Local area of Moseley Essay Example

Local area of Moseley Essay Example Local area of Moseley Essay Local area of Moseley Essay After evaluating the local area of Moseley, I have realised there is a serious lack in exquisite restaurants. Moseley is a very respectable area, therefore I feel this has given me the opportunity to open a respectable restaurant. The nearest restaurant is approximately a 15 minute drive from my chosen location. Therefore I intend to open a restaurant in this region. I plan to call my restaurant Makou, I have chosen this name because the cookery type in Sri Lanka and Southern Indian areas is called Makou.The restaurant will be located near the main High Street which lengthens from Moseley through Kings Heath. I feel that if I choose to locate my business here I will attract not only customers from the area of Moseley but also customers from the area of Kings Heath. The High Street is a very busy place both day and night, this I feel is also an advantage because I will be attracting customers and a lot of attention, this can be great for my businesses publicity.I feel that this locati on will allow me to gain most of the market as my business is very unique amongst the High Street shops, as for the shoppers it is almost a treat because they can enjoy something which has never been offered.Aims ObjectivesI have many aims to start my business and to keep it running, in order to preserve and keep my business running I must conduct market research and gain the most out of the market.I must take into account the 4 Ps, pricing, promotion, product and place. I will research into my target audience in order to obtain crucial information about what my potential customers actually want.After my research has been conducted I must analyse my findings and I will present them in pie charts, these will clearly allow me to see which decisions must be made by my business.One of my main aims for my business is to make a lot of profit, maximum if possible. I must also make my business known through means of advertisement leaflets, brochures radio and televised advertising.An adeq uate business plan is vital for my company, this will allow me to gain financial support form banks in order to provide me with the start-up capital I need. In order to conduct my research I must create a marketing strategy to conduct my marketing research. I will be using combinations of researches, desk and field are both applicable in my case, field research is very time consuming therefore I aim to combine both types of researches.A niche is important for any company in its desired market, this is also one of my aims. I have proposed a target to reach customer satisfaction, this will allow customers to trust my company and what we provide, thus allowing my customers to become a form of advertisement, they tell friends and family about my business; attracting again more customers.Market ResearchThere are two main types of research, these are known as desk and field research. Field research is very expensive and time consuming, but the information gained is eye witnessed and is no t a secondary resource. Desk research is done by using information through secondary sources, the information therefore is not always correct or accurate, but it doesnt consume a lot of time. Therefore, both types are applicable to my research, I need accurate information which doesnt take a lot of time.I will create a questionnaire with both quantitative and qualitative questions, I will also interview someone from another market quite similar to that which is mine. Once done, I will present my findings and apply my results in order to make key decisions regarding my business.Pricing is a key factor as part of the 4 Ps, I must take into account the different types of pricing strategies:* Penetration Pricing: This is where a firm charges a very low price when the product is new to attract customers. Once the product has established, the firm will increase the price. This helps to get brand loyalty. In relevance to my business, this would be a very effective pricing strategy due to t he fact that I would be able to attract customers with my low price and hopefully keep them interested in the snooker hall after increasing the price.* Skimming: This is the opposite of penetration pricing. Firms charge a high price to begin with. This helps the product to seem desirable to people with large incomes. When the product has established the firm will lower the price to help it become a mass-market product. In relevance to my business, this wouldnt be an effective means of pricing my services due to people not being interested if the price is very high. If the price is very high, I feel that the customers will feel that going to my hall wouldnt be worth it.* Destroyer Pricing: This is where firms charge low prices that they know are unprofitable for their competitors. Once they have driven their competitors out of the market they will raise prices. This is illegal. This wouldnt be very effective for my business mainly because its illegal. Also, there is limited competiti on therefore there would be no need to try to drive the customers out of the market.* Price Discrimination: This is where firms charge different prices to different consumers for the same product. I wouldnt charge different prices to different people instead I would charge different prices at different times. So, playing late at night the prices would decrease so the place could become more social. I would concentrate more on discounts and membership in order to attract customers.* Competition Pricing: This is where the firm has to charge similar prices to other firms. It happens when there is lots of choice and not much product differentiation. As stated before, there is limited competition in the area so there would be no need to charge prices the same as competitors as the nearest competitor is miles away.I find that penetration pricing is very applicable to my situation, if I start off at a low price I will be calling the customers in, customers are often more likely to head for the lower prices.As though for terms of promotion, I will be looking at a lot of different types of advertising media:* Television: Advertisements can reach millions can target people who watch particular programmes. It is very expensive. Due to the limited budget I have, I see no need to use television to advertise my business, seeing as theres only my hall and I dont operate as a franchise, there would be no sense in advertising to people in other cities. Also, it is way too expensive and not sensible* Radio: Radio is cheaper and listeners of particular programmes can be targeted, but its sound only and the audience is usually smaller. Radio can be an effective means of targeting local customers. It would be more suitable to use local radio to promote my business rather than using national radio.* Newspaper and Magazines: Its easy to target audience effectively using newspaper and magazines. Theyll often be read more than once, but they are often not in colour and silent. Local n ewspapers and magazines would be a very effective means of advertising my business because they are not so expensive and there is a high audience for newspapers and magazines.* Posters and Billboards: These have a high visual impact, stay in place for a long time and can be seen daily by lots of people. But they are often near roads and drivers only see them for a few seconds so they cant contain too much information. Posters would be useful for promoting my business as they can be seen all over walls but billboards wouldnt be as effective because it would take too long to read them if the customer is a driver.* Cinemas: These have a very high visual and sound impact and particular films can be targeted. Unlike all other media audience can be captivated. Theyre very expensive. I feel that this wouldnt be an effective means to advertise my business because I have a limited budget and this would cost way too much. Also, Im intending to attract local customers and not customers nationw ide.* Leaflets and Junk Mail: These are cheap to produce and distribute and junk mails good for targeting. Theyre easy to ignore. Leaflets would be a very effective means of advertising as long is its targeted at the right audience. Also, its not expensive and it can be useful to use these.Internet: Websites can have a high visual impact, be interactive and link directly to buying the product. But the advert is competing wit a lot of other stuff on the net so it has to really grab people. Internet would be effective because it can make people aware of my company. It doesnt cost too much either.Only a few of the methods of advertising would be cost-effective and good to target audience. They are local radio, newspapers, posters, leaflets and the internet. I feel that using as much as I can in accordance to my budget will help me get the publicity that I wish to attract.The 4 Ps also known as the marketing mix must also be included:* Product: A firm must come up with a product that pe ople will want to buy. It must fulfil some of the customers needs or wants. I feel that by opening this snooker hall I am appealing to many of the citizens who live In the Yardley Area. Opening a pool hall will enable people of the area to enjoy a game of pool whenever they like without having to travel a long distance to play.* Price: he price must be one that the customer thinks is good value for money. This is not the same as being cheap. I feel that by researching the different pricing strategies I will find the certain types of price I wish to charge. I am intending to charge a low price so that it will not deter people visiting the hall.* Promotion: The product must be promoted so that the potential customers are aware that it exists. I am intending to use the most effective means of advertising in such a local area. Research of advertising strategies will help to influence my idea.4 Place: The product must be available for sale in a place that the customer will find convenien t. I have proposed to open my hall on the main road in Yardley thus l leading to the conclusion that it wont be out of the way or hard to find while being convenient.There is also another factor which involves segmentation, here are the types that have been segmented:* Age: The teenage Market or over 55s etc. I am intending for this snooker hall to be open to people of all ages thus leading to age not being a variable.* Social Class: Class A professions down to Class E the unemployed. The hall is intended to be open for anybody who enjoys the game whether they are employed or not is not a matter.Culture or Religion: Different groups have their own unique beliefs. Taking into consideration that there will be a bar and consuming alcohol is prohibited in some religions, the bar will be open so whoever wishes to have a drink can purchase one and there will be many non-alcoholic beverages included.In order to obtain information about what my customers want, I have devised a questionnaire , this will allow to me to get information from customers I need.QuestionnaireHello there, I am intending to open a exquisite restaurant around this area, would you mind filling out this questionnaire please?1) What age group do you belong to?[5-16] [17-30] [31-50] [50+]2) Do you enjoy a night out on the local high street?[Yes/No]3) How often do you go out for a meal?[Once a Week] [Once a Month] if other please specify 4) What price do you normally tend to pay for a meal?Please specify..5) Would you be interested if there was a new restaurant to be opened up inthis local area?[Yes/No]6) Would secure car parking be a vital asset?[Yes/No]7) Would social things such as bars etc. make the place more exciting? [Yes/No]Thankyou for your time.I also took this time to interview a ex owner of a very well appreciated and respected restaurant in the local area.Me What was the core influence for you to open a restaurant?Manager Well, I love to eat out, its one of the things I just love to do, and my wife and I love to go out to eat, but a lot of local fish and chip shops just did not tickle our fancy. This heavily influenced me to open the businessMe: During your launching period which types of media did you find most effective taking into consideration the limit of budget?Manager: I considered all types of media but it was only that I found the major ways of advertising are generally more expensive and not worth it. I felt that flyers, newspapers and radio were the best way to promote the business without compromising on finance.Me: Once your company was flowing, which pricing strategy was used and which was used at the launch stage?Manager: At the launch stage, the most effective pricing strategy was the Penetration pricing. It seemed to attract more customers due to its low price. Once we were flowing and known, we began using increasing the price in order to make more profit to put back into the business.Me: What other features did you find attracted customers?Manag er: Hmm I would have to say that the secure car park and the bar helped much. People generally like the idea that their car is safe and also the bar helps much due to it being a social attraction.Thanks a lot for your supper, I appreciate this dearly.From the interview I can see that pricing and promotion were very important for a well run well respected business, therefore I intend to follow but differ along the way in order to reach this status.Findings AnalysisFrom the questionnaires that were filled in, the results have been placed in a easy-to-view pie chart. This will allow me to make future decisions concerning my business.What Age Group?This pie chart generally shows us that the majority of people who are interested in the business are 17-30 years old. A staggering 65 percent of them were. This shows me the age group and general habits of drinking etc at these ages.Do you enjoy a night out?74% of the people asked enjoyed going out for a meal. This shows me that it can be pro fitable and not a waste of time. Hopefully I am hoping to get more people interested.How often do you tend to go out?From studying this chart, it shows us that the majority of people hardly go out, I think thats due to the fact there are no restaurants near enough. Hopefully with the right means of advertising and the right features it will help attract more customers therefore they will tend to go out more.Would you be interested in a restaurant located here?The majority of the people would be interested in a resaurant located within the specified area. This makes the whole project worth while. Im hoping to make the business seam appealing in order to get others interested.7) Would secure car parking be a vital asset? [Yes/No]This chart has implied that the need for car park is definitely vital in order to attract customers therefore I am intending to include a car park with the restaurant.Would social things such as bars etc. make the place more exciting? [Yes/No]This chart sugges ts that social features arent necessarily vital but would help towards the effort of attracting customers; therefore I am going to include these features.My findings analysis has opened a whole new door of enlightenment for me, it has shown me what my customers want and is now allowing me to make important decisions towards becoming a well known business.Marketing CampaignHere are the decisions I have made, after all of my research I have conducted and all of my findings I have obtained, I feel these are the companies vital decisions regarding the marketing mix( 4 Ps)Price I have chosen to take up penetration pricing, but as I gain more customers and attention I will slowly increase the price, I will do this because as I tart off with a low price I am increasing the customer rate entering my restaurant, and I know that once I achieve customer satisfaction my customers will want to return to my restaurant, increasing the price therefore does not affect anyone.Promotion As for means of advertising, I feel that this is the best way to promote my business, I can make a website for people to access and come and enjoy this experience, a local newspaper which is often read and found in all shops on the High Street can be used, if I place an ad in the newspaper it will broaden and let almost every shopper now about my restaurant. Other successful ways which I hope to try out are radio, its not very expensive but happens to be very effective.Place The location I have chosen is just off the High Street, this proves ideal because t is a very suitable location, I already have a lot of people passing by, groups are bound to take a look. I have also chosen this area because there is a lack of competition, this I hope will make my business successful.Product I am hoping to introduce a exquisite unique restaurant as a new experience for shoppers on the High Street stretching through Moseley and Kings Heath, there will be a lot of events taking place here and I hope to bri ng along celebrities to up my business and increase my popularity along with publicity.EvaluationAfter conducing my research and after clear analysis of my findings it has been made clear what my customers actually do want and what it takes to make a successful business start and to keep it up and running. Preservation is a key factor here.First of all I realised that a car park would be important as people are often willing to travel to enjoy a meal, but I never realised what capacity of people wanted a secure car park.I have also realised that the research I conducted was thorough and precise.If I was to do this whole project over, I would have spent more time on my interview and questionnaire as this has helped me a lot, and I would analyze my findings more thoroughly.I feel that if I had enough capital I could then engage in more serious ways of promoting my business and maybe disperse nationwide becoming well known.

Writing Prompts and Topics for the Easter Holiday

Writing Prompts and Topics for the Easter Holiday Journal writing teaches elementary school students to think creatively and gives them an opportunity to practice writing without the pressure of a right or wrong answer. You may or may not choose to review journal entries for correct grammar and spelling, but lifting the pressure of producing a polished piece often frees students to just enjoy the process. Many teachers see a marked improvement in overall writing ability in a short time when they use journals in the classroom. Try to make time at least a few days each week for your students to express their thoughts and feelings through words. Writing Prompts Holidays and other special occasions make good writing prompts because children generally look forward to them and enthusiastically share their thoughts on the topic. Easter writing prompts and journal topics inspire  students to write about the Easter season and what it means to them. It also gives teachers an opportunity to learn more about their students personal lives and how they celebrate the holiday. Suggest that your students share their journals with their parents at the end of the year; its a priceless gift of a scrapbook filled with mementos straight out of their childs mind. You can let your students write stream-of-consciousness style with few restrictions or provide more structure for a journal entry with length recommendations and suggestions for details to include. The main goal of journal writing should be to help students lose their inhibitions and write with the  pure purpose of writing for the sake of writing. Once they get the hang of letting their thoughts flow, most students really enjoy the exercise. Topics for Easter How do you celebrate Easter with your family? Describe what you eat, what you wear, and where you go. Who celebrates Easter with you?What is your favorite Easter book? Describe the story and explain why you like it best.Do you have an Easter tradition with your family or a friend? Describe it. How did it start?How has Easter changed from when you were really little to  now?I love Easter because†¦ Explain what you love about the Easter holiday.How do you decorate your Easter eggs? Describe the colors you use, how you dye them, and what the finished eggs look like.I once got a magic Easter egg†¦ Start a story with this sentence and write about what happened when you received the magic egg.At the perfect  Easter dinner, I would eat... Start a story with this sentence and write about the food you would eat at your perfect Easter dinner. Dont forget dessert!Imagine that the Easter bunny ran out of chocolate and candy before Easter ended. Describe what happened. Did someone c ome along and save the day? Write a letter to the Easter bunny. Ask him questions about where he lives and what he likes most about Easter. Tell him how you celebrate the holiday.

Develop a personal view on what business ethics means Essay

Develop a personal view on what business ethics means - Essay Example In the case above, ethical values can be demonstrated where the law suggests that animals are to be given intrinsic value as well as their value of human welfare. It is therefore important to observe species such as the turtles which are known to be scarce thus should not be discriminated. Recent development in North American beaches has significantly reduced the existence of these species as that’s where they breed. Ethical dilemmas are a normal occurrence to many managers. Sea turtles in the US water have been an endangered species for a long time. Due to the growing number of endangered species in the US an act referred to as Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. This was meant to protect the endangered and threatened animal and plant species. Turtle’s population in America has decreased in the past years as a result of many predisposing factors like beach development on their habitat, killing of females and taking away the eggs, leaking oil in the water basins, water pollution and extravagant fishing. Efforts have been set to protect the endangered species. These efforts include; after the female hatch, the eggs are taken to a protected marine environment where they would hatch, introduction of the TED, increase in the number of hatcheries and regulation of the inshore areas (Cruver 2002). Despite many challenges to save the turtle which included violence against the use of TED device, more efforts were put into place to enhance their sa fety. Anyone who violated the TED was fined depending on the circumstances. The TED device however faced many critics which followed with shrimpers protesting that they were forced to use TED. United States population consumes a lot of turtles and to save them they started importing from China and other countries where fishing of turtles is legal. Such kind of arguments showed that there was need for a law to protect the lives of sea animals and encourage them from reproduction. All

Coca-Cola Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Coca-Cola Company - Research Paper Example Indeed, Coca Cola’s strategic marketing and management processes add to the company’s firmly embedded financial leadership in the non-alcoholic beverage market segment. Introduction Coca Cola’s strategic marketing and management plans catapults the entity as one of the world’s popular non-alcoholic beverages. The research centers on the history of Coca Cola. The research includes producing a financial statement analysis of Coca Cola America. The study incorporates the similarities and differences between the production processes of both Coca Cola America and Coca Cola Mexico. Coca Cola’s strategic marketing and management processes precipitates to the company’s current financial leadership in the non-alcoholic beverage market segment. History of Coca-Cola. Lonnie Bell (2004) emphasized Coca – Cola, the world’s soft drink, was accidentally invented by Dr. John Pemberton. Dr. Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, formulat ed the Coca-Cola syrup using a three legged brass pot. Dr. Pemberton used two chief ingredients for his invention in 1886. The two ingredients are coca plant and the Kola nut. The Coca plant is a good source of Cocaine. However, Dr. Pemberton insisted that Coca Cola contains only 1 % Cocaine percentage. Paul Gootenberg (1999) theorized â€Å"Cocaine made its first appearance in the United States during the 1880s, when physicians first interested themselves in the drug's therapeutic potential. Limited at first to a relatively narrow range of therapeutic use, cocaine's popularity grew far beyond the boundaries of medical practice. By the late 1890s, many observers came to believe that the popular... This paper stresses that Coca Cola’s strategic marketing and management plans catapults the entity as one of the world’s popular non-alcoholic beverages. The research centers on the history of Coca Cola. The research includes producing a financial statement analysis of Coca Cola America. The study incorporates the similarities and differences between the production processes of both Coca Cola America and Coca Cola Mexico. Coca Cola’s strategic marketing and management processes precipitates to the company’s current financial leadership in the non-alcoholic beverage market segment. This report makes a conclusion that based on the above discussion, Coca Cola’s strategic marketing as well as management plan contributes to company’s retaining its century old popularity in the non-alcoholic beverages market segment. The constant innovative changes in the company’s packaging and ingredients translate to the current pinnacle of Coca Cola’s financial success. The financial statement analysis indicates Coca Cola’s innovative and creative production and marketing strategies significantly contribute to Coca Cola’s current favorable financial picture. There are some similarities and differences between the production processes of both Coca Cola America and Coca Cola Mexico. Indeed, Coca Cola’s strategic marketing and management processes metamorphose to the company’s firmly entrenched financial leadership in the non-alcoholic beverage market segment.

The Overwhelming Emotional States of Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet Ess

The Overwhelming Emotional States of Hamlet in Shakespeare's Hamlet Depression, melancholy, disillusionment, and disconnectedness are the burning emotions churning in young Hamlet?s soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father?s death and his mother?s incestuous, illicit marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsinore; this mission of Hamlet?s is in stark contrast to Claudius? fervent effort to obscure the truth of King Hamlet?s murder. The question of Hamlet?s sanity is irrelevant, but instead his melancholy disposition is the centering aspect of the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Hamlet?s melancholy is prevalent in his unique diction, his conversations with both comrades and enemies, and especially in his soliloquies. Those aspects of the play allow a glimpse into Hamlet?s state of questioning of deception versus truth and illusion versus reality. The constant struggle between the real and the imagined, along with the circums tances of Hamlet?s arrival home, and the tension between the Danish royalty, give rise to extreme melancholy in Hamlet?s personality, and thereby turn him into a stereotypical malcontent. Hamlet?s fear, separation, and mistrust form him into a typical malcontent character. In defining the malcontent from the Shakespearean era, Christine Gomez writes that ?The malcontent mood in late Elizabethan and Jacobean drama may be traced to the political, economic, social and intellectual conditions of the age.?1 Politically, Hamlet feels left down and put aside for the crown. Claudius assures himself the crown by murdering the King while Hamlet is away at Wittenberg. Not only is Hamlet offe... ...ince of Denmark 17.12 (1995): 10-26. Eliot, T.S. ?Hamlet and His Problems.? Discussions of Hamlet. Ed. J.C. Levenson. Boston: D.C. Health and Company, 1960. Gomez, Christine. ?The Malcontent Strain in Hamlet.? Hamlet Studies: An International Journal of Research on The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark 14. 1-2 (1992): 67-73. Levin, Harry. ?The Antic Disposition.? The Question of Hamlet. New York: The Viking Press, 1967. Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine, eds. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. William Shakespeare. New York: Washington Square-Pocket Books, 1992. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square-Pocket Books, 1992. Wilson, J. Dover. ?Antic Disposition.? Discussions of Hamlet. Ed. J.C. Levenson. Boston: D.C. Health and Company, 1960.

Indian Cultural Background Essay

I have two cultural background which are Cherokee Indian and African American . Cherokee is really pronounced as â€Å"CHAIR-uh-kee† in our language. Cherokee comes from a Muskogee word meaning ‘speakers of another language’. Cherokee Indians originally called themselves Aniyunwiya â€Å"the principal people,† but today they accept the named Cherokee. But in their language it is pronounced Tsadagi . The Cherokees are original residents of the American southeast region, particularly Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Most Cherokees were forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1800’s along the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee Indians who survived this death still live in Oklahoma today. Some Cherokees escaped the Trail of Tears by hiding in the Appalachian hills or taking shelter with white neighbors. These people live scattered throughout the original Cherokee Indian homelands. Trail of Tears was the Cherokee name for what the Americans called Indian Removal. During the 1800’s, the US government created an â€Å"Indian Territory† in Oklahoma and sent all the eastern Native American tribes to live there. Some tribes agreed to this plan with no problem. Other tribes didn’t like this plan at all , and the American army forced them. The Cherokee tribe was one of the largest eastern tribes, and they didn’t want to leave their homeland. The Cherokees were peaceful with the Americans. So they asked the Supreme Court for help. The judges decided the Cherokee Indians could stay in their homes. But the President, Andrew Jackson, sent the army to march the Cherokees to Oklahoma . They weren’t prepared for the journey, and it was winter time. Thousands of Cherokee Indians died on the Trail of Tears. Many Native Americans from other tribes died too. It was a terrible time in history. There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. Other Cherokee communities in Alabama, Georgia, and other states are considered unofficial by the US government. The Eastern Cherokee people live on a reservation. Indian reservations are lands that belong to Native American tribes and are under their control. The Oklahoma Cherokee people live on trust land, though many Cherokees call it a reservation anyway. The Keetowah Cherokee do not have a land base. Each Cherokee tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, Cherokee Indians are also US citizens and must obey American law. In the past, each Cherokee group was led by one war chief and one peace chief. Cherokee chiefs were chosen by a tribal council. Cherokee war chiefs were male, but the peace chief could be a woman. Today, Cherokee tribal councils and chiefs can be either gender and are popularly elected, like senators and governors. Most Cherokee people speak English today, but 20,000 people also speak the Cherokee Indian language. Cherokee is a complex language with soft sounds. The Cherokee language has an innovative writing system that was invented by the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah. Sequoyah’s writing system is a syllabary. That means one character represents each syllable. The other cultural background is African American .

Famous Quotes of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus) was a respected Roman Emperor  (161–180 CE), a philosopher-king who was the last of Romes so-called Five Good Emperors.  His death in 180 was regarded as the end of the  Pax Romana  and the beginning of instability that led over time to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The reign of Marcus Aurelius is said to have symbolized the Golden Age of the Roman Empire. Known for a Rule of Reason He engaged in a number of wars and military operations aimed at quelling restive neighbors and in a costly and obsessive campaign to extend Romes northern borders. He was not best known for his military acumen, though, but for his thoughtful nature and a rule governed by reason. During his years of military campaigns, he recorded his day-to-day, discursive, fragmentary political thoughts in Greek  in untitled writings that came to be known as his 12-volume Meditations. Revered for His Stoic Thoughts in Meditations Many revere this work as one of the worlds greatest works of philosophy and a significant contribution to the modern understanding of ancient Stoicism. He practiced Stoicism and his writings reflect this philosophy of service and duty, finding balance, and reaching a state of stability and composure in the face of conflict by following nature as inspiration. But it seems his fragmentary, discursive, epigrammatic thoughts, though revered, were not original, but a reflection of the moral tenets of Stoicism, which the slave and philosopher  Epictetus had taught him. Notable Quotes From the Works of Marcus Aurelius A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea that is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself. The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires. Accept the things to which fate binds you  and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live. Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise. Because your own strength is unequal to the task, do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man, believe that it is within your own compass also. Begin. To begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished. Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement  and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things that  exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web. Death is a release from the impressions of the senses, and from desires that make us their puppets, and from the vagaries of the mind, and from the hard service of the flesh. Despise not death, but welcome it, for nature wills it like all else. Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be. Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so. Execute every act of thy life as though it were thy last. Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it...Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle. He who fears death either fears the loss of sensation or a different kind of sensation. But if thou shalt have no sensation, neither wilt thou feel any harm; and if thou shalt acquire another kind of sensation, thou wilt be a different kind of living being and thou wilt not cease to live. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. Let it be your constant method to look into the design of peoples actions and see what they would be at, as often as it is practicable; and to make this custom the more significant, practice it first upon yourself. Let men see, let them know  a real man, who lives as he was meant to live. Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too. Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Natures delight. Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability. Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. Nothing happens to any man that he is not formed by nature to bear. Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things that are  and to make new things like them. Perhaps there are none more lazy, or more truly ignorant, than your everlasting readers. Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. The act of dying is one of the acts of life. The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. The universal order and the personal order are nothing but different expressions and manifestations of a common underlying principle. The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it. There are three classes into which all the women past 70 that ever I knew were to be divided: 1. That dear old soul; 2. That old woman; 3. That old witch. Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this, too, will be swept away. We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that. When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. Where a man can live, he can also live well. You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Your life is what your thoughts make it.