold in. Channels use different brand names to make their vehicles appear more localized. Many of the changes made to the cars are designed specifically to meet the customer needs of where their production is being made. GM took over bankrupt Daewoo Auto and technology to help regain Daewoo reputation at home. GM received a big achievement with Daewoo with their exports. Chevy Europe is a swiss-based firm that sells rebranded products of the GM Daewoo. Chevy Europe sold few United States domestic markets that were modified to suit the European regulations. Chevy Europe sold the Camaro, Beretta, Co rvette, Blazer and the Trailblazer. In 2005 Chevy Europe rebranded its ownership to the Ssangyong, however the Daewoo name retained its name in South Korea and Vietnam after 2005. The Suzuki badge is in the U.S and Canada, Pontiac Badge Canada, the Holden badge in Australia and New Zealand, and the Buick badge in China for some certain GM Daewoo models. Marketed in different distribution channels operated by the Netherlands-based Kroymans Corporation group are the Corvette and Cadillac. Kroymans Corporation going to sell German GM vehicles such as the Opel and they will also sell Netherlands and Belgium made brands. Kroymans is going to stay focused only on importing, distribution, marketing car and retail sales in the Netherlands. The reason for this is because the Chevy Brand represents value-driven cars in Europe. The Corvette name was made into different brand for Europe and Japan. With this World wide vast coverage GM will be capable of designing and marketing vehicles to diffe rent parts of the world. By having this wide coverage GM will be able to draw knowledge and cultural differences from engineers around the world (2). Market Approach The Chevrolet Volt is a hybrid electric automobile. The cars main source of power comes from lithium-ion batteries stored underneath its hood. The batteries can receive charge through one of two ways. They can store electrical energy from the small, gasoline powered engine, or can be charged by using 120-240V AC outlets. On a full battery charge, the Volt is capable of traveling over 40 miles (22). A study found that this distance satisfies nearly three quarters of Americans daily commutes. In addition, Chevrolet expects the batteries to last for up to ten years. The Chevrolet Volts main target market is middle class families that share similar opinions, interests, and hobbies. Segmenting the market and choosing this group is reflected within GMs marketing strategy. They will adapt a strategy that is tailored to attract consumers with related lifestyles and purchasing behaviors. With all the Green Marketing focus in todays world, many consumers are looking for vehicles that are environmentally friendly. Also, with the recent state of the economy, many consumers are seeking a car that provides good value and quality at a fair price. The Volt is a new kind of hybrid that runs primarily off of electricity which greatly reduces its fuel consumption. With increasing gas prices and a poor economic state, this makes the Volt attractive to these eco-friendly customers. As GM seeks to be a part of the Go Green initiative, many consumers who value this idea will begin to become loyal to General Motors. When GM set out to price the Volt, they had a good idea of where to position their product. Some other big automobile companies have already dipped into this market and give the Volts marketers a good idea of a fair price for this type of vehicle. Nissans Altima Hybrid is priced at $34,000, followed by Hondas Accord ranging from $35,000-$40,000 (23). The Toyota Camry Hybrid rounds off this vehicle class with a standard price tag of $37,000 (24). These prices made it apparent to Chevrolet that for the Volt to be competitive it should be priced somewhere in the range of $30,000 to $40,000 depending on available options. The anticipation of the introduction of the Volt is growing, according to Chevrolet. They have over 30,000 potential buyers that cannot wait to drive one of these fascinating cars. Chevrolet wants consumers to see the car as more than just an inexpensive way to travel. They want to the vehicle to reflect style, and be a car that people aspire to own (24). However, some automakers are skeptical of the Volt. Some of the more luxurious competitors feel that most consumers will not pay a higher premium for a car that really doesnt offer much more than a basic automobile. Chevrolet hopes to shock them as well as the consumers it captures with the Volts release. Chevy and GM have worked hard to make the Volt a user friendly and customizable car. One of the features they are offering will be a few different gauge interfaces from which the driver will be able to choose. One set contains a standard, traditional gauge set with all normal gauges placed directly over the steering wheel, while a second set displays the gauges from the center of the dash. This second set is impressive, in that it uses touch screen technology and backlit LED lighting for a bright, clear display. Both sets allow drivers to see how they are using the cars energy, which can let them adjust driving patterns to reduce lost energy (25). Still, the location of the interface is strictly up to the driver, and consumers like the idea of being able to customize a vehicle to their liking. Another advantage the Volt has over foreign electric vehicles is its federal rebate program. The government offers $7,500 off for buying the Chevrolet brand. This becomes quite a bargaining chip when talking about a sticker price of 30-40K. General Motors is planning to produce tens of thousands of these new vehicles to be sold around the world. An actual price has not been set but the pricing strategy and final MSRP will factor in gasoline prices (26). Chevrolet offers many services that other companys lack. An important service that Chevrolet has is a life saving service called On-Star. The Chevrolet Volt will be equipped with On-Star, but not just any On-Star, it will come with On-Star EV Lab. This version is offered to give the Volt a more high tech appeal (6). One of the features includes communicating with the Volt by telling it to charge during the night at off peak times to take advantage of lower rates; this technology is called smart charging (6). On-Star automatically runs hundreds of diagnostic and maintenance checks on your vehicles key operating systems and deliver a summary report right to your inbox every month (7). Chevrolet has been a loyal company that has always been superb when coming up with new ideas for vehicles. Chevrolet has been working hard to process this new advanced automobile. Volt is an electric vehicle with a range extender. Volt runs on electricity from its battery, and then it runs on electricity it creates from gas. Depending on the weather, the electrical features that are turned on and how you drive, you can drive up to 40 miles on the electricity stored in the battery totally gas and emissions free(8). After this takes place, the range-extending generator automatically kicks in to provide the electrical power. This allows the Volt to go for several hundred additional miles, until it is plugged in again. Chevrolets brand is becoming more solid after GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcies and has just recently emerged. Chevrolet is one of the leading automobile brands in America. The automakers are continuing to launch fuel efficiency options, while also introducing safety and security packages for the new models. Trailing the American urban congestion, the Chevys hybrids are poised to surpass their mainstream competitors. Above all, the most visually arresting feature for the brand of Chevrolet vehicles is the Chevrolets corporate logo that creates a distinct look for the exterior(9). Financials: The Chevrolet Volt has an estimated price of around $40,000, in the U.S. market. Due to the capacity of the Volts battery pack it qualifies for the maximum US $7,500 federal tax credit. The former vice president Bob Lutz initially wanted the Volt to be sold at around $30,000. Electricity is an extremely affordable way to power a car the average American pays less than 12 cents per kilowatt hour. If the average American drives less than 40 miles, it will cost about a dollar a day for electricity (8). This is about the same cost as running a basic household appliance. To save even more, some utility companies recommend charging overnight for off-peak rates and may even offer incentives to customers who do so (8). The Volt is being endorsed by Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario government in Canada. The province will provide a $10,000 subsidy, and will purchase 500 Volts for the Ontario Public Service fleet. The subsidies are part of McGuintys target to have electric vehicles make up 5% o f all cars in Ontario by 2020. (10) At the Sydney Motor Show in October 2008, Holden stated that the Volt would be available in Australia by 2012 for more than $30,000. At the U.S. average cost of electricity (approximately 11 cents per kWh), a typical Volt driver would pay about $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile. GMs average annual sales growth over the past five years is a low 0.7 per cent. It has accumulated losses of $51 billion (U.S.) since 2005, and the shareholder value of GM, with 2007 sales of $297 billion, is a humbling $12 billion. (21) An analysis of the financial statements of the Chevrolet Volt show that the accounts receivable remain at about $500,000 throughout the year; not including a seasonal fluctuation in sales. The accounts receivable turns over once every 60 days. The inventory on the other hand remains about $800,000 and turns over every 90 days. The accounts payable remains at $400,000 and turns over about once every 45 days. With an accounts receivable collection period of 60 days and an average balance outstanding of $500,000, results show that $750,000, is the amount that should be collected on the receivables in 90 days. If the inventory of $800,000 valued at cost turns over once in 90 days and if the average markup is about $200,000, cash sales should amount to about $250,000. If there is no seasonal factor, the total amount divided by four should be an approximate test on the amount budgeted for the next 90 days. A Chevy Volt owner could theoretically drive 15,000 miles for less than $300.00 a year, assuming current rates for electricity stay the same. Volt uses about 2500 kWh annually, which is an extremely affordable way to power a car as the average American pays less than 12 cents per kilowatt hour. In other words, if you drive 40 miles or less that could work out to be about a dollar a day. And that can add up to big savings. (27). Depending on the weather, the electrical features that are turned on and how you drive, you can drive up to 40 miles on the electricity stored in the battery totally gas and emissions free. After that, its gas-powered, range-extending generator automatically kicks in to provide electrical power. Assuming the EPA estimates $2,000 a year in fuel cost for a compact car, like the Chevy Cobalt or Honda Civic cost savings in fuel would go a long way toward offsetting the cost of a $40,000 electric vehicle. Battery and size and vehicle cost should fall rapidly as pr oduction rises.   (27). In Flint Michigan, General Motors Company is investing more than $230 million in four different GM plants in the greater Flint area to support the production of the fuel-efficient 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt, according to the automaker.   The four GM plants include Flint Engine South, Flint Metal Center, Flint Tool Die, and Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center.   At the Flint Engine South nearly $202 million dollars have been invested to renovate the former I5/I6 manufacturing operations for production of a 1.4L four-cylinder engine generator for the Chevrolet Volt.   In the Flint metal center, $1.7 million has been invested to refurbish press lines that will produce sheet metal stampings for the Volt.   All dies for the Chevy Volt were engineered at Flint Tool Die. Approximately 50 percent of dies for the Volt were designed at this facility. At the Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center, approximately $30 million invested in this facility to build the robotic weld tool cells that will ass emble the Volt body at the Volt assembly plant. Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center also built the robotic weld tool cells for the body shop to assemble the Chevrolet Cruze at Lordstown (Ohio) Assembly (28). When GM CEO Rick Wagoner testified that the Volt is being pushed into production for 2011, he added that, It will not be at that point fully cost competitive.   GM has actually spent about three quarters of a billion to develop the Volt, and much of that is in battery research. GM recognizes the importance of staying ahead of the competition in developing new technology. They are willing to take the risk of spending a large amount of money even in these desperate times of recession. Without doubt, some of that money will eventually be spread across the automobile industry when the Volts power train and battery advances get shared with other GM models. However, it is still unlikely that the Volts addition will bring down the bottom line until a second generation model is introduced, which may not be until 2014 to 2016   (29). Electricity is defiantly the way of the future when talking about the automobile. Electricity runs clean in a vehicle, therefore there will be no tailpipe emissions. And if the electricity is generated using alternate power sources such as wind, hydro, solar or bio-fuels, there is the potential to considerably reduce the emissions associated with personal transportation. Advancements in electricity production along with reduction in emissions from electric-powered driven cars can make our world a cleaner place.(30)   General Motors Corporation will open the first lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing plant in the United States in Michigan with production expected by 2010. The lithium-ion battery cells will be supplied by Compact Power Inc., a subsidiary of South Koreas LG Chem based in Troy, Michigan for Volt prototype vehicles until GMs battery facility is operational. GM has also signed a joint engineering contract with Compact Power and LG Chem to develop Volts lithium-ion batt ery technology. The advanced battery strategy is expected to strengthen GMs capabilities to develop hybrid and electric vehicles (30). By using the battery as a power source, we will in the long run help cut back our dependency from other countries. Since almost all of our electricity is produced domestically, its a great way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The U.S. has a variety of electricity sources, all with the potential to help us become more energy-independent. (31) Because the market of electric cars is still forming, there is not any real information available about cash flows.   There are a few known factors, though.   First of all, GM has spent about $750 million to develop the Volt, and will probably still spend even more.   For another, there is no way to break even on this investment for at least another several years (and several models) have passed.   Only time and 2011 income statements will tell how well GMs bottom line fairs with its new Volt.