E-marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-marketing - Essay Example The plan also gives an overview of the company competitors, market analysis and methods of measuring the success of the brand. Finally, recommendations on what the company can employ in order to ensure the success of the brand come the year 2013 are given at the end. 3.0 Company summary The company was formed basically as a clothing company meant to reach out to upper income class of people. This has made the company to have a range of products that are expensive and as a result, it has had a limited but profitable market share. The company sells clothing of both sexes mainly jackets, men and lady suits as well as travel bags. Despite the tough market competition, the company has maintained a steady flow of income compared to companies with similar operations. Over the past few years, the company has been experiencing fast growth in sales and market. However, it will be worth for the company to extend its operation to the middle income group of people. The company has its own outlets which supply products to wholesalers and retailers. In terms of E-business, the company has developed a site for purposes of online purchases. In this site, customers get a clear description of the company products available, their prices and delivery details. The company also posts pictures on available products and information on promotions available. 4.0 E-Marketing Objectives The main objectives of the E-marketing by the company is effective customer acquisition and to obtain a direct response from them. This is important considering the ever increasing percentage of people using the internet for business purposes. A direct response from the customer will form an important base of information for the company in terms of customer satisfaction. Another objective of the E-marketing is maintaining customer loyalty and customer retention. E-marketing ensures customers get timely information concerning new products offered by the company before they can search for the same products e lsewhere. 5.0 Company Analysis 5.1 SWOT analysis The main strengths of the company are regular customer needs analysis. This has enabled the company to produce products that achieve an instant reception. Specialization has enabled the company to always develop quality products that meet customer needs and tastes. Another strength of the company is its marketing strategies which are effective in maintaining its market share and customer loyalty, and obtaining customers. The main opportunity available for the company is the need for the product in the market. The company was able to conduct a needs analysis before coming up with the idea and realized that there was a need for the product. The results obtained from the needs analysis conducted by the company indicated that there will be a ready market for the brand upon its launch. Casual clothes available in the market are mainly cater for high income people hence there is a need to cover the middle income market. One major weakness o f the company is the possession of a supply chain (SC) that is less complex as compared to those of its competitors. The company therefore has to expand its SC for the success of the brand in the market. A major threat to the success of the brand is the available of cheap imported products that serve the same purpose. 5.2 Competitors Overview Due to high quality products, the company does not

Business Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics - Assignment Example This is in spite of the fact that Hooters lawyer, Patricia Casey, had explained in earlier court preceding, and evoked similar exceptions in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, that Hooters used the sex appeal of the flimsily dressed female servers to attract and entertain customers (Nations Restaurant News, 1995). It is to be noted that Playboy Clubs had repeatedly cited the latter act successfully in their numerous court charges for similar hiring discrimination charges. Critics, therefore, wonder what EEOC was really up to in the Hooters’ case, and hold the opinion that the commission was only using Civil Rights laws to protect out-of-work men from hiring discriminations (Nations Restaurant News, 1995). The EEOC has apparently gone to an extent of advising Hooters to incorporate a scholarly fund to help enhance the skills, education and employment opportunities of males. To this demand, Bureaucracy activist James Bovard wonders what EEOC expected Hooters to train the male employees in; â€Å"†¦how to flirt with burly construction workers without getting punched in the nose?" (Nations Restaurant News, 1995) Most importantly, the EEOC politically correct stand on the Hooters’ case attracts the following questions: a. Does anti-discrimination go too far in disallowing a business concept? Business ideas come in as a result of innovation and creativity. Given that human beings have different capacities to these, no one should be discriminated against, especially when their product of creativity seems to pay off and expand. Hooters of America incorporation is a unique business idea that seeks to provide predominantly entertainment, diversion and amusement based on the sex appeal of the Hooters Girls as stated by the hooters lawyer Patricia Casey (Nations Restaurant News, 1995). Therefore the anti-discrimination law by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is absolutely wrong, especially because their accusations of the Hooters were solely b ased on nothing but the implementation of their great business idea. However, all businesses invariably face moral and ethical issues during operation and Hooters is no exception. The company is apparently not promoting itself as an â€Å"equal opportunity employer† buy employing only beautiful young ladies and discriminating against not so beautiful ladies and men. These are no doubt legitimate moral issues that the hooters need to address within their business ethics and draw clear lines on how to deal with this issue. It is vital to appreciate that as we seek the freedom to implement great ideas, we must abide by the law and should uphold all business morals and have clear business ethics in place to deal with moral issues that may come up from time to time. The EEOC asked the hooters to give 40% of their job openings to male servers as a way to deal with gender discrimination (Nations Restaurant News, 1995). The question however is, how about the issue of not hiring the n ot so good looking women and men? Should we then argue that all men and women are attractive in the eyes of their beholders? This remains a big dilemma. b. Would you consider being a hooters boy or not? I see no problem in being a hooters b

Benefits to Bailing Out the Big 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Benefits to Bailing Out the Big 3 - Essay Example Sure, these companies will be subject to certain conditions when borrowing federal money; however, it is no different if they were to borrow from a bank. Banks also like to see what the borrowed money will be used for, and in some instances, they like to see an entire plan drafted up before letting the money go. Lenders like to see that the one they are lending to has a purpose for borrowing from them, and the borrower is subject to those terms until the loan is paid off. While numerous individuals put a lot of effort into disputing why helping these three companies with their losses is not a good idea, there are a number of reasons why the bail out of these three companies makes great sense for the American people. First of all, we must look at how long these three companies have been in business, as well as the history behind these companies. Ford has been in business since 1903, when it was first founded by Henry Ford, Sr. The first car manufactured by the ford family, known as the Model T, was ready to deliver to the public in 1925. This company was the first to put the first car on the road, as well as the first to make cars available to the masses. Ford made sure just about anyone could afford to have a car, as they did whatever possible to cater to those of the middle class. Not to mention, Ford is big on human rights and providing jobs to the jobless, and their priority has always been to make sure that everyone working for them receives fair wages, as they were the first to enact a five dollar a day policy. Ford has been proven to make a large impact on America, even today. Ford has always done business in this fashion since their very beginning, as they have always been all about the people (NPR), (Ford Motor Company). Then, there is General Motors, a company that has been around almost just as long as Ford. General Motors is the manufacturer of some of the most popular cars, such as the Cadillac, the Pontiac, and the Hummer, a car that a lot of people try to get their hands on to drive in ultimate luxury ("Merchandise," General Motors). General Motors was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant, and has now become the world's largest manufacturer of cars. Though General Motors has had a rocky history-the company sinking into debt after doing well for two years, Durant resigning from his company in 1920 to later file for personal bankruptcy, a violent sit-down strike in Flint Michigan by hourly workers in the year 1937, another strike occurring for one hundred and thirteen days between 1945 and 1946, being convicted of conspiracy in 1949, losing more than $750,000,000 in 1980 due to the drop in sales on cars and trucks, and another strike that occurred in 1998 that almost shut down all of General Mot or's production in North America-they have accomplished a great deal. Some of the accomplishments of General Motors was that a Cadillac was made with the first electric self starter in history, General Motors accounted for twelve percent of the car market in the United States, they expanded to working overseas, first starting in Britain and Germany between 1925 to 1929, their market shares rose to 41% in 1941, were the first to manufacture cars with air conditioning,, and they have gone as far as to selling cars in

Cultural enrichment Essay Example for Free

Cultural enrichment Essay Last February 17, 2009, I went to the ISU Juried Student Exhibition which was located in the Center for Performing and Arts Gallery building. The juror of the exhibition was Mr. Ronald Leax, Halsey C. an Ives Professor of Art in Washington; University, St. Louis, MO. Most of the paintings that were being exhibited illustrate beauty and nature. I’ve noticed that most of the people that were there during the time of my visit appear uninterested with the art that was surrounding them. They barely noticed and appreciated art in its raw form because most were just busy eating and chatting. They practically didn’t understand why their teacher sent them to the gallery; I believe they just went there for the sake of the class credits that they are going to get. But they were also a few who knew what art and beauty was, they showed their appreciation by praising and scrutinizing the works in the gallery. Other people were also busy having their pictures taken beside the beautiful paintings. As for myself, I was really intrigued by the works and the masters behind those paintings. How I wished I could come up with such art pieces that to me seemed like it was done during the middle ages. It was also entertaining to watch how some paintings depicted things about religion and politics it shows that people are really concerned with the current events happening and are even able to express it through art. It was also fascinating to watch the paintings that were cross-over from realism to non-objectivism. Those kinds of paintings are the ones that entertain the naked eye without much thought provocation. Those paintings are the ones that caught my eye because it is relaxing and entertaining to look at them. At the end of the day, I just hope that more would learn to appreciate the beauty of art rather than be overly absorbed from school or from work. They should see that art is relaxing to the soul and to the mind so people who are stressed out could go to art exhibits to unwind and to refresh their souls.

Arranged Marriages Essay Example for Free

Arranged Marriages Essay Love is a many splendored thing: well thats what Ive heard. Eyes meet, birds sing, hearts beat and the world turns upside down; unless you are in a arranged marriage. Only the parents are happy, and of course we want our parents to be happy but at whose expense? For centuries arranged marriages were a tradition and in some cultures they still are. There may be a good reason why arranged marriages are good for the people in the east. However today, arranged marriages are still ongoing because its traditional, I dont think thats a good tradition. I mean celebrating New Years Eve in Times Square New York is a good tradition. Its a good tradition because I feel and know that no one ever gets hurt celebrating New Years Eve. Arranged marriages can hurt and deny a persons certain civil rights. There are plenty of cultures where there are no such things as civil or human rights but it still doesnt make it right. Arranged marriages are a tradition from a past era, I believe that arranged marriages are a way of controlling people, especially women. Around the world there has been a custom or tradition of subjugating women. Eastern cultures or religions believe that it is their right to make women 2nd class citizens. To me it means much more, like controlling a life. If you have the desire to control women and to control their lives start with the marriage. In the western societies they tend to frown upon that kind of control inflicted upon women. Im sure that women tend to frown upon that as well, any control over anyone is frowned upon. There must be a certain lack of respect for both the bride and groom in arranged marriages, these marriage ideas might be old but who said that theyre a good idea? Some traditions should be destroyed faster than a Scotsman can clean out a free bar at a wedding reception. Arranged marriages are one of those traditions. Romeo and Juliet is a classic example of why arranged marriages are outdated and ends in tragedy. Those times required most young women and men to enter into a relationship, that werent of their own choice, but their parents. You would not think that in todays society that arranged marriages still existed, however the parents are still planning their childrens life; albeit, the children are adults. The purpose of this is to maintain the wealth for both families. If the case was that a young girl was being made to marry a adult male, that is being labelled as paedophilia. Yet in India or in the east it is still ongoing and it doesnt make a difference, here in England its a different story for that matter and is illegal. These children are brainwashed into believing that this is normal and that love or any other emotion is not their right but to blindly allow the wishes of their parents. We have not stepped forward in time but have fallen into biblical proportions. That may have sounded too descriptive (biblical proportions), but we have to realize that in biblical times children were married off to other family members for the purpose of continuing their ancestors and that was thousands of years ago and yet its still happening in todays society. One might consider that arranged marriages are more like a business deal than a true marriage, often with the engaged couple being used as pawns on a chess game. Marriage should not be only a business proposition. Call me a hopeless romantic but I dont believe that two people can be truly happy together unless it was themselves who saw valuable qualities in their partner, what is more is that it completely defies the law of nature. More importantly a marriage should be based on usual trust and affection, as well as common goals. Anything less than that and all you end up with is an emotionless, false union. Arranged marriages are a mockery or the true nature of marriage, a worthless document to be filed into our court systems. What is love? That is said to be one of the hardest questions to be answered as many people dont know what it is. In all truth I dont think anyone knows the answer unless they are in love and even so its a unexplainable feeling that someone cant describe to another. You can only know what it is when you are in it. In a arranged marriage I feel that you cant find that love feeling between the two people in the relationship. As I said earlier we do want to make our parents happy and yes theyre the ones that know whats best for us and only want us to make the right decisions. But I dont think they know or understand that even though they might think the man/women were going to marry may not be the right choice, were in love with them. Whatever love is. We care about them and at the time you know that you want to be with them for the rest of your life and most importantly theyre yours forever and youre theirs. And it doesnt matter what people say and if they disagree with your choice. Because you know what you want and thats him/her. But this is not what you get in a arranged marriage. In a arranged marriage I would imagine that the woman would feel somehow trapped, thats how Id feel if I was in the situation. Id be so cooped up on trying to keep my parents happy and not being able to express how I felt to anyone and would feel as if it were my duty. If more couples were matched up through class, education, family background, life goals and earnings Thats quoted from a women called Aneela Rahman. She was on BBCs 2 programme Arrange Me a Marriage. The programme was about finding a partner for each contestant she had, she had one month to match someone with another. Traditions are one thing but outdated, irrational, new age slavery is another thing, I realize that whether you marry for love or not, it can either turn out good or bad, but there should be the opportunity of choice not mandatory rule. On the whole I am against arranged marriages. I think that it is not needed to please parents and not the actual bride and groom. If you want your children to get married and fall in love then let them do it in their own time. Its not something that can be rushed into and found straight away or first time round. Love should be experienced and not just felt.

Death Rituals in Ancient Egypt

Death Rituals in Ancient Egypt For my Gordon Rule Paper I have decided to write about the Egyptians since I have always found them fascinating. The primary topic I will be discussing would be the way in which the ancient Egyptians would view, and considered death, due to how immensely different we as Americans view death today. The vast majority of Americans fear death more than anything else. We go to great lengths to ensure our health, safety, and survival. To us there is nothing worse than death, whereas to every Egyptian death was seen as a desirable transformation, the passage of the true eternal life. Death was never considered a tragedy, or a loss, but a welcome transition into the afterlife. Because death was of such an importance; it was essenctial that great care be taken for a transition to immortality. This is a huge reason that the Pharaohs contents of the tomb were of such great importance, and so carefully selected. Egyptians prioritzement on the importance of rituals, customs, and beliefs; as well as architecture can be seen clearly in the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen, or as most people know him King Tut. The architecture that went into every Pharaohs tomb was extraordinarily complex. Each one was greatly different in terms of the tombs layout, size, and decorations. The tombs structure and layout almost always had to, somehow, show the formation, and projection of the solar system. Miral decorations in the tomb dont represent the Pharaohs everyday life, but instead that of their afterlife, and the challenges the Pharaoh has to face in order to reach the Kingdom of Orrises, land of the afterlife. These tombs were grand, and usually consisted of a number of rooms, and courtyards. Tomb walls were usually stoned lined of limestone columns. This type of tomb is built below the ground, as usually the chapel was built on the surface and the burial areas below. The Nile area was rocky, and featured many cliffs, so these were perfect locations for the creating of the tombs directly in the hillside. The most common chapel consisted of a door which lead into a transverse hall, behind which was a corridor that ran straight to the face of the cliff. Over time rock tombs became more elaborate, more decorative, and narrower as they now ran directly into the cliff-face, these tombs were the most impressing of all the tombs in Egypt, as they featured splendid sights, often with pillars and large stairways. Rock cut chapels were more commonly used by Pharaohs, and those of the richer society, as the rocky regions of Egypt were best suited for the building of these tombs. Tombs contained wall decorations, which dealt with the Afterlife, and the path that the Pharaoh will have too take to reach the kingdom of Orrises. A royal tomb could be done within a few months for a simple tomb, or for a more larger, and complex tomb, it could take from six to ten years. Decorations varied for each Pharaoh. From elaborate paintings, to imitations of papyrus. All texts painted on walls were quoted from the great magical religion anthologies of the time such as the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Earth (Guide to the Valley of The Kings page26, 1996). These magical and religious texts were drawn on the walls to inform the deceased, and for the deceased to use as a invaluable tool for them to make sure that they had enough knowledge of magical nature for them to use during the Afterlife. The New Kingdom royal tombs featured many different ceilings and decorations, which included star maps, which illustrated the rising of the sun. Placing a burial underneath a holy symbol was considered of great importance for the resurrection of the body. Texts and drawings on tomb walls contained various colors; each color that was used depicts Egyptian rituals. Colors such as White represents Silver, Black represented death and eternal preservation and Red represents fire and blood. As these colors and depictions lead up to the star the life, the deceased is painted, including all of the deceased families life. Today, in retrospect, we primarily bury our loved ones in accordance with their wishes, or in a graveyard next to other deceased loved ones. We bury them six feet under-ground, (typically) but only because that is the minimal depth a decaying corpse can be buried without having any effect on the world under-which it was buried. Typically it takes about seven days from the time we die until we are laid to rest. That allows us plenty of time to choose a good grave sight, dig it up, lay the dead down, say some kind words, and fill the hole again. Ancient Egyptians, on the other hand, took considerably longer.Before a body was buried the process of embalming took place for about seventy days. Historian Heroidotus tells of three levels of mumification that depended upon the quantity of wealth the deceased had. The very most expensive procedure was the embalming which resembled the god Osiris. The ritual took place, usually, within seventy days. A contract was drawn up between the embalmer s, and the deceased family, which specifies the amount of time the embalming procedure will take place. The body would then placed on a wooden table and purified by washing the body in a solution of neutron. The brains were removed from the nasal cavity. The abdomen would then be cut, and all the organs removed and then purified with aromas. Once the organs were removed they were placed into jars and placed inside the tomb. The body is then stuffed with straw, sawdust, mud or linen; this assists in retaining the deceased bodies shape, and is also wrapped with linen, and/or bandages. Egyptian rituals and beliefs also played a critically important part in the lead of the deceased to the tomb . The ritual of the burial, and its tombs content, takes place outside the tomb. The transport of the body to the tomb took form of a ritual procession that normally began on the East side of the Nile River; After crossing the river, to the west, the body was placed on a sledge, and drawn by oxen to the tomb. Close to the mummy stood two women who would normally impersonate the diving mourners Isis, and Nephthys, who represented the wife and sister of the god Osiris, followed by mourners of the deceased. The last mourner in the procession burnt incense and sprinkled milk at the procession as they would continue on their way to the tomb. Ritual dancers, known as Mu, and a priest, who honors the deceased now greet the procession. The ancient ritual of the opening of the mouth now takes place; this is the most significant part of the burial traditions, as the purpose of this ceremony is to restore the mummy and their power of speech, sight and hearing. The body has now completed the first part of Egyptian rituals. When the deceased approaches the Entrance of the tomb a priest who impersonates the god Anubis stands the body in an upright position. The priest now touches the mouth of the deceased with ritual instruments, which now restores their senses. The next stage is the offering of clothes, ointments and offerings of food so the deceased can take them into the Afterlife. The mummy is now ready to be placed into its burial chamber, after the door is sealed all footprints around the tomb is swept away and the last rites are read. The stages leading up to the burial of the deceased was an integral part of the Egyptians beliefs and rituals, as the Egyptians regarded the dead as being very much alive, living in their tombs like they had previously lived in their homes. This link between the house and the tomb was very important, the tombs chapel was commonly referred to the house of eternity. Outside the chapel it was common to see lushes gardens, and tombs surrounding as Cemeteries were planned to look like miniature cities like the one at Giza. All the above beliefs and rituals were clearly uncovered in November 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter when he discovered the intact tomb of King Tutankhamen. Analysis of Tutankhamens mummy reveals that he was approximately eighteen years old when he died. The Kings life is still a mystery to this day as historians such as Carter believes that its almost impossible to say whether the King was a victim of illness, accident, assassination or was physically frail like his previous heirs when he passed away. Historians identified the month of his death to be that of January by analyzing the types of fruit and flowers such as the cornflower which were buried with him. The cornflower usually reaches maturity in March, and from these findings it is believed that Amenophis III last son died some time in January 1343 (Tutankhamen and the Discovery of the Tomb page 158, 1972). Tutankhamens tomb features a simple design, which is typical of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The tomb features starts, corridors, and chambers. The king tomb has a number of rooms such as the Annexe, Antechamber, Burial Chamber and the treasury and all of these rooms featured significant decorations. King Tutankhamens tomb was so unique as the treasures inside the tomb lay undisturbed to robbers, and during excavation Carter recovered over three thousand five hundred articles such as grand elegant furniture, statues, jewelery, and shrines that were placed in his tomb to help him through to the Afterlife. The kings death like other Pharaohs was a grand affair, and was mourned by all of Egypt . Generally after a Pharaohs death there was a three-month interval between his death and his burial. During this time the complex ritual of embalming took place. The embalming of a Pharaoh was known as the House of Vigor (Tutankhamen: Life and Death of a Pharaoh page 163, 1965) in which the Pharaohs body was purified and all impurities were removed. After the final phase of the mummification ritual takes place, the Pharaoh now passes into eternity. When King Tutankhamens body was bandaged, each layer contained a treasure such as golden objects. When the Kings body was unwrapped over 143 treasures were found such as pendants, amulets and golden finger stalls. Like the treasures wrapped in between the bandages the tomb itself was flowing with treasures, Nearly everything was made of precious material, and goldthis covered a wide assortment of articles necessary to ensure eternity for the dead (Tutankhamen and the Discovery of the Tomb page 70, 1972). All of the Kings rooms inside the tomb featured significant decorations. The Antechamber held the Tuta royal throne, which is one of the best known objects, found inside the tomb. This throne engaged wood with sheets of gold and its back is covered with a scene of the Pharaoh and his wife Ankhesenamun. The burial chamber features the first wooden coffin and the Kings mummy. The scenes painted on walls show King Tutankhamen with his Kai at the ceremony of the opening of the mouth (The Discovery of the Tomb Tutankhamen page 37, 1977) and his successor Ay. His burial bay the red quartzite sarcophagus (The Discovery of the Tomb Tutankhamen page 39, 1977) coffin had five coffins, the first to the third were anthropoid wooden coffins, the forth was golden and the fifth was his mummy. The King Tutankhamens burial was the same as any Pharaoh and followed all rituals and beliefs as well as mummification principles. The only difference was that the King was so young at the time of his death and that till this day no other tomb has been uncovered that all items inside the tomb are still intact. It can be seen that burial and death in general in Egypt was of enormous importance within the Egyptian society especially when it was concerning someone of higher status like that of a Pharaoh. Egyptians believed in the Afterlife and this played an important part in reinforcing the rituals and beliefs of death in Egyptian society as death was not believed to be the end but the beginning of ones life. This is why rituals and beliefs as well as architecture and decorations of tombs were emphasized and carried out in the light of ones death. When an ancient Egyptian died, he was not buried into the ground, mourned and then forgotten, as people are today. Nor was his grave simply visited at certain times and some token words spoken over it, so that once again he is forgotten until next visit, like so many of us do. Maybe its the way we as people have evolved to cope with the pain of loosing a loved one. We as a nation do not believe that death is a good thing in any way, and we are taug ht from birth to fear it and flee it for as long as we possibly can. I for one do not fear death. Not that I look upon it as a good thing like Egyptians, just as a necessary thing that all of us must have happen.

The Structure in Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Structure in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet invites various interpretations of the structure because of the play’s complexity. Let us in this essay analyze various interpretations of structure.    Mark Rose, in â€Å"Reforming the Role,† highlights the â€Å"double plot† structure within Hamlet and another tragedy:    Hamlet and Lear are the only two of Shakespeare’s tragedies with double plots. [. . .] The story of Polonius’s family works analogously in Hamlet. Each member of the family is a fairly ordinary person who serves as a foil to some aspect of Hamlet’s extraordinary cunning and discipline. Polonius imagines himself a regular Machiavel, an expert at using indirections to find directions out, but compared to Hamlet he is what the prince calls him, a great baby. Ophelia, unable to control her grief, lapses into madness and a muddy death, reminding us that it is one of Hamlet’s achievements that he does not go mad but only plays at insanity to disguise his true strength. And Laertes, of course, goes mad in a different fashion and becomes the model of the kind of revenger that Hamlet so disdains. (125)    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy analyzes the structure of Shakespearean tragedy:    As a Shakespearean tragedy represents a conflict which terminates in a catastrophe, any such tragedy may roughly be divided into three parts. The first of these sets forth or expounds the situation, or state of affairs, out of which the conflict arises; and it may, therefore, be called the Exposition. The second deals with the definite beginning, the growth and the vicissitudes of the conflict. It forms accordingly the bulk of the play, comprising the Second, Third and Fourth Acts, and usually a part of the First and a part of the Fifth. The final section of the tragedy shows the issue of the conflict in a catastrophe. (52)    Thus the first step of the structure of Hamlet involves the presentation of a conflict-generating situation. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes the beginning of the Exposition of the drama: The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father.