Produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia Essay Example for Free

Produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia Essay This report was written to satisfy the pass requirements of Marketing in Principles at Sydney Western International College. This study is aims to produce a clear understand of the Coca-Cola Company in Australia. The analysis of the Coca-Coal company brings an overview of how does the company has achieved its goals, their strategies and future growth. The investigation was also seek to find out how this well populated Coca-Cola products satisfied the customers and how they are different from other companies upon their marketing strategies. In order to achieve the objectives literature search was conducted by using websites, books, newspaper articles and journals. These categories help to compare the general marketing strategies with the Coca-Cola company strategies. Useful information regards to marketing help us to study the environment of the company. The final outcome of the report was that they have followed a complete theory on marketing to achieve its goals. Even the company had to face for the decline stage, the performance of the good management and advertising tools assist the organization to win the market and avoid distractions. The biggest challenge was been the Pepsi company which had a diametrical increase within a short time and populated in all over the world as Coca-Cola changing the whole marketing situation and attracting other companies consumers to their product. In conclusion this research was able to carry out current marketing situation, SWOT analysis, Issue Analysis, Company objectives, Marketing Strategy, Action Programs and Controls of the Coca-Cola Company. Strengths in Coca Cola Company (sponsorships) 1. In August 1993, FIFA working in co-operation with The Coca-Cola Company introduced a ranking system for football (soccer) men senior national teams. The system makes it possible to publish comparisons of the relevance strengths of internationally active teams at regular intervals. Since its introduction, the FIFA/Coca-Cola Ranking has proved to be a reliable measure for comparing national A-teams. To ensure that the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking always reflects the current status, FIFA primarily evaluates matches played in the 12 months prior to the date on which it is issued. Performance over the previous years is also taken into account, however. Basically, the score obtained from the current 12 months is added to that of the immediately preceding seven years with each previous year being devalued continually. The company help for sports it is a charity work 2. Healthy eating, physical activity what promotes healthy bones in growing children and youth? According to a decade of significant research, a combination of exercise and adequate calcium intake encourages good bone development in adolescents and children. To absorb calcium properly, a child also needs sufficient Vitamin D. Some parents wonder if other food and beverage ingredients could influence bone development. Studies on phosphorous and caffeine both used in small amounts in soft drinks have shown they have no significant effect on bone mass. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, as well as other sources, report no appreciable connection between these nutrients and an individuals calcium balance. This position counters a small body of work that has suggested associations between soft drink consumption and bone fractures in teen girls. The company help for childrens activities 3. Community works Society advances on the strength of community: people sharing their ideas and resources to reach common goals. We seek to strengthen local communities worldwide through our support for education, through partnerships with other organizations and through acts of citizenship by the people of Coca-Cola. We support education because of its power to expand opportunities for individuals and increase understanding between cultures. We partner with national and international organizations to alleviate economic disadvantage and help improve the quality of life in local communities. Together with our local bottling partners, we strengthen communities by giving with our hands and our hearts, as partners in the promise of a better life. (Strength, 2004) Weaknesses in Coca Cola Company. The threat of Coca Cola Company is that as their business too much vast compare to this their branches all around the world are not enough. (Our company, 2004) Opportunities in Coca Cola Company In regard to opportunities of Coca Cola Company are the western Philippines island of Pal wan, poverty-stricken children at rural schools have been known to look for edible plants to eat during recess. The Philippines Division of The Coca-Cola Company has launched a community initiative called NutriBreak to improve the daily nutrition intake of underprivileged children who attend Little Red Schoolhouses. Under the nutrition program, the governments Food and Nutrition Research Institute and Banquet State University have partnered to develop a nutritious snack for the schoolchildren. The snack provides kids with the daily requirement of protein and carbohydrates and is served with our vitamin-fortified Eight Oclock orange juice drink, as a part of the Philippines Divisions Active Lifestyle (AL) program. The Little Red Schoolhouse Project, the flagship program of The Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, has already built fifty schoolhouses in the Philippines remote areas. The NutriBreak nutrition program will ultimately reach all fifty Little Red Schoolhouses They try to expand childrens charity works (our company 2003) THE COCA-COLA COMPANY INCREASES ANNUAL DIVIDEND BY 11 PERCENT 40th Consecutive Annual Increase Atlanta, February 21, 2002 The Coca-Cola Companys Board of Directors today announced it has increased the quarterly dividend from 18 cents to 20 cents per common share, equivalent to an annual dividend of 80 cents per share. This increase reflects the Companys significant free cash flow generation. This is the Companys 40th consecutive annual increase of its dividend. The dividend is payable April 1, 2002, to share owners of record as of March 15, 2002. They increased their board of directors Threats in Coca Cola Company The have only one company to challenge for their products it is Pepsi cola company. But however they have a complete control over it. (Threats, 2004) Action Programs As for as new products are concerned they are looking for health-conscious consumers should as consumers first look to nutrient-rich foods to obtain their daily nutrition. In this regard their Chef Barr Hogen is working out. (New releases, 2004) Four New Products, Super Nutrition The new Odwalla juice beverages Blueberry Smoothie, Protein Tropic ale(tm), Passionate C(tm) and Organic Orange Juice are available in 1.5 litre (50.8 fluid oz.) multi-serve recyclable-plastic bottles. Blueberry Smoothie and Protein Tropic ale(tm) are also offered in a new 11 fluid oz. size bundled into handy 4-packs. Suggested retail price for the multi-serve and 4-packs are $3.99 each, providing an affordable price for such premium juice products. These new products will be stocked in the refrigerated juice case, making it convenient for consumers to find them in the store. Drink It and Thrive At Odwalla, they chosen a variety of great-tasting and nutritious fruits, as well as other ingredients call super foods for these new juice beverages and Smoothie, are for healthiness and Wellness. As health-conscious consumers should first look to nutrient-rich foods to obtain their daily nutrition. Too often, consumers turn to pills and powders for what they think is an easy nutritional fix. Juices, however, are a convenient, flavourful and hydrating form of natural nutrition. Chef Hogens newest product recipes include a line-up of four delicious tasting products: * Odwalla Blueberry Smoothie is a blend of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries combined with oranges, apples and bananas to make a sweet and silky Smoothie. The bluesy blueberries boast a blow to free radicals, with a rhapsody of antioxidants and anthocyanins. This 100% fruit juice blend contains no added sweeteners. * Odwalla Protein Tropic ale is a tantalizing blend of tropical fruit juices and purees such as pineapple, mango and passionfruit, combined with 4 grams of soy protein per serving. * Odwalla Passionate C is a scrumptious sipper of orange, apple, mango, banana, strawberry, and acerola cherry (one of natures highest vitamin C-packed fruits) and passionfruit. Each vibrant 8 fluid oz. serving provides 470% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. * Odwalla Organic Orange Juice, made only from certified 100% organically grown oranges, underscores the companys commitment to sustainable agriculture and natural-resources conservation. The Coca-Cola Company objectives Marketing Objectives The company is dedicated to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, suppliers, contractors and customers. As the company is large it is hard to continue to grow at a steady space. The competition is higher than ever before. And the forthcoming competition and challenge for the company in the targeting markets leads them to be more accurate and more efficient. The company has faced for the big challenge with its main against competitor Pepsi. Since the time the company met this new competitor it has to change its strategies, directors, distribution methods and promotion system. As consumers are drinking more and more new beverages, coca-cola company plan to improve their products with respect to the prices. The following objectives have been taken into consideration (Coca-ColaCCA, 2003) Market Place * Improve the quality of the product and deliver that quality without any changes to every market place. * Gain the success of suppliers, distributors and retailers who connected with the coca-cola network. * Provide more jobs, facilities, and marketing in the local market as well as in the global market. * Reduce the price but remain the quality of product or increase the quality of the product. * Innovation in the products they offer, the process they use to make them, the package they develop and ways they bring them to the market will change to a proper way and increase the efficiency,. The delivery system will faster than ever before. Work Place * Improve the safety of the work place. * Make it as the most diverse organization on the earth, with talented employees who bring a variety of intellectual, professional, ethnic and cultural perspectives to the company. * Make the policies to foster an inclusive environment that encourages all employees to develop and perform to their fullest potential. Consumer Needs * Improve the tasty and provide more hygienic beverages than today. * Offer a valuable price, which satisfied the customer. * Readily available in every time in the market place, especially where in places that the product is well consumed. * Fulfil the consumers expectation in order to satisfy the consumers and win the market place. *Growth Drivers, which company targeting on, are; -Profitable profit generation -Cost reduction -Customer service improvement -Capital Management -The Coca-Cola company relationship Financial Objectives The company is now focusing on the earning per share. They are expecting to increase the earning per share from 12% to 15%. Also expect to increase the net profit from 10% to 15% and return on capital employed growth from 1pt to 1.5pts. The changes of financial performance over the previous years indicate the future growth of the company (Refer Appendix- A and B and C). Current Marketing Situation ? Market Situation The company has a strong place in the market. The head of the marketing Mr. Sergio Zyman develop the company strategies to promote their product more efficiently than other competitors. From the whole beverage the Coca-Cola Company has achieved market more than 78%. With its indulgency, the company has the best selling and quality assurance comparing to other beverages. ? Service Situation The company performs a standard delivery service, which runs on time basis. Services are spread into every state including NSW, Victoria, Perth, and Queensland. High quality service guarantees that the company product exists in the market better than before. Marketing executives of the company always capable and available to help for their customers and resellers. The company well conducted with their wholesalers and retailers in order to encourage them and to be with them. Attract to another competitor is neglected upon this situation. ? Distribution Situation The company has the best selling images. It reserves more on advertising and its been useful and beneficial to increase their profit and production. Introductions like fast-lane merchandisers are continually increase each period. Agreements with colleges, universities and other public and private sectors help them to keep their product in one whole market and avoid entering of other competitors. (Schermehorn etal, 2004 p 46) Conclusion From all above facts and figure of the company. The strength of the company more than the weakness and likewise opportunities with compare to threats it concludes that company has strong swot analysis, which is a positive sign. As for as Current Marketing Situation is concerned with respect to market situation, service situation and distribution situation is much better than its competitors (Pepsi). The company is dedicated to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, suppliers, contractors and customers; the coca cola company also have many campaigns in markets. Financial Objectives the Coca-Cola Company objectives are increasing day by day which shows that company will increase its sale ratio annually from 11% of the previous year to 20% in next coming 5 years. Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C KEY FINANCIALS 2003 2002 2001 2000 Change in 2000-2003 Revenue ($ million) 1,882.9 1,776.8 1,675.1 1,558.1 +6.5% Volume (million unit cases) 301.2 285.8 275.1 263.3 +4.6% Revenue per Unit Case ($) 6.25 6.22 6.09 5.92 +1.8% EBIT ($ million) 377.7 317.0 288.9 272.0 +11.6% EBIT margin (%) 20.1 17.8 17.2 17.5 Capex to Revenue (%) 5.2 1.7 3.5 4.8 Reference List Coca-ColaCCA, 2003 the CCA World [online] http://www.coca colacca .com _20020301 .html (Accessed: 29-04-04) My company, 2003 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/whatsnew_20030404 .html 24.2KB in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, opportunities in.: 25 (Accessed: 29-04-04) New releases, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2cocacolacom/pre sscenter/nr_20030204_odwalla_new_juices.html (Accessed: 15-05-04) Our Company, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/whatsnew_20020301 .html 23.5KB in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, weaknesses in.: 23 (Accessed: 29-04-04) Schermehorn etal, 2004 p46. Marketing Strategies: Ed: 4 New York (29-04-04) Threats, 2004 The Coca Cola Company [online] http://www2.coca cola.com /our company/whatsnew_20020301.html 23.5KB in: 1, Coca: 1, Cola: 1, Company: 1, weaknesses in.: 23(Accessed: 05-05-04)

The Basic Tourism System Tourism Essay

The Basic Tourism System Tourism Essay Fennell defined tourism as the interrelated system that includes tourists and the associated services that are provided and utilized facilities, attractions, transportation and accommodation to aid in their movement (Fennell, 1999). 2. Tourism Defined Tourism, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the theory and practice of touring or travelling for pleasure. According to Leiper (1979) the foundations of tourism are thought to have Greek origins, with the term describing a circle, reflecting a key component of tourism, returning to the point of departure (Leiper, 1979: 391). The Leipers model which is also known as the basic tourism system is shown in the figure 1. Figure 1. The Basic Tourism System Source: Leiper (1995) Leiper.N. (2004) Tourism Management (3rd Edn) Frenchs Forest: Pearson p.53 A tourist, as defined by the World Tourism Authority is someone who moves away from home on a temporary or short-term basis for at least 24 hours and less than a year, it can be internal movements within a country (domestic tourism) or going to another country (international tourism) (Law, 2002: 2). McIntosh (1977) described tourism as the science, art and business of attracting and transporting visitors, accommodating them and graciously catering to their needs and wants (McIntosh and Goeldner, 1977: ix). Today, tourism is one of the worlds largest and fastest expanding industries. In 2010, the overall global tourism export exceeded US$ 1 trillion (World Tourism Organization, 2011). Tourism exports are accountable for 30% of the worlds commercial exports and as a category ranks fourth in size after fuels, chemicals and automotive products (World Tourism Organization, 2011). 2.1 Relationship between Tourism and Transportation Transport has a direct connection with the tourism industry. Progression in transportation technology has helped a lot to form the modern tourism industry we are evolving today. Since the beginning of time, people have been traveling by various modes. Tourism and transportation are inexorably linked (McIntosh et al, 1995). Without the element of transport there is by definition, no tourism. This means that, although transport contributes for only a part of the tourism business, without it there is no tourism business. However, transport is essential not only to tourism, it is also essential to the economy and indeed to society (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). For that when we think of tourism we think of people who travels for main purpose of visiting ,that is, a particular place for sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives, taking a vacation and having a good time (Goeldner et al, 2009). These visitors will use all forms of transportation available. Furthermore, tourism is the entire world industry of travel, hotels, transportation, and all other components, including promotion that caters for the needs and wants of travelers (McIntosh et al, 1995). Thus, tourism can be seen as a whole range of individuals, businesses, organizations and places which works together in some way to deliver a travel experience (Leiper, 1979). In accordance with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism is the worlds largest industry surpassing autos, steel, electronics, and agriculture (McIntosh et al, 1995). Tourism set off important indirect development effects that improve the quality of life of citizens and enhance a countrys overall economic prospects. Crouch and Ritchie (2000) interestingly summarized (Figure 2) the various factors that together make the attractiveness of a tourist destination experience. Furthermore, they emphasized on the importance of the service infrastructure layer, which includes transport services, in the tourist destination experience. The destinations general infrastructure services in this category in fact represent one of the most important factors. The tourism phenomenon relies heavily on public utilities and infrastructural support. Tourism planning and development would not be possible without roads, airports, harbors, electricity, sewage, and potable water. The infrastructural dimension is thus a necessary element for tourism development and the factors below are all basic elements for attracting visitors to a destination. Kaul (1985) also recognizes the importance of infrastructure, more specifically transport as an essential component of successful tourism development meaning that it encourages the creation of new attractions and the growth of existing ones. Figure 2: The tourist destination experience Source: Crouch and Ritchie (2000) Transportation considered as one of the four main categories of tourism (transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services and other tourism goods and services). Dwyer and Forsyth, (1993) said that transport activities are fundamental for tourism because they provide the connection between generating and destination regions and the ability for tourists to move around the destination, that is, by making use of inland transportation services. The transport industry is also recognized as a central factor in destination development. Transportations included items such as ships, airplanes, buses, trains, limousines, taxis (Nariida et al, 2009), car traveling, (Rodrigue et al, 2009), cog railroads, aerial tramways, and similar passenger transportation facilities. Any and all of these modes may be relevant for tourism or recreational travel. Recreational facilities can include parks, stadiums, sporting facilities, and beaches. Furthermore, tourism sites are attractions for tourists as well as local residents and may include recreational facilities as well as cultural attractions (such as historical, musical, or educational facilities). Each type of recreational or tourism facility can have special and specific transportation needs (Petraglia and Weisbrod, 2004). Car traveling is usually an independent mean of transport. The driver is the one who decides where, when and how he is going to get to a destination. It is usually cheaper since roads fees are not directly paid but rather from taxes. It is the only transportation mode that does not require transfers, in the sense that the whole journey, from door to door can be achieve without even stopping (Rodrigue et al, 2009). Consumers choose cars based primarily on convenience and comfort (remote door openers, navigation systems, sound systems and cup holders) rather than maximum speed (Litman, 2007). Improving the quality of alternative modes is important for attracting discretionary travelers and therefore redu cing traffic problems such as congestion, accidents and pollution emissions (Litman, 2008). Ships as we know water travel is a major of tourism and contributes considerably to the development of travel as well as airplanes. Airplanes such as (Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Royal Jordanian) providing the seats which an individual traveler, business person or tour operator may purchase. On the other hand, rail travelers worldwide often prefer rail travel, (McIntosh et al, 1995). The operators of high-speed rail services find reliability and punctuality important factors that contribute to higher market shares (Jorritsma, 2009). Recently, train operating companies are delivering acceptable (and contractual) standards of service delivery in terms of information, comfort, cleanliness and quality of service on trains and at stations (Lyons et al, 2011) which are very important elements that tourists will consider in their decision process. High Speed Rail advantages are many, including getting people quickly and comfortably (Kinstlinger, 2009). But in Mauritius since we do not have tr ains therefore we will not lay much more emphasis on them. Consequently, having adequate taxi, limousine services are essential in a tourist area. Ideally, taxis should have removable and washable seat covers so the car always presents a clean appearance to the passenger. Also the taxi driver to make the best impression should show some courtesy by dismounting from the drivers seat and open the door for the passenger. He or she should assist his/ her passengers concerning their luggage or any other stuff and be courteous all times. Training taxi drivers in foreign language would ease communication and therefore create more foreign language ability (McIntosh et al, 1995). Usually, it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing a service to those who may have no other form of transportation. Therefore, Taxi service is a very important source of demand response transportation in many communities (Ridley, 2006). Moreover, buses are the most likely transit mode, which inten ded for tour use should have large windows, air conditioning, comfortable seats and rest room facilities. Springs or other suspension systems in the coaches should be designed so that the joggling of passenger is kept to a minimum or eliminated. Personnel assigned to buses should be selected for suitable temperament, courtesy and spirit of hospitality (McIntosh et al, 1995). Bus Rapid Transit is considered a more affordable alternative to rail for improving transit service quality and attracting travelers who would otherwise drive on congested urban corridors (VTPI, 2007). Bus organization, bus industry advocates believe that this form of transportation is particularly well suited to certain needs of tourism, especially one way trips of 150 miles or less. Furthermore, rental cars an important aspect of automobile travel is the rental car industry, whose growth has been paralleling or exceeding the growth in air travel. Taxi and Limousine service companies play an increasingly import ant part in tourism. Local transportation companies perform essential services for airlines in servicing departing and arriving passengers as well as providing similar services for bus, rail, and shipping lines (McIntosh et al, 1995). When taking a look at the position occupied by the various modes of passenger transportation one find that air travel dominates long -distance and middle-distance tourism. The nations economy and the tourism industry need a healthy air transportation system. The private automobile dominates for shorter trips and is the most popular means of travel for most domestic journeys. The auto is also very important in regional and international tourism. Affordability, flexibility, and convenience make auto travel the most popular mode of transportation all over the world. Air is the primary competitor to the automobile when it comes to travel, especially for long trips. The advantages of air travel, the quantity of service, speed and comfort must be weighed by travelers against the automobiles advantages of price and accessibility (McIntosh et al, 1995). But in Mauritius since it is an island, it is mainly accessible from air and the sea, therefore this type of competition does not exist. Furthermore, it is important to consider demand and supply when talking about transportation as they are together forming the transport market (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Many of the components of the tourist trip for example, transport and accommodation are demands derived from the consumers desire to enjoy what a destination has to offer in terms of things to see and do (Cooper et al, 2008). So, demand and supply are the main components which made up the transportation industry. 2.2 Transport Supply and Demand It is very important for a country to have the most efficient transport system. Efficiency means to say that the transportation system need to satisfy the transport demand for freight and passengers by using the best systems and the most appropriate balance between public and private transport and between modes of transport (For example; rail or road). The objective is to decrease overall transport costs for the collectively including direct costs (operating costs of the rolling stocks, the costs of infrastructure and the costs of time, security and comfort) and indirect costs (such as noise, pollution, accidents etc.) Transport supply can be defined in terms of infrastructures (capacity), services (frequency) and networks (coverage). Capacity is often assessed in static and dynamic terms the number of passengers, volume (for liquids or containerized traffic), or mass (for freight) that can be transported per unit of time and space is commonly used to quantify transport supply (Rodri gue et al, 2009), and these depend on the four basic elements in any transportation system: the way, the terminal, and the vehicle and motive power (Cooper et al, 2008). Transport demand is expressed as transport needs, even if those needs are satisfied, fully, partially or not at all. Similar to transport supply, it is expressed in terms of number of people, volume, or tons per unit of time and space (Rodrigue et al, 2009), other refers it to the amount of mobility and accessibility people would consume under various conditions (ITE, 2003). There is a demand for tourism products and demand for alternative non-tourism products (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Tourism demand and non-tourism demand will not only determine whether we travel but also which travel mode we choose, should we decide to travel, and indeed which particular service and carrier we choose. Principal among these features, other than physical transplant, are the following: speed, frequency, comfort, safety, availability, user information, access and price. For each mode is dictated by the weakest element in the system (Cooper et al, 2008). Speed in assessing the value placed, on speed it is important to take account not only of time saved but also of reduced journey time. For most people the ideal is to travel without any perceptible duration of time, not only because it would give up more time for doing other things (including doing nothing) but also because it would remove the many unpleasant aspects of travel that have to be endured when transiting to other places. This mean that we all display a stronger preference for speed and for paying a premium price for speed, than can be explained by the value place on time saved (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Transport system performance is often evaluated based on travel speed and distance (Litman, 2008A), some transport system changes intended to increase travel speeds and save travel time tend to reduce other forms of accessibility and increase travel time costs for other users (Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2011) So, speed is an important feature to consider when t aking about transportation as people are limited in time and since lost time cannot be recovered tourists will rather prefer to have a rapid transportation system while visiting a destination. Frequency is another feature of transport that is to be considered as a good frequency of transport will mean that there is a greater possibility to use transport. But still if a particular route is not profitable there will be an inevitable decrease in the frequency level. Most public service vehicles notably trains, are so large in relation to expected traffic that economic operation can usually be achieved-except on a few high volume routes only by reducing frequencies to levels that are often unacceptable in the marketplace (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003), and for availability. Service availability trends reflect changes in demand, mileage, taxi fares and to a lesser extent transit fares (Consulting, 2000). Therefore frequency and service availability is mainly based on the demand for transportation. Comfort, safety and convenience significantly influence transportation decisions. Consumers choosing a motor vehicle are as likely to decide base on seat comfort and the ease of using navigation systems as on more quantitative factors such as speed, price or fuel efficiency (Litman, 2011). Tourists will travel in a mode of transport in respect to the satisfaction the will get from it and here when taking about comfort, the tourists will somehow benchmark the product available in their own countries so as to choose a mode of transport they will prefer to travel in. Prideaux (2000) argued that if the ability of tourists to travel to preferred destinations is inhibited by inefficiencies in the transport system such as uncompetitive prices or lengthy and uncomfortable journey, the likelihood that they will seek alternative destinations may increase. The quality of information can affect the functional availability and desirability of mobility and accessibility options. For example, motorists need actual and appropriate information on travel routes, roadway conditions (such as when congestion, construction and accidents delay traffic), vehicle services, and the availability and price of parking. Potential transit users need information on transit routes, schedules, fares, comfort factors (such as whether vehicles will have seats or stations will have washrooms), and access to destinations. There are many ways to provide transportation information, including maps, brochures, websites and telephones systems (Litman, 2008A). Also Information centers, welcome centers, and information displays are all ways in which visitors can be informed and guided to use appropriate travel routes and transportation facilities (Petraglia and Weisbrod, 2004). Finally, Price cost are the final essential elements in transport to consider. As the most price-sensitive user of fuel, airlines are again proving to be the first to suffer. In the case of surface transport, the effects are masked by the unfair taxation which so distorts the market that accurate forecasting requires advance knowledge of how politicians are going to tax as well as subsidize the various competing forms of transport (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Price is also a very important feature to consider as tourists will look for competitive prices so as to travel. Therefore these are the main features that are considered so as to travel, whether it is a tourist or not. These features are considered by anyone who needs to travel and these features will determine the satisfaction of the customer. Customer satisfaction is the aim of any industry as satisfied customers are more economical to an organisation as they not only generate repeat business but they also recommend the service or product to others. 2.3 Service Quality, Customer Perception and Satisfaction A review of the existing literature indicates a wide variance in the definitions of satisfaction and service quality. The customer could judge the quality a service delivered as good but they may not have had satisfaction from the experience (Randall and Senior, 1996). Crompton and Mackay (1989) acknowledged that satisfaction and service quality are not the same thing, stating, Satisfaction is a psychological outcome emerging from an experience, whereas service quality is concerned with the attributes of the service itself. Parasuraman et al. (1988) agreed but stated that customers use the same criteria to judge both, as they are interrelated. Customer satisfaction can be experienced in diverse situations and interrelated to both goods and services. It is a highly personal assessment that is greatly affected by customer expectations. Satisfaction also is based on the customers experience of both contact with the organization (the moment of truth as it is called in business literature ) and personal outcomes (Mack and Peter, 1989). Hunt (1977) defines satisfaction as a kind of stepping away from an experience and evaluating it. Oliver (1997) notes that satisfaction is the consumers fulfillment response, it is a judgment of a product or service feature, or product or service itself in its ability to provide a pleasurable level of consumption related fulfillment, including levels of under or over fulfillment. Most of service quality writers have considerable difficulty in understanding how customers judge services. One of the original service quality theories is that customers are satisfied when their judgement of the service they have received (perception) equals or exceeds what they expected: Customer Satisfaction Equation Customer Satisfaction (CS) = Perceptions (P) = Expectation (E) Gap analysis theory (Zeithaml et al., 1990) Olivers expectancy disconfirmation (Anderson Fornell, 1994; Olivier 1997) 2.3.1 Customer Expectation Zeithaml et al. (1990) considered that the factors that influence customers formulation of their expectations are word of mouth, personal experience, external communications and past experience. Parasuraman et al. (1988) tried to set customer expectations to context by suggesting that they are what an organisation should offer. So, a customer should expect the product or service to be in a specific standard. C:UsersnathanielDownloadsMGT613_Handouts_(Lecture_1_-_45)_img_55.jpg Figure 3: Basic Perceived Service Quality Model Based on figure 3, a basic perceived service quality model, we can say that the customers will decide whether they is satisfied by matching their expectation of the service to the perception derived from the service experienced. In an attempt to know the customer satisfaction, we must know what is the perception of the customer. 2.3.2 Customer Perception The final part of the customer satisfaction equation is their judgement of the service they have received: their perceptions. Olivier (cited in Taylor, 1997) defined customer perception as a comparison to excellence in service by the customer. It is often considered that customer perceptions of a service are made at the end of a service encounter. Customer perceptions of a service are a complex series of judgement made during and at the end of the experience but are modified by a range of factors including their mood, importance of the encounter. The tourism and leisure industry has to be aware of these elements, especially when designing methods of receiving feedback from customers. Customer satisfaction therefore needs us to think in a holistic manner by considering various factors that can affect it. 2.4 Transportation services in Mauritius. 2.4.1 Air Transportation Mauritius is an island and therefore the main access to the island is the air. The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, the airport of Mauritius, consists of one runway which cover a distance of over 3,047 m. The airport is situated in plaisance nearly the south of the island. Air Mauritius is the name of the national airline of the island. Air Mauritius Limited, doing business as  Air Mauritius, is the  flag carrier  of  Mauritius. The airline is headquartered at the Air Mauritius Centre in Port Louis, Mauritius. The company is the fourth largest carrier in  Sub-Saharan Africa,  and has an important standing in the  European,  African, and  Indian Ocean  region markets; the airline won the 2011 Indian Ocean Leading Airline Prize, making it the seventh year in a row for it to win the award. Out of a five-star ranking, the carriers inflight service is awarded 3 stars by Skytrax. As of July 2011, the Air Mauritius route network consists of 26 destinations in  Africa,  Asia,  Europe, and  Oceania.  Shanghai  became the 26th destination served by the company in early July 2011.  In February 2012, the airline announced the suspension of some non-profitable routes, starting with  Milan,  Melbourne, and  Sydney, effective May 2012. As of April 2012, Air Mauritius has  codeshare agreements  with the various following companies, which are the actual operators on the routes specified: Air France, on the Port Louis-Paris-Port Louis route and on several  European  routes radiating from Paris Emirates, on the Port Louis-DubaÃÆ' ¯-Port Louis route Malaysia Airlines, on some routes radiating from  Kuala Lumpur South African Airways, on the Port Louis-Johannesburg-Port Louis route   The Air Mauritius fleet consists of the following equipment, with an average age of 8.8 years: Mauritius has well organised its air transport so as to reach the markets that it has targeted for the tourism industry development. 2.4.2 Maritime Transport The Maritime transport in Mauritius is mainly focused on cargoes and merchandising. Tourism is not really at stake when talking about maritime transportation but still there are passenger ships which go to Reunion Island, Rodrigues and also Agalega Island. So these ships take tourists to the island. Cruise ships are another way where tourists can visit the island. The CRO (Central Statistics Office) published statistics for the year 2011 where it can be noted that total arrivals by sea included 29,900 cruise travellers (around 14,220 tourists, 5,500 excursionists, 330 Mauritian residents and 9,850 crews) aboard 18 cruise ships, which visited our port during the first nine months of 2011. Therefore we can conclude that there are tourists who travel to Mauritius by sea. 2.4.3 Public Transport The public transport in Mauritius consists mainly of the buses, the taxis and the car rentals. The most usual way of transport for Mauritian people is the bus. Bus is a quite easy way of transport in the island. The two main bus companies in Mauritius are the NTC (National Transport Corporation) and the UBS (United Bus services). These two companies deserve almost every regions of the island. Here is a list of all bus companies in Mauritius; NTC National Transport Corporation UBS United Bus Service RHT Rose Hill Transport TBS Triolet Bus Service IO Individual Operators MBT Mauritian Bus Transport Another way of transport and more comfortable is the taxis. A taxi  is a  mode of transport  that falls between  taxis  and  buses. These  vehicles for hire  are typically smaller than buses and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, but instead departing when all seats are filled. They may stop anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers. Often found in  developing countries,  the vehicles used as share taxis range from four-seat cars to minibuses.  They are often owner operated. Taxis are found in almost every corner of the towns, cities and villages in Mauritius. These taxis are individually owned as there are no taxi companies in Mauritius. In spite of those the taxis are well maintained and very comfortable. Mauritian taxis do not use a taxi meter even if they have it in their taxis, so it is usual here before entering a taxi to decide of the price before. A taxi driver knows usually all the interesting places of the island and therefore can help the tourists to go to a destination. Car rental can also be a good mode of transport in Mauritius. A car rental agency generally rents  automobiles  for short periods of time (generally ranging from a few hours to a few weeks) for a fee. In Mauritius it has become quite common to rent cars as various car agencies are offering this service now. Below is a list of car rental agencies that are available in Mauritius; Avis Rent Car Ada ABC Car Rental Budget Rent A Car Hertz Easy Drive Rent A Car Europcar National Car Rental In Mauritius these are the main in land public transport that is available for the citizens and also for the tourists. There are also some companies like Mauritour and Summertimes who offer small buses on rent to tourists who come to Mauritius and these buses are mainly for tourists. 2.5 Importance of Public transportation and inland transportation. Khadaroo and Seetanah (2008) link the importance of an effective and accessible transportation system to the length of time any given tourist would stay in one particular area in a destination. They go on to argue that if the ability of a tourist to travel within a preferred destination is hampered by inefficiencies in the transport system, then the tourist, may seek out alternative destinations. In regards to this identification by Khadaroo and Seetanah (2008) transport to and from the airport is viewed as perhaps the most essential element of a tourist city. This linkage plays an important role delivering visitors from the airport to the main area of accommodation, most commonly in the central city. Law (2002) stated that in the absence of such facilities, as with the city of Florence, it can be a deterrent for potential visitors (Law, 2002: 71). Public transport and other inland transportation services, like taxi or rented cars, provide an important role in enhancing accessibility to the various tourism attractions within a city. Meanwhile, Khadaroo and Seetanah (2008) noted that inadequate public transport provision in an urban environment can result in limiting the amount of attractions visited, resulting in negative implications on the potential tourism revenue of a city. This inability to derive maximum benefits with an inefficient transport network was also emphasised by Kaul (1985). Kaul recognised that transport plays an important role in the successful creation and development of new tourist attractions within a city and also regarded transport as a catalyst for many city transformations. Within this recognition was the fact that transport and accessibility were essential for profitable tourist attractions. Leask et al., (2000) also noted the significant connection between tourist attractions and tourism transportation, stating that transport and tourism have a close relationship due to the need for access (Leask et al., 2000: 212). In the past accessibility to attractions has been based primarily on access by private modes, however, by not providing public transport connections, the number of visitors that can reach an attraction are consequently reduced. Gimeno and Vita (2006) also recognised that the easier it is made for tourists to travel between points of interest, the visitor gains more ability to participate in activities, which in turn will generate enhanced tourism revenue for the destination (Gimeno and Vita, 2006: 14). When talking about public transportation and inland transportation, we should also think of who are those tourists who will travel in the p ublic transportation services available in a destination. Lew and Mckercher (2006) noted that tourists have access to four basic modes of transport within a destination personal vehicle, commercial vehicles in organized tours, public transportation and walking. However, conventional public transport system tends to remain majorly inaccessible/ non-preferred mode of transport to tourists for various reasons (Law, 2002): unfamiliarity with the system and the associated risk of entering terra incognita (unknown territory) should they choose the wrong bus route or get off at the wrong stop (Lew and Mckercher, 2006: pp. 408), need for negotiation with the staff in local language and a system design optimized to cater to everyday needs of the local population (Lumsdon, 2006; Thompson Schofield, 2007) Specialised or custom made tourism transport potentially offers a higher level of accessibility to tourists within the destination. While a large segment of such services is covered under tourist packages offered by private operators, there remains a definitive demand for tourism-specific public transport within the destinations. A large segment of tourists choose not to opt for tourist packages due to lack of flexibility in the choice of both tourist spots and lodging, higher costs and a reduced adventure factor. As such intra-destination public transport can become a vital factor in tourists choice of destination and their ability to access their nodes of interest within the destination. These types of tourists will use the transportation services available in the destination to travel by themselves. Therefore in this research I will aim at categorizing the tourists who prefer travelling by them and not to choose a ready-made package for their travelling at the destination. Another important facto

Romanticism :: Romantic Period Essays

Romanticism It was a reaction against the Enlightenment and yet akin in that they both assumed life was designed for human happiness. However the Enlightenment placed reason at the center of human achievement. Romanticismm distrusted the human intellect and placed its value on the emotions and intuitive qualities. The natural and spontaneous was deemed good. The highest truths would be derived from the instantaneous of the individual. It gloried in the unlimited potential of the individual. There was an overall feeling of optimism and belief of a utopia. Romanticism reinforced the emotionalism of the period and its philosophies influenced the Transcendental movement. Romanticism began in the early 19th century and radically changed the way people perceived themselves and the state of nature around them. Unlike Classicism, which stood for order and established the foundation for architecture, literature, painting and music, Romanticism allowed people to get away from the constricted, rational views of life and concentrate on an emotional and sentimental side of humanity. This not only influenced political doctrines and ideology, but was also a sharp contrast from ideas and harmony featured during the Enlightenment. The Romantic era grew alongside the Enlightenment, but concentrated on human diversity and looking at life in a new way. It was the combination of modern Science and Classicism that gave birth to Romanticism and introduced a new outlook on life that embraced emotion before rationality. . Romanticism began to show the people that the Enlightenment had overstayed its welcome by leading the people to a future that offered a vision of mankind as being part of a group rather than an individual. G. W. F. Hegel, a German philosopher, rejected the rational philosophy of the 18th century because he believed in "Idealism". This involved looking at life in terms of the importance of ideas, not thought the narrow tunnel of materialism and wealth. By advocating Idealism, Hegel concluded that mankind could be led by his spirit, his soul, rather than the establishment or the status quo. Although Romanticism was perhaps conservative in nature, every participant of this swift and silent movement could relish in his own free and glorious vision of nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Romanticism was not a political movement or a reformist package offered by a group of dissidents; Romanticism was a time when mankind could restructure his outlook on life so that he was able to reach new heights of

Hemingways For Whom the Bell Tolls: Wars Effect on Man and Importance of Time :: essays research papers

Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls": War's Affect on Man and Importance of Time At first glance Hemingway's novel For Whom The Bell Tolls appears to be an action packed war novel. But underneath all the action there are underlying ideas that reveal much about how war changes a man and causes him to realize the importance of time. Hemingway reveals these ideas about war through the narrator's thoughts and through the interaction between the major characters. Hemingway shows that war brings about a personal change, that reveals much about man's individuality and that time is limited. Hemingway reveals much about the individuality of men through the relationship of Robert Jordan and Maria. When Jordan is dying at the end of the novel he says to Maria "Thou wilt go now, rabbit. But I go for thee. As long as there is one of us there is both of us. Do you understand?"(p460) We begin to understand how we as people are never truly alone but instead are always surrounded by the memories and thoughts of those we love. When two people truly fall in love they become as one. Where one goes, both go. Robert finally says to her " The me in thee. Now you go for us both. Truly. We both go in thee now. This I have promised thee. Stand up. Thou art me now. Thou art all there will be of me. Stand up." (Pg.462) By saying this Jordan reveals how man is never an individual but instead is made up of all the influences, experiences, and memories that we have shared with others. Furthermore This change came upon Jordan as a consequence of joining the war. Before the war had started he had no idea what it meant to be an individual, or to truly fall in love. Jordan says to Maria "I have never loved someone as thee. Before our cause I never new what it was like to truly live. Or to love, as I do thee" (P160). This shows how being in the war allowed him to understand what it really meant to be a man. Before the war he never lived as full a life as he does during the war. It is the essence of war which causes these changes in him. The simple character Anselmo is also changed by the war. But instead of the changes being negative as they are with many of the other characters (except Jordan), they bring upon a positive change on him. When discussing the horrors of war with Robert Jordan Anselmo mentions "The men who come to enjoy the

Female Genital Circumcision Essay -- female genital mutilation, FGM

The process of female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision is served as a ritual practice in African countries and cultures, yet doctors are faced with an issue of illegality and immorality when African immigrants want these procedures performed here in the US. Ever since the beginning of religion, Jews, Muslims, and Christians have practiced male circumcision. This practice was scene as both sanitary, holy, and if done properly, harmless. This practice became so popular that civilization has carried out into current time, in which male circumcision still serves as a very popular procedure today. However what most Americans don’t know is that this procedure isn’t only done on males in other areas of the world. In countries like Africa, this procedure is also performed on fema...

My Pawnshop

Course Project Introduction to Business (GEB 1011) Think of a small company you would like to start. Using this company, include the following components in your finalized submittal and use them as Section Headings for formatting your submittal. Put the Section Headings in BOLD. Then your responses in normal 12 point size type and write in complete sentences. 1) Provide an Introduction of your company. Include your main product and/or service. In what country and part of the world is your company located? Explain why your company is located there.With the economy struggling and more and more people loosing their jobs as a major source of income I believe that providing the service of small collateral loans would be a great idea for a business. In this economy the pawn industry is a business that is growing and taking a powerful jump in the economy. I believe that opening and place where people can get short-term loans against a collateral would be a very successful business. I would strategically pick locations in United States that really need this service the most. For example, low-income regions in Orlando such as Pine Hills, would be a good place to open a location.Last and more important,   Make sure to set up shop where the local population is interested in buying your goods Choosing a location with a population that has supply and demand for the specific products I am selling. 2) Describe the form of business ownership you would choose for this company and explain why. Give at least three advantages and three disadvantages of your chosen form of business ownership. The form of business ownership I would choose for my company would be Sole Proprietorship. A business owned and operated by a single individual — and the most common form of business structure in the U.S. The advantages with a sole proprietorship: 1. Ease and cost of formation: simply announcing you are in business and requesting any licenses and permits you may need; use of profits à ¢â‚¬â€ since all profits from the business belong exclusively to you, the owner. 2. Flexibility and control: you make all the decisions and direct the entire business operations; very little government regulations; secrecy; and ease of ending the business. 3. Sale or transfer can take place at the discretion of the sole proprietor. There are disadvantages, however, including unlimited liability: . All business debts are personal debts, meaning you could lose everything you own if the business fails or loses a major lawsuit. 2. Limited sources of financing: based on your creditworthiness. 3. Limited skills: the sole proprietor really must be a â€Å"jack-of-all-trades,† part manager, marketer, accountant, etc. ; and limited lifespan meaning that the business ends when the owner dies. 3) Describe how you would use Supply and Demand to determine the products/services your company would provide. Include how this affects the pricing of your company’s product/service. When supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop. When supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise. †Ã‚  (Understanding Business, Nickels,McHugh and McHuhg P. 37. ) There are many factors that play a role in using Supply and Demand for the items that my company would be working with. The age of the item, current condition, market value, and ability to re-sell, are all taken into consideration. The market value of precious metals changes daily so this will give more flexibility to play with the loaning, buying or pricing of it.Furthermore, I would have to contemplate the supply and demand or desirability of your item. Perhaps a new product ahs made it obsolete or even decrease its value. For example, a video game system that was worth $300. 00 two years ago may be practically worthless today. With new technology in the market and depreciation of electronics an outdated platform is not going to be in high demand. Another example would be the Blue-ray player, since they have become increasingly popular and they have a high demand in the market the DVD player has depreciated in value.Therefore if a client brings a DVD player in the store the appraisal value would be lower hence the selling price. Taking these factor into consideration, the use of supply and demand would affect the pricing of my company and it would play a very big role because I am the one investing money on the collateral that the customer is bringing to the store, hence my responsibility is to have the knowledge to take smart decisions and to properly train the people that would be working for me to be capable to make smart pricing by using tools such, internet, blue book, catalogs and their experience.One advantage that my company would have is that because I am targeting low income communities the $300. 00 game system they could not afford would be selling for a much lower price at my store. The demand would be there still for the system but this time the used system would be price one third of the original price and there would be an option for that customer to put it on layaway and pay for it slowly something that is becoming popular on big retail stores now days. As the Chief Executive Officer of your company: ) Describe your company’s Strategic Plan. Include a SWOT, Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, analysis ((list at least three, (3) items per section)). 5) Describe how you would implement the Management Functions in your company. 6) Describe the process you would use to recruit, hire, and train your employees. 7) Describe how you would approach the marketing mix for your company (Product, Price, Place, Promotions, the 4 Ps,). 8) Describe how you would develop and use the basic accounting statements in your company.

How Does Steinbeck Use The Character Of Crooks To Highlight Certain Issues Essay

1930’s hit, America lay in financial ruins and deep devastation as the great depression strikes. Causing economic depression throughout the 20th century and leaving many lives in tatters as American citizens face losing money, stock, homes, savings and more importantly jobs. Dealing with unemployment men turn helplessly to migrant working. Moving away from home (if they have one) and getting into manual labour on farms for low pay and a place to stay although it wasn’t structured employment and they found themselves moving from place to place. As Poverty led to working on ranches ‘of mice and men’ was born, a novel written in the late 1930’s to unravel the issues and unfair ways of the 30’s and the great depression. Highlighting poverty, loneliness, sexism and more importantly Racism, the main theme of the story. Being a major issue Racism swarmed America and started taking over most white peoples heads. Black slavery was behind them but unfortunately racism/discrimination towards different races wasn’t and the Jim Crow laws were soon introduced quickly segregating coloured people and making them outcasts in there own countries. So we were 100 years after slavery, but we were smack bang in the middle of segregation and this, was also not a nice experience for the black race. In a bid to stop the black Americans from being equal, the southern states passed a series of laws known as Jim Crow laws which discriminated against blacks and made sure that they were segregated from whites. Blacks were gradually fired from most jobs and had to use different transport, bathrooms ect. To white people, whites started to rule America. ‘Crooks’ Is a character Steinbeck created to highlight how unfairly this time was and with no real importance to the story crooks has a major importance in the book as he was put there to show us how wrong segregation really was and how lonely and miss treated these people were. We first get an idea of crooks in chapter two where he is first bought up, not being on the scene yet we get a little picture of what he’s like and what his role is. Candy explains how when the boss is in a bad mood it’s always taken out on the stable buck stating â€Å"An’ he give the stable buck hell, too'† meaning Crooks, Instantly the first time Crooks is mentioned in the whole book its in a negative way as through innocence he’s treated as if done something wrong. Candy informs George and Lenny why the stable buck gets hell by simply adding on â€Å"ya see the stablebucks a nigger† in those days racial slurs such as the language used towards black pe ople wasn’t looked upon as bad but looked upon as normal, they were allowed to say things like that whereas now days you’d get in a lot of trouble as racism isn’t accepted. Candy goes on to tell them how Crooks isn’t allowed in the bunk house, the small typically western and simple room full of beds were they all sleep. He isn’t allowed in simply because he’s black and segregation prevents him from doing so as its mixing with white people which was frowned upon at the time. He says â€Å"they let the nigger in that night† reminiscing one Christmas when Crooks was allowed in the bunk house â€Å"smitty took after the nigger, done pretty good too† he tells of how a white man called smitty decided to beat crooks up just for fun and says â€Å"the guys wouldn’t let him use his feet† on account of crooks having a crooked back they thought although beating him up for no reason, just entertainment they think its fair because he couldn’t use feet. But were not getting all negative trades from crooks, candy also says â€Å"Nice Fella,too.† â€Å"He Reads a lot, got a lot of books in his room† Steinbeck has made crooks intelligent, he’s made it so crooks won the fight against smitty and has made him a ‘nice guy’ because he wanted to avoid the typical stereotype victim of a black man he does so by giving him pride, identity and not showing major weekness. He’s also made him crippled to give him more strength and more of a heroic side. It also means he’s trapped at the ranch as it would be rare for any other place to take him in so already before we meet this character we have a lot of sympathy and respect for him and all he’s going through. We finally do get to meet him in chapter 3, although it is fairly brief. Crooks pokes his head through the door of the bunkhouse as he isn’t allowed to step into it, knowing he cant step any further he calls slim but instead of saying slim he says â€Å"Mr slim†, black people had to formally address white people so crooks was expected to use Mr and Mrs or Ma’am and Sir when approaching a white person, if approaching one at all otherwise he’d get in a lot of trouble and maybe be hung, he was thought to respect white people as if not worthy to them. We then officially meet Crooks in chapter 4, a whole chapter dedicated to him which in such a short novel with such an unimportant character is very rare but Steinbeck obviously felt very strongly about racism and getting an image across that crooks had an identity and personality, he was just like the rest of them but was hated because of the colour of his skin. Crooks has the longest introduction to his character and where he lives in the book so that we get a vivid description and a chance to get to know him, and that he is a real character with a personality and feelings. Crooks is said to live in â€Å"a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn† , putting crooks in the barn and saying â€Å"crooks had an apple box over his bunk, and in it a range of medicine bottles, both for himself and the horses† shows his status is that of an animal, they class him as dirt, lower then the horses. His bed is just a box on hay and blankets as well, which is also Steinbeck creating an image of a man treated like an animal. Stereotypes would of thought he was a dirty black man but in actual fact crooks is a â€Å"proud† and clean man. Being old, crippled and most importantly black crooks has been unable to get himself a girlfriend and being like he is never will, so as a substitute to a female he has â€Å"dirty books†. When Lenny Meets Crooks he doesn’t have a clue about racism, he isn’t racist in any shape or form as he has the mind of a child and doesn’t understand it. He asks â€Å"why ain’t you wanted† because he cant see why crooks wouldn’t be allowed in the bunk house which shows racism isn’t natural or in genes or occurs to you as a kid, racism is taught to you by the people you grow up with and by pictures you see in the society. Lenny doesn’t use his white status in his discussion with crooks what so ever and in the conversation crooks actually has the upper hand for once. Crooks says â€Å"this here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me† and trys to get rid of Lenny, but its not that he doesn’t want the company because he does, that’s what he craves the most but it’s a matter of principle, he has the idea that white people don’t let him in there room, so why should he let them in his room? He’s read up his place in society and he knows his rights, and one of his rights is his room. Crooks snaps at Lenny saying â€Å"I aint no southern nigro† showing he hasn’t accepted the fact that he’s less of a man then Lenny, he knows he’s the same apart from a colour and he has a confidence. He starts patronizing and teasing Lenny to make himself feel better as he see’s someone that’s an easier target then himself to pick of which proves a nasty streak. Upsetting Lenny saying things like â€Å"spose George went into town and you never heard of him no more† and â€Å"they’ll take you to the booby hatch. They’ll tie you up with a collar, like a dog†. Crooks didn’t always used to be segregated either, he went to a normal school and had white friends but his dad didn’t approve as he knew it wouldn’t last and they’d grow up and turn on him. â€Å"on my old mans chicken ranch† his family owned a chicken ranch so he wasn’t from a poor typical black slave family, showing the great depression could put you in circumstances unlike the ones you grew up in. he says â€Å"its just a nigger saying it† recognising nothing he says means anything and he doesn’t have a say because he’s black. In Lenny and Crooks conversation there on completely different wave lengths, speaking on different levels completely. Its easy for crooks to tell his story and to have someone to talk to about his feelings and loneliness because he knows Lenny isn’t taking anything in and wont remember a thing, its just a physical presence to talk to so he isn’t talking to himself. Crooks only picks on Lenny because of power and status, most his life he’s been teased and tortured and the boss gives him such hell so he’s finally found someone he can tease and torture back. We get an insight of crooks loneliness and understand how much its really getting to him so we forgive him for the teasing because we know Lenny’s situation is no were near as bad as Crooks, crooks has no one but Lenny has always had George, Crooks expresses this crying â€Å"you know he’s going to come back, spose you didn’t have nobody, spose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy because your black† he obviously is so desperately lonely, he wants someone to talk to more then anything and its made even worse as he hasn’t always been like this. He explains how he â€Å"had two brothers, they were always near me, always there. Used to sleep in the same room† so he was used to having his brothers around, sharing a room and having someone to talk to all the time. He’s been separated from family and friends for a lifetime alone and with social levels rock bottom stifling loneliness Is putting him in a mental state and he’s trying to put Lenny in his shoes. Crooks seems very cynical and sceptical about Lennys dream and has given up all hope in religion saying â€Å"nobody ever gets to heaven† he doesn’t believe a god would put him through this. Crooks also defends himself saying â€Å"you say I smell, well you all smell to me† he most probably doesn’t really thing white people ‘smell’ it’s just a matter of if you can say it to me, I can say it to you. It’s almost childish, you smell, no you do! Then Candy comes onto the scene and joins Crooks and Lenny. Crooks is happy to have all this sudden company, something he’d dreamed of happening and is more then pleased to have people in the barn with him not that he’d let that on. Candy says â€Å"I been here a long time, an crooks been here a long time. This is the first time I’ve been in this room† he’s proving the real depth of segregation as they’ve both been there years and years but they have never seen each other’s rooms but segregation like this was normal. Crooks proves just how lonely he is when he offers to give up all freedom and pay to work for nothing and become almost a slave for George, Lenny and Candy and in return, just some company hesitatingly saying â€Å"if you†¦guys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep, why I’d come an lend a hand.†. Then it’s all unsettled by Curley’s wife’s appearance. She’s nearly as lonely as crooks, not allowed to talk to anyone but her husband who she doesn’t feel for at all. He leaves her alone to go to the whore house and she’s expected to talk to nobody. She’s hurt and looking for some company, just someone to talk to. She expresses her loneliness saying â€Å"what am I doing? Talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an a dum-dum and a lousy ol sheep and im liking it† although she’s insulting them she’s just as desperate for some company and wants them to talk to her, but they have other ideas. They have it drummed into there heads she’s trouble and Crook’s especially knows he shouldn’t be talking to her. He coldly shouts at her saying â€Å"I had enough, you got no rights coming in a coloured mans room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you just get out an get out quick. If you don’t, im gonna ask the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more† crook’s overstepped the mark in the society he lives in. he can’t in reality boss around a white woman. He hasn’t said anything unreasonable, he knows his rights but he’s threatening her giving himself a level of authority. She reply’s to that in a bad way snapping at him â€Å"listen, nigger you know what I can do to you if you open your trap? You know what I could do?† he realises he’s overdone it and returns to his normal lonely self responding with a simple â€Å"yes ma’am† and ‘sits down on his bunk drawing into himself’. After having Candy and Lenny in the room and being able to have normal conversations leaving out any racism he’s almost forgotten himself and segregation, the time he had with the other two was more like a bit of fantasy not reality. He thought for a minute he could have an equal friendship but then Curley’s wife comes and snaps him out of it and reminds him of his place and status. What he did was paralyse his childhood when he played with white kids, he just fooled himself into thinking they were maybe his friends but after the argument he soon realises that this would never happen, he would never be accepted so after she leaves he changes. He turns cold on the other two again and withdraws his offer to work for company although he’d still love to do it, he thinks it’s just a far away dream as black people will never have equal friendships with white people. Curley’s wife has proved she’s racist but she’s not alone in that, she threatened to have him hung. All she’d of had to do was run back to the ranch and tell the boss or Curley he touched her and he’d be killed without trial, just as a form of revenge. Crook’s would just have to be accused by a white person and there authority would get him killed, that was the reality of being a black man, that was the reality of crook’s situation. Taking the racism and unfairness of segregation in the 1930’s Steinbeck has successfully created this character of a black man, trapped in his crippled body, desperately lonely and abused but given him an identity, a personality, a proper background and family and made him a real person. He’s highlighted how badly they were treated, how they felt, what they went through and what we cant let happen again in the future. Crooks wasn’t a part of the story as such but he was there to represent what it was like at the time and the seriousness of the horrors of racism that went on and he’s done that outstandingly giving a perfect picture and make us as an audience feel for the character of Crooks and actually think about what went on back then and to help ensure segregation will never return.