Introduction to the Bible

The Message within the Message David R. Hayes Introduction to the Bible RELS311, Section B001 Win 13 Mark D. Wessner February 10, 2013 The Message within the Message Even though some may say that there is nothing more to a narrative than what one may see and read on the pages before them, I believe that some stories are more than just historical narratives. For example, in the story of David and Goliath I believe that the example David sets by his faith and trust in God to give both him and Israel the victory against this ominous foe as well as David's words of wisdom to combat the menacing taunts from Goliath are more than meets the eye.In this paper, I intend to dissect this passage from the Bible by explaining where it is located, I will analyze the literary style and characteristics of this passage, and I will give a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of this passage by using the appropriate exegetical approach. The story of David and Goliath is found in the first book of Sam uel which is located between the book of Ruth and the second book of Samuel in the Old Testament.This narrative encompasses the entire 17th chapter of this book and is made up of fifty-eight verses. The first book of Samuel is one of thirty-nine books that make up â€Å"the canon of the Old Testament†, taken from the Greek word kanon which â€Å"means a rule—[or] a standard for measurement†, and is part of the Christian â€Å"authoritative list of the books belonging to the Old Testament or New Testament (Comfort, 2003, p. 51). In this case, it is part of the Old Testament canon.This narrative is just one of many that make up â€Å"over 40 percent of the Old Testament†¦ [which] constitutes three-quarters of the bulk of the Bible† (Fee, 2003, p. 89). Besides the writings of Moses, a major prophet and author of the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch, it is believed that after Moses and the other prophets and prophetesses durin g his lifetime: the great outbursts of prophetic activity began with Samuel†¦ and the arliest kind of writing in which they seem to have engaged extensively was history, which afterwards became the basis of the books of Chronicles†¦ and probably of Samuel and Kings too, which have so much material in common with Chronicles. (Comfort, 2003, p. 53) Additionally, â€Å"[i]t is noteworthy [to point out] that in Jewish tradition Samuel, Kings, the Minor Prophets, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles are each reckoned as a single book† (Comfort, 2003, p. 57).The narrative begins with the gathering of two armies: the Philistines in Ephes-dammim and Israel on the other side of the Valley of Elah, which was between them, both on mountains separated by this valley (1 Samuel 17:1-3). Ephes-dammim, which is called â€Å"Pas-dammin† in the first book of Chronicles (1 Chronicles 11:13), meaning â€Å"boundary of blood† which is believed to possibly have come from â€Å"[t ]he deep red color of the newly plowed earth in this [location]†¦ and may have given origin to the idea of â€Å"blood†Ã¢â‚¬ , but the location is not absolutely certain (Masterman, n. . ). The Valley of Elah, on the other hand, is located just north of where the Philistine armies are believed to have gathered with, which most likely was, the dry creek bed of the Wadi es-Sant dividing them from Saul's armies in the Judean mountains, though a more accurate description would be hills (Wilson, n. d. ). The valley between them â€Å"is a triangle-shaped flat valley, located on the western edge of the Judean low hills or Shepelah†¦ [o]nly in the rainy season does water flow in the creek bed†¦ rom the hills to the east to the Mediterranean on the west† (Wilson, n. d. ). This narrative ends with the devastating loss of the Philistines' champion, Goliath, followed by the massacre of the Philistine armies, and the victory of God's chosen people, the Israelites. This narrative, like all narratives, is a story which retells us a historical event which was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is â€Å"intended to give meaning and direction for a given people in the present† (Fee, 2003, p. 0). Fee points out that the major difference between a biblical narrative and other narratives is that â€Å"the story they tell is not so much our story as it is God's story—and it becomes ours as [H]e †writes† us into it† (2003, p. 90). But like all narratives it has three main characteristics: characters, plot, and plot resolution (Fee, 2003, p. 90). The characters consist of protagonists (e. g. God), antagonists (e. g. Goliath), and agonists (e. g. David) (Fee, 2003, p. 90).The conflict in this plot would be the imminent battle between the Philistines and Israelites as well as the daily challenge given to the Israelites by Goliath which subsequently leads to fear and inaction by Saul's armies. The plot resolu tion, or denouement, would be the devastating defeat of Goliath at the hands of David which reverses roles between the Philistines and Israelites, instills fear into the hearts of the Philistine armies, and completely overturns the expected outcome of this battle.In the Bible most narratives are also historical and/or biographical accounts and include accounts in the following books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts (â€Å"Literary genres†¦ †, n. d. ). Though there are many narratives in these books it does not mean that each book is strictly narratives or any other genre for that matter.One thing that puzzled me was when Fee appears to contradict himself when first he states that narratives â€Å"are intended to give meaning and direction†, but later states that â⠂¬Å"Old Testament narratives are not allegories or stories with hidden meanings, are not intended to teach moral lessons, and do not necessarily teach directly† (2003, pp. 90,92). So which is it? This leads into the characteristics of Hebrew narratives: the narrator, the scene(s), the characters, dialogue, plot, features of structure and a final word (Fee, 2003, pp. 3-99). For this passage the narrator is Samuel, I believe, but cannot be certain because later in this book his death is recorded (1 Samuel 25:1). The scene is set around the Valley of Elah. The characters in the order they are mentioned are: Goliath, King Saul, Jesse, Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, David, and Abner. The primary dialogue is between David and Goliath but there is also a dialogue between David and Jesse, David and his brothers, David and King Saul, and King Saul with Abner.The plot starts off with the gathering of armies for battle which leads into the conflict presented by Goliath's challenge to the Isra elite armies, the acceptance of this challenge by David, the slaying of Goliath by David, and the defeat of the Philistine armies. The feature of structure in this particular narrative is the repetition of the power and authority of God. This narrative, in my opinion, connects the dots from David's anointing to be the next king of Israel to his establishment of his kingdom.Then, to even further define a narrative one can separate biblical narratives into three different levels which creates a â€Å"hierarchy of narrative[s]† (Fee, 2003, p. 91). The top, or third level, is â€Å"[o]ften called the †metanarrative†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ [and] has to do with the whole universal plan of God worked out through [H]is creation†, e. g. the creation and the fall of humanity (Fee, 2003, p. 91). The next, or second level, â€Å"is the story of God's redeeming a people for [H]is name†, e. g. he first and second covenant (Fee, 2003, p. 91). Finally, the last and first level is c omprised of â€Å"all the hundreds of individual narratives that make up the other two levels†, e. g. the individual narratives of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph) (Fee, 2003, p. 91). This covers the basics of a narrative, but to fully understand a narrative or passage the reader must take an exegesis approach to carefully and systematically study the Scriptures â€Å"to discover the original intended meaning† (Fee, 2003, p. 3). The most important part of exegesis is knowing what questions to ask while reading to determine the context, whether historical or literary, and the content (Fee, 2003, pp. 24-28). After taking an exegesis approach the reader must then take a hermeneutics approach which can include exegesis but in this case is referring to â€Å"seeking the contemporary relevance of ancient texts† (Fee, 2003, p. 29). Fee, however, says that this approach is much more difficult to define than the exegesis approach (2003, pp. 29-31).For ei ther, you do not have to be an †expert† but you must understand the meaning of a passage in reference to the meaning of the sentences or passages before and after it (Fee, 2003, p. 27). Fee points out that â€Å"[t]he most important contextual question you will ever ask, and it must be asked over and over of every sentence and every paragraph [while reading] is, â€Å"What’s the point? † (2003, p. 27). We must, however, understand that â€Å"[t]his question will vary from genre to genre, but it is always the crucial question [emphasis added]† (Fee, 2003, p. 7). Interestingly, according to Fee, Bible translations like the King James Version and the New American Standard both are generally written in paragraph form which can interfere with the exegesis approach because it can â€Å"obscure the author’s own logic† (2003, p. 28). It does not mean it is impossible but should definitely be accounted for when studying exegetically. For my exe getical approach towards better understanding this passage I turned to the help of commentary from theologians like Matthew Henry and John Gill as well as a few other websites.According to the commentary of Matthew Henry, the Philistines were setup in Israel's territory, not their own, and this could have been due to the knowledge of God's departing from Saul as king, the end of Samuel and Saul's relationship, and/or Saul's inability to be the king his people needed him to be (Henry, n. d). According to Josephus, in John Gill's exposition of the Bible, this all occurred because the Philistines sensed weakness in Israel and saw their chance to further expand their own territory not to mention the opportunity for retribution for previous defeats at the hands of Israel (Gill, n. d. . I would have to agree with both suggestions as possible answers to the question, â€Å"What is the point? †, of this narrative. I believe, nonetheless, that the main point is that David was just a s hepherd, but by God's strength he was able to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines just as he had done in the past delivering sheep from his flock from a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). David's words are inspirational: Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:45-47)In this passage, when David proclaims the name, or shem, of the Lord he invokes â€Å"something like our power of att orney, where one person can act with the legal authority of another†¦ [therefore it really] means to come with Yahweh's presence, power, authority, and divine appointment† (Wilson, n. d. ). Just as Christians pray in Jesus's name David was claiming the victory over Goliath and the Philistines in the name of the Lord. David sets a great example of faith and obedience throughout this passage by trusting in God and by defending God's reputation and glory.More importantly, he points out that the battle is still ultimately the Lord's (Wilson, n. d. ). This is not the only example of the faith of David, a man after God's own heart, or others similar to him in faith. Several examples of â€Å"[t]his same principle is reiterated time after time throughout scripture, e. g. 1 Samuel 14:6b; 2 Chronicles 20:15, 32:8; Psalm 33:16-18, 20, 44:6-8; Proverbs 21:30-31; Hosea 1:7; Zechariah 4:6; Romans 8:31, 37; and 1 John 4:4 (Wilson, n. d. ).In conclusion, the majority of the Bible is ma de up of many narratives which are both historical and biographical that by God's infinite wisdom serve a purpose for us all today. There are those that would say that you should not read too deep into these narratives because what you read is what you get. There are others that distort these narratives to make them mean what they want them to for their own ulterior motives. I, on the other hand, fall in between these two very different schools of thought.I believe that ultimately there is a message within the message that God wants us to understand, but without the right questions you will never get the right answers. I hope after reading this research paper that I have achieved my goals: to dissect this passage from the Bible by explaining where it is located, to analyze the literary style and characteristics of this passage, and to give a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of this passage by using the appropriate exegetical approach.In closing, I would like to quote a very tr ue, but enlightening just the same, statement that I came across while researching: Even though we rely on the Spirit, we are not so foolish as to make no preparation. As St. Augustine once said, â€Å"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. † Faith and preparation are not mutually exclusive. (Wilson, n. d. ). References Comfort, P. W. (2003). The origin of the Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Fee, G. D. , ; Stuart, D. K. (2003).The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use. How to read the Bible for all its worth (3rd ed. , pp. 89-106). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Gill, J. (n. d. ). John Gill's exposition of the entire Bible. Freegrace. net. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. freegrace. net/Gill/1_Samuel/1_Samuel_17. htm Henry, M. (n. d. ). Matthew Henry commentary on the whole Bible. Freegrace. net. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. freegrace. net/library/mhc/1 _samuel/ 17. html Literary genres†¦ composing information with style†¦ (n. . ). Helpmewithbiblestudy. org. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from http://helpmewithbiblestudy. org/5Bible/HermComposingInformationWithStyle. aspx Masterman, E. W. G. (n. d. ). Ephes-dammim. BibleAtlas. org. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://bibleatlas. org/ephes-dammim. htm The Scofield Study Bible. (1945). New York: Oxford University Press. Wilson, R. F. (n. d. ). David and Goliath: Bold Faith. The JesusWalk Bible Study Series. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. jesuswalk. com/david/02_david_goliath. htm

General Translation Theories Essay

While not everyone who drives an automobile needs to understand the theory behind the internal combustion engine, someone does need to know this theory. I may be able to drive my Pontiac without any knowledge of internal combustion engines, until the Pontiac breaks down. Then, I must find someone (presumably a mechanic) who does in fact know enough theory to get the Pontiac running again. The same is true of translation theory. It is not necessary for everyone to know translation theory, nor is it even necessary for pastors and teachers to know everything about translation theory. It is necessary for pastors and teachers in the American church at the end of the twentieth century to know something about translation theory, for two reasons. First, it will affect the way we interpret the Bible for our people. If we are completely unaware of translation theory, we may unwittingly mislead our brothers and sisters in our interpretation. Second, there are so many English translations available, that no contemporary pastor will be able to escape the inevitable questions about which translations are superior. It is not my intention to provide anything like an exhaustive approach to either translation theory or semantic theory (relax, I’ll define this word later). Rather, I intend to discuss briefly the more important observations, which may be useful to the pastoral ministry. 1. Communication has three parties. Translation theory shares a number of concerns with what is commonly called communication theory. Perhaps the most important observation which the communication theorists have produced for translators is the recognition that every act of communication has three dimensions: Speaker (or author), Message, and Audience. The more we can know about the original author, the actual message produced by that author, and the original audience, the better acquainted we will be with that particular act of communication. An awareness of this tri-partite character of communication can be very useful for interpreters. Assuming that an act of communication is right now taking place, as you read what I wrote, there are three dimensions to this particular act of communication: myself, and what I am intending to communicate; the actual words which are on this page; and what you  understand me to be saying. When the three dimensions converge, the communication has been efficient. If we know, perhaps from another source, what an individual author’s circumstances are, this may help us understand the actual message produced. Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘s â€Å"Letters from Prison† are better understood by someone who knows the circumstances under which they were written rather than by someone who is oblivious to mid-20th century American history. If we know information about the author’s audience, this may also help us to understand the message itself. John Kennedy’s famous, â€Å"Ich bin ein Berliner† speech is better understood if one understands the apprehensions which many West German citizens had about American foreign policy during the early 1960s (and, knowing the audience was German may help explain why he did not speak this sentence in English! ). Recognizing that in addition to the message itself, there are the two other components of author and audience, the interpreter attempts to uncover as much information as possible about the author and audience. This is why biblical scholars spend so much time attempting to locate the circumstances of a given epistle; they are trying to discover information about author and audience, which will help complete the understanding of the particular act of communication represented by the message. At this point, an important warning needs to be expressed. For students of literature whose original audience and author are not present (i. e. , dead), we only have direct access to one of the three parties in the communicative process: the message itself. Whereas we would be profited by having direct access to author and audience (â€Å"Paul, what in the world did you mean about baptizing for the dead? â€Å"; or, â€Å"How did it hit you Galatians when Paul said he wished his troublers would castrate themselves? â€Å"), it would be incorrect to suggest that we must have such access for any understanding to take place. Frequently one encounters the extravagant statement to the effect that â€Å"one cannot understand a biblical book unless one understands the author’s (or audience’s) circumstances. â€Å"The problem with such statements is that they imply that we can have no understanding without access to information which simply does not always exist. We haven’t any idea who wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, or why, other than what may be indicated in the letter itself. Does this mean that we can’t understand it in any sense? I think not. We just have to recognize that information, which would assist the act of interpretation, is, in this case, missing. Related to this warning is a second. For Protestants, scripture itself is authoritative. Our reconstructions, often highly conjectural of the historical circumstances under which a given biblical work was written and read, are not authoritative, by my understanding of Protestant theology. Those reconstructions may assist our understanding of the biblical text, but they are not, in and of themselves, of any religious authority. Finally, we might add that the essential error of many exegetical theories is their exclusion of one or more of these three parties from consideration. While many important debates are continuing to influence interpretive theory, our evaluation of these debates would do well to retain a role for each of the three above-mentioned dimensions. 2. Formal and Dynamic Equivalence One of the ongoing debates about translations revolves around the question of whether, and in what degree, the translation should reflect the syntax, or form, of the original language. All translators agree that the translation should reflect faithfully the message of the original, but all are not agreed on whether the translation should adhere closely to the grammatical forms of the original language. Translations can be located on a spectrum, which would have, at one extreme, rigid adherence to the form of the original language (formal equivalence), and at the other extreme, complete disregard for the form (not the message) of the original language (dynamic equivalence). An interlinear would come the closest to the first extreme, followed by the NASB. At the other extreme would be the NEB and TEV. In between would be the RSV and NIV, with the RSV leaning more toward a formal equivalence, and the NIV leaning more toward a dynamic equivalence. It is probably fair to say that most contemporary linguists favor the dynamic equivalence approach in theory, though they might be disappointed in the various attempts at producing one. The reason for preferring to reproduce the thought of the original without attempting to conform to its form is that all languages have their own syntax. While the syntax of one language may be similar to the syntax of other languages, it is also dissimilar as well. Thus, if we attempt to adhere to the formal syntax of another language, we reproduce forms which are abnormal or confusing, if not downright distracting in the target language. For example, Greek tends to have very long sentences, whose various clauses are arranged in a logically hierarchical fashion. That is, there will be a number of dependent clauses connected to an independent clause. This type of sentence structure, perfectly normal in Greek, is called hypotactic (clauses are arranged logically under one another). English, by contrast, is not so comfortable with long sentences, and does not provide any easy way of indicating which clauses are dependent upon others. Our sentence structure is called paratactic (clauses are arranged logically alongside of one another). If we attempt to reproduce, in English, sentences of the same length as the Greek original, our audience will not be able to follow our translation. Ephesians 1:3-14, for instance, is one sentence in Greek, with well-defined subordinate clauses. If we attempt to reproduce a sentence of this length in English, the result will be so awkward that few, if any, English readers would be able to follow it. Consequently, translators must break the longer Greek sentences into shorter English sentences. For the pastor and teacher, it is important to be able to recognize the hypotactic structure of the original language, because it is frequently of theological and ethical significance. For instance, there is only one imperative (independent clause) in the Great Commission — â€Å"make disciples. † All the other verbs are dependent. The other clauses help to describe what the commandment means. Most English translations, however, obscure this matter by translating the Great Commission as though it were a string of equivalent imperatives. What’s worse, they tend to treat one of the dependent clauses as though it were the major (independent) clause (â€Å"Go†). So the teacher or pastor needs to be able to understand what is going on in the structure of the original language, without necessarily trying to reproduce it in an English translation. There are other differences between the two languages. Greek typically uses passive verbs; English prefers active verbs. Greek typically makes nouns out of verbs (making â€Å"redemption† as common as â€Å"redeem†). Speakers of English are not as comfortable with these abstractions; we are happier with verbs. A dynamic equivalence translation will commonly reproduce the meaning of the Greek in a more natural manner in English. In 2 Thess 2:13, for instance, pistei aletheias, is translated â€Å"belief in the truth† (formal equivalence) by the RSV, but â€Å"the truth that you believe† (dynamic equivalence) by the NEB. The latter, while not any more accurate than the former, is a little more natural, and thus more easily understood. A classic example of the difference between English and Greek syntax is evidenced by the difference in their respective employment of the participle. First, the Greek participle is much more common than the English. But the Greek participle is also used differently than the English participle. Greek commonly employs the participle in an attributive fashion, as a verbal adjective. This is very rare in English. James Taylor does sing about the â€Å"The Walking Man,† but this is rare outside of artistic expression. We would normally produce a relative clause, â€Å"the man who walks. † Because of the differences in the way the two languages use their respective participles, we simply cannot translate a Greek participle with an English participle in many cases, without being obscure or ambiguous. Dikaiothentes in Romans 5:1 should not be translated, â€Å"having been justified† (NASB: formal equivalence), but, â€Å"since we are justified† (RSV: dynamic equivalence). There are problems, however, with dynamic equivalence translations. Since the translator is â€Å"freer† from the grammatical forms of the original language he is more likely to exceed the bounds of an accurate translation, in an effort to speak naturally in the native language. That is, the dynamic equivalence translations are capable of being more natural and more precise than are formal equivalence translations, but they are also more capable of being precisely wrong. For instance, in Romans 8:3, Paul uses the phrase: dia tes sarkos. A formal equivalent translation, the RSV, renders this â€Å"by the flesh,† which is faithful to the original but somewhat ambiguous in English. The NIV renders this much more precisely, by the phrase, â€Å"by the sinful nature. † Unfortunately, the NIV is precisely wrong here, because Paul is not talking about a lower nature, or a sinful nature at all. In fact, he is not speaking anthropologically, but redemptive-historically. In this particular case, I believe we would be better off with the ambiguous â€Å"flesh,† and have to ask what, ‘flesh’ means for Paul, than to have the more precise but utterly un-Pauline â€Å"sinful nature. † Another problem associated with dynamic equivalence translations is related to their use as study Bibles. Since a given word may have a number of meanings, it is frequently impossible, and more frequently confusing, to attempt to translate a given Greek word with the same English word in every case. Consequently, the dynamic equivalence translation can give a more specific rendering in English, being unbound by an attempt to reproduce the same Greek word in the same English manner. This produces better understanding, frequently, of individual sentences or clauses. However, it does not permit the English reader to know when the same Greek word lay behind two different English words. Since the only way to know what a word means is by first examining its full range of uses, there is no way for the English reader to know what words are behind the English words found. For instance, when Paul says he could not address the Corinthians as pneumatikoi, but rather as sarkinoi (1 Cor 3), he employs the adjectival forms of what we normally translate â€Å"Spirit† and â€Å"flesh. † And, in Romans 8 (as well as elsewhere), it is clear that life in the Spirit is redeemed life; whereas life in the flesh is unredeemed life. If the adjectives in 1 Cor are translated â€Å"spiritual,† and â€Å"fleshly,† the reader can see the correspondence to other Pauline passages, and understand that Paul is saying, in effect, â€Å"I could not address you as redeemed people, but as unredeemed people. † But the NIV construes sarx as â€Å"sinful nature† in Rom 8, and sarkinos as â€Å"worldly† in 1 Cor 3, with the result that the reader of this translation is not aware that in the original the same root form was employed. The conclusion of this is that the dynamic equivalence translation, when done well, renders in more precise and more vivid English particular expressions. However, it makes it more difficult to compare individual passages with parallel passages elsewhere. In any given congregation, a variety of translations will be present. The teachers in the church must have the competence to discern which one represents the original most accurately in English in any circumstance. In my judgment, none of the contemporary translations is manifestly superior to the others. Each is a blend of strengths and weaknesses, due to the difficulty of the task. From the pulpit, of course, some versions can be excluded rather easily. Paraphrases, while useful to illustrate a point, should never be used as the basic sermon text, because they reflect so thoroughly the opinions of the paraphraser. Also, children’s Bibles, such as the Good News, and, to a lesser degree, the NIV should not be used as the basis of a sermon directed toward the entire congregation. The NASB should not be used, simply because its English is atrocious. Its rigid adherence to the formal equivalence principle, while making it highly useful in the study, renders it completely inappropriate in a setting where communication is important. The NIV should not be used from the pulpit, in my judgment, because it is a sectarian translation. It is a self-confessedly â€Å"evangelical† translation, which excluded non-evangelicals from the translation process. It is therefore ecclesiastically unacceptable (it excludes from the outset people who don’t call themselves â€Å"evangelical,† just as the Kingdom Translation excludes people who don’t call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses). In fact, even for study purposes, one will have to be cautious about the evangelical bias reflected in this translation, whereby the weaknesses, as well as the strengths, of evangelicalism have not been offset by a more â€Å"inclusive† committee. Specifically, the NIV shows many signs of being individualistic, experientialist, and revivalistic (I am speaking about the NIV New Testament; I haven’t evaluated the NIV Old Testament thoroughly yet). At the same time, the NIV ought to be in the minister’s study because it is a good illustration of the demands of a dynamic equivalence translation, and it is also very successful at many points. The RSV, reflecting the breadth of the church, a high style of English, and a reasonably accurate representation of the original text, is perhaps the preferred text for pulpit use. 3.  Translation is a theological task It has become increasingly clear that translation cannot really be performed in a theological vacuum. When a variety of linguistic options present themselves, theological factors can influence the decision to choose one option over the other. In fact, such factors should influence the translation. The resolution of the translation question about how to translate telos in Romans 10:4 is resolved in large part by resolving larger questions about Paul’s theology; how he understands the relation between the older testament and the Christ event, etc. Since theology is to be determined by the Bible, and since translating the Bible is determined, at least in part, by theological considerations, it is easy to see that there is something of a circle here. Fortunately, it is not a vicious cycle, because if one is willing to entertain sympathetically a variety of options, one can grow in the confidence with which one evaluates a given translation. One must never pretend, however, that translation is a step of â€Å"pre-exegesis† or â€Å"pre-interpretation. † The first step of interpretation is  translation. This step will influence all other steps, so it must be approached with the entire arsenal of theological tools. Semantic Theory It is appropriate now to move to some consideration of dealing with the meaning of individual words (commonly called lexical semantics). A lexicon in the hands of an over-imaginative preacher may be the deadliest of all human instruments. In terms of sheer percentages, more pulpit nonsense may be attributable to a misunderstanding of how words communicate meaning than any other interpretive error. Since the technical study of linguistics began in the early nineteenth century, a number of very valuable insights have been discovered by the linguists. What follows is an attempt at providing some of their most useful insights for those who want to teach and preach faithfully. 1. Semantic Field and Context Most words can mean a number of things. Take the English word, â€Å"run. † It can appear in the following (and many more) contexts: The athlete is running. Her nose is running. We scored a run in the sixth inning. I have a run in my stocking. Does your car run? My computer runs on Windows. For how long is the movie running? You want to run that by me again? His sermons seem to run on forever. She’s running the flag up the pole. Jackson is running for President. Who left the water running? Enough, already. It is obvious that most words can mean a number of different things. How do we know what a word means in a given circumstance? Well, we don’t just choose the one we prefer. In fact there are two components to meaning: semantic field and semantic context. By semantic field, we mean the full range of ways the word has and can be used (an example is the above, partial semantic field for â€Å"run†). By examining the â€Å"field† of possible meanings, we begin to narrow the options. Normally, there are still too many options, so we have to take another step. The second step is to determine the semantic context. If â€Å"run,† for instance, can refer to rapid, bipedal locomotion in some contexts, we can eliminate that option in contexts where there are no legs or feet. If â€Å"run† can mean â€Å"flow,† or â€Å"drip,† it is a possible way of understanding it where noses and faucets appear, but not where liquids do not appear. In everyday speech, we do this kind of comparison to semantic context so rapidly and unreflectively that we are not normally aware of doing it. But we do it nevertheless, and normally with great accuracy. It is imperative that we do this with biblical literature as well. No word brings its full semantic field with it into any given context. Yet many fanciful pulpit statements are due to the attempt to do this very thing. 2. â€Å"Root† Meanings Many people speak of â€Å"root meanings. † Many people speak of ghosts. Neither exists. Apparently, when people speak of â€Å"root† meanings of words, they are attempting to find the distilled essence, or the common semantic range of the word in each of its contexts. This may, by dumb luck, work in some circumstances, but it won’t work in most. What common â€Å"root† meaning is there in the word â€Å"run† which can account for the variety of uses listed above? Is it motion? Perhaps, for the athlete, the flag, even the nose (which doesn’t move itself, but its contents do). But is there any â€Å"motion† involved in the statement that a person is running for an office? Is any motion taking place when a movie â€Å"runs† for six weeks? Is a â€Å"run† in a stocking a movement of some sort? I fail to see how there is, without redefining the word â€Å"motion† to include virtually everything. And if we do this, then we aren’t learning anything specific about the term in question (This is the practical deficiency of the Componential Analysis approach to Semantics; if one finds an element common enough to be related to all the various uses, it isn’t specific enough to be any real help in any given context). In actual fact, we don’t really know why people use terms in such a broad range of ways as they do. But the answer certainly doesn’t lie in the fact of some alleged â€Å"root† meaning, common to all uses. Thus, for interpretation’s sake, it is better not to speak of â€Å"root† meanings at all. Just look at the entire semantic field, and then limit that field by the contextual considerations. This doesn’t mean that there are no similarities in the variety of a term’s uses. If we return to â€Å"run,† we can determine several â€Å"sub†-fields. We can see â€Å"run† used of liquids, to indicate they are flowing. We can see â€Å"run† used with machines to indicate that they are operating as they should. We can see it used in reference to putting one foot ahead of another repeatedly, in rapid succession, which would embrace the athlete, and, by extension, the â€Å"runs† in a baseball game (which are a short-hand reference to someone â€Å"running† around the bases). But these fields do not appear to be related to each other, and worse, these fields do not account for the stocking or the flag. Perhaps we ought to just bring â€Å"root† meanings out once a year, on October 31st, and then put them back for the rest of the year. 3. Etymologies and Semantic Change Etymology is a perfectly valid field of study. Etymology is the study of the history of a word’s usage. It has the historical benefit of demonstrating to us what a word might have meant in a given period. One thing etymologists have discovered, of course, is that words change over time. That is, people apparently use terms in an increasing variety of ways, extending known usages, and coining new usages. Thus, the history of a word’s usage is not necessarily any help in determining its meaning in a particular context. And certainly it is not the case that the â€Å"earliest† known meaning is the â€Å"true,† â€Å"real,† or, need I say it, â€Å"root† meaning. â€Å"Gay,† for instance, might well have meant â€Å"happy† or â€Å"carefree† in certain places in certain times. It most emphatically does not mean that today in San Francisco. Do not be misled; a â€Å"happy† hour at a â€Å"gay† bar may be a very miserable experience for a heterosexual teetotaler. The biblical interpreter is not particularly interested in what a term may have meant several centuries prior to the time in question. Rather, the biblical interpreter wants to know what range of meaning a term had in the period in question. Etymology is not particularly helpful as a guide to the meaning of a term in any given context. Semantic context is the more reliable guide. 4. Polyvalency You may run across (oops, another use of â€Å"run†) this term from time to time, so you may as well know what it means. â€Å"Polyvalency† refers to the ability of a given term to have a number of meanings in any given historical period. â€Å"Run† is polyvalent. It is important for the interpreter to be aware of the full range of possible meanings of a given word, before determining what it means in its given context. 5. Words and Concepts For the sake of clarity, it is helpful to distinguish between a word and a concept. Most words can be employed to denote a number of concepts, and most concepts can be addressed by using a range of terms. Thus, charis is a word; grace is a concept which can be labeled in a variety of ways. So, if you want to study, â€Å"The Grace of God in the New Testament,† you would certainly include not only a word study of charis, but also passages which refer to God’s gracious activity without employing that particular term. For instance, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard reflects God’s gracious character, as those who come along late in the day receive equal recompense with those who have labored all day. God graciously gives the kingdom not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, who come on the scene a bit late, redemptive-historically speaking. 6. Semantic â€Å"Minimalism† One of the best axioms to apply when attempting to discover the meaning of any given word was first coined by Ferdinand de Saussure and his followers. The best meaning of a given term is the meaning which contributes the least to the overall meaning of the sentence. In most communication acts, we do not â€Å"load up† a given word with a lot of meaning. Rather, we speak in paragraphs and sentences — the individual words have little meaning in and of themselves, but much meaning when tied to one another. Many seminarians and preachers seem to be unaware of this, for they frequently interpret the Bible as though its individual words were almost magical, possessing great truths and mysteries in six or seven letters. There are very few technical terms in any language, which are more heavily â€Å"loaded† than most words. Concluding Observations If one were to state briefly the results of linguistic study in the last few generations, one would certainly have to refer to the importance of context. Linguistics has made us repeatedly aware of the fact that the fundamental communicative unit is the sentence, not the word. Individual words, removed from the context of a sentence, rarely communicate effectively. Words strung together, mutually supporting and interpreting one another, can communicate very effectively. For biblical students, this means that we must look at the larger unites of communication (the sentence and paragraph) at least as seriously as we look at individual words. We must be aware of the fact that a given word can signify a number of different things in a number of different contexts. Personally, I would like to see more sermons on whole chapters of scripture, and even on entire books, and fewer sermons on a verse here or there. If a person can produce a single 20-minute distillation of Romans 1-11, he can certainly handle Romans 6:3 when it shows up. If the contextual emphasis of contemporary linguistics can help us see the â€Å"forest† of a biblical book, as opposed to merely the â€Å"trees† of individual words, it will have done us and God’s kingdom a great service. ________________________________________ Dr. T. David Gordon, a native of Richmond, VA, is currently Professor of Religion and Greek at Grove City College in Grove City, PA, where he has served since 1999. Previously, he had taught for thirteen years at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. ________________________________________ TRANSLATION METHODS ‘ WORD FOR WORD translation: The SL word order is preserved and the words translated by their most common meanings. Cultural words are translated literally. The main use of this method is either to understand the mechanics of the source language or to construe a difficult text as pre-translation process. ‘ LITERAL translation: The SL grammatical constructions are converted to their nearest TL equivalents but the lexical items are again translated out of context. As pre-translation process, it indicates problems to be solved. ‘ FAITHFUL translation: It attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original within the constraints of the TL grammatical structures. It transfers cultural words and preserves the degree of grammatical and lexical deviation from SL norms. It attempts to be completely faithful to the intentions and the text-realisation of the SL writer. ‘ SEMANTIC translation: It differs from faithful translation only in as far as it must take more account of the aesthetic value of the SL text, compromising on meaning where appropriate so that no assonance, word play or repetition jars in the finished version. It does not rely on cultural equivalence and makes very small concessions to the readership. While `faithful’ translation is dogmatic, semantic translation is more flexible. ‘ COMMUNICATIVE translation: It attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original in such a way that both language and content are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. IDIOMATIC translation: It reproduces the message of the original but tends to distort nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms. ‘ FREE translation: It reproduces the matter without the manner, or the content without the form of the original. Usually it is a paraphrase much longer than the original. ‘ ADAPTATION: This is the freest form of translation mainly used for plays and poetry: themes, characters, plots preserved, SL culture converted to TL culture and text is rewritten. From A Textbook of Translation by P. Newmark

Bigger Thomas A Tragic Hero

When analyzing Bigger Thomas, Richard Wright’s protagonist in the novel Native Son, one must take into consideration the development of his characterization. Being a poor twenty-year-old Black man in the south side of Chicago living with his family in a cramped one- bedroom apartment in the 1930’s, the odds of him prospering in life were not in his favor. Filled with oppression, violence, and tragedy, Bigger Thomas’ life was doomed from the moment he was born. Through the novel, Bigger divulges his own dreams to provide for his family and to be anything but a â€Å"nobody. Although Bigger struggled to fight through obstacles to pursue his dreams for the future, his chase for a better life came to an abrupt halt after the tragic accidental murder of his employer’s white daughter. Bigger Thomas fits the definition of a tragic hero, considering he is the protagonist of Native Son that experiences tragedy throughout the novel. Along with tragedy, Bigger also undergoes change as the novel progresses. By the end Bigger’s life story, he is able to change into a man that is no longer consumed through the fear in his heart. Due to his characteristics, Bigger Thomas can be compared to Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Both characters are tragic heroes that are related by their struggles through tragedy and changes they undergo throughout their lives. By comparing the two characters, one can solidify the importance of both characters because of their tragedies they experience. In the beginning of Native Son’s book one: Fear, one is able to realize that Bigger Thomas’s fate looms in the hands of his environment. He did not choose to live a life of poverty in the â€Å"Black Belt† of south side Chicago. This life was forced upon him. On page 20 of the novel, foreshadowing occurs as Bigger chats with his friend Gus about his future. He says, â€Å"Every time I get to thinking about me being black and they being white, me being here and they being there, I feel like something awful’s going to happen to me† (Wright 20). He displays a defeatist attitude that he further explains as he talks to Gus. He explains his reasoning as he questions, â€Å"Why they make us live in one corner of the city? Why don’t they let us fly planes and run ships? †(Wright 20). As a result of this conversation, the reader is able to identify that Bigger goes through his life feeling defeated. He has minimal hope for his future as he lives in fear that something awful will happen to him due to the color of his skin and where he lives. Although one may argue that Bigger is a negative person who uses the color of his skin to justify his evils, this is not the case considering Bigger constantly is oppressed by his environment and lacks options in his life. The white people that surround Bigger give him no hope to prosper thus creating a tragic existence from the start. It is not until Bigger gets a job offer from a rich white philanthropist, Mr. Dalton that his life may be able to turn around for the better. Unfortunately for Bigger, this opportunity does just the opposite. While accepting a job as a chauffer for the Dalton family, Bigger becomes optimistic about his current situation. Instead of constantly letting his mother and siblings down, he is now able to provide for them through this job by granting them $20 from his salary each week. Although the job acquired little skill, Bigger was satisfied that through this job, he could be less of a â€Å"nobody. While reflecting on this new chapter in his life, Bigger expressed, â€Å"This would be an easy life. Everything was all right, except that girl† (Wright 59). The girl that worried Bigger was Mary Dalton, Mr. Dalton’s free spirited daughter that constantly challenged Bigger’s patience and authority. Their first encounter left Bigger skeptical of Mary Dalton’s motives. By their second encounter, Bigger was blatantly fearful that Mary would cause him to lose his job. During their second encounter, Bigger is ordered to chauffer Miss Dalton to the University for her nightly class. Unfortunately to Bigger’s surprise, Miss Dalton has another set of plans. She tells Bigger, â€Å"I think I can trust you† (Wright 64) in order to toy with his emotions and disobey his boss’ orders as Bigger, Mary, and Mary’s communist boyfriend Jan Erlone take the car out for a night in the loop. After a rousing evening on the town filled with booze and conversations about communism that left Bigger offended and ashamed to be black, it became Bigger’s duty to make sure that Mary was placed safely in her bed after being too intoxicated to stand on her own. Because Bigger strives to obey his boss, he feels inclined to personally place Mary in her own room in order to avoid trouble. This shows that Bigger Thomas took Mary to her bedroom with no intention of causing any problems in his new workplace reminding the reader that Bigger is not an evil human being, just a product of his environment. After being in Mary’s bedroom, Bigger decided to overstay his welcome due to his curious arousal with white women. To Bigger’s surprise, â€Å"a hysterical terror seized him† (Wright 85) as Mrs. Dalton makes an appearance in Mary’s bedroom to check on her daughter. Bigger automatically assumed that if he was caught in Mary Dalton’s bedroom at an odd hour of the night he would be immediately fired and accused of raping a white woman that could ruin his already tragic life forever. Due to her blindness, Bigger was not seen immediately, but he realized if Mary kept mumbling, Mrs. Dalton would make her way to the bed and eventually feel Bigger laying next to her. Out of pure fear, Bigger reacts irrationally as he suffocates Mary Dalton with a pillow in order to keep her quiet. Fear is what provoked the irrational response that killed Mary Dalton and turned Bigger Thomas’ life into a series of tragic events. In Malcolm Cowley’s scholarly article, Richard Wright: The Case of Bigger Thomas, he reminds the reader that despite his monstrous actions towards Mary Dalton, he is not the one to be blamed. Cowley makes the point that Bigger, â€Å"has been trained from the beginning to be a bad citizen. He had been taught American ideals of life†¦but had been denied the means of achieving them† (Cowley 113). Cowley’s observation justifies that Bigger reacted as a product of his environment that constantly taught him to be a bad citizen because he had no way to achieve the kind of life he would hope for. This provokes even more tragedy in Bigger’s life. Through the accidental murder of Mary Dalton, a tragic hero arose in the form of Bigger Thomas. This tragic hero was born out of pure fear for the white man, but as the novel progressed, the fear of oppression slowly left the tragic hero as he vows to no longer live in fear. After Bigger Thomas’ accidental murder of Mary Dalton, Bigger’s life turns into a wild goose chase where he is forced to hide out until being caught by Chicago authorities. While awaiting his trial, certain to face death, Bigger meets the man that will defend his case. The defendant Max, a white communist decides to take on Bigger Thomas’ case in order to show white people the oppressive lifestyles black people were forced to survive on every day. At first Bigger was skeptical about a white man volunteering to defend a black man accused of murder and rape. He questioned, â€Å"Why would Max isk that white tide of hate to help him† (Wright 420). He is shocked that a white man would defend a black man out of the goodness of his heart. Max asks Bigger questions that remind Bigger that he is a human being among everyone else despite his race. At this point it does not matter to Bigger if Max saves his life, because Max has made him mature mentally and undergo change. After recounting a conversation where Max asked Bigger questions about what he wanted to do with his future, he expresses to Max, â€Å" (you) asked me questions nobody ever asked me before. You knew that I was a murderer two times over, but you treated me like a human† (Wright 424). After Max assures Bigger that he is a human, Bigger transforms his way of looking at life. Instead of feeling constantly oppressed, Bigger believes that he is a human that deserves a future much like everyone else despite the color of his skin. Instead of accepting his death sentence, Bigger realizes that he has the urge to live his life as a human that possesses the ability to have a future. As Max reassures him, â€Å"you’re human, Bigger† (Wright 424) Bigger comes to a change in his heart. He realizes that the fear he has sustained from the white people that constantly suppress him comes from his own thoughts. He now believes in himself as an individual that no longer lives in fear. Because of this, Bigger is able to accept his death sentence and change his outlook on life. Unfortunately, this change came too late in his existence to matter. Although Bigger loses the battle with life, he ultimately wins the battle with the color of his skin after accepting that he is just as human as Max, his defendant. In James Baldwin’s article, â€Å"Many Thousand Gone- Twentieth Century Interpretations of Native Son,† Baldwin explains his interpretation of Bigger Thomas’ battle within Native son. He explains, â€Å"In this case the force of circumstance is not poverty merely, but color a circumstance which cannot be overcome, against which the protagonist battles for his life and loses† (Baldwin 53). This statement is not accurate considering a battle is not lost. Even though Bigger Thomas is sentenced to death, he is able to end his life with peace of mind knowing that he can die as a human without fear. The change Bigger Thomas has undergone shows that Bigger has overcome his oppression thus winning his battle. After reading Native Son, the protagonist Bigger Thomas resembled another tragic hero from the play, Death of a Salesman. By comparing Willy Loman, the protagonist of Death of a Salesman to Bigger Thomas, one can tell how similar their characters are although they have been created in different time periods and environments. Both Bigger and Willy are lost souls trying to give meaning to their ultimately meaningless lives. As a result of their self made pressure to have a purpose in life, they both are not well liked by their friends. After divulging a plan to rob a store owned by a white person, Bigger gives his friends Gus, G. H. , and Jack strict instructions to meet together at a specific time. When Gus shows up to their meeting spot late, Bigger is outraged. He cusses at his friends and resorts to physical harm due to his anger. While his friends watch Bigger self-destruct into a man of rage, G. H. lets bigger know that, â€Å"You done spoiled things now† (Wright 40). Not only had Bigger spoiled the plan to rob the store, but Bigger had also spoiled his friendships as all three men leave him to wallow in his rage alone. A similar situation occurs in Death of a Salesman as Willy Loman receives a friendly visit with his friend Charley. Since both men were unable to sleep, they decided that a quick game of cards would be a sufficient outlet for their energy. While playing cards, Willy develops a hostile attitude towards Charley and constantly insults him on his choice of eating habits and card playing abilities. After Charley accuses Willy of cheating during their game, Willy evolves into a rage-infested tyrant and orders his friend to leave. Charley retorts, â€Å"You ought to be ashamed of yourself† (Miller 1252) and storms out the door. This instance compares to Bigger Thomas’ uproar with his friends considering both outbursts led to their friends leaving them to wallow in their own anger. In addition to not being well liked, both Willy Loman and Bigger Thomas live in constant fear throughout their stories. As a mediocre salesman, Willy Loman spends his days fearing that he is not successful enough to provide for his family. Because of this looming fear to be successful, Willy often lies to his family about his job in sales to make himself seem far superior to who he really is. For example, while Willy explains to his wife, Linda about the money he has made on one of his sales trips, he exaggerates the amount of money he made. This lie would have been unnoticed if Linda did not ask Willy to pay for the reparations of their leaky roof. When Linda asks him to pay, Willy exclaims, â€Å"A hundred and twenty dollars! My god, if business don’t pick up I don’t know what I’m gonna do† (Miller 1247). The shame Willy feels because he is unable to pay for the roof reparations directly correlates to the constant fear Willy has to become successful for his family. Bigger Thomas is also a character that constantly lives in fear. This fear is shown when Bigger is explaining to his lawyer Max about how whites have all the power and Bigger fears that because of this, his life will not amount to anything. He tells Max, â€Å"Well they own everything. They choke you off the face of the earth, they like god†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wright 353). Since Bigger believes that white people control everything he fears that nothing can be done to make his life meaningful. Both Bigger Thomas and Willy Loman possess similar qualities that show are comparable through their lack of ability to make friends throughout their fear ridden lives. Through Bigger Thomas’ life of oppression, violence, and tragedy, one is able to tell that he struggles with the hopes of becoming anything but a â€Å"nobody. † Being the protagonist of a tragic novel, Bigger possesses the qualities of a tragic hero. Even though his life is cut short due to the tragic accidental murder of Mary Dalton, his boss’ wild daughter, Bigger is able to go through a change that brings him peace of mind as he awaits his sentence to die. Being a product of his environment, Bigger constantly lived in fear of the white man. With the help of his lawyer Max, Bigger was able to undergo change and realize that he too was a human that had no need to live in fear. Drawing from specific scenes from the text, Bigger Thomas can be compared to Willy Loman, the protagonist in the play, Death of a Salesman. Their characters were both inflicted with fear throughout their lives that eventually ended in tragedy for both characters. Works Cited Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman.

Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Personality - Essay Example In additions, managers should mostly engage staff with proactive personality. Workers with this type of personality look for opportunities and act on them. They exhibit initiative and stop at nothing until the opportunity effects a change in the organization, In Personality psychology, Burger, Jerry (2010) identifies five broad dimensions or domains of personality. These domains are broadly referred to as the Five Big traits of personality. Personality experts and scholars broadly support the theory known as the five-factor model on which the Five Big traits of personality derive their base. The five big traits of personality, according to the theory, include openness (O), extraversion (E), conscientiousness (C), neuroticism (N) and agreeableness (A). Burger, Jerry (2011) suggests the use of acronyms such as OCEAN and CANOE to identify the five traits collectively. The chief purpose of the theory is to give an account for different characteristics and traits in personality. Empirical research on the Big Five personality characteristics has shown, to a large extent, consistency in observations, interviews and self-description. The research, therefore, indicates that the personality tests are very accurate and reliable. Burger, Jerry (2011) defines openness as the appreciation for emotions, art, imaginations, unusual ideas, curiosity and other experiences. They reckon that staffs that are open to new experiences are willing to try new ventures, intellectually curious and sensitive to changes in the organization. Unlike closed people, open people are very creative and more conscious of their feelings. Burger, Jerry (2011) adds that open people not likely to hold conventional beliefs. Open people prefer novelty to familiarity, and they do not resist change. A conscientious person acts dutifully, is self-disciplined and achieves above the expectations.

Explain how self-creation, social status, and the idea of success Essay

Explain how self-creation, social status, and the idea of success inform the major theme of Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Essay Example His desire and aspiration to come out of the shell of a middle class individual in order to become rich and wealthy is one of the most important aspects of the story, which is propelled by his association with the rich and famous golf players such as Mortimer Jones. The meandering relationship of Dexter with Judy, the daughter of Mortimer Jones depicts an intriguing portrait of his character, as well. The intention of Dexter to quit his job as a caddy and his vociferous ambition propels him to reach the pinnacle of life. Fitzgerald’s use of such phrases as â€Å"second-best grocery store† corresponds with Dexter’s hankering for a certain status in the society which is achieved when he becomes a partner in a laundry. As a matter of fact, his longing for status led him to leave the state school and joining the university even though he was pressed for money. The author of this story has carefully weaved his protagonist, Dexter by providing different shades to his imagination and his urge to change his social status by wrapping it with success. However, amidst different incidents in the story particularly the failure of Dexter to marry Irene proves his infidelity towards her; at the same time, he could not satisfy Judy Jones though Fitzgerald has also mentioned the depth of his feelings for Judy: â€Å"It did not take him many hours to decide that he had wanted Judy Jones ever since he was a proud, desirous little boy† (p.7). The story of Winter Dreams describes the ways adopted by people for attaining success which eventually emerge as the most significant reason for unhappiness. The title of the story justifies the dreams of Dexter that are nourished during the most quiescent and inarticulate season of the year that casts a dark shadow in his life when he attains everything except fulfillment. Thus, the story of his success and the attainment of social status reveal

The Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Ford Motors Company Essay

The Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Ford Motors Company - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Ford Motors is a U.S. automaker and is among the leading automakers in the world. Ford was incorporated on June 16, 1903, by its founder Henry Ford. The company’s headquarters is based in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford has emerged as one of the automaker giants in the world. For instance, the company ranks fourth largest automobile company globally and second largest in America according to annual sales volume. Ford sells in a variety of brand names such as Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln. The company has also been the manufacturer of Land Rover and Jaguar, which were sold off to Tata, an Indian automaker. In the U.S. market, the company currently ranks second after General Motors, which is the world’s leading automaker. PESTEL analysis implies political, economic, social, technological, environmental analysis that helps in understanding the macro-environmental factors that affect the operation of Ford. These factors are discussed h ereunder: Politics of a country is very important as far as far as car manufacturing is concerned. The U.S. politics influence the legislation and laws by which car manufacturing companies like Ford operates. For instance, Ford’s operation has hugely been affected by the political pressure from the government of the United States regarding the global warming caused by greenhouse gaseous emissions. In this regard, the government has imposed certain measures aimed at limiting the level of gaseous emissions that a particular vehicle has to emit to the environment. This has threatened the operation of Ford because complying with some of these laws is not easy, as they require a total change of the manufacturing process. Ford is also required to comply with the tax policies imposed by the government. The changes in tax policies by the U.S. government particularly by increasing taxes on the automobile industry has affected the operation of the company in recent times where it servi ce high taxes in order to be able to operate. For instance, the idea to introduce a road tax proportional to the number of gaseous emissions is affecting the company’s operations.

How Modern Terrorism Uses the internet Research Paper

How Modern Terrorism Uses the internet - Research Paper Example The Internet provides terrorists with several advantages. For example, terrorists could operate in a clandestine manner from a distance. Such endeavors could be across national and continental borders, and could be conducted without fear of detection or regulation. The expenditure and risk involved in cyber – attacks are significantly lower than a physical attack. Furthermore, cyber – attacks tend to attract the attention of the media to a considerable extent (Why Terrorists Use the Internet, 2005). These advantages are off setted by several disadvantages. For instance, the intricacy and distributed nature of the Internet makes it very difficult to control a terrorist attack and achieve the sought for objectives. Terrorist attacks on the Internet chiefly cause economic damage, and there is very little scope for employing such attacks to cause physical harm (Why Terrorists Use the Internet, 2005). As such, a terrorist attack that does not entail death and injury attracts less attention and is therefore less effective in spreading terror. Moreover, terrorists host websites that display terrifying videos of their brutal murders. One such video showed the brutal killing of an American journalist by the Islamic terrorists. The Islamic terrorist group, Al Qaeda employs advanced communication technology in conjunction with multimedia, in order to engage in a highly sophisticated form of psychological warfare (Weimann, 2004). The al Qaeda has unremittingly declared; via its websites that its attack on the World Trade Center served to significantly damage the US economy, in addition to causing severe psychological damage to the populace. This contention has been borne out to some extent by the weakening of the dollar and the diffidence generated in the US economy, at the national and international level (Weimann, 2004). Moreover, the Internet provides a convenient means for raising funds for not only political organizations, but also terrorist groups. In a ddition, terrorist groups employ the Internet to recruit and mobilize cadres. Terrorist organizations not only use the various web technologies to enhance their allure, but they also collect information about the entities that browse through their websites (Weimann, 2004). In addition, technical information regarding the manufacture and use of explosives is readily available on the Internet. For instance, there are several websites that post The Anarchist Cookbook and The Terrorist’s Handbook. These are detailed manuals for manufacturing a vast array of explosive devices (Weimann, 2004). A major use of the Internet made by terrorist groups is for planning and coordinating terrorist attacks. The September 11 attacks were witness to the large scale use of the Internet by the al Qaeda to mount its murderous attacks. A large number of encrypted messages were retrieved by federal officials from the computer of the al Qaeda terrorist Abu Zubaydah, the monster who had masterminded t hese iniquitous attacks (Weimann, 2004). Realizing the benefit being derived from the Internet, by the terrorists, the US Government embarked upon a counterterrorism strategy. This strategy was aimed at infiltrating the message boards of the Islamic terrorists. In addition, the staunch ally of the US, namely the UK was successful in hacking an English language online magazine of the al Qaeda (Ackerman, 2011). Moreover, in the UK, the Home Office had proposed that filtering software was

Massage treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Massage treatment - Essay Example Another aspect of the sports massage is the increased blood flow by artiolar pressure in the massaged area. Proper stroking and rubbing of the muscle increases the blood flow and temperature. The whole process can be a good alternative of a warm up. There are different kinds of massages and depending on the type of massage used, it can increase or decrease neural excitability which is measured by the Hoffman reflex. The changes in the parasympathetic activity (which is measured by the heart rate, blood pressure and the heart beat variability) and the hormonal activity give more relaxed responses when measured after a massage. This is a result of the physiological activity. A good massage aims to reduce the anxiety and brings improvement in the mood, technically its called relaxation. This would come under the physiological mechanism. All of these benefits help the athlete perform better and decreases the risk of injury. The massages given to athletes during the events are closely mon itored. They are regarded extremely important for the performance of the athlete as they enhance the recovery. Post exercise massages have shown to improve recovery from injury and help reduce the muscle soreness. And the claim that this massage reduces the functionality of the muscle is baseless. Main Body For the first client, there were several massage techniques performed. My first client was a body builder. The regular massage was performed on his left shoulder which had a suspected sprain due to overuse. The massage performed was supposed to increase both micro and macro circulation. The macro circulation was to increase the overall temperature of the muscle and the microcirculation for the tiny organisms that supply the blood to the small tissues. It was critical to perform this ‘warm up’ massage to get the overall muscle toned up and ready for other massage techniques. The sprain in the first client’s shoulder was treated through the massage aimed at redu cing the muscle tension. The massage was performed mainly with the thumb and the first two fingers holding the visible neck and shoulder muscle, gently squeezing in the beginning and gradually increasing the pressure. Repetitive upward and outward motion was performed on the muscle. Later on the massage to relieve the sprain from the shoulder was extended to the back. The massage technique was the famous pressing motion from the back and all the way up to the neck and then pressing outward as if throwing away the muscle tension. The left shoulder was the main focus as oil was continuously applied to it for the proper lubrication to avoid the rigorous friction. The elongated massage was performed throughout the whole massage process. Right after every major new massage technique, the stretching motion was performed. It is very important as it helps in the stretch motion and for the proper blood flow, the healing benefits come along with that. Right after this technique, the massage f ocus was shifted on to be worked into the traps, around the scapula. The motion of the hand was along the direction of the fiber to give it a nice warm feeling, following the whole group of muscle as it goes into the shoulder blade which goes straight into the shoulder itself and into the deltoid. A technique for stretching into the lat was performed where the body builder

Short article prom promises by amy L. best Essay - 1

Short article prom promises by amy L. best - Essay Example The article very well establishes that â€Å"the relative local success of the Prom Promise often depends on the support of individual communities and schools, and of course, the students.† (p 78, â€Å"Prom Promises - Rules and Ruling: Proms as Sites of Social Control† by Amy L Best) It maintains that the success depends on the students’ consent to their own regulations. The article is very effective, with personally observed examples and conversations with the students, in expressing the actual reasons of the failure of many prom promises. For example, it states and illustrates that â€Å"students sign this contract with every intention of violating it. Consider a conversation I had with Scott, a White student from Woodrow, about the Promise, which his school had once tried to implement, successfully...† (Bests). The article goes on to analyze the various levels of the imposed rules in a prom promise and expatiate the view that the forced strategies of the school authorities to check the uncontrolled behavior of students are ineffective to draw any good results. The author is successful in expressing how the students respond to the rules that aim at the modification of their behavior supplementing it with the real life examples of the students of Rudolph and the like. Trickery of the different schools that aim at the effective implementation of prom promise is analyzed objectively and criticized firmly. The strategies of Stylone with table cards, of Woodrow and Hudson with signing of the names in a guest book and the formalized strategy of Rudolph â€Å"checking kids in† are found, for example, ineffective. The article is also very successful in pointing out the exact reasons for the failure of the program. â€Å"That the teacher received the kids contributed to the sense that the pr om belonged to the teachers and not to the kids. It seemed emblematic that of the direct control the school itself exercised

Maslow’s theory Essay Example for Free

Maslow’s theory Essay There is an interrelationship between Maslow’s theory and Herzberg’s theory. These two theories have a similarity in that both of them suggest employee satisfaction as a motivation factor. Form the above discussion, it is possible to tell that Herzberg cites esteem needs and self-actualization needs from Maslow’s theory as the motivators. Others needs do not cause motivation and failure to address them in the organization setting only leads to dissatisfaction. Criticisms Maslow’s theory Several criticisms exist about Maslow’s motivation theory. To begin with, there is limited scientific evidence if any to support the above theory. Furthermore, personal need priorities may not be in the order given by Maslow. For example, there is a possibility of social needs coming before security needs since one must belong to a society in the first place. Another criticism is that people do not necessarily satisfy each level of need at a time. Needs tend to conflict such that a person may be motivated to achieve different needs at the same time or make priorities depending on the urgency of each need. Maslow’s theory is therefore general and does not consider individual differences. Herzberg’s theory Herzberg’s theory does not also consider individual differences when analyzing factors that cause satisfaction and those that cause dissatisfaction. One dissatisfaction factor may be a motivator for someone else and vise versa. For example, increased responsibility could be a dissatisfier for someone who is resistant to change. Again Hertzber’s model is too simplistic and only addresses factors that people would consider normal motivational factors in any workplace setting. Describe goal setting theory. Explain how this theory can be applied to performance appraisal and compensation This is a motivational theory developed by Edwin Locke. It is actually an improvement of the final causality theory advanced by Aristotle which put forth that purpose can lead to action. According to Locke, an individual’s behavior is to a large extent influenced by their ambitions and goals (Latham and Locke, 2002). For this reason, goals significantly improve performance. Most individuals set goals in anticipation for something; usually a reward to be obtained after achieving the set goal. Goals can be said to affect performance in three different ways (Latham and Locke, 2002). Firstly, they narrow an individual’s attention so that all efforts are directed towards activities that are relevant to achieving the set goals. Similarly, irrelevant or undesirable activities are avoided. Secondly, goals increase effort as individuals strive to achieve the set goal so as to gain the expected reward. Thirdly, goals help individuals to develop persistence. In other words, they become more willing to work even in the midst of challenges and setbacks. Goal setting is guided by factors known as moderators (Latham and Locke, 2002). These include goal –commitment, attainability and self-efficacy. In order to attain a certain goal, an individual must be ready to face every challenge that he or she finds on the way. Commitment depicts the need to achieve no matter what the circumstances. Set goals must also be attainable so that individuals must not set goals that cannot be reached. Finally, self-efficacy must be present for goals to be achieved. This refers to the ability to act in a certain way so as to be able to achieve set objectives.

Speedo Marketing Strategy

Speedo Marketing Strategy To being with our organisational orientation lets look at some of the definition about Marketing and Marketing concept. Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. (Approved October 2007 American Marketing Association Board of Directors) The right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price (Adcock) The achievement of corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs better than the competition. (Jobber) Speedo is one of the leading brands in swim wear. Founded in 1910, in Australia by a young Scottish entrepreneur Alexander MacRae. Initially known as MacRae Knitting mills, the company was into undergarment business and due to the mounting response from Australian beach comers, MacRae integrated swimwear in his business. In 1920 swimwear popularity rose quickly because of the inclusion of swimming as a sport and mixed bathing. In 1928 they introduced a new model swimwear called Racerback outfit, which made the swimmers to swim faster. A new slogan was generated Speed on in your Speedos and the catchword became fashionable and finally a new name Speedo was coined. In 1951 Speedo Knitting Mills (Holdings) Ltd was integrated and turned into a public company (Sydney Stock exchange). Speedo started its operation in USA in 1959 and made into other international markets. It also moved into Europe by purchasing 30% share of Robert Shaw and Company Ltd. in Nottingham, England. The Japan and South Africa corporations approved licenses to Speedo to set up manufacture and division delivery in 1960. It made a significant deal with China in 1980. Many European Union provided license to the Speedo manufacturing and delivering. In 1980 it became official sponsor for Australia Institute of Sport. The Pentland Group took possession of Speedo in 1990 and finally the modern Speedo was born with new strategies and products. Today the Speedo trademark is protected in 175 countries with an annual turnover of $550 million. Since its inception, Speedo had been innovative in the competitive swimsuit market to design suits with the latest technology aimed at enhancing the swimmers performance. The technology and design of its suits brought Speedo to the forefront in performance swimming as more Olympic medals were won in Speedo than in any other athletic apparel brand. In 1928, the celebrated Swedish swimmer Arne Borg set a world record by wearing the Speedo swimwear and the brand won hearts of millions. The Speedos major success story in innovation starts way back in the 1950s when they were the first company to introduce normal wool into their fabric. They created roars in the 1950 Olympics by sponsoring the Australian swimming team in the new Speedo suit which broke records. Speedo had no turn back and was acknowledged as a market leader ever since in performance swimwear till the 2008 Olympics. They are successful to the extent that they command more than 70% of the market share in the US$200 million performance swimwear market globally. The 60s and 70s witnessed the unrivalled reign of Speedo in the performance segment. 49 medals were won in Mexico Olympics held in 1968, in which 22 set a world record by wearing Speedo. Speedo was the first to introduce nylon/elastane into the fabric in 1970 and even today the fabric is famous among the swimmers. More than 50 countries were sporting Speedo in Munich Olympics held in 1972. In 1976 Speedo became the official swimwear brand for the Montreal Olympics. In 1992, 1994 and 1996 Speedo came up with S2000, Endurance and Aquablade which were worn by most record breaking swimmers in Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics. Speedo launched Fast-skin swimsuit in 2000 Sydney Olympics which is made up of smooth crisp fabric and broke 13 world records. 2003 is a remarkable year for Speedo, as it turned to 75th year. Speedo launched Fast-skin series in 2004, which was worn by Michael Phelps and set a history in Athens Olympics by winning 8 medals. The LZR Racer the most advanced swimsuit launched by Speedo in his 80th year created history as 92% medals in swimming were won in the Speedo suit. In 1990 Speedo was bought by The Pentland Group and the new Speedo International LTD was born with new strategies and approach. Speedo an established name in the competitive swimwear segment was getting into the wider segment by focusing on commercial products with a sports attitude. Speedo implemented new marketing strategies through AD campaigns which was completely new to the company. Today Speedo is a Multi National Company operating in 175 countries with an annual turnover of $550 million. Speedo products are sold directly and through brand franchising and are available in departmental stores, speciality stores and sports goods stores. Speedo owned brand accelerate specially focused commercial wear for men and women sells pants, shirts, bags, caps, footwear etc. Speedo co branded AVP apparels sells beach volley products and accessories. Speedo sports water designed for athletes was launched in 2004 in collaboration with Fuze Beveraged Ltd. Speedo. Competitive advantage is fundamentally about the value that the customers put on the product assessed by how much they are willing to pay, and the organization that better serves the customers has the differential attribute or dimension to create better customer value (Jobber, D. 2006:p.53) Competitive Advantage of Speedo Speedo has been unique in the market since its inception a century ago. Speedo has a well earned reputation for excellence in quality, efficient in design and unique in its technology. Speedo has evolved themselves to both categories by introducing unique performance products at a higher price and commercial wear products at a normal price. The success of Speedo can be summarised as its competitive edge over other competitors over the last few decades. Speedo had faced fierce competition from multi-national companies known for its smart marketing activities like Nike, Adidas, TYR, Arena, Diana, Mizuno etc but was always in the top in competitive segment with more than 70% share in the $200 million industry. Speedo has evolved themselves into the competitive swimwear market and the commercial wear market, but it commands a competitive advantage only in the former. When it comes to Research and Development Speedo has gained a matchless competitive advantage with respect to its competitors. The main reason for this is Speedos commitment towards Research and Development. Speedo has always in the forefront in bringing out the best products with newest of technologies in the competitive swimwear market. Speedo started this in the 1950s by introducing wool into its fabric and the competitive advantage era of Speedo began. Since then till the year 2008 it had this competitive edge by bringing out the latest technology suit available in the market. They have worked with the best names in technology like the National aeronautics and space administration (NASA), reputed universities and private research agencies to develop its product. Introduction of the fast skin series, the fastest swimwear in the world in the 2008 Olympics When it comes to sponsored athletes Speedo has again gained the upper hand among its competitors. Speedo has sponsored most of the top ranking athletes in swimming like Michel Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Ryan Lochte, Katie Hoff, Libby Trickett, Eamon Sullivan, Rebecca Adlington etc. No other has companies such an elite list of sponsored swimmers. Threat of entry in a swimming firms industry: A new sports company that enters into the industry brings in the potential to gain a new market share. The existing competitors pose a threat to the new comers, but in the case of Speedo it has been dominant in the market since its inception. It is big hurdle for the upcoming companies to gain a considerable market share against the existing company as they are highly popular in the customers mind with their smart proven strategies. Access of distribution channels- The distribution channel is well connected and diversified globally. The products are reaching all parts of the world with the highly competitive supply chain management. Sometime this barrier is so high that to surmount it, a new contestant must create its own distribution channels. Cost disadvantage independent of size- Unless the competitors reduce the price but consistent with the product quality. They might record low sale rate, if they dont upgrade the quality of the product to sustain in the market. Capital requirements- The net worth of the company is vital for the capital requirement. The capital can be mobilised from various asset produces to bank official. The budget has to be distrusted for the growth of the company in various sectors like inventories, R D, advertising budget etc. Recession could be an advantage or demerit to an economy and other firms. Some organisations might see recession as an advantage because it motivates the market to run effectively mostly during long-term. Taking Speedo as an example, the organisation seen recession as an advantage to them because, during recession competition within the swimming industry is less, it causes brings down the cost of swimming. If there is high number of swimming industry, the lesser the information they get about each other performance being an advantage to the firms, and more likely output and prices will be at a competitive level. Speedo looks at competitive advantage which lies not only in activities but in the way they do relate to each other, to supplier activities, customer relationship and to customer activities. That the phrases competitive advantage and sustainable competitive advantage have become commonplace is testimony to the power of individual belief ideas. The foremost part in the Marketing Mix is the Companys product, since such provides the handy needs to customer past near they looked for in the market. The product widens by the marketing managers into brands is to make a unique position in the market as well as in the customers needs. The Four Ps of marketing mix is the key factor in the market. Most of the organisations depend on the marketing mix elements. They are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Product Definition simply refers to anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use which may satisfy a want or need of an individual. Product base approach Quality is viewed as a precise and measurement variable. Speedo has ranked its product according to the price among of the desired attributed they posses. Because quality reflects the quantity of attributes that a product contains, and because attributes are considered costly to produce, higher quality goods will be more expensive. i. Conformance- It relates to reliability, as conformance stresses the extent to which ours products are designed and match pre-established standards. Conformance quality is meaningless if its not satisfactory to the customers. ii. Durability- how much use does one get from the Speedo product before it wears down and needs to be replaced. iii. Feature- secondary marketing mix that augment the basic function. iv. Reliability- the probability of a product breaking down applies particularly to customer durables, such as washing machine and to industry machinery. There are many verities in performance especially concentrated on swimming which is their major marketing product. After various transformations in the technology they have refined the product in aspect of performance in the sporty game swimming. Initially they started manufacturing with normal wool to silk to nylon and the latest is the Pulse fabric composed with lightweight woven fabric polyurethane panels to reduce drag. Based on the changes in the material used by Speedo, they have developed a new design for challenging swimmers which is the one that covers most part of the body. Speedo makes a full body suit (showing head, hands, and feet open), jumpers and endurances. The new suits manufactured has advantage, the material is used to reduce the drag which the performer can speed the strokes in the activities. This is approved by FINA and this is a popular product which it beating the new trend. There are various designs in the performance aspect such as Fastskin LZR Racer, Fastskin LZR Racer Tri-Pro, Fastskin FS Pro, Fastskin FSII, Endurance+ and 2010 FINA Approved suit. After three years of research and developed by Aqualab (Speedos global research and development facility) they came with a new product LZR Fast Racer suit specially for swimmers. As a part of their research Aqualab worked with a number of global partners including NASA, ANSYS, Otago University, and Australian Institute of sport to fabricate an Ultra lightweight, powerful and water repellent material to reduce muscle oscillation, skin vibration through powerful compression and to lower skin friction drag. The fabric is fast material and is a unique 3D three-piece pattern designed to optimize the shape of the swimmer. Scanning more than 400 bodies the pattern was from 30 to 3 piece pattern. The swimsuit is fully bonded and ultrasonically welded bonded seams to create a perfectly smooth and flexible streamlined surface finish. The Hydro form compression scheme is to compress fabric as per body shape with complete flexibility and optimum economy. The skin friction drag seams are bonded to lower sewn by 6% and the drag in LZR pulse is 8% lower than Fast Skin. This is approved by FINA 2010 especially for swimming, which is major marketing product. The LZR Racer Tri-Pro is Speedo Aqualabs RD expertise in understanding human activities and they have designed this product which is multi usage product used for swimming, biking and running which is a Triathlon product. The material used in LZR Racer the same is used in LZR Racer Tri-Pro which suits human body with respective to the environment. This suit dries up twice faster than a normal suit, which easily optimizes the body shape with good flexibility and with a fine smooth finish. This suit cover the body from shoulders to the laps, leaving the other parts like shoulders, arms and legs from laps to expose. The next advancement in swimwear technology was the FASTSKIN FS-Pro; made from the same material as the LZR Racer, it dried twice a s fast and lightweight. World class swimmers were consulted in developing this suit which again turned out to be a huge success. This was AQUALAB one of the most sophisticated product. The material for this suit was developed through biomimetrics (design based on nature) imitating the skin of certain aquatic animals especially shark. The material was highly stretchy with a colour and design similar to aquatic conditions and was imitating the shark, the fastest aquatic creature. The suit allows more oxygen to the swimmer adsorbs vibrations from the body and gives rigid support with less drag. The material used is super stretchy fabric, which allows moving freely with great comfort. This is an old product which every swimmer has to use in the early stages of learning which helps to retain a correct posture in swim. Endurance+ is 100% chlorine resistant, designed to last longer, dries more quickly and is 20 times more fade resistance than the commercial swimwear. The completer LZR Range of products is FINA approved as per 2010 rules. The products had created good demand due to the advanced, light weight, powerful material designed to opt shape of body flexible with a smooth finish by absorbing the body vibrations generated from the body and strengthens swimming power. The suit absorbs oxygen to the body by giving additional energy to the body; with a fast dry technology which is all applicable to FINA 2010 new rules. This is a whole range of safety precaution products from Speedo. Concentrated mainly on beginers, which includes swim vests, armbands, kickboards etc. Swim vest and arm bands allows the beginners to float above water without sinking. Kickboard is a product made of undrownable material which is held to stay above water and start peddling. Designed especially for women by women to identify the comfort in fitting by compress the stomach region and lifts up the breast which gives a good female structure. Speedo has a variety of equipments ranging from goggles, caps, MP3, Scuba gear, training aids, footwear etc each specially designed for aquatic activities. Goggles provide clarity vision in water and are UV protective, anti-fog, mirror lens witha rubber double head strap to fit in head perfectly and also safeguards eyes in chlorine water. Underwater MP3 can be used upto 3 metres under water, easy to operate, easy to charge via laptops which last for nine hours. Bio fuse footwear is designed to keep the surface wet by immediate exit of water from pores with good grip on wet floors and is ideal choose in beaches and pools. Speedo uses a tool called economic value to increase perception of value. It is regarded as an appropriate pricing method for this particular market. The terms used in this approach are defined as follows. a. Incremental or improvement value- This will represent the potential incremental satisfaction or profit that Speedo customer can expect from a product over other reference product. b. Reference product- It refers to any product that is accomplishing the same function as the product whose economic value is looked into by the customer. In Speedo, sensitivity pricing is regarded as a key element in the conceptualization of price. It not only assists in developing a marketing strategy but also helps to identify segments with different price sensitivity and the range within which price should be set. i. Price quality effect: Buyers are less sensitive to product price to the extent that higher price signals better quality. ii. Unique value effect: Buyers are more or less sensitive to product price; the more they value any unique attributes that differentiate from the competitors products. iii. Difficult comparison effect: Buyers may seek loyalty with approved supplies or established brand names. Pricing a product in a company has many formulas and strategies in order to come out with the best price. Pricing imitate the supply and demand bond. To understand the pricing strategies in simple, lets us look at the pricing strategies matrix. Premium pricing is about the goods or service where there is uniqueness in high price. This method is used when significant competitive reward exists. In Speedo the LZR Racer, Fast Skin FS Pro, Fast Skin FSII is positioned as their premium priced brand due to its uniqueness in the market. It is uncompromisingly priced around  £210- £550. Economy Pricing: The selling price of the product is kept low, targeting a specific range of low and middle class customers in the market. This strategy is also used in penetration pricing also in order to gain market share in the first place. Speedo fits in some of there products like goggles and caps at economy price to widen its customer base. Goggles range from  £3- £22 and caps from  £5- £17. Charging a higher rate for a product at its initial stage due its uniqueness or demand and then reducing the price once the demand is over or a similar product is been launched in the market. Speedo introduced LZR Racer swimwear and charged a higher rate due to the uniqueness and demand in the market. After a few months, competitors like TYR and Arena replicated the same product and produced at a low cost. Speedo skimmed their price to get in pace with the competition. Product Line Pricing: Bundling different products to sell it in a profitable rate to the customer is known as product line pricing. Speedo bundles caps, goggles, and jammer. For example the cap could be  £5, goggles  £3 and jammer  £60, but the whole package only costs  £68. Promotional Pricing: Promotional Pricing is where the commodities are marked below margin price in the shop for the time being to attract the customer, anticipating that they will buy more products. Speedo has a lot of special offers to make the customer buy more goods. For example Speedo offers direct online the Mens Skitty T-shirt is  £15, but the margin price for the T-shirt  £20. These are the wide range of products displayed in the quadrant manner. For example product such as FASTSKIN LZR Racer, LZR PRO, FS PRO, FS II are grouped into one phase. Geographical Pricing: Companies adapt to different pricing strategies according to the geography. Operating in 175 countries having customers with various outlook and economic structure, geographical pricing is very important for Speedo. For example Speedo introduces a product with a high price in developed countries, whereas it will introduce low price or medium products in underdeveloped countries. Another example of international pricing of Speedo is LZR Racer Elite Jammer which cost  £130 in Europe, where as it cost $260 in USA. Factors affecting price decisions: Promotions: Promotion is the third factor in marketing mix. It caters elements such as advertising, direct marketing, digital marketing, public relations and sales promotion. Speedo has been in the forefront in advertising and branding strategy. One of the important criterions in promotional mix is to influence end users to buy the product by integrating marketing communications. The message should reach the customers in such a way that it covers all aspects of distribution in the market. Speedo, marketing has worked with an aim of favouring the end users with reliability and contentment of the product. Speedos initiated there first promotional event in branding by sponsoring the Australian team in Speedo swimwear during the 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne. It turned out to be a tremendous success when the team won 8 gold medals boosting the brand value of Speedo. Speedos global market growth took place in the 60s where it witnessed stunning performances by athletes gaining 27 gold medals sporting Speedo suits. The campaigns done during the 1970s and 80s were more focussed in establishing fresh ventures by signing deals with Canada and China. By then Speedo gained the market in Europe and parts of Asia. Target Market: Speedo focuses more in Research Development where it produces advanced high performance designs for targeting right from the child who wants to learn swimming till the Olympic Gold Medallists. Their motto is to satisfy the goals of the swimmer with speed, contentment and flexibility. Communication Objectives: In business being a well established brand means it has to maintain its reputation by coming out with best of products in the market. These objectives are channelled to the consumers through media and other communication channels like websites, outdoor campaigns, online media, television, pamphlets, sponsorships etc. Promotional Methods: This includes various strategies to generate sales by getting into the public through various activities like: Sales Promotions: Discount offers, Price slashes, sales vouchers, clubbed offers with other products, combo offers like the purchase of Caps and goggles with a discount in price. Digital marketing Digital marketing has turned out to be the next big thing of the new millennium. It utilizes the digital mediums like internet, mobile, televisions and other interactive channels. Speedo has recently evolved to global online presence and digital marketing through social media space, fan pages, blogs and social media applications. Schemes like Free delivery with orders over 40 £, options like standard delivery and express delivery, sales are generated in volumes. Special offers like price discounts with Speedo coupons and online vouchers are also available. Advertising has been a key strategy of Speedo but with high selectivity. The million dollar campaign before the 2008 Olympics was the recent one which created a brand image that no brand has gained in the Olympics. The brand image is to such an extent that in India when you ask for a branded swimsuit then you will end up in getting Speedo. This is the effectiveness of Speedos advertising campaign even though done rarely. The Olympic Games are so integral to our brand strength, said Craig Brommers, VP-marketing. We want to use the Olympics as a springboard to talk about other parts of our business that are increasingly important. Speedo owns more than 70% market share of the performance and sport swimwear category, but that is a smaller part of our business as we expand. Publication:Brandweek, Date:Monday, March 8 2004 Effectiveness of advertising depends mainly on timing, trustworthiness, performance play, branding etc. Speedo has perfectly designed all these elements with perfect balance and that makes Speedo once again unique in the market. Speedo has famous athletes like Michael Phelps, Hannah Stockbauer and Kosuke Kitajima in their ad campaigns which increases there brand image further in the market Public Relation The PR department of Speedo works out rigorously as there are a number of product launches from Speedo international. It ensures that the company is maintaining the decorum of the products, media buzz, word of mouth and new product launches. The PR department well managed the crisis during the controversy about the swimsuit LZR Racer which took place during the Beijing Olympics held in 2008. Negativity sprouted up when some people want it banned during the competitions, since the levels of buoyancy are at unprecedented levels which they felt an unfair advantage for swimmers in the form of technological doping. But FINA (International Swimming Federation) disproved the false aspects imposed on Speedo and approved the LZR racer swimsuit. The PR department was at its best as they coordinated well with the media in solving the issues. ENDORSEMENTS SPONSORSHIPS: Olympic Games hes been an integral part of Speedos endorsements and sponsorships. 2008 was the most remarkable year as the Speedo sponsored athlete Phelps created waves in the Olympics when he bagged 8 gold medals with world record which is the best by any athlete in Olympic history. Speedo recently announced the extension of the sponsorship deal with the swimming legend Michael Phelps till 2013. Place is a key factor in marketing mix, as the produced goods has to be stored in suitable locations so that it can be channelled into proper distributions. Satisfying customer needs is not only the sole criterion for a manufacturer, but the calculation of the exact product requirement should also be met through proper channel intermediaries. In the case of Speedo, the key strategy remains focused in most of the Olympic event sponsorships. So, that the brand reaches the mass face value thereby gaining customer loyalty. The trading system for Speedo is more focused on marketing mix. The shelving of products in stores portrays a clean appearance, so that the sales would improve and traders would be benefited. The gap between the manufacturer and end user is filled by the marketing intermediaries such as (brokers, commission agents, retailers). The main function of the channel intermediaries is to resolve the difference between the buyer and seller where the seller produces large volumes with a limited goods range, whereas the buyer will require only limited goods with diversified range of products. In the case of Speedo the breaking bulk factor seems to work out well in the retailing sector where there is wide buying range of options for the customers to chose from. For example in goggles the Speedo brand has its products lined up for each purpose such as Racing, Training, Optical, Essential and Children. Minimising the number of transactions during the distribution will improve the efficiency of the business performance. By creating the hub the manufacturers will optimize the transactions which ultimately reduce the selling cost of the product. For Speedo the entry of digital marketing has reduced the distribution through commission agent which proves to be more efficient. The location and time are vital for any global business. In the case of Speedo it has diversified in the international markets and acquired a large clientele base irrespective of the geographic locations. Online purchases and free home delivery offers by the Speedo eases the customers purchase by saving their time gap. Channel Scheme factors: The channel decisions grip selection of the most efficient allocation channel. There are channel factors which influence the marketing channel integration. 1. Market factors 2. Producer factors 3. Product factors 4. Competitive factors 1. Market factors: The buying behaviour proves to be a challenge while considering the consumer expectation relating to the product. The customer tends to buy through direct outlets or retailer depending on their convenience. As in the case of Speedo majority of the customer either purchase online or through outlets. The strength of Speedos marketing lay with the proper distribution channel and network. 2. Producer factors: The deficient factor that the producer faces is the lacking of enough resources to coordinate its channel functions. The strategy of the channel might have its effects during the product mix that the producer initiates. In the case of Speedo the direct distribution proves to be price effective as it has different range of products. 3. Product factors: Speedo has a mix of intermediaries which ranges from direct online sales, agent, direct outlet, and direct distribution to the retailers. Since the life of the Speedo product is subject to long-term the direct distribution by the distributors will deny storing the products in large volume if the existing goods have not been sold. 4. Competitive factors: Speedo not only utilises the traditional distribution channels to sell its products but also has evolved themselves to the newly emerging distribution techniques like digital marketing which involves online sales etc. For example Speedo has spent millions Sheffield based agency; Quba has delivered a banner campaign for Speedo, following its success in the Olympics with swimmers Michael Phelps and Stephanie Rice. This is the first digital campaign for Speedo which was targeting young adults and teenagers. The agency also produced an interactive rich media banner featuring video of the athletes and the opportunity to enter the competition by submitting details into a form embedded into the banner itself. 34 variants of the banners were produced by the agency for oversees market in a very tight turnaround time. SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis is the main instrument for the company to audit the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT). The strengths and weakness are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are the external factors. SWOT analysis is very helpful for the managers to plan at the first stage, since it shows the key factors of the organisation. SWOT Analysis The Marketing managers should know the SWOT analysis, so that they know the company mances and chance. The analysis is to make an impact in the growth of the organisation. 1. (S)trengths: The main strength for Speedo is the innovative of new product in the market. The latest new product of Speedo Shapeline Swimwear. The RD of Speedo resea