Introduction and conclusion section for report Essay

Introduction and conclusion section for report - Essay Example Simple to launch its products successfully in the South African market. The primary goal or objectives of the company are to increase its revenue generation through opening up of different retail garment stores in various feasible locations of South Africa. Various market entry modes that can be employed in case of entering the South African market and how it can be beneficial for the company have been discussed in this study. Identification of the target market in South Africa is also important and has been included in this study. The marketing mix strategy involving the appropriate products, places, prices and promotional strategies to be employed by the company has also been discussed in this study. The primary competitors of Mr. Simple Company have also been identified and the corresponding competitor analysis has been performed in this study. Mr. Simple Company has been successfully running its business in Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam. Its decision to expand its business in the South African market does not promise to be a good prospect for the company to help it increase its international presence and enhance its profitability in a significant manner. The primary objectives of the company are to increase brand awareness amongst the South Africans, increase its revenue and open up three retail garment stores in different parts of South Africa. The target customers have been identified to be males in the age group of 15 to 35 years. Fashionable and casual garment products would be offered to the targeted customers in South Africa. The market trend analysis performed in this study indicates that the youths in South Africa are attracted towards various clothing brands and with proper brand awareness the company can be successful in increasing its brand loyalty amongst the youth generation of the country. Various strat egies that are needed

Innovative Leadership and Culture Matrix Research Paper

Innovative Leadership and Culture Matrix - Research Paper Example According to Jones, Michael Dell of Dell Computer, â€Å"adopted a very different approach to managing his company. Dell developed a participative management approach, involved employees in decision-making, and fostered a spirit of comradeship and cooperation among team members to encourage top performance. His management style engendered intense loyalty from his employees, who liked his hands-on approach, and his close attention to managing his company† (p.10). The author noted that â€Å"Michael Dell was careful to watch the teams’ progress closely. When a project seemed not to be working out or was costing too much, he would quickly end it and transfer engineers to other projects† (p.10). The author further noted, â€Å"Dell’s knowledge management system, which gives them real-time access to its changing input demands, allows them to forecast demand for their products months in advance, and enables them to redesign their products so they will fit bette r with Dell’s future needs. The cost savings that have resulted from this system have been tremendous and have made Dell and its suppliers the low-cost leaders in the PC industry†. Dell’s leadership model emphasizes organizational development, promotes individuals from within, creates organizational alignment, develops core capabilities and managerial effectiveness.Dell Corporation had experienced a decline in growth in late 2000. The company began to focus on redesigning its culture in a way that would emphasize new values

Anthropology Essay Example for Free

Anthropology Essay Anthropology is the study of humans and society and cultures within that society. It studies how we as people evolve and change based on different locations in the world and different ways in which we are raised. Culture is learned through childhood and growing up watching how things are done and learning what actions are deemed acceptable. So when you are an anthropologist and step back to look at different societies, you are able to see difference between the same human in rituals, work, and the basic things they do to survive. Anthropologist look at different historical actions and the present day lives of citizens in culture to understand differences between themselves and the culture and society they are studying and may even take part in. Anthropology raises some issues within one culture while studying other cultures normal way of life. In order to understand what you are seeing and studying, you must actually watch or take part in other cultures and see what and especially why they do certain things. This can bring up questions of ethics. When people go to other places to study and learn other’s culture you must try to leave your culture and way of life behind. Anthropologists are not around to spread what they deem the best culture but to learn and understand what other cultures do and why they do those certain things. In the past, Anthropology was studying people far away from you with different types of lives and cultures. Recently, however anthropology has become the study of cultures you may actually take part in. Learning and improving upon yourself and your way of life. Anthropologists also study of all different things from the way culture is passed on, survives through the generations, and how people use culture in different societies to solve unexplainable events, disease, and way to act in a culture.

How E Commerce Is Changing Consumer Buying Behaviour Marketing Essay

How E Commerce Is Changing Consumer Buying Behaviour Marketing Essay In Electronic Commerce, online purchasing is the process consumers go through when they decide to shop on the internet. Therefore, the internet has developed to a highly competitive market, where the competition over the consumer is fierce. In order to have an impact on and retain consumers, in a competitive market, Constantinides (2004) stated that the first step is to identify certain influencing aspects when purchasing online, these can be regarded as factors. The purpose of the research is primarily to identify and get insight into what main factors the online consumer takes into consideration when purchasing books online, as books are the most commonly bought product on the internet (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online-Forschung e.V. [AGOF e.V.], 2007). Concise Review of the Related Literature This research suggests that consumers attitude toward Internet shopping first depends on the direct effects of relevant online shopping features (Davis, 1993). The core constructs of our framework are adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989), an influential research model in the information systems field. Although this model is specifically tailored to understand the adoption of computer-based technologies on the job or in the workplace, it has proven to be suitable as a theoretical foundation for the adoption of e-commerce as well (Chen et al., 2002). Therefore, the TAM structures are employed as a foundation for our research framework. Online shopping features can be either consumers perceptions of functional and utilitarian dimensions, like ease of use and usefulness, or their perceptions of emotional and hedonic dimensions like enjoyment (Menon and Kahn, 2002). The internet has developed into a new distribution channel (Hollensen, 2004) and the evolution of this channel, e-commerce, has been identified by Smith and Rupp (2003) to be the most significant contribution of the information revolution. The number of internet users is constantly increasing which also signifies that online purchasing is increasing (Joines, et al., 2003). The rapid increase is explained by the growth in the use of broadband technology combined with a change in consumer behaviour (Oppenheim Ward, 2006). Using the internet to shop online has become one of the primary reasons to use the internet, combined with searching for products and finding information about them (Joines et al., 2003). Smith and Rupp (2003) also state that the consumers have never had access to so many suppliers and product/service opinions. By integrating Fishbeins attitudinal theoretical model (Fishbein 1967) and the expectation-confirmation model (Oliver 1980), we attempt to associate the three elements together and form a base model Model of Intention, Adoption, and Continuance (MIAC) (as depicted in Figure 2) for the development of an online consumer behaviour framework. (Purpose) (Implementation) (Persistence) Consumer Online Purchase Consumer Online Repurchase Consumer Online Purchase Intention Figure 2: Model of Purpose, Implementation, and Persistence Fishbeins attitudinal model has been widely used in the marketing context (Lilien et al 1992) and this paradigm provides researchers with a useful lens for examining the factors explaining consumer purchasing intention and adoption. According to this model, behaviour is predominantly determined by intention. Other factors like attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control are also shown to be related to an appropriate set of salient behavioural, normative, and control beliefs about the behaviour. However, Fishbeins model stops at the adoption level and does not capture other important factors that explain and predict consumer continuance behaviour (repurchase). The expectation-confirmation model (Oliver 1980), on the other hand, focuses on the post-purchase behaviour. It is a widely used model in the consumer behaviour literature, particularly in explaining consumer satisfaction and repeat purchase. Satisfaction is the central notion of this model and it is formed by the gap between expectation and perceived performance (Oliver 1980). The expectation-confirmation theory suggests that if the perceived performance meets ones expectation, confirmation is formed and consumers are satisfied. Bhattacherjee (2001) stated that satisfied users are more likely to continue the IS use. Thus, we point that adoption and continuance are connected to each other through several mediating and moderating factors such as trust and satisfaction. The research articles appear in a variety of journals and conference proceedings in the fields of information systems, marketing, management, and psychology. A review of these articles indicates that researchers mostly draw theories from classical consumer behaviour research, such as behavioural learning (Skinner, 1938), personality research (Folkes 1988), information processing (Bettman 1979), and attitude models (Fishbein 1967). There are still significant differences between offline and online consumer behaviour that warrant a distinguishing conceptualization. For example, Vijayasarathy (2001) integrated the web specific factors (online shopping aid) into the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to better explain consumer online shopping behaviour. Song and Zahedi (2001) built on the model of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and examined the effects of website design on the adoption of Internet shopping. Donal Rogan (2007) explains the relationship between consumer behaviour and marketing strategy and states that strategy is about increasing the probability and frequency of buyer behaviour. Requirements for succeeding in doing this are to know the consumer and understand the consumers needs and wants. Chisnall (1995) points out that human needs and motives are inextricably linked and that the relationship between them is so very close that it becomes difficult to identify the precise difference which may characterize them. Buyers characteristics are important theories from Kotler and Armstrong (2007) and it explains the way that the consumer interprets and receives stimuli from advertisements. The decisions of consumers are influenced by a number of individual characteristics that are linked to the consumers specific needs. (Kotler Armstrong, 2007) A review of online consumer research reveals that the scope of published studies is rather broad, the studies appear relatively fragmented with contradictory results, and only very few prior studies (e.g., Jarvenpaa and Todd 1996, Koufaris et al 2001) have attempted to systematically review and develop a framework for the research of this important research area. Aims and Objectives of Study To develop a valid and reliable measure of motivations and costs associated with online information search and purchase behaviour; To provide a systematic and exhaustive review of online consumer behaviour research; To test the ability of the measure to identify the impact that specific motivations and costs have on apparel search and purchase decisions among Internet shoppers worldwide; To identify important constructs that are specific to the context of online purchasing; to propose an integrated framework that enhances our understanding of the underlying driving factors of online consumer behaviour; To evaluate the potential of the Internet as an efficient and effective medium to disseminate information to enhance brand/product awareness, evaluations, and purchase intentions in the global marketplace; To provide directions for future research in this area. Research Questions How does the level of computer and Internet experience of the target group relate to the level of Internet purchases? What main factors affect the online consumer when considering and making a purchase over the internet? How do these factors influence the consumer when purchasing books online? What kind of segments can be found within the identified consumers when purchasing books online? What is the connection with the identified factors and consumer segment groups? A Structured Research Approach Prior literature provides us with a rich foundation on which to build a research framework for the study of online consumer behaviour. As suggested by Douglas et al. (1994), strong theoretical and conceptual frameworks can be developed through an integration of constructs from different research traditions and disciplines. In the current study, we review the prior literature of online consumer behaviour and analyze the theories and the underpinning factors. A systematic and structured approach in search and review is strongly recommended in writing sound IS literature reviews (Webster and Watson 2002). In this study, we conducted an exhaustive and systematic electronic search using ProQuest, Social Science Citation Index, IEEE Xplore, and other bibliographic sources with keywords such as online shopping, Internet shopping and online consumer purchasing behaviour. In addition to the search for referred journal articles, we included three IS-related conference proceedings (AMCIS, HICSS, ICIS) in our literature search and analysis. Research Methodology To answer the purpose of the thesis, both primary and secondary data had to be collected. Primary data is data collected especially to answer the purpose and research questions of the current research. This data must be gathered by the researcher of the research at hand and can be done by observation, interviews or questionnaires. Secondary data is data that has been collected earlier, to fulfil the purpose of some other research. This data can be gathered from books, articles, reports and many others sources. (Saunders et al., 2007) Direct Observation Observation is a research technique that is often implicit in the data-gathering approach and observation is something we cannot fail to do as people, we are all expert observers (Hackley, 2003). Furthermore, participant observation will be chosen as it puts the researcher where the action is enabling them to experience the lives of informants, one option is to observe consumers behaviour and their purchase decision in online store (Meiselman et al., 2000). An observational approach provides a clearer representation of the decision process that consumers proceed through rather than the consumers perceptions of that process (Douglas and Wind, 1978), thus providing the researcher with the ability to uncover unconscious consumer actions. Survey The greatest use of questionnaire is made by survey as strategy. However, both experiment and case studies research strategies can make use of these techniques (Oppenheim, 1992). Some authors reserve it exclusively for surveys where the person answering the question actually records their own answers and other authors use it as a more general term to inclusively for survey interview hat administered either face to face or by telephone. (Kervin 1999) In addition, questionnaire can be used as a general term to include all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. (DeVaus, 1996) Interview An interview is a purposeful discussion between two or more people (Kahn and Cannel 1957). The use of interviews can help to gather valid and reliable data that relevant to the research questions and objectives. Sampling Sampling techniques provides arrange of methods that enable to reduce the amount of data need to collect by considering only data from a sub groups rather than all possible cases or elements. Sampling also save times and give over view of population. Researcher Kervin (1999) argues that using sampling enables a higher overall accuracy than a census. Methods of Data Analysis During the dissertation both the quantitative and qualitative data will require analysis. In order to analyze the data collected through the survey and the focus group, several strategies were used. The aim was to give a descriptive analysis of the consumer behaviour in online shopping. The tables, charts and pie charts were interpreted as made up the foundation for the focus group discussion. The method of analysis to be followed is that proposed by Dey, Miles and Huberman: Comprehend and manage it. Merge related data drawn from different transcript and notes. Identify key themes or pattern from it for further exploration. Develop and / or test hypotheses based on these apparent patterns or relationships. Draw and verify conclusions. (Dey, 1993; Miles and Huberman, 1994) Moral Issue of Research Consumers were firstly observed without interruption, allowing their natural behaviour will be recorded. Only once they complete their actual purchase decision, the researcher will approach them. Those shoppers who will picked up a product to purchase were intercepted as they walk away from the cabinet and will be asked to answer a few short questions regarding their purchase choice. Research Timetable Weeks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Internet Research Literature Review Research Design Methodology Data Sources Data Collection Data Analysis Writing up Draft Editing Final Document Binding Document References Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online-Forschung e.V. [AGOF e.V.], 2007. Bettman, J. R. (1979) An information Processing Theory of Consumer Choice, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. Bhattacherjee, A. (2001) Understanding Information Systems Continuance: An Expectation Confirmation Model, MIS Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 351-370. Chen, L., Gillenson, M.L. and Sherrell, D.L. (2002), Enticing online consumers: an extended technology acceptance perspective, Information Management, Vol. 39 No. 8, pp. 705-19. Chisnall, M. P. (1995) Consumer Behaviour, 3rd Edition, Maidenhead, McGraw Hill Companies. Constantinides, E. (2004) Influencing the online consumers behaviour: the Web experience, Internet Research 14: 2, 111-126. Davis, F.D. (1989), Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 319-40. Davis, F.D. (1993), User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioural impacts, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 475-87. Devaus, D. A. (1996) Surveys in Social Research, 4th edition, London, UCL Press. Dey, I. (1993) Qualitative Data Analysis, London, Routledge. Donal Rogan, FH Joanneum Graz, 28 May 1 June 2007, International Consumer Behaviour. Douglas, S. P., Wind, Y. (1978) Examining family role and authority patterns: two methodological issues, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 3 pp.35-47. Fishbein, M. (1967) Attitude and Prediction of Behaviour, in M. Fishbein, ed., Readings in Attitude Theory and Measurement, New York: John Wiley, pp. 477-492. Fishbein, M. (1967) Attitude and Prediction of Behaviour, in M. Fishbein, ed., Readings in Attitude Theory and Measurement, New York: John Wiley, pp. 477-492. Folkes, V. S. (1988) Recent Attribution Research in Consumer Behaviour: A Review and New Directions, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 14, pp. 548-565. Hackley, C. E. (2003) Doing Research Projects in Marketing, Management and Consumer Research, Routledge, London. Hollensen S. (2004) Global marketing A Decision Iriented Approach, 3rd Edition, Edinburgh Gate, Pearson Higher Education. Jarvenpaa, S. L., and Todd, P. A. (1996) Consumer reactions to electronic shopping on the World Wide Web, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 59-88. Joines, L. J., Scherer, W. C., and Scheufele A. D. (2003) Exploring motivations for consumer Web use and their implications for e-commerce, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 20: 2, 90 108. Kervin, J. B. (1999) Methods for Business research, 2nd edition, Reading, Addison Wiley. Khan, R. and Cannell, C. (1957) The Dynamics of interviewing, New York, Wiley. Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. (2007) Principles of Marketing, 12th Edition, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. Koufaris, M., Kambil, A., and Labarbera P. A. (2001) Consumer Behaviour in Web-Based Commerce: An Empirical Research, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 115-138. Lilien, G. L., Philip K., and Sridhar M. K. (1992) Marketing Models, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Meiselman, H. J., Johnson, J. L., Reeve, W., Crouch, J. E. (2000) Demonstration of the influence of the eating environment on food acceptance, Appetite, Vol. 35 pp .231-7. Menon, S. and Kahn, B. (2002), Cross-category effects of induced arousal and pleasure on the Internet shopping experience, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 78 No. 1, pp. 31-40. Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis (2nd edition), Thousand Oaks, California, Sage. Oliver, R. L. (1980) A Cognitive Model for the Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction, Journal of Marketing Research, no. 17, pp. 460-469. Oppenheim, A. N. ( 1992) Questionnaire Design, New edition , London , Printer. Oppenheim, C. and Ward, L. (2006) Evaluation of web sites for B2C e-commerce, Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives 58: 3, 237-260. Saunders, M. N. K., Thornhill, A., Lewis, P. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students. London: Pearson Higher Education. Skinner, B. F. (1938) The Behaviour of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis, New York: Appleton Century Crofts. Smith, D. A., and Rupp, T. W. (2003) Strategic online customer decision making: leveraging the transformational power of the Internet, Online Information Review 27: 6, 418 432. Song J., and Zahedi, F. M. (2001) Web Design In E-Commerce: A Theory And Empirical Analysis, Proceedings of the International Conference of Information Systems 2001, pp. 205-220. Vijayasarathy, L. R. (2001) The Impact of Shopping Orientations, Product Types, and Shopping Aids on Attitude and Intention to Use Online Shopping, Quarterly Journal of Electronic Commerce, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 99-113. Webster J., and Watson R. T. (2002) Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review (pp. xiii-xxiii), MIS Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. xiii-xxiii (13-23).

Arrangment in Black and White Essay -- essays research papers

Dorothy Parker’s â€Å"Arrangement in Black and White† is set during a dinner party for the host’s friend, Walter Williams, an African American musician. Though the party is celebrated in his name, most of the conversation takes place between the host and the main character, the woman with pink velvet poppies. From the conversation, the audience can deduce that though this woman admires Walter Williams’s musical talent, she is unable to let go of the racist sentiment against his African American heritage. The author adds a flavor of sophisticated cynicism as she makes this point clear by having the main characters ironically make frequent references concerning how â€Å"untroubled† she is about the color of his skin. This argument is further emphasized when she greets Walter Williams; her body language and topic choice gives her predicament away. Through this story Parker implies that with the end of slavery did not entail the changing of the heart ’s and mind’s of its supporters, no matter how much one can deny it to oneself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dorothy Parker sets up her main character be in conflict with all her possessed qualities. For example, although her age is never stated, she seems young judging by her energetic and outspoken qualities, but old enough to be married and have set opinions toward other races. Also, though she comes across as a woman with a forward nature—shown as she grabs the host’s arm to get her attention—she also is seen as a nervous character, bec...

the female care product :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Why do you always complain about your cramps and your uncomfortability. Look at these people; they’re having a good time while on there period.† That’s what I told my girlfriend when looking at a recent tampon ad. It’s funny though, that this particular ad we were looking at, was talking about how they (the tampons) don’t hurt, how they helped conquer fear and also the race of people that it used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When I first look at this ad I see two girls and a guy playing Frisbee. It seems like a fun atmosphere, so it caught my eye. In one picture they show a girl taking the Frisbee away from a guy and in the next she is taking it away from a girl. It’s a happy ad that shows two girls possibly on there period. Which in the case of the product being sold an underlying meaning of you can have fun and still be on your period could be inferred.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sweet!!! (and I was almost a no-show ‘cause I thought using a tampon would hurt.) Obviously the advertisers are saying that these specific types of tampons are comfortable. It’s a smart move to make this the very first thing you see in the ad because this automatically assures the consumer that this product is not harmful in anyway. In a buyer’s eyes this will trigger a need to be safe. Most people nowadays are risk adverse and try to avoid all possible situations that compromise they’re safety. So by reiterating that this product is comfortable, the buyer already feels â€Å"protected† without even knowing it. Although you must consider this, everybody has a different body stature and what is comfortable to a â€Å"regular† sized woman or lady might not be comfortable to an overweight or smaller woman or lady.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The continuous pressure is to create ads more and more in the image of audience motives and desires.†(Marshall McLuhan, pg. 61 cc) The tampon advertisers must know this to be true being that they affiliate the need to dominate with the ad. â€Å"Playtex helped me conquer my fears, then Jill and I conquered the boys!† Being that this was stated in the ad, the main character of our advertisement had an enormous fear of using tampons, possibly because foreign objects in small places can be intruding and painful. But she was reassured by trying the product herself. Also some of her fears might have been odors, even though the captions do not mention deodorants or scents to the tampons.

Extended commentary of ‘The Pine Planters’ by Thomas Hardy Essay

On the Title: A simple reference to the characters described in the first part of the poem. Overall, though, it refers to an earlier work by Hardy, named ‘The Woodlanders’. Marty South – note the lack of explicit gender reference in the name – is a character from ‘The Woodlanders’ whose thoughts are expressed in an odd, stream-of-consciousness-esque reverie. Hardy is interested in the melancholy of both human relationships and within nature; the lack of meaning he can find in natural suffering. Overall Structure: Hardy splits the poem into two parts, with two very different structural styles: 1. Part I takes a ballad form; 8 English quatrains with a mostly ABCB rhyme scheme, but with the occasional use of an alternate scheme when emphasis is required. Hardy uses very simple language throughout this stanza – the images presented are equally so. 2. Part II contains three stanzas of 12 lines, with an alternate rhyme scheme. Consequently, the poem loses its sense of ballad and, as the lines increase in length, becomes more abstract and ‘deep’. This allows for an increased intensity, both in the content and exploration of the images produced. It allows for no more emotive punctuation either! Despite being linked in content, the two parts have very different structural nuances. Difficult Language Notes: â€Å"Halt and hoary† is an archaic phrase for ‘old and grey’. Themes: Nature’s lament, Man and Nature, Relationships Notes on Part I The poem must be discussed separately, in terms of its parts, before comparing the two. However, Hardy writes in such short stanzas that analysing each one would be pointless, yet the meaning behind Hardy’s ‘Part I’ is described very gradually. Therefore, a summary: Hardy writes, in the first person, of a couple who work in forestry. It is assumed that the persona is female (or otherwise homosexual, which would present an interesting perspective) and is called ‘Marty South’ – in this case, the ambiguous name is quite certainly female. South is a character originating, as mentioned before, from Hardy’s earlier work ‘The Woodlanders’. South is engaged in a relationship with a partner upon whom she dotes, but is slighted due to the male’s ‘wandering eye’. South ‘writes’ to explain his apparent indifference towards her. However, Hardy uses this idea of suffering (in relationships) and applies it, in Part II, to the trees that the pair plant. In Detail: Relative movement of the two characters is of great importance to Hardy – or rather, the fact that the persona doesn’t move and therefore suffers the cold of the ‘blast and breeze’. This is made clear, along with the setting for her predicament, in the first stanza; â€Å"He fills the earth in/ I hold the trees†. The woman has no mobility. This is made clearer in the second stanza; â€Å"what I do/ Keeps me from moving/ And chills me through.† More importantly, though, â€Å"he does not notice†. This simple observation of a married man not noticing his wife’s routine suffering (suffering, as it is later revealed, which is endured only to be near him.) is shocking to the reader. The wife is made initially into a tragic beast of burden – this lack of physical motion will eventually come to represent her inability to achieve any motion in life. Hardy deliberately utilises the understatement and plainness of speech to accentuate this fact. In the next stanza, he reveals why. â€Å"He has seen one fairer†. Again, utilising understatement, Hardy introduces (in a noticeably less ‘fixed’ reality) a third figure to the poem – the male’s true love interest. Hardy, by portraying such a betrayal from the victim’s eyes (as well as condemning the male to interest based upon attractiveness alone) again achieves a sense of sympathy from the reader. The male’s â€Å"eye†¦ skims me as though I were not by.† Apart from the obvious sense of being ignored, Hardy’s use of ‘skims’ is particularly effective in emphasizing the male’s partial glimpse of his partner. [Add. Note: The last line of each stanza is somewhat contracted, drawing attention to it. It is therefore noticeable that each ‘4th line’ features an emotive sentiment – all express revealing elements of the characters’ relationships. This is equally accentuated through the rhyme scheme, which draws both the 2nd and 4th lines together.] Hardy’s key emphasis next is that â€Å"since she passed here† the male has thought only of (the new) ‘her’ and the forest; â€Å"the woodland hold him alone.† Equally, the persona is busy with her thoughts – presumably in the form of this reverie! This stanza’s final line is particularly noticeable through its contraction. On a different note, there is an element of complaint in the persona’s tone; she â€Å"never win[s] any small word of praise!† This highlights a coming theme, in that the pair fail to talk to each other at all. They are both equally silent with their thoughts and he, as above, never offers praise – nor, it seems, any verbal or emotional contact. What makes the relationship tragic is that she makes no effort either: The final two stanzas of the first part require more focussed analysis, as they begin to move to action on the part of Marty – or rather (as it may be) to further inaction. â€Å"Shall I not sigh (1) to him That I work on Glad to be nigh to him (2) Though hope is gone (3)? Nay, though he never Knew (4) love like mine, I’ll bear it ever (5) And make no sign (6)!† Desperation, along with paradoxical pleasure, dominates Hardy’s final stanzas: ‘sighing’ has always been a poetic expression of desperation, enforced by the visible expression of hopelessness (3). One therefore questions Marty’s judgement; if she is aware that her relationship with her male partner has been afflicted to its present demise (an argument further supported by the use of the past tense at (4)) then why does she stay there? Why is she unable to move herself physically, emotionally or verbally from her fixed spot? She is like the tree which she plants; immovable but suffering because of it. Much as one can muse upon Hardy’s own Modernist views (see the previous poem for the question of Modernist principles upon human suffering) on the matter, the persona suggests a very simple answer – see (2). She still loves the male. This creates a scenario – an immovable object, enduring suffering, refuses to resign from desperation because Nature/emotion has dictated it must stay – which is passed on to Part II. [Note the irony of the persona: she says, through the medium of literary suspension, that she can make no sign. But we are reading it†¦ She’s making a sign, therefore†¦ So, perhaps Marty South’s Reverie is her paradoxical sign?]