The Situation Of Hong Kongs Ocean Park

The Situation Of Hong Kongs Ocean Park Introduction In contemporary international business with an increasingly open market, many local enterprises are facing severe competition from large scale international company. In the case of disparities in overall strengths, it is quite essential and necessary for local business to explore new development ideas as well as new space for development. With its continuing effort on re-engineering these years, Hong Kong Ocean Park has turned a profit of 95.7 HK$ millions in 2004. However, with the coming opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong Ocean Park should be well prepared for the challenge from its main competitor by starting from its own characteristics, repositioning, identifying its absolute advantages, carrying out redevelopment plan with the support from its partners and local government. This report is mainly focused on the statement of the current situation of Hong Kong Ocean Park and discussion about its future development. To begin with, there will be some basic introduction of Hong Kong Ocean Park like its mission, vision and so on. Next goes the analysis of external and internal environment. After that, strategic choices will be discussed. And finally, suggestion and recommendation are proposed to the CEO and Board of Ocean Park. 1. Strategy concepts and vocabulary Mission: Ocean Park provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service (Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2010). Goals and objectives: -boost the number of annual visitors from four million in 2004 to five million by 2010; -to make a 0.5 per cent contribution to Hong Kongs gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010. Vision: Ocean Park aspires to be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature (Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2010). And, more specified, its vision is to become number one marine-based park for each family not only from Hong-Kong but also from mainland China. The main performance measures to determine the success of Ocean Park are the following: Firstly, it has high reputation in both Hong Kong and mainland China. As it has been operated for more than 28 years, it become a long-time favorite of several generations, many local people were sympathetic to Ocean Park. Thus, people who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to it. Secondly, it had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. Thirdly, the number of visitors in 2004 is 4 m of people (with daily maximum capacity 35 000 people); total revenue in 2004 was 536.2 HK$ m comparing to 428.3 HK$ m in 2003, surplus for 2004 year was 95.7 HK$ m comparing to deficit 4.1 HK$ m in 2003. And finally, its new brand (Whiskers) is recognizable at every house in China and plays a major role in the success of Hong Kong Ocean Park. On one hand, we have stakeholders, who help to achieve parks purpose and mission, such as Hong Kong government, Home Affairs Bureau and the Tourism Board, employees of Ocean Park corporation and parks visitors (customers). On other hand, we have those, who interfere with achieving parks purpose and mission, such as activist groups (certain environmental groups and animal rights activists), who insist on forbidding of buying and transportation exotic animals to park, trade associations and unions (bus companies and taxi drivers), who are against building a mass transit railway (MTR), and competitors, who want to regain the market share. 2. External Environment Key driving forces and their ranking Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion from private and government loans to revamp parks well-worn product line (approval of development plan) Global changing in tourism for Hong-Kong and Asia-Pacific region (development of tourism in region) Disneylands arrival worldwide success of main competitor-Disneyland, coming to Hong Kong (Disneys success or failure) PESTEL ANALYSIS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS for amusement park industry 1) Threat of new entry As entertainment and theme park industry requires a lot of money (for park equipment, human resources maintenance), the entry barrier is high. Also lots of time is required for parks planning, construction, development and launching, a lot of licenses and legalization is needed (safety, sanitary, security etc). Besides this, a large space of land is essential to the development of the amusement park, especially in Hong Kong, where the land price in real estate market is high. 2) Threat of rivalry With low differentiation of products visitors choice will be based on price and service only. As a result, there is an additional pressure on the price and service competition. Ocean Park needs to carry out different plans and activities such as redevelopment and introduction of new attractions. There are no rivals with exactly the same range of products. Disneys arrival is only expected. 3) Threat of substitution In the familys leisure activities segment, where Ocean Park is operated, many organizations provide different kind of services. These include Cultural Center, Zoo and Botanic gardens. Thus, Hong Kong, as a metropolis, has a variety of cinemas, karaoke clubs, family cafes, concert halls and museums. Such services cant offer full range of activities, which Ocean Park provides, but they have an impact on number of customers, especially during the days of unique events, such as blockbusters premieres or festivals. 4) Bargaining power of buyers (visitors) As Ocean Park successfully established and positioned its image with unique attractions, it has become a must see place for foreign visitors. The tourist bargaining power is low due to it is hard for visitors to get the same experience at any other place as they have had in Ocean Park. Local residents have a high buying power as they have many other choices for leisure. For instance, they can go to Wetland Park for ecotourism and nature and wildlife experience, they can also go to movies or fitness club for entertainment purpose. Moreover, the switching cost is relatively low for them. 5) The power of suppliers Suppliers have quite high power. Thus, construction elements of amusement rides are huge and complicated, thats why park is highly tied with supplier. Additionally, supplier is responsible for maintenance of objects he has developed for park. This caused in higher dependence of selected constructor. Otherwise, this market is developed and the choice of suppliers is become greater now. While constructing buildings (hotels, etc) with particular contractor park cant easily change to another contractor because of high switching cost). The situation with the exotic animals is such as Ocean Park can buy in particular country only. The underlying dynamics, which are driving five forces 1) Aftermath of economic crises and increasing in number of suppliers will decrease supplier power. 2) Disneys arrival decrease entry threat in entertainment park industry and increase competitors rivalry. 3) Developing of new technologies will affect rising of substitutes. Also competitors with new technologies will win (in this aspect Disney has an advantage) 4) Disneys arrival increase demands in diversification of Ocean Parks products. 5) Ticket price advantages (185 HK$ for adult ticket at Ocean Park compared to 295HK$ for the same ticket at Disney). 6) The main rival (Disney) is also same market oriented (families with children), therefore, this could rise buyers power. Based on the five forces analysis, the main dominant force of industry is substitutes. Less importance has suppliers and further buyers. Looking forward, the five forces will change in this way: -Rivalry will increase with Disneys arrival; -Buyer power will increase slightly; -Substitute threat will also increase; -Entry threat decrease dramatically; -Supplier power will also decrease. Five forces much more affect Wetland Park Ocean Parks key competitor, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long, than Ocean Park itself, because Wetland parks products are less differentiated. It has a 10,000m2 visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve (Hong Kong Wetland Park, 2010). Arrival of other competitor Disney and its substitutes doesnt affect much Ocean Park because it has its own niche. More differentiation of new products, directed mainly to Chinese native culture will affect rivalry, substitutes and buyers. Unique high-quality products and services also will influence buyers. For seeking suppliers big impact will have Internet and special web-sites with best quality of service, characteristics, recommendations and prices. Strategic group/space analysis for Ocean Park There are 2 key competitors for Ocean Park: 1) Hong Kong Wetland Park, mentioned above. It is a conservation, education and tourism facility, consisted of large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a Wetland Reserve. This park provided visitors with opportunities to observe wildlife, awareness and understanding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region and beyond, wetlands conservation. So, its mainly about wetlands. The Hong Kong Wetland Park is also going to be a world-class ecotourism facility to serve both local residents and overseas tourists (Hong Kong Wetland Park, 2010). Compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park has different facilities and product range (such as themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area), provide different services and thus, like Disney and Ocean Park, has its own niche. The range of facilities provided is the narrowest among 3 parks. Therefore, Wetland Park cant meet demand of those visitors, who are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure, which can be found on a rides at 2 other parks. 2) Hong Kong Disneyland, arriving in a nearest future. After 28 years of operating as a near monopoly, Ocean Park would soon have to compete with one of the biggest names in the entertainment and theme park industry. Moreover, Disneyland targets the same group of parks customers families with children. It has well-known brand and reputation. Its the world leader in terms of entertainment. Several of Disneys characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh) were household names all over the world, including in Hong Kong. Image, which Disney company holds almost for a century (The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923) and Disneyland itself (first park was opened in 1955) for half a century (compared to 28 years of Ocean park) helps to attract visitors not only from Hong Kong and midland China, but also from different part of the globe, especially those who are from the USA and Europe (The Walt Disney Company, 2010). But, despite of distinguish of Chinese culture, Disney characters may be not as popular in Hong Kong as Ocean Parks mascot, Whiskeys. Among other advantages of Disneyland are: location (it could be reached in just 10 minutes from Hong Kongs airport and less than 30 minutes from downtown Hong Kong); the price claimed to be the least expensive among the five Disney amusement parks throughout the world; the area of Disneyland is 310 acres compared to 215 acres of Ocean Park; 5 times greater investment than for Ocean Park; world-renowned innovation; high customer service standards. Strategic groups within the entertainment and theme park industry in Hong Kong Broad Ocean Park Disneyland Product range Narrow Wetland Park Global Local Geographical Scope On one hand, Ocean Park is a part of entertainment and theme industry. Its market is families with children. On other hand, Disneyland, its future competitor, applies to the same market. Despite of this, Ocean Park has its own niche with visitors from mainland China and products range, combining entertainment and leisure as well as education. 3. Internal Environment Ocean Parks resources 1) Tangible: financial private and government loans; expected HK$5.55 billion investment; HK$145 billion economic effectiveness; surplus from operations in 2004 was HK$182.2 million on revenues of HK$536.2 million; net current assets HK$283.2. physical Sea World, marine life and real animals: 35 rides and attractions; favorable and convenient location on the southern side of Hong Kong Island; wide range of new activities, such as the Abyss Turbo Drop thrill ride, seasonal and special events (Chinese New Year, Easter Holiday, Summer Holiday, Halloween and Christmas), popular water-related activities, interactive activities with animals, edutainment programs, successful Sea Jelly Spectacular and so on. 2) Intangible: long-time reputation of park with government, customers; new brand sea lion named Whiskers; cultural heritage of Hong Kong; great number of repeated visitors. 3) Human: 37 100 employees, their skills and knowledge; Thomas Mehrmann, new CEO of Ocean Park, and his previous experience at US-based Six Flags Corporation. Main capabilities of Ocean Park 1) New products, facilities and services development capability continually adding new features and attractions. Therefore, in a nearest future Ocean Park will become one of the best marine-based theme park with strong connection with nature. 2) Research and development, marketing and sales capabilities: plan to refurbish and rename Ocean Parks 2 major areas (the Lowland and the Highland), new hotels to be developed, including a five-star boutique, spa-type hotel, plan to open offices in the major urban areas of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract more mainland visitors. 3) New incentive compensation that linked employee compensation to the financial performance of park. The competences of Ocean Park local market loyalty, customers trust and love long-term reputation, distinct Chinese characteristics recognizable brand education in combination with recreation cost and differentiation of product, encouraged visitors to return to the park distinctive work culture, with its own norms and practices Competitive Advantages of Ocean Park over Disneyland cultural heritage of Hong Kong, orientation mostly on visitors from midland China first-mover advantages primary focus of Ocean Park on real nature and wildlife in contrast to Disneys strengths in cartoon characters, castles, virtual reality and fantasy no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth more diverse and wide range of products price advantage: the admission price for Disneyland is expected more than twice higher for child and one and a half higher for adult than price of Ocean park. And visitors from mainland China are very price sensitive. SmartFun Annual Pass program with unlimited admission to the park for its holders within a year, and discounted prices for food, souvenirs orientation not only on entertainment, but also on education of visitors special events for traditional Chinese holidays (Chinese New Year) besides events for western holidays (Halloween) Despite Ocean Park build its strategy on its resources, capabilities and competences, it cant relay only on them they need to be developed, innovated and refreshed, because they may begin to look dated and shabby for their visitors. For example, it can import more species, construct water/sea-related facilities and hotels. Overall, Ocean Park resources are sustainable, with some exception such as, the impact on these resources from environmental groups opposition. SWOT ANALYSIS Positive impact Negative impact Internal environment Strengths -diversified and wide range of amusements (thrills, animals, seasonal and special events) -product line revamp -highly linked with culture of mainland Chinese visitors, knows their demands and behavior -the main, oldest and most famous amusement park in the country, hometown favorite -28 years of operating as a near monopoly -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -strong business connection to the local government (support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China) -previous experience of Thomas Mehrmann (new CEO of Ocean Park) in theme park industry (at US-based Six Flags Corporation) -local market loyalty -positive image of park Weaknesses -located on a hills-hard to get to some riders-thats why visitors experienced rides only once -different facilities are old and un-attractive and need renovation -a lot of activities depend on weather -no substantial capital investment External environment Opportunities -focusing on delivering mainland Chinas visitors as well as foreign visitors -plan to build a mass transit railway (MTR) station to connect Ocean Park to the subway grid -the development and improvement of the amusement machinery, which can impact the services and features of the organization and its relationship to their foreign visitors -raise the standards of park with Disneyland arrival fostering sponsorships -plan for building new hotels (boutique and spa-type) orientation on new luxury tourism market segment Threats -economical instability (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1999-2001, lasted for 3 difficult years for Ocean Park), outbreak of different diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 (Both these factors can affect number of visitors and their buying behavior, worsening the park financial situation) -arrival of Disneyland Hong Kong -location on valuable real estate: it could be shut down and its land could be sold off for other recreational or commercial purposes. 4. Strategic Choices Business-level strategy Hong Kong Ocean Park uses hybrid strategy, which seeks simultaneously to achieve differentiation and low price relative to competitors (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). Most activities were carried out based on this Strategy. 1) Hong Kong Ocean Parks admission fee is Adult HK$185, Child HK$95 which is lower that of Disneys: Adult HK$295(weekdays) HK$350(holidays); Child HK$210(weekdays), HK$250(holidays). 2) Hong Kong Ocean Park did not spend too much on new fixed-asset attractions due to short life circles of them and difficulty in coming up with an encore. 3) It keeps part attractions fresh, novel and exciting while minimize costs. Instead of buying in new attractions, Hong Kong Ocean Park focused on culture innovation. Some relative low-cost ideas proved successful: Seasonal and special events attracted repeat visits every year. 4) Hong Kong Ocean Park did not take part in highly cost advertising campaign. Compared to its competitors, Hong Kong Ocean Park tended to rely more on word-of-mouth to generate additional business. Since Hong Kong Ocean Park was the local residents favorite theme park and had high reputation in Hong Kong even in Asia. Hong Kong Ocean Park had profound influence on several generations in Hong Kong, people who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to visit the park. Actually, Hong Kong Ocean Park was locally born and bred and had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. 5) Hong Kong Ocean Park had a clear organizational structure, no too much redundancy. It can save labor cost. 6) Hong Kong Ocean Park had identified its strategic customers clearly; those are Local tourists and Mainland Tourists. So, it carried out several plans to attract its key customers. a) It hosts several festival events and activities to complement its park offerings with distinct features, like Chinese New Year. It had distinct Chinese characteristics that reflected its roots in Hong Kong, a quintessentially Chinese city. b) Retained its unique SmartFun Annual Pass Program and tactically reviewed and developed value-added benefits to build sales and local customers loyalty. This program encouraged annual pass holders to visit the park repeatedly. Visitors to the park would spend money in other areas to boost revenue beyond the admission fees. 7) Hong Kong Ocean Parks had clear and definite position; that was to become the best marine-based theme park in the world need a source here!!, to provide customers with a place for recreation and education about marine life and environmental conservation. This unique strategic position is differentiated Hong Kong Ocean Park from its competitors and ensure its advantages over the main competitors. Competitive strategies of Hong Kong Ocean Parks competitor Disneyland was regarded as Hong Kong Ocean Parks main competitor and it adopted a differentiation strategy. With a differentiation strategy, a company provides products or services that offer more benefits than those of its competitors which are widely valued by buyers. The aim is to make a company advantageous over its competitors by offering better products or services at the same price or increasing profits by a slightly higher price (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). More specifically, Disneyland took below action plans in line with its differentiation strategy: 1) The selling points of Disneyland were Disney cartoon characters, fantasy world and famous Americans brands, 23 rides and attractions. 2) Disney has strong abilities to create fantasy and virtual situations, and it was going to leverage the benefits of animation into its amusement parks. 3) There would be two hotels in Hong Kong Disneyland which could provide guests with better recreation facilities. 4) There was going to be a subway station linking Disneyland to other parts of Hong Kong which enable Disneyland to has convenient transportation advantage over its competitors. 5) Unique Disney World-styled wedding ceremony was offered to guests in Disneyland. Strategic direction In 2005 Ocean Park had good business characteristics it became profitable, with significant market share, effective management team and successful recognizable brand. Otherwise, arriving of Disneyland could negatively impact on success of a company. To avoid this, Ocean Park must define a right strategic direction. Most preferable direction is product development. This means that Ocean Park need to improve its products range and number of additional services. Thus, by offering new wide set of entertainment and educational products for all target groups, the company can gain advantages to harden its brand, attract new consumers and retrieve lost customers, who not engaged with old facilities and services any more. Despite the international tourists is a minor group in customers totals, company could start to develop a new markets. This development includes marketing campaign directed to tourists from selected countries and making contracts with tour agents. Realization of these methods helps to increase tourists share when local citizens share will decline after Disneyland coming. International Strategy International Strategy for Ocean Park is limited to marketing policy for preferable countries. The main reason of this limitation is that Ocean Park cant be expanded to other countries like Disneyland does, for example. Its based on local flora and fauna and strongly attached to Chinese culture. Also other countries may not have such resources. Ocean Park is a unique, not common product. Not every country even needs it. Thus, expansion is considered in case of marketing development only, such as connection with potential tourists, opening of offices, TV advertising and so on, which helps to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract visitors. CAGE FRAMEWORK for Ocean Park Cultural distance: With increasing popularity of the Ocean Park, the CEO and Broad of Ocean Park need to think about it attractiveness to tourists in case of the whole world. Indeed, Ocean Park activities are affected by cultural heritage, but it only helps park to attract tourists not only from Asia, but also from all over the world. High priorities should be given to those countries, from where the number of tourist is significant. Administrative and political distance: Its important to consider at first countries with good and stable relationships with China and Hong Kong. Geographic distance: High priority should be given to those countries, from which the number of tourist is significant, then to neighbor countries. Therefore, Ocean Park need to make agreements with tour agents in these countries, organize different sales and advertising, so, expand its marketing presence in these countries. Economic distance: The economic circumstances of a country is an important factor when carrying out international strategy. Therefore, the amusement theme park cant be developed well in the countries with bad economic circumstances. Thus, the main orientation of Ocean Park will be on countries with high income per capita or high level of consumer wealth. 5. General introduction and future of development Hong Kong Tourism Since the reunification (except during the SARS outbreak in), the Hong Kong tourism industry has performed well. In 2004, Hong Kong tourism industry reached new heights, with 21810630 tourists, increasing by 40.4% compared to the figures of 15536839 in 2003 (subject to SARS impact), meanwhile, the revenue of tourism amounted to 91.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, up to 9.6% over 2003 (http://www.discoverhongkong.com). Hong Kong government has always been thinking of a new positioning and development direction. In the Governments policy report, it is identified that Hong Kong to be Backed by the Mainland and towards the world, to be an international metropolis providing quality services, and it is clearly stated the new policy as Market Leads, Government Facilitates. need a source here!! Tourism is the most robust momentum in services industries, one of the pillar industries of Hong Kong and is paid high attention by Hong Kong government. In the new situation and new policy paradigm, the Government begins to make overall planning for the tourism industry, which means that the Government will take more proactive measures to promote the development of tourism (http://www.gov.hk). In 2004 mainland visitors continued to be the majority of Hong Kong tourism with a number of 12245862 tourists, increasing by 44.6%. Free exercise program was the driving force to promote further expansion of mainland market. Moreover, from July 1, 2004, the free exercise extended to 32 cities in South China and East China, 100 million 58 million residents from these cities could apply for travel to Hong Kong with the name of free exercise. In 2004, there were 426 million free exercise visitors, accounting for 34.8% of the total number of tourists; which rose more than twice than 134 million tourists in 2003 (http://www.discoverhongkong.com). With the support from the government as well as the increasing trend of visitors travelling to Hong Kong, it is predicted that there will be a bright future for Hong Kong tourism which will directly promote the development of them park industry in Hong Kong. 6. Suggestions to Hong Kong Ocean Park Generally speaking, Hong Kong Ocean Park, with Disneylands arrival, should transform hybrid strategy to differentiation strategy. More specifically, it involves two main parts: marketing strategy as short term goals and infrastructure construction as long term objective. However, it should always stick to its mission and vision of delivering the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service, be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature. put a source here! Marketing strategy Product: Keep on introducing a variety of interactive activities with animals. For example: the Ocean theatre that staged dolphin and sea lion shows every day. Keep focus on seasonal and special events like Chinese New Year and Halloween. For instance, during summer holiday, some water-related activities such as water-war of foam parties should be organized which target teenagers. Develop a niche products, e.g. Sea World-styled wedding ceremony. Provide more sophisticated products to its customers than Disney. For example, build boutique hotel and spa-style hotels for tourists with higher income, expectations and needs. Such, move to a new market segment, even luxury tourism. Price: Concentrate on giving value for the money the customers have paid. It is quite essential to attract mainland visitors who are more sensitive on price. Provide guests with more amusement facilities at a lower price than Disneyland to attract more visits. As to the local residents, it is suggested to offer them the annual pass as it creates loyalty and a real sense of value by encouraging annual pass holders to visit the park repeatedly. Some special offer to different groups in the society is also recommended, for example, a discount for students during holidays. As a step of moving from hybrid to differentiation strategy after Disneys arrival, at first, Ocean Park should keep its prices, but later, with differentiation of its products range, the prices could be increased. Promotion: Make full use of word of mouth marketing and the advantage of being the localized theme park. Proceed the promotion through the unique feeling of growing together with Hong Kong (Yan Le, 2007). Advertising campaign in Hong Kong can be carried out through the interactive quiz of the knowledge about animals to inspire their interest in nature and wildlife. As there is a significantly increasing number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong, it is strongly suggested that Hong Kong Ocean Park should establish agencies in major cities in China to showcase its unique attractions and attract more mainland visitors. Expand the marketing campaign to international markets to attract foreign tourists. In case of Disneys arrival, Ocean Park can start more aggressive marketing politic for attracting tourists from all over the wor

Aspects of Poetry

To be able to explain the aspects of poetry to you all, I thought I would break the mini lesson down into two parts. It will help you understand the differences between a poem and a sonnet, and will make it easier to absorb all of the components involved. First we will start with a sonnet. Let’s start by talking about just what a sonnet is. â€Å"Before Shakespeare’s day, the word â€Å"sonnet† meant simply â€Å"little song,† i. e. , a short lyric poem† (poetry. about. com, 2010). By the 1200’s, the sonnet had come to be known as a form of poetry that is comprised of 14 lines.The first type of sonnet was the Italian version, also known as the Petrarchan sonnet. The Italian sonnet is separated into two segments by two different clusters of rhyming sounds. The first 8 lines are called the octave and it serves as the question. The remaining 6 lines are called the sestet. The sestet serves as the answer to the octave, or the question. Later we c ame to know the English version, or the Shakespearean version. The English sonnet differs from the Italian sonnet in the way is broken down. The English sonnet has four divisions, not two.You will notice the breaks between the divisions. The first three parts are called the quatrain, and the last part is called the couplet. The couplet is an observation of the first three parts, or quatrains. I will be breaking down the aspects of a sonnet. We will discuss the theme, the language usage, and the metaphorical references that are found within the sonnet that I have chosen. It was a tough decision, but the sonnet I chose to discuss is â€Å"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways† by Elizabeth Barrett Browning [1806 – 1861] Here is the sonnet:The first aspect we will tackle is the theme. Common themes can be related to love, death, war, and others. The obvious theme in the chosen sonnet is love and the sonneteer’s feelings towards her husband to be, Robert Brownin g. It is a beautiful sonnet and shows just how intense her love is for her partner. The second aspect we will discuss is the use of language in the sonnet, or figures of speech. You will regularly see the use of metaphors, similes, personifications and irony in sonnets.An example of a metaphor in this sonnet is when the author states â€Å"I love thee freely, as men strive for Right† she is comparing the depth of her love with the passion a man can feel when he is defending his rights and beliefs. On the very next line, the author uses simile by stating that â€Å"I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise†. She is sizing up her love with her faith, or religion. Lastly, I believe that the author displays personification when she writes that â€Å"the ends of Being and ideal Grace† she is personifying her love with life and religion.It is the main theme that pops from the sonnet. By and large, the sonnet is just a beautiful work that expresses extremely deep an d intense feelings about love for another person. I will be discussing the importance of word usage in poem. The poem I chose to discuss is â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† by Anne Bradstreet [c. 1612 – 1672]. Word choice in a poem is the one key aspect to get the message across in a poem. I admit that there are some poems that you have to read over and over again to begin to get an idea of what the author is talking about.Anne Bradstreet created a lovely tribute to the husband and she is expressing just how deep and intense her love is for her partner. By using words that really bring home the powerful sentiments, the reader can comprehend almost immediately what the author is expressing. Bradstreet writes â€Å"I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. she is helping the reader understand how big her love is by making a comparison to a monetary concept. She also writes â€Å"My love is such that rivers cannot quench†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. here she i s making a comparison of the extreme love she feels for her husband with a physical thirst that not even a river can satisfy.That statement is intense! Lastly, Bradstreet writes â€Å"Then while we live, in love let's so persevere†¦That when we live no more, we may live ever†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Such is the adoration for her husband that she is expressing that their love will continue even in death. Using an effective word choice in a poem will make or break a poem. It is the wording that will help get the author’s point across to the reader. â€Å"Words are capable of creating beauty or ugliness, creating mood, creating imagery, sounds, and smells† (Taylor, M, 2006). After reading this poem over and over again, I can say that I feel the love that Bradstreet is expressing.This is a great example of using the right words to get a point across. Whether you’re reading a poem or an epic novel, if you are not choosing the right words, you will not grab your readers.R eferences: Holman, B. Snyder, M. (2010). Sonnet. Retrieved from http://poetry. about. com/od/poeticforms/g/sonnet. htm Taylor, Marilyn. â€Å"Tips For Finding the Right Words. † Writer 119. 12 (2006) Warn, E. (2010). Anne Bradstreet: â€Å"to my dear and loving husband†. Retrieved from http://www. poetryfoundation. org/learning/poem-guide. html? guide_id=238168

Problems Human Service Clients are facing Essay

Clients are rarely dealing with just one issue at a time. Individuals, groups, and communities are facing a wide range of problems. These problems could range from housing needs, food, mental illness, drug abuse, or family issues, which may be difficult to deal with on just one level. Those individuals or groups and the problems they are facing are the reason why professional Human Service Helpers are needed in the world. In this paper, I will be discussing some of the problems the clients face and what helping skills human service workers use to assist the client with dealing with those issues and acquiring a better quality of life. The developmental perspective, according to the text, is described as human development being a continuous process and that there are certain phases and stages that individuals experience during their life span. (Woodside & McClam 2012) Even though every human will go through the 8 stages of life which is Basic trust vs. Basic mistrust; autonomy vs. sham e and doubt; initiative vs. guilt; industry vs. inferiority; identity vs. role confusion; intimacy vs. isolation; generativity vs. stagnation and ego integrity vs. despair, we don’t experience any of these stages the same. Erikson’s stage model is one of the many perspectives on the developmental of humans. For example, the basic trust versus basic mistrust means humans learn at the infant stage to trust in an environment that consistently provides for their needs. If a child did not receive adequate care as a child, human development may be affected causing issues later on in the future. Developmental tasks are addressed within the individuals’ social context and the context may not support individual development. (Woodside & McClam 2012). Using a developmental model to view the clients’ problems may help give the human service helper with a basic understanding of the process of growth and change that individuals normally experience. Some clients deal with issues like losing a job, natural disasters, accidents and major changes in life are often viewed in the situational perspective. These are problems that  occur because a client is in a particular place at a particular time. An example of situational perspective is a client at a group home for women was raped by a co- worker and was experiencing issues with trusting people which caused her to have issues with going to work and her work performance. She was experiencing anxiety, anger and shame. She was referred to a legal team and different agencies that helped her deal with the situation and allowed her to take responsibility of the situation and change it. Differences in behavior, customs and traditions can be problems the clients deal with and can cause situational problems as well. Another situation that could create major problems for clients are unemployment, this situation could easily cause psychological and physiological issues as well. This situation can cause economic difficulties that the whole family may have to face as a whole. Professional helpers can identify a client’s problem by establishing whether the client’s needs are being met. This theory is called the Hierarchical perspective which was described by Abraham Maslow but later divided into two categories: (D) deficiency needs and (B) being needs. (Woodside & McClam 2012) This perspective states that if a person is not able to meet their needs such as food and shelter, they will not be able to focus on other needs such as self esteem and independence. With problems such as child abuse, neglect or removing a child from a home, many of their physical, safety and self esteem needs may not be met and they will need help with getting these needs met in order to restore them to a supportive healthy environment. When needs are met, concern shifts to higher-order needs such as self esteem, independence and self actualization. (Woodside & McClam 2012) Within the societal perspective, problems are experienced by clients as a result of changes in the society that has left the client in an unfamiliar situation. A major societal problem that clients are dealing with is homelessness. I have learned that communities are experiencing homelessness on all levels due to high unemployment rates, mental illness and company downsizing and merging responsibilities now. The mental illness concerns are not being attended to adequately which is causing a lot of people to not be able to hold jobs, advance in jobs, etc. Some clients may turn to criminal beha vior to make ends meet which causes other problems like clients ending up in the criminal justice system. Other clients who may experience societal changes are veterans who are mentally ill and children  who are not able to take care of themselves and are relying on other clients whose dealing with societal issues themselves. These children clients are at a higher risk for domestic abuse, living with family who are dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. The environmental influence perspective emphasizes the importance of an individual’s environment on the person’s history, living situation and current problems they are experiencing. (Woodside & McClam 2012) Understanding the influences of the environment to the client will definitely be helpful when it comes to helping the client identify their problem. The most immediate influence on an individual are family which include parents interactions coming up in life, age and gender of siblings, and whether or not a parent or guardian was absent from the clients life. The client’s neighborhood could be an influence as well. These influences can determine a person thought process and problem solving abilities throughout life. For example if a child lives in an environment where the parents abused drugs, participated in gangs and crime, then more than likely those influences are going to stay with that child and they will grow up thinking it’s the norm to engage in that behavior. Problems can be viewed in many different perspectives and the range of problems a client has can occur at different stages in a client’s life span. The ranges of problems faced by clients are vast and unique to each individual, therefore it is imperative for the human service worker to understand each client and how each perspective relates to the client. Clients become part of the human service delivery system because they are experiencing a range of problems that has affected their quality of life. In most cases, there is never just one problem the client is facing, therefor the human service worker should be skilled in communication, listening, and problem-solving skills as well as knowledge of human needs. References Woodside, M.R. & McClam, T. (2012). An Introduction to Human Services (7th ed).

Creative Evaluation of IT by Stephen King - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1164 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2018/12/19 Category Literature Essay Type Book review Level High school Tags: Novel Essay Stephen King Essay Did you like this example? The novel IT by Stephen King tends to be a very horrific book. The story revolves around a town known as Derry city where children are the primary target of the so-called the Crown that reappears after every 27 years. The book commences with heavy rain all over the Derry town forcing the residents to remain indoors (King, 2017). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Creative Evaluation of IT by Stephen King" essay for you Create order One afternoon it was raining heavily, and a young boy named, George was helped to make a newspaper boat by his elder brother. As we all know, children like having fun, and as a result, George one of the leading characters places his paper boat on the surface flowing water and followed it very happy. Never did George know that he was chasing his death. The boat got into a trench where the boy met the Crown who sweet talked him convinced George to take the boat but in the process, he got killed. Personally, the book scares me though I love reading it, I hate most of the chapters where children are being hunted by the Crown and get devoured. Motivation in writing this Book King expresses his reason for writing the IT novel, and I am now aware of some of the motivation that led to the writing of the book. King was at one time coming from lunch at a pizza emporium with his family after which their car got a problem, and they had to leave it at a dealer for fixing. Later on, after two days, the dealer called late in the afternoon at around five and King had to go for the car (King, 2017). King preferred walking towards the dealer rather than asking for a cab since it was just a few miles away. He felt lonely walking along the road at this time a thing that shows that he was terrified and this is evidenced the moment he reaches the wooden bridge along the way. King says that the bridge produced a scaring sound while on board and he wondered what he would do if a troll called from beneath and at the very same moment he thought of writing a book on the real bridge and a real troll. He thought of a bridge as a city and a troll being something under the city causing havoc to children within the Derry city. King also thought of a corridor used to separate children and the adults in a library a place he used to live and decided that the corridor might be a bridge where children have to go through to become adults (Grixti, 2014). Considering what King encountered on his way to the dealer, I think it is what motivated him to write an IT novel trying to express the horrific thing that lies under the city with its primary objective being to massacre the town children. The purpose of writing this book The novel is titled as the IT where Stephen King is the author of the book. As I read the book, I realized the author had a purpose in his writings. I think King wanted to show how children are faced with problems in their fight towards adulthood. This is evidenced by the Crown targeting only the children in the city showing how difficult it is for children to attain adulthood (Grixti, 2014). Also, I think another instance that supports the argument on troubles that children face on fight towards adulthood is where the author says that there used to be a corridor in a library that separated children from adults. He says that the corridor acted like a bridge that children had to risk trip-trapping to become an adult. Therefore, I have learned that King wanted to tell how hard it is for children to pave the way to adulthood. I realised that the book was written when kids were being left alone to play out of their parent sight even at a very tender age, for instance, George was only six years when he was running after the paper boat. Information about Stephen King After the reading the book IT by Stephen King, I have learned that the author is one among the great known writers of literature and his work through book writing has won him some awards. Most books written by King are horrific, and in most cases trying to display the kind of fear, children have to fight in their process to adulthood. For instance, in the IT novel, the author tells of an evil thing that is haunting children within the city. Critical elements in the novel After reading the IT book by Stephen King, I learned of some essential themes he put across. Some of the significant ideas in the book are the element of friendship, the issue of overcoming childhood fear and also another topic is an essence where a group of people can unite and defeat evil being. The above are the primary elements that I think the author has utilised in his work. I have witnessed significant friendship aspects in the book. For instance, considering the closeness the named children in the novel had indicates friendship that did prevails among them. They stayed together and helped one another whenever a problem arises, for example, there is a time they engaged the Pennywise in a fight making it flee. In addition, after the involved children have grown up to adult and have their families, they find one another and decide to go back to their city to find a solution on the dangerous Crown that is killing children (McFarland, 2017). Therefore, I have noted major leading elements utilised by King in his book the IT. Furthermore, I learned of a theme to overcome fear in childhood. The seven kids faced challenges in fighting with the evil since they were the one targeted. They used to meet with the Crown now, and then they got frightened, and it reached a point such that they got used of the attack and were never afraid anymore. They could face the Crown and as a group, engage it in a fight without fear. I addition, I have learned the strength of unity. The book talks about the seven kids who had a difficult time in an encounter with the Pennywise and their ability to unite together as friends guaranteed their victory over the evil being. A sense of unity is displayed in the instance where the Crown comes back in their old age, and they called upon themselves to go and face the Pennywise. Conclusion In conclusion, reading the book has imparted me with the knowledge in regards to what led King to write the IT novel. I have learned on problems the children in the IT book had to face in their process to attain adulthood. Also, I have learned the importance an intense friendship and unity among people, and it leads to overcoming a terrible situation in life as evidenced in the book where integration made the children conquer the Monster.