Implying Theme Through Characterization: An Analysis of Ousmane’s Intent in Tribal Scars In today’s society, tribal scars are a major part of the African cultures and traditions. These scars are viewed as a sign of beauty. In “Tribal Scars”, the thematic focus that Sembene Ousmane is implying-as evidenced by his characterization of Amoo-that one’s can love protect others from harm. The first indication, is Amoo’s over-protection of his daughter Iome. Secondly, Ousmane shows how Amoo will do anything in order to ensure the safety of his daughter.
Amoo makes sure that his eyes are always on Iome. For example, in this part of the story, Amoo finishes his desperate search for his daughter Iome. Amoo and Iome are walking with Momutu and his troops, while Amoo is looking for a place to rest. While Iome is resting, Momutu comes to Amoo saying, “She’s a strong girl. ” Then says, “We’ll have a rest and wait here for them. They’re bound to come this way. ” Ousmane has Amoo more cautious than before about Momutu. He describes Amoo’s actions by saying, “He nodded, but kept his eyes on Iome in between working at the piece of wood” (110).
Ousmane shows how much Amoo really loves and cares for Iome. The qualities shown by Amoo’s actions are love and care. Ousmane seems to be implying, one’s affection guards from attack. Amoo can not take his eyes off Iome for one second. Another example, takes places when Amoo and Iome returns to their village, escaping from Momutu and his troops. The villagers continue on with their work with no apprehension. At the same time, they stay prepared and always on alert. Ousmane then says, “Amoo shared his hut with Iome and always slept with a weapon” (113).
Ousmane shows how Amoo loves and protects Iome. The qualities being shown are love and caring. Ousmane is implying, one will defend what is cherished. Amoo makes sure that no harm comes to Iome. He assures her safety by sleeping with a weapon, so no one can get the chance to capture Iome at a vulnerable state. Ousmane wants readers to see the extent that Amoo will go to, for protection of daughter. Amoo will put his life on the forefront for his loved ones. For example, in this part of the story, Amoo, Iome, and his mother-in-law are fleeing from Momutu and his troops.
They are deep into the woods and his mother-in-law keeps stopping to catch her breath. Her leg is getting heavier as they go because she has elephantitis. Ousmane describes Amoo’s actions by saying, “Amoo helped her as best as he could, while Iome stuck to his side” (115). This is showing how loyal and loving Amoo is. The qualities being shown are loyalty and love. Ousmane is implying, attachment can influence one to linger. Amoo is making sure that his mother-in-law’s health is sufficient before moving on. Amoo makes sure that he will not leave them there by themselves.
Another example is, Momutu and his troops are starting to catch up with Amoo and his family. The mother-in-law can not make it further because of her disability. He also, makes sure Iome is not be captured by Momutu. Ousmane describes Amoo’s actions by saying, “Amoo gripped the girl between his strong legs and began making cuts all over her body” (116). This shows how love and determination can lead one to do the unexpected. The qualities being shown are love and loyalty. Ousmane is implying, one’s passion for someone can lead to unpredictable actions.
Amoo is making sure that his daughter is not going to be captured by Momutu and his troops. Even though, it crushes him to make cuts on Iome, he does it for her well-being. One can infer that one’s love for someone can lead to temporary pain and everlasting freedom. In conclusion, one can infer that Amoo has a strong love and caring for his daughter Iome. Also, one can infer that Amoo is selfless instead of selfish towards the one’s he love. Finally, at the end of the story it tells how Amoo determinately gains freedom for his daughter Iome and his mother-in-law.
He ensures Iome’s freedom by making cuts all over her body. He does this because slave catcher only abduct those without blemishes. Amoo places the well-being of others as more of an importance than himself. This can be said because he could have left them behind while running away from Momutu. But, Amoo stays by his family’s side the entire time and sacrifices his life for theirs. In “Tribal Scars”, Ousmane intends to depict that love and determination can lead to someone else’s happiness.
Car Sharing Strategy: Enterprise Rent-a-Car
This memo discusses three main topics about Enterprise Holdings: their current competitive advantage, the impact of the car sharing business on the car rental industry’s structure and profitability, and how the company should handle the car sharing business.
I have used the tools and frameworks of corporate strategy to develop my recommendations. The company has two main competitive advantages: 1) economies of scale due to being the industry leader with 6,000 locations and 850,000 vehicles; and 2) our proprietary closed-standard technology platforms, Ecars and ARMS. These advantages have created strong barriers for competitors and have enabled us to charge higher prices to our customers, capturing more value. The emergence of car sharing has had a significant impact.
Car sharing is a viable alternative that decreases our ability to benefit from high prices, as it allows customers to choose and increases their bargaining power. The presence of similar options lowers prices and reduces profits. Enterprise needs to address the growing car sharing market and can do so by leveraging its current fleet, location assets, best practices, and economies of scale. This will help develop WeCar as a separate but connected brand, while expanding its signature pick-up and drop-off service to WeCar.
Competitive Advantage: Source, Sustainability and Scope. Source. Enterprise obtains its competitive advantage through a combination of products, services, and market position. With more than 6000 locations, 850,000 cars, and a market share of 48%, our proprietary IP technology streamlines processes, reduces costs, and creates exit barriers for our largest customers. This positions us as the leader in the industry. These advantages, along with our values centered around employees and customers, operational best practices, and a strong culture of teamwork driven by incentives, create a unique set of activities that make it difficult for others to replicate Enterprise’s success.
Over the past twenty-five years, Enterprise has invested in “hard commitments” that have helped protect it from competitors. Our Ecars and ARMS technology has integrated us into our major customers’ operations and lowered costs for them. This has also made it difficult for customers like Geico Insurance to switch to Avis due to high switching costs.
The company’s firm commitments and robust IP protection enable it to create and safeguard a distinct position in the strategy frontier. Our unique blend of competitive advantages empowers us to surpass our competitors, who depend on generic differentiation strategies in the market. Nevertheless, these advantages do not apply to crucial markets like airports and car sharing.
Airports serve the needs of both business and leisure travelers, providing convenience, efficiency, and quick service. Conversely, car sharing addresses the transportation requirements of city residents without their own vehicles. Our Ecars and ARMS technology platforms were initially designed for insurance clients but do not offer any advantages in other markets like airports. Consumers in the airport sector have a variety of choices, including Hertz, Avis-Budget, and Thrifty-Dollar – our competitors who can be seen as excellent alternatives. To strengthen our position at airports, we acquired Alamo-National.
However, it doesn’t make sense to acquire a car sharing company as a strategy to enter the market because there is no attractive acquisitions target that can enhance our competitive advantage. We can achieve this ourselves by utilizing our 6000 locations, 850,000 vehicle fleet, and strong local management. Moreover, building the technology for car sharing is open and easy. Car sharing has a negative effect on profitability as the presence of viable substitutes reduces our ability to charge high prices.
The customer’s bargaining power increases with more choices, leading to lower prices and greater consumer surplus, as shown by the area between A and B on the graph below. If a company cannot charge higher prices due to the availability of substitutes, its profitability will decrease. Exhibit 1 outlines the five key forces that determine the potential for profitability in the car sharing market: Buyer Power, Supplier Power, Threat of New Entry, Threat of Substitution, and Competitive Rivalry.
The car rental industry’s analysis of the five forces indicates that industry effects are crucial for profitability, as noted by research. The car sharing market is witnessing growth and has a positive long-term outlook because of the decline in car ownership within cities. The increase in gasoline prices has prompted individuals to move to urban areas and choose alternative transportation options. As a result, there has been a decrease in urban cars, leading to reduced insurance claims and revenue for our company.
The car sharing market is growing rapidly, with a projected growth rate of 15.53% from 2010 to 2013 in the US and 12.50% in Europe. The number of users is also increasing, estimated at 449,700 in 2010 and expected to reach 640,500 thousand by 2013.
Various market segments are included in the car rental industry such as airport, local, business, discretionary, urban leisure, insurance and repair, and college/university. The estimated revenues for airport and local car rental are $10 billion while the college/university segment brings in $2.818 billion.
These positive growth trends suggest a promising future for the car sharing market.
While car sharing presents the possibility of causing disruption, our industry can still be appealing if we maintain our focus on offering a diverse range of services for individuals in need of or interested in renting a car. This emphasis entails leveraging our resources and abilities to establish WeCar as a distinct brand with a distinct value proposition. Car Sharing: A Strategic Approach. What do we understand about Zipcar? The truth is, ZipCar’s business model did not perform as expected. Eventually, research demonstrated that customers were only willing to travel a short distance on foot to access a car.
ZipCar faced the challenge of needing locations in neighborhoods every 5-6 blocks, which was expensive and not feasible. Nevertheless, we can resolve this problem and gain an edge by utilizing our pick-up and drop-off services. This will distinguish us from ZipCar and provide customers with a higher level of service, allowing us to generate more revenue through customers’ willingness to pay. While some may argue that this strategy can be easily copied and therefore not viable in the long run, we have successfully implemented it for 24 years without any imitations.
Why should we position WeCar separately from Enterprise? Because it offers us the advantage of scale and manpower that our competitors lack. Integrating WeCar with Enterprise could be risky and jeopardize our ability to capture value. It may confuse our customers, dilute our brand, and lead to internal competition. Instead, we should develop WeCar as a distinct brand with its own lot locations, while utilizing our existing assets to build economies of scale and gain a competitive edge in the car sharing market.
Exhibit 1: Five Forces Analysis on the Car Sharing Industry
[3]. World Car Sharing Industry Overview Report http://www.reportlinker.com/p0690960/Global-Car-Sharing-Market-Report-Edition.html
[4]. Fiona Murray, MIT EMBA IDEA Week Lecture, March 22, 2013.
[2]. Frost & Sullivan (Strategic Analysis of Carsharing Market in North America).
[1]. Stern, Scott. MIT Sloan School of Management EMBA Strategy Lecture, January 26, 2013.
Economics Of Starbucks
Introduction The purpose of this paper is to connect and apply economic theories and concepts to real–life situations in the competitive market. Specifically, the paper will examine a CBC News article, ‘Starbucks Gives Its Prices a Jolt’ from 2006, which states Starbucks coffees and whole beans prices are increasing by 1. 9% and 3. 9%, respectively. Why is the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee rising? The CBC News article quotes the Starbucks spokeswoman who explains, “the company decided to charge more because costs, including fuel and energy, are going up. In other words, Starbucks increased prices to consumers, to cover the increased cost of production, which has been affected by a rise in energy and fuel costs. When the price rises, what will happen to the quantity of Starbucks coffee demanded? The ‘Law of Demand,’ states: “Other things remaining the same, the higher the price of a good, the smaller the quantity demanded;” Applying the law of demand, there would be a decrease in the quantity of Starbucks coffee demand.
This decrease in quantity demanded would occur because consumers assess the opportunity cost of buying one Starbucks coffee in comparison to purchasing a coffee from Tim Hortons or McDonalds. This is known as the substitution effect. Although economics theory suggests Starbucks would experience a decrease in quantity demanded, the real marketplace did not follow the law of demand. In 2006, Starbucks increased their prices, but did not experience a significant loss in sales. Instead, Starbucks sales for 2006 increased by 22% from the previous year, to 7. billion in revenue. When the price rises, what will happen to the demand of Starbucks coffee? Unlike quantity demanded, demand does not change due to a change in price; rather, change in demand relies on other factors. Assuming all other factors remain the same, when the concept of ‘change of demand’ is applied to Starbucks increasing their prices, the result would be no change or shift in demand. As mentioned, change in price causes a change in the quantity demanded, not demand.
In real life, the demand for Starbucks coffee may have shifted to the right, and an increase would be rooted in one of the six factors that change demand, most likely consumer preferences, which are often affected by current trends in society. As, “Starbucks is as much a lifestyle company as foodservice company,” more consumers may purchase Starbucks, because they place more value in the products. When the price rises, what will happen to the quantity of Starbucks supplied? In theory, if Starbucks increases its price, the quantity supplied should increase.
This relationship is based on the ‘Law of Supply’ that states: “other things remaining the same, the higher the price of a good, the greater is the quantity supplied. ” When the price of Starbucks coffee rises, the company would increase production to cover marginal cost and take advantage of the price increase. When the price rises, what will happen to the supply of Starbucks coffee? Similar to demand, a change in supply occurs when a factor other than a change in price, influences the selling plans of a producer, or in this case, Starbucks.
Therefore, assuming that only the Starbucks price for coffee increased, the supply of Starbucks would not change. One factor that will change supply is the price of factors of production. Starbucks prices increased due to an increase in the fuel and energy costs, both of which are considered factors of production. When the price of a factor of production increases, the supply decreases. Starbucks would decrease its supply because price at which they sell their coffee must increase to cover the increased cost of production.
Is the demand for Starbucks coffee considered inelastic or elastic? The elasticity of demand depends on the closeness of substitutes; the proportion of income spent on the good, and the time elapsed since the price changes. Economics’ theory would suggest that Starbucks is more elastic, because it has many substitutes, such as Tim Hortons. Thus, an increase in price of Starbucks products would be an incentive for price sensitive consumers to choose a similar product at a lower price.
In reality, Starbucks is more inelastic because of consumer preferences and customer loyalty. For example, customers buy “…Starbucks because the company, in many ways, sells them back their desires––desires for status [and] individuality. ” Starbucks is also inelastic because of its loyalty. As one study demonstrated “loyal consumers will be less price sensitive in choice than non-loyal consumers. ” When the price of Starbucks coffee increases, what will happen to the quantity of Tim Hortons coffee demanded?
If there were no other influences in the marketplace, basic economic theory would reveal that an increase in the price of Starbucks coffee would not directly increase he quantity of Tim Hortons coffee demanded. The quantity demanded for Tim Hortons coffee would only change if there were a change in the price of Tim Hortons coffee. When the price of Starbucks coffee increases, what will happen to the demand for Tim Hortons coffee? Theoretically, Tim Hortons is a substitute for Starbucks coffee. Therefore, when the price of Starbucks coffee increases, consumers would buy Tim Hortons coffee.
This is an example of a factor that influences the change of demand for Tim Hortons. This would cause an increase in demand, or a rightward shift. The reaction of a Starbucks price increase in reality would probably not cause an increase in the demand for Tim Hortons. As previously discussed, Starbucks coffee is more inelastic, which would translate into consumers continuing to purchase their product at a higher price. When the price of Starbucks coffee increases, what will happen to the quantity supplied of Tim Hortons coffee?
The price increase of Starbucks coffee would not affect the quantity supplied of Tim Hortons coffee. The quantity supplied of a product is dependent on a change of price for the particular product, as stated in the ‘Law of Supply. ’ Only a price increase of Tim Hortons would bring an increase in the quantity supplied for them. When the price of Starbucks coffee increases, what will happen to the supply of Tim Hortons coffee? Under economic theory, Tim Hortons could be classified as a substitute for Starbucks coffee, there is no direct relation between a Starbucks price increase and the supply of Tim Hortons coffee.
However, if we assumed that Tim Hortons faced the same increase costs of production as Starbucks, theory would suggest Tim Horton’s supply would decrease. Other scenarios are also possible, for example, if the price increase of Starbucks caused an increase in demand for Tim Hortons coffee, but Tim Hortons did not change it’s supply, their would be a shortage of supply for the consumers. Therefore, in reality, Tim Hortons could increase the price of their product to decrease the quantity demanded or increase the quantity supplied.
Do you think that the demand for Tim Hortons coffee is inelastic or elastic? Tim Hortons coffee is more elastic than Starbucks coffee. Although Tim Hortons coffee does have brand loyalty, their consumers purchase the product for convenience and time saving, rather than for superior experience and status. In addition, Tim Hortons consumers are more price sensitive, so a price increase will cause more consumers to stop or reduce their spending. For example, when pricing their new extra large, Tim Hortons could not charge more than $1. 90, because they would lose consumer spending.