Environmental Analysis of Target Inc. Free Essays

Running head: ANALYSIS OF TARGET INC. Environmental Analysis of Target Inc. Team B Contemporary Issues in Leadership and Management MM590 October 9, 2006 Abstract Team B conducted an Environmental Analysis and an Industry Analysis of Target Inc. We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Analysis of Target Inc. or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the Environmental Analysis, competition for customers is always a threat in any business but the success of Target is always looking for new opportunities. The Target Inc. analysis found that competition with the â€Å"big box† stores including the availability of substitute products and threats of new entrants are keys to their success. The analysis of the remote environment found new regulations and shifting demographics influence Target’s success. Falling petroleum prices, confidence in the stock market and families migrating from the city to rural areas were the result of the Industry Analysis. .Our recommendations for overcoming the threats and capitalizing on the opportunities were to increase internet shopping, become move competitive in smaller towns, globalization, and allow the Salvation Army to silicate donations during the holidays. Environmental Analysis of Target Inc. Team B conducted an Environmental Analysis and an Industry Analysis of Target Inc. o identify opportunities and threats that may arise in the near future. In this research paper, the team will evaluate the findings and provide recommendations for responding to the issues and opportunities that Target stores face. Environmental Analysis of Competition An analysis of the competition indicates there is availability of substitute produc es and threats of new competition entering every year. The retail industry provides steady competition among business and within departments of the organization. Target offers a wide variety of products and services, which leads to an immense competition pool. The organization rovides services with photo development, pharmaceutical, prepared food with some locations having chain services, optical, and portrait studio centers. These diverse services provided for the expansion of the competition pool to include non-general retailers. Since retail merchandise is Target’s primary source of profitability, the organization must make proper investments to ensure the quality of these services surpass those of the competition. Quality service in the food preparation department will increase the chances that a customer will pass other fast food companies in order to get the same service at Target. Target competes for the customer’s business in retail merchandise with other discount retailers, department stores, wholesalers, and supermarkets. The competition with other discount retailers is Kmart and Wal-Mart. Each company involved in general retail offers similar products to the customers. Customers can bring a shopping list to include socks, shampoo, DVD player, and holiday decorations to each of the general retailers with confidence that each company will satisfy the customer’s needs. The differences in each business, which determines a customer’s preference is the organization’s reputation. This reputation is developed by personal experiences, and/or by external influences like media and other consumers. A consumer’s life situation is another influence on a customer’s decision on business of choice. Some families find finical benefits in purchasing items found at Target in bulk at wholesaler. A consumer’s location in proximity to businesses is another influential factor. Some of these considerations cannot be altered by a business. Although, Target can offer outstanding service to force the customer’s preference to surpass all other factors in choosing a retailer. According to Kijoo and Kim, â€Å"†¦ store managers need to give their best effort to enhance their customers’ perceived satisfaction because satisfied customers have a greater chance of purchasing merchandise† (2006). The retail business relies solely on the customer’s choice in where their money is spent. The best method for retaining customers is to provide them with the products or services they desire. Those businesses, which are successful at customer service, will out perform their competition. The final source of competition involves internal aspects of the company. The competition produces threats to an organization’s retention. In each of the organization in which Target competes in sales, Target also competes in filling similar jobs. All retailers have similar job necessities including cashiers, clerks, receivers, managers, and store managers. According to the article in Human Resources Department Management Report, companies should â€Å"aim to identify the most suitable candidates as well as track trends in applicants and employees, including reasons for departure, rehire possibilities, top performers, and job specifics† (2005). The authors maintain that reduction in turnover can positively affect the profitability of the company. Businesses can operate differently but this does not change the skill requirements for being a leader. Target defines superior leadership performance as the individual who can excel in communicating effectively, managing execution, and demonstrating accountability. Since leadership is not defined by retail experience, Target searches for managers with various experiences including education, military, or public service. As Target is expanding their applicant pool, so is their competition. Once Target recruits strong leaders, retention is significant to the company’s success. Therefore, competition affects Target’s sales growth but also internal growth. Remote and Industry Analysis The analysis of the remote environment found new regulations and a shifting of demographics that influence Target’s success and ability to operate. A corporation that conducts an analysis of the environment must review all available information. This should include, a comparison of one corporation’s information against others in the same industry, and a look at all influences whether they are market related, legally based or social trends that affect the environment. For this analysis, we will focus on Target Corporation, and their main competition (Bateman Snell, 2004, p. 56). Overall, the retail industry has seen continued strength the last year. This is partially the result of falling petroleum prices, which has led to increased trips to the store, and increase in spending. Adding to the optimism is an increase in confidence in the stock market. Forecasts are for retail sales to continue to increase as they ramp up for the November-December holiday season. In response, the retail industry and Target alike has continued expansion in the e-commerce arena- highly ptimistic that forecasts achieve their estimate of 5% over last year (O’Donnell, 2006, p. 1). Other demographic factors include the continuing trend of families migrating from the city to rural areas, the movement of retirees to western states such as Arizona and Nevada, in addition to the continuation of retirees flooding into Florida. To capitalize on these opportunities, sever al initiatives have been seen in the industry (PRB, 2006, p. 1). Target has continued a steady yet comprehensive expansion project estimating the addition of 60-65 new stores this next year, with an overall growth rate of 8%. This expansion includes the Super Target stores, which are designed to compete with the Super Wal-Mart, providing grocery as well as retail consumer service (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. 3). Targets advertising costs have increased by $24 Million, double the increase from the previous year. These expenditures are primarily in the newspaper and media circular areas, but Target also increased expenditures on focused advertising campaigns targeting college students as they return to class in the fall (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. 29). This type of advertising has proven fruitful. This is an example of how Target is carving their niche in the market by focusing  on a part of the marketplace that has specific needs (Bateman Snell, 2004, p. 524). Another contributing factor to the overall increase in budget was the result of a, â€Å"†¦decline in viewer ship of the national networks and the increase in media fragmentation† (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. 11), which has caused a fundamental shift in advertising, utilize more web based services (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. 11). To capitalize on the continued growth of on-line marketing and distribution, Target renewed its agreements with Amazon reiterating their commitment to, â€Å"†¦remain focused on our core strengths of merchandising and design, and while continuing to benefit from Amazon’s innovation and expertise† (Target E-Commerce, 2006, p. 1). The article goes on to explain how Targets goal is to provide the ultimate on-line shopping experience to the customer. This methodology helps ensure Target remains a viable competitor in the on-line retail industry. Distinguishing itself from the competition, Target continues to maintain a vibrant image through its promise to ensure its, â€Å"†¦distinctive merchandise provides style, timeliness and quality at â€Å"best in class† prices† (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. 5). As part of this brand recognition initiative, Target continues to build relationships to enhance the shopping experience with industries such as Starbucks and Pizza Hut (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. 5). This is an important part of its effort to distinguish itself from the rest of the retail environment. A study done by Moorehouse in 1984, shows that states that strictly regulate store-opening hours have fewer large stores. In these cases, the consumer pays more for the products in the larger stores, because operating costs are so much higher. This could affect many of the Target stores because it will cost the company more money to operate to give their customers more shopping flexibility, or they have to increase the prices. Target has tremendous growth and profits are high. From the studies, it appears that Target has kept their prices at the same cost, no matter what. Some of these states include many smaller towns that would not survive without the â€Å"big box† stores and welcome companies like Target. Many times even if the cost is higher, the profits are high because of the demand (Tanguay, 519). Globalization is a concept of the international marketplace that influences increased trade, economic interdependence and decreased market barriers primarily due to increased connectivity (Bateman Snell, 2004, p. 538). Target has been no exception with recent expansion of services in India described â€Å"to perform business functions more productively† (Target Annual Report, 2005, p. ). This global expansion is a direct result of the environment, which fosters global interconnectivity, and more cost- effective operations sourced by major industry, lower labor costs, technology, and an ever-expanding international market. Recommendations Target Corporation has increased advertising dollars to ensure the corporation is targeting custome r’s needs. The increase has done well for the company due to increase in profits over time. The internet-shopping arena is a huge business in the United States. Target’s plan to renew a contract with Amazon was a good decision. This enables customer’s greater flexibility. Many consumers do not like to drive to find the product they need and this helps Target increase profits. One recommendation for the company would to promote more internet shopping in their advertisements. This will especially help with the stores located in certain states where there are stricter regulations on store hours. This helps the consumer in those areas and gives them more flexibility. This will also help the retail chain gain more profits than the competition in those areas. In the smaller towns where companies like Target are considered the â€Å"big box† stores, the company can become more competitive with the local businesses. Many â€Å"mom and pop† stores in smaller communities consider Target a threat because they can offer lower prices on many products. Target should evaluate the markets in these smaller towns to see what the consumers are looking for and at what cost. Globalization has a huge impact on the retail industry. A survey of American organizations shows that in 1996 $100 billion were spent by large organizations on outsourcing contracts. This helps companies like Target build more alliances over seas and reduce costs in technology and labor. This helps the retail chain spend more money on advertising and marketing ventures in the Unites States. Target should continue. On the other hand, the company should look into how many jobs that they are providing here in the US. Consumers like to see major companies consider the welfare of the job economy in the states (Greco, 50). One recommendation is for Target to consider working better with charities. The Target Corporation decided to eliminate any charities soliciting for money inside or outside of their stores. This was a huge headliner when the company stated nationwide that they were not going to allow the Salvation Army (bell ringers) outside of their stores during the holidays. Target’s defense was if they let the Salvation Army in, they would have to let all charities at their store. This created uproar with many consumers. Many customers will no longer shop at Target stores because of this. One of Target’s biggest competitors, Wal-Mart has an advantage because of this. Many of the Target locations are relatively close to the Wal-Mart stores and ecause of the cost proximity Target is losing business. The best decision for Target is to let the Salvation Army back for the holidays. This will increase their profits during that season and may potentially bring back old customers. This does not mean that they have to let all charities at their stores. Allowing this major nonprofit organization will help with the competition tremendously. In summary, Team B found in the analysi s that Target Inc. provides steady competition with the â€Å"big box† stores including the availability of substitute products and threats of new entrants. The analysis of the remote environment found new regulations and shifting demographics that influence Target’s success. Our recommendations for overcoming the threats and capitalizing on the opportunities were to increase internet shopping, become move competitive in smaller towns, globalization, and allow the Salvation Army to silicate donations during the holidays. References Bateman, T. and Snell, S. (2004). Management: The new competitive landscape. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Greco, JoAnn. (1997). Journal of Business Strategy. Outsourcing: The New Partnership†. 18(4), 48-55. Retrieved from the Thomas Gale database on October 4, 2006. Human Resources Department Management Report. (2005). How ‘Closed-Loop Analytics’ at Albertsons Reduces Turnover Saves Millions of Dollars. 5(3), 2-4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database October 6, 2006. Kijoo, K. , and Kim, E. (2006). Suggestions to enhance the cyber store customer’s satisfaction. Journal of Ameri can Academy of Business. 9(1), 233 – 240. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database October 6, 2006. O’Donnell, J. (2006). USA TODAY: Holiday Season Sales Forecast. Retrieved October 5, 2006 from USA Today web site: http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/retail/2006-09-18-retail-usat_x. htm Tanguay, George. (1995). Economic Inquiry. Shopping Hours and Price Levels in the Retail Industry: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis. 33(3), 516-525. Retrieved from Thomas Gale database on October 5, 2006. Target Annual Report. (2005). Retrieved October 4, 2006 from Target web site: http://investors. target. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=65828=irol-reportsAnnual How to cite Environmental Analysis of Target Inc., Papers

Rationale free essay sample

With the process of globalization and increasing economic interdependence amongst nations, there have been extensive changes to the global landscape affected by political, ecological, and technological variables. This has resulted in boosted importance of understanding the diverse cultures across the world. Understanding national culture can prepare individual for the difficulties that may be faced when dealing with various national settings especially in appropriate communication that is not offensive or against any cultural norm. Nonetheless, acknowledging the importance of cultural differences enables managers to comprehend their global partners and competitors and enhances their administrative abilities and skills. As the corporations become transnational, refined and sophisticated models for understanding cultures becomes essential. Developmentally, cross-cultural research in OB is coming of age, and this review reflects this momentum.It has been half a century since Hofstede first conducted his revolutionary study on cultural dimensions which has proven to be an expedient in the corporate world. MNEs undertake a progressively critical part in the global world, and subsidiaries of MNEs are fascinating objects of study in the field of organisational behaviour as the home country, the international corporate world as well as the local cultural, social, political and professional contexts influence, affect, and motivate their work. Hofstedes model of 6 cultural dimensions gives a framework to understand organisational behaviour which helps in strategic international management, marketing and negotiations. It helps the transnational as well as the multinational corporations to carry out their operations with their subsidiaries and also with the contemporary organisations smoothly and efficiently. Thus, National culture affects, to the certain extent, much of management and organizational behaviour. Evidence suggests that there is a correlation between national culture and internal work culture and thus certain postulations to managerial practices can be made. The 6 cultural dimensions by Hofstede aid to provide an insight to the nature, values, norms, practices and functioning of various countries that help the managers to effectively and accordingly deal and minimize conflicts within their inter-cultural workforce and create cooperation. The present study looks into specific cultural dimensions of India and Switzerland. The employees of transnational company Nestle in India and Switzerland were taken as the sample. These two countries were countries were chosen in large part for their proven potential for business, vast differences in cultures and also see the differences in the home country (Switzerland) and one of its subsidiary (India).Cultural diversity has a great influence on the function and behaviour within organizations. The understanding of cultural roots of human be haviour is critical not only for managers and their administrational style but also mirrors its impact on other organizational functions too. Job satisfaction, work engagement and work motivation are important employee attitudes that have been found to be influenced by national culture. Organizations accomplish key objectives through workforce endeavours. The knowledge, skills and abilities of the employees are key determinants of future success. Nevertheless, organizations also want their employees to be fulfilled and satisfied with their jobs, physically and emotionally engaged with their work and faithful to their organizations. Such workplace behaviours ultimately make the employees happier and thus more productive. Thus this research aims to study the influence of culture on these employee attitudes.People everywhere are likely to prefer the desirable over the undesirable and the pleasant over the unpleasant (Diener, Diener and Diener, 1995; Michalos, 1991; Veenhoven, 1991). A major reason for the success of happy individuals and organizations is that they experience on average more positive social relationships. Happiness, compassion and Life satisfaction are believed to have antecedents in the work domain, family domain, and personality traits. Research clearly shows that happy workers are more cooperative and collaborative in negotiations than unhappy ones. In general, positive emotions boost cooperative and collaborative behaviour in negotiations rather than withdrawal or competition.However, it is also likely that exactly what constitutes the good and the valuable varies substantially across cultures (Diener and Suh, 2000; Kitayama and Markus, 2000). In European-American culture, happiness is more of personal achievement in contrast to Eastern cultures where it is more about connectedness, mutual sympathy and support. Compassion and life satisfaction may also vary across nations being influenced by various cultural dimensions. Numerous research studies report that people in collectivistic cultures tend to be less satisfied than the people in individualistic cultures. It was thus considered vital to comprehend the cross section of positive psychology and culture, since it enables one to comprehend individuals inside a culture as well as empowers one to acknowledge and understand individuals from various cultures and societies.Emotional intelligence is winding up progressively crucial to peoples achievement in the increasingly digital future of work. As per Golemans model, those with a higher EQ  have a more prominent capacity to self-direct, regulate, and larger amounts of inspiration – which can thus reduce their tendency to procrastinate, improves self-confidence, and empowers them to focus on accomplishing long-term goals. Those high level of emotional intelligence regularly have a happier outlook on life and  more positive attitude than those with a lower EQ. They are additionally better at distinguishing and identifying with other individuals perspectives – a fundamental characteristic for anticipating and resolving  conflicts at work. Basically, emotional intelligence in the work places leads to comprehending, communicating and managing, good relationships, solving problems under pressure and also avoiding conflict amongst employees. Emotional intelligence was ranked 6th in the World Economic Forums rundown of the best 10 skills that employees will need to possess to thrive in the workplace of the future. Hence, having employees with high emotional intelligence will prove to be very beneficial for the organisation.Comprehending the importance and influence of national culture at the workplace and having enumerated the significance of job satisfaction, work engagement, work motivation, happiness and well-being, compassion, life satisfaction and emotional intelligence in understanding and improving organisational behaviour, all these variables were integrated to be examined under the framework of the present study.

Literary terms Grade 11 HHS Flashcard

Literary terms Grade 11 HHS

A Guide to Ghost Month in China

A Guide to Ghost Month in China The 7th lunar month in the traditional Chinese calendar is called Ghost Month. It is said that on the first day of the month, the Gates of Hell are sprung open to allow ghosts and spirits access to the world of the living. The spirits spend the month visiting their families, feasting, and looking for victims.  There are three important days during Ghost Month, which this article will delve into. Honoring the Dead On the first day of the month, ancestors are honored with offerings of food, incense, and ghost money- paper money which is burned so the spirits can use it. These offerings are done at makeshift altars set up on sidewalks outside the house. Almost as important as honoring your ancestors, offerings to ghosts without families must be made so that they will not cause you any harm. Ghost month is the most dangerous time of the year, and malevolent spirits are on the lookout to capture souls. This makes ghost month a bad time to do activities such as evening strolls, traveling, moving house, or starting a new business. Many people avoid swimming during ghost month since there are many spirits in the water which can try to drown you. Ghost Festival The 15th day of the month is Ghost Festival, sometimes called Hungry Ghost Festival. The Mandarin Chinese name of this festival is ä ¸ ­Ã¥â€¦Æ'ç ¯â‚¬ (traditional form), or ä ¸ ­Ã¥â€¦Æ'节 (simplified form), which is pronounced zhÃ… ng yun jià ©. This is the day when the spirits are in high gear. It’s important to give them a sumptuous feast, to please them and to bring luck to the family. Taoists and Buddhists perform ceremonies on this day to ease the sufferings of the deceased. Closing Gates The last day of the month is when the Gates of Hell close  up again. The chants of Taoist priests inform the spirits that it’s time to return, and as they are confined once again to the underworld, they let out an unearthly wail of lament. Vocabulary for Ghost Month If you happen to be in China during Ghost Month, it could be fun to learn these vocabulary words! While terms like ghost money or ghost month are only applicable to Ghost Month, other words like feast or offerings can be used in casual conversation. English Pinyin Traditional Characters Simplified Characters altar shn tn ghost gu vampire jing sh ghost money zh qin incense xing ghost month gu yu feast gng pn offerings j bi

Blue Ocean Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Blue Ocean Strategy - Research Paper Example To break out of red oceans, the blue ocean strategy postulates that companies must break out of the accepted boundaries that define how they compete. These systematic boundaries are identified by the six paths framework as: industry, strategic groups, buyer groups, scope of product or service offerings, functional-emotional orientation of an industry, and time (â€Å"Blue Ocean Strategy,† 2011). The first path that we see Wii utilized to create a blue ocean was the buyer groups. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 rely on users as their primary focus. For this reason their strategies are geared towards increasing their users-experience through constant innovation and deployment of new technologies such as HD, graphics and so on. On the contrary, Wii opted to target purchasers and influencers e.g. parents and physicians through development of products that everyone in the family can appreciate. This has increased the likelihood of say, parents, purchasing Wii games instead of PS3 or Xbox 360 for their children. The second path that the Wii utilized to create a blue ocean for itself is the product scope. While the two major gaming competitors stuck to the belief that gaming was a preserve for a certain age group, the Wii expanded its market by developing products that could cut across all age groups from pre-teens to senior citizens. The Wii Healthy category of games comprises of products that grandparents and grandchildren could easily play with together.

Diverse Family Structures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diverse Family Structures - Assignment Example A product of the parental genetic make-up and will automatically assume the subculture or culture of the parents. The second proposition states that the environment a child shares with the peers and outside home experience help shape their personality. In this manner, if the parents of a child struggle, then the children will struggle too. The reason is that the parent will bring up the child in a struggling environment that will shape the character of the child as he or she grows. A typical case scenario is that of street families where there is continuity of homelessness on struggles in the generations. One important factor in the development of a child is education that equips the child with knowledge and skills to become better-adapted members of the society. As Harris (2009) pointed out on the proposition of environment and child development, education can mold the character, coping, and adaptation skills of a child to overcome the social status of the parents. Parents entrust teachers with the children with a hope that they will learn (Harris, 2009). The first approach is inculcating a positive attitude of possibilities amidst struggles to help the children appreciate opportunities that can shape a future and destiny lies with education and hard work. Since most children in school believe their teachers, it is a prime opportunity to help them think beyond the struggles the parents face. A school is a social place that should offer a platform of interaction among three parties, that is, parent-teacher, teacher-pupils, and pupil-pupil. Therefore, a teacher must devise a way to connect with the parents and guardians of the pupils in the school. Mandel (2008) outlines various ways of enhancing parent-teacher partnership.

The spirits in a christmas carol

The spirits in a christmas carol A Christmas Carol was written in 1843 by Charles Dickens, who today remains the most widely known novelist of the Victorian period. Dickens was born in Portsmouth and his farther had a constant struggle to keep order of his finance. His farther was put into prison whilst Dickens was put into a work house for the majority of his school years. These events contributed together to give Dickens a first class view of Poverty and how the general children of England lived during the 1800s. These themes can be easily associated with A Christmas Carol. They had a great influence on his writing and made him into the novelist he was. The main character in the novel is Ebenezer Scrooge. The protagonist starts off as a wealthy but extremely grumpy and cantankerous business man. He is the sort of person that only thinks of himself and no ones else. The action of four spirits, change the way he acts and feels and turn him into a respectful member of the community. Jacob Marley, The Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come all have a different effect on Scrooge. From seeing what Scrooge was like as a young boy, to what the future awaits for him. Dickens uses different techniques and methods for each of the spirits to accomplish this. Each of the spirits are also presented differently because they resemble and mean different things. Dickens uses Scrooges old business partner, Jacob Marley, to warn Scrooge of what the future holds for him unless he changes his ways. Marley is the first spirit Scrooge encounters because he is the only person Scrooge would trust. Marley makes a dramatic entrance and astonishes Scrooge. Marley has to look similar to what he looked like seven years ago, to convince Scrooge that he is real. The same face: the very same à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. and the hair upon his head. Scrooge to begin with, refuses to believe that the phantom he is seeing in front of him is real, despite the fact Marley has hardly changed after death. As Marleys appearance has not really changed, this idea slowly convinces Scrooge that the phantom is really Marley because of its likeness. Scrooge has to know what and who has entered his house to haunt him, so a detailed description of Marley is needed. Scrooge first sees Marleys face in the door knocker, after he has come back from a evening meal. Only the rich used to be able to go out for meals, so this shows that Scrooge is wealthy and can afford expensive luxuries. In the 1800s the modern door bell was not invented so the majority of doors had door knockers instead. The face on the knocker catches Scrooges attention, but when he goes back to look, the face has gone. Scrooge then comes to the conclusion that his eyes must have been playing tricks. It is not until Marleys main entrance that Scrooge believes it is really Marley. Dickens uses onomatopoeia to describe Marleys dramatic entrance. The cellar-door flew open with a booming sound. The experience Scrooge has with Jacob Marley is full of suspense and tension. The use of the word flew indicates that the involvement of Marley is dramatic. This helps to evoke fear because of its suddenness. When the reader reads it, the suspense which has been built up is released in one sentence. The onomatopoeia helps the reader to understand what the situation was like for Scrooge. The cellar door could also represent the opening to the changing of Scrooges character. It opening could resemble another chance to go down it, in other words another chance to change the way he lives his life. It is only when Marley takes off the bandage around his head that Scrooge believes that the figure in font of him really is real and is Jacob Marley. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦when the phantom taking off the bandage round its head, as if it were too warm to wear in-doors, its lower jaw dropped down upon its breast! Scrooge fell upon his knees, and clasped his hands before his face. In the 1800s when somebody passed away a bandage was wrapped and tied below the jaw. This was so when the body decomposes the jaw skeleton is still attached to the rest. When Scrooge sees the lowered jaw, he is shocked and in dismay. This was proof that it was Jacob Marley and that everything he had been saying was true. Scrooge could not bear to see what had happened to his best friend. The taking off the bandage evokes fear into Scrooge and makes the said much more real and chilling. This makes Scrooge emotional to the whole visit of Jacob Marley. This tells and shows the reader that Scrooge still has some sort of heart inside of him and it just needs more work and acknowledgement to begin to make Scrooge change. From the text Dickens has given you the idea that the Jacob Marley has not made as big of effect as he wished. It tells us Marley wanted to make a bigger impact to Scrooge and maybe Marley had a little bit of good left in him when he died, so now he is trying to help his old business partner. Jacob Marleys spirit has now left Scrooge and it is the turn of The Ghost of Christmas Past to haunt and teach Scrooge how he must change. The Ghost of Christmas Past has heavy description and takes him back first to his old boarding school and several other important places. Dickens has used similes to describe the strange look of Ghost of Christmas Past. It was a strange figure like a child, yet not so like a child as like an old man. Scrooge can not make out the strange look of the ghost. There is a lot of description about this first of the three spirits. The description Dickens gives for the spirit is peculiar suggesting it is like that to help Scrooge understand the things he is going to see. A simile is a different technique for the reader to take in, other than a lot of description, so this gives the novel a better flow. The spirit could be described like a child, as this spirit is about how Scrooge used to be. The ghost takes Scrooge back to when he went to boarding school, so seeing a child like figure would give you an impression that you are going to re-visit your former self. The fact that it has the appearance of both a child and old man, also symbolises that the spirit is ageless. This indicated that Scrooge is in the presence of the supernatural. After much waiting and confusion over the entrance of the spirit, it suddenly appears in front of Scrooge. Light flashed up in the room upon the instant, and the curtains of his bed were drawn. During the 1800s central heating was an item people could have only wished for. So they would have a curtain which went round the bed to try and keep the warm in and the cold out. A hand of the ghost suddenly opens the bed curtains, this could represent the ghost opening a new opportunity for Scrooge to change into a better person. Again the ghost makes a dramatic entrance, filling the room of light. The light filling the room and the opening of the curtains could resemble getting up at the beginning of the day signifying Scrooge and the ghost are soon to be busy revisiting Scrooges former self. The spirit is described as wearing the purest white gown, this can be linked to several religious figures, the sudden explosion of light also supports this. In that time the majority of English people followed some sort of the Christian religion, so its more than likely Scrooge was a Christian. Although it is not mentioned in the text, Scrooges attitude suggests he is a little startled by the entrance of the strange figure. These points combined give the impression that Scrooge thought the first spirit was a religious figure as he had not encountered any of the other spirits at that point. Scrooge is reminded of the life he used to live through the use of the senses, in this case smell. A thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long, long, forgotten. In this instance Dickens has used the senses to describe thoughts which were going through Scrooges mind. This is a different technique which has been used, which helps to engage and involve the reader. The senses are a great way to remember different things. People associate different smells and sounds to different memories through out their lives. The Ghost of Christmas Past is all about Scrooge remembering how he used to be and how jolly he was before his greed for money kicked in. So for Dickens to involve the sense of smell, it is a very effective technique. After Scrooge has met The Ghost of Christmas Past, he encounters The Ghost of Christmas Present. Scrooge recognises The Ghost of Christmas Present to be jolly and kind, but he is still a little nervous about meeting the spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirits eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them. Scrooge timidly enters the room the ghost is in, this shows Scrooge is not yet settled with meeting the paranormal. On the other hand, perhaps he fears where the ghost is going to take him and what it is going to show him. One of the first mentions of this spirit is that his eyes are clear and kind, straight a way this give the reader an idea of what the spirit is going to be like. Dickens uses developed and detailed description to explain to the reader what The Ghost of Christmas Present represents. Scrooge did as he was told, and held it fast. Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly. So did the room, the fire, the ruddy glow, the hour of night, and they stood in the city streets on Christmas morning, One second Scrooge is in his house with spirit, the next he is on a busy street. The suddenness of this event really grips the reader, as there is a dramatic change in plot in such a small part of text. All of the description gives the reader a detailed picture of what the scene is like and helps to understand how Scrooge could have been feeling. In the 1800s the butcher would have animals hanging up in the shop, no pre cut, packaged meat. 1800s shops would be a lot different to what they are today, so it also gives the reader an insight to what a Christmas used to be like. All of this food could represent the wealth which Scrooge has, as it is the Ghost of Christmas Present. The spirit points out to Scrooge a boy and a girl whos family do not have much money, but still manage to stay happy. They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish but prostrate too, in their humility. The ragged description of the children shows the family do not have much money. Despite this the children still manage to remain humble and humane. Dickens has shown the children are happy with what they have through a lot of description, mainly adjectives, at the time when it was written children had to live through poverty, so the description is extremely relevant. The spirit points out how they have no money but are happy, and that he is rich and remains full of grumpiness, signalling to Scrooge money is not everything. ________________________________ The last of the three spirits, is the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This spirit is the most noticeable from the rest. The spirit has no speech at all but communicates to Scrooge through simple action such as pointing. No speech confuses Scrooge and he starts to fear the ghost. Dickens has personified death for the spirit, this is represented in the way he looks and his general movements. The phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached. Death comes with no warning. It is inevitable and can happen in a flash with no warning what so ever, so death could be described as silent. The word slowly could be used to give the significance of from the time your born, to the time you die, it is a long time. At the present day we maybe wouldnt say gravely but it contains context to what was happening at that point during the novel. The phantom does not speak, wears a black garment from head to toe, if you saw this kind of being gravely walking towards you, you would not believe it is alive but the supernatural. This really evokes fear into Scrooge and makes him think really what he has become. To the reader this also builds up suspense and tension to what the spirit is going to do to Scrooge. Dickens has presented the final spirit so it has a clear representation to the grim reaper. It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand. The grip reaper wears a black garment, with its face not visible, and so does The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. A clear comparison can be made. The term the Grim Reaper came around after the 15th century, so Dickens may have taken ideas from that. Scrooge had more than likely heard of the Grim Reaper, so he might of thought thats what had visited him. What the spirit didnt say, Scrooge got the messages through the spirits actions. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come had a clear effect on Scrooge as he is terrified of the spirit. Scrooge feared the silent shape so much that his legs trembled beneath him. The spirit has a very frightening appearance and is used to help Scrooge think about what he has done. Scrooge is completely terrified by the ghost, it strikes fear into him and almost forces him to think differently. The final spirit rounds of the work of the first two, and cements in the ideas he has come across because of the spirits. The work of the three spirits changes Scrooges attitude to Christmas and to those who are less fortunate as he is. He becomes a very generous person, giving his clerk a pay rise, giving a lot of money to charity, sends Christmas meals to unsuspecting recipients and most of all and most important he revitalises his true Christmas spirit. By writing A Christmas Carol, I feel Dickens was trying to send a clear message out to society. In 1843 there were two levels of social status, the poor and the rich. Dickens had experienced both, so he knew what a small difference could make. He was trying to join the poor and the rich, so everybody could live a joyful and happy Christmas. When the book was published it re-birthed the low Christmas spirit, it also started Christmas conditions such as general good will to all. I think The Ghost of Christmas Past affected Scrooge the most, as sees how he used to live and compares it to how he lives now. Dickens uses a different technique for this spirit, he uses a big method of using the senses to represent Scrooges past memories. Along with the senses, Dickens long and intense descriptions help the reader picture the situation Dickens was trying to create. I feel overall the best technique was the description of the spirits. Dickens varies techniques make the novel much more exciting and give the book a much better flow. Different methods are needed because the different spirits have different ways of explaining to Scrooge that he must change his ways. For example, The Ghost of Christmas Past has a few similes whilst The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has no speech.