Write an Ethics Paper (Answer one of the 8 questions below) Essay

Write an Ethics Paper (Answer one of the 8 questions below) - Essay Example A good example is the existence of numerous religions. In this paper I will show that that Christian approach towards dealing with ethical issues is the closest one to my moral idea. To begin with, I would like to point out that I am fascinated by one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity: the use of non-violent force to prove one’s ideas (Trocmà © 131). It would not be a mistake to suggest that Jesus Christ Himself should be seen as the best example of this. In the course of His earthly life He did not harm a person, yet was able to establish a new, revolutionary religion. In addition to that, His thesis about the two cheeks is truly a remarkable one: it goes against the teachings of many ethical systems that were widely popular some two thousand years ago. It is my strongest belief that the decision to refrain from violence in any form is the best beginning for any interaction between people, not matter how difficult the conflict may it. Violence will never solve any problems, it will make them worse – that is exactly why Christianity teaches. It must be noted that while different religions of the past were primarily concerned with their local cultural environment, Christianity was among the earliest movements that established a platform that did not differentiate people according to their ethnic origin. Indeed, while conversion to any other religion was often connected to adoption of some elements of a different culture, Christianity urged the believers to adopt the faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but did not promote any particular ethnic principles. I think that this is particularly important, especially in the modern globalized world. Indeed, there is a tremendous gap between the present day and two thousand years ago, when Jesus was walking the Earth. Nevertheless, the principles that were articulated by Him fit perfectly the global community that the world is trying

How Does Paid Employment Affect Person's Identity Essay

How Does Paid Employment Affect Person's Identity - Essay Example The personal identity that a person creates about himself affects many aspects of his life. For instance, the way a person perceives himself affects the kind of goals that they set for themselves in life, the manner of achieving them and their view on what goals and visions are feasible (Newman 2011, 60). The way a person constructs their ‘self’ has direct implications on their motivation, self esteem, emotions and their interactions with other people of the society. This then implies that the way a person views himself affects their job performance in the work place. In order to achieve a company’s objectives, the manager should work through his employees. One way of doing this is by promoting their identity through use of motivational factors. This paper focuses on how paid employment affects a person’s identity (Elliot & Dweck 2004, 46). Identity Construction at the Work Place A study has shown that the extent of commitment that employers show to their e mployees is reflected in the employees’ commitment to the job. If the employees are satisfied with the kind of payment they receive from the company, they have no thought of seeking employment elsewhere. As such they are able to identify themselves with the company objectives and goals and easily assimilate the corporate values. Satisfaction of the employee results in job empowerment which affects their commitment to the organization. With the contemporary globalization in business management, the organization is using job redesigning and downsizing. Developments of the identity can be applied where employees who show intent desire to remain in the company and are committed to attainment of its goals are selected. Managers should therefore carry out adequate research on personal and societal identities as they influence the kind motivation that would work on the workers (Knights & Willmott 2007, 99). Paid employment instills continuance commitment in the worker. This is becau se the workers view leaving the company as an expensive move as they would lose the kind of retirement benefits that they have invested in that company. Persons work in an organization in order to satisfy their own personal needs. These needs arise from their own individual goals and also from the requirements of the societies surrounding them as it shapes their identity. Work is a part of a person‘s life which takes a major portion of his lifetime therefore its effect on identity development cannot be ignore. They spend most of their adult life in the work place. The interactions and the relationships therefore formed in the work place make up a lot of what a person becomes. It is used as a standard for self definition and meaning of life. People describe themselves and the others based on job context. The career that a person engages in is a portrayal of their own personality. People in different fields describe their work using adjectives that show the worth that they attac h to such jobs. You will find an engineer describing his work in a manner that show that they deal with interesting and adventurous activities. Doctors use words that portray the importance of their work in saving lives. All this shows that individuals get into a career with the motive of forming positive identities (Newman 2011, 35). Pathways through Which a Person Creates Positive Identity in the Work Place Research has shown that a person develops positive identity in the work place through four different pathways. The development of these pathways is influenced by a

Japanization and Japanese Working Practices

Japanization and Japanese Working Practices Introduction Japan, a land of incredible diversity; modern yet steeped in custom; home of the friendliest of welcomes. Japanese celebrate the time of year with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the blossom trees. Japanization is the process in which Japanese culture dominates, assimilates or influences other cultures. It’s also called nippanization. Japanese style management and HRM has been selectively adapted and applied around the world. Japan has a homogenous culture and foreign immigrants are very small percentage of its population. Japanization is not accepted completely around the globe. Here we are going to examine why the spread of Japanese management is constrained by local culture and working practices with the help of a case study material. Japanization Japanese are collectivistic, where as Britain and United States people are individualistic. In-group in Britain includes only a nuclear family i.e., spouse, children and sometimes spouse’s widowed or infirm parent. In India it is a joint family includes grand parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, other relatives and close friends. But in Japan we can find an additional member in the in-group: the company for which a person works. In Hofstede’s study Japan scored 46 on individualism. On the other hand USA and UK scored 91 and 89 respectively. Japanese are very hard working. Also they have strong sense of duty and indebtedness. (Tayeb, 2005) The trade unions in Japan are company based. The companies like Toyota, Nissan and Hitachi has their own unions. In UK it is craft based. I.e. fire fighters, mine workers and teachers and so on has their unions. Indebtedness: In 2003, canon prepared to buy Mizuho shares, but later it fell into financial troubles i.e. to pay a debt to Fuji bank. Fuji bank made canon out of trouble when it fell into problems 30 years ago. Ringi method: It is a special characteristic of Japanese enterprises in decision making. In this process the written proposal will be circulated first to those who are going to be affected and then to the senior management. It is very time consuming process. So it is used for only important decision making. (Misumi, 1984). Quality circles: It is a small group activity in which blue collar and white collar workers from different departments of a company assembled voluntarily. These volunteers are trained in problem identification and problem solving techniques. It is perfectly tuned with the Japanese collectivism. Life-time employment (Nenko): Japanese HRM practices are sustained by their certain management practices such as life time employment. This obviously creates stable work environment and no fear of Unemployment. It means that employees are hired after their education and remain with the same company till their retirement. Nenko is operated by large firms. Japanese Management Kaizen philosophy: Kaizen is defined as continuous improvement that involves each and every employee from executives to labourers with managers in between them. Kaizen is a driving force and a vital tool to Japanese success. This philosophy has been implemented round the globe followed by the Japanese successful lead. It is used as a method to increase production values and improve employee morale and safety. Kaizen is taken from words ‘kai’, which means continuous and ‘zen’, which means improvement. Kaizen concept is the primary difference between how change is viewed by Japanese and in the west. Western companies reject kaizen just because of without knowing about it. American companies run by years without any change. On the other hand Japanese companies are in a state of continuous change and improvement. After World War 2, most of the Japanese companies brought new challenges everyday and moulded those challenges into progress. Displaying goals, recognition and suggestions helps to improve communication and boost morale. This is an endless process. If we do not maintain the standards it results in the â€Å"two steps forward and one step backward† effect. Only for this reason maintenance and improvement go collectively by Japanese managers. By improving standardised activities and processes, kaizen aims to eliminate waste. â€Å"People are behind our success. Machines don’t have new ideas, solve problems and grasp opportunities. Only people who are involved and thinking can make a difference. Almost every auto plant in UK and USA has the same machinery but how people are utilized and involver varies widely from one company to another. The work force gives any company its true competitive edge†. (Toyota motors-general manager) Generally Japanese managers have an easier time implementing employee suggestions than managers in the USA. Japanese managers show their willingness to  go along continuous change which contributes to following change. Making the job easier. Making the job more productive. Removing drudgery from the job. Improving product quality. Removing nuisance from the job. Saving time and cost. Making the job safer. Japanese manufacturing techniques: Japanese style of manufacturing has three interlinked parts involved in it. Flexibility Quality Minimum waste In the 1980’s, imported cars accounts for 27% of us sales. Same changes had occurred in other industries in UK and USA also. The manufacturers like motorcycles, camera, television and video equipment have disappeared by the higher quality Japanese products. Poke-a-yolk: It is purely a Japanese term which means mistake or fool proofing. Poke-a-yolk is the basis of zero quality control method used for eliminating and avoiding mistakes. Basically this technique is used in manufacturing units, hospitals, aircraft maintenance and human resources. Lean production: Lean production system is one which produces cars more cheaply with higher quality than its rivals. In 1998, ford and GM took 50% more hours to make a car than Toyota. In 2006, Toyota builds an average car within 29 hours. On the other hand GM workers took 33 hours. It’s a big improvement. Mr Cowger said, 90% of the 178 gm plants almost in 33 countries adopted the lean production system. Toyota implemented the ‘just-in-time’ manufacturing system in which suppliers sends parts daily or many times a day. Toyota develops a new model in 18 months compared to three years it takes GM. This is not Japanese companies vs. American companies; it is smart Japanese companies vs. smart American companies. The key reason why Toyota is over taking GM as the dominant car industry is its production system i.e. lean production system. In Toyota, workers grouped into teams and they are allocated to individual goals to correct mistakes. (s.steve, BBC news) Historical perspective: The origin of benchmarking There is no doubt that the art of benchmarking is originated in Japan. Simply it is defined as loaning of employees to other organisations. Benchmarking means being humble enough to acknowledge that others may be smarter, and being clever enough to learn how to become just as smart – or even smarter. The essence of benchmarking is it enables us to learn our own processes and also from others. USA, UK and other companies are benchmarking Toyota production system (TPS). It is mainly focuses on the implementation of the waste reduction tools. This system is known as ‘the Toyota way’. (Forrest breyfogle, 2008). The reasons for the failure of Japanese firms overseas: Inability to cope with larger overseas responsibilities Difficulties with new environment Personal or emotional problems Lack of technical competence Inability of spouse to adjust Japanese style management is more suitable to blue collar than white collar workers Poor communication Status difference between managers and staff Improper presentation of objectives No promotion for non-Japanese Local managers not involved in key decisions Toyota acts on overwork culture: Japanese corporate culture has been criticised in UK for being workaholic. Previously it allowed workers to work two hours overtime a month for voluntary activities such as ‘qc’, stands for quality circles. This decision came into action after a court order at the death of a 30 year old Toyota worker collapsed at the plant and died due to overwork. Public criticism has been growing on overworking culture. Toyota is best known for using ideas of employees to improve production methods and minimize costs. (BBC news, 2008) Psychological safety: Psychological safety was the root cause for the failure of Toyota concept in other countries. It is especially crucial where knowledge constantly changes, workers need to be collaborating and workers make decisions without intervention of the management. (p.gupta, 2008). Hofstede’s research: Hofstede’s framework is widely used by researchers and practitioners in the field of intercultural management. According to hofstede the differences in responses could be examined by four main factors. Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Individualism Masculinity Power distance: Power distance relates to the extent to which societies discriminates the different levels of employees in any organization i.e. how unequally the employees are treated in any company. It is the relation between blue collar and white collar workers. It should be less in order to achieve any success. In high power distance countries superiors seen to be more powerful than heir subordinates. Countries with low power distance favour a more democratic style of management. Uncertainty avoidance: It refers to the degree to which they try to avoid uncertain situations by discouraging the risk taking activities. Countries with low uncertainty avoidance will adopt flexible structures and encourage more diverse views. (Chris. B, Paul. S guy. V, 2007) Individualism: Individualism means the extent to which individuals try to merge into groups. In the usa we can find more individualism. It is to gain self-respect and personal achievement. In the contrast, collectivistic society’s people are integrated into strong groups. Masculinity: It measures the extent to which male values are dominated such as assertiveness, acquisition of money and goods and not caring for others. References: Toyota works on over work culture, Thursday, 22 may 2008 http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?site=News+-+Businessq=toyota%20culture%20in%20uktab=allscope=all Misumi, J. (1984).’Decision making in Japanese groups and organisations’, in international year-book of organisational democracy. Volume. 2, Chichester: Wiley. Forest breyfogle,dec 10th 2008. http://www.smartersolutions.com/blog/forrestbreyfogle/?p=551 Monir h. tayeb 2005. International human resource management, a multinational company perspective Gupta,p.’general motors and Toyota cultural differences’.

Pan-Slavism :: European Europe History

Pan-Slavism In the early nineteenth century, Slavic peoples from multiple empires in eastern and southern Europe began to pursue a movement to protect and organize Slavic culture. In 1848, this movement became more political. It gained a reputation and an attempt was made to unify all Slavic peoples. This movement became known as Pan-Slavism. Pan-Slavism appealed to many Slavs who felt nationalism towards their race. However among the Slavs, there were many different opinions. Some believed that there was a cultural, ethnic, and political connection among all Slavs. Others argued that there was no place for Pan-Slavic goals in the present empires. Above all, the cultural and political issues in the debate over Pan-Slavism were nationalism for ones race and a quest for power. In 1871 Slavs occupied most of eastern and southern Europe. The Slavs came from many nations. They populated the Austro-Hungarian, German, Russian, and the Balkan Areas of the Ottoman Empires. However as a result of their geographic diversity, there was no single language or literature for the Slavic population. Slavs were so disunited that although they shared a common nationality, there was ignorance, hatred, and oppression of each other. Slavic nationalists wanted to unify and form a free and content Pan-Slavic Empire. They believed that all Slavic peoples should maintain a close connection to one another. They were unhappy that among the Slavs, nationality came after humanity, while the opposite of this was true for other nations. In a lecture given by Bronislaw Trentowski in 1848, he stated that if he were ever a tsar, he would destroy the Ottoman and Austrian Empires, thus liberating the Slavic peoples and hence gaining their support. He would free Poland, along with every other Slav occupied country. Some people saw Pan-Slavism as the freeing of non-Russian Slavs from their Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian rulers. Not everyone agreed with the intentions of Pan-Slavism. Some people did not think that that the Slavs were one nation. Karel Havlicek, a Czech journalist shared this belief. He believed that nationality was not only determined by language, but also by customs, religion, government, and way of education. In 1848, he published an article called "Slav and Czech", in which he stated that the name Slav is and should always remain a geographical name. Bulgarian poet, Christo Boter, who strongly believed that only small federations of Slavs, in accordance to location should be built, shared a similar yet different view.

Comparative Study on Consumption Patterns of Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices Essay

A drink, or beverage, is a liquid specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to basic needs, beverages form part of the culture of human society. or any liquid suitable for drinking; â€Å"may I take your beverage order? † or A liquid to consume, usually excluding water; a drink. This may include tea, coffee, liquor, beer, milk, or soft drinks Types of beverage The various types of beverage are: †¢Alcoholic beverages †¢Non-Alcohol beverages †¢Soft drinks †¢Fruit juice †¢Hot beverages †¢Other 1. Alcoholic beverages. An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of an alcohol includes many other compounds. Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, and liquor have been part of human culture and development for 8,000 years. 2. Non-alcohol beverages Non-alcoholic beverages are drinks that would normally contain alcohol, such as beer and wine but are made with less than . 5 percent alcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as non-alcoholic beers and de-alcohol zed wines. Non-alcoholic variants: †¢Low alcohol beer †¢Non-alcoholic wine †¢Sparkling cider 3. Soft drinks The name â€Å"soft drink† specifies a lack of alcohol by way of contrast to the term â€Å"hard drink† and the term â€Å"drink†, the latter of which is nominally neutral but often carries connotations of alcoholic content. Beverages like colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, squash, and fruit are among the most common types of soft drinks, while hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee, milk, tap water, alcohol, and milkshakes do not fall into this classification. Many carbonated soft drinks are optionally available in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners. 4. Fruit juice Juice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example,orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be prepared in the home from fresh fruits and vegetables using variety of hand or electric juicers. Many commercial juices are filtered to remove fiber or pulp, but high pulp fresh orange juice is a popular beverage. Juice may be marketed inconcentrate form, sometimes frozen, requiring the user to add water to reconstitute the liquid back to its â€Å"original state† 5. Hot beverages Hot beverages, including infusions. Sometimes drunk chilled. ?Coffee-based beverages ?Cappuccino ?Coffee ?Espresso ?Cafe au lait ?Frappe ?Flavored coffees (mocha etc. ) ?Latte ?Hot chocolate ?Hot cider ?Mulled cider ?Tea-based beverages ?Flavored teas (chai etc. ) ?Green tea? Pearl milk tea ?Tea ?Herbal teas ?Yerba Mate ?Roasted grain beverages ?Sanka 6. Other Some substances may either be called food or drink, and accordingly be eaten with a spoon or drunk, depending on solid ingredients in it and on how thick it is, and on preference: †¢Soup †¢Yogurt OVERVIEW OF THE INDUSTRY The beverage market is worth $55 billion worldwide. The tides are turning for many beverage categories. While the carbonated soft drink and beer categories are merely treading water with flat sales, the energy drink category is surging ahead like never before. Bottled water, ready-to-drink coffee, ready-to-drink tea and sports drinks follow close behind with substantial sales increase- drinks without added sugar, no beer, along with developments in juice drinks and dairy-based drinks, are helping to turn around sales in these categories. What follows is a category-by-category look at the state of the beverage industry, including the top brands, new products, innovations and future trendsetters. In order to be successful in the marketplace, one has to think in terms of health innovation, flavor innovation, ingredient innovation and specific age groups. These are the factors that will shape the future of the beverage industry. â€Å"Today’s consumers are concerned with overall health and wellness. As a result, there is significant impact on food and beverage purchases. Many studies have shown that consumers are as concerned with good health as they are about maintaining a high quality of life. † Do you know what type of new beverage consumers are most likely to try? Do you know where they are most likely to pick those products up? Do you know why? Beverage Industry wanted to know the answers to these questions and to delve deeper into the ever-increasing number of new product launches in the beverage market. â€Å"The soft drink industry is training people to seek out new products, even the big guys are coming out with limited-edition flavors, and consumers are beginning to see that there is more flavor activity going on in the category. Whether that really nets anybody any sales gains is another thing, but it is teaching consumers to seek out and try new products. It’s also trying to create some excitement there. † In spite of several challenges and restrictions faced by this industry, it is a ‘roll’ like never before. Customer preferences may have shifted, but they are still always on the look out for a can of ‘coke’ or a new ‘flavored’ drink to quench their thirst. INDIAN BEVERAGE MARKET The size of the Indian food processing industry is around $ 65. 6 billion, including $20. 6 billion of value added products. Of this, the health beverage industry is valued at $230 million; bread and biscuits at $1. 7 billion; chocolates at $73 million and ice creams at $188 million. The size of the semi-processed/ready-to-eat food segment is over $1. 1 billion. Large biscuits & confectionery units, Soya processing units and starch/glucose/sorbitol producing units have also come up, catering to domestic and international markets. The three largest consumed categories of packaged foods are packed tea, biscuits and soft drinks. The Indian beverage industry faces over supply in segments like coffee and tea. However, more than half of this is available in unpacked or loose form. Indian hot beverage market is a tea dominant market. Consumers in different parts of the country have heterogeneous tastes. Dust tea is popular in southern India, while loose tea in preferred in western India. The urban-rural split of the tea market was 51:49 in 2000. Coffee is consumed largely in the southern states. The size of the total packaged coffee market is 19,600 tones or $87 million. The total soft drink (carbonated beverages and juices) market is estimated at 284 million crates a year or $1 billion. The market is highly seasonal in nature with consumption varying from 25 million crates per month during peak season to 15 million during off-season. The market is predominantly urban with 25 per cent contribution from rural areas. Coca cola and Pepsi dominate the Indian soft drinks market. Mineral water market in India is a 65 million crates ($50 million) industry. On an average, the monthly consumption is estimated at 4. 9 million crates, which increases to 5. 2 million during peak season. RECENT ISSUES 1. Xtazy, another energy drink for the Indian market The Indian market for energy drinks was estimated recently to have a size of Rs 500 crore, about 90 million Euros. The market which is so far dominated by Red Bull, is attracting various new players which want to get a share in a growing business. One of the aspirants is Xtazy, an energy drink from the US. â€Å"Xtazy is the forth largest energy drink inthe US†, says Rohan Malhotra, Managing Director of R. M. Indian Liquor Pvt. Ltd. , the exclusive importer for Xtazy. Malhotra has launched Xtazy already in Eastern India, and was looking now for a distributor in the Delhi area, when FII spoke to him during IFE fair in Delhi recently. In order to take on Red Bull and get a share of 20% from their business, Malhotra wants to offer better conditions to distributors. â€Å"We provide a margin of 6-8% to a distributor, who thus can earn about Rs 6 a can†, Malhotra says. â€Å" This is more than what Red Bull offers which is only about 2 – 3 Rs per can. † Xtazy is available in cans of 350 ml, thus more than the usual 250 ml of other energy drinks, and will be priced with a MRP of Rs 85. Four variants are offered, Cranberry Blast, Sugar Free Passion Fruit-Pineapple, Orange Blast and Lime Blast. Malhotra has planned several marketing measures to promote Xtazy, like PoS actions, coupons and direct marketing in a first round, and night parties in a second round. In marketing communication, he is highlighting not only the variants, but also health effects as the USPs of Xtazy, which are derived from ancient herbs used in the drink like gingko and guarana. The extract of gingko biloba leaf has been shown to dilate blood vessels and has the ability to increase peripheral blood circulation, especially to the brain, the company writes in a leaflet. Guarana from Brasil would serve to promote weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate and reducing the appetite. Besides the US, Malhotra says, Xtazy would be marketed also in Israel, Ukraine and in Turkey and would soon be launched in China. 2. Australia-based â€Å"Aromas† launches first coffee store in India. Australia-based â€Å"Aromas,† one of the leading coffee chain shops, launched its first cafe outlet in India at Hiranandani, Powai, and Mumbai. The company also tied up with Ideal Hospitality Private Ltd (IHPL), which would own the brand in the country and south-east Asia. Jayant Mahiskar, chairman and MD, IHPL, said, â€Å"Aromas is being launched keeping in mind the true coffee connoisseurs. We aim at targeting the youth and corporate at our outlets and Powai with a mix of residential and office complexes was a natural choice. The coffee has been created from selection of the original beans and blended to suit all tastes. Aromas ensures freshness and fullness of flavor. † According to the agreement with Aromas, IHPL will pay about 1. 5% of the gross revenue earned. Further, the company has decided to invest about Rs. 50-75 crore in the next three years to expand its footprint with 99 outlets in India. 3. China rejects Coke bid to take-over major juice maker China has rejected Coca-Cola’s $2. 5 billion bid to buy a major Chinese juice maker. The purchase of Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd would have been the biggest foreign acquisition of a Chinese company to date. The proposed purchase was rejected on anti-monopoly grounds, the Chinese commerce ministry announced on its website. Coca-Cola’s bid in September prompted an outcry by nationalists who urged the government to bar foreigners from acquiring one of China’s most successful homegrown brands. Rival juice producers warned that the acquisition would give Coca-Cola too dominant a position in China’s beverage market. A Coca-Cola spokesman in Hong Kong learned of the rejection of the sale had no immediate comment. Huiyuan’s founders and major shareholders already had endorsed the sale. If Coke were to take over Huiyuan, it will dominate the soft drinks market in China, which not only hurts consumers, but also other sector participants. Huiyuan controls more than a tenth of the Chinese fruit and vegetable juice market that grew 15% last year to $2 billion. Coca-Cola has a 9. 7% share and dominates in diluted juices. According to analysts China’s ruling on Coke could cut both ways in that Chinese firms that have been making increasingly high profile acquisitions abroad may run into trouble of their own. 4. Pepsi’s Slice kicks off the new season with ‘Aamsutra’ PepsiCo’s popular mango juice drink brand- Slice kicks off the 2009 season with it’s new ‘Aamsutra’ concept. According to Homi Battiwalla, business head, juice & juice drinks, PepsiCo India, Slice had seen powerful consumer momentum post the re-launch of 2008. The new winning formulation has been appreciated by consumers. Aamsutra has driven strong disruption in the juice and juice drink category. All of this has made Slice the fastest growing mango drink brand in the country. â€Å"South India is the lead market for mango drinks in the country. Andhra Pradesh is the biggest mango market and also the fastest growing market for Slice and mango drinks in the country. Tamil Nadu is amongst the top three states and Slice is the market-leader in Tamil Nadu,† he added Pepsi has now opted for a new brand ambassador, Katrina Kaif. â€Å"The creative thought behind the new communication was to further enhance the Slice experience into dimensions of pleasure, sensuality and indulgence. Last year’s commercial was about enumerating the principles of ‘Aamsutra’ or the art of experiencing pure mango pleasure with the new Slice. This year, the commercial portrays the next level to bring alive the mango indulgence, stated Hari Krishnan, Vice President, JWT. The company has now opted for a 360 multimedia campaigns involving digital, print, radio, impact outdoors and sampling in core markets. 5. Parle Agro launches lemon flavoured drink â€Å"LMN† Parle Agro, one of the leading food & beverage companies in India, has launched a new fruit-based lemon drink LMN in the non-carbonated segment. The new brand is a natural lemon juice drink and the only brand in India with a taste closest to home made, fresh lime water (Nimbu pani). According to the company, LMN will offer consumers a healthy, refreshing drink with the goodness of vitamin C. Every summer, the Indian beverage market has seen cola majors battle it out. This summer, the launch of LMN will see the cola wars taking a back seat and the battle spilling over to the non-cola segment, to be more precise in the nimbu paani category. PepsiCo India last week launched a nimbu pani drink, Nimbooz, under the 7Up brand On the occasion of LMN’s launch, Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director and CMO, Parle Agro, said, â€Å"Nimbu pani has traditionally been India’s most commonly consumed cold beverage. In fact the idea of a branded lemon drink is so simple that you would wonder why nobody thought of it earlier. The challenge for us was packaging a natural product while retaining its fresh, original taste throughout its shelf life. † LMN will be available in 110 ml Tetra, 200 ml Tetra and 500 ml PET packs priced at Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 23 respectively. The company aims to touch a turnover of Rs 3000-3500 crore by 2011. The company will target both (youth and adult) segments of consumers to turn them into branded consumers of nimbu pani. Besides this LMN will also target an emerging segment of consumers who are looking for a healthy and refreshing beverage in the country. â€Å"For the last 20 years, Parle Agro has been the market leader in fruit based beverages, we have constantly worked keeping in mind Indian preferences while formulating products that cater to the Indian palate. It is without any doubt that only an Indian company can understand what real nimbu pani tastes like and what the Indian consumer wants in a packaged offering,† Chauhan added. Further, the company claims that packaged nimbu pani will have tremendous growth potential, higher than other packaged drinks mainly because of a major shift in consumer behavior. Today, the beverage consumer is looking for hygiene, convenience, refreshing taste, affordability and year-round availability. The name LMN is derived from the SMS version of the word lemon. Parle Agro also owns other fruit drink brands like Frooti, Appy Fizz and packaged drinking water, Bailey. 6. PepsiCo launches ‘Nimbooz,’ packaged lemon juice with no fizz and artificial flavours. PepsiCo India has launched its packaged nimbu paani, Nimbooz, under its 7Up brand. The home-made nimbu paani or lime juice has been specially created to suit Indian tastes. The lemon juice, no fizz and artificial flavours, is available in trendy, convenient packs. The drink offers great value to consumers in three packaging formats of 200 ml returnable glass bottles (RGB), 350 ml PET and 200 ml Tetra attractively priced at Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 10, respectively. According to Ms Punita Lal, Executive Director- Marketing, PepsiCo India, Nimbooz, is specially developed to suit Indian tastes and preferences. â€Å"Nimbooz is an affordable offering for consumers on the go because of its ready-to-drink format that is both convenient and hygienic. The proposition of the Indian refresher perfectly captures the mass appeal of this product and will certainly drive consumer connect, stated Ms Alpana Titus, Executive VP-Flavours, PepsiCo India. PepsiCo has drawn up an intensive consumer activation campaign to market Nimbooz. The 360 degree marketing communication plan will revolve around building awareness through multi-city launches and road shows, comprehensive 3D activation, leveraging Out-of-Home (OOH) media, radio, press and outdoors. Aggressive trial generation and sampling initiatives will also be taken forward across major cities of the country. A special ‘Nimbooz Highway Gadi’ has been created that will visit the four major highways connecting Delhi to Jaipur, Dehradun, Agra to drive trails and consumer education. 7. Coke launches fruit-flavoured Fanta Apple nationally After successfully introducing it in southern markets last year, Coca-Cola India has launched its fruit-flavoured soft drink ‘Fanta Apple’ nationally. The product is available in 200 ml and 300 ml returnable glass bottles and also in 500 ml PET pack priced at Rs 8, Rs 10 and Rs 22 respectively. During the Fanta Apple launch in October 2008, Venkatesh Kini, marketing vice-president, Coca-Cola India, said that the company had planned to reach about 3. 5 lakh customers with sample apple flavoured drink to extend its market leadership in the fruit flavoured segment in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. â€Å"As per consumer research, we have found that after orange, apple is the most preferred fruit in the country and Fanta Apple has been developed specially for the Indian palate,† Kini said on Monday. According to experts, the nationwide launch of Fanta Apple is a part of the company’s $250 million business plan for the country. Fanta Apple is the second flavour after Fanta Orange under â€Å"Fanta† brand of the company. â€Å"We have had an excellent response down south with a reused value to the drink and with the national launch of Fanta Apple, we are stepping stones to extend Coca Cola India’s market leadership in the fruit-flavoured sparkling drink segment,† Kini added. The company has also announced Bollywood actress Genelia D’Souza as the new brand ambassador of the Fanta brand. According to reports, the current expected Indian soft drink market is about Rs 6,000 crore, in which the company shares about 50% market with its various brands like Coke, 7 Up, Fanta, Sprite and Thums Up. STUDY OF GROWTH OF SOFT DRINK MARKET SOFT DRINKS Carbonated drinks are dominated by artificial flavors based on cola, orange and lime with Pepsi and coca-cola dominating the market. The entire part of the drin. †¢Cola products account for nearly 61-62% of the total soft drinks market. †¢Two global majors’ Pepsi and coke dominate the soft drink market. †¢NCAER survey says 91% of soft drink in the country is in the lower, lower middle and upper middle class people. †¢The market is worth around Rs. 5000 crores with growth rate of around 10-15%. †¢The annual per capita consumption in India is only about 6 bottles vis- a- Vis 340 bottles in the U. S. †¢The production as soft drinks has increased from 5670 million bottles in 1998-99 to 6230 million bottles in 1999-2000 industry source. †¢Growth market this year is expected to be 10-15% in value terms and 20-22% in volume terms. However, the market for carbonated drinks is stagnating and not growing as expected. MAJOR PLAYERS IN SOFT DRINKS SEGMENT COCA COLA: thanda matlab coca cola!!! Coca cola has truly remarkable heritage. From a humble beginning in 1886 it has now become the flagship brand of largest manufacturer, distributor of non alcoholic beverages in the world. In India, coca cola was the leading soft drink till 1977 when govt. policies necessitated its departure. Coca cola has made its return to the country in 1993. and made significant investment to ensure that the beverage is available to more and more people in remote as well as inaccessible parts of the world. Coca cola returned to India in 1993 and over the past ten years has captured the imagination of the nation, building strong association with cricket, the thriving cinema industry, music etc. coca cola has been very strongly associated with cricket, sponsoring the world cup in 1996. In 2002, coca cola launched the campaign,†Thanda Matlab coca cola†. in 2003,coke was available for just rs,5 crores in the country. FANTA : GHOONTH BHAR SHARARAT KAR LEY!!! Fanta entered the Indian market in year 1996 under the coca cola brand . over the years, Fanta has occupied a strong market place and is identified as â€Å"the fun catalyst†. Fanta stands for its vibrant color, tempting taste and tingling bubbles that not just uplifts feelings but also helps free spirit thus encouraging one to indulge in the moment. LIMCA: LIME AND LEMONI!!! Drink that can cast a tangy refreshing spell on anyone, anywhere. Born in 1971, Limca has been the original thirst choice, of millions of consumers for over three decades. The brand has been displaying healthy volume growing year on year and limca continues to be leading flavoring soft drinks in the country. Dive into the zingy refreshment of limca and walk away a new person. SPIRITE: SPIRITE BHUJAYE PYAAS BAKI SAB BAKWAAS!!! World wide sprite ranked as no. 4 soft drink and is sold in more than 190 countries In India, sprite was launched in year 1999 and today it has grown to be one of the fastest growing soft drinks, leading clear lime category. Today sprite is perceived as a youth icon. With strong appeal to youth sprite has stood for a straight forward and honest attitude. Its clear crisp hingtaste encourages today’s youth to trust their instincts, influence them to be true who they are and to obey their thirst. THUMS UP: TASTE THE THUNDER!!! Strong cola taste, exciting personality. Thums up is a leading carbonated soft drink and most trusted brand in India. Originally introduced in 1977, thums up was acquired by the coca cola company in 1993. Thums up, is, known for strong, fizzy taste and its confident, mature and uniquely masculine attitude. This brand clearly seeks to separate the man from the boys. MAAZA: YAARI DOSTI TAAZA MAAZA!!! Maaza was launched in 1976. In 1993, maaza was acquired by coca cola India. Maaza currently dominates the fruit drink category. Over the years, maaza has become synonymous with mango. â€Å"Taaza Mango, Maaza mango, Botal mei aam, maaza hai naam†. consumers regard maaza as wholesome, natural, fun loving drink real experience of fruit. The campaign builds on the existing equity of the brand and delivers a relevant emotional benefit to the moms rightly captured in tagline, â€Å"yaari dosti, and taaza maaza†. PEPSI: YEH DIL MAANGE MORE!!! Pepsi cola is a carbonated beverage that is produced and manufactured by Pepsi co. It is sold in stores, restaurants and from vending machines. The drink was first made in the 1890’s in North Carolina. The brand was trademarked on June 16, 1903. There have been many Pepsi variants produced over the years. †¢Diet Pepsi †¢Crystal Pepsi †¢Pepsi twist †¢Pepsi max †¢Pepsi samba †¢Pepsi blue †¢Pepsi gold †¢Pepsi holiday spice †¢Pepsi jazz †¢Pepsi x(available in Finland & brazil) †¢Pepsi next(available in Japan & south Korea) STUDY OF GROWTH OF FRUIT DRINK MARKET FRUIT JUICES Branded fruit juice market in India holds an immense potential. Usually confused and considered synonymous with non-aerated drinks, fruit pulps, juices and squash are high sugar beverages, which are centrifuged and filtered to give a semi- clear appearance. In the past, this sector enjoyed an excise exemption, keeping cost at minimal. However the withdrawal of exemption has inflated costs and can affect growth, with dramatic change possible on reintroduction of excise exemption. MARKET †¢The organized fruit beverage market is estimated at Rs. 500 crores market. (Nectars, drinks and juices combined). †¢The market has grown at a 20% to 25% rate. †¢Of this, more expensive juices segment has grown at rate of 40%this year. It accounted for only 15% of the fruit beverage 3 years back. †¢In –home consumption of juices has gone up from 30%, three years back to 80%today. †¢Mango based drinks account for two thirds of fruit drinks industry. MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE FRUIT DRINK SEGMENT DABUR REAL Dabur’s flagship brand real fruit juice is a market leader in packaged fruit juice category. Real was launched in 1996 and the brand has carved a niche for itself by claiming to be the only fruit juice in packaged form . i. e. 100%preservative free. Real, with market share of 57% comes in nine flavors: †¢Orange †¢Mango †¢Pineapple †¢Mix fruit †¢Grape †¢Guava †¢Litchi †¢Tomato †¢Cranberry Real Active is 100%fruit juice with no added sugar and is available in following variants: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Orange- carrot GODREJ The food division of godrej industry produces and market fruit drinks, fruit nectar and sofit soymilk. Godrej’s brand JUMPIN comes in the following flavor: †¢Mango †¢Pineapple †¢Apple †¢Litchi †¢Orange Godrej’s x’s is a range of fruit nectar with more fruits. It’s available in following flavors: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Grape PEPSI’S TROPICANA. Tropicana brand fruit juice enjoys a market share of 25% and has registered a double digit growth and has outpaced the growth of fruit juice market in India. It is available in following flavors: †¢Orange †¢Apple †¢Grape †¢Cranberry LEH BERRY It is a product from Ladakh Foods. Its first fruit juice in Delhi and it’s selling it in the more affluent parts of town. It enjoys a market share of 4% and is available in a variety of flavors: †¢Pineapple †¢Apple †¢Mixed fruit †¢Orange †¢Blackcurrant †¢Mango †¢Guava PARLE’S FROOTI and APPY Frooti was launched back in 1985 and enjoys market dominance with 85% of market share. Parle’s Agro’s APPY, in 1996 had a market share of 5% in the fruit drink segment; in 2003 its new variant-APPY FIZZ was launched. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY METHODOLOGY Every project work is based on certain methodology, which is a way to systematically solve the problem or attain its objectives. It is a very important guideline and lead to completion of any project work through observation, data collection and data analysis. According to Clifford Woody, â€Å"Research Methodology comprises of defining & redefining problems, collecting, organizing &evaluating data, making deductions &researching to conclusions. † Accordingly, the methodology used in the project is as follows: – Defining the objectives of the study Framing of questionnaire keeping objectives in mind (considering the objectives) Feedback from the respondents Analysis of feedback Conclusion, findings and suggestions. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The main aim of this research study is to analyze the preference of people (of different age groups) on consumption patterns of Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY †¢To study the preferences of the people for soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To find out the factor(s) that influences the consumer’s consumption of soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To test the know-how of the consumers regarding the various existing brands of soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To explore the next best beverage after soft drinks and fruit juices. †¢To find out how the beverage is positioned in the mind of the consumers. SCOPE OF THE STUDY †¢This study is confined to the North West Delhi region covering areas of Paschim Vihar, Pitam Pura, Rohini area, Punjabi Bagh. †¢Seasonal drinks are not considered in the study. †¢We are considering only canned juices. †¢We are not considering water & alcoholic drinks. RESEARCH DESIGN A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It specifies the details of the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure and/or solve marketing research problem. On the basis of fundamental objectives of the research we can classify research design into two general types: EXPLORATORY RESEARCH CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH Exploratory research is one type of research design, which has its primary objective the provision of insights into, and comprehension of, the problem situation confronting the researcher. Conclusive research is designed to assist the decision maker in determining evaluating and selecting the best course of action to take in a given situation. Conclusive research can be further divided into two types:- †¢Descriptive †¢Experimental The research design used in this project is a DESCRIPTIVE DESIGN. Descriptive study as the name implies is designed to describe something-for example the characteristics of users of a given product, the degree to which the product use the varies with income, age, etc. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE USED: This research has used convenience sampling technique. 1) Convenience sampling technique: Convenience sampling is used in exploratory research where the researcher is interested in getting an inexpensive approximation of the truth. As the name implies, the sample is selected because they are convenient. SELECTION OF SAMPLE SIZE: For the study, a sample size of 100 has been taken into consideration. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION: Research will be based on two sources: 1. Primary data 2. Secondary data 1) PRIMARY DATA: Questionnaire: Primary data was collected by preparing questionnaire and the people were randomly being requested to fill them. 2) SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data will consist of different literatures like books which are published, articles, internet and websites. In order to reach relevant conclusion, research work needed to be designed in a proper way. STATISTICAL TOOLS USED The main statistical tools used for the collection and analyses of data in this project are: †¢Questionnaire †¢Pie Charts †¢Bar Diagrams DATA ANALYSIS & FINDINGS Q1. What do you prefer to drink? (Tick any 1) Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Soft Drinks5757% Fruit Juices4343% Total100100% Q2. Frequency of consumption of your preferred drink in a week? SOFT DRINKS Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage. Daily2849% 2-6 times2340% Above 7611% Total57100% FRUIT JUICES Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Daily1023% 2-6 times3070% Above 737% Total43100% Q3. On what occasions, do you often consume the Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Feeling Thirsty1818% Parties / Celebrations4545% Without any reason (just like that)2525% Others1212% Total100100% Q4. On what occasions, do you often consume the Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Feeling Thirsty1717% Parties / Celebrations3232% Without any reason (just like that)2424% Others2727% Total100100% Q5. What induces you to buy Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Price with quantity3030% Health Drink 44% Status symbol 88% Taste3232% Variety2626% Total100100% Q6. What induces you to buy Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Price with quantity1313% Health Drink 4040% Status symbol 1515% Taste2222% Variety1010% Total100100% Q7. If not a Soft Drink or a Fruit juice, which other beverage (other than water) tops your mind? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Coffee3030% Tea2525% Shakes(Milk/Ice cream/Fruit)88% Lassi1212% Sharbat2525% Total100100% Q8. How do you rate canned juices as compared to fresh juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage Equivalent to fresh juices 2424% Have artificial added flavor 3636% Healthy with preservatives 4040% Total100100% Q9. How do you view Soft Drinks? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage As a health drink44% As a status symbol88% As an aid to put off thirst5555% Any other3333% Total100100% Q10. How do you view Fruit Juices? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentage As a health drink4040% As a status symbol1515% As an aid to put off thirst3232% Any other1313% Total100100% Q11. Do advertisements affect your purchases? Particulars No. of RespondentsPercentag.

Quality Measure

In order to initiate the Frequent Shopper Program three important steps must be taken. Quality assurance process and procedures to ensure the functionality and performance requirements are met second, testing procedures to ensure the application is operational at all levels this includes programming networking, systems and interfaces third, implementation steps and procedures necessary to achieve operational status.This paper is to maintain and produce a product that is high level quality which will be a critical factor in the production of a successful software system and will remain so during the entire project. Software Development Life Cycle comprises Software Requirement Analysis, System Analysis and Design, Code Generation, Testing, Maintenance and Quality Assurance. Our Quality Assurance process is a part of Software Development Life Cycle. (Rainbow, 2008) (Rainbow, 2008) Quality assurance is not a one man job it takes a team to make sure everything is done correctly.An organi zational structure of the quality team will be developed. Once a team has been created policies will be designed in order to provide structure where positions, roles, responsibility will be created in order for a positive operation and organization. This will establish a chain of command in order to make the objective affective. Effective method for monitoring quality assurance because it analyzes existing conditions and methods used to provide the product or service customers. The goal is to ensure that excellence is inherent in every component of the process.Quality assurance also helps determine whether the steps used to provide the product or services are appropriate for the time and conditions. (Wise Geek, 2011) Second will be defining a quality assurance process, the quality assurance manager (Todd Albright) for Kudler Frequent Shopper Program will be responsible for overseeing all three Kudler Locations and each QA member will be assigned to a specific location and the QA tas ks and will be referred to as external while the individual quality of work will be known as external.The external quality assurance tasks will include the following; maintaining the QA documents, ensures verification occurs and is logged, preparation for attendance of all inspections, inspect any audits, post unit testing, the development team is provided input from the activities of the QA, and the software engineering team are assigned any defects repair. The external team will be responsible for their individual work and maintaining their own databases and unit testing including metrics. Metrics are numerical measures that quantify the degree to which software or a process possesses a given attribute.Examples of metrics are ‘‘defects per thousand lines of code’’ and ‘‘average software module size. ’’ Metrics are collected and analyzed throughout the software life cycle, and help with the following: Determining software quality level Estimating project schedules Tracking schedule progress Determining software size and complexity (University of Phoenix 2010) Documentation will also be produced during the project this will consist of any software design documents, test documents, verification and validation plans and software configuration plans.Todd Albright who has been assigned as the QA manger will overlook the QA organization team members and will be able to approve any quality assurance function performed. Todd Albright will also ensure that coding standards will meet guidelines which will be no more than 2 defects per every 1000 lines and to ensure meetings, audits, reviews will be conducted twice a month to ensure the quality of the software. In addition to provide quality processes the QA teams will provide independent testing while educating the engineers for internal quality and will work closely with the project managers to ensure a successful development.The final goal for quality assurance will be to have no critical or any serious defects, the design will have no more than one defect a diagram, the code will consists of less than two defects per 1000 lines of non commented coding. To ensure the software is working four different types of testing will be done; unit testing, integration testing, system testing and use integration testing. Unit testing will be conducted by the programmers who developed the code of the program making sure there are no errors this will help determine to see if the software is doing what is meant for.Unit testing provides some undeniable advantages. It allows for automation of the testing process, reduces difficulties of discovering errors contained in more complex pieces of the application, and test coverage is often enhanced because attention is given to each unit. (MSDN, 2011) The next step in testing the Frequent Shopper program is the integration testing, this will test two different units that have already passed the unit testing to see if they will work together. The approach that will be used will be the top-down approach which requires the highest level modules be tested first.This will ensure a high data flow and be tested early in the process rigorously this way it meets the quality standards.. The third step that will be conducted is the system test which will be conducted by the testing team it will cover any cases and scenarios, the technical requirements, specifications and making sure it meets the business and functional requirements. System Testing is a crucial step in Quality Management Process. * In the Software Development Life cycle System Testing is the first level where The System is tested as a whole The System is tested to verify if it meets the functional and technical requirements *The application/System is tested in an environment that closely resembles the production environment where the application will be finally deployed *The System Testing enables us to test, verify and validate both the Business requirements as well as the Application Architecture (Exforsys Inc, 2011) Once final testing has started the final stage can be conducted which is implementing the project into plan.The maintenance team will correct any errors during the implementation phase and provide user end support if needed during the implantation phase, the program will be reviewed by the QA manager making sure all the objectives for the project plan have been implemented, and are running as they should be.

Free Essays on Gender Relations In Science Fiction

GENDER RELATIONS IN SCIENCE FICTION In today’s world, many different mediums exist whereby ideas and beliefs can be communicated to the public; however, writing continues to be one of the most common forms. Writing can be subdivided into different categories depending on the type of message that is being conveyed. For instance, the use of science fiction creates virtually limitless boundaries, thus allowing the writer to explore various themes. This flexibility, however, does not make science fiction an effective medium for conveying certain ideas. Preconceived notions always exist based on a person’s environmental development, and these notions affect the way in which a person interprets ideas. In the stories of The Left hand of Darkness, The Women Men don’t see and A Few things I know about Whileaway, science fiction fails to become a medium that challenges the typical gender roles that all readers have instilled in their minds. Although the genre of science fiction can create any surreal f orm of society, it is not an effective medium through which concepts of sexual characteristics can be challenged because pre-existing notions of gender roles that are present in the minds of each reader cannot permit such understanding. Readers can be effectively introduced to various concepts in a story through the use of a narrator. The narrator serves as a guide for the reader by offering explanations and introducing new ideas from his/her unique viewpoint. The observations from this viewpoint give a concise presentation of gender relations in each story, however, the traditional perceptions of gender remain intact and unchallenged since each perspective is derived from a character/narrator with preconceived notions. The Left Hand of Darkness is narrated almost exclusively by an envoy named Genly Ai who is sent to the planet Gethen by the Ekumen of known worlds with the mission of convincing the Gethenian leaders to join the In... Free Essays on Gender Relations In Science Fiction Free Essays on Gender Relations In Science Fiction GENDER RELATIONS IN SCIENCE FICTION In today’s world, many different mediums exist whereby ideas and beliefs can be communicated to the public; however, writing continues to be one of the most common forms. Writing can be subdivided into different categories depending on the type of message that is being conveyed. For instance, the use of science fiction creates virtually limitless boundaries, thus allowing the writer to explore various themes. This flexibility, however, does not make science fiction an effective medium for conveying certain ideas. Preconceived notions always exist based on a person’s environmental development, and these notions affect the way in which a person interprets ideas. In the stories of The Left hand of Darkness, The Women Men don’t see and A Few things I know about Whileaway, science fiction fails to become a medium that challenges the typical gender roles that all readers have instilled in their minds. Although the genre of science fiction can create any surreal f orm of society, it is not an effective medium through which concepts of sexual characteristics can be challenged because pre-existing notions of gender roles that are present in the minds of each reader cannot permit such understanding. Readers can be effectively introduced to various concepts in a story through the use of a narrator. The narrator serves as a guide for the reader by offering explanations and introducing new ideas from his/her unique viewpoint. The observations from this viewpoint give a concise presentation of gender relations in each story, however, the traditional perceptions of gender remain intact and unchallenged since each perspective is derived from a character/narrator with preconceived notions. The Left Hand of Darkness is narrated almost exclusively by an envoy named Genly Ai who is sent to the planet Gethen by the Ekumen of known worlds with the mission of convincing the Gethenian leaders to join the In...