Romeo and Juliet Character Analysis - Mercutio - 1427 Words

Shakespeare has no doubt created some of the most dynamic and interesting characters in written history, and in Romeo and Juliet there were several memorable ones. Aside from the hero and heroine, the voluble and witty Mercutio is as memorable a character as is found in all of Shakespeares plays. He acts as a significant character in terms of plot advancement; but more importantly, Mercutio himself is a fascinating man in many aspects. Mercutio is not part of the Montague family, he is however a friend of Romeos and related to the Prince of Verona. One would think this puts him relatively outside the family feud, but we learn that Mercutio is only all to willing to play along with this adversary, and ultimately his quick and volatile†¦show more content†¦In our first encounter with Mercutio he was talking with Romeo, and we can clearly see some of Mercutios remarks are personal to Romeo and is trying to get at something. Mercutio then launches into his famous Queen Mab speech which obviously unsettles Romeo. Despite their slight argument we can see that the two get along exceptionally well. There is evidence to show that Mercutio values his friendship with Romeo a lot. Even though on the outside he might not show it, his subtle words and actions points out that he cares for Romeos wellbeing and wishes the best for his friend. This can be seen when Mercutio remarked that Romeo is back to his old self. Although Mercutio was unaware of Romeos secret marriage to Juliet, he noticed the change in his mood just from his behaviour. Mercutio may be a jester who mocks and taunts however there must be another side to him, perhaps a gentle one that we have yet to see but sadly never will. Mercutios death is the turning point in Romeo and Juliet, sparking the final events of tragic sequences. It is clear that Mercutio is not put out of the way by Shakespeare for any other reason than the fact that his death generates the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Although immediately after, the tragedy does not unfold with mathematic precision, there is no doubt that Mercutios death was the trigger. With this in mind, one might be tempted to ask what might happen had Mercutio notShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet Essay examples528 Words   |  3 PagesThe Role of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet In William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, each character plays a specific role in driving the action forward and shaping the plays theme. One secondary character, Mercutio, is essential to the play. Mercutio is the Princes kinsman, but more importantly, he is Romeos friend and confidant. Mercutios concern is always for Romeo and for peace between the two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Mercutio is the firstRead MoreMercutio - a Monodimensional and Static Character in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet?1718 Words   |  7 PagesDiscuss Mercutio in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in terms of character dimension, character development and his relation to major themes of the play. When looking at the content of characters in Shakespeare’s play „Romeo and Julietâ€Å" one can find a total of 21 people that are mentioned by name. While it is self-evident that characters such as Romeo and Juliet are essential to the play due to the fact that they form its title, a reader could ask what role the others might play in a literary contextRead MoreAnalysis of Act Three Scene 1 of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet979 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Act Three Scene 1 of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play filled with love, fate, rivalry and tragedy. I am going to be analysing act 3, scene 1, concentrating on how Shakespeare makes this scene dramatic and how it is pivotal in terms of the plays key themes and events. Prior to this scene we have witnessed the rivalry between the two leading families, Capulet and Montague and the hostility they hold towards one another. RomeoRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1306 Words   |  6 Pagesspecific structure. In a tragedy, heroic characters often give in to their various flaws and end up dying as a consequence, resulting in an outpouring of grief from the audience. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is often cited as a prominent example of the tragical genre, with Romeo’s crime of passion against Tybalt resulting in the complication of his relationship with Juliet, and ultimately, the duo’s demise. However, despite its status, Romeo and Juliet contains a number of elements that lend themselvesRead MoreAre Humans Consciously Making All Of Their Own Decisions,1312 Words   |  6 Pagesdecisions, or is there a deciding factor? In the play Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, there are two feuding families, the Montagues, and the Capulets. The children of the two families fall in love and the play is the based on their story. Tragic event s happen throughout the play based on the previous actions. In the play Romeo and Juliet, fate is the cause of all the tragic events as seen through the attitude of the characters, the fight scene, and the graveyard scene. Over timeRead MoreThe Tragic Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet By William Shakespeare1721 Words   |  7 Pagesmany acts of much kindness. Many people took advantage of it though which was a bad decision. Many characters in the play had at least one unexplained kind activity, that led to the death of the two young lovers. An analysis of the play will make it clear that misguided kindness caused the disastrous tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In the opening scene in the tragic play, the author presented a character who acts in a kind but misguided way. The play opens with the Capulets and Montagues having a streetRead MoreAn Analysis of the Dramatic Qualities of Act 3 Scene 1 of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet1728 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of the Dramatic Qualities of Act 3 Scene 1 of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Act 3 scene 1 is very effective because of where it is placed in the play. We have just ended on a happy note in Act 2. Friar Laurence wanted to unite the Montagues and the Capulets. So we have a scene full of love and joy, the wedding between Romeo and Juliet. This is a great contrast as what comes in the next scene is quite the opposite. Everything that has been beforeRead MoreThe Adaption of William Shakespeare ´s Romeo and Juliet1235 Words   |  5 PagesThe Adaptation of Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, is a world-known tragedy. Torn between two enemy households, Romeo and Juliet try to keep their love alive. The passionate story of their love has been adapted into several movies. While each movie has its own charm, Baz Luhrmann’s modern adaptation has its noteworthy features that dissociate it from Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation. By staying true to the story, the characters, and the creativity he uses, Luhrmann takesRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Character Analysis747 Words   |  3 PagesWhile secondary characters are undersized compared to the main characters of the play, they often have an eminent impact on the story. In William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet, certain secondary characters influence the decisions made by the two lovers and avail to establish the play’s tragic outcome. This will be conveyed through a detailed analysis of Tybalt, Capulet and Friar Lawrence. Although admirable qualities add to ones life, they can often lead to their death. In ShakespearesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1936 Words   |  8 PagesThough the play is titled Romeo and Juliet, the character Mercutio who is witty, crude and knavish steals the show up until the moment of his death despite a limited role. This sentiment is due in large part to Mercutio’s direct contrast to Romeo, a character known for emotional turmoil along with stale and somewhat ridiculous Petrarchan proclamations of love. All of these factors allow Romeo’s closest friend to also be portrayed as the foil. Mercutio plays this role through comparing the high class

Absenteeism and Attendance of Employees †Paper Free Essays

string(49) " so that there is no scope for miscommunication\." Absenteeism and Attendance of Employees Employee absenteeism is one of the most common workplace problems facing employers in today’s workplace. Legitimate illnesses still account for the majority of employee absences, but some studies have shown that less than one-third of absences from the workplace are related to poor health. Most employers offer their workers vacation,  sick leave, paid time off, or other kinds of paid and unpaid  leave. We will write a custom essay sample on Absenteeism and Attendance of Employees – Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now A key to curbing abuse is to have an absenteeism policy that clearly sets forth which absences are allowed, and what behavior will subject the employee to  discipline. Absenteeism problems can range from employees not calling in or not showing up for their shifts, taking sick leave when well, and exhausting their available leave every month, to requesting extra time off and establishing patterns of abuse. For these non-protected absences employers can, and should, discipline their employees. A company’s policy should be clearly written and disseminated to all employees. In addition, the employer should make sure to  train all supervisors and managers  to ensure that the policy is being fairly applied. It’s a good idea to spot check attendance issues in every department to make sure that company rules are being fairly imposed. Absenteeism is the term generally used to refer to  unscheduled  employee absences from the  workplace. Many causes of absenteeism are legitimate—personal illness or family issues, for example—but absenteeism also can often be traced to other factors such as a poor work environment or workers who are not committed to their jobs. If such absences become excessive, they can have a seriously adverse impact on a business’s operations and, ultimately, its profitability Read more:  http://www. nswers. com/topic/absenteeism#ixzz2OV25Xt00 Absenteeism  is the term used to describe the fact of an individual’s missing his or her regular daily activity The habitual non-presence of an employee at his or her job. Possible causes of absenteeism include job dissatisfaction, ongoing personal issues and chronic medical problems. Reg ardless of cause, a worker with a pattern of being absent may put his reputation and his employed status at risk. However, some forms of absence from work are legally protected and cannot be grounds for termination. Absenteeism  is a habitual  pattern  of absence from a  duty  or  obligation. Traditionally, absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an implicit contract between employee and employer; it was seen as a management problem, and framed in economic or quasi-economic terms. More recent scholarship seeks to understand absenteeism as an indicator of psychological, medical, or social adjustment to work. In this study absenteeism is defined as: temporary, extended or permanent incapacity for work as a result of sickness or infirmity The purpose of the study was to investigate the incidence of learner bsenteeism in the country, the reasons why learners absent themselves from schools and examine the systems that exist to monitor and reduce learner absenteeism. Firstly, there are reasons for absenteeism associated with personal factors, such as illness, age, gender and learning difficulties. Secondly, absenteeism may be caused by socio-economic factors relating to food insecurity, problems with transport to school , the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and families How to Deal with Employee Absenteeism Employee absenteeism is one of the major areas of concern for organizations today. It reduces productivity and puts burden on the available staff. Let us take a look at some methods through which you can keep it in check in your organization. One of the biggest challenges that organizations face today is unplanned absenteeism. Frequent absenteeism from employees not only hampers the productivity of an organization, but it also affects the morale of hard-working employees. It is therefore essential that organizations get their act together and take necessary steps to reduce it. Absenteeism can either be for genuine reasons or culpable. It is the responsibility of a manager to identify employees who are frequently absent, and look for steps to counter it. Some researchers are of the view that punitive action is the only way by which unplanned absenteeism can be reduced, but this belief has few takers. You can persuade an employee to come to office but the chances that he would work wholeheartedly are slim. You don’t want to create an atmosphere where your employees come up with new ideas to call in for a day off. This will also make it more difficult for employees who genuinely need a leave to tend to their personal or family issues. Besides, you can’t have different set of rules for different people as this will lead to accusations of discrimination. Analysts have pointed out that an authoritarian style of management is one of the prime reasons behind frequent absenteeism and tardiness. Managers who set up targets that are simply unachievable or blame everyone expect themselves for any failure, put their employees under a lot of stress. This is one of the major reasons why employees don’t feel like coming to office. Organizations which fail to have an efficient leave policy in place also witness high absenteeism. In the absence of a point of contact, employees get more leverage which can lead to higher absenteeism levels. How to Reduce Employee Absenteeism? Reducing employee absenteeism requires sustained effort, and the first and foremost step in this direction is to provide coaching to the team leaders/managers of your organization. Managers should be provided with adequate training to improve their interpersonal skills. They should also be reminded that the power that has been conferred upon them has to be used to make the organization a better place to work, not to boss around and put people off. This will not only help you in addressing the issue, but also in tackling issues like employee turnover, and low morale among your staff. Having a clear leave policy is essential if you don’t want your employees to abuse their privileges. It is important that you explain all the policies to your employees when you recruit them so that there is no scope for miscommunication. You read "Absenteeism and Attendance of Employees – Paper" in category "Papers" This helps especially in case of large organizations where it is virtually impossible to keep an eye on every employee. Having an effective communication system helps in maintaining transparency and keeps rumor mongers at bay. It dispels negativity and makes employees feel that they are being recognized as a part of the organization. Trusting your employees by giving them more responsibility instills a sense of confidence in them and creates a good atmosphere in the workplace. Rewarding employees who have shown good performance by missing lesser work days can go a long way in helping you deal with employee absenteeism. It will not only help in recognizing hardworking employees, but also motivate employees to come to work rather than staying at home. Unplanned absenteeism costs a few million dollars to American companies every year, so it is important that you address this issue with utmost seriousness. If yours is a small or a mid-scale business, then the effects are much more grave. You can’t completely wipe out this issue, but what you should essentially aim to do is to reduce the frequency of culpable absenteeism. Absenteeism – employees not showing up for work when scheduled – can be a major problem for organisations. As pressures increase on the budgets and competitiveness of companies, more attention is being given to reduce workplace absenteeism and its cost. Most research has concluded that absence is a complex variable and that it is influenced by multiple causes, both personal and organisational. Job satisfaction has been noted as one of the factors influencing an employee’s motivation to attend. INTRODUCTION To many in the world of work, absenteeism is one of those stubborn problems for which â€Å"†¦.. there is no clear culprit and no easy cure† (Rhodes Steers, 1990, p. 1). Furthermore, as a general phenomenon it does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of sex, race and religion. Bydawell (2000, p. 5) postulates that â€Å"employers have the right to expect good attendance from their employees as employment is a contract between two consenting parties. † The author further states that absentee issues will undoubtedly arise within the employment relationship, and should be resolved in a manner which is fair and equitable to both the employer and the employee. Absenteeism can be very costly to o rganisations and enormous savings can be realised through effective management of non-attendance at work. Besides the cost implications, absenteeism is influenced by dozens of interrelated factors hich make it even more difficult to â€Å"quantify, qualify, or rectify† (Tylczak , 1990, p. 9). One of these factors which have been cited by different researchers is an employee’s level of job satisfaction in the workplace. In conjunction with this, George and Jones (2002, p. 93) maintain that â€Å"†¦many researchers have studied the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction in an attempt to discover ways to reduce absenteeism. † Early job satisfaction research has emphasised the underlying assumption that job dissatisfaction represents the primary cause of absenteeism (Steers, Porter Bigley, 1996). McShane’s (1984) review as quoted by Steers et al. (1996) supported the notion that employees who are dissatisfied with various aspects of their jobs are more likely to be absent. Studies by McShane (1984) found â€Å"job satisfaction to be more highly related to frequency of absences than to number of days lost† (Steers et al. , 1996, p. 409) Rhodes and Steers (1990) propose that employee attendance is based on an employee’s motivation to attend as well as their ability to attend. According to George and Jones (2002), job satisfaction is one of the factors affecting an employee’s motivation to attend. It becomes important to measure the strength of the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction as â€Å"†¦.. positive attitudes can at times serve to â€Å"pull† the individual towards the organisation and the reverse can be expected when attitudes are more negative † (George Jones, 2002, p. 94). An employees’ ability to attend is influenced on the other hand by factors such as family responsibilities, transportation problems, accidents and the like. Once all these variables are identified, managers may begin to understand why employees sometimes choose not to come to work when they are fully capable of attending. By the same token, it is â€Å"equally important for managers to understand those circumstances in which people, for whatever reason (illness or otherwise), are genuinely unable to come to work† (Rhodes Steers, 1990, p. 13). Absenteeism seems to be a behaviour that organisations can never eliminate, but they can rather control and manage it. George and Jones (2002, p. 94) note that â€Å"organisations should not have absence policies that are so restrictive that they literally force workers to come to work even if they are ill. Organisations may want to recognise that a certain level of absence is indeed functional. PROBLEM STATEMENT Tremendous pressure is being placed on companies to reduce costs either through downsizing, outsourcing or restructuring. For many employees, these changes can cause feelings of insecurity regarding the nature of their jobs as well as their future. Not having people at work increases the workload of fellow employees, reduces productivity and inc reases the cost of contract labour. Absenteeism In terms of the discussion, the three terms â€Å"absence, absenteeism and sickness absence† will be used as synonymous in meaning, implying that workers who were scheduled for ork and expected to attend, did not do so. Cascio (2003, p. 45) defines absenteeism as â€Å"any failure of an employee to report for or to remain at work as scheduled, regardless of the reason. † Milkovich and Boudreau (1994) define absenteeism from an organisation’s perspective as â€Å"the frequency and/or duration of work time lost when employees do not come to work. † Absenteeism therefore implies â€Å"an unplanned, disruptive incident; but more specifically, it can be seen as non-attendance when an employee is scheduled for work † (Van der Merwe Miller, SUMMARY OF CHAPTER In summary, this chapter highlighted the fact that absenteeism is pervasive throughout most organisations and can place huge financial burdens on organisations. A central concern in organisations is probably that some employees believe that it is their â€Å"right† to 13take sick leave whether they are sick or not. These short, unscheduled absences impact on work schedules, increase workloads of other employees and can also have a detrimental effect on productivity. Furthermore, this chapter emphasised that absenteeism is influenced by a number of interrelated factors ranging from family responsibilities to satisfaction on the job. Literature suggests that absenteeism is a major problem in many organisations, hence, the importance of focusing on this behaviour within the organisation. Various studies have attempted to examine the relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction as absence is commonly viewed as one of the means of withdrawal from stressful work situations. According to Luthans (1995), research has generally revealed a consistent inverse relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism, i. e. when satisfaction is high, absenteeism tends to be low and when satisfaction is low, bsenteeism tends to be high. ABSENTEEISM 2. 2. 1 INTRODUCTION Unscheduled absences affect almost every type of organisation. Hoque and Islam (2003, p. 81) describe absenteeism as a â€Å"subject to be studied, matter to be thought over and a problem to be solved. † Besides the direct costs associated with absenteeism, there are also indirect costs such as hiring of casual staff, reduced productivity, turnove r and potential loss in revenue (Cole, 2002; Mason Griffin, 2003). Robinson (2002) further notes that the indirect costs of absenteeism can be up to three times higher than the direct osts of absenteeism. It therefore becomes vital that organisations recognise the extent of this problem due to the high costs associated with continued unscheduled absences. The main problem is perhaps that many employees believe sick leave is a â€Å"benefit † like annual leave and they are entitled to take it, irrespective of the condition of their health. This has implications for organisations because it is difficult for an organisation to operate smoothly if employees fail to report for work. According to Robbins et al. (2003), having sick leave programmes in organisations, i. e. providing paid sick eave, actually enforces the wrong behaviour, which is absence from work. The authors argue that organisations should rather reward employees for attendance, not for being absent. Moreover, the importance of good attendance and its benefits should be clearly communicated to all employees (Bydawell, 2000). Rhodes and Steers (1990) maintain that people tend to have different perspectives or attach different meanings when viewing the topic of employee absenteeism. To the 20manager, absence is often seen as a problem to be solved, but to the employee it can take on a very different meaning. For the employee, absenteeism can be symbolic of deeper feelings of hostility or perceptions of inequitable treatment in the job situation or a way to sabotage the organisation for the poor work environment or other attributes of the job. TYPES OF ABSENTEEISM Van der Merwe and Miller (1988) classify absenteeism into three broad categories that help to understand the nature of this phenomenon. They are: (1) sickness absence, (2) authorised absence/absence with permission and (3) unexcused absence/ absence without leave. Sickness absence Sickness absence is a category where employees claim ill health as their reason for bsence. Requirements regarding medical/doctor’s certificates vary and are determined by company policy or the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). The Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 (1997) stipulates that a certificate needs to be produced after two days of sickness absence. Most managers have found that certification is not a guarantee of genuine ab sence as it has become easy for people to gain access to medical certificates. Van der Merwe and Miller (1988, p. 10) maintain that â€Å"having a critical attitude to short sick absence, and indicating to employees that heir absence behaviour is regularly monitored, is likely to result in a better norm of attendance. † 2. 2. 3. 2 Authorised absence Absence with permission is where employees prov an â€Å"excuse† for their absence whether that be for holidays, study leave, special leave and the like. Normally such a request is included in the absence policy (Van der Merwe Miller, 1988, p. 11). 2. 2. 3. 3 Unexcused absence All absences not falling into the two previous categories and where no reason is given, or not accepted, are regarded as unexcused (Van Der Merwe Miller, 1988, p. 11). This ype of absence, when it reaches problematic proportions, will have to be pointed out to employees in question in order to bring their attendance in line with acceptable norms Emp loyees who come to work later in the day or who leave earlier are normally not recorded on the leave records of employers and the supervisor is normally aware of such absences (Wolmarans, 1994). CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Sickness absence has attracted attention in response to competitive pressures and tightening labour markets and by managing absence, organisations can achieve a better competitive edge (Johnson et al. 2003). For many organisations however, absenteeism management remains a daunting task, as it can place huge financial burdens on organisations. Aware of the indirect costs associated with absenteeism, management must determine what factors are responsible for absenteeism and how these factors can be addressed to curb this challenging problem. The main goal of the present study was to determine the impact of job satisfaction on absenteeism as research generally states that dissatisfied employees are more likely to miss work than satisfied employees (Aamodt, 2004; Saal Knight, 1988). The study owever only found a weak, albeit inverse correlation between satisfaction and absenteeism. The role of other variables, for example personality, work-group norms, organisational commitment and family related responsibilities have not been included although their impact on absenteeism have been noted (Mowday et al. , 1982; Rhodes Steers, 1990). In order to improve on this, it is suggested that further research be undertaken to ascertain the potential effect of these variables on absenteeism. 145Since the current research utilised a non – probability sampling method, certain groups may have been under-presented. Although the sample of 121 is considered appropriate, a larger, stratified random sample would have enabled greater precision and control with respect to the sample. Furthermore, the sample employed was relatively small, reducing the study’s generalizability to the larger organisation. Moreover, the small number of female respondents prevented meaningful comparisons being made. The study was conducted in one organisation in the Western Cape, which further limits its applicability to a wider population. A cross-sectional design was used for the study as it provided the researcher with a napshot of the research elements at a given point in time. Even though this design is considered appropriate, a longitudinal study would allow for forming a better understanding of the true nature of absenteeism and job satisfaction as it uses the same sample over a period of time. The study is further limited in that it used self –report measures of absence, which is highly subjective. J ohns (1996) as quoted by Siu (2002) – argues that â€Å"employees do not have accurate perceptions of their own absenteeism, some employees underestimate their own absenteeism and overestimate the absenteeism of co-workers† (Siu, 2002, p. 218). Further research should adopt more objective measures of absence. The second goal of the study focused on the relationship between personal characteristics and absence. Significant correlations were found and it is important for management to 146understand these dynamics in order to control absenteeism in the workplace. The importance of understanding specifically the impact of age on the work force will continue to grow, owing to changes in legislation (age discrimination, non-mandatory retirement) and also the impact of HIV and AIDS (Kacmar Ferris, 1989). Organisations need to have stringent policies in place to control absenteeism, and a ulture of attendance needs to be cultivated amongst employees. Future research needs to also examine the absence severity rate (ASR) which indicates the number of days sick leave per incident over a period of time, which is how long employees are off when they do take sick leave (Mowday et al. ,1982). Excessive absenteeism can escalate to the poi nt that it directly affects productivity, quality and morale. A final goal of the study was to examine the impact of personal characteristics on job satisfaction. While the study focused on personal predictors of job satisfaction, there re other variables (job and organisational) that may be better predictors of job satisfaction (Spector, 1997; 2000). It is suggested that further research needs to be conducted to identify these factors that contribute to employees’ job satisfaction. 147REFERENCE LIST Aamodt, M. G. (1996). Applied Industrial/Organisational Psychology (2nd ed. ). USA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Aamodt, M. G. (2004). Applied Industrial/Organisational Psychology (4th ed). USA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Alavi, H. R. , Askaripur, M. R. (2003). The relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction of personnel in government organisations. Public Personnel Management 32 (4) : 591-599. Anderson, A. E. (2004). What’s absent in absence management. Employee Benefits Journal 29 (1) : 25-30. Anderson, N. , Ones, D. S. , Sinangil, H. K, Viswesvaran, C. (2001). Handbook of Industrial, Work and Organisational Psychology- Volume 2 London : SAGE Publications. Anthony, W. P. , Perrewe, P. L. , Kacmar, K. M. (1999). Human Resource Management- A strategic approach (3rd ed. ). Publishers: Harcourt Brace College. 148Armstrong, M. (1996). Personnel management practice (6th ed. ). London : Kogan Page. Atchison, T. (1999). They myths of employee satisfaction. Healthcare Executive 14 (2) :18-23. Bajpai, N. , Srivastava, D. (2004). Sectorial comparison of factors influencing job satisfaction in Indian banking sector. Singapore Management Review 26 (2) : 89-99. Berkowitz, L. (1987). Pay, equity, job gratifications and comparisons in pay satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology 72 (4) : 544-551. Bless, C. , Higson-Smith, C. (1995). Fundamentals of social research methods. An African perspective. (2nd ed. ). South Africa : Juta and Co, Ltd. Brief, A. P. (1998). Attitudes in and around organisations USA : SAGE Publications. Butler, J. (1994). To conduct an investigation into absenteeism in Cape Town organisations. Unpublished masters thesis, University of Cape Town. Buitendach, J. H. , De Witte, H. (2005). Job insecurity, extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction and affective organisation commitment of maintenance workers in a parastatal. South African Journal of Business Management 36 (2) : 27-33. 149Bydawell, M. (2000). Managing people who don’t come to work. People Dynamics 18 : 15-19. Carr, M. , Human, P. (1988). Job satisfaction and its relationship with demographic and work-related variables: A case study in the Western Cape, South Africa. 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Racio-ethnic perceptions of job characteristics and job satisfaction. Journal of Management Development 22 (5) : 426 – 442. Fried, Y. , Melamed, S. , Ben-David, H. (2002). The joint effects of noise, job complexity, a nd gender on employee sickness absence: exploratory study across 21 organisations –the CORDIS study. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology 75 : 131-144. George, J. M. , Jones, G. R. (2002). Organisational behaviour. (3rd ed. ). New Jersey : Prentice Hall. Gibson, J. , Ivancevich, J. , Donnelly, J. (1997). Organisations: Behaviour, structure, processes. (9th ed. ). Chicago : Irwin. Goldberg, C. , Waldman, D. (2000). Modelling employee absenteeism: Testing alternative measures and mediated effects based on job satisfaction. Journal of Organisational Behaviour 21 : 665-676. 152Gragg, E. (2004). Telecommuting comes of age. Office Solutions 21 (4) : 46-47. Hair, J. F. , Babin, B. , Money, A. Samouel, P. (2003). Essentials of business research methods Leyh Publishing, LLC. Hardy, G. E. , Woods, D Wall, T. D. (2003). The impact of psychological distress on bsence from work. Journal of Applied Psychology 88 (2) : 306-314. Harris, D. (2005). Dealing with sickness absence. Training Journal Haswell, M. (2003). Dealing with employee absenteeism. Management Services 47 (12) Hodgkiss, K. (2004). Attending to staff absence. Cabinet Maker 5397 : 12. Hoole, C. , Vermeulen, L. P. (2003). Job satisfaction among South African aircraft pilots. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 29 (1) : 52-57. Hoque, E. , Islam, M. (2003). Contribution of some behavioural factors to absenteeism of manufacturing in Bangladesh. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research 81 (3/4) : 81-96. How to cite Absenteeism and Attendance of Employees – Paper, Papers

Strategic Marketing Management Challenges to Financial Inclusion

Question: Describe about the Case Study for Strategic Marketing Management for Challenges to Financial Inclusion. Answer: Introduction The real estate sector of India is growing at a fast rate and is recognised in the global platform (Chadchan and Shankar 2012). The growth and development of the real estate sector of India can be seen through the developments in the following fields: Retail Entertainment industry like multiplexes Hospitality and hotels or resorts Economic services like schools and hospitals Information technology enabled services like BPOs and call centres It is expected that by 2020, the realty sector will reach US$180 billion (Ibef.org 2016). With the growing real estate market in India, property prices are constantly on the rise (Gandhi and Walton 2012). With the technological advancements enabling users to access property information via cell phone apps, and search for properties via portable personal devices such as iPad, various online property portals have emerged around the world, even in developing nations like in India. With a population of 1.25 Billion (2013) in India, the real estate market is worth an estimated of $25 Billion and growing (Brosius 2012). Since April 2000 until June 2014, the Real Estate sector that includes construction projects, built-up infrastructure, housing and townships has been able to gain a FDI worth US$ 24 million (Schulte 2012). Due to low level of bank funding provided to the real estate sector and attractive valuations, the private equity (PE) funding has grown at a steep rate (Crowe et al. 2013). It has been seen that in the first quarter of the year 2014, Delhi NCR has able to gain PE investments worth Rs 80 crore that accounts to be US$ 13.22 million (Taylor et al. 2012). It is expected that the initiative of the government to introduce policies and subsidies that will help the buyers and the developers will fruitful for the real estate sector in the year 2014. Market size The commercial sector of the real estate has grown at a steep rate (Deere et al. 2013). The biggest example of the growth of the commercial real estate is the city of Mumbai in India. It is estimated that Mumbai is ready with returns of around 12 to 19 percent in the coming five years. Bangalore and Delhi NCR acquire the second and third position respectively. Bangalore is expected to give a return of 12 percent and Delhi NCR is expected to give a return of 8 to 11 percent (Baka 2013). The residential sector of the real estate in India is also flourishing tremendously (Khanna 2013). Some of the factors that have resulted in the growth of the residential sector are: Steep growth in the population of the country Migration in the urban areas Plenty Job opportunities in the service sectors Increase in the levels of income Easy financial help The numbers show a clear growth in the residential sector especially in the city of Bangalore. India has been able to witness the growth of units in eight major cities (Sarathy 2013). In the first quarter of the year 2014, the number of new developments has increased by 55,000 units, which accounts to be an increase of forty-three percent in the real estate sector (Sami 2013). Mumbai and Chennai come second and third after Bangalore. In the first quarter, Mumbai has been able to witness a growth of 10,698 units and Chennai has been able to witness a growth of 7436 units. The growth rate is 93 percent and 191 percent in Mumbai and Chennai respectively (Searle 2014). It is estimated that there were about 10,000 property sale transactions in the six major cities alone in India in 2013(Rouanet and Halbert 2016). This included Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The transactions comprised of sale of residential and commercial properties. Although, it is difficult to record the statistics, it is estimated that around 30,000 property rental transactions took place in 2014 in major cities in India (Chatterji 2013). The demand for the properties is always high near the business hubs that are located in the business districts in the metropolitan cities of the country (Mrinalini, Nath and Sandhya 2013). However, only the luxury and premium real estate developers are attracted to those due to the high price of the areas. Market Structure In India, residential property is advertised through brokers who maintain database of properties available in the local area. Meetings would be organised with prospect buyers and the brokers would typically receive approximately between 1 to 2% of the property sale value (Ananth and nc 2013). Property Developers traditionally advertised their products and services locally through billboard advertisements and through advertising in online realty portals (Rapoport 2014) . There are currently several Online Portals offering a marketplace for sellers and buyers. Subscription is charged for sellers wishing to list their property on the portal. However, no dedicated online marketplace for Property rental listings and shared accommodation listings exist currently. Unlike the United Kingdom, there are no estate agents in India, where a database of properties rentals would be maintained (Jongwanich and Kohpaiboon 2013). Property owners and tenants have to rely on newspaper ads and online portals like the below. com com com com com High Level Strategic Analysis With the emergence of web-based technologies, it is possible for sellers and property owners to reach a wider market (Ramaiah et al. 2013). With high demand for housing in the metropolitan cities, property owners, and property developers could advertise properties nationwide. As a new Enterprise entering the web based Property Portal competing space, it is very important for KAMRAFINDER.COM to identify the target market, understand the needs of rapidly changing socio-economic climate of the State. It is also essential to define the companys unique selling point (USP) and the value proposition for its customers (Bhagat and Jones 2013). Value Proposition The four key questions within the value proposition (Tovstiga 2013) were asked during the initial workshops and brainstorming with the business partners. These discussions raised further questions, insights and some answers including strategic facts that were later discovered in further research (Searle 2014). Why does KAMRAFINDER.COM want to pursue this market segment? Is there an alternate market segment? The existing property portals list Properties for sale. Revenue is generated through subscription from sellers wishing to advertise and list their property for sale. There is currently no dedicated online portal for Property rental listing. Furthermore, there exists an opportunity to provide a platform for shared accommodation for young professionals (generally single working people) in major cities who are only looking for a room in a shared accommodation (Halbert and Rouanet 2014). The existing portals were cluttered with advertisements from developers and builders looking to promote their new builds on the front page, resulting in a poor customer experience. The homepage and the subsequent landing pages lacked structure and were not user friendly. KAMRAFINDER.COM would see this as a weakness among the competitors and would look to leverage the skills within the team to provide a positive user experience. We felt we could learn from the mistakes of these existing portals and offer an enhanced user experience with an aim of giving our primary customers (property owners and tenants) and secondary customers (Investors) a visually superior online platform. Where does KAMRAFINDER.COM see an opportunity? Although some established portals (with focus on real estate and property sales) had rental listings, none of the portals offered a marketplace for renting rooms in shared accommodation or Paying Guest (PG) type accommodation. This is an untouched market segment. We at KAMRAFINDER.COM felt that being the first to provide a dedicated online marketplace for shared housing rentals, and paying guest type accommodation, we could capitalise on these alternate market segments (and associated revenue streams) discussed in more detail in Section3.1 of this report. This is in addition to conventional Property Rental Listings. Figure 1: (Source: Drucker 1994) What will KAMRAFINDERs differentiated offer be? Some of the proposals included offering subscription free rental property listings in the first year of launch, whilst not compromising on the user experience and user friendliness that will be evident from the first touch point (that is, on the landing page) (Thomas 2014). We felt that by focusing on making the Portal intuitive and informative, we would generate more traffic that is one of primary business objectives of this Enterprise. There were proposals to offer premium content such as blogs and articles about how to effectively advertise properties for rent. Blogging on Tips on attracting corporate lets would potentially attract more visitors to the Portal. Providing a dedicated page for listing of small-related businesses such as Tradesmen plumbers, electricians and property interiors specialists, would potentially increase traffic to the Portal. How will KAMRAFINDER.COM make a difference? The intention is create a Rental Property portal that becomes a trusted source of both information (rental trends) and comprehensive database of easily searchable rental property listing (Shatkin 2014). Although the first year will be subscription free, the intent is that the primary source of revenue would be through subscriptions and advertising of trades services on a dedicated page. (Plumbing, Electrician, Carpenter etc.) (Fereidouni and Al-mulali 2014). The board also considered advertisements as a source of revenue, but decided that it did not resonate with the initial strategy of KAMRAFINDER.COM. With an experienced graphic design team that have combined experience of 20 years working on developing various ecommerce portals, the team can create an unparalleled user experience (Squires and Heurkens 2014). Over the last six months, the company has analysed its approach to launching the portal and has documented business processes that are proven to generate and grow traffic to the Portal. It is this understanding of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and the impact of Social Media that is a key differentiator (Mitra and Ray 2014). The co-founders behind this Portal have strong online marketing experience complimented with an understanding of property trends and infrastructure. Having dealt with brokers, for property purchase and sale, provided valuable insights into the typical challenges faced by customers (Pethe et al. 2014). Marketing is the key to generate traffic and superior user experience is the key to retaining those users. The Portals Unique Competing Space (UCS) Figure 2: Unique competing space (Source: Mehrotra et al. 2014) In order for KAMRAFINDER.COM to succeed, it is necessary to create its own (UCS) Unique Competing space, ideally a space without competitors. This may be impossible, but in leveraging the online marketing expertise within the company and a good strategy, we believe that we can create a new online marketplace for Landlords (providing house share for professionals and young couples) and Tenants (couples and young graduates) looking to find economical accommodation as well as traditional Property lets (Rajan 2014). Using the UCS framework drew out questions such as: What does the target market consist of?, Who is our Target Market?, and what requirements for information does KAMRAFINDER.COM fulfil? Secondly, Who is the Competition? In terms of the internal organisation, what are our strengths and how can weaknesses be addressed? Competition and Customers Competition was seen from two groups of portals. One definition of competition was any online portal that offered property rental listings, in other words an online marketplace for customers looking to let or rent properties (Sornette and Cauwels 2014). Visitors to such portals would typically consist of property owners, looking to let properties and tenants looking to rent from them for a fixed term. Competition from established Property Portals is shown in Figure 2. The primary focus is on Property Sale Listings and less focus on Property Rental Listing. Visitors to these competitor portals would typically consist of first time buyers, investment buyers and casual visitors. It was clear that majority of competitor web portals focused on Property Sales only (Ghertner 2014). Very few Portals provided Property Rental listings. Furthermore, none of the portals had shared accommodation listings (Chadchan and Shankar 2012). The board also felt that by making the portal informative with subscription free access to interesting blogs and articles related to Property Renting process, property find process and promoting the benefits of using KAMRAFINDER.COM, would add value. In addition providing a demographic listing of tradesmen such as Plumbers, Electricians, Carpenters, builders and locksmiths, would also improve web traffic (Gandhi and Walton 2012). The aim of the Social Media Marketing is to extend the area of the Unique Competing Space (UCS), whilst preventing competitive forces from reducing this space. Shared boundary with Competitors (1) There are pressures on both sides of this boundary. The threat to this boundary from Competitors is the fact that they can easily develop a similar portal to KAMRAFINDER.COM, with existing resources leveraging their position, market share and customer base. Our board believe that these established portals currently do not focus on the Property rental market segment. There could be copycats, based on the success of KAMRAFINDER.COM. Customer Interface boundary (2) The initial goal of KAMRAFINDER.COM, is to move this boundary outwards. Pushing the boundary outwards would mean that more demands and needs of the customer are being met. Identifying these demands was carried out during a brain storming session and led to a number of insights. Strategic Insight: Marketing/Media push Creating and engaging with a community is paramount. Hits and web traffic to the portal can be generated through marketing smartly through social media. Providing users with useful insights like property prices, property rental returns etc., could also influence positively on pushing the Customer interface boundary (2) outwards. Producing interesting blogs and directing readers to the portal has also proven to deliver increased hits. Internal Threshold (3) The internal threshold boundary is also important for the portals growth. Maintaining the ease of access and visual experience of the portal across multiple platforms (PC, Smartphone and personal hand held devices) is vitally as important as the other boundaries. The Portal must be capable of delivering a pleasurable viewing experience across all such platforms. Developing a Smartphone App is also being considered as a future strategic goal to keep up with constantly changing Internet and communications age. A recent study by Deloitte has shown for Mobile Apps it is not always easy to turn activity into revenue (Curtis 2014). The Key Success Factors for any new online venture must include turning hits or web traffic into revenue. The way people access information on the World Wide Web is constantly changing. With the advent of Personal and portable hand held devices, it is vital for a new portal to be accessible on multiple platforms (Brosius 2012). Development of people resources, and adaptability to rapid technological advancements are linked and enable pushing third boundary outwards. Strategic Insight: App An App is an application downloaded to a Mobile or Tablet device that engages with the consumer, delivering content and interactive content. An App could be developed and distributed through iStore and Android app stores. Apps are normally free and monetising these are proving harder as Deloitte has discovered, (Curtis 2014). Business Objectives During a series of workshops, the board brainstormed to define measurable business goals, with focus on short-term goals (Schulte 2012). It was clear that monetizing from the portal through property rental listings would be a long-term goal, but the immediate target was to generate web traffic and register property rental listings. The top three short-term business targets were: Achieving 10,000 to 50,000 hits (page views) per month within the first year of launch Register a minimum of 500 residential property listings per month in the first year Newspaper Campaign to promote the services and product offering Aim to build a database of Tradesmen in major cities in the first three months. Communicate Success stories and Testimonials. Goal 1 could easily be tracked using Google Analytics. Goal 2 could be measured internally through Portals Content Management System. Value Disciplines To achieve these business objectives KAMRAFINDER.COM needed to consider all three dimensions of the value disciplines (Treacy and Wiersema 1993). Carrying out this exercise provided many strategic insights that the Enterprise could pursue. Customer Intimacy Whenever there an organization takes the help of a customer-based approach, it adheres to the following factors: Listens to the customers Live up to the requirements of the customers Focus on long-term relationship with the customers Once the organization will aim at continuously improving the services given to the customers, it will be able to develop an intimacy with the customers that will be long lasting (Crowe et al. 2013) . Customer relationship management (CRM) will be used to excel in the strategy. The growth of the business can be understood with the help of the following business model Figure 3: Customer Relationship Management model (Source: Taylor et al. 2012) As the model suggest, the growth of the business is mainly depended on three factors: Acquire Retain Extend An organization needs to acquire the customers and the business, retain the customers and expand their business. In the process, information technology, shareholder value creation and marketing orientation will help the organization to create a strong foothold in the market. One of the ways to measure the success of Marketing and Customer Intimacy with an online portal is to track the number of hits achieved in a period and the track the amount of time spent by the user on the specific pages (Deere et al. 2013). Purpose of the users visit to the portal can be derived in various ways. If tone was a registered customer, one would normally logon to browse property listing or post a new listing. If the user is visiting to read interesting articles, this can also be monitored and reported (Baka 2013). It was evident during brainstorming that by providing innovative and informative content would add value and aid to convert a user into a customer. Strategic Insight: Targeted Social Media marketing can generate hits and improve customer Intimacy. Blogging on Social Media will help drive hits. A more sustained and widespread social media policy and engagement may increase hits substantially. Promoting success stories and channelling the feedback to improve the service and product offering will deliver value and positively strengthen customer intimacy. Product Leadership Two factors are important for the organization that aims at developing a product leadership in the market: Development of the product Product innovation Acquire leadership in the market for the particular products or service (state-of-the-art products) The characteristics of such organization are: Continuous innovation that will be liked by both old and new customers Give time in research and development Flexible structure Concentrates on better performance and creativity among the employees Similar Portals did not currently have dedicated Property rental listings. The board unanimously agreed that the current competitor sites, lacked structure, were complicated to use and were cluttered with advertising. Designing the new portal to address these issues, would offer a superior product with a visually enhanced viewing experience with no ads. It was debated and agreed that Subscription free rental listing in the first year, was not sufficient to achieve Product Leadership (Khanna 2013). A good balance of Newspaper and Media Marketing combined with Social Media marketing is the key to cementing sizable market share in the segment. Operational Excellence The organizations that will provide the customers with products that are of high quality at price that is suitable by all types of customers, then the organization is said to be focussing on cost leadership. The focus of the organization is to streamline the process internally. With any Enterprise, achieving operational excellence is a continuous process. Implementing processes to evaluate constantly changing needs of customers combined with development of internal people resources through training and coaching will improve organisational efficiency (Sarathy 2013). Sustained growth and innovation to improve Organisational Efficiency will deliver Operational excellence. An Organisation that has a good balance of Product Leadership, Customer Intimacy and Operational Excellence will have Competitive Advantage over the Competitors (Sami 2013). Quality of Product, ability to deliver Quantity at cheap costs, and providing value added services in a new market segment is recipe for success for an Organisation entering a new market segment. Figure 4: Value Disciplines (Source: Treacy and Wiersema 1993) Supporting Level Strategic Analysis External context focused PEST Analysis The Macro Economic Environment in which an organization or sector operates will influence its performance (Searle 2014). Depending on the amount of reliability provided by the health of the overall economy on the companys business, the amount of the influence will vary accordingly. PEST analysis below enabled the board to draw key insights on the real estate property trends in India. Political With the Government allowing 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in this sector, the number of foreign firms owning real estate projects in India has seen an inclining trend. Government Tax Breaks for Property Buyers (First time and Investment) has increased the number of Housing Loan Applications, which has resulted in demand for more Property developments. Government policies with respect to Stamp Duty can impact the real estate market, resulting in more property rental transactions. Social and Economic The Indian real estate sector continues to be a favored sector for investments from international as well as private investors. In the upcoming years, the residential as well as commercial segments of the real estate industry is set for major growth, aided by the government's plans and initiatives to boost this sector. In August 2013, the Indian Rupee had crashed to a record low of around 68.825 per US$ (Rs 100 per British Pound). This immediately encouraged large corpus of FDI in the Real Estate segment. With Inflation on the rise, more and more young professionals and graduates prefer sharing a flat or house with other people. Homeowners on low income, who have a spare room or two to let, also welcome this. Paying Guest type accommodation has been popular for several years, where the rental charged included two or three meals a day. This generally is a win-win situation for the landlord and the tenant. Instances where people relocated to another city due to a new job or other reasons, it was increasingly difficult to find a property to rent, due to lack of streamlined channels to search for properties to let. People usually relied on word of mouth marketing, through friends and family, which took time. Acquiring a first home has become a mammoth task for first time buyers due to rising house prices, rising inflation, rising bank interest rates and stringent financial and credit requirements. With stricter banking regulations, housing loans are tending to become out of reach for working class people in India. A combination of such factors has resulted in increase in property rental transactions. Additionally people tend to rent for several years, before they can afford to buy a place on their own. Young working professionals have relied on financial support from family to cough up deposits to get on the property ladder. Without such support young graduates and professionals, have to rent until, they can save up sufficiently. KAMRAFINDER.COM can add value in listing shared accommodation and paying guest type accommodation in addition to conventional house and flat lets. Currently, no portal that listed commercial properties like, office space, warehouse rentals, corporate building leases and retail unit rentals). This was seen as another alternate market segment that could be explored further. There is no streamlined portal or organization offering this service in the major cities. Technology With the Electronic speed crazy age of Smartphone, portable personal devices and handheld devices, more and more consumers want to be able to access information on the palm of their hands. With development of Communications Infrastructure in the country, it is necessary to keep pace with the innovation in Technology to sustain growth. It is one of the future objectives to develop a Property Rental search App that can be accessed with a Smartphone or hand held electronic device. Investment in developing internal resources is also the key to sustain growth with the rapid technological advancements. Porters Five Forces Analysis Figure 5: Porters Five Forces Analysis (Source: E. Dobbs 2014) Michael Porter provided a Framework that models an Industry as being influenced by five forces. The Strategic business manager seeking to develop an edge over rival firms can use this model to better understand the Industry context in which the firm operates. According to Porter, An industrys profit potential is largely determined by the intensity of competitive rivalry within that industry. Competitive Rivalry It is believed that there is low rivalry among Property portals for the service that is offered (Rouanet and Halbert 2016). There is no clear market leader and the market share keeps shifting, and is directly associated with listing costs for properties on the portal. A segment is disciplined if rivalry among firms in an Industry segment is low. However, a Maverick firm with a competitive advantage can displace the otherwise disciplined market. When a competitor acts in a way that elicits a counter response by other firms, rivalry intensifies. The intensity of rivalry commonly is referred to as being cutthroat, intense, moderate or weak, based on the firms aggressiveness in attempting to gain an advantage. The board view this market segment to be disciplined with no clear market leader. In pursuing an advantage over its rivals, KAMRAFINDER.COM can choose to implement several competitive strategies detailed below. Changing prices Raising or lowering prices to gain a temporary advantage By providing subscription free listing in the first year of launch, KAMRAFINDER.COM can establish a market share (Chatterji 2013). Product differentiation Improving features, implementing innovative technology in the product and service offered. Improving the visual appearance and designing the portal to be user friendly, will enhance user experience (Mrinalini, Nath and Sandhya 2013). Biggest differentiator would be that with no ads, and providing shared property listing, this will encourage more hits. Features including Hot Property feature listing for Premium members and Property verification services would differentiate the portal from others. Providing rewards in the form of discounted premium listing, for leaving feedback after a successful introduction (Ananth and nc 2013). Providing dedicated customer support lines for Landlords and tenants would add to positive brand image. Initially revenue generation will only be through charging trades people or property related trades business to advertise their services on a separate dedicated page. This is currently not available in any of the other existing property portals (Das 2014). Revenue generating Services would include reference and credit checking tenants. Publishing information on rental trends by city, free rental advice for registered members and publishing various renting and relocation guides to generate page views Internal context focused VRIO Analysis VRIO framework was used to analyze sources of the Enterprises internal competitive advantage. VRIO analysis asks four questions = Is a resource: Valuable? Rare? Easy to Imitate? And is a firm Organized to capture the value of the resources? A resource or capability that meets all four requirements can bring sustained competitive advantage to the organization. Internal people resources (design and development team) were valuable and key to the growth of the organization. Although skill set was not rare, they were difficult to find, recruit and replace. Using the framework in Figure 6, the people resources provided temporary competitive advantage. Using the VRIO framework, the additional services offered by KAMRAFINDER.COM are unique, they can be easily be imitated. Moreover, the filtered database of construction related tradesmen and businesses could be easily replicated and copied (Shah 2012). Although the database is only available to registered members, anyone can register to gain access to this information. Rental trends are another premium feature, which currently is published elsewhere. This feature would only provide temporary competitive advantage, but can be duplicated easily on other portals. Tenant Credit and reference check service is something that is not offered currently, would be valuable to Landlords, and is difficult to imitate (Rapoport 2014). With marketing and organizational effort, the firm can be geared to capture value. This will help sustain competitive advantage. Other special portal features such as Property of the month, verified properties, recommended tenants etc. will add value and assist sustai n competitive advantage. Figure 6: Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage VRIO Framework (Source:J.B. Barney and W.S. Hesterly 2006) KSF Analysis - KAMRAFINDER.COM As part of the management workshop, each member of the board was asked to independently come up with three activities for the launch of the portal to be successful. It was decided that members would then read out the three activities, any similarities will be categorized under a common theme, and any differences will be debated to finally arrive at key success factors (KSF) (Jongwanich and Kohpaiboon 2013). The results surprised us all and we came up with activities that could be classified under three broad themes: Brand Marketing, Hit Generation or web traffic and Operational Excellence. This more or less resonated with the results of Value Discipline Analysis (Ramaiah et al. 2013). Hit Generation and driving web traffic is part of providing a user-friendly portal. Ensuring that customer support staff our trained at communicating effectively with customers, was also very important to maintaining customer intimacy and ensuring there no service downtime is key to Operational Excellence (Bhagat and Jones 2013). Security of critical customer information had to be taken seriously. Effective Marketing is also an important ingredient to the success. SWOT KAMRAFINDER.COM Analyzing the internal strengths and weaknesses enabled some harder questions to be asked both of the companys resources and what they should actually be used for. For example, the realization that being good at Online Marketing did not just translate into strength, rather there was a financial gap in finding the funds for a successful marketing campaign. Strengths Strong Online Marketing experience Professional Network with influential business Entrepreneurs Good understanding of Property Rental Market Good understanding of Real Estate markets Superior product the portal Strong Organization with good leadership Strong people values and HR support functions to develop staff Training and development opportunities from experienced Entrepreneurs Revenue through alternate streams and not through advertising Ideas for alternate revenue streams Weakness Limited Financial Resources and Marketing budget Reliance on Social Media Marketing No main revenue streams in the first year of launch, due to business strategy to not charge for property listing Lack of Data security expertise within the organization A new brand, yet to launch Lack of technical skills to develop an iStore and Android App. Probably need to outsource this activity Lack of Skilled IT support personnel to ensure minimum downtime Opportunities Entering a Commercial Lettings market segment Strategic Alliance with Corporate for letting and property management for corporate guesthouses Innovation and Technology Innovation and Continuous Improvement into Operational processes Featured Marketing in leading newspapers and business magazines Tenant Reference check service as alternate revenue stream Subscription revenue from listing and verifying tradesmen and small home-related businesses Threats Copycat portals are potential threat Existing portals with large capital can copy the idea and enter this market segment Loss of skilled workforce to competitors Strong competition from copycat portals Strategic Portal features and Services The various internal and external frameworks helped develop interesting strategic insights into the sort of features that would improve the product and services offered, thus creating value (Searle 2014). Features Subscription Free Templates for rental contracts would be added value to members. A forum for users to provide feedback and propose additional services they would like to see was also proposed. A separate page for Reviews of Tradesmen and businesses Maintain and Publish rental trends classified by demographic areas in major cities. Loyalty / Reward schemes for referrals Featured property listing: Featured listing of Property rentals by City. Verified badge for Properties verified by the customer service department. Dashboard for property owners providing detailed summary of Properties advertised, number of page views, number of likes, contact details of prospective tenants and provision to edit, delete or add more properties (Halbert and Rouanet 2014). Facility to add links to the portal and post property ads on Social Media sites. Free Rental Yield Advice to Landlords. Dedicated listing of house-share / shared accommodation and paying guest type accommodation. Revenue generating Services Tenant Reference and credit checking service to Landlords. This service would consist of requesting bank statements, payslips and reference requests from employer and previous landlord. There is currently no agency offering this service. Another avenue for Revenue generation would be premium subscription based listing of Commercial Property Rentals (Thomas 2014). This could include Office space, corporate building leases, retail units and warehouse leasing. Yellow Pages Database of Tradesmen and Home related businesses. Dedicated page for listing of registered and vetted tradesmen and home related businesses such as Electrical Suppliers, Plumbing suppliers, home appliance suppliers and bespoke furniture Suppliers in each of the major cities (Shatkin 2014). Strategic Option and Recommendations It was evident that to launch the new portal in the market, a significant Marketing campaign was essential. With limited financial resources, people resources and virtually no brand awareness, KAMRAFINDER.COM has to choose from one or a combination of the following strategic marketing options. Option 1: Social Media Marketing and Internet Marketing channels (B2C). Internet marketing is much bigger than Google and Facebook. The following are the marketing strategies that organization uses to drive traffic to their portals. 1A) Search Engine Optimization When users search on Google, two types of results come up: paid and unpaid. Unpaid search results rely on algorithms that determine the relevancy of your website compared to the search terms or keywords. Where you land on these unpaid search results depends on search engine optimization (SEO). Solid SEO can determine how high up you appear in the search results, often called your page rank. 1B)Pay Per Click (PPC) Campaigns PPC Campaigns are where an organization defines certain keywords and combination of keywords and certain geographical parameters and pays Google to show up in paid search results. PPC campaigns can burn through the marketing budget unless the keywords are selected carefully and configured accurately for targeted marketing. The higher an organization is prepared to pay for the keyword, the better the position of the search result listing. By leveraging both SEO and well-configured PPC campaigns the Portal can achieve high page rank and better position in the listings. This helps generate web traffic to the portal. 1C) Social Media Marketing Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube can reach millions of the intended target market. A corporate profile page helps engages with current and potential customers. This can help achieve customer intimacy. Providing links from social media pages to the portal, will aid improving page ranking. This also drives web traffic. 1D) Mobile Marketing Still in its infancy, millions of Smartphone users are clamouring to get the best applications and mobile technologies available. Mobile phone users download free mobile games from the Apple Store and Google Play (Android Application store). There are ads embedded in the free games that help monetize by In App Advertising. This is one of the economical channels for Marketing for organisation with a smaller marketing budget. 1E) Video Marketing Billions of people share and view original videos at YouTube, Founded in 2005, YouTube stands as the third highest ranked search engine in the world, after Google and Facebook. But how do you create that one video that goes viral? What elements do you need to take your video from 100 views to 10 million views? Despite the challenges, experts predict that Video Marketing will outpace the growth of traditional TV advertising. 1F) Display Advertising For the organization, which has huge budget for online marketing, they can adhere to display advertising. Also referred to as banner ads, advertising with a site with high traffic whose audience fits the target market can be very effective. A person can buy an advertising space going by the site that has the huge number of hits. A featured banner ad promoted the brand, attracting traffic to the desired portal. Placing banner ads can also help with search engine rankings since the ads create a link back to desired portal, increasing the authority in search engine algorithms. Googlepredictsthat by 2015 display advertising will reach $50 billion. 1G) Online PR and Article Marketing Blogging and Article Marketing are effective techniques to promote new portal launches. By posting an article on social media or blogging about the unique offering of the site on various social media and PR websites helps generates impressions. The posting is another parameter that Google Algorithm uses to decide where to position the portal. The better will be the impression; the better will be the position. Considering all the above options would help develop a successful Internet marketing strategy. Option 2: Marketing through Newspaper and Magazine Advertising (B2C) A featured ad promoting the online marketplace for share property rental, commercial rentals and conventional property renting in the leading newspapers could potentially generate a lot of page hits Option 3: Marketing at Property Expo events in India (B2C) Property Expo events attracts a lot of interest for people interested in purchasing second homes or investment homes or timeshares. This is probably one of the best locations to meet landlords and encouraging them to register as members and promoting the value added services and the portals unique selling point (USP). Option 4: Marketing through Strategic partnerships with developers (B2B) This may be a good strategic option to explore, as top tier builders attract a lot of public interest in new developments. Sponsoring mutually beneficial events in a premier venue in the major cities, may help share costs and at the same time property sharks who invest in Residential Properties could be potential customer of KAMRAFINDER.COM. Option 5: Market through TV / Media (B2C) This option requires a significant marketing budget, which really limits the possibility of pursuing this option unless there is a corpus of funding from Venture Capitalists. Due to the previous Digital Advertising and Online Marketing skill sets within the board, it was decided to utilize the Marketing budget to pursue selected Option 1 (Online Marketing channels), Option 2 and Option 3 simultaneously. Reflection At the start of the workshops the Strategy challenge roadmap was used to draw out facts and questions. These informed the frameworks and models that were subsequently used to analyse the strategy and to formulate the strategic options. The workshops continued to draw out further facts and questions. In carrying out this strategy assignment there has been a realization that many companies would benefit from carrying out similar exercises. The whole process was iterative and at times, it was difficult to convey this in the written word. Often, questions and frameworks were populated out of sequence with questions being raised to which answers were unknown. The questions themselves would be subsequently asked as part of another framework. The process involved jumping between high levels and supporting frameworks, this might show that it is difficult to remain focused on high-level strategy without getting into detail. There is a big question about whether the new online venture will be a profitable venture or not. In carrying out this assignment, we have been fortunate to be able to progress the development of the portal alongside it. Online Marketing channels are certainly an economical, however it is also a time consuming exercise. The Hits conversion ratio can be poor compared to conventional Marketing techniques. References Ananth, S. and nc, S.T., 2013. Challenges to financial inclusion in India: The case of Andhra Pradesh.Economic and Political Weekly,48(7), pp.77-83. Baka, J., 2013. The political construction of wasteland: governmentality, land acquisition and social inequality in South India.Development and Change,44(2), pp.409-428. Bhagat, R.B. and Jones, G.W., 2013.Population change and migration in Mumbai Metropolitan Region: Implications for planning and governance. Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. Brosius, C., 2012.Indias middle class: New forms of urban leisure, consumption and prosperity. Routledge. Chadchan, J. and Shankar, R., 2012. An analysis of urban growth trends in the post-economic reforms period in India.International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment,1(1), pp.36-49. Chatterji, T., 2013. The micro-politics of urban transformation in the context of globalisation: a case study of Gurgaon, India.South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies,36(2), pp.273-287. Crowe, C., DellAriccia, G., Igan, D. and Rabanal, P., 2013. How to deal with real estate booms: Lessons from country experiences.Journal of Financial Stability,9(3), pp.300-319. Das, P. 2014.Real Estate Finance in India. Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. Deere, C.D., Oduro, A.D., Swaminathan, H. and Doss, C., 2013. Property rights and the gender distribution of wealth in Ecuador, Ghana and India.The Journal of Economic Inequality,11(2), pp.249-265. Dobbs, M., 2014. Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates.Competitiveness Review,24(1), pp.32-45. Fereidouni, H.G. and Al-mulali, U., 2014. The interaction between tourism and FDI in real estate in OECD countries.Current Issues in Tourism,17(2), pp.105-113. Gandhi, A. and Walton, M., 2012. Where Do Indias Billionaires Get Their Wealth?.Economic and Political Weekly,47(40), pp.10-14. George Tovstiga (2013) Strategy in Practice (Second Edition) A Practitioners guide to Strategic Thinking. Ghertner, D.A., 2014. India's urban revolution: geographies of displacement beyond gentrification.Environment and Planning A,46(7), pp.1554-1571. Halbert, L. and Rouanet, H., 2014. Filtering risk away: Global finance capital, transcalar territorial networks and the (un) making of city-regions: An analysis of business property development in Bangalore, India.Regional Studies,48(3), pp.471-484. Ibef.org, 2016.India Brand Equity Foundation, IBEF, Business Opportunities in India. [online] Ibef.org. Available at: https://www.ibef.org/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Jongwanich, J. and Kohpaiboon, A., 2013. Capital flows and real exchange rates in emerging Asian countries.Journal of Asian Economics,24, pp.138-146. Khanna, T., 2013.Billions of entrepreneurs: How China and India are reshaping their futures and yours. Harvard Business Press. Mehrotra, S., Parida, J., Sinha, S. and Gandhi, A., 2014. Explaining employment trends in the Indian economy: 1993-94 to 2011-12.Economic and Political Weekly,49(32), pp.49-57. Mitra, A. and Ray, D., 2014. Implications of an economic theory of conflict: Hindu-Muslim violence in India.Journal of Political Economy,122(4), pp.719-765. Mrinalini, N., Nath, P. and Sandhya, G.D., 2013. Foreign direct investment in RD in India.Current Science,105(6), pp.767-73. Pethe, A., Nallathiga, R., Gandhi, S. and Tandel, V., 2014. Re-thinking urban planning in India: learning from the wedge between the de jure and de facto development in Mumbai.Cities,39, pp.120-132. Rajan, S.I., 2014.India migration report 2012: Global financial crisis, migration and remittances. Routledge. Ramaiah, K.D., Kumar, K.V., Ravi, R. and Das, P.K., 2013. Situation analysis in a large urban area of India, prior to launching a programme of mass drug administrations to eliminate lymphatic filariasis.Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology. Rapoport, E., 2014. Utopian Visions and Real Estate Dreams: The Eco city Past, Present and Future.Geography Compass,8(2), pp.137-149. Rouanet, H. and Halbert, L., 2016. Leveraging finance capital: Urban change and self-empowerment of real estate developers in India.Urban Studies,53(7), pp.1401-1423. Sami, N., 2013. From farming to development: Urban coalitions in Pune, India.International Journal of Urban and Regional Research,37(1), pp.151-164. Sarathy, P.S., 2013. TQM practice in real-estate industry using AHP.Quality Quantity,47(4), pp.2049-2063. Schulte, K.W., 2012.Real Estate Education Throughout the World: Past, Present and Future: Past, Present and Future(Vol. 7). Springer Science Business Media. Searle, L.G., 2014. Conflict and commensuration: contested market making in India's private real estate development sector.International Journal of Urban and Regional Research,38(1), pp.60-78. Searle, L.G., 2014. Conflict and commensuration: contested market making in India's private real estate development sector.International Journal of Urban and Regional Research,38(1), pp.60-78. Shah, M. 2012.Marketing Real Estate in India. Saarbrucken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing. Shatkin, G., 2014. Contesting the Indian city: Global visions and the politics of the local.International Journal of Urban and Regional Research,38(1), pp.1-13. Sornette, D. and Cauwels, P., 2014. 19802008: The illusion of the perpetual money machine and what it bodes for the future.Risks,2(2), pp.103-131. Squires, G. and Heurkens, E., 2014.International Approaches to Real Estate Development. Routledge. Stephen R Covey (1989).7 Habits of Highly Effective People. UK: Simon and Schuster. p13-332. Taylor, P.J., Ni, P., Derudder, B., Hoyler, M., Huang, J. and Witlox, F., 2012.Global urban analysis: A survey of cities in globalization. Routledge. Thomas, J.J., 2014. The demographic challenge and employment growth in India.Economic Political Weekly,49(6), pp.15-17. Treacy, M., Wiersema, F. (1993).Customer intimacy and other value disciplines.Harvard Business Review, 71 1) 8493. W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne (2011) (Harvard Business Press) Blue Ocean Strategy: How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant

Twelfth Night Analysis Essay Example For Students

Twelfth Night Analysis Essay William Shakespeares Twelfth Night is set in a province called Illyria on the coast of Italy. The play is about a brother and sister, Sebastian and Viola, who are separated after a shipwreck, and both think the other has drowned. The play tells the tale of how they were eventually reunited. There are a wide range of characters in the play; ranging from Malvolio, Olivias steward, who is very self-centred with no sense of humour to Sir Toby who is always out enjoying himself and really just lives a life of pleasure. A caring character is Viola; she is not ne to upset other people. Olivia receives a lot of sympathy because she is mourning for her brother. Orsino has a comfortable but useless existence. He is rich but sits moping about love all day. All of these characters are different and each have their faults such as Sir Toby may be criticised for taking a lot of Sir Andrews money whereas Violas fault is that she is too nice, never wanting to cause anyone any harm. This is a fault be cause it may hold her back from doing a something that she should. We will write a custom essay on Twelfth Night Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I think that Shakespeare has given the characters faults to ake them more interesting and realistic. Malvolio tries to impress Olivia but it does not work. Although she respects him she does not favour him, as he thinks, for having a good job. He is good at his job but should enjoy himself instead of thinking himself all the time. This is one thing that makes him an unlikeable character also he considers himself to be superior to other characters but no one really likes him and he does not know what they really think of him. Although he mostly cares about himself some of his love goes to Olivia. I think that he wants to be romantic but has a hard time expressing his feelings or does not want people to know what hes really like. His character does not really develop throughout the play, and I disliked him as much at the end as I did at the start of the play. Sir Toby is a likeable character because he does not care what anyone thinks of him, if they do not like him, they will just have to put up with it. People think he should be a respectable gentleman and act his age but he finds acting like everyone else stuffy and claustrophobic. Sir Toby is certainly not a model gentleman but when he drinks his behaviour is even worse. He does not have a lot of money. He may have had more but living a life of pleasure has changed that. He is criticised for living a life of pleasure but at least, unlike some other characters, he is genuine, he does not try to be anything he is not, and this is one of the reasons why Maria loves him. Although Sir Toby is a likeable Character his practical jokes do tend to get tiresome as the play wears on. Olivia, Sir Tobys niece, is not ike him at all. She is a well off countess who is respectable and acts the way she should. Olivia receives a lot of sympathy because she has lost her father and her brother, but Sir Toby does not think that her grieving is genuine. Olivia is quite a likeable character but I think that she is taking it a bit too far, saying she will never love another man again. It is likely that she enjoys all of the attention and sympathy that she is getting. Viola, the sister of Sebastian, has a lot going for her; she is intelligent, tactful, honest nd well educated and able to deal with people better than the other characters. She is a caring character who likes to get things done, she isnt one to just sit back and do nothing or let others do things for her. Being caring is one of Violas main features. She does not like to upset or hurt people and she would not mock people or make fun of them behind their backs. She carried out her commands and even though she was put in an awkward position she did not refuse for fear of upsetting someone. Some of Violas lines are he most poetic of the entire play and therefore, perhaps, are the ones which will be remembered the most. Duke Orsino does not seem to have much character or personality. .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b , .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .postImageUrl , .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b , .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:hover , .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:visited , .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:active { border:0!important; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:active , .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4bea9f9b2829dc9e8b39faae14048a5b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Comparison Contrast of A Brave New World and 1984 EssayHe seems not to do very much, he has an almost useless existence; he just sits about moping about love. He is rich and has a comfortable existence with lots of servants. He seems young and immature, and does not have the same wisdom or knowledge as Viola and Sir Toby do. He is not an imposing figure, but it is possible that there is more to him than meets the eye. Orsino has ried with Maria but has not succeeded because she is in love with Sir Toby. It is too hard to form an opinion of him because he isnt a very noticeable character. I think that Viola emerges with credit at the end of the play because her only fault is that she is too nice so she could not be criticised for anything. Two characters who I think come out of the play badly are Sir Toby and Malvolio. Both of these characters can be annoying at times, and although Toby may have started off well he does end up quite boring, whereas Malvolio, on the other hand, was never a likeable character. Twelfth Night Analysis Essay Example For Students Twelfth Night Analysis Essay of Othello as a tragic hero and his correspondence to the canons for tragic protagonists. Othello and Aristotles Definition of Tragedy To decide how well Othello fits into the mold of a tragic hero, one needs to accept in the first place a working definition of tragedy and tragic hero. The theorists exploring tragedy almost universally draw upon the classic account of this play variety in Aristotles Poetics. The prominent Greek philosopher defined a heroic tragedy in the following way: A truly tragic plot is a disastrous reversal of fortune, coming, through his own fault, to a man of essentially noble quality, accompanied by the discovery that some other person or persons are not what they had seemedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ test of a great tragedy is its power to cleanse the beholders emotions through the pity and fear which it awakens in them Othello: the tragic hero. This cleansing that is realised through pity and fear was termed catharsis and is an indispensable feature of any tragedy. We will write a custom essay on Twelfth Night Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Besides, a tragedy needs a character of noble quality, guilty of some kind of fault that brings about tragic events. A tragedy also has to present to the reader a plot possessing some logical unity and completion and the one that contains engaging action. Aristotle also specified that a tragedy has to include appropriate linguistic devices that serve to bring out its meaning Time and the tragic hero. Most critics stopped short of saying that Shakespeare was aware of Aristotelian theories and took them as a guide for writing Time and the tragic hero; Djordjevic 2003. However, his tragedies reveal strict adherence to Aristotles theory, and Othello is no exception. Whether this correspondence was caused by a thorough study of Aristotles works or through an accidental coincidence of thoughts of two geniuses of the worlds culture remains a matter for guessing. Thus, the play definitely possesses a noble character, Othello. The mans nobility of action contrasts with his dark-colored appearance, unusual for Europe of that time. Othello proved himself to be a noble warrior deserving of the highest respect. He never acts dishonestly or cowardly throughout the play; in fact, nobility is one of the most important features of his character. Yet he fails through his own fault, and this fault is his credibility. An essentially good feature, it is taken to extremes in Othello, which causes his demise. He never stoops to questioning Desdemona. He is so absorbed in what Iago tells him that he never questions the words of the villain. At the time when the vicious Iago weaves his web of conspiracy, gullible Othello greets him with the words: I know thou art full of love and honesty. Therefore, Othello is not with bitterness, confessing that his ruin was brought about by his own failure: O cursed, cursed slave! Whip me, ye devils, from the possession of the heavenly sight! Blow me about the winds! roast me in sulphur! O Desdemona, Desdemona Dead! O! O! O! Othello as a play also fits Aristotle description as it contains logical unity and coherence that is a necessary component of tragedy. The play starts from the moment of idyllic honeymooning between Othello and Desdemona and follows Iagos treacherous plan from inception to its tragic success. Othellos sufferings in youth and the story of his courtship stay behind the scene, but in Othellos account they form an logical background for the action observed by the viewer. Othello evokes in the readers both pity and fear. They are pressured to feel sorry for the man who so sadly loses his wife due to a conspiracy. The pity for Othello even exceeds the feeling for Desdemona who is merely a victim; she does not have to suffer the pangs of conscience for what she has done. At the same time pity is not the only feeling Othello evokes in the readers or viewers. He also raises fear as a man capable of such a savage revenge, killing a wife on the spot for the alleged adultery. It seems that even at the time of more stringent morality such as mediaeval Italy not every husband would go that far as to kill the adulteress. This is even less likely in Elizabethan England, and so had to seem even wilder to Shakespeares contemporaries. Othellos reaction demonstrates that he was a man of extremely hot temper and strong emotions, capable of venting his sentiments in a very violent way. Othello: A Stock Comic Character? .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd , .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .postImageUrl , .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd , .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:hover , .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:visited , .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:active { border:0!important; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:active , .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1e32c7f3a178f5673b35f05a7039e9bd:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Night Of The Hunter: The Preacher EssayAlthough the standard view is to see Othello as a purely tragic character, other, mopre unusual interpretations are possible. Igor Djordjevic in his article Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet: From Shakespearean Tragedy to Postmodern Satyr Play points out an interesting aspect of Othellos character. In his view, Othello could have been a comic fellow instead, and he is inverted into a tragic hero by the playwright. Othello is a character typical of comedies; a husband whose wife is much younger and more beautiful, and thus raises fears of being deceived. However, Othello does not fit into the regular model of a husband whose worries are to be derided. At the outset of the play he appears as a lover who must obtain the legitimization of his courtship of Desdemona, and he must overcome the multiple obstacles of the senex, racial prejudice, and religious charges of witchcraft Djordjevic 2003. It is his painful pursuit of Desdemona whom he had to steal to be able to marry her that wins him the hearts of the reader. Shakespeare depicts the trials of Othello, a victim to racial bias, in such a way that the reader begins to sympathise with the late love of this great man, the swan song of his life that is already to some degree tragic. Seeing him lose what he worked so hard to attain endears him to the reader even more. Othello evokes pity in the reader partly due to the fact that he experienced so many hardships in life that the skilful narrative of these hardships eventually won him Desdemonas heart: She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them. The playwright tries here to instil in the reader sympathy with the old soldier who fought desperately for his love going through many hardships. The listener responds by saying I think this tale would win my daughter too, and this approval symbolically à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ upon him the approval and affection of the fictional worlds power structures Djordjevic 2003. Is Othello Real? Now we will turn in our discussion to a possible objection to the fact that Othello is a tragic hero. Some criticism of his belonging to this category comes from the speculation concerning the realism and probability conveyed by Othello which suggests that because of the seeming unlikelihood of the events in the play, it is not characteristic of a tragedy Sharina. Indeed, the plot develops in a rather speedy manner and the playwright does not elaborate on Othellos or other characters. Even so, the action seems unrealistic only at first glance. First, it is a mode of the artist to show the public the unusual and the unexpected basing these things on the knowledge of everyday things that are familiar to everybody. Shakespeare here makes his audience see jealousy in a new light, and it is no wonder that the name of Othello has come to be a generic name for a jealous husband. It is positive that reading through the story had a deterrent effect on the behaviour of many violent husbands who could have stopped short of beating their wives to death in a family quarrel provoked by suspicions of infidelity. And is such a scenario an unlikely one? Women die in family battles even in most developed nations of the world today, and the examination of domestic violence statistics may show that wife murder is unfortunately still a prevalent phenomenon even after centuries of struggle for gender equality and reduction of crime rate. If we consider that things that are unusual in our own environment may unfortunately be prevalent in the lives of other social groups, we will see that events in Othello are not that unusual. The fact that Othello is easily persuaded to murder his wife by Iago should not be regarded as totally unrealistic either. This is what Aristotle would describe as hamartia à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the characters tragic flaw. For Othello, it is his naivetÃÆ' © and credulousness. His devotion comes to be exploited by one of the most ingenious villains in the history of literature. Iagos motives appear clear. Indeed, so many evil actions are committed every day due to jealousness that Iagos behaviour should not be surprising. In this character, viciousness is combined with deep psychological insight and potential for intrigue that are worthy of a better application. To count as Othellos close friend and ally, Iago had to be an outstanding player skilfully performing the part of the devoted ensign. He manipulates Othello to bring about his ruin in a way in which Othello would never be able to manipulate him. The events in the play may lead the reader to question why Othello is so ready to trust Iago and unwilling to trust his beloved wife Desdemona, a fact that generates the protagonists tragic flaw. .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c , .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .postImageUrl , .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c , .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:hover , .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:visited , .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:active { border:0!important; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:active , .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9596c343747ab067670ec7e2795c610c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How To Cite A Short Story In An EssayThere several possible explanations for this apparently surprising behavior. First, Othello has come to rely on Iago in numerous mutual adventures where both risked their lives. The time itself spent together justifies the trust Othello puts in Iago. Perhaps to that point he had never come across the betrayal of a close male friend, except for Cassio, but there the conflict, in Iagos suggestion, was caused by the woman. Second, Othellos relationship with Desdemona arrived at the time when he probably had lost hope for a happy family life. She appeared as a star on the horizon to illuminate his life, and all the time he probably doubted that he could be a proper match for the beautiful girl she was. The idea that she is betraying him with someone else, someone younger, more handsome and closer to her in terms of background, social rank and status, falls on ready ears. This is something Othello had feared to hear for a long time, in spite of the seemingly idyllic love between him and his wife. Thus, Othellos actions seem closer and more understandable to us than seems at first glance. And it is action, not characterization that makes a tragedy, according to Aristotle Sharina. That is why he is a real tragic character. Comparison to Other Tragic Heroes Othello is similar to and different from other characters in other plays by Shakespeare. Of all the characters, he probably falls most of all due to his own tragic fault, and Aristotles hamartia is most evident in this case. Other characters such as King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo, have to fight evil in a more open form. Hamlet, for instance, has to deal with the betrayal of his father-in-law and mother. True, he has to obtain proof of their betrayal, which is the reason he suspends the revenge desired by his father. But there is hardly a reason to blame Hamlet from the point of view of modern liberal criminal justice that places emphasis on preserving the rights of the suspected. Hamlet acts on the evidence he has, and his indecisiveness is the direct consequence of his responsible attitude towards revenge. King Lear, in his turn, falls victim to his paternal feelings. His misfortune was brought about by his extreme trust in his daughters, but few readers would expect a father to act in distrust of ones children. Mothers and fathers forsaking all they have for their children are praised and respected in our society that highly appreciates such behavior. The fact that daughters turned out to lack gratitude is an example of undisguised evil that can, as many people think, happen to the best of parents. These two characters are definitely not villains; rather, they fall prey to evil people eager to take advantage of some traits of their characters that under other circumstances are most worthy. Strictly speaking, their actions cannot even be named mistakes from the moral, not strategic, point of view. Macbeth, on the other hand, is a straightforward villain, and his ruin is the result of his own treacherous acts. He yields to ambition, killing Duncan, to become King of Scotland. A virtuous reader has little ground to associate oneself with this character and simply observes a tale of how a villain is brought to ruin through his deeds. Othello, on the other hand, is essentially a moral person who fails through making a terrible mistake. Conclusion Thus, Othello is a bona fide tragic hero, even if he is not a man of unusual stature or appearance. He possesses all the vital traits of the tragic character, noble qualities, pure character, and a tragic fault, his naivetÃÆ' © that makes him vulnerable to the intrigues of his antagonist, Iago. A staple comic character, a deceived husband, he is turned into a really tragic personage by the sympathy with which Shakespeare describes his misfortune. His tribulations, although somewhat unrealistic at first glance, are in line with the everyday happenings even in contemporary world. Othello stands out from other tragic heroes, because he falls through his own flaw and yet his flaw is so minor that is incomparable with the misfortunes he suffers.