Keys To Success And Critical Issues Marketing Essay

Keys To Success And Critical Issues Marketing Essay Mcayain knives is owned and operated by Mark Hopper who is a Master Blade smith and experienced Blacksmith who has been in the Industry since the age of 15. Mcayain Knives will be a new venture for Mark Hopper whose main business is working on big architectural iron work for companies and home owners. Mcayain knives will be introducing a new product line of three designs of custom made knives that will target outdoor enthusiasts for example the fishermen, tactical groups and Hunters. The knives will be of high quality, tough, durable with a superb cutting edge. The knives will have edge holding abilities; this means with use they retain their sharp cutting edge and low edge wear guaranteed. The cryogenic steel making technology that Mcayain will use to make its knife is one that no other knife manufacturer is using at the present time, and will provide a knife that most outdoor enthusiasts will hopefully embrace to cater for all their needs without worry that they may have with other knives like edge holding capabilities. Mcayains marketing goal is to meet the needs of every outdoor enthusiast in the market in the future and to get their specialty knives out to every outdoor enthusiast including their target market of hunters, and fishermen. Mcayains will use pull strategy by advertising in Blade magazine, knife illustrated and Tactical knife Magazine which are the top knife magazines in the U.S on a monthly basis to drive consumer sales and brand awareness. Participating in trade shows and also driving consumers to check out their interactive website. Mcayain intends to sell 9,600 units and 10,560 units of Knives in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The units will bring sales of over one million dollars in the first year and hopefully increase at a 10% increase each year. As long as Mcayain keeps selling their knives at a steady rate then they will keep growing their profits as the years come. The most important factors for Mcayain to succeed in the business is for them to get notoriety for its quality of product being tough, offering a superior edge and having good design. With so many knife companies out there Mcayain will have to stand by their steel forging technology that provides a more superior outdoor knife that its competition and deliver the best interactive custom knives to their customers. Mcayain Knives fatal problems that they may incur would be Competition getting their technology and making similar products. Legislation of laws that may ban carrying and use of fixed blade knives. Mcayain would have to be a trend setter and move as the market moves and always be a step ahead of competition. Also a forum on their website for informing customers of existing laws and how it affects them then and how to lobby if needed. Product Mcayain specialty Knives will produce and Market a new product line of custom made knives that will target and appeal to customers, who are interested in high quality, tough, durable knife with a superb cutting edge. The knives will have edge holding abilities, this means with use they retain there sharp cutting edge and low edgewear guaranteed. Mcayain will offer designer style knives, which are not only good looking with great aesthetics but at the same time a knife that will function in any weather or climate. Through its marketing and promotion efforts, Mcayain knives will appeal to many customers who enjoy active outdoor lifestyles for example fishing, hunting and tactical exercises. The customers will have internet options that they can use to get interactive with the whole knife making process, they will have options as to what handle materials they want to use, the case materials and other accessories like fire starters and sharpening stones. Mcayain knives will offer three patterns of knives; the first one will be the skinning knife with a 3.5-inch blade, tactical life, with a 7.5-inch blade and the third one, which is a trout and stream knife with a 5.5-inch blade. The steel for the blades will be made using two types of technology mixed together, which are the old and the new. The old will be using forging techniques where steel is shaped by hammering and the new using cryogenic hardening which is using different temperature methods. These knives will have different steel finishes, one being a Teflon coating, which is a durable, non- reflective black finish which will appeal to a lot of the customers who enjoy hunting and who dont like a flashy knife. Another steel finish being offered is the tumbled finish, which is a matte, metallic finish. A mirror polish which has a high polished look and these will be targeted to customers who like shiny knifes. The last steel finish that will be offered will be the bead blasted finish, which is a satin metallic finish for all customers. As handle materials Mcayain Knives will offer black linen Micarta which is a tough durable synthetic material that is bonded together with linen cloth. This coarse texture helps for non-slip purposes and durability features. Another option will be the use of Cocobolo wood; this is a deep rich wood for those customers who want something pretty on their knife handles, paracord wrap/ carbon fiber and aluminum handles that are ductile, tough and offer non-slip features. The cases for the knives will be made from three different materials. The first one will be regular traditional leather. The next material for the cases will be Ripstop Nylon case, which is a lightweight case that packs close to the body and can be attached in different ways. The last option will be a Kydex case, which is a semi rigid form of plastic that is known to be tough and durable. All cases offer multiple hanging options, clips, leg harness and traditional belt loop. Mcayain Specialty Knives is offering its target market a product that is not being offered by the other knife companies in the business. The knives offered could withstand any climate or extreme condition and at the same time offer customers the options to build a customized knife according to their preferences from start to finish. A lot of Knives in the market which are being offered by top companies like Buck knives or SOG knives provide one or two of the options being offered by Mcayain knives. Industry Analysis The the last few years have been a time of transition for the knife industry. Forces within and outside the business have worked to reshape designs, materials and the industrys distribution channels (Calandra, B. (2006). On the cutting edge. Retrieved July 24, 2008 from http://www.sgblink.com). The fixed- blade segment of the industry, which is hunting, fishing and outdoor knives, has seen the most change. There has been increase in sales because of the new designs which use new technology, lighter, durable products with better cutting edges, (Calandra,B.( 2006). On the cutting edge. Retrieved July 24, 2008 from http://www.sgblink.com). According to ( Tabor, T.C. 2007).  January, Choosing the right hunting knife.  Countryside and Small Stock Journal,  91(1),  57-59.   Retrieved July 24, 2008, from Research Library  database) there is still the hardcore hunting, fishing and outdoor consumers who are buying the best quality, high tech knife with new steel and interesting blades and state of the art handles. With this in mind Mcayain knives as described in the product analysis will continue using the best steel and offer new designs that the outdoor consumer wants. The Knife industry continues to evolve with each passing, the outdoor market is looking at lightweight knives like water knives and durable, coated knives that can withstand a lot of water and tear, (Snow, J. 2007,  September. A Cut Above.  Review of Outdoor Life,  212(8),  78). Consumers of specialty knives are willing to spend money on a knife that will make their outdoor or everyday lives easier (Fowler, E. 2007). Knife Talk: The Art and science Of Knife Making. Iowa: Krause Publications). Many of them have multiple knives that they keep in their collections, trucks, boat or one on their belts (Fowler, Ed. (2007). Knife Talk: The Art and science Of Knife Making. Iowa: Krause Publications). Many people who are involved in outdoor activities or live in rural areas have a need for more than one knife and often make additional purchases where the initial purchase was made. A lot of business for specialty knives occurs during gift-giving occasions and when the hunting and fishing season begins (Fowler, Ed. (2007). Knife Talk: The Art and science Of Knife Making. Iowa: Krause Publications). A lot of businesses in the knife industry, even the small ones make sales in the millions each year, (Snow, J. 2007,  September. A Cut Above.  Review of Outdoor Life,  212(8),  78). Despite tight laws in knife carrying due to the senseless September 11 attacks, during which the knife industry worldwide experienced a slow in sales, knives are still selling and the knife market is here to stay with great potential for new businesses ( Kramer, B. (20   March). Buck Knives finds success through lean manufacturing.  Knight Ridder Tribune Business News,1.   Retrieved August 09, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Dateline  database). Market Summary According to Dan Bumps from Blade Magazine the average specialty knife buyer is male and between the ages of 30-70 years old, with education beyond high school. Most are professionals (23.4%), proprietor/ self employed (13.7%), Managerial (10.6%), Technical (14.8%) and Blue collar (19.3%) with other (8.4%) ( D.Bumps, personal communication, July 28, 2008) An average outdoor enthusiast owns an average of 132 knives in his collection; and has a knife collection worth 10,089 dollars; they purchase an average of 27 knives annually and spend an average of 1,473 dollars annually on their outdoor hobby (D. Bumps, personal communication, July 28, 2008). Dan Bumps from Blade Magazine continues to mention that the average household income of this industry is 84,507 thousand dollars and are willing to spend money on a knife that makes their outdoor life easier(D.Bumps, personal communication, July 28, 2008). Mcayain knives will fulfill market needs by introducing their knives to three subsets. The first sub-market is the hunting enthusiastic who comprises of roughly 15% of the total target market. These are the individuals who enjoy deer hunting and want a good working knife for dressing animals, while offering exceptional cutting edge advantage which is durable, comfortable and easy to use. The second sub-market is for those customers who enjoy fishing and comprise of another 15% of our market; these are the sports fishermen and casual weekend users on the lake. They will use the knife for cutting bait, preparing the fish (scaling and gutting) and a knife that is comfortable, light, with superb quality. The final sub-market is for the outdoor enthusiasts who make up the most of our target market at 70%. They are the customers who have to have these kinds of knives whether for show or use. They are the individuals who are perceived serious about the outdoors and use different opportunities to show their knives and skills in outdoor sports or other challenges. Market trends show that outdoor enthusiasts are after knives that are user friendly and can perform multiple tasks. Todays buyer is after as much versatility and quality as can be packed into one package (Fowler, Ed. (1998). Knife Talk: The Art and science Of Knife Making. Iowa: Krause Publications). Market trends also show that the consumer wants multi tools, which is essence is a pair of folding pliers high breed with a Swiss army pen knife. This knife has utilitarian tools such as a saw, bottle opener, screw drivers, knife blade, scissors, and files (Troy, M. DSN Retailing Today, Oct 2, 2000,, Retrieved on July 18, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_19_39/ai_66034876 ). This market is something that has been well covered by other businesses and is not something Mcayain Knives is willing to venture into because the multi tool is essentially a pair of pliers and we strive to specifically make a hard working knife. Another trend in the knife industry is the tactical knife, which is a knife you have to make do with for whatever you need it at the time, whether that means to cut a person out of a wrecked car or defend yourself from an attack (Pohl, D. (2003). Tactical knives. Germany: Krause publications). This is going to be close to 50% of Mcayains Market. It is the fastest growing portion of the knife market today. According to blade magazine, 82% of consumers will increase or maintain knife buying level over the next 12months. There is potential Market growth in this knife industry that will come from new products, not old (Calandra, B.( 2006) On the cutting edge. Retrieved July 24, 2008 from http://www.sgblink.com ). Calandra says that this new growth will come from Outdoor recreationalist and not just from traditional hunting and fishing categories. The Competition Three companies lead the target market that Mcayain knives are venturing into. Primarily Buck Knives command the majority of all the recreational knife market in every genre. This for Mcayain knives would be like trying to topple coca cola but to steal 1% of their market would mean a huge profit to Mcayain. Buck knives competitive advantage lies in their over 100 years of knife making and 35million dollars in sales in the fiscal year of 2007 according to Hoovers(Buck Knives Inc. (July 15th). Retrieved July 23, 2008, from Hoovers Company Records  database). SOG knives are the second largest competition for Mcayain knives. SOG originally stood for Studies and Observation Group, an elite joint services military group designed for covert operations in the Vietnam War. Sanctioned to develop and purchase their own equipment, SOG created a knife for use in one of the harshest environments in the world. (SOGKnives, Retrieved July 23, 2008 from http://www.sogknives.com/store/index.html). SOG has a well established specialty market, they provide consumers with good quality products that have been brutally tested and designed by top military weapon designers (Hartnik, A.E. (2005). The Complete encyclopedia of Knives. New Jersey: Chartwell Books). SOG has an added advantage of having contracts with several areas of the military providing them with edged tools that can be used in combat situations or outdoor recreation. Cold Steel knives are the third largest competition for Mcayain knives. They are very meticulous in making their knives, there choice of metal is very specific and their hardening and tempering process is chosen for their superior qualities in cutting abilities and blade strength. Their steel is specially made; all their blades are forged and cryogenically hardened which provides them with a very innovative and technologically advanced process which most knife manufacturers have deemed too complicated and expensive to undertake (Pohl, D. (2003). Tactical knives. Germany: Krause publications). Cold steels market share includes the martial artist which opens up a totally untapped market by Mcayain Knives. Another added advantage is that cold steel offers San Mai III, which is laminated steel used in making their larger knives, tougher, more flexible and virtually unbreakable while still retaining their high quality cutting edge. No other knife manufacturers offer this because it is too complicated to do.( Pohl, D. (2003). Tactical knives. Germany: Krause publications). Future competition for Mcayain knives comes from Diamond Blade Company. This company is an up and coming company whose innovation in cutting edge technology has taken the knife industry by surprise (Knives Illustrated, 2008, Retrieved July 23, 2008, from http://www.knivesillustrated.com/ ). They have spent the last five years developing a way to create differential hardeners in their knives and improve the edge holding ability exponentially from traditional knives. Diamond Blade Company has managed to develop steel that is over 300% more wear resistant than conventional D2 steel but still flexible enough to bend at 90 degrees without breaking, which ensures a superior knife(Knives Illustrated, 2008, Retrieved July 23, 2008, from http://www.knivesillustrated.com/ ). Keys to success Critical Issues There are several things that Mcayain knives need to do to succeed:- Mcayain needs to get notoriety for its quality of product being tough, a superior edge and having good design. This will be done by editors of magazines having the product for destruction testing. Mcayain needs a superb advertising strategy that brings awareness of the quality and diversity of its products. This would be both in print media and electronic media targeting not only the conventional knife user for example the hunters, fishermen but also cyclists, gun collectors, golfers or runners who might be interested in a specialty knife. Mcayain will need to design and produce products that meet market demand. Mcayain has to pay attention to the following critical issues:- Constantly monitor customer satisfaction, ensuring that the growth strategy will never compromise service and satisfaction levels. Mcayain has to establish itself as a market innovator that listens to its customers desires and needs. Mcayain needs to pursue controlled growth that dictates that all expenses will never exceed revenue base, this will help protect against recessions. Marketing strategy Mcayain has a limited budget, so the marketing strategy will be simple. Mcayains goal is to meet the needs of every outdoor enthusiast in the market in the future and to get their specialty knives out to every outdoor enthusiast including their target market of hunters, and fishermen. Developing visibility and brand equity is the key. To do so, Mcayains will use pull strategy by advertising in Blade magazine, knife illustrated and Tactical knife Magazine which are the top knife magazines in the U.S on a monthly basis to drive consumer sales and brand awareness. Participating in trade shows and also driving consumers to check out their interactive website. Mcayain is offering three knife patterns, the skinning knife with a 3.5-inch blade, tactical knife, with a 7.5-inch blade and the third one, which is a trout and stream knife with a 5.5-inch blade. The pricing structure of the knives is based on a tumbled finish blade and a cast aluminum handle in a rip stop nylon case. The basic price for the skinner is 130 dollars, trout and stream price is 140 dollars and the tactical knife will be 150 dollars. Additional blade finishes, additional handle materials and case options are add- ons that will increase the price of the knives according to customer needs and preferences. Using its interactive internet site, Mcayain will offer consumers chances to win free custom made knives by having competitions on who will introduce the most customers to the site, discounts for customers who purchase knives on a regular basis using their customer database to increase and drive sales. Marketing objectives The Knife Industry is a very competitive industry which is always changing. It is vast and diverse with many different levels of businesses from the large manufacturer to the single custom maker. Over the next three years Mcayains is targeting a Market share of roughly 2%. This may seem as a small percentage but in actuality it will give Mcayains a profit in the millions. Considering our main competitor Buck knives Inc, made $35 million in sales in 2007, and just to claim 2% of their Market would give Mcayains a profit of $700,000. This would just be one of the competitors Market share not including the rest. This will be done by Maintaining steady growth in each month by developing new products and features and allowing the customers to have more influence in the creation process of their knife. Also Mcayain will grow through increase in new customers who are turned into long-term customers. Financial Objectives Table 1: Production cost for Mcayain Tactical Knife (Most Expensive in the line) Manufacturing cost $ D2 Steel 6 Aluminum Handle 1.50 Handle Bolts 3.50 Rip stop Nylon 1.50 Press studs .75 Drill bits 2 Carbide chip 5 Ceramic belt Forging time:- 5minutes Machining of blade:-30minutes Sharpening:- 15minutes Heat treating :- 10 minutes 7 1.70 10 5 3.40 Machining Handle:- 10minutes Making case:- 30 minutes Assembling parts:- 5minutes Power TOTAL COST 3.40 10 1.70 20 82.45 The price unit of a tactical knife is $150; it costs Mcayain $82.45 to manufacture it. Advertising, Insurance and Workshop Rent are ongoing monthly expenses which equate to $7640. From the Manufacturing costs calculations, Mcayain can make 800 knives a month this divided into the ongoing monthly expenses gives an additional cost of $9.55 per knife. The total production cost for a knife is 82.45+ 9.55= $92.00 This gives Mcayain a profit of $58.00 per unit. This is a profit Margin 38.7% Mcayains major in-house expenses would involve new dyes for the forging process, CNC programming for machining centers for blades and handles. The dyes would cost $2,000 a piece per design ($6,000). CNC programming would cost $1,000 per design ($3,000). This would be a total of $9,000 in expenses. Taking our profit of $58.00 per unit and dividing into our total expenses of $9,000 we would need to sell 155 units to make profit. Mcayain would expect to be profitable within two months of advertising. Positioning Strategy The knife Industry is quite competitive and always changing, in order for Mcayain to obtain a good market share it should create PODs (points of differences in their knives. The number one thing going for Mcayains knives is the superior quality of steel and the cryogenic way of forging it that no other knife company is doing right now. As a web-based company it will offer interactive features that the customer can get involved in. Customers will be able to go in and design their knife from scratch to finish and change features as they wish and Mcayain will custom make the knives according to the customers preferences and mail it to them. Mcayain intends to keep up with customer needs and add new features and interactive capabilities to their Website and Knives. Marketing Mix Mcayain intends to use more than one marketing channel to increase market coverage and decrease any channel costs that they may incur. To do so they will use a multi-channel market system (Kotler, P., Keller, K.L. (2008).Marketing Management, 13e. (p.468-470). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall). The company will use direct marketing by selling all its 3 kinds on knives on line. The customer as mentioned before will be able to design their knife from the first stage to the final stage according to their preferences. If customers do not want to custom make their own design then they will have options to simply buy the ready-made knives. Customers will be able to go online, read reviews and get every detail of information about the knives. If they have any questions they can either email write or call and customers will be able to order knives through mail and phone. Advertising is one of the major channels that Mcayain intends to use and spend a lot of money on in pushing their product and creating brand awareness. Mcayain intends to advertise in the top three Knife magazines in the US market which are, Knife Illustrated, Blade Magazine and Tactical Knifes. The advertising cost for a 4 color full page advertisement is going to cost Mcayains a total of $ 10,920 a month in all three publications. Mcayain intends to send samples of their knives to Knife magazine editors, outdoor teams and Military tactical teams to test their product. Mcayain believes their product is superior and will sell itself through these channels. Word of mouth will help spread the word about the knife and hopefully drive customers to the Internet site. The company will use the magazines advertising to promote sales by offering customers to send in design ideas and vote on the best, and whoevers design gets chosen receives a free custom made knife. This will drive traffic to the site and hopefully get Mcayain some sales. Mcayain also plans to attend craft/ trade shows to show case their knives to all the knife enthusiasts attending. In the US a lot of knife shows are held throughout the calendar year. This will introduce the knives to any new potential customers and anyone else who would be interested in knowing about the Knives. Financial, Budgets and Forecasts The following sections provide the breakeven analysis, sales forecast, and expense forecast for Mcayain Knives. As a benchmark Mcayain knives will use the Tactical knife pricing to calculate its profit and loss because this is the more time consuming of the three designs, so the comparable percentages or profits of the knives are the same which is 38.7%. 12.1 Break Even Analysis With an estimated fixed cost of $445,640 for, 2009, the breakeven is: Break Even = Total fixed costs/ Unit contribution= 445,640/ 58 =7684 units. Mcayain Knives targets to sell 9,600 knives this comes from calculating how many knives they can make in a year. (800* 12). Therefore the profit for 2009 becomes: Profit = (9,600* 58) 445,640) = $111,160 The calculations are same for years 2010 and 2011. Table 2 shows the break even and profit for the next three years. Table 2. Break even and profit Impact for the next three years. Year Units sold Fixed costs Break Even Profit 2009 9,600 knives $ 445,640** 7684 knives $111,160 2010 10,560 knives* $ 436,640** 7529 knives $175,798 2011 11,616 knives* $ 436, 640** 7529 Knives $237,046 **Fixed costs are estimated for all three years. * Units sold for 2010 and 2011 are estimated assuming 10% market increase every year. 12.2 Sales Forecast Table 4 provides the sales forecast for the next three years for Mcayain Knives. Sales for 2009 are calculated using the following equation: Sales= Price per unit* units sold= $ 150 * 9,600 knives = $1, 440,000 Table 3:- Sales forecast for the next three years. Year Units Sold Price Per Unit Sales 2009 9,600 units $ 150 $ 1,440,000 2010 10, 560 units $ 150 $ 1,584,000 2011 11,616 units $150 $ 1,742,400 12.3 Expense Forecast Table 4 gives the expense forecast for the next three years. Expense for 2009 is calculated using the following equation:- Expense = (variable cost per unit * units sold) + fixed costs = ($92 * 9,600) + $445,640 =$1,328,840 Table 5:- Expense forecast for the next three years Year Units sold Variable cost per unit Fixed costs Sales 2009 9,600 $92 $445,640 $1,328,840 2010 10,560 $92 $436,640 $1,408,160 2011 11,616 $92 $436,640 $1,505,312 Marketing and Sales Organization As of right now Mcayain Knives has no sales or Marketing force in the Organization. The manager/ Owner of Mcayains, Mark Hopper intends to do all the initial Marketing of the product by attending trade shows, dealings with knife magazines and sales pitches to any potential clients. The reason for this is that all the other staff are production staff except for the secretary who makes sure all knife orders are fulfilled and shipped to customers. Mark Hopper who designed and developed the products and the processes that involve in making the knives, feels that his knowledge and experience of theses knives puts him in the best position to communicate the qualities and the designs to his future clients. Therefore he is the best for Marketing Mcayain Knives. In the future Mcayain Knives would like to have a specialized team of people who move upward from their original production positions into sales, management and product design and development positions. This will give the staff in these positions in-depth knowledge of the production processes and the product, which will aid them greatly in their new roles. Contingency Plan Mcayain knives is versatile enough to move with the trends of the market as well as being a trend setter. This is due to the fact that coming up with a new product would only be a $10,000 investment in CNC programming, tooling and die making. Right now Mcayain knives produces only fixed blade knives rather than folding knives or multi-tools, so it does not cover all aspects of the knife market, this could be seen as only having a single sale strategy. Another risk could be caused by legal legislation outlawing the carrying and use of knives; this would have a detrimental effect on Mcayains market. Competition is always a concern; this is because it is very simple in the knife industry to take someones idea and develop it further. To minimize the Market moving and Competition, Mcayain Knives has to be a trend setter in the interactive designs of knives. They have to make sure their products are always exceptional and constantly developing. Keeping the customers excited in what they will do next. For legislation laws Mcayain Knives intends to open a forum on their website informing people of proposed legislations and possible movements within the law.

Themes Of Frankenstein Essay -- essays research papers fc

Themes of Frankenstein   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many different themes expressed in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. They vary with each reader but basically never change. These themes deal with the education that each character posses, the relationships formed or not formed in the novel, and the responsibility for ones own actions. This novel even with the age still has ideas that can be reasoned with even today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each character has their own educational background, which in turn has a large effect to the way they react and deal with the issues that face them. One example of this is Victor Frankenstein; he took his education into his own hands. When he went to the University of Inglostaldt he intoxicated himself with the sciences so deeply that he never imagined the morality of what he was doing. He stayed so involved and focused on his experiments that he did not take into mind what could happen because of the size of the creature. Victor said: Although I possessed the capacity of bestowing animation, yet to prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all its intricacies of fibres, muscles and veins, still remained a work of inconceivable difficulty… As the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first intention, to make the being of a gigantic stature; that is to say about eight feet in height, and proportionately large. (52) But when he finished the science that brought him there has also scared him away. On page 56 Victor tells about the creation and what it meant to him and what happened when life filled the body: I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. (56) Victor's education has leaded him to be able to create a monster but not let him fully think out the havoc that might be unleashed. His education only let him create a monster but never taught him how to care for it; this ends up resulting in the loss of innocent lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This theme is also present when looking at the creation's education. He received most of his education hands on, by hi... ...inking how his discoveries can help mankind but not how the monster could be a burden to society. When the creature talks to Victor, he starts to see the responsibility that he owes the creature. Victor agrees to start a companion for the creature but finally thinks about what could happen with the two creations together. He tears up the second creation. This shows that he is taking some of the responsibility to the society: …For the first time, the wickedness of my promise burst upon me; I shuddered to think that the future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to bury its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence of the whole human race. (159) Victor realizes he is truly responsible towards society and by tearing up the second creation upholds that responsibility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel points out to the reader that education, relationships, and responsibility are important traits to posses, even to the people in the 1800's to present day. Frankenstein is a classic novel that will live on for centuries to come as well as the message deep inside. Bibliography Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Penguin, 1983.

Design of a steel skew cantilever followed by construction and testing to destruction

Design of a steel skew cantilever followed by construction and testing to destruction. Analysis and improvements section included. Aiming for minimum weight and structural costs, while achieving a working load of 1kN and a failure load of 2kN. Statement of the Problem: To design and build a steel skew cantilever that is required to show no visible deformation at a vertical working load of 1000N and to fail at 2000N. The objective is to design a structure that satisfies the loading conditions, while keeping weight to a minimum and maintaining design simplicity; to reduce drawing and fabrication time, and making the structure more predictable through analysis. The load is at a horizontal distance of 815mm from a rigid vertical plate. The line of action of the load is 407mm to the right of the normal to the wall through the centre of the main plate when viewed from the front of the main plate. The load is applied through a rig with a 13mm diameter bolt. The main plate has 4 pairs of M6 tapped holes to which the structure may be attached. Designs Considered: The main design considered apart from the 4 main member triangulated cantilever, was based around a 3 main member design with cross bracing shown in the diagram to the right. The advantage of this structure is a reduction in weight, holes and rivets thus a huge reduction in cost. However, the design that we came up with was too difficult to analyse and predict during in failure, due to the side planes not being vertical. Also, construction would have been quite difficult because all cross braces would have to attach to the main members at an angle, thus additional plates would have be constructed which would have raised the price dramatically. The other design considered was based on the 4 main member design but flipped upside down. However, this would mean that the compression member would be comparatively long, increasing the need for cross bracing due to potential buckling. Thus the structure would be no better than the one we have selected only it would cost more due to the additional cross bracing. The box design was considered, however, it is not very suitable for a skew cantilever as construction would be immensely hard. Design considerations: The rig to which the structure was to be attached was inspected to see whether the load plate would fit and to get a general feel for the vertical constraints of the jack. To prevent a bending moment within the structure, lines of actions of forces in members must cross at a point. Hence in the drawings, lines of actions for every joint are shown to meet at a point within the material. For single cross braces, this line of action is 3/4 of the way in from the edge parallel with the edge. To make members act as though they were in mode B, the struts had to be rivet together. This was done 40mm from the edges of the struts in question and subsequently the remaining length was divided up into 3 sections at which the boundary of each division was riveted. This was performed on all the double angled struts. Where possible, the struts coming into connecting plates were made to touch the plate with their edge so that they would be transferring their load in a more direct manner. We attempted to make the base as wide as possible, for stability hence the connecting plates should go up to the edge of the main plate. Construction Phase: The base was the first thing to be constructed as it was easier than the upper members, thus by the time it had been built, experience had been gained and could applied to a more complex construction step (the upper members). The upper members were then constructed and both sets were fitted to the base plate. An additional plate was put in between the connecting plate and the main plate for the tension members to prevent the bolts from tearing out. The partially completed structure was taken to the measurement deck, where the alignment was checked. It was within 5mm in respect to the horizontal plane, thus we could slightly bias connections so that the alignment became closer to about 3mm. It was then noted that the rig that would connect the load to the load plate needed the load plate to have parallel edges, thus a double bend and an extension of 40mm in the load plate was required to allowed the rig to connect to the load plate. See right hand page for diagram. The load plate was then attached and the structure was checked that it aligned to about 3mm. The cross braces were than fabricated and attached. An attempt was made to work efficiently during construction, my laboratory partner and I finished with 6 hours to spare. Modifications: To M4 bolts were used to help keep the two sections of the load plate in alignment to achieve ease of rig attachment. These are attached as shown on the diagram to the right. A small cross brace was also placed between the two tension members at the top to attempt to prevent rotation of the structure. See right for the diagram. Also there was not enough space for the smallest cross brace connecting the compression members, thus it was not included. Some minor changes in the lengths of some of the members was required to improve alignment. Also some edges of struts had to be cut so that they could rest flat against others to transfer load more effectively. Cost and Mass of Structure: The mass was 2.52kg, which is heavy in comparison to the other groups, but not the heaviest. The material cost was 120.5 and the labour cost was 282 giving a total of 452.5, once again the cost ranked high amongst the other groups. However, considering the magnitude of the mass, if the cost saving strategies had not been applied then the cost would have been about 30 higher. These cost saving techniques consisted of using a hole to not only mount the members to connecting sheet metal but also a cross brace, thus saving a rivet, a hole and some time during fabrication. Depending on the forces, this technique could be slight disadvantage, the joint would now be in double sheer, and the rivet would be under greater loading. However, this effect would be small due to the small forces in the cross braces. Test results and Observations: The structure had a very slight amount of visible deformation at the working load of 1kN, and finally failed at 2.57kN. This was mainly due to the rightmost (looking at the front plate) compression member 5 buckling inwards at a position closer to the wall than the intersection between member 10 and 11. Another noted deformation was that the metal plates (A and B) connecting the main plate to the compression members had been bent inwards towards the main plate as the corners of the A and B were not touching the main plate. This meant that as the compression force in member 10 and 11 grew the force on the corner increased and cause deformation of the connecting plate. If the buckling in the compression member had not occurred, it would be conceivable that this would be the next location for failure. Suggested Modifications to Improve Performance: Using another cross brace in a sense parallel to the main plate between the lower main compression members 10 and 11 would have prevented the buckling that caused the main failure from occurring. The geometry of the proposed cross brace would force the member to become stockier thus its critical stress would be much higher, allowing us to once again us mode A with a 9.5mm by 9.5mm of thickness 0.8mm. If the holes for the bent plates that connects the main compression members 3 and 5 to the main plate were moved such that the corner of the connecting plate lay within the normal of the edge of the main plate, then this would reduce deformation of the connecting plate and hence the structure. If these connecting bent plates were to be the first point of failure, the modifications described would increase the failure load by postponing the tearing of the connecting plates. Conclusions: The main failure as discussed was mode B buckling of the longest compression member due to insufficient cross bracing. It would be interesting to rebuild the cantilever with the improvements and even have an entire redesign. One can learn many things from analyzing a failure. For example how to improve the structure and more importantly how to go about design in the first place.

Analysis Of Ann Mason s The Wild Trail - 1732 Words

Bobbie Ann Mason grew up on her family’s dairy farm outside Mayfield, Kentucky. She expressed a love for books at a young age. After high school, Mason advanced her education at the University of Kentucky, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English. Soon after Ms. Mason received her master’s degree from the University of New York at Binghamton in 1966. She went to college for a third and final time to acquire her Ph.D. in literature from the University of Connecticut. In 1985, she finalized and published her first novel In Country. Zigzagging Down a Wild Trail was later published in 2002. Novels, short stories and biographies are just a few works to add to her list of writings. Ms. Mason has earned several awards for the leadership†¦show more content†¦Emmett slept with his niece. Emmett lived off his sister. Emmett seduced high school girls. He had killed babies in Vietnam. But he was popular, and Emmett didn’t care what some people saidâ €  (In Country 31). Her father died in the Vietnam war before she was born and she begins to wonder what was his personality like or what kind of conversations did he carry when he was alive. Many family members described Sam’s father as a very funny and charismatic person. Sam’s mother left her in Hopewell to stay with her Uncle Emmett and got married to a man that lived in Lexington and started a new family. Her mother left the town because she was trying to fill in that void or erase the hurt she experienced from the passing of Sam’s father. In Charger, a teenage boy battles his emotions and races along the interstate from state to state searching for answers as to why his father abandoned him and his mother without notice. He undergoes a few challenges and psychological obstacles as he tries to find justification for why his dad left abruptly with no explanation, â€Å"I’m so depressed, I’m liable to just set down right here in the parking lot and melt into that spot of gop over there† (Charger 309). Charger’s motivation to find his father becomes a relentless journey, â€Å"He had left the day before Christmas and just kept driving; once he got out of Kentucky, he couldn’t turn back, he said. Might as well see what there is to see†Show MoreRelatedAn Evaluation of an on-Farm Food Safety Program for Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Producers; a Global Blueprint for Fruit and Vegetable Producers51659 Words   |  207 Pagescase study to examine implementation trends was developed through the examination of current on-farm food safety issues and programs, with specific focus on the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP)- based initiative. In 2003, OGVG s 200 members had a combined farm-gate value of $350 million and represented 41 per cent of North American greenhouse vegetable production. Program implementation barriers identified included: pe rceived costs of participationRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers