Organizational Profile And Tesco Market Strategy

Organizational Profile And Tesco Market Strategy Tesco plc is a British international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share, with profits exceeding  £3 billion, and the third largest global retailer based on revenue, after Wal-Mart and Carrefour and second largest in profit behind Wal-Mart. In this assessment I would be trying to analyze Tesco business strategies in accordance to their market entry, PESTEL analysis, value chain, financial analysis and benchmark Tesco with their competitors Wal-Mart and Carrefour. Tesco PLC is a British international merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer in global sales and domestic market share. Their profits exceeded  £3 billion in 2009 and employ around 440,000 employees. It is the third largest global retailer based on revenue and second largest in profit Tesco operates 923 in national and international circuit, it gives them access to a population over 260 million across nine markets in different continents. Over the past five years, Tesco have expanded from a traditional UK supermarket into providing a variety products and services, including food, non-food business, personal finance and internet shopping. The increasing scale and globalization of their operations has provided significantly contributed to their efficiency and profitability. Even though it has been a very for consumer the companys confidence has fallen as people worry about unemployment and are struggling to manage their household budgets. At Tesco there has been a shift in priorities of the customers Tesco constantly monitored their prices on their food items and changed their value chain strategy to cut cost , cater to the needs of the customers and eventually to make profits. TESCO MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY The plank of Tescos entry strategy has been the use of their own-brand product. These are divided into three categories PRODUCT RANGE Finest: High quality food with highest price rages Mid-range Tesco brand : Medium quality and average price range Low-price Value brand: Low quality products with lower price value These product ranges of items are available to the consumer market in their retail format stores Tesco Extra: These are significantly large out of town hypermarkets which stock all of Tescos product ranges; the minimum shop floor is of 119,000 sq feet.[ Tesco Superstores: They are standard supermarkets stocking primarily groceries and other smaller non food goods. Tesco Metro: They are stores which functions between superstores and express stores, they are mainly located in city centers and high-street, they cater ready to eat food, refrigerated food and deli food to working class consumers. Tesco Express: Tesco Express stores are neighborhood convenience shops, they stocking mainly food with particularly on higher-margin products. Tesco Direct: Tesco Direct is an online store, where consumers can purchase items online and can collect it from a store or choose to deliver at home. OBJECTIVES OF MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY To cater to variety of food products at different price level satisfying different income levels To operate at an economy of scale there by able to have a control over the price To be accessible in all levels of the geography To gain significant market share To be able to compete in the highly significant technological and infrastructural environment. BARRIERS OF ENTRY Market Structure The market in which Tesco operates are in daily grocery market. Although, this is a highly competitive segment Tesco holds a huge proportion of market share, This type of market structure is highly volatile, continuous development and innovation is required by Tesco to keep the market share. Threats of substitutes The fear of substitutes in the food retail industry is minimal, but with higher number of super markets and convenient stores people have variable option to choose their product from. Buyer power The buyer power is high in the industry because the consumer can easily choose between ASDA, Tesco Sainsbury etc. The importance is often which retailer is closest to the consumer. Since the buyer power is high the cost of switching is very low. Supplier power Supplier power is relatively weak because there are a large number of supermarkets and a small numbers of dominant buyers. But we must have in mind that large suppliers such as Proctor and Gamble or Unilever have countervailing power. Rivalry The rivalry is high in the industry because of a very competitive market industry. As seen in table, Tesco is the market leader in UK; however, the five largest players have a market share of 65.6 % which indicate that it is an oligopolistic market. It is a high capital industry and a new market challenger must have financial resources on a very high level. Because the food retail market in UK is a mature market, growth is achieved by taking market share from competitors. RETAILER MARCH 2008 MARCH 2009 Tesco 30.6% 31.2% Sainsbury 16% 16.4% Asda 16.3% 16.9% Morrisons 11.3% 11.1% Somerfield 4,0% 3.7% Waitrose 3.7% 2.9% Iceland 1.6% 1.6% Grocery market shares, 2008-2009 www.nfuonline.com ANALYSIS The strategy used by Tesco in UK and Europe has been largely successful because of home territory advantage and supply chain control, the organization can control price of variable and change the price of food accordingly and this gives them a successful edge of other competitors like Asda and Sainsburry. With the plan of expansion significantly towards the east, Tesco has been struggling to gain momentum in these markets. The following are the recommendations for Tesco entering foreign markets Identify the market opportunities: Tesco has to understand the retail structure of the country and understand other elements such as suppliers, transport, home grown facilities. Market to enter: Which region to focus their market depending on their variables such as, competitors, standard of living Nature of food product: The variety of food product available within the company and international food supply. Understanding buying behavior: Understanding buying behavior is an psychological task, behavior has to be monitored and market research has to be setup to provide products that are best suited to consumer of that country. PESTEL ANALYSIS The analysis provides a framework for macro-environmental factors that used in the environmental scanning. It is a part for monitoring macro variable factors while understanding a strategic analysis. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. PESTEL analysis for TESCO Political (www.food.gov.uk) UK has a variety of important legislation and food laws. The FSA (The Food Safety Act) provides support for all food legislation in Great Britain. Some of these acts are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Falsely describing or presenting food à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rendering food injurious to health à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selling food to a purchaser which is not of the substance or quality as demanded à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Unsafe unfit for human consumption The companies within the food industry must operate under the governments regulations, such as, the employment laws. Tescos Impact Tesco employs over 250.000 people in UK which can be difficult to control. Also environmental regulations and trade restrictions and tariffs are something to be aware of. Political changes may affect the food industry if curtain restrictions appear in the future, for that reason companies need to be flexible and ready to change quickly. Tesco certainly is a company which has the power and knowledge to change when difficulties occur. Economical Even though inflation rose to a high level at 3 % and interest rates rising to 5.75 %, the UK economy is rising the fallen (www.bankofengland.co.uk, 2008) The economic growth is currently at 3,8 % (www.statistics.gov.uk, 2009), unemployment has been falling and the UK housing market continues to be buoyant with rising house prices being a strong factor in maintaining consumer spending and confidence but retail companies in the UK are making record negligible profitability. It is important to have in mind that, with the American economy entering a harder economical phase because of housing bubble and large loans UK economy is feeling is feeling the heat too. Companies in the food retail industry are suffering the consequences. Therefore, profit are increasing because consumers are tending to be thrifty. Tescos Impact Even though with the financial turmoil Tescos has been able to hold an upper hand, the company uses its value product more efficiently to cater to their customers need and budgeting procurements. Higher interest rates and rising labor costs have adversely impact Tescos margins negatively Socio-cultural factors The annual income in UK has been increased since 2001 and is expected to increase even more in the future (www.euromonitor.com, 2007) which is connected with an healthier economy predicted in UK. Another important factor is lifestyle changes, it has big impact on consumer habits and expenditure, some of these factors are weight loss and dieting, which increases focus on health products in the food retail industry. It is not so much a question of developing new products but increasing dietary information and educating consumers on a healthy lifestyle in a way that is more actionable for them The early adopters of this approach include British retailers like Sainsbury and Tesco, both of which have diet ranges that do not include this word on packaging. Instead their ranges are branded as healthy, often emphasizing heart health, a major issue associated with obesity. (www.nutraingredients.com) Also consumerism is central, it is linked to consumer expenditure, as you see below the forecast is showing increasing spending in the UK from 2006-2013, which is essential to the food retail industry Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Million Pounds 68954,57 69207,54 69697,93 69518,95 69252,81 70118,77 CONSUMNER EXPENDITURE TREND FOR FOOD WWW.EUROMONITOR.COM Tescos Impact Tesco has been analyzing variety of consumers through their market research campaign; the stores have catered not only to consumers income levels but their diversities. Tescos has special aisles dedicated to Chinese and Indian consumers. Technological UK government spent approximately 22bn on technology in 2005 (www.zdnet.co.uk) which is double as much as ex. Germany. It indicates that UK is willing to spend a large amount on the future within the technology area. The speed of the technology transfer in the UK rises while internet users increase every year, see forecast below Tescos Impact The technological development in Tesco and other retail industry is emerging. New technologies such as self-service technology are becoming popular. The dependence on human services in Tesco retail is fast reduced by machines, this help the company reduce the prices of goods and cut operational cost. The technology gives the consumer the possibility to check-out by them self and it gives the retailers cost advantage because of less till employees it is a win-win situation. Environmental The green issue is becoming more and more relevant in society. Especially businesses needs to take part in the future of recycling and waste programs set up by the government. The framework of this is: (www.defra.gov.uk, 2007) Tescos Impact à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase out the use of free disposable bags in store and bag free delivery from the online shop. (www.tescocoporate.com) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduce food packaging use in-store devices to deliver product information instead. (Retail Week, 2007) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Business Resource Efficiency and Waste program -Tesco advises and help other businesses on how to reduce and recycle their waste, with  £4 saved by business for each  £1 of government money. Legal Retail companies like Tesco needs to be aware of commercial and consumer laws like Sale of Goods Act 1979 which regulates contracts in which goods are sold and bought , food safety laws mentioned before and consumer protection laws, which protect the consumer against unfair and deceptive practices. Also fair trading which makes markets work well for consumers ex. The Office of Fair Trading (www.oft.gov.uk). These laws and acts can have a negative effect if not researched or taken into consideration. Tescos Impact Over the years Tesco has aided legal laws regarding consumer behavior including government legislations the company follows their own set of standard rules and regulations which enhance customer satisfaction. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS AT TESCO (using Potters principals) Inbound Logistics The inbound logistics is of critical importance in the Tesco value chain, because of the strong bond between Tesco and its suppliers. Tesco needs to make sure that the stores get the right products at the right price, the right quality, the right quantity and of course at the right time. Balance between these elements is central, so at the end, the consumers get what they want. The inbound logistics is one of Tescos competitive advantages and deals with reception of products, staff scheduling, facilities planning, stock control and storing. Operations The operation within the Tesco organization is in fact all the different products arriving to the store and placed in-store. Tesco buy large amounts of groceries, clothes, electronics etc. so they get the advantage of economies of scale, then they increase the price and sell it direct to the consumer with a positive margin. That is very simplified how Tescos operation works, of course there are things to be done before they sell it, like packaging, machining, testing of products, assembling, till operations and store operations. Outbound Logistics The outbound logistics is a smaller area in the organisation because Tesco do not have to send things out of their stores; customers come into the store and pick up their groceries, pay at the till and go out again. However, queuing management is important, so the customer gets a quick and efficient check-out. The location of the store and the car park outside the store is also central and linked closely to the consumer when they leave the store. Customer management is essential for the reason that Tesco is customer driving and the company needs all the information they can get about their customers to develop customer relations. Marketing and Sales Because of Tescos size, the company uses many marketing tools like Public Relations, advertising, promotion and in-store layout which hit the consumer on all senses when they shop. Tesco also have many in-store sales techniques, from different price schemes like expensive, less expensive and cheap areas in the store, in addition to price comparison with ASDA and J. Sainsbury etc. They do everything there is to capture the customer while they shop at Tescos and try their best to make sure people will come back. Another marketing scheme is their vouchers, you can actually use an ASDA voucher in the Tesco store and that is a perfect example of the sales techniques and Tescos willingness to capture customers. Service Tesco has many employees working all around the store, if you cannot find a special article at the store and asks an employee, they will either show you where it is or find somebody who knows about the article. Another service is when people check out and pay the employee at the till always asks the costumer if they need any help with packaging. Service outside the store is provided by the effective www.tesco.com where people can buy groceries, clothes and electronics online. Furthermore Tesco has a service and repair group who concentrates on everything that evolves service and repairs of product. Support activities Firm Infrastructure When a company grows as big as Tesco, the management structure will be divided into several areas as they do not only operate in their domestic market but are a global company. That is why Tesco now has a manager in all the major areas. The organizational structure is centralized at Tesco because it gives greater control, better goal congruence and greater expertise. In addition, Tesco has a multidivisional organization structure which is clear because they have so many different directors working in different divisions around the organization. Tesco also has a large legal department where they focus on the treatment of new suppliers. Human Resource management Tesco employs over 250.000 in the UK only, so dealing with recruiting the right people and developing the right teams in the stores has a huge impact on the firm. Tesco educate the employees by sending them to employment-training programs and some of the managers to management and leadership courses, to prepare them for the problems that often occur in the company and in the stores. Technology Development Tesco make use of many technological tools like information systems and use IT for stock control. They have IT systems about customer satisfaction and databases with information about the club card holders. To develop check-out satisfaction they use self check-out tills. The internet is becoming more and more important and www.tesco.com is a good example of another technology initiative which has become a success since they launched their online shopping service in 1997. Procurement Tesco deals with a lot of procurement like the buildings they operate their stores in, the IT equipment and buying tills for the stores. Things people do not think about when shopping at Tescos like the lightning in the store, air-conditioning, ovens for the bakery and the take-away food, cleaning machines etc. A huge corporation like Tesco operates so many machines and spends millions on procurement which needs to be controlled by the management. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Good financial management and being the leader in market positions has served Tesco well during the year to face the challenges of consumer environment. The objective of the organization is to continue the pursue long-term strategy which would help the management to be in a much stronger position once the markets emerge from the economic meltdown. BALANCE SHEET ANALYSIS From the balance sheet we can understand the development of Tesco over the years; the company has increased their fixed asset by increasing their level of plant and property. This is largely due to the new hypermarkets and supermarket which Tesco guaranteed to provide by the end of 2008. Investment and joint ventures decreased of the company, last year the company recognized a joint venture in India with Tata group to support a retail store under the brand name STAR-BAZAR, this was one of Tescos entry strategy to method to flag ship the Indian market. Loans and advances to customers increase, this was result to pay back later strategy issued by Tesco in their retail format. INCOME STATEMENT ANALYSIS Revenue for Tesco has increased over the past years, even with impact of recession but the profit was marginal. Along with the revenue, the cost of sales has increased too. Tesco over the year used certain promotional activities to increase revenue, one of their tactical methods was issuing promotional coupons but a part of the revenue mentioned includes unredeemed coupons. CASHFLOW STATEMENT Tesco derives most of their cash from their operating activities; their core business involves a lot of inflow and outflow of cash. Most of the cash flow out flow is for purchase of building, equipment and purchase of land, Tesco has significantly increased their joint ventures as a technique to capitalize international market. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS The operating profit of the firm has reduced marginally from 5.9% in 2008 to 5.4 percent in 2009. It shows that the firm has been controlling their cost in generating profit from sales especially at the times of recession; this also resulted in the fall of net profit margin. The first quarter improvement in 2010 has proved the company has got out of recession and growing into greater strengths and better economic times await the firm. BENCHMARKING Tesco is second largest retail in Europe in terms of revenue, with the company growing rapidly it is a growing threat for other large retailers. Wal-Mart and CarreFour have strategically emerged into global leaders, the variable factors which these company focused to grow big are Location: Wal-Mart and CarreFour has a total of 7,262 and 5643 stores respectively worldwide. Each and every store that Wal-Mart and CarreFour have opened in the past have been strategically assessed through the stages of macro location. The choice of a supermarket location is considered to be the single most important decision a retail organization has to make and is critical factor of success include Mobility and Time constraints Access to infrastructure Convenience for customers, suppliers and employees Tesco should understand location will impact on sales and distribution costs and competitive intensity may vary if there are strong local competitors in some regions. By implementing their location in apt geographic location the management can take advantage of lower distribution, assembly, raw materials or energy costs, and institutional factors such as government regulations. Cost may outweigh the benefits of owning a store in certain locations. Store Layout: Store design is a vital role to any successful retailing company around the world. There are three factors that come into play when you analyze store design through the customers point of view. The essential idea of store design is to make all customers feel comfortable and enjoy the area they shop in. The three important factors of store design are: Ambient dimension Social dimension Design dimension The above factors can be used to analyse in which way Wal-mart, Carrefour and Tesco operate with their own store design, focusing on their pacific target audience. Another way to analyse both Wal-mart and Tesco is by using the Mehrabian-Russell Model (1974). Mehrabian-Russell Model (1974) introduces the concepts of approach (positive) and avoidance (negative) behaviour, as well as pleasure and arousal. (retail marketing by Malcolm Sullivan and Dennis Adcock) Marketing Performance: According to Nielson Media Research, Tesco Spent  £62.9m on marketing which includes marketing for their own brand products as well. Wal-Mart spent  £34.8m on advertising; their marketing performance is commonly reflected by their ability to promote their own-brand as best as possible to increase the customer retention and not disappointing the shopper. They usually aim to get the customers in the stores by advertising well-known brand names and then focus the customers attention on own-brand goods. They attempt to attract the customers interest the moment they and to point-of-sale (PoS) as its a very cost effective way to promote own-brand products at a minimal cost. Overall the advantage of Wal-Mart and Tesco operating own-brand products allows the retailers to have larger profit margins compared to selling brand products as well as allows the retailers to enforce the relationship between them and the shopper. Own brands offer a point of difference to the competition, which can increase store reputation and customer loyalty. However the problem with own brand product is that many shoppers and influenced by brand goods and unwilling to buy own-brand goods as they can be seen as an inferior product. Nevertheless during an unstable economic climate such as the current recession, own brand goods are less vulnerable to the fluctuations of economical factors such as currency rates and inflation Customers: Tescos USP is it knowledge about their customers. Tesco has signed up 12 million of their customers for their Club card program, providing members discounts in exchange for their names, address and other personal information. The data collected lets Tesco give tailor made promotions for consumer and decide quickly new innovations initiatives employed are working. The Club-card has helped Tesco boost market share in groceries up to 31% double the 16% to Wal-Mart in the Uk. On the other hand Wal-Mart influences their customers by their strategy of low prices preferred over being personally influenced CONCLUSION Talking about Tescos strategic fit in the UK it is clear that they fit excellent. The indicators of this fit are as mentioned before; they are market leaders with a strong brand and because of their size they have competitive advantage over suppliers with economies of scale. As the UK is their domestic market they got the experience, know-how and knowledge of the environmental issues in the country and the food retail industry in general. The largest threats in the industry is the rivalry of the nearest competitors, however Tesco seems to have it under control because their market shares keeps rising and the competitors is still left behind. The second largest threat is the power of the consumer, however Tesco probably has the best consumer knowledge and customer management in the business, which allows them to implement new innovative food product and other investments which the consumer eventually obeys to. Tescos got the strategy to become even more powerful in UK and to increase the market share. In order to do so, I believe Tesco should focus even more on private label product because the margins are much higher than branded product (30 %). One of Tescos success factors is the private label area and Tesco generates high levels of loyalty which gives them the advantage to increase private label sales. In addition, Tescos ability to match products to customer needs from sophisticated scanning and loyalty schemes has become a strong opportunity and strength in their marketing strategy. Although Tesco has plenty of strengths and opportunities in UK, they are now focusing even more on areas outside the food retail industry. Because of the partly mature food market in UK they focus on international expenditure, online sale and non-food industry. Since the future is pointing in other directions for profit, it is therefore important that Tesco keeps a fine balance between the UK market and their new areas. The UK market still earns Tesco the highest profit which is used to expand in all the new areas. As Tesco is so heavily dependent of the UK market it is a threat if the UK economy decreases if the interest rates goes up, inflation raises, housing bubble bursts and of course if consumers expenditure decreases. All these assumptions can be negative towards Tescos future profit. As leading grocery experts observe, supermarkets in general and Tesco in particular will have to demonstrate continuously that they truly have consumer interests at heart, and that they are not abusing their enormous power just to enrich themselves (Seth Randall, 1999) I end my report on Tesco by using this statement from Seth Randall, 1999. From 1999 until today, Tesco has showed that they have consumer interests at heart and a long with the pursuit of larger economies of scale is probably the main reason why they are and will still be so successful compared to their competitors.

Walter Dean Myers: Amazing Author

Raymond Palacio 4/26/12 Period 1 Walter Dean Myers is a well established author who writes compelling stories of the struggles of young adults. Walter Dean Myers became well known by his astounding achievements and amazing literature. A big part of what made Walter who he is today is his early life and how it affected his writing, his first success, his background, how his writing contributed to our youth, the controversies about him, and the fact of should his books be red in a high school.The great quality that Walter Dean Myers possesses is the quality to understand the everyday problems of children young adults; this quality was greatly mastered by events that affected Walter Dean Myers Early life and how this inspired him to write. As a child, Walter Dean Myers had speech impairment in school. This problem with his speech meant that he had trouble reading regular written or printed words. Soon after an incident in class, which involved a speech to the class, Walter Dean Myersâ⠂¬â„¢s teacher noticed that it was much easier for him to read his own written words. This inspired him to write poems and short stories.Later when Walter was seventeen, he dropped out of high school and served in the army for three years. The struggles of being in the army only intensified his love towards writing. Shortly after exiting the army, Walter only had low paying jobs to do such as working in post office, as a messenger, and as a factory interviewer for the New York State Bureau of Labor. To any person; these are all great examples of early life events that affected his writing and his writing style. In 1968, Walter Dean Myers challenged himself to further his love for writing by entering in a children’s book competition geared towards African American writers.Little did he know but, this competition would change his life. Walter Dean Myers decided to enter a book that he wrote called â€Å"Where Does the Day Go? † Walter’s Book won the competition, a nd officially became published and was also Walter’s first success in 1969. Recalling what he said that day,† I won the contest! † said Walter Dean Myers. This was the first and best achievement he has done, and once he did it, he wanted to make this his life’s work. Walter Dean Myers is without question one of the best authors of today even though he had some struggles in his life. Walter was born in the middle of the great depression in 1937.He was a born in a town called Martinsburg, Virginia. Walter’s mother died while giving birth to him, so without hesitation, Walter’s mother’s good friend to adopt. Walter’s new parents changed his middle name from â€Å"Milton† to â€Å"Dean†. Soon after the adoption, Walter and his new parents moved to Harlem in New York City. Walter became accustomed to the city life and was in school. One day in class, Walter’s teacher caught him reading a comic book; he remembered that moment very well. Walter’s teacher took the comic book and ripped it into a million pieces. He was really upset, but she brought him a giant pile of books from her personal library.Walter remembered it being the best thing that ever happened to him. Walter Dean Myers soon became a book worm and grew into a man who loved books and wrote amazing stories of the struggles of young adults. Walter Dean Myers has contributed a lot to our youth. He provides a compelling perspective on the hard-hitting issues faced by at risked teens and young adults. Walter Dean Myers can understand young adults. He makes teens, which read his books; seek to portray the beauty of the African American experience, requiring young adults to question their values and decisions.Walter Dean Myers was also elected the National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature by the Librarian Congress for 2012 and 2013. To meet the criteria, means you have contribution to young adults and relate to children. Tho ugh Walter Dean Myers is an expressful and outspoken author for our youth, some concerned parents raised some controversies about one of Walter dean Myers’s best books, â€Å"Fallen Angles†. This controversy was challenged by Texas, Virginia, Kansas, Illinois, Idaho, and North Carolina. The book was challenged for its racism, offensive language and the violence of war.The book was also challenged for its slang terms for homosexuals. Even the though there were only a few controversies about one of Walter Dean Myers’s books, He still is an intelligent author who understands and relates to young adults. Many schools over go the one question of whether Walter Dean Myers’s books should be read in their high schools. With out a doubt this author is the perfect role model to influence young adults; in what any better way than a high school library. The role of the modern high school library is run by a librarian and this librarian has to go through vigorous amou nts of schooling and English degrees.The librarian decides what should be allowed into the library and is a very influential person when it comes to references and connections to the modern societies’ literature. Our schools sometimes have to ban some books but not many have been banned. If a book is challenged, the book then will go through different stages to determine whether it is truly an inappropriate book for our youth. But with Walter Dean Myers, you will not find a better insight on the struggles of today’s youth. The famous Walter Dean Myers is truly an influential figure and a great author that decisively depicts the struggles of today’s youth and young adults.His work has continuously acknowledged today’s generation of youth and writes compelling struggles of young adults. Walter Dean Myers grew up to be an amazing, aspiring, writer and has truly proven to everyone that he indeed has unlocked that secret to understanding young adults. Anyone r eading one of his books will grasp the terminology and theme of which is written in his multiple award winning books. All in all Walter Dean Myers is and will always be one of the greatest authors of today’s literature aiming for the younger age group, such as young adults and children.

How does the novel Of Mice And Men reflect life in the 1930s Essay

Question-‘How does the novel Of Mice And Men reflect life in the 1930s’ John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California. His mother was a teacher and the reason why he learned to love books and his father was a county treasurer. He attended his local school and in the holidays worked on farms and ranches, this is the reason he is able to give such an insight to how life was there. After school he went to Stanford university studying marine biology but did not get a degree. He then went to New York for a short time were he worked as a reporter for the American Newspaper, before going back to California to concentrate on is writing. He wrote many books including Sea of Cortez, Of Mice An Men and A Russian Journal Before winning a noble Prize for Literature in 1962. The novel I am doing this essay on I ‘Of Mice And Men’ by John Steinbeck, set in California. The book was written In 1936 and also based in this period. This is in the middle of the great depression, which started in 1930 when firms and 2298 banks went bust and losing everybodies savings and finished at the beginning of the second world war. During the depression millions of people were left wandering around looking for jobs and surviving any way they could. All this came just after the boom of the 1920s where it was easy to find work and everybody was paid very well. In the 30s Steinbeck was also one of the 13million people without a proper job, this is because his writing alone would not be able to support him. This is similar to page 11 in the book where Lennie and George are looking for jobs, they also didn’t have much money so they are unable so buy the simplest things such as ketchup for their baked beans. Steinbeck found a job and found out how hard the work is on a ranch, he uses is experiences on Lennie and George as they also found a job a ranch in California and had to work very hard, just to get there $50’s a month. The reason why Lennie and George kept working is because of their dream. The Dream was to own a small farm in the country side with animals and crops, they have this dream because it is the only thing they have to look forward to in life, and as they as they money to achieve the dream it gives them a reason to work. Because of the depression all the other plans have been ruined as there is not even enough money to buy food, they need a dream to keep them going. George and Lennie are the main characters in the story, Lennie is a very big strong man but when he was young he kicked in the head by a horse. This caused him brain damage and he now is unable to make his own decisions and generally acts like a small child, this story was one told by George so people didn’t think Lennie was born this way. He is described by George as a ‘big dumb bastard who is no good for himself’. Even though George says this sometimes he is still always there for him. He had been looking after Lennie nearly all his life and always tries to help him. George is the person who keeps control of what they do. He takes control of everything from getting them both jobs to what they eat. He even speaks for Lennie, like when they arrive at the ranch they have to go and speak to the owner, before they go in George even tells Lennie not to speak, and any questions that Lennie does get asked George answers for him. Crooks is the only black man working on the ranch. He is treated with the least respect and is made to sleep on his own in a little shed next to a dung pile. He knows where he stands, which is at the bottom. He is shown no respect except for his job as he is very good at it and when he is playing horse shoe as he is also very good at that. At the time the book was written in the 1930s in the height of the Klu Klux Klan (kkk) who wanted total segregation and destruction of other races. They referred to blacks as niggers and would hang them for anything and sometimes nothing. Crooks knew to stay out of the way and to be careful. He is called crooks because of his crooked back, he has this disability because he was kicked in the back by a horse. When Lennie walks into Crooks’ bunkhouse, he tries to get rid off him but when he can’t he takes advantage of his slowness. He tries to speak to Lennie and treat him like the other white men treat Crooks. He to get Lennie to understand what life is like for him by saying suppose George didn’t ever come back from town, because then he would be on his own like Crooks. But Lennie didn’t her the suppose at the beginning of the sentence and got very angry towards Crooks and got very worried. Out of life Crooks wanted to be treated equally and be given the same rights, like when he used to play with the white children when he was a child before he knew it was wrong. He wanted to be a lawyer, it was his dream but he couldn’t because he was black. He wanted to be able to live in normal accommodation like the other workers instead he lived in a small room the connected to the harness room next to a dung pile. In his room he had many possessions, he more than he would be able to carry, this shows he had good job security. Many of his possessions were books, he had lots because he had collected them but mainly because he is extremely clever and liked to read. Crooks is very lonely in the book, and it probably related to real life as well. He was very lonely because he had no friends because the whites weren’t allowed to speak to him a most of the blacks had move away from the southern states, and he also did not have any family in California. Overall I think Crooks’ character reflects life in 30’s very well. Like in life he is separated from the whites and is given no respect and looked down upon. Curley’s wife is also an icon for life in the 30’s. She does not have a name and does not work. In the book she is put across as less important than the men, and a lot of time she is told what to do by the men. Her character is vain and also gets angry and defensive very quickly. She also is very sarcastic and doesn’t seem to be very bright. She like crooks is separated, she is separated from other women and doesn’t seem to be very bright. She like Crooks is separated, she is separated from other women. Not once in the book does she leave to see any friends or leave the ranch at all. Also like Crooks she can’t fulfil her wishes or dreams. Crooks wants to be lawyer but can’t, because he’s black and Curley’s wife wants to be able to go to Hollywood and be an actress. She has been denied the opportunity by being forced to stay on the ranch. There are so important because it gives them something to look forward to in life, it keeps them going. In the novel Curleys wife represents how women were not as important as men. She comes across as very silly, not very bright and the other men think that she could get someone in serious trouble. She has also not been given a name in the book, she is always referred to as Curleys wife, this is to show that she is insignificant and not as important as the men. She is the only women on the ranch and has no job, her only role is being a house wife. On the ranch all the men want to stay away from her because they think she will get them into trouble. Therefore She has nobody to talk to or tell about her dream to be a big time movie star. But when Lennie turns up she realises that he is to slow and nice not to listen or to walk away if she talked to him. So when she realises this she confides in him and tells everything she hasn’t told any one else. Although she is very unhappy with Curley and says that he is bad man, she stays with him. This could because she knows one day he will get the ranch and have quite a lot of money compared to everyone else. She knows that if she sticks with him she will have a secure future. However one of the reasons why the men stay away from her is because she is a flirt and could get them into trouble. For example when Lennie and George first started working she came over to George and flirted with him. She would have to be careful because if she did get caught with another man she could be kicked out, and then would not have such a secure future. The men mainly see women as people they tell what to do and sleep with. They don’t treat any women with respect except for Susi who runs the brothel in town, they tend to teat her with some respect as she shows them a good time, is nice and is honest. The men go town to go to the brothel to sleep with women at the end of each month when they get their pay. On page 55 they talk about Susi’s place saying things like’ Susi’s a laugh’, ‘Theres no water in her whisky’ implying that she is honest. They generally talk about what a nice place it is and how nice Susi is. From this you can tell that she is the only women they give any respect. Although Curley never really showed his wife any respect or showed he loved her. When Lennie killed her he goes cold and gets very mad and upset. He immediately gets his gun and organises two teams to find Lennie and shoot him. This shows that he did love her even though he didn’t treat her very well. Another character is Slim, he tends to keep to himself and is very calm and quiet. Although he is quiet he has natural authority on the ranch, all the other men listen to him and take his advice. Even Curley listens and is scared of him, for example when Curley came into the bunkhouse looking for a fight Slim just stood up and Curley backed down. Also when Lennie Crushed Curley’s hand Slim tells him to say that he hurt his hand in a machine. Curley is the boss’ son, he has a big ego and is very aggressive and quick tempered. He tries to pick fights with every one possibly because he wants control. The reason why he has a big ego and is quick to start a fight is because he is a good boxer, he even got a golden glove trophy for winning a tournament. Because his father had quite a lot of money compared to other people in the 1930’s and the fact that he is white makes him feel superior and more important than any one else. The last character is Candy, the swamper. His job on the ranch is to go around and sweep up. The reason he does this job is because he is very old and has only got one hand, after losing his other in an accident with a machine. His best friend is his dog, which he has had all his life. However the other workers don’t dog like the dog and say ‘it’s no good for it’s self and smells. It would be better to put it down. Candy is also very keep to get in with George and Lennie’s dream as he is getting old and afraid the boss will just get rid of him when he is no good. Lennie and George among the other millions of people move around from job to job because when the job is done there is nothing else to do in this place. However Lennie and George tend to travel round more than others do because Lennie is always getting them in trouble. For example when they were in Weed digging the cesspit they had to leave in a hurry because Lennie had been accused of rape. Although what really happened was (from the book) ‘Lennie saw a girl wearing pretty red dress which he liked the look of. And because he liked the look of it he grabbed it.’ – ‘the girl started to panic and ran out to a field where lots of men were walking screaming rape.’ George talking in the bunk house. ‘Soon the men were chasing Lennie and George across fields and they ended up hiding in an irrigation ditch. None of the characters in the story talk much of their families except Lennie and George who briefly mention Lennie’s aunt Clara. I think this is significant because many of the mean had to leave their families to find work and if they do think of them they will begin to miss them which could effect their work, which could cause them to lose their job. The workers accommodation is very poor. All they have is a very small bed and a shelf. When George first went to his bed he found a bar of lice killer. All the workers get $50’s a month, most of the men spend the majority of their money a the cat house in town where they pay for sex and alcohol. The boss looks down to the men as just workers, he doesn’t interact with the men. The workers see the boss as very quick tempered but generally okay. On page 21 George asks Candy about the boss, he says ‘what kind of a guy is the boss.’ Candy replies ‘well, he’s a pretty nice fellow. Gets pretty mad sometimes but nice.’ All the men dress in denim jeans and jacket. They wear these because they are very hard wearing and lasts along time. The way they dress reflects on how they are living. They are wearing tough clothes which relates to the fact they are sleeping rough and in they jobs they are having to do a lot of hard labour. Also they last for a long time because they don’t have the money to buy more. Curley and his father have more than one set of clothes, and even suit but compared to every one else including Lennie and George this is a lot as they only have one set of clothes, all denim so they will last a long time. None of the men have many possessions, they only have what they can carry as they have no job security so if they get to much Stuff and get fired they would have to leave it behind. The only person who has a lot of possessions is Crooks, he has lots of books magazines and even a shotgun, this is because he is likely to keep his job because he is the best. None of the men have luxury items as none of them can afford any, this is because of the depression as there is no extra money. Lennie and George among all the men have a dream for better things. The dream is for them to own their own piece of land with their own animals to look after. To Lennie hearing the dream is like a small child hearing it’s favourite story. He knows how it goes but wants to hear it. He’s always asking George (like on page 16) to tell him the dream and how he is going to tend the rabbits. It seems that George doesn’t really think the dream will happen, that its just something to keep them going but when Candy offers to put all his money into it he really begins to believe it can happen. But when Lennie goes into Crooks’ room and tells him the dream Crooks’ reaction is ‘you nuts’ as he knows there is a very small chance of it happening. When Curleys wife enters she says ‘ I seen too many guys sayin they are gonna get their own piece of land and not one of em has’. I think the story reflects life in the 30’s brilliantly, all the characters show how life is, from Crooks showing how life was for blacks to Curley’s wife showing how it was for women. In a way women are important in the story because they represent how they were treated as less important than men and there role in the 1930’s. But in another way not thought as important characters in the novel because they are women and in this time the men didn’t think they were as important as them. I think the story represents what life was really like for women in the 1930’s correctly. In the story Crooks, Candy and his dog represent a world of intolerance quite well. In the book Crooks is a very useful person as he is very good at his job but is not tolerated by the other workers because he is black, compared to Candy who is old and not really any use to any one as all he can to is sweep the floor, but he is tolerated. This maybe because he is white, also because he is a human. When the other workers decide that Candy’s old dog is no good for it’s self, they take it out side and shoot it because it is only a dog. Candy says’ They wouldn’t shoot me when I’m no good’, suggesting that white humans are tolerated more than dogs or black people. The workers respect each other and are polite to each other but at the same time it’s every man for him self as they cannot rely on anyone else to help them to much. The workers know its every man for himself as they no if they want anything such as to follow their dream they have to work for it themselves and not hope that other people will help them. Even though they know they are on their own all the workers are friends and watch out for each other on the ranch. Most of the men don’t mind Lennie as they no he means well and is no trouble but Curley shows a more realistic view of him, which would better represent the 1930’s better. Curley shows a lot of intolerance towards Lennie as he is seen as not normal, he shows this intolerance by continuously threatening him and in the end starting a fight with him. From looking over my work I believe the characters in the novel ‘Of Mice And Men’ show that they were living in the 1930’s very well. Their belongings jobs and actions all show that they were living in this period. I also believe the character of Crooks, Curleys wife and the boss all show how different people were treated at this time.

Relative Adverbs Definition and Examples in English Grammar

A relative adverb is an adverb (where, when, or why) that introduces a relative clause, which is sometimes called a relative adverb clause. Examples and Observations It must be wonderful to live in a safe and timeless place, where you know everyone and everyone knows you, and you can all count on each other.(Bill Bryson, The Lost Continent. Harper and Row, 1989)This Hollywood restaurant is one of the quintessential power spots, especially on Mondays, when stars abound and tourists are discouraged.The reason why so many wealthy Americans come to Europe is to avoid this obligation to work.(Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1840)When I am run down and flocked around by the world, I go down to Farte Cove off the Yazoo River and take my beer to the end of the pier where the old liars are still snapping and wheezing at one another.(Barry Hannah, Water Liars. Airships. Knopf, 1978)On my first night in town I went to a restaurant called Cock-of-the-Walk, where they had deep-fat-fried catfish and deep-fat-fried every other thing you can think of on earth including—seriously—deep-fat-fried pickles. Theyre delicious.(P.J. ORourke, W hitewater. Age and Guile, Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut. Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995) Functions of Relative Adverbs The relative adverbs where, when, and why also introduce adjectival clauses, modifiers of nouns denoting place (where clauses), time (when clauses), and of the noun reason (why clauses): Newsworthy events rarely happen in the small town where I lived as a child,We will all feel nervous until next Tuesday, when results of the auditions will be posted.I understand the reason why Margo got the lead. (Martha Kolln, Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects. Pearson, 2007) Relative Adverbs in Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses The relative adverbs where, when, and why are exemplified [below] in [20]-[22]. Of these citations, [20] is non-restrictive and [21]-[22] are restrictive: [20] A similar scenario occurs around the margins of the Amazon basin, where farmers are forced to encroach onto the forest margins in order to subsist. [W1A-013-62][21] We hear little of the day-to-day successes but only of the odd occasion when conflict arises [S2B-031-53].[22] But that was one reason why I never wanted to do that again actually [S1A008-63] The relative adverbs can be replaced by relative pronouns or by prepositional phrases with relative pronouns as complements. (Sidney Greenbaum, Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1996)She smoked in the bathtub, where wed find her drowned butts lined up in a neat row beside the shampoo bottle.(David Sedaris, Diary of a Smoker. Barrel Fever. Back Bay Books, 1994)Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roamWhere the deer and the antelope play;Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,And the sky is not cloudy all day.(Brewster Higley, Home on the Range)The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.But when the place where she played became too well known, she began to sing with an accompanist, became a star, moved to a larger place, then downtown, and is now in Hollywood.(Langston Hughes, The Big Sea, 1940)A line of people filed through the parlor where, among lace whirligigs, Jacks coffin rested on black-draped sawhorses.(E. Annie Proul x, The Shipping News. Simon and Schuster, 1993) Alternatives to Relative Adverbs Like relative pronouns, relative adverbs introduce relative clauses. - The relative adverb when is used to modify a noun phrase of time. Such noun phrases include nouns that denote periods of time such as, day, week, hour, minute, month, year, and similar events.- The relative adverb where is used to modify a noun phrase of place, location, or space.- The relative adverb why is used to modify a noun phrase with the noun reason ...The relative pronouns that or on which can be substituted for the relative adverb when... The relative pronouns which and that can be substituted for the relative adverb where. When which or that is used, a preposition of place must be included.(Andrea DeCapua, Grammar for Teachers: A Guide to American English for Native and Non-Native Speakers. Springer, 2008) Relative Adverb Clauses Relative adverb clauses are subject and predicate (finite verb) structures carrying out the grammatical functions attributed to an adverb modifier. They are introduced by the relative adverbs when, where, and why, expressing such meanings as time, place, and reason. They differ from relative adjective clauses only with regard to the grammatical functions that the pronouns carry out within their own clauses. Similarly, these relatives carry out the grammatical function of connector. As sentence constituents they both modify or refer back to an antecedent in the independent clause, which is a noun or its replacement. (Bernard ODwyer, Modern English Structures: Form, Function, And Position, 2nd ed. Broadview Press, 2006)The relative adverb where begins a clause that modifies a noun of place. For example, My family now lives in the town where my grandfather used to be sheriff. The relative pronoun where modifies the verb used to be, but the entire clause modifies the noun town.A when cla use modifies nouns of time. For example, My favorite day of the week is Friday, when the weekend is about to begin.A why clause modifies the noun reason. For example, Do you know the reason why school is out today? Sometimes the relative adverb is left out of these clauses, and the writer substitutes that instead. For example, Do you know the reason that school is out today? (James Stroman et al., Administrative Assistants and Secretarys Handbook. Amacom, 2004)