The Ten Principles of Economics

The Ten Principles of Economics PART 1: Principle 1: PEOPLE FACE TRADEOFFS: To get something one has to sacrifice other thing. For example, a country can spend its maximum resources for its defence but at the same time, it has to sacrifice the maximum spending for the country welfare. A society also faces tradeoffs between the Efficiency and Equity. The government generally tax rich people so that it can get the money from them and use it for the welfare of the poor people; this brings the equity but reduced the efficiency. (Mankiw,2003,p.5) Principles 2: THE COST OF SOMETHING IS WHAT YOU GIVE UP TO GET IT: Since we do tradeoffs, the people generally find out the cost and benefits that their action going to incur. For an action, one has to sacrifice something. For example: I have come here to do post-graduation but I had to sacrifice my server administrator job. A cost that given up to get something known as the opportunity cost. My opportunity cost is server administrator job, money, and time, which I had given up for the post-graduation. (Mankiw,2003,pp.56) Principle 3: RATIONAL PEOPLE THINK AT THE MARGIN: (Refer appendix (a)) One always does small changes in their plan of action to achieve maximum benefits from the process. (Mankiw,2003,p.6) This small change known as the marginal changes as it take place around edges. For example: A student who is enrolled for 1 year of education, if he/she add one more year to its study, they will be able to apply for permanent residency which incur as additional benefits but with this come the additional costs of college fees, time etc. Comparison of marginal benefits and marginal cost will be able to help you in taking the decision. Principle 4: PEOPLE RESPOND TO INCENTIVES: Behaviour of any person or firm changes according to the environmental variables like benefits or cost changes. For example: If the cost of the orange increases then the consumer will shift towards apples, as cost of orange is high. (Mankiw,2003,p.7) Principle 5: TRADE CAN MAKE EVERYONE BETTER OFF: Trade is taking place between the products that countries own not between the countries. (Chapter 1,p.4) (Refer appendix (b)) Trading between parties makes goods cheaper. For example: Trade between country A and country B will help both the countries to get goods of one another and help them to expertise in what they are good at producing. Principle 6: MARKETS ARE USUALLY A GOOD WAY TO ORGANIZE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: Market Economy is the concept where a centralise judgment planner is substituted by judgement of millions of households and firms. The place where the households and firm can communicate with each other for services and goods is known as market and it is taken place under the influence of the price and self-interest, which helps them to take decision. For example: Taxes that impose by the government always change the goods price and decision of producer and consumers. (Mankiw,2003,p.9) Principle 7: GOVERNMENTS CAN SOMETIMES IMPROVE MARKET OUTCOMES: When a market fails to distribute the resources efficiently, it is known as market failure, which decreases efficiency. Government impose some rules to improve the market.(Mankiw,2003,p.11) For example: When the Australian government, impose carbon tax on the emission of the carbon, which will makes the firm to emit less carbon, which results in less pollution. (Kirk,2010) Principle 8: A COUNTRYS STANDARD OF LIVING DEPENDS ON ITS ABILITY TO PRODUCE GOODS AND SERVICES: The living standard in the country is depends upon the country producing capacity. In country where, more goods and service are produced in a unit time there standard of living is high as compared to the people with less productivity. For example: Living standard of a U.S. citizen is better than living standard of Mexican and Nigerian citizen as a U.S. citizen earn more than those two citizen. . (Mankiw,2003,p.12) Principle 9: PRICES RISE WHEN THE GOVERNMENT PRINTS TOO MUCH MONEY: Inflation is the state in which the price level increases in the economy. Inflation occurs when the supply of the money, which is under the hood of government, increased drastically in compare to the accessibility of services and goods in the markets.(Chapter 1, p.6) When the government produce high quantity of nations money, than it has lose its value. For example: When in Germany the average price of the commodity is tripling every month so the production of money is also tripling every month. .(Mankiw,2003,p.14) Principle 10: SOCIETY FACES A SHORT-RUN TRADEOFF BETWEEN INFLATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT: Policy that are making, to reduce the inflation led to increase in unemployment and policy to reduce unemployment led to increase in inflation this properly describe in Philip curve. This concept ends in 1970 when inflation and unemployment co-existed at their maximum peak. (TEN (10),p.3) The relationship between the inflation and unemployment is temporary. (Mankiw,2003,p.14) Answer 2: The study, which deals with the choices made by an individual and business, the way in which this choices are communicate with each other in a market environment and the effect of the government on them, is known as Microeconomics. Example: Study of people behaviour of buying more laptops? The study, which deals with the performance of the global economy and the national economy, is known as Macroeconomics. Example: Government rule and taxation on particular goods. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,p.4). Key player, which are present in the market environment, are the producer, consumer and the government. Decision of the producer to produce goods, entering or exiting the market comes under the microeconomics, which is the individual decision of firm.(OECD,p.34) A firm will always take a decision to maximize its profit. Regulations made by the government, affect firm decision, as unnecessary restriction will increases firms cost and decreases its productivity, which results in the firm loss comes under macroeconomics. (Loayza,p.6) PART 2: Answer 3: Supply curve: A supply curve is the curve, which shows the relationship between the price of the goods and the quantity supplied when all the elements acting on the producer scheduled sales remains the same. Supply curve is upward sloping. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,p.66). In Figure-1, as the price is increasing the supply of the apples are also increasing for 0.40 supply was 1,000 and for 0.60 supply was 2000. This implies that it follows the law of supply. Price ($ per pound) Apples per day (pounds) supplied 0.40 1000 0.60 2000 0.80 3000 Figure-1 Source: Collins Karen Demand curve: A demand curve shows the relationship between the price of the goods and the quantity demanded when all the elements acting on the consumers schedule buying remain the same. Demand curve is downward sloping. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,p.62). In Figure-2, as the price is decreasing the demand of the apples are increasing for 0.80 demand was 1,500 and for 0.40 demand was 2,500. This implies that it follows the law of demand. Price ($ per pound) Apples per day (pounds) demanded 0.80 1500 0.60 2000 0.40 2500 Figure-2 Source: Collins Karen Equilibrium of a market: When two opposite forces balance each other, this state is known as the Equilibrium state. Market equilibrium is the state when the buyer and seller both of them are satisfied with the price of the commodity. Condition that satisfies the equilibrium is that, when the demand of the quantity is equal to the supply of the quantity. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,p.70). In Figure-3, the intersection point of the demand curve and the supply curve is the equilibrium point where the apples demanded is equal to the apples supplied. Price ($ per pound) Apples per day (pounds) demanded Apples per day (pounds) supplied 0.80 1500 1000 0.60 2000 2000 0.40 2500 3000 Figure-3 Source: Collins Karen Answer 4: A chemical equilibrium is the state at which the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction. (Refer appendix (c)) This simply tells us that the rate of forming of the products is equal to the rate of forming of the reactants. (sparknotes,2009) For example: N2+3H2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ 2NH3 The reaction shows us that when hydrogen reacts with nitrogen they form the ammonia gas, NH3. During the first interaction between the nitrogen and hydrogen in the chamber, ammonia is generated. When the concentration of ammonia increases the ammonia gas start to breakdown into the nitrogen and hydrogen. When the rate of forming of ammonia is equal to the rate of decomposition of the ammonia then that state is known as the equilibrium state. (Refer appendix (d)) (Chemistry Explained,2010) When we contrast the concept of the chemical equilibrium to the concept of the economics they are the same as both the equilibriums need one condition to satisfy quantity demanded = quantity supplied, (Refer appendix (e)). At the equilibrium, the forward reaction, which is to equivalent to the quantity demanded in economics, is satisfied by the reverse reaction, which is equivalent to the quantity supplied in economics. In economics for quantity demand, there is always supply of goods, which is never ending process as in chemical reaction at equilibrium state it is also a never-ending process. Equilibrium is very important in economics because if there is no equilibrium than there will be shortage or surplus of the goods which will results higher price for goods or lower price of goods, which will make both the consumer and producer unhappy as at the equilibrium stage the price that a seller will be happy to sell its good and a buyer is happy to pay for it. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007). Answer 5: D TCS S=MC Price P* E(D=S) S D=MB TPS Q* Quantity Graph 5(i) For resource allocation we have to prove MB (marginal benefits)=MC(marginal costs) and maximum welfare = Consumer surplus + Produces surplus. In the Graph 5(i), We have supply curve S, which also represent marginal cost, and demand curve D, which also represent marginal benefits. The intersection of the curve D and S is the equilibrium that is where demand = supply which also means the marginal benefits = marginal costs. At this point the P* and the Q* is the price and quantity that will be our competitive outcome. In DES, (TCS) for the consumer surplus, P*ED represent the total consumer surplus that is maximum consumer benefits and for the (TPS) producer benefits it is the P*ES represent the total producer surplus that is maximum producer benefits. Because P* and the Q* is the competitive outcome as E is the point of equilibrium. P*ED and P*ES is congruent as DP*=SP* and angle DP*E=SP*E (P* is the mid-point of SD) In Graph 5 (i), we have proven that marginal benefits= marginal cost is the efficient outcone. Any government intervention like tax or subsidy is harmful to economy because as Taxes in the economy makes the buyer to pay more and seller to get less. Therefore, it will make the producer to produce less that is that will lead to the underproduction of the product. Subsidies that are given to producer by the government lessen the cost paid by the buyers and seller receives the high price. Therefore it will lead to produce more so over production. D TCS S=MC D S Price P* E(D=S) D3 D2 S D=MB TPS Q1 Q* Q2 Quantity Graph 5 (ii) In Graph 5 (ii), competitive outcome is P* and Q*. It shows that D2DE, is the part which we are losing (Dead weight loss) as Marginal CostMarginal Benefits, firm is producing Q2quantity, that is firm is over producing, right of Q* firm will produce more quantity. In both the cases we are deviating from the competitive outcome so it is inefficient. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,pp.114 116). PART 3: Answer 6: When some of the free market is not able to allocate the resources proficiently then it is a market failure. (Mankiw,2003,p.151). It can be, the resources are under allocated so goods are under produced and vice-versa. The Pollution problem resulting to global warming is example of market failure.(Market Failure,2010) To overcome this situation the government can comes with some rules and regulation. For example: Australian government impose the tax on the carbon emission known as carbon tax. There is a belief in this step that, to avoid the extra tax or money to pay the people will choose to emit less carbon, which will result in the reduction in the national emissions. (Brook Barry,2009) Answer 7: I think governments tend to interfere in economic activity more than what economic theory recommends because there is always a debate between the efficiency and equity. Efficiency is a concept telling us, what is the maximum amount of output a society gets from its scarce resources. Equity is dealing with the equally distribution of the economic outcome fairly among the society. (Mankiw,2003,p.5).For this thing to explain, I am taking example of Australian Government. The government introduces the mining tax and provide an argument, that the Australian people are the candidate to receive maximum share of the profits generated by the mining. This mining tax come into action, as the mining company pay royalties to state government, which is 40% of their profits, in 2001, but in present they are paying less than 20%. (Mining Tax) Answer 8: A fundamental right of every personal, to manage their individual property and labour, is known as Economic freedom. An individual person is free to consume, produce, work, and do the investment in their way, in economically free society and protection of the freedom is by state. Movement of goods, capital, and labour is free in the economically free society. To measure index of economic freedom we measure ten modules of economic freedom on the scale of 0 to 100, 100 being the maximum freedom. The 10 modules score is totalled and average is taken out for the every country, which is index of economic freedom. Economic freedom modules, which are used for the measurement of economic freedom index are, freedom of business: free to operate the business, freedom of trade, fiscal freedom, spending of government, freedom on monetary, freedom of investment, freedom in finance, property rights, freedom from corruptions and labour freedom.(2010IndexofECONOMICFREEDOM) Four countries that have moved up the scale in 2010: New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, Sweden. Four countries that have moved down the scale in 2010: Hong Kong, Singapore, India, United States. (RankingtheCountries,2010) Answer 9: Australia stand on the third position in the Economic Freedom Index scale of 2010. Its overall score of 82.6 in 2009 remain unchanged in the 2010 as it did not move up or down in the scale of index. Good macroeconomics policies help the Australian economy to survive the recent financial crisis. (Australia,2010) For further improvement in the Australian business environment, we can use supply chain intelligence in the business (DysonEvelynLaurel), use of the business excellence framework, (BusinessExcellence,2010) improving the environment. PART 4: Answer 10). S I1 P2 E2 P1 E Price E3 D2 P3 I2 D3 D1 Q3 Q1 Q2 Quantity Æ’Â   Graph 10 (i) In perfectly competitive grocery market, under short run, the numbers of firms are constant and each firm has certain plant size. In the Graph 10(i), D1 is a demand curve and S is the supply curve of grocery industry. E is the equilibrium point, and P1 and Q1 are equilibrium price and the quantity of grocery industry. If, there is change in demand then there is also change in the short-run equilibrium. When the demand of grocery increases (I1), the demand curve will shift towards right, D2, E2 is the new equilibrium point with equilibrium price P2 and equilibrium quantity Q2 it the point when the firm will maximize the profit by maximizing the output. When the demand of grocery decreases (I2), the demand curve will shift towards left, D3, E3 is the new equilibrium point with equilibrium price P3 and equilibrium quantity Q3 it the point when the firm will maximize the profit by decreasing the output. If demand curve shift more left than D3 than firm in grocery industry, will temporari ly close down its facility or will continue to produce Q3 quantity by bearing loss. S1 I1 P1 E1 S0 P0 E0 Price D Q1 Q0 Quantity à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Graph 10 (ii) In the Graph 10(ii), any price above the P0, firm in grocery industry will make economic profit and below P0, economic loss and at P0 zero economic profit. Demand curve is D. Supply curve of the grocery industry is S1, so things sold at P1 with Q1 quantity will produce economic profit and attract the other new firm. As new firm enter, supply will increase, so grocery industry supply curve will shift right (I1) to S0. As the demand is unchanged, market price will drop from P1 to P0 but quantity produce is Q1 to Q0 (increases). Therefore, economic profit of exiting firm in a grocery industry decreases but output from grocery industry increases. For the consumer: The consumer will able to get the grocery at lower price. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,pp.234235). Answer 11). Using Kinked Demand Curve Model: Assumption: If the firm1 in grocery industry, increases its price than the firm2 will not follow but firm1 decreases than firm2 will also decreases its price P MC1 MC0 Price A B D MR Q Quantity Graph 11(i): In the Graph 11(i), the firm in the grocery industry having the Graph 11(i). Therefore, P is the price for the market, and D is the demand curve of the firm. If the firm increase its price P, then that firm will see that there is a greater decrease in its quantity sold because the other firm is not going to increase the price. If the firm sell, its goods below price P than there is little increase in the goods selling as other firm will also cut there price. As the demand curve is kinked so the MR, Marginal revenue is having a break AB. Maximum profit of the firm is generated at quantity Q as the marginal cost (MC) = marginal revenue (MR) i.e. intersection of MR and MC at gap AB. If there is fluctuation of MC between the A and B, the firm is not going to modify its quantity or price. If the fluctuation takes place outside the AB, so firm going to change its price and quantity. Small change in the cost is not having greater effect on price or quantity. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007 ,p.288). If the two firms collude than it may happen that, they cheat or comply with each other. In the below table after applying game theory and players are two firm, firm1 and firm2 and they play for once. FIRM1: If firm 2 cheats, and if firm 1 cheats it gets 2M and if it comply than it loses 3M so 2M is better. If firm 2 comply and if firm 1 cheats it get 8M and if it comply than it gain 4M, so 8M is better than 4M. Therefore, it tells that the Firm1 should cheats. FIRM2: If firm 1 cheats, and if firm 2 cheats it gets 2M and if it comply than it loses 3M so 2M is better. If firm 1 comply and if firm 2 cheats it get 8M and if it comply than it gain 4M, so 8M is better than 4M. Therefore, it tells that the Firm2 should cheats. FIRM 1 FIRM 2 Cheat Comply Cheat (2M, 2M) (-3M,8M) Comply (8M,-3M) (4M,4M) (Playoffs: Firm1, Firm2) According to the Nash equilibrium, both of them will cheat, as the cheating is the best strategy for them and earn 2M. If the game is played for the indefinitely than the both the firm will come to know that if they comply they have better result, that is each firm will going to get 4M, which is greater than 2M. Indefinite playing will give firm to get the best outcome. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007,p.303). Answer 12). In NASH equilibrium, one company develops its best possible strategy according to the strategy adopted by another company and vice versa. Normal equilibrium where the buyer and seller both of them are satisfied with the price of the commodity. In NASH equilibrium, there is no role of price but information and strategy plays an important role but in normal equilibrium price plays an important factor to attain the equilibrium. (McTaggart,Findlay,andParkin2007).

Lenovo Laptop-Promotional Strategy Essay

1. PERVASIVENESS: Advertising permits the seller to repeat a message many times. It also allows the buyer to compare messages of various competitors. Large scale advertising says something positive about the seller size, power and success. 2. AMPLIFIED EXPRESSIVENESS: Advertising provides opportunities for dramatizing the company and its products through the artful print sound color. ADVERTISING CAN BE USED TO BUILD UP A LONG TERM IMAGE FOR A PRODUCTPROMOTION The promotion mix within the marketing mix includes advertising, sales promotion and personal selling. Product promotion means making the product popular among the consumers and raising its sales through suitable measures the basic purpose is to widen the scope of marketing.  sales promotion means the promotional activities other than personal salesmanship, advertising and publicity which stimulate consumer purchasing and dealer effectiveness through displays, exhibitions, demonstrations, free samples, discounts, premium etc. it is plus ingredient in marketing mix it act as bridge link in between advertising and personal salesmanship. It acts as a supporting facility to advertising and personal selling. FEATURES OF SALES PROMOTION1. SALES PROMOTION ACTS AS A TOOL IN MARKETING TO LUBRICATE MARKETING EFFORTS. 2. IT IS NECESSARY IN PRESENT COMPETITIVE WORLD AND CONSUMER ORIENTED MARKETING3. IT SUPPORTS ADVERTISING AND PERSONAL SELLING. 4. IT AMIS STIMULATING CONSUMER PURCHASING AT POINT OF SALE. 5. IT PROVIDES MORE SALES AND PROFITS TO PRODUCERS AND DEALERSNEED OF SALES PROMOTION1. FOR UNLOADING ACCUMULATED INVENTORY. 2. FOR INTRODUCING NEW PRODUCTS. 3. FOR OVERCOMING SEASONAL SLUMPS. 4. FOR SUPPORTING ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN. 5. FOR GETTING NEW ACCOUNTS. 5. FOR SUPPORTING AND SUPPLEMENTING SALESMAN EFFORTS. OBJECTIVES OF SALES PROMOTION1. TO RAISE VOLUME OF SALES OF PRODUCT. 2. TO RAISE BUYING RESPONSE AND POTENTIAL CONSUMERS. THREE MARKETING PROMOTION STRATEGYA] DEFINE YOUR VP-up stands for value proposition and it is critical to define what unique value you can bring to your customer. The three items that you should not define as your up. 1 low price-if your only differentiator is price, customer is in tough time. Price is probably the worst way to attempt to differentiate your company. Making low pricing your up is a mistake. 2. Quality products-they are not differentiator, they are an expectation. 3. service-good service is an expectation, not vp.good service is not simply a unique way you differentiate your business these days. Up need to focus on a unique way you do business, it can be way your information is packaged, a guarantee that no one else offers, or the way your product can transform people. Once you defined your value proposition, you must ensure that this message comes across clearly to your customers and prospects. An easy way to develop a business tag line based on your up and uses this tag in all your customers’ communications. B} MATCH THE MESSAGE TO THE CUSTOMER- the more you know and are able to define your various buyer personas, the more you will be able to communicate  tightly focused and powerful message that is relevant to particular customer. C} GIVE SOMETHING FOR NOTHING- this means to build trust by giving away something for nothing. Before you attempt to sell. You must create trust they want information. When they surf the internet they need information. The trust can be created over time by consistently showing customer the knowledge, expertise and valuesSTART OF LENOVO†Hope through Entrepreneurship† tells not just the story of Lenovo’s corporate social investments, but the company’s own history. In 1984, 11 computer scientists in Beijing, China had a vision to create a company that would bring the advantages of information technology to the Chinese people. With approximately $25,000 USD in seed money and the determination to turn their research into successful products, this team opened their business in a loaned space – a small, one-story bungalow in Beijing. Today, Lenovo is encouraging people around the world to make an impact. As Lenovo’s technology helps bridge the physical gap among different parts of the world, the company’s goal is to do the same through its social investments. Given Lenovo’s history and the nature of its business, the company focuses on helping people around the world transform their lives and their communities. To do this, Lenovo supports organizations that encourage business development and social entrepreneurship. Through microfinance institutions such as Opportunity International, Lenovo is helping provide crucial loans to help disadvantaged people in countries such as Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. HISTORY OF LENOVOThe following is a brief history of Lenovo:- 2000: Legend shares peak at HK$14.75 on March 6. – 2001: Dell takes the largest share of the worldwide PC market for the first time. Legend sales reach a peak of HK$27.2 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2001 and decline to HK$23.2 billion in the most recent fiscal year ended March 2004. – 2003: The Company changes brand name to Lenovo from Legend to avoid infringement of overseas brands. The company says it is preparing for expansion outside China, which has overtaken Japan to become the world’s second-largest PC market. The US remains the world’s largest PC market. – 2004: The Company changes its name to Lenovo Group. Time Warner Inc, the world’s largest media company, on January 7 exits a US$50 million Internet venture in China with Lenovo. China accounts for 99 percent of Lenovo’s sales in fiscal year ended March 2004 and 98 percent in the previous 12-month period. Lenovo’s first-quarter PC shipment growth in China lags rivals such as Dell, according to market researcher IDC Corp. Lenovo has a 10.9 percent share of the Asian market excluding Japan, compared with 7.3 percent for Dell. Lenovo’s Asian shipments rise 19 percent, compared with 52 percent for Dell. Lenovo’s sales of services and hand-held electronics grow the fastest of all its products in the most recent two fiscal years, each at an average rate that roughly quadruples. Computer sales rise at an average rate of 9 percent in the same period. – December 3, 2004: IBM in discussions with Lenovo about the sale of its PC business, the New York Times reports. – December 7, 2004: Lenovo says it’s in talks with a major international company about a possible acquisition. – December 8, 2004: Lenovo’s purchase of IBM’s personal computer business formally announced in Beijing yesterday. Acquisition expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2005. OBJECTIVE OF LENOVOLenovo nose-diving into rural marketChina’s top PC maker, Lenovo Group Ltd, by introducing cheaper computers, is plunging head-on into the country’s rural market, where PC penetration is low and purchasing power is weak. Analysts said the firm’s low-price strategy will help it strengthen its  market share, which is shrinking. But they are divided about the long-term profitability of the low-priced PCs. Lenovo last week introduced a new consumer PC series and an e-classroom solution aimed at users in ordinary households and the education sector in townships. The retail prices for the new PC models will range from 2,999 Yuan (US$361), a record low, to 5,999 Yuan (US$723). Lenovo previously focused on PCs that cost more than 5,000 Yuan (US$602). â€Å"The growth of the whole PC market is lackluster. But the township market remains largely untapped,† said Yang Yeaning, chief executive officer of Lenovo Group Ltd. The launch of the low-price PCs is part of Lenovo’s strategic shift. He expects shipments of the new PC series will reach 800,000-1 million units within a year. Beijing-based CCW Research said tapping the low-end market will increase Lenovo’s market share. And so it did.†Lenovo is delivering a message that it intends to cover all market segments, from high-end to low-end, â€Å"The low-price strategy puts pressure on some regional brands.Besides, operating systems are not pre-installed in the DIY market. â€Å"We have been put in an unfair position,† said Lu. â€Å"If all vendors pre-installed legitimate operating systems and pay the VAT, our market share would be much higher.†GAO estimates gross profit margins for Lenovo’s new series PCs will be about 8 per cent. For fiscal year 2003, Lenovo’s profit margins were 14.6 per cent, compared with 14.8 per cent in the last fiscal year. Edward Yu, president of research house Analysis International, predicted the profit margins will be much lower. â€Å"The shipments of PCs priced at 2,999 Yuan are unlikely to reach 100,000 units. Otherwise, it will be unprofitable,† Yu said. â€Å"The most likely scenario is quite a few of the PCs will be available in the marketplace. The low-priced move is largely a promotion strategy.†Since Lenovo is not adopting a â€Å"direct-sales† strategy, the firm is unlikely to save the â€Å"channel cost,† which usually accounts for nearly one-fifth of the price, Yu explained. Lu reaffirmed Lenovo will not follow Dell’s â€Å"direct-sales† strategy. Lenovo’s low-price strategy is expected to spark a round of price-cutting in China’s PC industry. China’s No 2 PC maker, Founder Technology, â€Å"will not rule out the possibility of making a similar move,† said I Dongfeng, the company’s managing president. Qi last week said he agreed China’s rural market promises much potential. â€Å"I think a PC price tag from 2,000-3,000 Yuan (US$241-361) for the rural market is appropriate,† he said. Another PC maker, Langchao, plans to launch a new PC model that will cost about 1,999 Yuan (US$241), some media have reported. A new round of price-cutting is expected dent profit margins industry-wide. Profits have been dropping due to intense competition. Statistics, released by Analysis last week, indicate PC sales in China in the year’s second quarter reached 17.53 billion Yuan (US$2.11 billion), up 17.8 per cent year-on-year. Shipments in the quarter totaled 2.91 million units, down 0.4 per cent compared with previous quarter, but up 39 per cent year-on-year. Lenovo’s market share dropped 5.6 per cent, year-on-year, during the period, Analysis said. Barcelona FC’s super soccer star Ronald de Assis Moriera of Brazil, better known as Ronaldinho has been named as the official representative of china’s PC giant, Lenovo, in its global promotion campaign. The two sides have signed a confidentiality agreement but Lenovo declined to talk about the details, the expenses in particular. According to Chen Shaopeng, senior vice-president of Lenovo Group and president of Lenovo’s greater China operation, partnering with an international sport star is an important part of Lenovo’s global marketing strategy. Lenovo hopes Ronaldinho’s personal charm and influence worldwide will help Lenovo’s global promotion campaign and gain popularity. During the one-year promotion, Lenovo will be authorized to use Ronaldinho’s personal images as well as all the brands of Barcelona FC. â€Å"I believe that combination of the charm of soccer and the sci-tech of computer will bring more color and pleasure to people’s life, noted Marc Ingle, vice president of Barcelona FC. The list of the commercial value of soccer stars done by Germany-based BBDO Consulting months before shows that Ronaldinho, with 32.6 million pounds tops the rank. SWOT AnalysisStrengths:Strong sale position in mainland (china) because of 90%sale from it. Market leader in china as Lenovo is learning more revenue from the mainland. Low production cost. Event sponsoring. Good marketing and distribution strategy. The PC giant earlier launched a product under the ThinkPad series for the student market at 7,999yuan and recently cut the price of a new PC product under the ThinkPad SL series to 3,000yuan from 5,000yuan. A market analyst says that the price of IT product is on the decline due to cost reduction of parts and terminal. Besides, the low- price strategy could produce the largest effect in the summer holiday due to high price sensitivity in the period. The company has begun to boost the promotion for online buyers, in particularly the youth and students, because the company could cut great cost to support its low-price strategy. With the extension of internet coverage, the booming online consumption is underpinned by reduced marginal cost due to more conveniences and increasing transparency of price for the components of IT products. The analyst believes that the campaign would bring great troubles to the domestic PC producers in the second and third camps, which might spark a new wave of merger and acquisition in China. LENOVO EXPANDS MOTORSPORTS PRESENCE TO INDYCAR SERIES FOR INDY 500 WITH CURB/ ALABAMIAN/BECK TEAM Lenovo Promotes Relationship with NBA by Highlighting the Finals on the CarINDIANAPOLIS — Lenovo, a leading computer company that creates the best-engineered PCs in the world, today announced a sponsorship agreement with the CURB/ Alabamian/Beck team for the crown jewel race within the Indy Car Series – the Indianapolis 500. The announcement marks Lenovo’s interest in identifying how motor sports can help drive the company’s goal for building brand awareness on a global scale. This coming weekend provides a significant opportunity for worldwide brand exposure. Lenovo is sponsoring teams at two of the racing world’s most prestigious races — the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1 race in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The Lenovo Indy Car Series announcement comes during the most important time of year for the series – the Indianapolis 500 weekends, when all eyes are on Indianapolis for what remains the world’s largest single-day spectator sporting event. The Lenovo logo will be placed on the black No. 98 CURB/ Alabamian/Beck Motor sports Dollar/Honda/Firestone car, driven by Alex Barron, for this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 race. In addition, the Lenovo-sponsored AT&T Williams Formula One car – a partnership announced earlier this year – races this weekend at Monaco. In an innovative cross promotion, the Indy 500 sponsorship also showcases Lenovo’s support for the NBA and The Finals, marking the first time the league’s marquee event has been promoted during an auto race. The front wings on the car will brand The Finals on ABC on June 7. Greg Odem and Mike Conley Jr., expected top selections in the NBA Draft in June and both Indianapolis natives, will be on-site in Pit Row as guests of Lenovo and driver Alex Barron. â€Å"Indy Car racing is a data-intensive, computing-intensive endeavor, highly focused and invested in innovation and development, and highly dependent on information technology,† said Tony George, Tony George, founder and CEO, Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the Indy Car Series. â€Å"We welcome Lenovo to this community and are excited to be working with the best in the business for PC technology.†The Indy Car Series has long been recognized for its technical leadership, and recently reinforced its leadership track record by being the first in the automobile racing world to use 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol in Indy cars. That leadership makes the Indy Car Series an excellent partner for Lenovo, where engineering and innovation are top priorities. Effective deployment of information technology is a key part of the CURB/ Alabamian/Beck Motor sports strategic allocation process, and these decisions help determine the team’s success at the track. A Lenovo notebook PC will form an integral part of starting the Indy Car before each race, practice and test session. Lenovo PCs will support engineers in car research, test, development and manufacturing. They will support the drivers in their analysis and will support the management team in marketing, logistics, travel and race planning as well as networking, inventory, relationships with clients, sponsors and suppliers, human resources, finance and strategy. CURB/Agaganian/Beck Motor sports are a team in the Indy Racing League owned by Greg Beck, Cary Alabamian, and Mike Curb. The team’s car is a black No. 98 Dollar/Honda/Firestone car. The team participated as Team Leader Motor sports when two Indy Car Teams joined forces to field cars for the 2006 Indianapolis 500. The first team was Beck Motor sports owned by Greg Beck which was founded in 1995. The second team R. Kent Baker Racing owned by Kent Baker which was founded in 1988. Both Baker and Beck had many years experience working with their own and various other Indy Car teams. They were joined by Cary Alabamian and Mike Curb of Curb Alabamian Motor sports. About the Indy Car Series:The Indy Car Series is the premier open-wheel series in the U.S., competing on a challenging combination of super  speedways, short ovals, scenic road courses and temporary street circuits. In 2007 the Indy Car Series will conduct 16 events in the U.S. and one in Japan, all available worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ABC Sports/ ESPN. A leader in motor sports technology, the Indy Car Series is the first racing series to power its Honda engines on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol. The Indy Car Series continues to the be the fastest and most competitive racing series, attracting a diverse lineup of drivers including Marco Amoretti, Sam Cornish Jr., and Dania Patrick. OLYMPIC GAME Lenovo, worldwide partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and the exclusive computing equipment supplier for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, is offering limited-edition notebook PCs inspired by the Lenovo-designed Olympic torch leading into the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Bid on this limited-edition Lenovo 3000 V200 notebook PC signed by Gail Emmys of the U.K. Badminton team, the last one of only three available exclusively through this auction. With the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games just one week away, here’s your last chance to win this commemorative notebook PC!About the limited-edition Lenovo 3000 V200 notebook PCLike the â€Å"Cloud of Promise† on which the design is based, the notebook cover features striking swirls of silver against a pure red base color. Gail’s signature is prominently displayed on the cover of the notebook (signed with a black Sharpie Fine Point Permanent marker). Due to export restrictions and policies, this product is only available for shipment within the U.K. or to the U.S.A. Bids will only be accepted from bidders with shipping addresses in the U.K. or U.S.A. Specs:Lenovo 3000 V Series notebooks are built to provide worry-free computing in a stylish, media-friendly and powerful ultra portable widescreen. LENOVO BOOSTS ONLINE SALES THROUGH BARGAIN PROMOTION China’s leading PC producer Lenovo Group (0992.HK; LNVGY.PK), recently initiated a series of market promotion activities for low-price products in domestic online market. The PC giant earlier launched a product under the ThinkPad series for the student market at 7,999 Yuan and recently cut the price of a new PC product under the ThinkPad SL series to 3,000 Yuan from 5,000 Yuan. Besides, the low- price strategy could produce the largest effect in the summer holiday due to high price sensitivity in the period. The company has begun to boost the promotion for online buyers, in particularly the youth and students, because the company could cut great cost to support its low-price strategy. With the extension of internet coverage, the booming online consumption is underpinned by reduced marginal cost due to more conveniences and increasing transparency of price for the components of IT products. The analyst believes that the campaign would bring great troubles to the domestic PC producers in the second and third camps, which might spark a new wave of merger and acquisition in China. Lenovo launch in IndiaReconnecting with Television AdvertisingLenovo creates promotional flexibility with Google TV Ads. How does a computer manufacturer create brand awareness in a critical new  market? This was one of Lenovo’s biggest challenges following their acquisition of IBM’s Personal Computing division in 2005. IBM’s ThinkPad was already a bestselling laptop product line worldwide, but the Lenovo brand was virtually unknown outside of China. The acquisition elevated Lenovo to the world’s third largest PC Company and Lenovo set out to elevate its brand awareness in the US. Gary Milner, global interactive marketing manager at Lenovo, was hard at work developing and executing the online piece of Lenovo’s marketing plan; for this he turned to Google. â€Å"We started working aggressively with Ad Words to stimulate direct sales,† Gary said. â€Å"The online metrics showed us a clear payoff through increased traffic to our site, and we were able to quickly determine what messages and promotions customers were responding to,† he recalls. As the Lenovo team became more skilled in applying these metrics to better measure and improve the success of its online marketing initiatives, the team began looking for ways to extend their reach through other forms of media. The Google TV Ads product was intriguing because it offered the measurement and accountability of online. The Power of Sight, Sound and MotionAt the 2006 Winter Olympics, Lenovo used television advertising to generate brand awareness and drive sales. Right away Lenovo understood the power of television but didn’t have the budget to make it a permanent part of their marketing mix. â€Å"We saw right away that we got huge spikes in online traffic after that campaign, so we knew that TV was working for us. But at the time it proved to be a very hard medium for us to work with in a scalable way,† Gary remembers. When Gary and his team were introduced to the Google TV Ads platform, they were excited to see that many of the limitations that had kept them from using television more extensively were addressed. Google TV Ads’ digital platform allowed for easy campaign set up and management and complete flexibility across 95 networks. â€Å"The fact that we could configure and run our campaigns through an online interface was really appealing.† says Gary. A Variety ShowLenovo’s goal was to use Google TV Ads to generate interest and sales by offering viewers a variety of discounts and promotions. But which promotions would be most effective and generate the greatest response? Gary and his team were eager to find out. â€Å"We worked with an agency to create 50 plus promotional variations of our existing ad which saved us the money and trouble of producing a whole new creative,† Gary explains. This promotional strategy demanded a level of flexibility that was not available to Lenovo through the standard TV buying process. â€Å"Google did with TV what they’d done with search – they put control in the hands of the advertiser. The platform gave us the ability to easily upload ad creative and change them day-by-day based on our marketing needs.†Ã¢â‚¬ With 50 different versions of our commercial we had a lot of opportunity for experimentation,† says David Barbara, another member of Lenovo’s global interactive marketing team. â€Å"Be it free shipping or a 40 percent off discount — we could swap out any of our promotions as often as we wanted based on which deals we were running or which ads got the best response.† The more comfortable Lenovo got with the system, the more sophisticated their experiments became. David continually adjusted the campaigns to optimize reach and CPMs (cost per thousand impression). â€Å"We started to better understand which networks gave us the level of impressions we needed to make an impact.†Channeling successIn some of their ads, Lenovo featured a vanity URL – ExperienceLenovo.com – developed exclusively for their Google TV Ads. By tracking up tick in traffic to the website, the team learned that TV Ads enabled Lenovo to reach new, qualified audiences. â€Å"We found that 68 percent of the traffic to ExperienceLenovo.com was direct, meaning users were typing the URL directly into their browsers. The only way they could have gotten there was if they remembered the URL from the television spots we ran with Google,† says Gary. â€Å"Additionally, about 65 percent of people who created a customer account with the site during the time we were running Google TV Ads had never interacted with a Lenovo site before.† This meant that L enovo was attracting new customers. Google TV Ads worked so well for Lenovo that the team had decided to do more  of it. â€Å"TV advertising has not only brought us increased brand awareness, but it has impacted our success online as well – and Google put all of that within our reach.†Ã¢â‚¬ The Google TV Ads platform gives us a flexible, measurable alternative to network buys,† Gary said, â€Å"but most importantly, it lets us control our own destiny.†BRAND AMBASSADORYesterday, PC Company Lenovo, Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and TOP Sponsor of the Beijing Olympic Games 2008, launched its second phase of three online auctions in India as part of a global online philanthropic countdown to the Olympic Games. Just as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay travels around the world, a new Lenovo auction is beginning each week in a different country, as a countdown down to the Olympic Games. The auction features limited-edition, notebook PCs inspired by the Lenovo-designed Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch, and signed by Saif Ali Khan, the Bellwood star. The limited-edition notebook PC offers the Olympic fans the opportunity to bid and own a part of Olympic history, with a personal touch by Saif Ali Khan. The auction site will be closed at midnight of Friday, May 23rd, 2008. The third and final phase of auction in India will begin on July 29th, 2008. Saif Ali Khan was one of the six Lenovo torchbearers who ran with the Lenovo-designed torch ‘Cloud of Promise’ in the New Delhi leg of the Olympic Torch Relay on April 17th. The other five comprised Leander Peas (Tennis professional) Amar Babu (Managing Director, Lenovo India), S Ramadorai, Jaishankar K and Dr. Vaibhav Bagaria, the Open Nomination winner from Nagpur. The first phase of the auction, held in February, saw very encouraging response from Indians, with over a dozen bids and over thousand page views in India alone. The first notebook, Lenovo 3000 V200, was auctioned for $ 825.99Hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction will be distributed through the Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play. ENVIRONMENT Lenovo is committed to environmental leadership in all of its  business activities, from its operations to the design of its products and use of its technology. Lenovo’s corporate policy on environmental affairs is supported by the company’s global environmental management system, which is the key element of the company’s efforts to achieve results consistent with environmental leadership and ensures the company is vigilant in protecting the environment across all of its operations worldwide. Climate ChangeIn recognition of the need for control of the greenhouse gases for which industry is responsible, Lenovo has set a voluntary target of improving our operational carbon efficiency by 10% by 2012, against a baseline of 2007. This 2007 baseline will be published in our 2007/8 Sustainability Report. The Lenovo Energy CalculatorThis tool uses actual energy calculations from internal Lenovo testing, to determine the energy savings on our Lenovo desktops, notebooks and monitors. The energy savings are based on an estimated usage model for various configurations. Costs per Kilowatt Hour are based on 2007 US dollar calculations. Rates by country are based on 2007 information published by the United States Department of Energy. CO2 emission factors are from the US Dept. of Energy’s most recent data published in 2002. The tool allows you to select â€Å"Customize† and input your specific cost, CO2 emission factor and usage profile. Please select the â€Å"More Info† tab in the tool for more details on using these features. The Lenovo Energy Calculator provides an estimate and should only be used as a guide. Lenovo does not guarantee the savings as your company’s usage mayNew Lenovo-Designed Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Components Unveiled BEIJING February 5, 2008 – In addition to designing the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch that will travel the world on its way to herald the arrival of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Lenovo has designed new torch relay components including the Lantern and Local City Cauldrons. The lantern houses the Olympic flame once it is lit in Olympia, Greece and safely carries the â€Å"mother flame† from city to city for the duration of the relay while the Olympic cauldron will be lit by the day’s last torchbearer at each end-of-day city celebration.The design extends the ‘Cloud of Promise’ design motif from the Olympic Torch to the lantern and cauldron. Lenovo’s designers  drew their inspiration for the lantern from the traditional lanterns that once adorned the walls of ancient Chinese palaces. PROMOTIONSKAUN BANEGA CROREPATI Lenovo gains from promotion through Kaun Banega CrorepatiChina based maker of personal computersLenovo has said that they have achieved tremendous sales boost and brand awareness inIndia through their marketing initiatives. The company specially credited their sponsorship of the popular gaming show on the television featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Senior vice PrPROMOTION IN MALLCandid Marketing has created a unique activity to take the new Idea Pad brand by Lenovo to masses through experiential marketing. A mall promotion has been designed by the agency keeping in mind the brand’s target audience, and to interactively communicate product features. A large ‘Idea Meter’ bulb was created similar to that of the Idea Pad brand logo, and participants were invited to take part in a contest of witty ideas. The winner would be the one with the wittiest idea, which reflected through the intensity with which the ‘idea bulb’ glowed. The glow of the bulb is determined by the audience’s reaction to the idea. Winners of the Idea Meter contest took home brand merchandise. The promotion area also doubled up as a space in which customers could test the features of the new product line and sample the product itself. The activity traveled through malls and larger retails formats of six major metros in the country – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Collate and Mumbai. The activity kick started on 21 June 2008 and will continue till 3 August 2008. Candid Marketing was involved with conceptualizing, designing and developing the Idea Meter. The task was to intrigue customers and lead them into sampling the product and increase awareness of the new series, said an agency representative.

Bad Therapy

In the book â€Å"Bad Therapy: Master Therapists Share Their Worst Failures† by Jeffrey A Kottler it shows how other therapists use psychotherapy and how the therapists deem certain sessions as bad therapy. When the authors began this work their aim was to create an opportunity by which some of the most prominent therapists in the field could talk about what they considered to be their worst work in order to encourage other practitioners to be more open to admitting their mistakes. The authors are among the 22 therapists who agreed to participate in the project.The result of the interviews, all conducted over the telephone is this collection of short and very readable accounts. The credentials of the list of contributors to the book are impressive. In the preface the authors explained that they selected the participants because all were prominent and influential, had a body of published work and years of clinical experience. Arnold A. Lazarus, a pioneer of Behavior Therapy is among the writers. Between them, the authors alone have written over 70 books on counseling and psychotherapy. The majority of these therapists are working in a public professional life.They write books, run training courses, lecture and demonstrate their techniques to large professional audiences. They produce tapes and videos of their work. Throughout the text there are many references to the anxiety stirred by the nature of the subject on which these therapists were asked to reflect this because of the possibility of a lawsuit and laws. Each chapter is a narrative account of the conversation the authors had with the therapist who was asked to talk about incidences in his or her clinical practice which evoked uncomfortable memories, feelings of regret or guilt, or a sense of failure.Strong emphasis is laid upon what can be learned from the mistakes. I found this and the more general reflections on the theme of what makes therapy bad helpful to me considering a career in the clinic al practice. The refreshing honesty of the therapist’s accounts that gave me a sense of the tensions that arise during these sessions, â€Å"projecting an image of perfection†, and â€Å"stories of miraculous successes† (p. 189) or the â€Å"stunning failures† (p. ix). These words made me reflect on the nature of idealization and its opposite, devaluation on what success and failure means in therapy.It also helped me to reflect on the high expectations we put on ourselves as therapist to train well and to be viewed as doing a good job in the eyes of our clients, peers, trainers and supervisors. There is an uncertainty to what we view as good and what is bad in therapy. Good and bad can become intertwined with emotionally charged meaning along the success-failure road and their use is dependent upon expectations of good techniques or good interpretations. The value of the ordinary human contact with the client can get caught up in an anxiety ridden preoccu pation with the right way of doing things.At the beginning of the book, the authors state that they â€Å"tried for a cross section of representative styles and theoretical orientations† (p. x). But none of the 22 contributing therapist practices in the psychodynamic tradition. The therapeutic relationship is known as being important and the interaction between therapist and client is very much the basis of what happens in these accounts but the term â€Å"transference† is used only once or twice and not explained.The term â€Å"countertransference† is used in several places and in the context of some exploration of interpersonal dynamics but this is not explained either as a concept or as a useful frame within which to understand what happens in the emotional field between therapist and client. One of the few exceptions occurs in the discussion between the authors and Richard Schwartz (p. 51-52) in which the therapist talks about the importance of noting counte rtransference thoughts or behaviors, commenting that many therapists do not think about their own emotional responses to their clients.In several accounts, the therapist was left with a hangover of guilt or regret as a result of the bad therapy practiced. If a detailed exploration of the transference and countertransference dynamics had been possible then I suspect the focus of what was bad might have been shifted from it being a bad technique or an unfortunate intervention or maybe strategy to the kind of understanding that psychoanalytic psychotherapists are more familiar with.Also the impact of unconscious projection and introjections upon ourselves and our client’s behavior or emotional response, an example was given of this occurrence in the first chapter when the therapist, Kottler, briefly describes how he got mad at a client who would not dump her abusive boyfriend, and told her not to come back because he could not help her and then hoped she received better care els ewhere from another therapist.If a way of attempting to unravel what happened in this session were to think about the repetitive actions of an explosive situation in the client’s life during the session, the conclusion that this was bad therapy would be different. The kind of understanding that a psychodynamically trained therapist or counselor brings on some of these accounts made gave me a sense of what could happen during a session, such as Jeffrey Kottlers confession to sometimes feeling invisible and irrelevant as part of the personal process he encountered in interviewing the contributors (p.195). Both authors remarked that the contributors did not â€Å"go deeper† (pgs. 195, 197). Neither really explains what they meant by this and I suspect a similar sentiment is felt by many therapists. I felt there was a certain lack of depth and substance to the book because of the absence of consideration of the workings of the unconscious mind. The meaning of â€Å"bad th erapy† must be deemed by individuals reading the book.But in the book bad therapy means â€Å"In summary, bad therapy occurs when either the client or the therapist is not satisfied with the result and when that outcome can be traced to the therapist’s repeated miscalculations, misjudgments, or mistakes† (p. 198). It would be very interesting to extend this question of what makes for bad therapy by opening a clinically orientated debate among psychodynamic counselors and psychotherapists. What is the difference between bad practice and bad experience in psychotherapy and counseling would be a good question to pose.Both the therapists and clients may from time to time have a bad experience of each other or of the effects of our words or of feelings which cannot be thought about or adequately contained in a single moment. If we are open enough to be available to receive our client’s projections and be affected by emotions unconsciously intended to be a commu nication, we will no doubt feel the bad emotions or the mental state being projected. It will be enough to call this countertransference.If a bad experience is not able to be recognized then transforming the experience into something understandable in terms of the need of the client or even the mental state of the therapist it could become an example of bad therapy. What makes for bad therapy cannot be limited to doubtful strategies or mistimed interpretations or the wrong techniques. We are human in relationship to another and constantly affected by the emotional impact the other has on us if we are not really emotionally present to the client for some reason or if the client is using the therapist to communicate his or her experience of not being responded to emotionally.The point is that therapists need to find ways of transcending the experience so that it can be understood or changed by being given the benefit of thoughtful reflection. This may be a result of consulting our int ernal supervisor or of talking with a trusted peer group or external supervisor or consultant. Another related question has to do with the responsibility we take upon ourselves for monitoring and understanding what we call countertransference. In the book the point is made, several times, which we can all too easily label or blame our clients for their bad behavior or resistance or ability to make us feel tired, angry or irritable.Are we so focused on what the client does to us and on using this as a helpful therapeutic tool that the therapist will lose sight of their own state of mind or emotion which Freud cautions in relation to countertransference may be interfering with therapist’s ability? We need our peer colleagues and supervisors to help monitor therapists state of mind and reactions to their clients so that the ability to enter into the experience of the encounter with the client does not turn into a case of bad practice due to the absence of reflective thinking or insightful monitoring.I would recommend â€Å"Bad Therapy† to both trainees and the more experienced counselors and psychotherapists for its very thought provoking and interesting content as well as the unusual opportunity to gain insight into the mind and emotions of the practitioner at work. Reference: Kottler, J. A. , & Carlson, J. (2003). Bad therapy: Master therapists share their worst failures. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

Free will and Determinism in Oedipus the King by Sophocles...

Determinism is based off this notion that all events are pre-determined, without influence by human actions. If this is true, we can imply that people do not have free will and thus are not responsible for their actions. In Oedipus the King we see that the dichotomy of fate and free will is hazed by the hyperbole of events, which can make it difficult, but possible, to determine if humans even have free will. Through Oedipus’s flaws and decisions and Sophocles use of the imagery of a crossroad it is apparent that free will can be exercised in a meaningful way. The play opens, and immediately we see parallels with the start of Oedipus’s overconfident ego, and subsequently the start of his downfall. Creon comes back with news from the†¦show more content†¦Overall, we once again see how Oedipus’s blindness to the truth perpetuates his fate and furthers him on his path of downfall. Furthermore, later in the play we have many things happening, with the introd uction of the crossroad and the continuation of Oedipus’s arrogance. Firstly, Jocasta recounts the story of how Laius was murdered at a three-way crossroad by some thieves. What is important about the story is not just that Oedipus could be, and is, the murderer, but also that he had a choice. The definition of a crossroad is literally, the crossing of two or more paths. Fate crossed Laius and Oedipus’s paths at the crossroad, but Oedipus was given the opportunity to choose a path. He did not have to fulfill his destiny and kill Laius; he could have chosen an alternative path. Nonetheless, his superciliousness blinded him from handling the situation without violence. Therefore, once again we see how his blindness persists to be the vain of his existence. As they continue to recount the past, the symbol of the crossroad and this idea of different paths carry through. After Oedipus unknowingly killed his father, he travelled to Thebes and was presented with another decis ion for which to exercise his free will. Oedipus chooses to perpetrate his prophecy and marry Jocasta. However, he did not have to choose that path, it was his personal decision for which he is accountable. He laterShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Freewill In Oedipus The King933 Words   |  4 PagesFreewill in Oedipus the King   Ã‚  Ã‚   Determinists believe that every event of our life is strictly determined by a preceding event. This order follows until the sequence of events dates back before our birth, thus, beyond the notion of oneself as an individual. From this theory, one could argue that there could never be an attribution of responsibility to individuals since they cannot be held responsible for events dating before their birth. At the end of Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, Oedipus attributesRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King1387 Words   |  6 Pagesstated in a previous essay, Oedipus The King is a play by Sophocles which belongs to the genre of tragedy and focuses on a man named Oedipus, king of a place called Thebes, and his efforts to put an end to a plague that has devastated the city. He believes that in order to put an end to the plague, he must find the man that murdered the previous king of Thebes; a man by the name of Laius (Sophocles pg.8-10). Prophecy plays an important ro le in this play and as Oedipus’ investigation progresses, heRead MoreA POSITION PAPER ON SOPHOCLES’ OEDIPUS REX2713 Words   |  11 PagesTHE KING WEARS A SHADES AS THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT WHICH MAKES HIS DAYS DARKER AND DARKER EVERY SINGLE DAY (with some relations to the Philippine Government and setting as a whole) A POSITION PAPER ON SOPHOCLES’ OEDIPUS REX REGULANO, Jean Paula Bermudez 2011-05787 HUM 1 X Oedipus Rex’ knowledge, which served as his gut against the others to be the King of Thebes, is only limited to the information on his people and his environment, excluding the information about himself due to his blindness andRead MoreOedipus The King By Sophocles950 Words   |  4 PagesThe people throughout Oedipus’ life trues very hard to allow him to escape his fate of killing his father and then marrying his mother. In the epic poem Oedipus the King, Sophocles tells the story of the tragic downfall of Oedipus. Although many people see the role of free will that brought upon Oedipus’ doom, no matter what choices were made throughout his life, his ultimate fate would always return. The choices made at the beginning of Oedipus’ life set him up to fulfill his prophecy. His parentsRead MoreA Comparative Tragedy Study of Fatalism and Determinism: Oedipus Rex and Thunderstorm2489 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿A Comparative Tragedy Study of Fatalism and Determinism: Oedipus Rex and The Thunderstorm 1. INTRODUTION The Thunderstorm and Oedipus Rex, the representatives of Chinese and Greek play, both tell tragic stories about incest and unexpected destiny. The two masterpieces reveal much about the literature patterns and philosophical implications of the different cultures. The exploration of the two plays could help further understand the oneness of world literature and the tragedy of unlike cultureRead MoreQuestions On The Guilt Of Oedipus 1574 Words   |  7 PagesCounterarguments Free Will and Hamartia Counterargument #1: P. H. Vellacott for Free Will Many classicists believe that Oedipus’s fall is due to his Free will and the decisions he makes. Those who hold this belief hold that Oedipus made his own decisions, which is what led to his fall and that he was not compelled by some external source. P. H. Vellacott is a strong supporter of this theory. As such, in his famous essay, â€Å"The Guilt of Oedipus,† Vellacott argues that, factually speaking, Oedipus must haveRead More A Rebuttal to E. R. Dodds On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex2978 Words   |  12 PagesA Rebuttal to E. R. Dodds On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex In On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex, E. R. Dodds takes issue with three different opinions on Oedipus Rex. I consider the first two opinions, which Dodds gleaned from student papers, to be defensible from a close reading of the text. The first of these opinions is that Oedipus was a bad man, and was therefore punished by the gods; Dodds counters that Sophocles intended for us to regard him as good, noble, and selfless. ButRead MoreFate And Free Will : Oedipus Rex1841 Words   |  8 PagesFate and free will have many meanings towards what they mean in Oedipus Rex it’s all based on fate and free will. When your whole life is planned out for you it’s usually fate something you can’t avoid or run away from. Fate is played out in Oedipus Rex although free will happens to be your choice of action which happens to be played out in the play. Oedipus pursed information to seek certain knowledge that he should ve just left alone about his identity. Fate is responsib le for Oedipus’s incestRead More A Comparison of Individual Responsibility in Oedipus Rex and A Dolls House4312 Words   |  18 PagesIndividual Responsibility in Oedipus Rex and A Dolls House    In Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Ibsens A Dolls House, the main characters - Nora and Oedipus, are both constructed to illustrate flaws in society.   Oedipus psychological evolution sees him begin as an all-powerful, righteous king, who seemingly through no fault of his own murders his father and marries his mother.   His evolution ends with his self-blinding, an action which Sophocles uses to establish the true freedom of the individualRead MoreWhat Would It Entail?1221 Words   |  5 Pagesdramatic revision. I have not a clue what they might result to. With constituents not being morally responsible for their actions, criminal acts become easily defensible. For the subject, he/she was not â€Å"free† at the time of the act, for one can only be morally responsible for an act if one was free and consciously willed the act ( ). Rape, theft, cheating, murder and torture thus become acceptable acts. A world without moral responsibility would imply more evil, more chaos, more so cial distrust of