Rome Essay -- History, Architecture

Early Rome was an architecturally diverse place. For the first centuries after its founding all the people of Rome lived in very simple huts devoid of any significant meaning. But during the rule under the Etruscans, they learned how to build more complex structures with specific purposes such as a sacred place where a god can be thought to dwell. Etruscan buildings cannot be seen though without Greek architectures’ indelible mark. Through the Etruscans, Rome learned how to build huge and complex structures where before that knowledge did not exist. This period of Roman architecture can be defined along with Rome’s governmental development. Republican Rome began in 509 B.C. and with it entered the beginning of Rome’s architectural greatness. â€Å"With the expulsion of the Etruscan kings Rome was free to shape her own destinies† (Sear 14). Since Rome was not restrained because of its conquerors it was free to create whatever they wished, however they wanted. While there was still a heavy Greek influence, a style developed that was distinctly Roman, but as Rome conquered nations across the Mediterranean Sea it absorbed their styles of building and it was shown in the buildings of their capital. Imperial Rome saw the highest and lowest point in Rome’s history. But during this time an enormous number of innovative and massive structures were built that defined Rome as the dominant power in the ancient world. During this time Rome reworked its earlier principles to be used in the government and religious buildings. Cement also played an important role in the ability to construct complex domes and ornate arches. Another major change that occurred was the extensive use of marble in construction, unlike earlier brick buildings.... ...ed the small farming village on the banks of the Tiber into a thriving city. Throughout the Republic of Rome, advances were made in complexity and design alongside the introductions to new cultures during Rome’s conquests. These conquests gave Rome the wealth and inspiration needed to create its massive buildings. All through the Empire, magnificent and colossal buildings were built which reflected the height of Roman power and wealth. â€Å"It is said of Augustus that he found Rome a city built of bricks but left it a city built of marble† (Clayton 22). This is very true of how Rome was rebuilt during its time as an empire and the dominant power in the world. From beginning to end, the Roman concept of architecture was based on shaping matter around space, and this only changed in complexity and in meaning, but never changed the foundation upon which it was built.

Light and Sight in The Good-Morrow Essay -- Good-Morrow Essays

Light and Sight in The Good-Morrow John Donne’s poetry deals with themes of creation and discovery. In his work "The Good-Morrow," these issues are discussed through the use of poetic symbols. Donne gives major emphasis to the sense of sight as a way of discovering pure love. The first stanza contains images of sleep and, more generally, the ways in which one’s eyes can be closed to the world. Donne uses phrases like "not weaned" (2), "childishly" (3), and "dream" (7), to suggest the idea that when one’s eyes are closed, there is more than light that is denied from the sense of sight. In the visual example given, his imagery goes beyond that which is normally associated with the absence of light. Figuratively speaking, the narrator is talking about the light which comes from being knowledgeable about the ways of the world. In this sense, to have a "dream" of someone is to look at an illusion (7). This presents an interesting paradox. When talking about issues of blindness and sight, one necessarily assumes that some kind of light is present. Sight only comes into play when one is either denied vision or given the privilege of vision in the material world. To the speaker, a world without the presence of light has no concept of basic form. The last two lines of the first stanza deal with this issue. Those lines state,"If ever any beauty I did see,/Which I desired, and got, ‘twas but a dream of thee." (6-7) Though the speaker is in a place where there is no light, within the world of the sleeping dream, shades of "beauty" have come to him, and he has mistook them for the true light of beauty introduced in the next stanza. Throughout stanza two, images waking into the daylight world replace the dark images of slee... ...Through the act of looking, the outside world can be viewed as a direct manifestation of the power of true love. The opening line of this stanza reads,"My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears," (15) Giving the reader an image showing the circular reflection of a face within an eye suggests the form of a world existing within the gaze of the speaker. The reflected image is actually a world of potential, filled with hope of love, that creates a light all its own. The last lines of the poem allude to this,"If our two loves be one, or thou and I/Love so alike that none do slacken, none can die." (20-1) The speaker, and perhaps Donne himself, is given the power of life eternal through the love he finds in his partner’s eyes. Their "two loves" are truly "one" if by the grace of their emotions for each other, they can imagine a life together where,"none can die†

John Proctor

John Proctor BY charited7575 The famous philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as â€Å"The change in the hero's fortunes be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in any depravity but in some great error on his part. † Arthur Miller constructs The Crucible to be a never ending tragic spiral leading to many peoples death which creates several by- products of destruction to everyone in the town of Salem. John Proctor can be labeled as one of the protagonist n the play as the story is partly centered on him.He makes a clearly a suitable character for the tragic hero because he has an integrity stabbing flaw, he has to choose between his fate and his reputation, and as far as morals go, he is definitively better than the other characters in the play although there are many defects in his character. John Proctor is a prime representation ofa tragic hero. The quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering t o high moral principles or professional standards is the definition of integrity and the definition of John Proctor.Proctor is very highly respected in the town of Salem due to his high principles shown. Unfortunately, as the tragic hero, he has done something that has severely damaged his high integrity. Proctor cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail. In a town as religiously influenced as Salem, this hurts Proctor's reputation because committing adultery is against one of the Ten Commandments. Ironically, when asked to recite the Ten Commandments by Reverend Hale, he forgets about the commandment stating, mfou shall not commit adultery.John admits to having an affair with Abigail Williams in the court hearing in hope to prove her accusations false. When they call his wife out, Elizabeth, she is unaware that he has confessed as Danforth states, â€Å"Answer my question! Is your husband a leacher! † Elizabeth then faintly says â€Å"No, sir. † Doing so, she has doomed them both. Having an affair with Abigail Williams ultimately leads to John Proctor's demise, thus proving him as the tragic hero. The great Athenian philosopher Socrates is very similar to John Proctor.Socrates was accused of corrupting the minds of the youth, which he did not necessarily do. Even when he was put on trial and faced with death, he kept his pride and stuck with the truth. He was then executed by drinking poison. John Proctor was accused of being a witch, which he was not. He also never lied to himself and stayed with what he knew was true. John Proctor is faced with the decision to either die and forever keep his integrity, reputation, and name, or live and forever lose all of them. Proctor eventually hooses to die as Hale states, â€Å"Man, you will hang!You cannot! † Proctor proceeds to say, â€Å"l can. And there's your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. † His decision ma kes him a tragic hero because it was the honorable thing to do although it came to his death and his character flaw indirectly caused his death. Although part of being a tragic hero is having flaws, another part of it is being superior in some aspect of your character compared to the other characters. John Proctor's morals are superior to the other characters.He never believes in anyone has been practicing witchcraft after the most of Salem is convinced. He also stood up to Parris in Act One as he says, † the last meeting I were at you spoke so long on deeds and mortgages I thought i were an auction. † Throughout the play Abigail tries to seduce John but he proves time and time again that he has learned from the mistake he made. Proctor also has the pride to keep his reputation which leads to his perish which almost all of the ther characters wouldn't do.The crux of the matter is John Proctor is a true tragic hero which is proved throughout the play. He kept true to hims elf even in the face of death, he learned from his mistakes, and he has an immense amount of integrity that almost all of the characters fail to have within them. John is not perfect and the part of him that is imperfect ends up being the cause of his tragic death. Although the hero side of him shines throughout the story, the tragic side of him is always glaring behind him. John Proctor John Proctor BY charited7575 The famous philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as â€Å"The change in the hero's fortunes be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in any depravity but in some great error on his part. † Arthur Miller constructs The Crucible to be a never ending tragic spiral leading to many peoples death which creates several by- products of destruction to everyone in the town of Salem. John Proctor can be labeled as one of the protagonist n the play as the story is partly centered on him.He makes a clearly a suitable character for the tragic hero because he has an integrity stabbing flaw, he has to choose between his fate and his reputation, and as far as morals go, he is definitively better than the other characters in the play although there are many defects in his character. John Proctor is a prime representation ofa tragic hero. The quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering t o high moral principles or professional standards is the definition of integrity and the definition of John Proctor.Proctor is very highly respected in the town of Salem due to his high principles shown. Unfortunately, as the tragic hero, he has done something that has severely damaged his high integrity. Proctor cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail. In a town as religiously influenced as Salem, this hurts Proctor's reputation because committing adultery is against one of the Ten Commandments. Ironically, when asked to recite the Ten Commandments by Reverend Hale, he forgets about the commandment stating, mfou shall not commit adultery.John admits to having an affair with Abigail Williams in the court hearing in hope to prove her accusations false. When they call his wife out, Elizabeth, she is unaware that he has confessed as Danforth states, â€Å"Answer my question! Is your husband a leacher! † Elizabeth then faintly says â€Å"No, sir. † Doing so, she has doomed them both. Having an affair with Abigail Williams ultimately leads to John Proctor's demise, thus proving him as the tragic hero. The great Athenian philosopher Socrates is very similar to John Proctor.Socrates was accused of corrupting the minds of the youth, which he did not necessarily do. Even when he was put on trial and faced with death, he kept his pride and stuck with the truth. He was then executed by drinking poison. John Proctor was accused of being a witch, which he was not. He also never lied to himself and stayed with what he knew was true. John Proctor is faced with the decision to either die and forever keep his integrity, reputation, and name, or live and forever lose all of them. Proctor eventually hooses to die as Hale states, â€Å"Man, you will hang!You cannot! † Proctor proceeds to say, â€Å"l can. And there's your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. † His decision ma kes him a tragic hero because it was the honorable thing to do although it came to his death and his character flaw indirectly caused his death. Although part of being a tragic hero is having flaws, another part of it is being superior in some aspect of your character compared to the other characters. John Proctor's morals are superior to the other characters.He never believes in anyone has been practicing witchcraft after the most of Salem is convinced. He also stood up to Parris in Act One as he says, † the last meeting I were at you spoke so long on deeds and mortgages I thought i were an auction. † Throughout the play Abigail tries to seduce John but he proves time and time again that he has learned from the mistake he made. Proctor also has the pride to keep his reputation which leads to his perish which almost all of the ther characters wouldn't do.The crux of the matter is John Proctor is a true tragic hero which is proved throughout the play. He kept true to hims elf even in the face of death, he learned from his mistakes, and he has an immense amount of integrity that almost all of the characters fail to have within them. John is not perfect and the part of him that is imperfect ends up being the cause of his tragic death. Although the hero side of him shines throughout the story, the tragic side of him is always glaring behind him. John Proctor John Proctor’s Development The Crucible, first published in 1953, is about the dramatization of the Salem witch trials that takes place in Massachusetts in 1692. In The Crucible, John Proctor is the most significant person that has most effect on the ending. Every decision he makes alter the outcome of the witch trial in Salem. In the beginning, he seems reluctant to confess the truth, but in the end, he finally comes upfront and admits what he has done due to his desire of saving others.John can be compared to a crucible because he is like a vessel that when heated to extremely high temperatures, melts down and purifies owing to the fact that he has changed tremendously throughout the book. John Proctor seems to be self-centered and inconsiderate, but because of his guilt for causing all the persecutions, he becomes ingenuous and forthright. At the outset of the book, it is revealed that John Proctor, a man in his middle thirties, once had an affair with Abigail Williams, a g irl age of seventeen, when Abigail says that, â€Å"I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!Or did I dream that? It’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now† (22). They not only had feelings for one another for a while but, they did more than that. According to the ten laws in Salem, one of the laws states that thou shall not commit adultery. Once Proctor realizes his immoral doings, he immediately stops his relationship with Abigail and refuses her every time she tries to get close to him. An example that clearly exemplifies this is when they are in Parris’s house, talking about what happened in the woods concerning last night.When Abigail and John are left alone inside the room, John says, â€Å"Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wip e it out of mind. We never touched, Abby† (23). This shows that Proctor has changed since at first he had an affair with Abigail but when she wants to prolong it, he stands up firmly and rejects her. As people are being arrested as a result of Abigail’s accusations, John knows that it is all a pretense.Nonetheless, he doesn’t have any eagerness to help the others that are affected due to his actions. An event that proves this is when Elizabeth encourages him to help the others. She says, â€Å"God forbid you keep that from the court, John. I think they must be told†¦You cannot keep it John† and he replies by saying, â€Å"I know I cannot keep it. I say I will think on it† (53). However, on the night his dear wife Elizabeth is arrested, he promises her that he will do anything in his power to free her and show everyone that Abigail is unscrupulous.He acknowledges that the only way to make others believe that Abigail is telling lies is to tell th em about their affair. In the end, he goes to Judge Hathorne ad Deputy Governor Danforth and admits by saying, â€Å"In the proper place—where my beasts are bedded. On the last night of my joy, some eight months past. She used to serve me in my house, sir†¦She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands† (110).This demonstrates his want to come clean and confess what he had done wrong in the past in order to save his wife and those around him. After John tells the truth, Abigail denies it and acts as if she is a poor girl who is being treated unjustly by others even though she is doing a good deed. When Elizabeth is called forth to tell the real story, she lies in order to protect her husband’s name but, has no knowledge that he himself has confessed. As a result, the judges believe Abigail’s story and sends Proctor to jail.While he’s in jail, people, such as Hale, persuades him to confess even though they know that he will have to lie but, they think that if he confesses, at least he will not be hanged. Proctor wants to live, so he confesses. Danforth then gives him a paper to sign and after John signs it, Danforth demands that he must also go tell the truth to the public as well. However, Proctor says, â€Å"You are the high court, your word is good enough! Tell them I confessed myself; say Proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman; say what you will, but my name cannot—† (143).He doesn’t want to live without his name and tears the paper. As a result, he isn’t freed and is condemned to hang. This reveals at first, he wants to live so he lies, but when the judges want him to confess to the public, he rejects. Even though what he did cost him his life, he is able to have his goodness. Jo hn Proctor’s development has shown that he has truly become a good person and admits to all his actions. Throughout the book, he faces many obstacles which put him in a situation where he has no choice but to tell the truth. These obstacles allow him to make the right decisions and finally change. John Proctor John Proctor BY charited7575 The famous philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as â€Å"The change in the hero's fortunes be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in any depravity but in some great error on his part. † Arthur Miller constructs The Crucible to be a never ending tragic spiral leading to many peoples death which creates several by- products of destruction to everyone in the town of Salem. John Proctor can be labeled as one of the protagonist n the play as the story is partly centered on him.He makes a clearly a suitable character for the tragic hero because he has an integrity stabbing flaw, he has to choose between his fate and his reputation, and as far as morals go, he is definitively better than the other characters in the play although there are many defects in his character. John Proctor is a prime representation ofa tragic hero. The quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering t o high moral principles or professional standards is the definition of integrity and the definition of John Proctor.Proctor is very highly respected in the town of Salem due to his high principles shown. Unfortunately, as the tragic hero, he has done something that has severely damaged his high integrity. Proctor cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail. In a town as religiously influenced as Salem, this hurts Proctor's reputation because committing adultery is against one of the Ten Commandments. Ironically, when asked to recite the Ten Commandments by Reverend Hale, he forgets about the commandment stating, mfou shall not commit adultery.John admits to having an affair with Abigail Williams in the court hearing in hope to prove her accusations false. When they call his wife out, Elizabeth, she is unaware that he has confessed as Danforth states, â€Å"Answer my question! Is your husband a leacher! † Elizabeth then faintly says â€Å"No, sir. † Doing so, she has doomed them both. Having an affair with Abigail Williams ultimately leads to John Proctor's demise, thus proving him as the tragic hero. The great Athenian philosopher Socrates is very similar to John Proctor.Socrates was accused of corrupting the minds of the youth, which he did not necessarily do. Even when he was put on trial and faced with death, he kept his pride and stuck with the truth. He was then executed by drinking poison. John Proctor was accused of being a witch, which he was not. He also never lied to himself and stayed with what he knew was true. John Proctor is faced with the decision to either die and forever keep his integrity, reputation, and name, or live and forever lose all of them. Proctor eventually hooses to die as Hale states, â€Å"Man, you will hang!You cannot! † Proctor proceeds to say, â€Å"l can. And there's your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. † His decision ma kes him a tragic hero because it was the honorable thing to do although it came to his death and his character flaw indirectly caused his death. Although part of being a tragic hero is having flaws, another part of it is being superior in some aspect of your character compared to the other characters. John Proctor's morals are superior to the other characters.He never believes in anyone has been practicing witchcraft after the most of Salem is convinced. He also stood up to Parris in Act One as he says, † the last meeting I were at you spoke so long on deeds and mortgages I thought i were an auction. † Throughout the play Abigail tries to seduce John but he proves time and time again that he has learned from the mistake he made. Proctor also has the pride to keep his reputation which leads to his perish which almost all of the ther characters wouldn't do.The crux of the matter is John Proctor is a true tragic hero which is proved throughout the play. He kept true to hims elf even in the face of death, he learned from his mistakes, and he has an immense amount of integrity that almost all of the characters fail to have within them. John is not perfect and the part of him that is imperfect ends up being the cause of his tragic death. Although the hero side of him shines throughout the story, the tragic side of him is always glaring behind him.

Baroque Assignment

The period of art known as Baroque began in the late 16th century. The period introduced art that was complex, rich, and extravagant. This was a time when optimism was the law of the land and a more confident and self-assured attitude made itself known. This is reflected in most of the artwork in this period.Paintings in the Baroque period were more complex than sculpture, and it showed in almost every painting. (Gardner, 397, 402) The painting, â€Å"The Geographer† by Jan Vermeer, is an example of Baroque art in the 17th century.Encompassing the theme of cartography, the sea chart, globe, and the like, (Harden) the painting shows a man, interrupted from his work, looked out the window. It is interesting to note that the man in the painting might be Anthony van Leeuwenhoek. It has been said that the man in this painting fits the mold of an intelligent man, knowledgeable from literature and observation. (Gowing) This would certainly fit van Leeuwenhoek. In regards the the rest of the painting, there is an abundance of objects on the left, leading the viewer's eye to that area.It seems that the few objects on the right of the painting are unimportant. This painting embodies the four main characteristics of Baroque paintings: the use of diagonals, suspense, tenebrism, and snapshot quality. Diagonals play a major role in â€Å"The Geographer†. In fact, almost every line is at an angle to imply perspective. This gives the painting depth. Everything is on a diagonal, to the point where it almost looks as if the picture is slanted to one side.Other details to note are the compass in his hand moving at the same angle as his arm, creating movement in the direction of his other hand, creating a circle. Most of the movement of the piece leans to the left. Even the shadows seem to be at a diagonal. It seems as if the man in the painting is looking out the window at something. It looks as if he is disturbed, or shocked, with what he sees. Perhaps he was inter rupted from his work to witness something awful. This is the most exciting moment. The viewer can imagine what he is looking at, none of the possibilities pleasant.This is how the painting is suspenseful. One can only imagine what happened before, or what will happen after, this picture was painted, but one can be sure that this moment is the beginning of something exciting. Tenebrism is defined as a style of painting that uses violent contrasts of light and dark. In â€Å"The Geographer†, this is apparent. The strongest light source in the picture is on the left, adding even more emphasis to this side of the painting. The man's face is lit quite well, the viewer must be able to see his face for the viewer to understand his anguish.What he is working on is also well-lit. The wall, where nothing seems to be happening, also where there are no diagonals, is cast in shadow, making this wall unimportant. There seems to be stark lines of shadow, and then of light. (Harden) This con trast adds to the painting's shocked and disturbed feel. Looking at the painting reminds the viewer of looking at a photograph. The colors are rich, the strokes barely noticeable. However, more importantly, the painting resembles a photograph because of the emotion that is caught by the artist.It seems as though the artist painted this at top speed, just to catch the shocked look on the subject's face. Of course, it is impossible to paint that fast, and this is why it resembles a photograph. The characteristics of Baroque art in the 17th century show themselves in â€Å"The Geographer†. In an age of complexity, Vermeer took a subject and animated him with the use of shadow and light. The subject was captured in a state of shock, which leaves the viewer curious as to what he was looking at. Also, one cannot help but to notice the quality of the painting.In an age when optimism was the rule, this painting lends itself to a darker corner of the world, and Vermeer makes it work b eautifully. ? Gardner, Helen. Art Through the Ages. Chicago: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. 1959. ? Gowing, Lawrence. â€Å"Vermeer†. Essential Vermeer. 1950. 2001. 28 Jan 2009. http://www. essentialvermeer. com/cat_about/geographer. html ? Harden, Mark. â€Å"Jan Vermeer: The Geographer†. WebMuseum, Paris. 14 Oct 2002. 29 Jan 2009. http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/vermeer/geographer. html

Alcatraz essay

Imagine you are told exactly when you can eat or shower and when you have to go to bed and when you must wake up. Well many of the prisoners on Alcatraz Island were treated in such a way. If you were a prisoner on Alcatraz Island, every aspect of your life would be controlled by a higher authority. If you like to have a midnight snack every now and then, that luxury would be taken away. If you like to sit around and watch TV for hours, you can forget about that too. Alcatraz has a long history of transformation as to how it came to be known as the inescapable prison island.This reputation did not stop a handful of men to try and do the impossible and escape the island. Alcatraz, also known as â€Å"The Rock†, is a well-known yet mysterious place containing many forgotten memories and lost ghosts. Though no one really knows everything that went on within the concealed walls of the old prison, it still manages to trap the interests of millions of people who visit the national pa rk each day on the small island in the San Francisco Bay. Not only has it trapped the interests of those millions of visitors, but it has also trapped mine as well.Discovered in 1775 by a Spanish explorer named Juan Miguel de Ayala, La Isla de los Alcatraces was nothing more than a small island inhabited by a group of pelicans from which the island acquired its name (Alcatraces means pelicans in Spanish). In 1847, the United States Government began view Alcatraz as more than just an island, but also an excellent location for a military fort; by 1853, a State of the Art military fortress was protecting the Western half of the United States against any foreign invasion.With the eruption of the Civil War, Alcatraz began accepting its first military prisoners in 1861. However, it wasn't until the Spanish-American War in 1898 that the United States realized that the isolation of the island made it an excellent candidate for a prison. The prison population jumped from twenty-six to 450 du ring the war. That number sprang once more after the famous 1906 earthquake when prisoners were transferred from many San Francisco city jails to Alcatraz.With the island becoming more a prison and less a military fort, it was decided that a cell house would be necessary. After the construction of the cell house in 1912, â€Å"The Rock† was born. In the 1920's many inmates were allowed to own small gardens of their own. Baseball fields were created and small teams were formed. It wasn't until the 1930's that Alcatraz went through dramatic changes constituting stricter rules than ever before thus ending the days of gardening and baseball games.In 1963, however, due to the high cost of running an island prison, Alcatraz was officially closed, never to be reopened as a prison. In 1969, a group of Native Americans claimed the island as their own but later ran into trouble with high costs just as the United States had. In 1971, their problems ended when they saw the island go up i n flames, badly damaging the lighthouse and many homes that used to house the cell guards and their families. The remaining Indians left after this fire and once again, Alcatraz was abandoned. The U.S. government decided it would be best to make Alcatraz part of the newly opened Golden Gate Park. Today, the money it attracts from its visitors each year provides the operational costs for the island. Throughout all the changes Alcatraz has went, it has retained one thing up to this very day; its deteriorating walls never cease to capture the amazement and interest of onlookers like you and I. That small, haunted, and mysterious island on the coast of San Francisco that treasures so many memories will always be known as â€Å"The Rock. â€Å"

M Analysis

Introduction Marks & Spencer is a British retailer with over 800 stores in more than 30 countries around the world. It is the largest clothing retailer in the UK, as well as being a food retailer. Most of its domestic stores sell both clothing & food, and since the year  2000 Marks & Spencer have started to expand into other ranges such as home wares, furniture & technology. Marks & Spencer became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over ?   billion â€Å"BBC News online 1998† Though a few years later Marks & Spencer were hit  by the â€Å"credit crunch† which has had a dramatic effect on the company as they struggle in the current economical climate. M&S is a successful company. In macro-environment, M&S obeys the government and protects the natural environment. Moreover, M&S is influenced by the factors of economic, social, and technological to make its business strategies. On the other hand, in micro-environment, the M&S has created a good an d long-term relationship with the suppliers and customers.From the SWOT analysis, the most important factor for M&S is to satisfy customer needs. On the other hand, the main disadvantage is the lack of clothing market segmentation that causes M&S to lose its brand awareness among the existing customers. The significant strategies of M&S are creating potential customers and maintaining the existing customers. To sum up, the analysis of M&S has found that its business structures follow the trend of society, keep the position in the market, and increase its potential market share. MissionThe mission of the M&S is to make as high quality accessible to all. Marks & Spencer is a leading British retailer of clothing, food and household goods. They prefer to call themselves â€Å"Marks & Spencer,† using an ampersand instead of the word â€Å"and. † Their logo is a style form of the characters â€Å"M&S. † They have a â€Å"Plan A† for tackling environmental issue s â€Å"because there is no plan B. † M&S outlines its core business as clothing and Food. Its’ financial objectives is to deliver shareholder value in terms of increase returns, but also in terms of increase sales and market share in retailing.It beliefs and values are outlined as â€Å"Our customers continue to see Marks & Spencer as the place to shop for special food, produced to exacting standards†. M&S also sees its workforce as an important part of its plan and also considers modern its stores as a key corporate objective. Vision The vision of the M&S is to be the standard against which all others are measured. They sells clothes, food and home wares at more than 650 stores in Britain and about 300 shops abroad, said it expected to achieve annual benefits of around 250 million pounds by 2015-2016 from upgrading its supply chain and information technology systems.They will supply chain and IT improvements. The improvements will include shrinking the firm's network of 100 warehouses, which are run by third parties, to just four. And also to revamp its website and said it would expand its business abroad, including at least 50 stores in India over five years. They have established a long-term vision for where we want to take the business which they believe will create long-term sustainable growth. At the heart of this vision is moving the business from being product focused, store centric and UK dominated to being customer focused, multi-channel and international.M would conduct a review of its UK store network in the light of fast-growing online retail sales, with future new store likely to be offset at least in part by closures. They plan to cutting prices, stepping up promotions and introducing new products, add 800 new lines to sustain the recent improvement, including extending a trial to sell a small number of brands. They think the strong growth potential in children swear and footwear as well as home wares. PESTLE Political Fact orsThe government sets regulations for companies to abide by such as Health & Safety British Standards such as, planning for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk  control. If companies do not abide by these regulations they will be fined or even in some cases be forced to close down. Marks & Spencer did not abide by the British Standards as they were charged for neglecting health & safety regulations after a door  fell on an employee. George Blair was allegedly injured after a warehouse door in their store near Glasgow was left hanging on loose fixtures.Marks are alleged to have ignored repair requests, allowing the door to fall in to disrepair. Marks & Spencer pled not guilty to this; there is still no outcome of this trial. Also according to â€Å"BBC News 30th January 2006† Marks & Spencer would be the first major retailer to go down the Fair-trade route on both clothing and food. The fair-trade policy, which they have launched will include, cut salt and fa t in M foods, recycled packaging and animal welfare protection. Marks & Spencer Chief Stuart Rose stated, â€Å"Customers want good value, but they care more than ever how food and clothing products are made†.Economical Factors Currently the economic outlook is very uncertain and this is more than likely to affect retail sales, as people do not have the spare cash to spend on luxury items such as clothing and food luxuries. Marks & Spencer have been hit by this and have recently closed a number of stores and have had to make job cuts of 2% of their 70,000 staff. And also to show what affect the recession has had, they took the decision to have two days of 20% discounts in the run-up to Christmas.They have also recently introduced a 20% of all Wine and Champagne to keep up with their competitors. Marks & Spencer have had to change the way they market themselves so that they can try and stay ahead of the recession. Sociological factors In the last few years society has changed. In 2006 as stated by the Guardian, Chief  Executive of Marks & Spencer Stuart Rose wanted to stretch the company brand, for  example he considered selling food online as part of a plan to become a multi-channel retailer, this was obviously to keep up with the competitive market such as Asda.Asda and Marks & Spencer appeal to different markets in terms of social class and other demographics; this has a major influence on the way they respond to current issues. In response to the current cheap clothing industry supermarkets have increasingly over the last few years caught up with fashion trends, helping them to rival the high street clothing stores with their less expensive versions. Marks & Spencer is no exception to this and they have bought their clothing ranges up to date to keep up with the latest trends and to keep their customers interested.Consumer purchases are influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological characteristics. For the most  part, marketers can not control such factors, but they must take them into account. Technological Factors Technology is vital in the retail market. Companies must manage their brand scare. First the brands position must be continuously communicated to consumers. Major brand marketers often spend huge amounts on advertising to create brand awareness and to build preference and loyalty.For Marks & Spencer to continuously communicate to consumers they need to be heavily into advertising, which they are. They have Celebrity icon Class as the Face of Marks & Spencer who appears on the adverts on the TV and she is also on their website model the M clothing, so their adverts appeal to women not only in their 20’s but also to the more mature lady so they are covering all areas with their advertising campaign. Also their  website is very appealing with bright and very easy to use, it is also constantly updated with the new M brands. Legal Factors Legislations are always changing.Marks and Spencer carry out re-training & update every year, they keep up to date with new laws or legislations, and with issues regarding Health & Safety they also ensure that their legal protection is updated. For  re-training Marks & Spencer invite business changes to the business, tax changes to the business & products changes amongst many other things. Marks & Spencer invite objectives/methods that need to be changed and new training, and also on going development. An example of legislation is the â€Å"Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (1996) – Provided for the regulation of packaging and labeling of consumer goods.Requires that manufacturers state what the package contains, who made it, and how much it contains†. Here is an example from Marks & Spencer’s website to show that they are adhere to this legislation, â€Å"Packaging helps to protect the product between being produced and used by the customer. It prevents product wastage, carries important instructions and informatio n on ingredients and helps the product look its best in the store†. Environmental Factors With the current environmental climate as it stands, issues are being promoted daily on the television, in magazines and newspapers and on the radio.All companies, industries and organizations are being pressured to change their ways when it comes to the materials they use and how they manufacture. Marks & Spencer have established their own Green Policy which they call â€Å"Plan A† The chief executive of  Marks & Spencer states that it is called this because there is no â€Å"Plan B†. Marks has today announced a 100-point five-year plan to re-engineer itself to become a carbon neutral, zero-waste-to-landfill, ethical-trading, sustainable-sourcing, health-promoting business SWOT 3. 1 Strengths 3. 1. 1 High QualityHigh quality is the major strength that makes M successful. Customers always find high quality goods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and other superior goods i n M food hall (Ciao, 2002). With many people turning to eat vegetarian meals. M grasps the consumers need. M has high quality of products that are the food and other products, such as baby products and women under wears. 3. 1. 2 Customer Services M has high reputation for focusing on customer service. (Christie, 2002). This is one of the most important methods to make a good relationship between customers and M.For example, when women want to buy under wears for themselves, the shop assistants will help them to measure sizes and give them good suggestions. 3. 1. 3 Shopping Environment M tries to make customers feel more convenient and comfortable. It makes stores brighter, and uses modern designs (Rung 2001). All goods in the shop can be seen immediately. Furthermore, customers do not worry about being drowned in many shelves and avoiding multitudinous people. 3. 1. 4 Manager Training One of M strengths is its strict and excellent manager training system (Retail Technology,1999).Eve ry manager of M must be familiar with duty of every post. In fact, managers of M are arranged practice of every post. It helps them to improve both work experiences and management skills. 3. 2 Weakness 3. 2. 1 Clothing Lack Segmentation The clothing market of M has many segments. In fact, especially ladies outer wear, is outmoded design and cut. In addition, affluent younger consumers prefer purchasing brand-labels, such as Gap, Next and Top shop (Jobber, 2001: 149). 3. 2. 2 Stock Control The non-performance of the home delivery/shopping service even sometimes involves wedding lists.Customers were told that items were out of stock (Jobber, 2001). Customers complain the defect of e-shopping and delivery services. To some extent, M suffers from the unbalance between the stock and Information Technology System. 3. 2. 3 Waste Store Spaces Another problem is that M has many store spaces. In fact, it has added 75 percent of square foot age since the early Eighties, but its market share in clothing has not increased (Stewart, 2000). M needs to find some new products to stuff its extra spaces. 3. 3 Opportunities 3. 3. 1 Internet TechnologyInternet technology has developed fast, it offers an opportunity to increase the demand for the online products (Zakon, 1999). In terms of this circumstance, buying products online became a new trend. Customers are getting used to accept the model and adapt it to their daily lives, and the demand for this kind of products would be increased in the future. 3. 3. 2 Healthy Eating Healthy eating offers an opportunity that the demand of specific food will be increased (Leyshon, 2002). People pay attention to the life quality, they request companies to offer varied products to satisfy their needs.For example, in the food market, M does good segmentation in providing the vegetarian, low fat or organic food. This is the advantage that the competitors have not aware of it. 3. 3. 3 Marketing Extending The Company owned stores in the Republic of Ireland and Hong Kong and has 131 franchise stores in28 countries operating through a network of successful partnerships (Marks & Spencer, 2002d). In the future, the company will expand its business beyond the existing area. 3. 4 Threats Although M has its own strengths, opportunities and weaknesses, it still occurs some threats from itself and other competitors. . 4. 1 Strong Competitors Strong competitors are the most threat to M. For example, in the food market, there are four main supermarkets, such as Tesco, Asda, Safeway and Sainsbury (Oct, 2002). They provide not only high quality but also value-added products to build customers loyalty. In the clothing market, Gap, Next, Topshop and other fashionable brands may compete with M (M shuts, 2001). 3. 4. 2 The Change of Social Environment Except other competitors, M will be influenced by social environment.Since the social environment changes at any time, the customer tastes are also changed. For example, people move to other c ountries, and their culture will affect the local people lifestyles, such as eating, and dressing. M can adjust its products to satisfy different needs. 3. 4. 3 Chemical Pollution Environment pollution is a threat for M. An environmental systems manager of M claimed. Every one of the 30,000 product line that M sells is dependent on chemicals (Friend of the Earth,2002). Governments are taking measures to protect natural environment and reduce pollution.This potential risk will affect its development of M in the future. Invest strategy Focusing on improving its operations to save costs, expanding the options for customers to buy products – especially online – and driving its business outside of the U. K. The U. K. ‘s biggest department store operator told attendees at an investor day that was webcast on its website that it would improve its supply chain and implement new IT systems which would save it GBP250 million by 2015/2016 through capital expenditure over the same period of GBP1 billion.Some of those changes would include consolidating distribution sites which would mean further warehouse closures on top of the 21 already closed, sending products directly to the country of sale rather than routing everything through a central U. K. hub, and refreshing stock systems and data collection. The second stage of the company's strategy calls its 2020 program. It is to offer more choice of when and how to buy M products, with online sales a particularly large growth area especially as more people turn to shopping on the Internet.Store sales are expected to shrink slightly by 2020 to GBP206 billion from GBP212 billion this year, while online sales are expected to almost triple to GBP57 billion in 2020 from GBP21 billion this year according to research by Verdict, Forrester and Javelin Group provided by M at its investor day. Marks & Spencer aims to target some of its 8 million customers who shop online elsewhere but not at M. There is also an unt apped 21. 5 million M customers who don't shop online at all.The final plank in ITV's strategy is to grow its international business which currently accounts for 15% of M profits through 296 international stores and its online presence. The growth is expected to come from increasing the group's central and eastern European operations as well as building on its business in China and India. The company expects to open 50 stores in five years in India, and identify key regional growth areas in China where the company will focus on property, products and local sourcing.Marks & Spencer unveiled its new strategy program under the banner â€Å"2020 Doing The Right Thing† in May, which received a lukewarm reception from investors. At the time, the retailer outlined its targets but gave few details on how exactly it would implement the plans. A bellwether for British consumer sentiment, Marks & Spencer has been hit hard over the past 18 months by the economic downturn as shoppers eith er cut back spending on nonessential items or sought less expensive food and clothing elsewhere. As a result, the company has revamped its food offer and availability and introduced a budget range of grocery products.It has also cut capital spending, laid off 1,230 staff and closed some stores. At the start of the month, Marks & Spencer reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter sales, buoyed by the introduction of less expensive food and revamped clothing and house ware ranges. Still, it cautioned that business will remain difficult well into next year due to the economic downturn. Second-quarter group sales rose 2. 7%, due to a 9. 6% rise in international sales and a 30% jump in online sales. The company also raised its outlook on annual profit margin thanks to better stock control, sourcing and supply chain management.Targeting strategy Targeting approach used by Marks & Spencer (M&S) is more multi segment targeting than a concentrated targeting approach. When we look at the segmentation statistics, middle aged women are the prime revenue generator for the company but even the 80% of customers who bring the 20% of sales according to the 80/20 Pareto's rule can be developed to increase the sales. Therefore M has been more focused on targeting multi segments of people with good educational socio economic class and who some high income urban populations as well.M has been previously focusing on women gender only but now environmental variables are changing and M has entered into the men market with high quality products as well that has increased the brand image in the clothing and accessories industry. M cannot follow undifferentiated or differentiated approach as the product pricing techniques are such that it is targeted to limited segment of higher socio economic class, who have high demands and can afford luxury and pleasure easily. Positioning strategy M, as now has become an international brand, therefore the company needed to position its bran d in variable manner.The promotion in South East Asia region needed to be very different from what it was positioned in Britain. The company has focused a few important parameters that lift the brand in clothing industry. M has positioned its clothing and accessories with relaxation and high quality, moreover when it comes to international market specially in India where people are more in lower socio economic class and the consumer purchasing power is not equal to other international markets where M has been making profits, therefore in such regions the company has also focused on flexible pricing strategies in order to retain and add new customers.The competitors of M in the international market are large in numbers and in order to be differentiated from the others the positioning strategy currently adopted by M is well suited to the situation. The comfort and quality has been a prime concern for the clothing industry and positioning the product with such parameters requires M to provide constant results on long term basis so that the company is able to build the brand equity and customer loyalty.Positioning is promises that a company makes to its consumers and fulfilling this promise is not only the toughest task but it also need great sacrifices and unpopular decisions at times. However it is fact that if the positioning of the brand is well justified by the company with sincerity the increase in customer level is significant. In the world of similar products and services retaining customers is not easy and therefore M as a brand has to strive harder to get to the top clothing positioning.Financial position |   |Notes |As at |As at | | | |3 April |3 April | | | |2011 |2010 | | | |? m |? | |Assets |   | |   | |Non-current assets |   |   |   | |Investments in Group undertakings |C5 |9,179. 8 |9,168. 6 | |Total assets |   |9,179. 8 |9,168. | |Liabilities |   |   |   | |Current liabilities |   |   |   | |Amounts owed to Group und ertakings |   |2,591. 8 |2,603. 5 | |Total liabilities |   |2,591. 8 |2,603. | |Net assets |   |6,588. 0 |6,565. 1 | |Equity |   |   |   | |Ordinary share capital |   |396. 2 |395. 5 | |Share premium account |   |255. 2 |247. | |Capital redemption reserve |   |2,202. 6 |2,202. 6 | |Merger reserve |   |1,397. 3 |1,397. 3 | |Retained earnings |   |2,336. 7 |2,322. 2 | |Total equity |   |6,588. 0 |6,565. 1 |

Outline the Nature of Supermarkets Power on the High Street and Beyond Essay

Outline The Nature of Supermarkets Power On The High Street and Beyond. This essay is looking at the power of supermarkets and how they use this power. The word power is often used to â€Å"denote influence, control or domination† (Allen, 2009, p. 9) Supermarkets use this power over suppliers, workers, Councils, consumers and other shops and there are conflicting views as to whether this power is used for the good of everyone or at the expense of everyone other than the supermarkets themselves or as Dennis Wrong (1977) calls it Positive Sum Game- â€Å"where all parties involved benefit to some extent† or Zero Sum Game- â€Å"where supermarkets wield their power at the expense of others† (Allen, 2009, p. 70) Supermarkets due to their sheer size and buying power have a huge advantage over the small independent high street shops. They offer a massive choice of products at a low price because they are able to buy in large quantities at discounted prices, sometimes even below cost price. These out of town supermarkets have convenient parking and consumers are able to do all their shopping in one place, from food, clothing, electrical equipment, financial services, gas and electricity etc†¦ This all makes shopping in these retail parks easier and cheaper for the consumer and the smaller independent high street shops are unable to match these prices, choices and convenience and are therefore unable to compete against the giants. As we’ve seen a move towards more out-of-town, car-dependent stores with large-format retail dominating, its driven trade away from town centres which has clearly had an impact on the small shops that are there, and we see approximately fifty small shops, independent shops, closing every week† Helen Rimmer (Friends of the earth) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’, 2009 track 1) The big supermarkets have also introduced small high street Metro and Express stores to put further pressure on the independents and gain those consumers without cars and who are unable to get to the out of town retail park. According to Helen Rimmer (Friends of the Earth) â€Å"There’s been a study of the impact of Tesco Express which is the Tesco convenience store when they’ve moved into an area, that generally led to a decline, in the small shops locally, of about 30 to 40 per cent† (‘Evidence in the social sciences’, 2009 track 1) To keep their prices low, Supermarkets are putting huge pressures on suppliers both in the UK and globally, they are often dictating how much they will pay and even the size, shape and colour of fruit and vegetables. To meet these demands suppliers are being forced to cut their cost to the bare minimum and in many cases are operating at a loss, forcing the smaller suppliers out of business. There is massive wastage, as food is rejected if it doesn’t conform to the set cosmetic appearance that the supermarkets have imposed, often sacrificing taste and flavour for appearance. Farmers have been known to plough crops back into the land when they have been rejected or the supermarket wants to pay a ridiculously low price. The cost of this wastage is usually met by the supplier, as are the ‘buy one get one free’ (BOGOF) deals that the supermarkets offer to entice their customers. This cost cutting is passed onto their workers both in the UK and abroad. In the UK they are more often than not migrant agency workers who pick and sort the salad crops, who are paid very low wages, sometimes below the cost of living. â€Å"There is a high price to be paid for cheap goods and that cost is borne one-sidedly by the weakest and least powerful groups in the supply chain† (Allen, 2009, p. 3) Meanwhile abroad, cheap clothing is produced in sweatshops, with exploited workers enduring poor conditions, long hours and being paid an inadequate wage. â€Å"The true cost of the cheap jeans and trousers, as well as the bargain-priced shoes, which line Asda’s and Tesco’s aisles, War on Want claim, is the absence of a living wage for workers in their supply chain† (Allen, 2009, p. 85) However the fact that this work is being sourced in Asia means that the clothing industry in these countries is expanding rapidly and this means work that was not there previously. These jobs are in demand by the locals as it means a way out of poverty for them, â€Å"the last thing a country like this wants is for the big retailers to stop sourcing their labour from them. That, it is pointed out, would threaten the steadily rising living standards of the garment workers†. (Allen, 2009, p. 91) Supermarkets use their power over local government to persuade them to allow the further development of new stores. This is done by a method called ‘Planning Gain’ in which they pay for civic facilities to be built i. e. : leisure centres and Doctors surgeries, in return for planning permission for a new store. These developments are Sometimes in run down, poor areas and the development of a new store can be interpreted as a good thing in helping the regeneration of the area, creating new jobs for the unemployed and encouraging new business into the area. Again there is controversy surrounding this, many believe it is for the good of the community and other believing it is â€Å"merely the latest in a series of opportunistic moves by them to get stores built at a time when planners and government frown upon out-of–town developments† (Allen, 2009, p. 4) The supermarkets are providing consumers with what they want. Cheap products in the current climate of recession are a necessity for many having to tighten their belts. The ease of having everything in one place makes it convenient to shop for those who have cars and can get to the out of town stores. â€Å"People like what supermarkets do and the efficiencies that come from the scale of their operations, the quality and choice that they’re able to offer, the prices that people find appealing are all reasons why people choose to shop in supermarkets. Richard Dodd (British retail consortium. )(‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1) There is no doubt that supermarkets are powerful and it is very often a zero-sum game for their suppliers, the supplier’s workforce, and the independent shops on the high street, when they wield this power against them. Town centres and the smaller independent shops are in decline, â€Å"12 per cent of town centre retail premises are now vacant compared with 4 per cent last autumn so that’s a threefold increase†. Richard Dodd (British Retail Consortium) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1) and many farmers are going out of business. The consumers however are getting what they want, but at what cost! In this consumer Society that we live in they are seduced by the choice and bargains and turn a blind eye to the lengths the supermarkets are prepared to go to give them this. The exploitation of the workers in the sweatshops of Asia, the bullying of the farmers to sell their milk, fruit and vegetables to them at the price they dictate and the small shops being put out of business. Yes supermarkets are powerful but at the end of the day it is the consumer who is enabling them to continue being so. â€Å"If customers like what a retailer is offering, they will choose that particular store or type of store and they’ll use it. If the retailer gets it wrong, the customers won’t show up and that retailer will very quickly go out of business. It is customers who have the power in all of this†. Richard Dodd (British retail consortium) (‘Evidence in the social sciences’ 2009, track 1)