Essay Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre as a Cinderella Story

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre as a Cinderella Story Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre can be characterized in many ways as a variation of Cinderella. There are several versions of this popular fairy--tale. At the time Bronte’s novel was published, the Grimms’ book of tales, which included Cinderella, was very popular. According to Sally Mitchell, The serious interest in folklore was spurred by the translation, in 1823, of the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. A version of Cinderella was also written by Charles Perrault. Both Perrault’s and the Grimms’ tales have a place in Bronte’s narrative. There is no specific evidence of her reading these yet, Bronte could easily have known two versions of the Cinderella tale: the†¦show more content†¦She tells her that she must always remain good and devout, and that God will help her and she will watch over her from heaven. Eventually Cinderella’s father remarries. His new wife has two daughters who although beautiful are said to b e black at heart. They are terribly mean to Cinderella and will not even let her eat with them because they say she did not earn it. She is forced to work and wear shabby gray frocks and wooden shoes. One day her father travels to the fair and asks the daughters what he can bring them. The materialistic sisters asked for fine clothes and jewels. Cinderella on the other hand, asks for the first twig that brushes against her father’s hat on his return. The sisters make fun of Cinderella for this, yet she took the twig and planted it on her mother’s grave. Her tears watered it and a great tree emerged. Cinderella would go daily to the tree and pray. A bird would always be there, and whatever Cinderella asked for it would throw down. Cinderella discovers at one point in the story the king is giving a festival to find his son a bride. Her stepmother tells her she can go if she picks out all the lentils that they threw in the fireplace. Cinderella agrees and calls to all the birds under heaven that come and help her with her task. Yet no matter what she did, her stepmother had no intentions of letting her go to the festival. After the others leave, Cinderella weeps on herShow MoreRelated Jane Eyre, the Cinderella Copy Essay589 Words   |  3 Pages Cinderella is a classic fairytale almost every person knows. Such recognition was earned through time and it’s originality. Yet from this well-known tale, many stories have stemmed into their own interesting aspects of virtually the same plot with similar characters. One of the related stories is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà «. Brontà « uses the main character Jane as Cinderella who finds her prince charming. Even though Jane Eyre contains more about human nat ure and less of magic, it still resemblesRead More Revision of Master Narratives within Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea2157 Words   |  9 Pagesmood of the time was. From there one will be able to discuss how they were revised, and if in fact they were revised at all. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Bronte is known as one of the first revolutionary and challenging authoress’ with her text Jane Eyre. The society of her time was male dominated, women were marginally cast aside and treated as trophies for their male counterparts. Their main role in life was to be a mother and a wife, â€Å" Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦the moreRead MoreHow Does Jasper Fforde s The Eyre Affair Testify?1419 Words   |  6 PagesHow does Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair testify to the importance of reading in the formation of one’s self-identity? Many aspects contribute to the formation of a person’s self-identity. Whether it be their surroundings, their culture, their language, or even other’s personal identities, they all shape one’s perception of the world, the self-imposed rules surrounding them, and where they believe they belong within it. This world is encompassed with stories, and they contribute to the fabricationRead MoreComparing Jane Eyre, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast1830 Words   |  8 Pagesattention in Charlotte Brontà «s Jane Eyre and when first reading the novel, we all tend to see it as a work built around the theme of family and Janes continuous search for home and acceptance. The love story seems to fall into second place and I believe that the special relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester needs to be thoroughly discussed and interpreted, because it holds many captivating elements, such as mystery, passion or even betrayal. The aim of this essay is to analyze the love story betweenRead MoreJanes Relationship with Rochester in Brontes Jane Eyre Essay1257 Words   |  6 PagesRochester in Brontes Jane Eyre Works Cited Not Included Jane Eyre is one of the most famous and well-read romantic novels in English literature. The novel has been translated into scores of different languages and adapted many times for dramatised productions. The relationship between Jane and Rochester is the central theme of the novel. Charlotte BrontÃÆ' «Read MoreEssay on Governess Relationships in Brontes Jane Eyre1182 Words   |  5 PagesGoverness Relationships in Brontes Jane Eyre    The Victorian governess suffered socially because of her position. The relationship between her and others that were in her class was strained because of her financial situation. She often suffered from status incongruity. The relationship between a governess and a gentleman was difficult because she was not his financial equal (Peterson 13). While the relationship was strained in her novel Jane Eyre, Bronte leads us to believe that it is notRead MoreA Dialogue of Self and Soul11424 Words   |  46 Pagesto women, though it refers brieï ¬â€šy to the ambiguous class position of governesses such as Jane Eyre. The authors analyse the intertwined processes of female rebellion and repression in the narrative and highlight in particular the reading of Bertha Mason, the mad wife, as the symbol of Jane’s repressed passion. This was later to become an accepted interpretation of Bertha. In relating the novel to Charlotte Brontà « the writer, they see the text as ultimately half-optimistic for women’s future inRead MoreAnalysis Of Charlotte Brontes Beloved Novel Jane Eyre1750 Words   |  7 Pages The Many Lovely Things of Jane Charlotte Bronte’s beloved novel Jane Eyre stepped out of the literary world and into our own when The Hale Center Theatre in Orem, Utah set this moving story to the stage. This follows the narrative of a young Jane Eyre, starting as an orphan in a victorian society, she struggles to find a place to belong. After being branded as a troubled and mischievousness child she is sent to a religious christian school to learn her place. Here she finds a much needed friend

Transformational Leadership An Influential Model Of...

Transformational leadership is an influential model of leadership style that includes four key behaviors: (1) influence through a vision, (2) motivating through inspiration, (3) stimulating the intellect of subordinates, and (4) individualized consideration. Transactional leadership is built on reciprocity and includes four behavioral elements: (1) making rewards contingent on performance, (2) correcting problems actively when performance goes wrong, (3) refraining from interruptions of performance if it meets standards, and (4) a laissez-fair (let alone) approach to organizational change. (Burns, Bradley, Weiner, 2012, pp. 38-39) Both models are considered contemporary styles and are designed to address today’s need for leadership to†¦show more content†¦Such an example would be a recent â€Å"Code Black† situation that occurred across EMHS when the entire healthcare system lost computer network capabilities for several hours. Because the network failure r esulted in the inability to use the electronic medical record, email and all internet-related functions, an incident command structure was established and a single incident commander was assigned to direct activities related to patient care and network systems recovery. The leadership in this event was transactional in that tasks were assigned in a clear and concise manner, they were responded to or completed by subordinates, and appropriate rewards and recognition (which in this case were quick thank you’s) were provided throughout the course of the day. There was no time, nor was it appropriate given the circumstance for leaders to use inspirational messages to motivate staff which may have been interpreted in various ways across different followers. Transformational leaders influence subordinates through inspiration, storytelling, and relationship building. According to Bernard Bass one of the early developers of transformational leadership theory, transformational leadership is a form of leadership that occurs when leaders â€Å"broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purposes and the mission of the group, and when

Risk Management- Analysis of Insurance Contracts

Question: Discuss about a Report on Risk Management- Analysis of Insurance Contracts? Answer: Introduction: An analysis on the established theory of insurance contracts has been made through the argumentative essay. The established theory taken here is the causative theory which involves two types of insurance parties which are first and third party instances. Through this, the efficient proximate cause is studied through case analysis. The efficient proximate cause taken here for the study is peril causes direct loss. There are three types of perils which are immediate peril, intervening peril and initiating peril. The insurance policies that are covered by fire and its related causes are the cases taken for study. The immediate peril refers to causes that have an instant perilous effect on the disaster. The intervening peril is those that intervene and thereby accelerate the intensity of the peril. Initiating perils are those that initiate and cause a peril. The fire insurance covers only those damages that are related to the peril. The efficient proximate cause does not apply to third-p arty policies while causative cause does not apply to first-party policies(Best Barnes, 2007). 2. Definitions Perils are devastations that are caused due to various reasons like a flood, lightening, earthquake, and other such reasons. Properties are generally insured against such perils. These perils are generally mentioned which being insured. Insurance is made on properties that include specific perils. Those perils that are not included under insurance are called as excluded perils. (Brown Gottlieb, 2008). Causation is connecting the peril that is the cause of the disaster and the loss of property or life. Types of Policies: Perils that are covered through various policies are Fire policy: This covers damages from lightning, fire, explosion, aircraft damage, strike, riot, storm, cyclone, hurricane, tempest, flood, earthquake, landslide and impact damage (Patukale, 2009). Mediclaim policy: This reimburses medical expenses that are incurred as an inpatient as a direct result of sickness or accident that has occurred or is contracted from any part world. Householders shopkeepers policy: This includes fire and its allied perils, housebreaking, burglary, baggage and personal accident and public liability (Loomba, 2014). Property Insurance: Insurance may be of two types which are Life insurance and Property insurance In property insurance, the policy considers the chain of events that caused the loss to property and the real cause of the loss to property. Efficient proximate causation is the direct causes that have resulted in that peril Types of Insurance First-Party Insurance Property insurance through first-party insurance is when the insurer is sued for the own loss of the insured. First party insurance is made on ones life, health, fire or disability. The policy is made on those that are mentioned in the contract of insurance. Third-Party Insurance Law distinguished When the insurance policy is purchased t protect oneself from another parties actions, it is called third-party insurance. Here the insured is the first party and the insurance company is the second party while getting protection from the claims of another party is termed as third party claim . Law of Causation The actual clause is the cause in fact. Causation connects the conduct with the result. It relates and connects the resulting effect and the conduct. The result may be an injury or damage. The damage should not be too remote; it should be a breach of duty thereby causing the damage. Causation is a component of tort. When there is liability insurance, there should be some harm that has occurred that has caused a loss to the claimant and this loss will be determined by the insurer in determining whether the loss will have to pay off. If the cause is covered by the policyholder, then the insurer will cover the loss and pay the amount of loss that is being claimed. The actual cause is the cause in fact which is measured through the clause but for. Here the plaintiff claims that he might not have been injured but for- the action of the defendant (Currier Eimermann, 2010). This is why the causation rule applies for third-party insurance liability policy. Two approaches in causation analysis There are two approaches to have causation is handled by the courts. They are Efficient proximate causation and Concurrent causation. Any remote reason that has caused the cause is done through the causation analysis and this is ruled in different ways in the courts of law. The cause that has caused the damage to property may be a proximate reason or a remote reason called as proximate causation and remote causation(Thoyts, 2010). Multiple-causation is when there is a substantial reason for the loss is more than one. The judge then selects from the various cause, determines if there is a real connection between the cause of loss and the damage. The claim is then made only if there is a true result of the loss to that property claimed(Kalis, Reiter, Segerdahl, 2015). Efficient proximate cause: Causa Proxima, no remote spectator is a Latin maxim on which the efficient proximate cause is based upon. This Latin phrase says that the immediate cause is taken for consideration while any remote cause cannot be considered while evaluating the cause of loss to property. If there are more than one cause, the efficient proximate cause is that which has initiated and set the other causes to occur. The loss is pointed to the efficient proximate cause though there may be other reasons that ultimately followed. The argument made here is that in the efficient proximate cause, the third party policies cannot be considered while, in the concurrent causation doctrine, first-party policies will not be considered(Best Barnes, 2007). The proximate cause is that cause which is due to the primary peril and is nearest in time to the result (Huebner, 1922). Rules inefficient proximate cause of loss: If the peril causes loss directly and it is covered, coverage will be provided through the policy. If the peril does not cause loss directly, it will not be covered by the policy (Mann Roberts, 2010). Some rules are The efficient proximate cause of loss might be peril that occurred before the peril nearer to the place or time of loss. The Efficient proximate cause of loss is peril that occurs without the concurrence of unforeseen circumstances. The efficient proximate cause of loss is a loss from a peril which has no intervening or intermediate or controlling cause. The efficient proximate cause of loss is peril acted upon by a subsequent peril(s) and may operate immediately to produce a . The efficient proximate cause of loss is connected essentially with the loss. The immediate peril is just incidental to the peril. Initiating peril does not become an efficient proximate cause of loss when the subsequent peril not immediately stimulated intervenes and causes loss. When there is independent perils, the efficient proximate cause of loss is the immediate or nearest peril The intervening cause of loss peril is independent if it intervenes into the natural event sequence. Initiating peril becomes proximate cause of loss when it naturally acted upon irrespective of whether it is a covered or excluded peril. Concurrent Causation Doctrine Analysis: Concurrent causes are those causes that are equal or almost equally efficient to the loss. To constitute a concurrent proximate cause, each of the peril must be a necessary condition to the loss too (Song, 2014). Traditional Rule: The traditional rule, over the years, has been applied to both first parties as well as to liability insurance. As per the traditional rule, when a covered peril is combined with a peril that has not been included, the loss is not covered by the insurance. So, it is required of the insured to show that his loss was caused only by the covered peril. In turn, it becomes the duty of the insurer to investigate and prove that causes that are not listed in the policy also play a role in the peril. If proved, then the losses will not be compensated for. A variation of the traditional rule has been applied by the traditional rule. Case Study: The methodology used to study the efficient proximate cause is through case analysis. The case analysis is made to study the initiating peril, the intervening peril, and the immediate peril. Each peril is analyzed through an independent case study and the fire policy that covers these policies is seen. The fire policy may be due to fire, thunder, storm, earthquake, etc. These reasons should be through a natural reason from an external source and not due to natural heating or spontaneous combustion. It also does not include theft, burglary, and larceny or due to the actions of any other person involved in the loss.(Arunajatesan Viswanathan, 2009) Case Study I- Initiating Peril: The initiating peril is that peril that has initiated the loss. The case studied here is: Queen had insured Paul Cox in Cox v. Queen Insurance Company of America. The contract for insurance was made against loss in the sea due to hail, windstorm or hurricane on the ship. However, the ship was not insured against tidal water or high water. The property of Cox at Fulton Beach in Texas was heavily damaged. The insured claimed that the loss to the ship was due to windstorm and hail. He claimed that the loss had resulted in heavy damage to the ship. However, the court claimed that there were many reasons that caused damage to the ship. The damage to the ship was not due to hailstorm only that had resulted in loss and damage to the ship. This was the declaration made by the court towards the property of Cox. The windstorm, the initiating peril, probably acted as the cause for the high water. In this case, the loss to the ship was not due to a hailstorm. The ship was damaged as the mast and the spars of the ship. Only if the loss had occurred due to the heavy hailstorm and it had been torn or carried away due to the heavy hailstorm it would have resulted in initiating peril(Owen, 1853). Another incident was seen through the Lydick v. Insurance Company of North America case where William and James Lydick were running a cattle feeding business. They were partners who had insured their cattle against windstorm. However, the cattle had strayed when there was a snowstorm. While straying, they had sustained a heavy injury while some of them had got lost. However, the court ruled that the cattle was injured as it had strayed away and not due to the snowstorm(Smith Simpson, 2006). Case Study II- Immediate Peril: James, on a visit to the feedlot, found around 99 cattle dead in a pond, because the cattle had apparently drowned once they had moved to a pond that was covered in ice and had broken through the ice. At the time of discovery of the cattle, the wind was blowing at the rate of 30 miles per hour and it had gusts up to 40 to 50 miles per hour, just like it had blown the previous day. The cattle appeared to have begun its descent into the sheltered area that is around the pond covered in ice(Smith Simpson, 2006). The ice covered pond comes into existence because of the cold and the windstorm. The temperature in the sheltered area is around 15 to 20 degrees warmer. It was concluded by the court that the loss was not caused directly by the windstorm. Rather, the collapse of the ice covering the pond was the immediate cause. Because it was sheltered from the cold wind, the temperature surrounding the pond region, which was depressed. However, they also argued that the cold wind is immediate cause that led to the cattle crossing the pond. The combination of the windstorm with the cold weather and the snowstorm all culminated and led to the loss of the life of the cattle. If the masts and spars of any ship are damaged or if the sail is torn or has been carried away, unless the loss is directly traced to perils of the sea that were immediate and violent, these expenses need not be borne by the underwriter (Owen, 1853). The term immediate cause does not necessarily mean the fire should be nearest to the loss throughout the sequence of events, it will come within the term fire even if it is not nearest to the sequence of loss and if other events merely contribute to it (Tyagi Tyagi, 2007). Case Study III- Intervening Cause: A yatch was insured for its hull. The yatch owner, Ronald Goodman, in the Goodman v. Firemans Fund Insurance Co., had the hull insurance from the Firemans Fund. The hull was not insured against ice and freeze by the insurance. During the cold winter, when the yatch was laid up, there was a heavy snow(Smith Simpson, 2006). The snow had frozen the cooling system and later the water drained into the hull and corrupted the cooling system and the yatch sank into the sea. The insured claimed that the yatch was insured and had sunk into the sea. However, the court ruled that the sea sank into the water due to the cooling system which had frozen and dropped cool water which had resulted towards its failure and sinking. The intervening cause which was loss due to the frozen was not insured against and Goodman could not get his claim (Hammond, 1840). Though there may be perils from the sea, unless the intervening cause is predominant it cannot be claimed against(Baughen, 2015). Conclusion: The research undertaken is an argumentative essay that has studied the efficient proximate cause. This has been done through studying three types of cases. It has been argued that unless the cause for loss, such as Loss of the ship in the case of Cox was not due to the initiating peril. The death of the cattle was not due to the ice but due to the windstorm and James could not claim his insurance. The loss of the and the hull was due to the freezing climate and was not the intervening peril. Case studies help to learn more about the laws. The case studies undertaken in insurance under efficient proximate cause prove that unless the cause for the loss is due to the most proximate reason it will not be considered (Frangiamore, 2012). The specific ground of proof should be sufficient to claim damages and the proof should be clear and be due to the immediate, intervening or initiating peril (Soyer Tettenborn, 2015)(Llewellyn, 2013). Through these arguments, these cases have been proved to show that the covered peril should be a part of the insurance. The argument made is that remote cause cannot be claimed by the insured. It is only the immediate, intervening or initiating cause that is relevant to the case that will be considered by the insurer. References Alexander, L. G. (1999). Essay and letter writing. Hyderabad: Orient Longman. Arunajatesan, S., Viswanathan, T. S. (2009). Risk management and insurance: Concepts and practices of life and general insurance. New Delhi: Macmillan. Baughen, S. (2015). Shipping law. New York: Routledge. Best, A., Barnes, D. W. (2007). Basic tort law: cases statutes and problems. New York: Aspen Publishers. Brown, R., Gottlieb. (2008). Introduction to ratemaking and loss reserving for property and casuality insurance. Connecticut: ACTEX Publications. Currier, K., Eimermann, T. (2010). Introduction to paralegal studies: A critical thinking approach. New York: Aspen Publishers. Frangiamore, D. (2012). How insurance companies settle cases. Costa Mesa: James Publishing Inc. Hammond, E. (1840). Treatise on the law of fire insurance and insurance on inland waters. New York: Kneeland and Metcalf Printers. Huebner, S. (1922). Property insurance. New York: D.Appleton and Company. Kalis, P., Reiter, T., Segerdahl, J. (2015). Policyholder guide to the law of insurance coverage. New York: Wolters Kluwer. Llewellyn, D. (2013). Teaching high school science through inquiry and argumentation. California: SAGE Publications. Loomba, J. (2014). Risk management and insurance planning. New Delhi: PHI Learning. Mann, R., Roberts, B. (2010). Business law and the legal environment. Boston: Cengage learning. Mathias, J., Shugrue, J., Marrinson, T. (2006). Insurance coverage disputes. New York: Law Journal Press. Murphy, L., Downs, A., Levin, J. (2007). Property insurance:Litigator's handbook. Chicago: ABA Publshing. Owen, S. (1853). The New York legal observer: Reports of cases decided in the courts of equity and common law. New York: Stephen Angel. Patukale, K. (2009). Insurance for everyone. Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd. Song, M. (2014). Causation in insurance contract law. New York: Informa Law. Soyer, B., Tettenborn, A. (2015). Offshore contracts and liabilities. New York: Informa Law. Thoyts, R. (2010). Insurance theory and practice. New York: Routledge. Tyagi, C. L., Tyagi, M. (2007). Insurance law and practice. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers.

Segmental, Productivity Ratio Analysis Essay Example

Segmental, Productivity Ratio Analysis Essay Learning Objectives : 1) Understand how cost analysis can be applied to market segments 2) Appreciate role of marketing experimentation in improving the allocation of marketing effort 3) Recognize the value of segmental productivity analysis 4) Critically perceive how ratio analysis can be used to understand the current position 5) Appreciate the relevance of strategic benchmarking How are resources utilized and with what returns needs to be understood by all companies – â€Å"Where are we now ? For doing this consider the company as a bundle of projects or activities , for example ? Reformulation and relaunch of product X ? Continued market service Y ? Successful development and launch of project Z Projects and activities can be further defined in terms of missions and this mix of projects and missions will be constantly changing with resource implications and profit consequences. Which to add and which to delete ? Ration available resources among competing activities. Estab lish the cost of each activity of the company to start with. Cost Categories need to be defined. Traditional focus puts product costing as the centre of costing systems. This could impede the ability to recognize the patterns of consumer preference and competitive positioning by market segment. Attributes of market segments are different from attributes of production processes – Direct costs are traceable to Labor, Material, and salary but Indirect Costs cannot be directly traced to cost objects. The assigning of a ‘fair share’ of indirect costs, along with direct costs, is the heart of Absorption Costing (Full Costing). Deciding the full cost of a cost object in every company is thus worked out by adding an allowance usually on hourly rate for use of all indirect factors (power, equipment, rent, insurance, salaries of reception/supervisory/staff etc. ) MARKETING COST ANALYSIS Most companies do not know what part of their total marketing outlay is spent on each product, sales territory , or customer group is because they do not have a refined system of cost analysis. Vagueness of costs like packaging – is it a promotional, production, or a distribution expense ? We will write a custom essay sample on Segmental, Productivity Ratio Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Segmental, Productivity Ratio Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Segmental, Productivity Ratio Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Need exists for planning and control techniques to indicate levels of performance required and achieved, as well as outcome of shifting marketing efforts from one segment to another. Cost Data could be inaccurate for some of the following reasons :- †¢ Marketing costs on products, territories being allocated on the basis of sales value or sales volume instead of causal factors like order-getting marketing expenditure thus missing out on the concept of opportunity cost of alternatives †¢ Indirect and administrative costs are arbitrarily allocated to segments on the basis of sales volume †¢ Some costs are not identified clearly Marketing Cost Analysis overcomes these problems and aims to ? Analyze costs incurred in order-getting and order-filling aspects so that overall profits can be determined after combining with product cost data ? Determine Profit by product line ? Costs involved in serving different classes of customers, territories and other segments to find the relative profit performance ? Compute figures like cost per sales call, cost per order, cost to acquire new customer, cost of holding inventory for a year etc. Evaluate managers as per their actual controllable cost responsibilities ? Evaluate alternate strategies or plans with full cost Marketing segments may be one or a combination of the following ? Product line or range ? Channel of distribution ? Sales representative or territory ? Customer or Industry group ? Size of order When selecting the segment of interest, the approach to costing should be selected from alternatives such as (a) Absorption (Full ) costing (b) Variable ( Direct or M arginal ) costing. Profit Analysis by channel can be done by comparing the net profit figures or can by Variable costing method be done by comparing the marketing contribution ( Variable contribution less Fixed direct marketing costs ). Customer Profitability Analysis Implementation of CPA can be done by following steps 1) Define customer groups and market segments by distinguishing their needs of each 2) Identify the factors which cause variations in the costs of servicing those customers. This can be done by identifying the key elements of the marketing mix used for each different group or segment ) Analyze the ways in which service offerings are differentiated between customer groups e. g. terms of trade could vary between home-based and overseas customers, between large and small customers, speed of delivery , to key accounts 4) Identify the resources that have been used for each group or segment – including personnel, warehouse facilities, administrative back-up, etc. 5) Ways in which the c osts of resources (step 4) can be attributed to the customer groups 6) Relate revenues and costs to each group, with profit emerging as the difference Interpretation of Data The danger of absorption-based segmental analysis is that â€Å"bottom line† could be taken as the basis for action. This should not be the approach. The aim should be to take net profit as the criterion for investigation. Segmental productivity analysis would reveal % contribution to total profits by each product , and also % total time of available selling time. This could show that a high % of selling time is being devoted to low or unprofitable products. Questions which can then arise are Increasing net profits proportionately more than the marketing budget can increase marketing productivity ? ? Increase net profits without marketing outlays ? ? Increase net profits with decrease in marketing costs ? ? Decreasing net profits but with proportionately greater decrease in marketing costs ? Marketing Experimentation Studies of marketing costs can be the basis of experiments to identify all controllable independent factors that affect a particular depend ant variable. This can answer the questions such as If marketing outlay is raised , how much would the net profit contribution of most profitable product be increased and how will that affect strategy of competitors in terms of stability and market share ? o By how much would the net losses of unprofitable products be reduced if some decrease was made in specific marketing outlays ? o By how much would the profit contribution of profitable products be affected by a change in the marketing effort on unprofitable products ( and vice versa ) and its effect on total marketing system ? By how much will total profit contribution be improved if some marketing efforts are diverted to profitable territories or customer groups from unprofitable ones ? o By how much will the net profit contribution be increased if there is change in method of distribution to small unprofitable accounts, or if these accounts were dropped ? Nature of Productivity Productivity can be at macro level ( entire indus try or whole economies ) or at micro level ( particular company or activities in a company ). Our focus would be at the micro level , and marketing productivity can be expressed as Marketing Outputs / Marketing inputs Sevin has defined it â€Å" as ratio of sales or net profits to marketing costs for a specific segment of the business†. The inflationary and monetary factors need to be considered when comparing value of sales in different periods of time. To consider a particular productivity index from distribution domain. Productivity index = no. of orders shipped / no. of labor hours worked Such indexes are meaningful only when compared to some meaningful figures such as ? Internal Comparisons – figures from previous periods to do trend analysis. Figures representing efficient or desired performance, for budgetary control ? External Comparisons – with other organizations within same markets Use of Ratios Their value lies in the relative measures and not absolute measures. Discretion is needed in choosing the ratios that are useful. Seasonal sales need to have different method for collecting and comparing data and the ultimate financial measure of short-term efficiency is the relationship between Net Profit and Capital Employed or ROI Net Profit / Capital employed X 100 = ROI Always be sure of the definition of numerators and denominators e. g. is net profit pre-tax or post-tax ? Is capital employed based on historic cost or replacement cost figures ? Primary Ratio Net Profit / Capital Employed Secondary Ratio Net Profit / Sales revenue Sales revenue / Capital employed Tertiary Ratios are those that constitute the secondary ratios and general cause of deviation from ROI target rate is found by computing profit ratio and the capital turnover ratio first. Before corrective action the 4 simple tertiary ratios need to be done 1. Gross Profit / Sales Revenue 2. Sales Revenue / Operating Costs 3. Sales Revenue / Fixed assets 4. Sales Revenue / Working Capital The many other levels of ratio pyramid ( page 100 of Wilson Gilligan ) can be identified and used for finding the reasons for overall outcomes. Analyzing Ratios and Trends Declining ROI can be thought to be prima facie due to falling net profit to sales revenue but it also can be linked to particular quantity of capital investment. From published accounts it is possible to see Primary, Secondary and Tertiary ratios of competing companies. Major cause of divergence between results of two companies can be found in their different accounting techniques and definitions e. g. two companies buy the same asset at the same time but one company chooses to depreciate asset over 4 years whereas the other takes 100% depreciation allowance in the first year. Profit Impact of Market Strategy ( PIMS ) has done research on 3000 SBUs and what drives profits for 25 years and have their results suggest that business performance can be grouped into 4 major categories : Market Attractiveness – customer bargaining power, market complexity, market growth, innovation etc. ? Competitive Strength – market share position, customer preference relative to competitors’ offerings, market coverage, product range have all contributions ? Value Added Structure – investment intensity, fixed/working capital split, employee productivity, make vs buy, capacity use, and vertical integration ? People and Organization – Lea n organization, participative culture, Incentives, Training, Insiders Vs. Outsiders The various ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ profiles are chosen from all the variables and PIMS findings were startling. Weaker profit business would make 6% ROS or 10% ROCE whereas the strong-profile business would make 11% ROS or 30% ROCE over a 4 year period. Both Ratio analysis and Productivity analysis can help in establishing the pattern of resource utilization and its productivity. This analysis would reveal the need to do Segmental reallocation to improve segments’ productivity. Ratio analysis and other such techniques can only indicate â€Å"where we are now† but cannot answer what to do next.