Monday, January 27, 2020

Case Study Marketing Mix Marketing Essay

Case Study Marketing Mix Marketing Essay It has already become a commonplace to say that marketing is now constantly evolving and changing; marketing approaches are increasingly applied in commercial companies and nonprofit organizations all over the world. In this regard, many elements of the marketing theory have become universally accepted classical marketing tools: segmentation and positioning, the concept of product life cycle, Ansoff matrix, BCG and GE matrix, SWOT-analysis, etc. The same world popular marketing tool became the concept of Marketing Mix that is generally known as the Four Ps. Thus, it is necessary to describe main elements of the marketing mix in this project. Also it is necessary to show how each of the four elements of the marketing mix affects the development of the organizations marketing strategy and tactics. The organization of my choice is Sony Corporation. Marketing Mix Definition The term marketing mix became often used after a famous Neil H. Borden published his article titled The Concept of the Marketing Mix in 1964. It was not the first mentioning of this term, because Borden began using this term in the late 1940s when James Culliton had described the marketing manager as a special kind of mixer of ingredients. Interpretation of those ingredients in marketing mix by Borden included not only product, price, place and promotion, but also planning, branding, personal selling, servicing, distribution channels, advertising, analysis etc. Thus, in this part of this project it is necessary to define the concept of the marketing mix. According to Wilson and Gilligan (2004), it becomes obvious that nowadays Marketing Mix is a major concept in modern marketing and involves practically everything that a marketing company can use to influence consumer perception favorably towards its product or services so that consumer and organizational objectives are attained, i.e. Marketing mix is a model of crafting and implementing marketing strategy. In other words, marketing mix is a set of marketing tools through which the company seeks a way to influence the demand for goods or services; also it is a set of actions (strategies) that form the demand for certain goods at a specified price at a certain place with the use of certain promotion. Marketing Mix in Details As it was above mentioned Marketing mix consists of four main elements: Product; Price; Place (distribution); Promotion. Describing marketing mix with more details it is necessary to say that the above numerated marketing tools have been isolated from many others primarily because their use has a direct impact on demand and could encourage consumers to make purchases. Conducting of market research, analysis of strengths and weaknesses of the firm, segmentation and other marketing tools, of course, also help marketers in their quest to increase demand for products and services of certain companies, but have only an indirect effect: for example, the demand will not increase just because the firm had marketing research or segmentation of consumers. The result of a successful marketing research can be used to change one or more elements of the marketing mix and is the only way to influence consumer demand. (We should note that the aim to increase demand is not always the true aim, because the elements of marketing mix can be combined and used with the aim to reduce demand that is called demarketing, accord ing to F. Kotler definition.) Another useful property of the elements included in the marketing mix, is their control the marketer can control every element to the desired impact on demand, choose the most promising combination of elements. In addition, the order of the elements of the marketing mix clearly shows the sequence of the main marketing functions implementation. Product as an Element of marketing mix Product offered by a company in the market implies the presence of a set of specific properties in its nature, both material defining the physical features of product (color, packaging, warranty, size, taste, etc.) and intangible the elements of emotional evaluation (degree of commitment to consumers, easy handling, prestige, quality, style, etc.). First of all, it is necessary to determine what the company promotes on the market: consumer goods or industrial goods, product or service. From the standpoint of marketing mix, during the sale of industrial products is more important factual information about a product, since the decision on their purchase depends on professionals opinion. In turn, when referring to buyers of consumer products marketers usually used more emotional appeal. Price as an Element of Marketing Mix In most cases price represents a monetary expression of value of the products and should be installed as the compromise between the seller and buyer. Marketing mix should reflect the price from the buyers position. Companies use price marketing mix strategies for the purpose of to stay competitive and create a positive consumer attitude to the product. In addition, for the purpose of remaining competitive marketing mix strategy, the company can sell the product, comparable to the basic properties of a similar nature at a lower price. If the seller uses the value of the products to fight with competitors, he must show the buyer the price ratio of its product in comparison with others. Place as an Element of Marketing Mix Distribution channels are people and organizations that help move products from the producer to the end consumer. Marketing mix distribution is based on the following scheme: wholesalers buy goods from a manufacturer or another wholesaler and sell it using retail or wholesale trade. They tend to use promotion as an element of marketing mix (personal selling, for example) and take measures to stimulate sales. But at this stage they may also use other marketing mix strategies, such as the sale of mail order, advertising in specialized publications, issue directories, participating in trade fairs. Promotion as an element of Marketing Mix According to Lancaster and Reynolds (2005), we see that in the context of the marketing mix, promotion represents the various aspects of marketing communication, that is, the communication information about the product with the goal of generating a positive customer response. In addition Lancaster and Reynolds (2005) stated that marketing communication decisions include: promotion strategy (push, pull, etc.), advertising, personal selling and sales force, sales promotion, public relations and publicity, and marketing communications budget). Sony Corporation in Brief Sony Corporation is an active follower of marketing mix and we are going to discuss the implementation of the marketing mix four elements by giving it as example. Thus, modern Sony Corporation is a giant organism. It is large in size, complex in structure, operates in nearly all countries of the world and managed by an international team of managers. It becomes obvious that Sony Corporation is not only a multinational conglomerate corporation, but it is also considered to be one of the worlds largest media conglomerate. In its rapid development, Sony Corporation has passed through three major stages: the small producer, specialized company and the big monopoly. The key points of Sony Corporation development are the choice of major goals and setting ambitious scientific and engineering problems. Marketing Mix and Sony Corporation Analyzing product as the first component of the marketing mix by giving Sony Corporation as example we see that Sony products are oriented on different people and companies that allow to make the circle of potential consumers as wide as possible. Customers always look for novelties having good brand and excellent quality, so a variety of products ranging from different electronic devices to entertainment area (such as games, for example) allows Sony Corporation to be not only competitive, but also successful company. In Sony Corporation pricing, decisions are always made in consultation with marketing management and relating Sonys prices to the quality of its products, all customers are sure that they will pay normal price for excellent product. Thinking about the distribution we should mention that Sony Corporation sells its products in various channels. Three branches of distribution such as exclusive, selective and intensive network give the opportunity to satisfy the need of every consumer, who is interested in Sonys products. Promotion is a key element of success of any company and Sony Corporation has a huge promotional budget that covers not only advertising, but also personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing and publicity. In this case promotion of products is a marketing pressure applied in a certain limited period of time to stimulate trial purchases, increasing demand from customers or improve the quality of the products. Thus, using all components of marketing mix Sony Corporation operates successfully. Despite the fact that Sony Corporation is not a young company, it can not be considered ossified. The style of the companys management still distinguishes by newness and freshness of the young company and it remains popular through a series of measures to control the implementation of all marketing mix components. Conclusion Thus, after considering the transformation of the marketing mix it can be concluded that the marketing mix is a set of parameters of the marketing activities of the organization, when it tries to meet the needs of target markets in the best way. To sum up, it is possible to say that there were discussed all necessary components of marketing mix and its implementation by giving Sony Corporation as example.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Locating the company Essay

Mary Anne used to work in the public library but has resigned four years ago. Currently she writes articles on Wicca and witchcraft for an online website under an assumed name for privacy. She claimed that her ancestors were into the practice long before they came to the US to migrate. According to her, the practice was never foreign to her having grown with a doting father who was a physician studying herbology along with his siblings. Animatedly she began to talk about her funny experiences as a child and showed me her private carpeted room which I was not allowed to step inside. Standing in the halls, I was shown a set of altar tools used in rituals which includes a broom or a besom, a cauldron, the goblet, a hardbound Book of Shadows, a boline or a knife for cutting things and many more. The room was well-lighted with several lamps that looked like candles, and there were several unlighted candles of white, black and gold colors. I was then told that the tools are just plain tools that have no actual powers of their own. According to Mary Anne, the â€Å"tools† are used for a particular purpose and while they may seem unimportant, it is considered rude to touch them without permission. A pentagram was framed at the corner of the room with 3D effects. Altogether, the Wiccan room she showed me was a stark contrast from the rest of the house. We went back to her sitting room and started talking about the popular Wiccan groups in her community. For her, there was no difficulty in locating the company of others but her path is unique and so are the paths of her family members before her. According to her, the Divine is everywhere present in every being. She respects other members and practitioners but prefer to practice alone to maintain focus. Although she attends meetings from time to time, these are often associated with certain religious ceremonies. Knowing that I was quite interested in the craft, she started preaching on the value of ethics and the threefold law that what you do to others comes back to you threefold times. Respect for others and their liberty is critical in the wiccan culture and religion that allows us to be freed from our own selfish ambitions according to Rountree (2002). For Anne, the air, water, and the earth are essential for life such that she is a vegetarian unable to hurt and kill animals even for food. Fire according to her is in her heart as her zest for life is written down for others to read and aid in the wiccan practice and religion. For her, the principles of Alexandrian Wicca or the Gardnarian wicca is important but does not have to be the ultimate guiding force into the practice if the religion allows freedom and liberty as its cardinal rule. Her parting joke to me was, â€Å"do not be afraid, the true wiccans are not into evil practice† made me see that a true religion does not impart teachings of subjugation and control to its members.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

“Of Mice and Men”: Naturalism Essay

Naturalism is a very intense style of literature that an author can use. With naturalism, the author is trying to convey knowledge acquired through the senses and experiences they them selves have been through. In the novel of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, he portrays elements of naturalism through his very own sights and experiences. During the depression John Steinbeck got a first hand dose of what it meant to deal with sordid aspects of life. Just like his book, he portrays his accounts using highly realistic settings, and brutal characters with foul mouths that deal with depressing issues of life. In the real world things happen, but in the world of Mice and Men, nothing ever seems to happen the way the characters hope. Steinbeck wanted his characters to be brutal and fail to achieve their goals they worked so hard to get. He wanted the characters to have foul mouths and have bleak views of what life really is. As said from the genre paper of naturalism â€Å"Characters in naturalistic literature are trapped by their heredity and environment and end in failure.† Dealing with vast emotions and massive challenges, characters like George and Lennie in the novel, ended in failure because of their brutal surroundings. If Curly’s wife never intervened with Lennie after he killed the young pup, then she would not have ever died. Lennie was only driven by his basic urge to touch soft things. † Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her hair. â€Å"Don’t you mess it up,† she said.†Ã¢â‚¬ ( Steinbeck 91 ). Steinbeck really placed the characters with brutal settings among brutal characters. The setting of the book is highly realistic and greatly portrays what the time period truly represented. Steinbeck, once a migrant worker too, lived the experience of his literature. He knew exactly what the environment should be like too and what it shouldn’t. â€Å"Chapters one and six take place by the river, two and three in the bunkhouse, four and five in the barn.† All of these setting are settings you would not likely find through out our time period but in the life of a lonely migrant worker. It is quit creditable for Steinbeck to instinctively return to the earlier forms of literature of drama, epic and parable. His use of literary devices to describe his settings are remarkable. â€Å" A few miles south of Soledad the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.  The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool.†(Steinbeck 1). Steinbeck is not making just plain ordinary descriptions of this scene-setting, but is revealing a sense of freedom and joy before tragedy and hate that’s burred farther along the book from the sordid aspects of life. Dealing with dirty aspects of life was all just another part of naturalism in Steinbeck’s scheme. He wanted the reader to greatly feel the depression and madness their society had to endure. He wanted the reader to end the book sick to the core from the gruesome dream that was crushed with just one accidental murder, and one gunshot to the head. â€Å"And George raised the gun and studied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand studied. He pulled the trigger.† (Steinbeck 106 ). This was already evident to some of the characters in the book. Crook’s for instance, foreshadowed what would happen later on to people with dreams. â€Å"†I never seen a guy really do it,† he said † I seen some guys nearly crazy with loneliness for land, but ever’ time a whore house or a blackjack game took what it takes.†Ã¢â‚¬ (76). This book really showed that fate is eminent and no matter how you try or what you do, something will always try to stand in your way. Naturalism is portrayed in the novel of Mice and Men through the author’s own sights and experiences. Just like his book, Steinbeck emulates his life experiences with highly realistic settings, and brutal characters with foul mouths that deal with depressing issues of life. Steinbeck truly pushed beyond the limits of standard writing, and showed us a side of good and evil like never before.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Article Review Bet365 Breaks New Ground - 2030 Words

Article 25 – Bet365 breaks new ground in Malta Bet365 have slowly become one of the biggest online casino providers in the world, through a smart promotional campaign selection and an ever-growing game selection. Furthering their cause is the latest news, which relates to the company arriving on Maltese shores in 2015. Amidst a scandal, the Maltese government has opted to allow Bet365 to expand on its current betting operations with a brand new license. License Terms The new agreement qualifies as a Class 2 Remote Gaming License and has now been issued to Bet365, which should allow them to bring their full range of betting titles to Malta. The company is already known around the world as a true emerging powerhouse, with the license issue considered the next logical step for the brand. Considering how well the brand is already known, the operating potential in Malta allows Bet365 to push on with additional expansion plans by lowering operating costs moving forward. Expansion Strategy As the move was announced a Bet365 spokesperson came out and spoke on the diversification opportunities that the licensing development presents, â€Å"Moving to Malta allows us to further on our Gibraltar licensing agreement. The move also allows us to maintain and possibly obtain increased regulatory approval going forward. It should also us to truly evolve on the global scale†. It is clear that Bet365 sees the Malta license as a key part of their expansion strategy in 2015 and beyond. A New

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Is Mores Utopia a Product of Its Time Essay - 2077 Words

Sir Thomas More in 1516 first conceived utopia while he served as an ambassador For England on a party expedition to Flanders. In England his vocation was law and he held the position of Under-Sheriff his knowledge in this area is an obvious influence in Utopian society. Utopia is a chronicle of Mores fictitious meeting with Raphael Hythlodaeus a traveller who has lived in Island, republic society of Utopia for five years. Almost five hundred years after its writing utopia is still the subject of controversy; it has been claimed by certain political and religious followings to be specific to their ideals and beliefs. Notably both communists and Catholics of the last few centuries have reasoned Utopia to be a statement of their beliefs.†¦show more content†¦At the time of Utopias writing Englands Monarchy was in a tenuous situation as Henry VIII was growing frustrated with the lack of male heirs borne to him by Catherine of Aragon. More was a respected and important figure in Henrys court and as such he knew the consequences of defying Henrys will. As a figure of public notoriety and authority he was constantly aware of the corruptible nature of other officials. His morals can be seen as a heavy influence in utopia and he often talks about the nature of Utopians and their lack of pride, vanity and greed. Pride like a hellish serpent gliding through human hearts-or, shall we say, like a sucking fish that clings to the ship of state? It is always dragging us back, and obstructing our progress towards a better way of life . This statement appears from the last pages of Utopia indicating its significance in the way More viewed his society. The Ship of state could be construed as a direct reference to the king and courtiers sucking fish Henry VIII was well known for his obstinate pride and it is likely that More was implying this statement as a whole but influenced by his knowledge of the King and court. The same can be said of the laws and punishments that exist in utopia, as a lawyer More must have brought his own vocational know ledge to the idyllic law and order system ofShow MoreRelatedThe Characteristics Of Thomas Mores Utopia913 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1516, Thomas More published the well-known book titled â€Å"Utopia,† where he defined the word as either â€Å"a good place† or â€Å"no place.† In the novel, More described an ideal communal society that was almost unheard of in his time. His â€Å"Utopia,† whose name was possibly derived from the Greek roots â€Å"ou not† and â€Å"tà ³p(os) a place† (â€Å"Utopia), can ultimately be considered a prototype of a modern welfare state (â€Å"Utopia (book)†). This, combined with a lack of private property and other characteristics,Read MoreThemes Of Utopian Literature2013 Words   |  9 PagesThe 16th century stands for a new time in exploration of all the fundamental beliefs that were at the heart of people’s mind. The Renaissance made the world wonder about new sciences, aesthetics, and relig ious beliefs. In the literature, too, was a heavy discussion about the ideas that the world should push for and the ideas the world should leave behind. Utopian literature stands at the center of that debate, the envisioning of a perfect world in a distant far away country was something that manyRead More The Political Structure of More’s Utopia Essay2634 Words   |  11 PagesOver the past few centuries the word utopia has developed a variety of meanings: a perfect state, paradise, heaven on earth, but the original definition of the word means something quite different. Utopia, coined by Saint Thomas More in his famous work Utopia, written during the English Renaissance, literally means nowhere. It is ironic that a word meaning nowhere has become a catchall phrase for paradise. More’s work is popular because of its wit, its use of metaphor, and its proposals forRead MoreAfter the Black Death in Europe, It Is Time for a New Beginning1197 Words   |  5 PagesLate fif teenth century and early sixteenth century Europe are classified by a time of change and the start to new beginnings. The Black Death left all of Europe in shambles and in a state of extreme disorder. The population decreased dramatically and the economic, social and political state was extremely hindered. Through the reformation and renaissance Europe finally began to somewhat recover from this catastrophe. This time of change became a cultural movement all across Europe that began to reformRead More Society in Utopia by Thomas More Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesSociety in Utopia by Thomas More In his book Utopia, Thomas More examines a society that seems to be the ideal living situation for human beings. The main thesis of Utopia is his solution to many of the problems that are being faced in English society in the early 16th century. In forming his ideas for the country of Utopia, More points out many of the problems that he sees in English society. One of the most striking examples of English social problems that More points out is the punishmentRead MoreEssay on Thomas Mores Utopia and His Context3405 Words   |  14 PagesUtopia is Sir Thomas More’s seminal work, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social, and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the issues of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, courtly ostentation, the abuse of power by the absolute monarchs, and the maltreatment of the poor. Consequently, More used Utopia to contrast some unique and refreshing political ideas with the chaotic politics of his ownRead MoreThe Background Of Sir Thomas Mores Utopia2005 Words   |  9 PagesUtopia can easily be called Sir Thomas More’s most prominent and prestigious piece of writing. It tackled c omplex issues of religion, social status, and politics within the made up island of Utopia. To see why Sir Thomas More had such insight into these issues we must first know a bit about his background. Sir Thomas More lived from February 7, 1478 to July 6, 1535. He served as a counselor to Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England during his life. He was notably opposed to reformation, especiallyRead More My Utopian Society Essay905 Words   |  4 Pagesproduced in the cities. Iron is the only resource which must be imported abundantly. All of the resources, except iron, that the nation requires, it produces on its own. The Utopians live a very simple lifestyle. They work, and in their spare time play games, read, and socialize. Other forms of entertainment, such as gambling and hunting are looked down upon. They only eat what is necessary, and their houses are built simply and furnished only with what is necessary. Thus, their consumptionRead MoreCommunism : A Theory Or System Of Social Organization1376 Words   |  6 Pagessocialist who live in different part of Europe. In this time many socialist leaders were influenced by Marxism. This is the begging of the communism. The concept of Marxism is socialism versus nationalism. Nationalism is based on ownership of property; however socialism is control and management of property by society. Marxism is based on socialism which property is controlled by society. Communism’s most important goal is reaching utopia. Utopia is made by Thomas More in 1516. It is a combinationRead MoreHumans Are Naturally Born Imperfect1680 Words   |  7 Pages Humans are naturally born imperfect. I believe we are all created as sinners, and we must make our way to achieve the idea of a perfect human being, whether it take our whole life time, or not. Throughout our life it is within ourselves, to use our free will to make morally good choices in order for us to be considered as perfect. However, along with our free will to make morally good choices in our life, the laws set by our government, and standards expected of by our community help shape us into

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Tragic Tragedy Of William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet

A â€Å"tragedy† refers to a piece of literature which constantly proceeds towards a sorrowful ending due to the conflicts among different characters. The death of a hero or heroine is often the tragic ending of a tragedy, as well as other deaths generally caused by the hero or heroine. Tragedy endings often include separation, loss, sadness, and death (McDonald 157). Shakespeare tends to emphasize the importance of each individual’s death in his tragedies. However, these deaths are caused by the people in the play rather than forces of fate (Carlin 151). The actual â€Å"tragic† element in tragedies comes from the characters’ decisions–which are not influenced by fate. Examples of Shakespeare’s tragedies caused by human caprice include The Tragedy†¦show more content†¦It is simply the circumstances and choices of the young lovers, not â€Å"fate,† that determines their destiny. The fundamentally flawed nature of the unconscio us man leads all of mankind to his own destruction, but only at the behest of his own will. In the end, Romeo and Juliet’s fate unfolds due to their indulgence in the tragic nature of humanity (Harbage 30). The â€Å"tragic nature of all people† simply means all human beings manifest disastrous flaws. Since all humans are fundamentally flawed, it would be nearly impossible to single out a single characteristic flaw in either Romeo or Juliet that would eventually lead to such an extreme tragedy as that in the play. Instead, the interactions and the decisions of the various characters with different sets of fatal flaws contribute to the tragic ending in Romeo and Juliet. Self-determined actions, not the actions of fate, control our futures. Romeo and Juliet’s families are often perceived as a part of the â€Å"stars† making Romeo and Juliet â€Å"star-crossed† lovers. The

Monday, December 9, 2019

Sugar cane alley free essay sample

Sugar Cane Alley was filmed during the summer of 1931 in Martinique a time after the abolishment of slavery. This film parallels a time in Southern Rhodesia where there was a compound system that controlled the mining workers just as the overseers in the cane fields controlled the cane workers. Every aspect of daily life is in some way controlled. Sugar Cane Alley is an insightful film that shows how no matter your environment, if you want to succeed you can with a lot of hard work, but there will be hurdles to jump on the way. In Southern Rhodesia there was a system called the compound system. In this compound system the goal was for total control, but they figured that was to far, so they attempted to control every aspect of the migrants that were rounded up by the RNLB. Unlike Sugar Cane Alley, the compound system was made of a three-tier system where there was the local population, migrants, and the forced laborers. We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar cane alley or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Sugar Cane Alley people are not forced to work, they work to live, and its just two rows of shacks full of people who can leave go as they please. But in Southern Rhodesia they wanted to lengthen the labor cycle and prevent mobility so they don’t move north for higher wages so they create laws within the system. As Van Onselen writes, the stores available were partially or fully company owned where making a tab was a trap and food rations were so low that they had to supplement by going to the high priced company store. He goes on further to say that because everything was so far away, the company succeeded in the miners leaning on the company store, but some would walk as far as twelve miles to another store for lower priced food. This is how Sugar Cane Alley and the compound system in Southern Rhodesia compare. Both have stores that their overseers partially or fully own where prices are too high so tabs and credit is invented so that some are forever indebted. In both areas wages are low, work is hard and long, and slavery is overall aspect of it all; they just can’t let it go completely. Jose, the main character, was different from the other children in the alley. He extremely bright, lives with his grandmother, and is the only one who believes education is his ticket out of the cane fields. The summer was a time to relax and have fun for the children while their parents are hard at work in the cane fields. During the day, the kids are left in the shacks where lots of mischief and disorder occurs. One day in certain, the children were running around in fields, watching animals fight, and feeding each other. When it came time to eat, all the children wanted to go into Jose’s shack, the shack his grandmother had told him earlier to keep clean. He fought to keep them out until and overseer came by and they all ran in and closed the door. This exemplifies how even in their own little community, Blacks still live in the shadows and slavery has not faded away, but merely changed its shape and form. As the children begin to share and eat the food they brought together, they demand sugar from Jose. They begin a search of the shack to figure out if Jose’s grandmother has hid it somewhere. During the search, someone knocks over a glass bowl and the atmosphere of the room is dead silence. As the silence continues, Jose and some others begin to hyperventilate because what will he tell his grandmother. One girl tells him what to do so that his grandmother would be angry, but not beat him. The practice of symbolism to defer the problem and getting nervous because one bowl broke, underlines the fact that poverty is at a high in this small area. Every little thing matters and everything makes a difference. After the leisure time of summer, kids are back to school to see which path of life they will take. Depending on final exams, those who excel will go on and further their education in the capital, Fort-de-France. Those who may not have done as well as those others will walk down a path that has been walked before by their parents. They will enter into a life of back breaking and low wages in the cane fields. But M’an Tine, Jose’s grandmother, will not have him working out in the fields. In one scene of the film, the children in one of their mischief moods are running around in the fields and tampering with the animals. While playing around in a hens coop, they find an egg, something they had never seen or eaten before. In order to cook the egg, they needed matches to light a fire, so in went the youngest of the group. There was a store entwined with the shacks that allowed people to put things on a tab or credit just as they did in Rhodesia. But in Rhodesia, the store was ran by a mining overseer where the prices were so high that the miners couldn’t eat respectively. So the youngest went into the store and mischievously put a bottle of rum and matches on her mothers tab. As the children all drink the rum, they all became intoxicated and carefree. As time moved on, the children were so oblivious of anything, they set a section of sugar cane on fire and laughed as if it would end all hurt and pain. To ensure that nothing of this capacity ever occurred again, the overseers condemned the children to the cane fields to work where they could be supervised. Jose was teased for not being able to work and make money like the others, but his grandmother just would not allow it. She made it clear to him and everyone else that he would not be stuck in the cane fields, education was his way out. Another person who influenced Jose’s education was Mr. Mdeouze. He told Jose about the history of Africa and his life in stories that later inspirers Jose write about in school. Mr. Mdeouze served as Jose’s spiritual father or guardian who let him see life and the world through his eyes and his stories. Jose was such a brilliant young man; he not only saw the world through Mr. Mdeouze but also through his strong willed grandmother, both of his teachers, and a friend he met named Leopold. When school began after summer, Jose grandmother didn’t want him to hang around with the kids from the shacks anymore because education is a serious matter and he needs no distractions. In doing so, Jose met a new friend, Leopold who was a mulatto whose father was one of the headmen in charge. Leopold’s father told him not to associate with anyone from Sugar Cane Alley because he believed he was above them. But even his son of his own flesh was not granted to have his last name because he was a mulatto and his family name has been a strong white name that goes back for centuries. Leopold represents how even if you’re born to a white father, your still black, and those things that don’t pertain to those who are full black don’t pertain to you either. No barrier has been broken, just reconstructed. Jose saw the world though him as well as Leopold through Jose because their worlds were so different but similar in the same ways. Slavery and living a compound life go hand in hand. Slavery is said to be over, but whites still want control over blacks. Their intentions is to have total control but that’s an impossible task because there are and always will be different forms of resistance. All of these things mentioned both Sugar Cane Alley and Southern Rhodesia have in common. Jose in the alley was a different case. Through living in poverty and seeing his most inspirational beings go back to Africa, in a sense, he jumped over the hurdles and made education his get away plan. He, nor did his grandmother, let Jose become a product of his environment. They both knew he was significantly brilliant and did not let any circumstance block his pursuit of success