New Product Development is the Key to Apple's Marketing Success Coursework - 1

New Product Development is the Key to Apple's Marketing Success - Coursework Example One of the most innovative products of Apple was iPhone which was considered as one of the best-selling products. The business operations of Apple are expanded in almost all geographical nations (Apple Inc, 2012). Apple’s Strategies Apple seeks to apply its idea of being a digital heart in the field of electronic products because customers demand stylish and cohesive digital devices. Apple always attempts to distinguish itself from other brands so that it can put premium rates on their products. The business strategy for Apple is to find the accurate equilibrium between customer satisfactions and cost because this blend is vital for raising the product price for customers and thereby increasing profitability. In the consumer electronics market, Apple is known for premium price products because it invests huge amount of funds on new product development and innovation activities. The product differentiation is a major competitive strength for Apple as it can successfully increas e the perceived value of its products and help to generate more revenue in spite of premium cost (Iiiev & et. al, 2004). Quality products and innovation through wide practise of research and development (R&D) is the other key reason behind the success of Apple in the market. The main objective of Apple is to expand its customer base (Iiiev & et. al, 2004). Product Portfolio of Apple Traditionally, Apple manufactured and developed software applications and computer products; however, after the introduction of iPod as one of the preferable MP3 players for people, several new product lines have been included in product portfolio of Apple. The old and new product portfolios of Apple are described in following table: Product Portfolio Product Lines Software and Computer iOS, Mac Operating System, Professional and Business Application Programmes, Personal Computer Hardware Products Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, iBook iPhone Mobile Phones, iPods, Digital Devic es, iPads iTunes Music, Applications, Bookstore iCloud Cloud Services Application Software iLife, iWork Display and other Fringe Products Printers, Storage Devices, Digital Cameras, Apple TV Source: (EDGAR Online, 2011). People Apple has a bureaucratic organisational structure where CEO is in the top position of hierarchy. The CEO and Vice Presidents gather reports about company’s business operations from both line and staff managers. Apple is highly dependent on manufacturing representatives on whom it has no direct influence. The positions of Apple in the organisational hierarchy are described below: Source: (Apple Inc., 2012). New Product Development New product development is all about introducing new product in any industry. It is a process for developing a product in order to certify progress or survival in the market. The aim of new product development is to strengthen or transform the strategic direction. An effective new product can help an organisation to add a new product line under the product portfolio (Takeuchi & Nonaka, 1986). Reasons for Launching New Product in the Market Developing new product signifies relocating or

Career Development in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Career Development in Nursing - Essay Example Simultaneously, ICN also emphasizes encouraging researches and debates concerning women’s health related issues. ICN strongly believes that these strategies will bring a significant change in the women’s fundamental rights to health by creating awareness. Furthermore, ICN strictly discourages the trafficking and exploitation of women in their workplaces. In its position paper, ICN deciphers its concern about the health hazards witnessed by women populaces. To name a few, HIV syndrome, ill health or lack of nutrition during their pregnancy and inadequate awareness regarding health issues as well as their fundamental rights can be observed as the common challenges in case of women’s health. ICN also significantly focuses on the establishment and on the enforcement of effective legal steps to discourage the violence against women, which has been reported to increase at an alarming rate. ICN also urges governmental bodies and all other concerned parties emphasizing w omen’s health to generate awareness regarding human rights (International Council of Nurses, 2012). Importance of Women’s health Women population constitutes a significant proportion in the global demography. According to the position statement of ICN, it can be observed that the female populaces comprise 60% among every one billion Below Poverty Line (BPL) population in the global economies. Furthermore, it has been observed that every 960 million illiterate adults worldwide include two-third women. Again, every 130 million children who have been recorded to discontinue their education comprise 70% girls. Most of these women and girls are observed to belong from economically backward regions which illustrate a significant reason... This paper approves that the position statement put forward by ICN regarding women’s health in the global arena reveals various difficulties faced by them all around the world. The report depicts that women populaces worldwide, are intensely affected by the ways they are treated and the position that is rendered to them within the society. The report depicts that there are various causing factors which intend to contribute to the women’s health problems in the global society. Some of the major causing factors can be identified as unequal power distribution in the social context on the basis of gender, poverty and limited access to nursing facilities among others. In its position paper, ICN describes its various initiatives in the form of holding international agendas to develop strategies for the betterment of women’s health in the global arena and thereby securing their rights to freedom as well as well-being. This essay makes a conclusion that with reference to the above it can be observed that women, in the current day context, need to witness various challenges and suffer violent treatments from their surroundings which contribute towards deteriorating developments of the overall community. Contextually, there are various factors which tend to contribute to such issues. The most apparent reasons in relation to the declination of women’s health can be identified as poverty and lack of adequate awareness concerning their fundamental rights and health. It is worth mentioning in this regard that assuring women’s health must be considered with due significance as a means to ensure the prosperity of the entire community.

Conflict Between Western And Islamic Civilizations

Conflict Between Western And Islamic Civilizations Introduction Historically, the conflict between western and Islamic civilizations persisted and 9/11 has widened the gap between western civilization and Islamic world, although the gap could have been closed due to multiculturalism that emerged in the late 20th century. The terror attacks on 9/11 caused severe casualties not only to the US but also to the relationships between average Americans and Arab Americans as well as they have changed the attitude of Americans to the Islamic world at large. Today, Americans tends to associate Arab Americans and the Arab world with terrorism and radical Islamism, which has nothing in common with the real situation in the Arab American community and the Arab world. Hence, the terror attacks on 9/11 have changed relationships between Americans and representatives of the Arab world both in and outside the US and this change has widen the gap between American culture and Arab/Islamic culture. In fact, the terror attacks on 9/11 gave new direction in the develo pment of Orientalism, which is now grounded on the juxtaposition of West and East and, as Said Edward states, shapes the cultural apparatus of Orientalism as a concept associated with aggression, activity, judgment, will-to-truth, and knowledge. Orientalism in the post-9/11 America is the view on Arab Americans and Arab world as hostile, aggressive, and uncontrollable. The relationship between West and East was traditionally the subject to heat debates between philosophers, sociologists, politicians, and other specialists, dealing with relationships between the two civilizations. In this regard, the contemporary relationships between West and East is one of the primary concerns of Said Edward, who develops the concept of Orientalism, which he believes to be a key to understanding of the East, Islamic world and the relationship between West and East. At this point, the question of ethnical prejudice and stereotypes has always been one of the most sharp in contemporary world. The Arabians focused severe mistreatment and misunderstanding. Historically, the conflict between western and Islamic civilizations persisted and 9/11 has widen the gap between western civilization and Islamic world, although the gap could have been closed due to multiculturalism that emerged in the late 20th century. The terror attacks on 9/11 caused severe casualties not only to the US but also to the relationships between average Americans and Arab Americans as well as they have changed the attitude of Americans to the Islamic world at large. Today, Americans tends to associate Arab Americans and the Arab world with terrorism and radical Islamism, which has nothing in common with the real situation in the Arab American community and the Arab world. Hence, the terror attacks on 9/11 have changed relationships between Americans and representatives of the Arab world both in and outside the US and this change has widen the gap between American culture and Arab/Islamic culture. In fact, the terror attacks on 9/11 gave new direction in the development of Orientalism, which is now grounded on the juxtaposition of West and East and, as Said Edward states, shapes the cultural apparatus of Orientalism as a concept associated with aggression, activity, judgment, will-to-truth, and knowledge. Orientalim in the post-9/11 America is the view on Arab Americans and Ara b world as hostile, aggressive, and uncontrollable. Edward Said was the one who deeply investigated this issue and tried to reveal what was the reason of this false perception and why do Western nations could not perceive the Arabian nation in different way. His outstanding work Orientalism, which was released in far 1978 perfectly explains and investigates the relations between the East and the West, as well the history of these prejudice formation. The author called Orientalism, the political doctrine, which mistreat, misunderstand, misinterpret and oppress the Orient (or the East), which is traditionally was referred to as weaker than the West: My contention is that Orientalism is fundamentally a political doctrine willed over the Orient because the Orient was weaker than the West, which elided the Orients difference with its weaknessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ As a cultural apparatus Orientalism is all aggression, activity, judgment, will-to-truth, and knowledge (Said Edward, p. 204). The author investigated in detail the relations between th e Eastern and the Western nations, which actually caused such a treatment and made even the academic world of the West is confident about their superiority upon the East, which causes such relations. Personally Said was confident that Orientalism did not deal with misinterpretation: My whole point about this system is not that it is a misrepresentation of some Oriental essence in which I do not for a moment believe but that it operates as representations usually do, for a purpose, according to a tendency, in a specific historical, intellectual, and even economic setting (Said Edward, p. 273). Said is roughly against the spread of internationalized ideas of Orientalism spread and practiced by the Arab elite and having their roots in the UK and the United States. It would be important to note that the Arab nations has their own unique culture, which is actually in some parts is really in the confrontation with so called Orientalism imagery, created by the West. The author considers that this has not only negative impact on the relations between the nations, but on the nations themselves, in particular the Arab nation: The four elements I have described expansion, historical confrontation, sympathy, classification are the currents in eighteenth-century thought on whose presence the specific intellectual and institutional structures of modern Orientalism depend (Said Edward, p. 120). The oppression of the Eastern nations, Arab nation in particular started far earlier than the event 9/11 occurred and observing the present day situation from the different perspectives it would be essential to note that the splash of this confrontation was due the event of 9/11, which stressed the Arab and the Western world and sharpened the confrontation. Before 9/11 the relationships between West and East has deteriorated consistently because western countries, headed by the US, oppressed the Arab world. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the development of the international relations before 9/11 was characterized by the growing tension between the US and its allies, on the one hand, and Arab and Muslim countries, on the other. As the matter of fact, terror attacks on 9/11 were, to a significant extent, determined by the negligence in relation to cultural norms and traditions as well as the socioeconomic situation and political development of Eastern countries. In this respect, Said Edward stands on the ground that the relationship between West and East were misbalanced. On extrapolating this idea on the international relations before and after 9/11, it is possible to estimate that 9/11 was an attempt of the Eastern, Islamic world to shatter the hegemony of the West in socioeconomic, political and cultural developmen t of the world. In fact, Western countries headed by the US strived to domination in the Middle East as well as in other regions, which traditionally attached to Islamic norms and traditions. In fact, the international relations before and after 9/11 were characterized by the dominating view on the international relations as the juxtaposition between West and the rest of the world. In this regard, Said Edward argues that the basic paradigm of West versus the rest (the cold war opposition reformulated) remained untouched, and this is what has persisted, often insidiously and implicitly, in discussion since the terrible events of September 11 (Said Edward, 118). What is meant here is the fact that the West contrasts itself to the rest of the world and people living in the West failed to view the world as a heterogeneous entity. Instead, they were accustomed to view the world from the western standpoint and they neglected other, alternative views. To put it in simple words, westerners had little idea of the East and they did not attempt to understand the East. Instead, they preferred to juxtapose to the East, develop confrontation against the East, and challenge the East just because it was different and it was not like the West. In this regard, Said Edward denies views of other specialists, who internalize problems of international relations. To put it more precisely, he is very skeptical about the idea that terror attacks occurred because of the internal development of Western and Eastern civilizations, which developed their own ideology, values and so on and eventually ended up in a clash, whereas 9/11 was just the mere manifestation of this clash between civilizations. In this respect, Said Edwards rejects views of researchers, who have much time to spare for the internal dynamics and plurality of every civilization, or for the fact that the major contest in most modern cultures concerns the definition or interpretation of each culture, or for the unattractiv e possibility that a great deal of demagogy and downright ignorance is involved in presuming to speak for a whole religion or civilization. No, the West is the West, and Islam Islam. (Said Edward, 118). He stands on the ground that the lack of mutual understanding and desire from the part of the West to understand the East, namely Islam and Muslim world led to the ongoing confrontation and the 9/11 terror attacks. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that before 9/11 the Muslim world experienced really hard times. The question of Western superiority was razed again. It goes without saying that Edward Said as the son of his nation could not stay indifferent to such a mistreatment and raised a discussion, trying to put things on their appropriate but never suitable places as the representatives of Western culture often do: Even the normally sober British weekly The Economist, in its issue of September 22-28, cant resist reaching for the vast generalization, praising Huntington extravagantly for his cruel and sweeping, but nonetheless acute observations about Islam. Today, the journal says with unseemly solemnity, Huntington writes that the worlds billion or so Muslims are convinced of the superiority of their culture, and obsessed with the inferiority of their power. Did he canvas 100 Indonesians, 200 Moroccans, 500 Egyptians and fifty Bosnians? Even if he did, what sort of sample is t hat? Uncountable are the editorials in every American and European newspaper and magazine of note adding to this vocabulary of gigantism and apocalypse, each use of which is plainly designed not to edify but to inflame the readers indignant passion as a member of the West, and what we need to do (Said Edward, 2001). The typical example of prejudice existing in the western society against Muslims and Islamic world can be revealed easily in the works written by Said Edward: This is the problem with unedifying labels like Islam and the West: They mislead and confuse the mind, which is trying to make sense of a disorderly reality that wont be pigeonholed or strapped down as easily as all that. I remember interrupting a man who, after a lecture I had given at a West Bank university in 1994, rose from the audience and started to attack my ideas as Western, as opposed to the strict Islamic ones he espoused. Why are you wearing a suit and tie? was the first retort that came to mind. Theyre Western too. He sat down with an embarrassed smile on his face, but I recalled the incident when information on the September 11 terrorists started to come in: how they had mastered all the technical details required to inflict their homicidal evil on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the aircraft they had comm andeered. Where does one draw the line between Western technology and, as Berlusconi declared, Islams inability to be a part of modernity? (Said Edward, 2001). These social boundaries raise a number of issues and the intensive desire to overcome them could not really help. That is why it is not actually surprising that Edward Said devoted so huge attention to the national and ethnic identity and defeated the facts that are the roots and the same time illustrative examples of these prejudice. Within this short passage the author described typical situation, when he was criticized by a so called pro-Western individual. Said Edward stands on the ground that representatives of the Islamic world face these prejudice from the very beginning till the end of their lives. The facts Edward Said uses for his research perfectly identify that the division on East and West is really lack of proved and well grounded pure facts. The only grounds for such an attitude and sharpening the destructive Orientalism are prejudice and stereotypes, which are actually nothing more than a myth. Taking into consideration the poll data it would be important to focus on the fact that the poll held Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University revealed that two thirds of the Americans consider that the government structures were well aware about the threat and had certain data, which could assist prevention of the terroristic acts but did not used this information. It goes without saying that two thirds of the Americans who support such point of view are potentially disregard Orientalism based prejudice and stereotypes dealing with the representative of the Arab nations, hence there is left one third, which would not stay indifferent. Edward Said was the one, who considered the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq to be illegal, as this act is not better than terrorist attack and may be even worse, as it violates the norms of international law dealing with sovereignty of the state: The suicide bombing phenomenon has appeared with all its hideous damage, none more lurid and ap ocalyptic of course than the events of September 11 2001 and their aftermath in the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. As I write these lines, the illegal occupation of Iraq by Britain and the United States proceeds. Its aftermath is truly awful to contemplate. This is all part of what is supposed to be a clash of civilisations, unending, implacable, irremediable. Nevertheless, I think not. I wish I could say that general understanding of the Middle East, the Arabs and Islam in the US has improved, butalas, it really hasnt. For all kinds of reasons, the situation in Europe seems to be considerably better (Said Edward, p. 3). The fact is that the representatives of Western civilizations sometimes act even worse than terrorists. American and British Armies killed thousands of civilian Arabians, children, they violated the rights of people and were even condemned by the international society. Therefore, Said Edward is right, when he argues that the lack of understanding of the Islamic world provoked the confrontation, whereas the traditional opposition the West v. the rest of the world, could hardly lead to any other outcome but the bloody clash between the West and the East, which occurred on 9/11. In fact, Eastern, Islamic countries attempted to oppose to the growing pressure from the part of the US. Their vision of international relations differed consistently from the vision imposed on the world by the US. For instance, Islamic countries had a different view on the solution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Eastern countries, such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan have chosen their own way of development, which was different from the western way of development. In such a way, Eastern countries have different position in international policies but the West, headed by the US, ignored the position of Eastern countries. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the US was and still is the only superpower in the world and Eastern countries could not oppose or resist to the US, even if they united their efforts. They could not confront the only superpower in the open struggle. Nevertheless, Eastern countries grew more and more dissatisfied with the global policies and international relations imposed on them by the US. Hence, the opposition to the West grew stronger and led to the emergence of terrorist movements, such as Al Qaeda, which was actually responsible for terror attacks on 9/11. To put it more precisely, as Said Edward argued, the Islamic world stayed to be the Islamic world with its traditions, norms and beliefs. Representatives of this world, which was different from the West, were ready to defend their views and beliefs by all possible means. The hegemony of the US as the only superpower gave them little options to choose the method of struggle and the terrorism be came the major and, probably, the most effective method of struggle of the East against the oppression and domination of the West. Al Qaeda had proved to be quite successful recruiting thousands of members worldwide. Remarkably, this terrorist organization focused on the most radicalized parts of the world, such as Afghanistan or Pakistan, as well as Iran and Indonesia where radical Islamist ideas were popular and still relevant. Al Qaeda had a solid ideological basis in these countries and could recruit new members easily, whereas the desperate socioeconomic position of the population in these countries increased the popularity of Al Qaeda. At the same time, the main reason for the popularity of Al Qaeda among the population of Eastern countries. To put it more precisely, they were ready to support the power, which they believed to stand for their traditions, culture, interests and needs. In such a context, Al Qaeda positioned itself as the organization that struggles for the value s of Islam and protects Muslims from the oppression from the part of the US and other non-Islamic countries of the world. In other words, Al Qaeda personified the power that challenged the US and stood for Muslims. Hence, many people supported and still support this organization. At this point, it is possible to refer to the experience of other terrorist organization, such as Hezbollah, which has gained the public support in Lebanon because, even though this organization used terror attacks as the main method of its struggle, this organization proved to be the only power capable to resist effectively to Israel. The same trend can be traced in regard to Al Qaeda, which positioned itself as the only power capable to resist to the hegemony of the US and which was eager to support the Islamic world and Muslims worldwide. After 9/11 the West viewed Al Qaeda as the major threat and terrorist organization, whereas the East viewed Al Qaeda as a powerful organization that challenged the West and attempted to preserve the traditional values of the East and protect interests of Muslims. However, such an effect of the terror attacks conducted by 9/11 because, as Said Edward said the West is the West, and Islam is Islam, i.e. each civilization views the terror attacks from its own standpoint and, therefore, the attitude of people in the West and in the East to 9/11 differs. In the end it would be essential to focus on the fact that the Arab nations have to face severe difficulties in their everyday life and the grounds for these difficulties are Orientalism based prejudice and stereotypes, which impact the everyday life as Western as well as Eastern society. Edward Said was the one who valued national and ethnic identity very high, but the same time he was the one who stressed that the national diversity could never became a reasonable ground for interracial misunderstanding and development of prejudice. He always stated on the fact of equality between the representatives of all the nations in the world. A number of people share the same ideas on Orientalism, which is based on the centuries developed prejudice and stereotypes. International relations revealed the hegemony of the US and western civilization. In such a situation, terror attacks on 9/11 became the only effective response to the oppression of Eastern countries by the US. Al Qaeda became a s ymbol of the struggle for independence and traditional values in the East, and the enemy number one in the West. In such a way, the West carries on its ideology of the opposition of the West vs. the rest of the world.

Dragonsbane :: essays research papers

The setting for Dragonsbane was in about the 1400's in a place called Wyr. Jenny John and Gareth are the main characters. Jenny is a wizard women who is always trying to advance her skills but still isn't very good. John is Jenny's husband and is also a dragon's bane, which means that he has slayed a dragon. Gareth is a prince who's hero is John. And final Zyerne, she is also a wizard women whom is the most powerful in the land. Gareth comes up from the South to ask of John's assistance in slaying a dragon that is threatening the King's lands. John decides to go with him and talk to the king. When they get there they find out that Zyerne is holding the king under some sort of spell and using him for her bidding. John talks to the king and gets ready to slay the dragon. He asks Jenny to make the most powerful poisons she can and then dips his harpoons in it. John then rides off to slay the dragon. When the battle his over Jenny goes out to were the battle happened and finds the dragon and John lying in bloody pools and realizes that john is still alive. She takes him back to camp and puts healing spells on him. She then goes back to the dragon and sees that he is still alive to. The dragon told her that if she healed him that he would tell her where the books of healing were in the caves called the deep so she could heal John. She agrees and the dragon through telepathy shows her the way in the maze of tunnels. It is always said to save a dragon is to slave a dragon for life. So Jenny saved the dragon and John. Zyerne was waiting for them to kill the dragon so she could take over the deep because of the huge amounts of gold in them. So Zyerne came and tried to kill the dragon and Jenny but failed and she was killed. The dragon through all of this fell in love with Jenny and asked her to turn into a dragon and return with him to were the dragons lived.

Marketing of Financial Services †Georgia Supplemental

According to the case Florida seems to be a flourishing prospective market for supplemental insurance. The demographics of the state already show large migration trends resulting in influx of young families coming into the state which is offering them comfort and security with better jobs. According to the 10 year projection of Georgia Supplemental, of the activity in the Florida market, the demand for supplemental insurance is bound to increase. This is because of the increasing members in the household in the future years and the fact that most employers in Florida do not provide complete coverage of expenses through insurance. The case depicts the statistics that this particular segment of the market is to grow at 6-7 percent in the next 10 years. Another issue which makes Florida an attractive marked for supplemental insurance policies offered by Georgia is that sideline expenses are often not covered under medical insurance policies and Georgia supplemental has managed to tap onto this market by providing policies for large expenses which are not covered by traditional insurance selling companies. The research conducted n 2003 by Benefits Research Inc. stated that an average family spent just about $500 on dental expenses and only about 29 percent of these expenses was focused on preventive care. Similarly, it was found that only 17 percent of the employers’ n Florida were offering their employees with vision care which is a main product and service provided by the Georgia Supplement. This also shows room for a prospective market which can be captured by the company if it decides to expand into Florida. Conclusively, according to the information provided in the case it is a very prospective and fruitful venture for Georgia Supplemental to expand into Florida. The decision of the expansion may be somewhat biased as well as a costly one due to the CEO’s affiliations with the state but the statistics and records show that the market is ripe for the kind of products offered by Georgia and the company expansion would prove to be successful in the coming years. 1. What is your assessment of the proposed direct mail campaign and the promotional letter? Direct mail has already been a successful mode of promotion for financial services and products like credit cards. The assumption in this case is that by using direct mail technique to inform the employers in Florida about the products offered by Georgia the company would be able to promote its product to their future market. This is an appropriate strategy as it tends to drive traffic to the store, generate and increase sales for the company as well as help generate interest and promote the products by promoting brand recognition and cultivating long term relationships with the clients. However, more perseverance is required on the part of the company. It is mentioned in the case that the CEO has contacts in the Florida region. The company can use these contacts as well as the referrals of the satisfied customers in its other markets to build trust and awareness of the company and its products and services in the Florida market. This can be done by sending out promotional letters by direct mail as mentioned in the case. However another more personalized method would be to hold an event or a conference in Florida where the prospective employers and satisfied customers from other markets could be invited, a promotion pitch can be shown to them and the event would also enable the company to build long term business relationships with their prospective clients. This method of promotion would be more expensive than direct mail and likely to drive up the expenses for the company. This method can even support the direct mailing as it would help attract more customers while maintaining the current ones and helping retain them as well. Reference 1.Wolf, K., (1998), Planning a Successful Direct Marketing Campaign, WGSC Publications, available at: http://cpa.utk.edu/pdffiles/adc9.pdf      

Individualism in Gimpel the Fool and a Good Man Is Hard to Find

The Myth of the Sincere or Authentic Individual In Charles Taylor’s theoretical text, The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor writes to evaluate the concepts of individualism. He believes that we can, and should, become conscious about what makes us who we are to effectively and sincerely choose which values or qualities to support. Using two short stories, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor and â€Å"Gimpel the Fool† by Isaac Bashevis Singer, alongside Taylor’s text and the application of his concepts, one can examine if the central characters function as true individuals who act for themselves, or act to fulfill a historically desirable niche in human nature. Flannery O’Connor’s 1953 short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† illustrates the story of a husband and wife, along with the grandmother and two children, who embark on a family road trip from Tennessee to Florida. Plot and character both unravel with the path of the family’s travel, revealing the archetypal characteristics of a traditional American family— annoying quirks and behaviors, back seat arguments between siblings; and the elderly, nitpicky, and proper grandmother. Following the greater part of the journey from Tennessee to Florida, the story ends with a final encounter with an escaped convicted murderer, The Misfit. The most prominent and perhaps easily scrutinized character from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is the grandmother. Being the central protagonist in O’Connor’s short story, she unfolds to be manipulative and self-involved, yet a prim and proper elderly woman. Throughout the text, the grandmother is continuously caught up in comparing her polished southern past to her disappointments of the present. She is entangled in her roots, appearing as a harmless chatterbox, aloof and amusing within her own progression. It is easy to forgive her for so much, including her innate racism— pointing at a â€Å"cute little pickaninny† from the car window as well as entertaining the children with a tale of â€Å"a nigger boy† (187) who scoffs a watermelon— and her overly sound opinions that she states matter-of-factly. Upon departure for Florida, she dresses herself in her Sunday’s best: dress, hat, and white cotton gloves all for the trip, so â€Å"in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (186). She is filled with the prejudices and traditions of her class and time. The grandmother, even when faced with the foreshadowed confrontation with The Misfit, continues to present her historical and deeply rooted â€Å"lady-like† facade. Her talk with the Misfit begins as a manipulative attempt to save her own life, employing her refined techniques to persuade her killer. (Certainly, in her world, no decent man would â€Å"shoot a lady† (O’Connor 194). ) Her desperate attempts continue, trying further to charm The Misfit. â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! (O’Connor 192). The grandmother seems confident enough that her southern allure will win over the man as she has with all others; there is no resignation to the death she will soon face. Following the execution of the whole family, it is apparent to both the reader and the grandmother herself that death is imminent. Upon this realization, the woman experiences a revelation and attains the first unselfish sensibility displayed in the story. She finally ignores her idea of proper southern values in the face of death and reaches out to The Misfit. In an act of true sincerity, she simultaneously denounced her high moral standing and proclaimed acceptance of his character. In this state of disclosure â€Å"she murmured ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children! ’† The woman â€Å"reached out and touched him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest† (O’Connor 195). The Misfit ends the powerful story by commenting on the grandmother’s unauthentic character: â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (O’Connor 195) The assessment of individuality of Flannery O’Connor’s character according to Charles Taylor’s text results with a misleading outcome. In The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor states, â€Å"we live in a world where people have a right to choose for themselves their own pattern of life†¦to determine the shape of their lives in a whole host of ways that their ancestors couldn’t control† (Taylor 2). The character of the grandmother is developed along a permanent historical linear path of ancestral beliefs and ideals; she was never provided an opportunity to be self-aware and take shape of her own life. In Taylor’s terms, the woman has always been locked into her â€Å"great chain of Being,† adhering to her born role of a southern bourgeois woman that gives sense and meaning to life (Taylor 3). Never questioning her â€Å"natural† values and qualities, the grandmother conformed to the ideals of, but not limited to, race, class, religion, and society, that are inherit to her aristocracy. Up until this point, it is possible to say that the grandmother is an unauthentic individual. When faced with the grave situation involving death and her ultimate existence, the grandmother abruptly diverges from the consistent track of her character development. This divergence from the typical character in the face of death allowed the grandmother to have an authentic experience in her last seconds with her killer. â€Å"†¦The grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s face twisted close to her own†¦ ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children! ’† she admitted (O’Connor 195). This moment of true acceptance, sensitivity, and acknowledgement to others of different moral horizons reveals a brief moment of authentic individualism in the grandmother. In comparison to her overall persona for the entire plot, a glimpse of wholehearted moral relativism, or, according to Taylor, a mutual respect to morals and values apart from your own, can be read in the last few lines of the grandmother’s existence. In the fleeting moments of her life, she shed her â€Å"natural† identity, claiming true freedom from her inherited moral horizon. It is possible to say that in the last seconds of her life there was a transformative sense of character, the grandmother passed with the qualities of a true individual. Similar to O’Connor’s character, the character of Gimpel from Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 1953 short story â€Å"Gimpel the Fool† can be equally examined for traits and characteristics of an authentic individual. The ironic story tells the life account of Gimpel: narrator, Yiddish baker, an inhabitant of Eastern Europe, and the one who gets the last laugh (although that comes later). Gimpel, seemingly naive and gullible, is the subject of many tricks and insults from his village for taking everything at face value, but was he really a fool, or an authentic individual? I am Gimpel the fool. † is how he opens his story (Singer 300). He gives his own reason when he says, â€Å"What did my foolishness consist of? I was easy to take in† (Singer 301). His promiscuous wife is disloyal to their marriage throughout his lifetime, resulting in illegitimate children that Gimpel wanted to believe he fathered; his neighbors take unfair advantage of him, subject ing him to endless pranks and fallacies for cruel entertainment; and even the village rabbi conspires against Gimpel, placing him at the receiving end of everyone’s jokes. Gimpel is ultimately surrounded by lies and cynicism to his approach to life. The â€Å"foolish† qualities that are expressed through Gimpel on the exterior are not all that meets the eye. Aware of his surroundings and how his neighbors treat him, Gimpel chooses to keep an open mind, to see the good in the world, and not waste his time with the bad spirits of those who make fun with him. Although constantly deceived by his contemporaries, Gimpel is always willing to give the benefit of the doubt. If he â€Å"ever dared to say, ‘Ah, you’re kidding! there was trouble. People got angry† (301). He says, â€Å"to tell the truth, I knew very well that nothing of the sort had happened, but all the same, as folks were talking†¦Maybe something had happened. What did I stand to lose by looking? † (301). His open approach and acceptance of a possible truth to endless false claims and jokes show Gimpel to be not gullible and simple, but holds a prominent mo ral relativism; he is accepting and sincere to other’s qualities and values, however deceitful they may be. Ironically, it is the whole village that victimizes Gimpel that are the fools, and Gimpel who is the only non-fool. Gimpel didn’t believe more than half the things the people told him, yet he still went along with the deceits. Gimpel exemplifies a character that lacks an understanding of unnecessary anger, hatred, and bad tempers, and acts with a perceptive sense that belief is not a matter of proof but of will. From this perspective, Gimpel doesn’t appear to be so simple and foolish, on the contrary, instead man that fears missing an opportunity of believing something that may be true. Those who abuse Gimpel are the true fools them self, lacking the capacity to believe with Gimpel that everything is possible. This does not make him a fool because he believed the people, he knew for himself that none of the things said were anywhere near the truth. He believed because he wanted to believe. In conjunction with Charles Taylor, Gimpel maintains a heightened sense of awaren ess of his past to inform his present. The constant ridicule has shaped his view on life and despite the negative actions directed towards him, Gimpel is accepting to believe what others share with him. Its possible to say that he is still involved in a â€Å"great chain of Being,† but in context to the setting of the story these philosophies cannot fully apply. As a devout Jewish man, Gimpel lives his life with authentic and sincere individualism, while respecting the historic beliefs his society is based on that have not yet been shattered. In conclusion, the assessment of individuals with Charles Taylor’s text, whether fictional or physical, can result in a broad variety of assumptions based on the moral and historical background of a character. As seen with Flannery O’Connor’s character, the grandmother did not appear to be an authentic individual until the final moments of her life; however, the character of Gimpel maintained a strong individualist approach to his life throughout the majority of the text. The characters, as Taylor wrote, â€Å"†¦are called upon to be true to themselves and to seek their own self-fulfillment. What this consists of, each must, in the last instance, determine for him- or herself† (14). Without the author’s literary devices and plot structure to develop character, or a person’s absolute sense of being, the underlying individual cannot be accessed to live entirely for his or herself. Works Cited O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find. † Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Compact Edition. New York: Mc- Graw-Hill, 2000. 185-95. Print. Singer, Isaac Bashevis. â€Å"Gimpel the Fool. † Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Compact Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 300-09. Print. Taylor, Charles. â€Å"Inescapable Horizons. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 31-41. Print. —, â€Å"The Inarticulate Debate. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 13-23. —, â€Å"The Sources of Authenticity. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 25-9. —. â€Å"Three Malaises. † The Ethics of Authenticity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2002. 1-12.