Sales Strategies Essay Example for Free

Sales Strategies Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The supermarkets in the UK is expanding with retail food products being sensitive to cross-price elasticity in that supermarkets are encouraged to be inventive, which will accomplish an advantage, matched to its discounter competitors (Emerald Group Publishing Limited , 2014). This report will explain the types of sales strategies that Aldi may develop in order to compete with other supermarkets within the same market. Aldi have to be considered as a competitor as society is searching for value and that customer behaviour is a major influence in sales strategies and that Aldi will be successful in future years with their overall strategy. BACKGROUND Aldi opened its first store in the United Kingdom (UK) in the 90’s, currently supporting more than 500 stores in the UK, originally established in Germany.   The challenges that face Aldi are primary in attracting customers. As well as attracting customers, Aldi will have to consider its competitors within the market. There are a number of considerations that would influence customer’s behaviour which impacts on the retail market. Society has a wide range of needs and wants which can be varied and impacts customer’s decisions on a daily basis. The decision that is made is key to the decision making behaviour which results in individuals adapting from situation to situation which would have an impact on all supermarkets (Dibb, 2012). The leading retailer’s share of grocers’ for 2011 and 2012 explains that Aldi versus Morrison’s posted surging returns with Morrison’s showing as losers. Diagram one: Share Market Mintel Report An article (sky news, 2012) reports the company Aldi, has seen profits exceeded over 200% in 2011 to  £57.8m, suggesting customer confidence is low and that customer spending brought on by higher inflation and weaker growth has influenced Aldi success with 40 new stores planned to be developed and open by the end of 2013 generating up to 4,500 jobs. Aldi has now introduced 500 new stores in the United Kingdom (UK) and plans to open new stores in higher more upmarket locations and offer a wide range of products attracting higher-earning customer (Aldi, 2013). This strategy is supported by (Harvey,2000, p. 17) who suggests that in a society, a range of low and high income customers can be brought together by retailers creating an internal niche market, with their own discounted products or with higher branded products, integrating separate ‘segments of customer demand’. As Aldi continue to improve on already continued growth, Morrison’s have to act to attempt to maintain and improve within the retail market competition. This is demonstrated by an article (mail online, 2013) Morrison’s attempt to struggle back, which Morrison’s bosses trust only a reduction of prices  on products will sustain Morrison’s future. chief executive Dalton Philips of Morrison’s confirmed â€Å"The economic backdrop remains difficult for the customer†, as stated (BBC, 2013) Morrison’s report Pre-tax profit fell to  £344m for the first half of the year, compared to the same period last year (2012) with profits reaching  £440m. Diagram Two: Share Market Sky News Comparing Diagram one and Diagram two of the market Share, Aldi demonstrate they have a major influence in the market. Aldi in 2011 had a market share of 2.2% increasing to 4.7% ending May 2014. On the back of Aldi success, Morrison’s market share commenced at 10.4% in 2011 with the figures staying static the following year, followed by a slight increase reaching 10.9% by May 2014. The slight increase in performance may be due to Morrison’s raising a price war with Aldi by reducing its prices on 135 products with expectation that more reductions will follow, estimating  £1bn over a three year period which will be permanent reductions rather than promotions, quoted by chief executive Dalton Philips in an article (The Guardian, 2014). It remains to be seen if this will revive the growth of Morrison’s in the future. OBJECTIVES Outline the background information of customer goods and Supermarkets. Outline the background of Marketing Segmentation. Apply the theory of Market Segmentation used by supermarkets. Detail the tool used for Sales strategy and by key brands to provide competitor advantage. METHODOLOGY In order for the company to identify sales strategies in the market, will carry out what is called â€Å"Market Research†. This process is to furnish the retail company to meet the customers’ needs. (Lescher, 1995) defines market research as â€Å"gathering and evaluation of data regarding customer’s  preference for products and services.† On attempting to interview Robert McDonald the Assistant Store Manager of the Aldi Paisley, but was unavailable for comment on a visit to the store on 29/06/2014. On the back of the store visit, made contact with Aldi Head Office in Bathgate and through social business network LinkedIn but unfortunately Aldi were unable to comment on their sales strategy. SUPERMARKETS IN THE MARKET Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD UK) reported that the United Kingdom market is estimated at  £174.5 billion in April this year (2014), demonstrated 2.8% increase from 2013. IGD forecasts that in the UK, the grocery market value will reach the figures of  £203.0 billion by 2019 potentially an increase of 16.3% from 2014. Today’s market the UK grocery market is made up 6 sections, making the retail market competitive. Based on the pie chart, Hypermarkets and superstores have the market monopoly demonstrating  £73.7bn Sales with Convenience Stores next  £37.4bn and Small Supermarkets the next contender with  £35.5bn. As Aldi come under the â€Å"Discounters† with  £10.8bn, with a continued strong presence within the retail market, this figure can only increase and could be a potential big player in years to come, if the organisation continues to grow as previous years and challenge others. AIDA(R) Module Aldi can use a number of channels and methods to increase promotional activity by using the AIDA module. The module can be used for the following; Awareness: Creating brand awareness to its existing and new customers. Interest: Sufficient customer interest to encourage the buyer to start researching further. Desire: Simply the desire from liking it, to wanting it. Action: Attracting the customer to visit store, signing up for newsletter. Once the organisation has captured the buyer, it must consider the retention of the buyer using â€Å"Retention† methods. The methods can be Social Media, TV  adverts, Newsletters. If buyers are satisfied with your product, a vote of confidence can attract new buyers (customers) to the company brand, rather than its competitors (business case studies, 2014) MODEL OF MARKET SEGMENTATION The process for Market Segmentation is to identify the whole of the market and divide the market into each segment, which allows companies to maximise their own opportunity to generate success. (Dibb et al, 2012) defines Market segmentation â€Å"the process of grouping customers in markets with some heterogeneity into smaller, more similar or homogenous markets.† Without market segmentation, the market would assume that customers would share similar needs and that companies can provide one product to the market (Dibb et al, 2012). Therefore this assumption is not correct and as supported by (Dibb et al, 2012) having a Heterogeneous market describes that customers have different needs and wants. PROCESS OF MARKET SEGMENTATION Dividing the market into segments is called STP. STP consists of three key areas which are Segmentation, Targeting and positioning. Segmentation Segmentation can identify potential opportunities within a market. When designing a market strategy, the organisation can take advantage of the marketing mix approach. The marketing mix includes the four P’s which consists of product, promotion, price and place (Hooley, 2012). Aldi can use this method to take advantage of existing customers as well as attracting new customers. Aldi use the four P’s which can create a process were the right product is sold at the right price, at the right place demonstrating the best possible methods of promotion. Targeting Companies can use targeting as a business tool, making a decision on what key areas of the business within the organisation requires attention. This process is intended to be implemented in key areas such as sales as described (Dibb et al, 2012). Positioning Diagram Three: Company positioning by Customer perception Diagram three is a perceptual mapping of the UK supermarkets based on customer perception. The map illustrates that Aldi have built up a customer following, which shows a change in customer demand and behaviour. Aldi have progressed and competing with Asda and Morrison’s, illustrating that all companies have to be competitive to ensure the individual company has an advantage over its competitors. As customers are more economically aware and seeking value for money, this can be used to target a certain area in the market .i.e. low quality, high quality, low cost, high cost depending on the current times. Customers may wish to purchase lower quality brands over high quality brands as it may be better value with the end result getting more for your money. An example of customers getting more for their money, took a challenge to purchase one item from each store and taste it to see if the difference could be spotted with Aldi and Morrison’s products. Purchasing Aldi own brand of Jaffa Cakes which demonstrated similar packaging to the McVitie’s brand with 24 segments at a cost of  £0.95 a packet, roughly working out 4 Pence a biscuit. Morrison’s selling the main brand of McVitie’s Jaffa cakes also offering 24 segments at a cost of  £2.19 a packet working out 9 Pence a biscuit. Tasting the two brands without knowing which one was from Aldi and Morrison’s, concluded that it was hard to identify which product was from each store. Thus changing to purchase the Aldi brand rather than the main brand (McVitie’s) saving a whopping  £1.24. This experiment can be supported in means of description and cost by visiting www.mysupermarket.co.uk. Aldi:  £0.95 Morrison:  £2.19 Aldi have acknowledged that competitive pricing is a major influence to bring attention and awareness amongst customers with Aldi being able to support quality products at a cheaper cost than its competitors by purchasing products in bulk from its suppliers. Aldi also agree the best possible price from suppliers allowing them to pass the savings on to the customer. To support that Aldi can offer main brands at a cheaper alternative without affecting quality, the cost of a Warburton’s Bread from Morrison’s is  costing  £1.45 with Aldi offering the same product at a cheaper cost of  £0.99 pence (mysupermarket, 2014). Aldi:  £0.99 Morrison’s:  £1.45 POTENTIAL SALES STRATEGIES When looking at Aldi products and comparing them to other competitors within the retail market, it was evident that Aldi are demonstrating three broad sales strategies to maximise profit from new and existing customers by using targeting strategy, pricing strategy and customer retention strategy. Using the current economic times, targeting the customer’s that are looking to save pounds, Aldi are using a sales strategy by offering cheaper alternatives which result in retaining the customer overall leading to company profit (Business case studies, 2014) Aldi introduced a marketing campaign in 2011 using the slogan â€Å"Like Brands, Only Cheaper† using straight forward, no nonsense, simple adverts to advertise their own products. The advert using an old fisherman saying â€Å"Well, there you go then: a fine pair of â€Å"Pollock’s† demonstrating Aldi own product against the main product that it’s the same but cheaper. An advert that won most popular TV advert of 2011 featuring a wife talking about her husband’s penchant for a cup of char before declaring: â€Å"I don’t like tea. I like gin†. Aldi Marketing Campaign 2011. Aldi marketing stragety is to encourage customers to purchase their own brands over the more costly options that are on offer. This campaign suggests its working by the profits the Organisation has seen in recent years as discussed within this report. To this date, the same marketing campaign is still being used (The guardian, 2014) Strong Selling Strategy The retail market is competitive environment with companies expanding and growing availability in the United Kingdom (UK) providing customers more choice. As customers have disposable income to spend, supermarkets are always looking to act on customers emotions. One key observation is displaying the discount price along with the original retail price to influence the customer’s decision on making them realize what a fantastic bargain they are receiving. Aldi.co.uk Supermarkets are always looking to take advantage of an area in the market and Aldi are no different. As reported (Guardian, 2014) Aldi are introducing school uniforms taking advantage of other competitors by offering cheaper alternitvate to other supermarkets and offering parents the opportunity to get their childrens clothing for the coming term in September costing less than the cost of a McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets sharebox. The package by Aldi offers four school essentials at a cost of  £4 when other competitors, Sainsbury’s package is costing  £7.33, Tesco  £6.75 and Asda  £7.50. Managing director, Tony Baines was quoted â€Å"The run-up to the new term can be a stressful time for families. As a result, we were keen to offer parents the opportunity to stock up on superior school uniforms and accessories ahead of the new term with breaking the bank† (Guardian, 2014). As a result of Aldi decision to introduce clothing into the mix, this may see a new price war with other supermarkets trying to compete against Aldi, it still to be seen how this will impact on the other supermarkets and how they will react to the new offering by Aldi. Aldi.co.uk CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT Aldi consider the â€Å"Just in Time† (JIT) approach to store management by holding the required stock that the store only requires. As stock is costly with Aldi purchasing stock when required, when stocks are reduced, the companies’ capital improves, allowing Aldi to purchase more stock when required (Jobber, et al, 2006) Aldi.co.uk As Aldi core purpose is to â€Å"provide value and quality to customers† working efficiently and reducing costs allows reinvesting profits back into the organisation. Lean thinking and continuous improvement is fundamental to meet its business goals for growth allowing new properties, suppliers and more savings for customers and offering benefits to employees. An example of Aldi success, a planning application for 46,200 sq. m regional  distribution in Wales has been submitted, according to (IGD, 2014) As Aldi demonstrate continued growth in the UK as the organisation attracts more shoppers that wish to save money on their shop. Aldi have revealed further plans to increase their stores to a minimum of 1,000 stores by the end of 2021 (IGD, 2014). The established German company will support further investment in the UK with 60 new stores to open by 2015, while existing shops will benefit from major refurbishment. On the other side of the bridge, Tesco’s CEO, Philip Clarke became replaceable after 40 years at the supermarket by the head of Unilever’s personal care business Dave Lewis. The news came after Philip Clarke failed to produce the results, the company was looking for after a decline in sales and profit alongside a renewed profit warning (Guardian, 2014). Aldi have taken a percentage of the market, which has impacted on others within, with Tesco and Morrison’s having to invest Millions into the price war to try and stay competitive (Mail online, 2014). As Morrison’s and Tesco have recently issued profit warnings, it suggests that Aldi are winning the price war and making others take notice. CONCLUSION Aldi determined the market using the STP (Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning) process. Using this method identifies what type of market Aldi are targeting. Aldi demonstrated using the four P’s, product, promotion, price and place to take advantage of competition and gain more customers. The change in economy has seen a change in customer spending with behaviour changing by searching for alternative and main brands at a cheaper value. It’s worth noting that other supermarkets are feeling the pressure from Aldi and to sustain such a market position and complete with Aldi, it’s worth consideration the reduction of products to match Aldi which was highlighted by Morrison’s chief executive Dalton Philip. Aldi are fulfilling its potential by taking advantage of the market by working efficiently which allows to keep cost at a minimum and enable the company to expand within the UK. The companies campaigns â€Å"Like Brands, Only  Cheaper† have increased the presence of the company’s profile, with continued relationship building with its customers through a number a channels, creating loyal customers. Morrison’s have found it difficult to maintain their position within the market, feeling pressure from Aldi and resulted in a â€Å"profit warning† being issued. It’s therefore clear that Morrison’s have taken the eye of the customer and market, which has shown customer decline and profits dropping due to lack of promotions and low costing products. Unless Morrison’s change their way of thinking, a change in the competition may come in the near future for them. Whether they are able to survive remains to be seen while Aldi continue to be competitive. BIBLOGRAPHY aldi.co.uk. (2014). aldi.co.uk. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from https://www.aldi.co.uk/ Dibb et al (2012). Marketing Concepts Strategies. 6th ed. Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA. Emerald Group Publishing Limited , 2014. Emerald insight.[Online] Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=870441 [Accessed 3 June 2014]. Hooley, G (2012). Marketing strategy competitive positioning. 5th ed. London: Financial Times Prentice Hall Mintel Group Ltd, 2014. Mintel. [Online] Available at: http://academic.mintel.com/display/638369/ [Accessed 4 June 2014]. Sky News, 2012. Sky News. [Online] Available at: http://news.sky.com/story/991623/discount-chain-aldi-profits-soar-200-percent [Accessed 3 june 2014]. BBC, 2013. BBC Business News. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24059641 [Accessed 2 June 2014]. Rankin, J., 2013. The Guardian. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/mar/08/morrisons-online-grocery-shopping [Accessed 2 July 2014]. Lescher (1995). Online Market Research. Canada: Addison-Wesley. 4. IGD, 2014, IGD. [Online] Available at http://www.igd.com/our-expertise/Retail/retail-outlook/3371/UK-Grocery-Retailing/ [Accessed 7 July 2014] Business case studies, 2014. Business case studies [Online] Available at: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/aldi/creating-value-through-the-marketing-mix/introduction.html#axzz39B1JV1tj [Accessed 12 July 2014]. Smithers, R., 2014. The Guardian. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jul/16/cheap-school-uniform-discount-wars-aldi-mumsnet [Accessed 18 July 2014] Wearden, G.,2014. The Guardian. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/23/morrisons-cut-price-135-items [Accessed 19 July 2014] Plunkett, J,. 2011. The Guardian. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/dec/28/gin-loving-pensioner-top-tv-ad-2011 [Accessed 19 July 2014] Rankin, J,. 2014. The Guardian. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jul/21/tesco-boss-philip-clarke-quits-profits-warning [Accessed 23 July 2014] Steiner, R,.2014. This is money [Online] Available at: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2692087/CITY-FOCUS-How-big-grocers-tough-time-Mail-mans-exclusive-look-Aldi-UK.html [Accessed 19 July

Martin King and Henry Thoreau Essay Example for Free

Martin King and Henry Thoreau Essay Martin King and Henry Thoreau both write persuasive expositions that oppose majority ideals and justify their own causes. While this similarity is clear, the two essays, Letters from Birmingham Jail by King and Civil Disobedience by Thoreau, do have their fair share of differences. Primarily in the causes themselves, as King persuades white, southern clergy men that segregation is an evil, unjust law that should be defeated through the agitation of direct protesting, and Thoreau, writing to a more broad, non addressed audience, and focusing more on the government itself, contends that at its present state, with the war with Mexico and the institution of slavery, that one should do as he does and refuse to pay government taxes that support such evil practices or traditions. While both Thoreau and King prevail in establishing a firm impression for what they strongly believe in, they each succeed in their persuasive efforts through different means. Chiefly, in the way that King draws emotional appeal with the usage of a burning passion and devotion, and Thoreau, while still making it evident that he is devoted in what he believes in, draws more emotional appeal through being more distressed and concerned than naively hopeful and optimistic. However, similarities remain to be as numerous as differences as both Thoreau and King bring credibility or ethical appeal to their assays essentially with allusions to Christ and the Bible. First, Kings emotional appeal is what above all contrasts his essay with Thoreaus. As virtually everything else; the theme of disobeying unjust laws, their admiration for the minoritys viewpoint, and even, coincidently, where they wrote their essays prison, is all the same. King makes two references to conversations shared with his children. Once with his little girl who wants to go to the public amusement park and is quickly developing tears in her eyes as her father has to sadly explain the reality that black children arent allowed in Funtown. Promptly once again, King refers to being forced to somehow concoct an acceptable answer to his five year old sons question why do white people treat colored people so mean?. King does not stop there with his ability to throw his readers into the harsh emotional realities that he had to face. While answering the same question of why we cant wait in regards to protesting, King refers to the tragic sadness of how his wife and mother are almost  never granted with the respectable title of Mrs and how his own name has virtually been transformed from Martin Luther King to Nigger Boy John in the heartland of discrimination in the South. The rhetorical use of detail is Kings second element that he takes advantage of to draw such tremendous, but necessary emotional appeal. With his despairing response to the clergy mens appraisal of the policemens ability to maintain peace and order when he asserts with great detail that maybe they wouldnt be so warmly supportive if they would have been in the streets to witness the police slapping Negro men and boys with sticks and pushing and cursing old Negro women and girls in such a cold-hearted and cruel fashion. Furthermore, Kings account of what the South would be like if blacks sided more with the Black Nationalists than himself brings emotion to all that contemplate his perception of streets flowing with blood during the central time of the otherwise inevitable racial nightmare. Thoreau, on the other hand, never consents to revealing such frightful nightmares and makes only one brief reference to his children. Instead, Thoreau draws emotional appeal through many different techniques in the art of persuasive writing. Most predominantly, with despaired and concerning rhetorical questions such as when he asks about established governments viewpoint on great men, why does it always crucify Christ and excommunicate Copernicus and Luther, and pronounce Washington and Franklin rebels?. And again when he provokes the question of how men assert their grievances when he asks How can a man be satisfied to entertain and opinion merely and enjoy it?. As stated above, Thoreau and Kings great persuasive similarity is in the way they give their essays ethical appeal. They both repetitiously make use to references of the Bible. King first asserts that he is in Birmingham for the same reason that the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the Gospel of Jesus. Once again, in comparing his civil disobedience to that of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego when they refused to obey the worship laws of Nebucadnesser. Finally King affirms to not being offended by the criticism of being called an extremist by the thought of how many great extremists there where in the past, such as Abe Lincoln, Martin  Luther, and Jesus Christ. Thoreau in the very same manner and with many of the same figures, continues with his own set of biblical allusions. He subscribes to the verse of Christ and the Herodians when they ask him about his stance on taxes and Christ replies to give Caesar what is Caesars, and to give God what is Gods. And then, more broadly, Thoreau poses the question of why after eighteen hundred years of being written, no legislator in America or anywhere else has taken advantage of the science of legislation revealed in the New Testament. In conclusion, both Thoreau and King succeed in establishing their points on the benefits of civil disobedience. I feel that King does succeed farther with his inclusion of more passionate emotion and easier to understand, heartfelt metaphors. Though it is debatable that the scientific and matter of fact tone Thoreau uses ultimately make his case more credible by establishing his work as not only a great personal exposition, but also a considerable scientific exposition that could be considered among the ranks of Thomas Paines Common Sense or even Machiavellis The Prince.

Interlaminar Fracture Major Failure in Polymer Composites

Interlaminar Fracture Major Failure in Polymer Composites Composites considered new class of materials produced that are strong, not easily corroded, and have low densities. Polymer matrix composites can further be developed to get better mechanical strength and other necessary properties. Polymer Composite materials are heterogeneous in content and an-isotropic in their mechanical behavior. If compared to metallic material, fracture toughness characterization of polymer composite are new and in the process of development.   Fracture may be describe as the mechanical split of a solid owing to the function of stress. Fractures of engineering material are classify as brittle or ductile fractures [18]. Brittle fractures absorb small amount of energy, while ductile fractures absorb high amount of energy, and are generally categorized by fracture which the surface is flat. Fracture toughness is associated with the sum of the energy needed to create fracture on the surfaces. For material which is brittle, such as glass the energy needed for fracture is commonly the elemental surface energy of the material [18]. For structural alloys materials at room temperature more energy is needed for fracture because plastic deformation exist in the fracture process. The function of fracture mechanics concepts has classify and quantified the main parameters that influence structural integrity [18]. These parameters comprise the range and magnitude of the stresses applied, the shape, size, and crack orientation, fracture to ughness of the material and the propagation rate of the existing cracks [18]. The fracture resistance is expressed in terms of the stress intensity factor, K and strain energy release rate is expressed in term of, G. The energy released during speedy crack propagation is an elemental material properties which not influenced by size of the part [18]. According to ASTM standard, stress intensity factor, K can be expressed as: (1) Where KI, the Mode I crucial stress intensity factor, f (g) is the dimensionless specimen geometry and loading condition factor, and the a is the preliminary crack length. The chosen size of the specimen must have small scale plasticity around the tip of the crack. One of the basic principles of fracture mechanics, the unstable fracture exist when the stress intensity factor, K at the crack tip achieve a critical value, KC [18]. The Higher the amount of fracture toughness, the greater the intensity of stress needed to develop crack propagation and the resistance of material also become greater to brittle fracture. Critical stress intensity factor can be determined by using a laboratory experiment, the limiting value being KIC / KIIC / KIIIC [18]. Fracture not only applied in metallic materials it can also applied brittle materials such as ceramics, glass and polymers. Polymer composite materials usually indicate a mixture of brittle and ductile failure processes. There a few fracture modes in polymer composites failure such as fiber breaking, intralaminar fracture or matrix cracking, matrix-fiber debonding, fiber pullout, interlaminar fracture or delamination, and etc [19]. In the polymer composite system, the matrix or resin absorbs energy in tearing, on the other hand the fibers break or damaged by brittle cleavage [20]. Factors that control the toughness in fiber reinforced composites are, the cracks deflection due to twisting or tilting movement near the fiber and debonding between fibers and matrix. Interlaminar fracture major failure in polymer composites. Its development hugely weaken the stiffness of a composite structure, which can lead to the failure during service [21] and also it hugely affected the performance of laminated composite. The interlaminar performance is determined by weakness under both shear and tensile stresses. If discontinuities exist in the material the effect of the interlaminar stress to the overall performance become more significant. This delamination and their growth can be classified by the way load is applied and the strain energy release rate, G. Delamination can be categorized in Mode I tensile, Mode II shear, Mode III tearing and shear, or it also can be loaded in combination of between these modes. Critical strain energy release rate, GC at which the delamination started to begins to extend vary significantly depending on the mode of loading [22]. Classification of delamination resistance has attract the interest researchers, hence, it result in the development of many different test methods. According to ASTM D 5528 standard which equivalent to ISO 15024 recommends using Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) method for measuring the Mode I fracture toughness GIC of polymer composites. Next, the usage of End Notch Flexure (ENF) test for Mode II fracture toughness GIIC common method used among researchers. For Mode III fracture toughness GIIIC, Ratcliffe J [23], suggested using the Edge Crack Torsion Test (ECT). However, for Mixed-Mode bending (MMB) will follow the ASTM D6671 standard which can measure fracture toughness across a wide range of combinations of Mode I and Mode II loading.

Essay --

Cyber Warriors: The future of warfare can be found at a military complex outside of Washington D.C., in a 358$ million office building that houses some of the worlds most powerful computers. This is the headquarters of Cyber Command, a new arm of the pentagon that wages combat not with missiles or bombs but with electronic signals that plant viruses, steal data and seize control of faraway hardrives. Run by a four-star general and soon to have a staff of thousands, Cyber Command is the nerve center that controls America’s battles against the hackers, terrorists and hostile governments who are already prying into sensitive U.S. systems. It will also be the launching pad for controversial new plans that use computers as offensive weapons against America’s Global Enemies. The U.S. has been furiously working to develop a wide range of new cyber strategies. And it is why Cyber Command, which opened its doors only in 2010, is booming at a time when almost every part of the military is suffering through deep budget cuts. President Obama’s last funding request sought a nearly 20% incr...

Evening of Bluegrass :: essays research papers

An Evening with the Dickel Brothers It was 9:30 on a chilly Thursday night when our little trio finally found a parking space in the Richmond District. Already drunk, we wove quickly through the neighborhoods by foot. Finally we arrived at the Last Day Saloon, uneasy that we had not purchased tickets in advance for what was sure to be one of the highlights of this years San Francisco Blue Grass and Old Time Festival – the fabulous Dickel Brothers. Our fears of a sellout were quickly allayed, as was the sense of unease that having four quarts of Irish whiskey strapped to ones person tends to instill. We were home free, for now, anyway. After purchasing our tickets, we proceeded upstairs to catch the opening act, which, to our delight, turned out to be five perfectly agreeable old geezers calling themselves the Roadoilers. Their sound was pure old-school bluegrass, heavy on melody, light on lyrics. Their artful rendering of the Bill Monroe standard Uncle Penn, made for a memorable encore. Next up, we were subjecte d to the shrill vocal styling of The Stairwell Sisters. Don’t get the wrong idea, I am certain that the particular brand of old-time mountain music that the sisters are peddling is faithfully rendered. The problem for me was simply that the clog-happy cutsieness of their presentation was enough to make even the most dyed in the wool harmony junkie run gasping for the nearest fire exit. And that is exactly what we did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We figured the most sensible course of action was to hole up in the alleyway outside the club and wait for the fervent toe tapping to subside. I had barely finished my first cigarette when a lanky figure dressed something akin to Tom Joad on his way to church approached our little assemblage. I recognized him at once as Stephen Dickel, banjo player of the headlining band. â€Å"Anyone know where a fellah can get a bottle of whiskey in this neighborhood?†, he asked plaintively. Jill shrugged, explaining that we were from the East Bay, and thus, had little idea where he might try. Jill, apparently sensing the desperation in his face, thrust a small flask of Bushmills into his hand. After a great deep swallow, he proceeded to explain his sad situation. â€Å"This goddamn hippy club issued only two drink tickets to each of us. How, for the love of Mary, do they expect us to play in this condition?

Three Mile Island Case :: essays research papers

5a) If I were on the School Board I would not have agreed to the issue framed for the arbitrator. I believe that the issue was not neutral, rather that it favored the association and Ms. Kimball. Statements in the issue such as, â€Å"...when the grievance absented herself from work for illness...†, support Kimball’s argument. In the Position of the School District section of the handout, the School Board states that when Kimball called in to report the absence she simply informed the district â€Å"that she would not be in.† In my opinion, this should have replaced the prior statement of her calling out â€Å"due to illness†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also think that the School Board should not have agreed to the issue starting with the question â€Å"Was the School District wrong...† this automatically influences the arbitrator to question the School Board’s decision. The issue could have either been changed to impose the question of Kimball being wrong, or to a question of a neutral sort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If I were the School Board I would have proposed this issue to the arbitrator:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Should Denise Kimball be paid for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3 and 4, after   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  calling to inform her place of employment â€Å"that she would not be in† due to the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three Mile Island Incident of March 30, 1979? I feel that this issue is not only factual but puts weight in the School Board’s argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5b) Although I do not believe that the issue to the arbitrator was fair to the School Board, if I were the arbitrator, I would have ruled for the association and Ms. Kimball. I feel based on the severity of The Three Mile Incident and the fact that Kimball had a legitament note from a physician with a diagnosis of â€Å"environmental stress, emotional stress, and anxiety†, that she should be paid for the days missed. This right is upheld by the Applicable Pennsylvania Statutes: School Laws of Pennsylvania under Section 1154, which is covered in the handout.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The School Board’s argument of â€Å"she was not sick on the days in question† covered in the Position of the School

Metafiction and Happy Endings (Margaret Atwood) Essay

A. Definition: The narrator of a metafictional work will call attention to the writing process itself. The reader is never to forget that what she is reading is constructed–not natural, not â€Å"real.† She is never to get â€Å"lost† in the story. B. Possible Contents: intruding to comment on writing involving his or herself with fictional characters directly addressing the reader openly questioning how narrative assumptions and conventions transform and filter reality, trying to ultimately prove that no singular truths or meanings exist C. General Characteristics Metafiction often employs intertextual references and allusions by: examining fictional systems; incorporating aspects of both theory and criticism; creating biographies of imaginary writers; presenting and discussing fictional works of an imaginary character. Authors of metafiction often violate narrative levels by: intruding to comment on writing; involving his or herself with fictional characters; directly addressing the reader; openly questioning how narrative assumptions and conventions transform and filter reality, trying to ultimately prove that no singular truths or meanings exist Metafiction also uses unconventional and experimental techniques by: rejecting conventional plot; refusing to attempt to become â€Å"real life†; subverting conventions to transform reality into a highly suspect concept; flaunting and exaggerating foundations of their instability; displaying reflexivity (the dimension present in all literary texts and also central to all literary analysis, a function which enables the reader to understand the processes by which he or she reads the world as a text). It also poses questions about the relationship between fiction and reality by drawing attention to its characteristic as an artifact by itself. No sense of reality in its entire spectrum as a genre even though the extremes of each end are minute acceptance and merely exploration of fictionality to the other end being utter denial of reality itself. D. Examples: Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 1979. Mitchell, David. Cloud Atlas. 2004. HAPPY ENDINGS A. Characters: The author uses common names for the characters which allows him the versatility of putting them into different situations. Doing so supports the way the author puts much importance on what happens during the story instead of how it ends. John one of the most common boy names, has ranged from musicians (John Lennon), to leaders (John F Kennedy), to philosophers (John Locke) etc. This can emphasize the author’s use of putting the character into different contexts, changing the plot and how he plays different roles, yet emphasizes that it all ends the same (death). -Idea that the ending of a story is always the same, but only the middle matters In the story he is a loving husband, adulterous partner, womanizer Mary meaning of the name Mary is: Wished-for child; rebellion; bitter. Famous Bearers: the Virgin Mary; Mary Magdalene; Mary, Queen of Scots. Also shows how the author putes his characters in different situations. James -minor character Fred – minor character Madge – minor character B. Setting: The author employs the use of place as setting in the story. Various examples of setting seen in the story are an apartment, as seen in story B, and a â€Å"charming house,† as seen in story A, C and As seen in the line, â€Å"Remember, this is Canada. You’ll still end up with A, though in between you may get a lustful brawling saga of passionate involvement, a chronicle of our times, sort of,† the setting of the story and each of its segments is a medium for what each character does before he reaches the end. The setting of the story could have an influence on what one could do before he dies, the end which everyone eventually reaches. This is seen in the story wherein each segment (letters) had different bodies of story, yet everything â€Å"continues as in A† in which the characters live on with their lives then die. D. Concepts: Ex: How do elements in the story help to create meaning? Like: setting, tone, imagery, symbol, irony, etc Metafiction in Happy Endings The author tackles the â€Å"What?† question in the writing process through his story Happy Endings. He goes through many scenarios but shows us that the conclusion to each scenario is the same. The question â€Å"What?† only leads to the ending of the story which we already know will be the same. The important things to ask rather are â€Å"How?† and â€Å"Why?†. These questions make up the middle of the story, the events that happen, the part that counts. Textual Irony Title is Happy Endings but the real endings are al the same and result in death Conflict Is always changing depending on the situation given. Always has something to with the subject of love. SYMBOLS E. Title â€Å"Happy Endings† Most people usually focus on the ending of a story Everyone wants a happy ending, but in reality we all meet an equal end which is that we eventually die There is no such thing as a happy ending. All are the same in which we all eventually pass away. What matters is what is done as we reach the end. F. Theme What matters the most in the story is not the ending, but what what we do on the way there, because we can change our situations by choosing to act in the present, but not matter what you do you can’t change your inevitable end. RANDOM NOTES Margaret Atwood’s Happy Endings is an illustration of the idea that the ending of a story is always the same, but only the middle matters. And Love plays an important factor in all scenarios. SYNOPSIS: It includes six stories in one, each ending with death. The author believes that this is the only sure ending to anything. The stories are all inter-related, containing the same characters and similar actions. Behind the obvious meaning of these seemingly pointless stories lies a deeper and more profound meaning†¦. What is the common denominator between all these scenarios? In case you missed it, Atwood sums it up in her concluding remarks. ‘John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.’ ‘ Happy Endings’ forces us to question the point of life. Every story, carried to its ultimate logical conclusion, has the same ending, because all lives have the same ending. We may die in the heat of battle; we may die in our sleep. We may die in infancy, in a gang war, in a nursing home. But we’re going to die. The story isn’t in the ending — it’s in what we do on the way there. RESOURCES USED http://ronosaurusrex.com/metablog/list-of-metafictional-works/ http://www.geneseo.edu/~johannes/Metafiction.html http://postcolonialstudies.emory.edu/metafiction/#ixzz2e1Z087Wr http://www.storybites.com/book-reviews/happy-endings-by-margaret-atwood.php characters http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-happyendings/char.html themes http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-happyendings/themes.html (online copy: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rebeccal/lit/238f11/pdfs/HappyEndings_Atwood.pdf ) View as multi-pages