Research Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Design - Essay Example In order to effectively carry out the rigorous inquiry, we need to have a proper research design in place which will ensure that there is organized inquiry of this information. A good research design will assist the research to carry out an inquiry in the most organized manner. It will help to collect the most valid data and analyze it in a way that it supports the claims of the research. (Ktichin and Tate, 2005) A research design is the most important tool in any research which aids in the data collection procedure. A research design represent the organized manner in which the research will select is samples, collect data and analyze it. Research design is the main engine which drives the research and which determines the validity of the data collected and analyzed. Therefore it is the most important tool that will act as the guideline for carrying out the research process. (Clifford and valentine, 2003) Any research must employ a good research design in order to effectively carry out the data collection process. There are some key elements that are used to assess the effectiveness of the research design. The following are some of the important elements that mark a good research design; (Punch, 2006) A research is usually set out in order to carry out a systematic inquiry into a problem. A research does not start from nowhere but it starts from a point. This means that there has to be a problem or an issue that is to be clearly researched or that will be looked into. A research question is important as it determine the overall direction that the research will take. The research question should be framed such that it will lead to the discovery of new knowledge. (Punch, 2006) This means that are research topic must be new and likely to add to the existing body of knowledge. It has to be narrowed down in order to address a specific area. It has to be backed by enough literature which means that there has to be wide research on the topic before deciding to research on it. The research topic must be original and relevant to the subject of stud. In this case it has to be a geographical issue. There should be considerations on the practicability of carrying out a research on the specif ic topic as far as elements of time, cost, equipment, expertise, and others are concerned. The review of the literature will help you to identify the research gap and identification of the research topic to be carried out. It will also help you to identify the best method that can be used to carry out the research so as not to repeat the failed methods that may have been applied before and to choose the best method that may have been used before. (Parson and Knight, 2005) The nature of the design A research design should be so casual. This means that it must employ scientific means of inquires and follow all the required procedures. In this case

Jack Vettriano A Contemporary Artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jack Vettriano A Contemporary Artist - Essay Example The paper "Jack Vettriano A Contemporary Artist" talks about the artist, Jack Vettriano. In 1999, Vettriano work was exhibited, for the first time in New-York. He produced twenty paintings and all of them were sold after the first day. Vettriano has produced artistic paintings such as, Voyage of Discovery (1992), Dance me to the end of Love (1993) and The Singing Butlers. 2004 was a great year for Vettriano since his painting, known as the singing butler was sold at Sotheby, Scotland for close to 750,000 dollars and he received the Order of British Empire Award (OBE) for his excellent work in visual arts. Jack Vettriano is also involved in Philanthropic activities. In 2008, he donated a painting, the study of blue-birds for auction in the London Trade fair in-order to raise funds for the Terrance Higgins Trust. In 2004, Vettriano set up a scholarship for St Andrews University to fund a student who was unable to attend University. These are only but a few examples of Vettriano Philant hropic activities. The style of Vettriano painting is often described genre painting and is viewed as sentimental or mysterious as they often depict elegant men and women, with cigarettes and in cocktail parties hinting at erotic activities with intimacies. Today, Jack Vettriano works in his studios in London and Scotland and he has many collectors of his works. The artistic painting ill review is The Singing Butler painting. The Singing Butler is a classic painting and was produced in 1992 and it is suited.

Marketing Communications Plan For Diageo Marketing Essay

Marketing Communications Plan For Diageo Marketing Essay For the company to achieve these objectives, there needs to a situation analysis which will give an overview on the companys currents position. This will be done through analysing the PEST factors that will affect the proposed marketing communications strategy, evaluating White Horse Whiskys performance in the market currently and also identifying the competitors actions. The report will further give an overview of the companys objectives by highlighting the desired position for White Horse whisky through giving a detailed business mission and communication objectives. The communications plan will also give an overview of the how the company will get to its set objectives through the use of the segmentation, targeting and positioning of White Horse Whisky. At the end of the report, the implementation of the plan through the communication tools and messages, the way through which it will be implemented and tracking the progress of the strategy will be discussed to ensure a suitable plan was put into practice. 2.0 SITUATION ANALYSIS (Where are we now?) 2.1 Current Company Performance Diageo is the brand owner of two whisky labels (Bells and White Horse) in the whisky market. White Horse Whisky has a market share of 2.3% in the market as of 2005. The brand has had a downward trend over the past years and wishes to relaunch it in July 2010 to a younger population. The company has a weak distribution chain as Whit Horse Whisky is only available at off-licences and major supermarkets. 2.2 Distinctive Competitive (Marketing) Advantages White Horse Whisky is an established brand which was created in 1890. It has been know as a quality whisky brand especially with the current owners who manufacture global drink labels. 2.3 Marketing Mix (4Ps) Product The product is a blended Scotch whisky which is currently at the decline stage. Price The current price of White Horse whisky is  £14.99 per litre for the squat bottle. Place The brand is available only at super markets and off licences shops. Promotion Diageo has ceased advertising support for White Horse whisky. This has made the brand have little competitive advantage in the market because consumers especially the new drinkers will not be aware of the brand and the old drinkers who need constant reminders and reinforcement might think the brand has died if they are not constantly given information. This could also have been the cause of the gradual decline in the market share of White horse whisky with consumers choosing competitor brands over it. 2.4 Current Customer Segments The brand has 2million consumers over the age of 50years. This accounts for over 50% of the brand consumption. This age group is the ageing population and if the trend continues with them, the brand will eventually die off. 2.5 Uncontrollable Event(s) That Can Impact on the Marketing of White Horse Whisky (Macro Environment) PEEST Analysis Political/legal Whisky brands may be advertised on TV now. Economic The Scotch whisky market has been in decline for over 15years. Ecological/physical environment Increased environmental awareness and the need to treat and respect the world. Socio-cultural Drinking patters have moved away from traditional dark spirits in favour of white spirits, wines and lagers. The number of people in their twenties and thirties drinking whisky has declined over the years. Whisky has always been acknowledged as an acquired taste that was unlikely to appeal to novice drinkers. Whisky is regarded as a spirit that is difficult to mix. Current image of whisky is seen as outdated and largely irrelevant. Binge drinking amongst young people which is seen currently as a serious social problem in UK. Technological Growing rate of internet use among the population in UK. 2.6 Micro Environment MARKET In 2005, the overall whisky market had 3.9m consumers. Size Growth rate White Horse whisky had a decline of 0.6% from 2004 -2005. Market trends The advent of drinkers moving from traditional dark spirits to chilled, long, lighter drinks. Table 1: The market in the microenvironment 2.7 SWOT Analysis for White Horse Whisky Strengths Strong brand name and rich heritage. Diageo has a budget of  £3 strictly for marketing of the brand which will promote awareness and change the way it is perceived by the target audience. Weaknesses Lack of advertising of the brand over the years. Small distribution networks. Opportunities Young people who are being targeted enjoy going out and having fun during their spare time. Recent relaxation of the voluntary code for whisky advertisements on TV. Threats Current whisky image is seen as outdated and largely irrelevant which gives it an old-fashioned image. The Scotch whisky market has been in decline for over 15years Drinking patterns have moved away from traditional spirits like whisky to wine and lagers. Whisky has been known to have an acquired taste that was unlikely to appeal to novice drinkers. Binge drinking by young people. Table 2 : SWOT Analysis for White Horse Whisky 3.0 SET OBJECTIVES (Where Do We Want To Go?) 3.1 Marketing Objectives To increase the brands market share from 2.3% to 6% to consumers under 50years within 3years. 3.2 Marketing Communication Objectives To reposition White Horse whisky from being an old fashioned drink for old age groups to a contemporary and authentic drink for 20-28year old male and females within 3years. 4.0 STRATEGY(How Do We Get There?) 4.1 Segmentation The youth and young people who are upwardly mobile in the UK. 4.2 Targeting The target market will be women and men aged 20-28years who are still experimenting with spirits with no brand loyalty yet. 4.3 Positioning White Horse whisky will be positioned to the target market as a contemporary, fun and quality drink. This position resonates with the values of our target market and our brand values. 4.4 ATR Model for Buying Decision The purchase of whisky is a low involvement decision. This is because it has a low expenditure and cant be viewed as a personal risk. ATR model which is Awareness, Trial, and Repurchase is suitable for this product. The consumer becomes aware of the brand- White Horse whisky through the proposed marketing communication strategy and will make a trial purchase to assess the drink. If taking of the whisky produces favourable results, the consumer will become interested in White Horse whisky and will therefore repeat the buying of the whisky at a later time. This will gradually increase the brand share of the product. The plan will give a devise on how to create the initial awareness of the brand to the selected target market. This can be used to determine the product adoption process. 4.5 Pull Strategy The pull strategy will be adopted to achieve the communication objectives. This strategy involves focusing our communication directly at our target market; this in turn would stimulate a desire, demand and eventual purchase of White Horse Whisky. 5.0 TACTICAL PLAN (How Do We Implement the Strategy?) 5.1 Communication Tools to be used and how they will be used Communication tools Medium Reason for choice Media Vehicles Advertising Type of media selected channels White Horse Target Group Use age Television The target audience have a heavy exposure to TV Specific programmes on ITV: It is an effective tool to reach our target audience on a large scale 1. Prison break This can create a strong brand image for White Horse whisky 2. Gossip Girl TV has a high visual and strong impact that can easily attract the audience because it influences multiple senses. 3. Vampire Dairies The target audience relax by watching these entertainment programmes 4. 24 5. Sports shows Magazine There is high selective readership for magazines. It is easy to communicate with our chosen target audience knowing their choice. Cosmo Girl British Vogue Mens Vogue The magazine can also be passed on to friends and this can be read not necessarily by only the purchaser It will show good quality and pictures and have high information content Billboards and posters This will give a strong impact with a simple message. This helps to connect with the audience less is more attitude.   To be placed strategically near: City centres, malls   Billboards and posters The billboards have a high frequency exposure and will be easily grab attention.   The posters will in addition be placed in bars and clubs The placed location will reach the target market. This will make the target audience aware of the brand as they will be exposed to the advert continuously and frequently.   Advertising Internet This medium is very attractive to them and they spend lots of hours a day on the internet. Low production cost which will reach a potential audience at any time of the day. Web banners on social networking sites (Face book and MySpace) Cinemas The target audience enjoy having night outs especially at the cinema Odeon and Cineworld cinemas across the country when showing:   Action and Science Fiction films in 3D, Romantic Comedy and Thrillers. Spotify This music streaming service has become popular among the target audience. This will be placed for listeners of: rock, RB, hip hop, pop and rap. It has be ability to reach the audience by postcode because there is a registration for the service Its a perfect medium to reach the target audience who love to listen to music. Sales Promotion Free trials Consumers appreciate offers and love to have value for their money. Selected clubs and pubs across the country.   Sales Promotion   Free trials It is quick and easy to implement and will have an immediate impact on the sale of the brand It will encourage retrial Free gifts This will encourage purchase Supermarket chains, off licences There will be a small white horse attached to each white horse whisky bottle There will be free t-shirts distributed to consumers at clubs and bars. Sponsorship Fashion show This will change the perception of it being an old generation drink These sponsorship of youth events will build awareness for the brand The target audience use this as a means of relaxing and will be great fun for them which can easily to reach them. The fashion show and valentine part will hold at selected regions Valentine party 5.2 Message(s) We Wish To Communicate White Horse is approachable, light- hearted and sociable. 5.3 Consistency across Different Tools and Messages The messages are consistent and they all carry the message that the brand is of quality and is a drink for the younger generation. 5.4 Necessary Resources/Budgets There is a  £3 budget for the marketing communication strategy for one year. The budget will be sufficient to implement the strategy in various vehicles for the duration chosen. 6.0 ACTION PLAN (Who, What, When?) Please refer to Appendix 1 and 2 for detailed communication spending. 6.1 Responsible party for implementation This communications plan will be executed by a top advertising firm in the UK. The marketing department will have the responsibility of communication with the advertising agency to ensure all communication is placed as at when due and also make appearances at the sponsorship events. The department will also be responsible for the appropriate quantity distribution of the soft toys (The White Horse) and t-shirts to the regions. The accounting department ensures vouchers raised for the advertising agency are paid on time. Diageos IT department will also make sure the website is always up and running to appeal to consumers who will be visiting the site. 6.2 Time frame of plan implementation The plan will be implemented between July 2010- June 2011. 6.3 Resource Allocation for the Action The communication plan has been done and will cost  £2,899,335. This amount is exclusive of the allocation of  £ 100,000 which will be paid to the agency for creatives production and services. 7.0 CONTROL ( Keeping Track Of Progress) The brand will be monitored through sales analysis. The marketing department will obtain the sales figures weekly that will be used to compare the actual sales of White Horse whisky to the target sale. Information will also be gathered from the distributors of the brand on customers perception of the drink. The sales report should be gotten by region and if any extraordinary low sale is received from any region, their communication should be restructured. Within the first year, the brand share should increase by 0.7% to 3% and the profile of young drinkers should increase to 37%. This will make the overall brand share increase of 6% and 60% of young drinkers by 2013 will be achieved. Depending on the first year figures, the marketing manager should be able to forecast and evaluate the communication strategy being used and make corrective actions where necessary. If there is an exceptionally low increase in the first year period which will essentially where a lot of money will be spent on communication, the communication plans should be revisited to avoid massive failures in 2013. Each person/ department in Diageo should be clear on their responsibilities to enable the company meet the expected target. 8.0 THE 3Ms These are the key resources 8.1 Men This is not mentioned in case study. 8.2 Money   There is a budget of  £3m for the repositioning of White Horse whisky for one year. 8.3 Minutes   The deadline to achieve the 3.7% brand share increase is 3years. The plan will be solely for the 1st year while recommendations for the next 2years will be provided. 9.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEXT 2YEARS From July 2011- July 2013, the following should be done to reinforce the brand in the mind of the consumers: The television adverts should be aired in alternative months. The use of posters at bars and clubs should be continued. The online adverts on Facebook, MySpace and Spotify should continue every month. Other sales promotions should be introduced to give room for another exciting support to the consumers from the brand. The brand should also explore opportunities in celebrity endorsements which the target audience fancy. Quarterly shows should be sponsored at selected clubs around the country. Possible production of shot glasses with the White Horse logo can be distributed to bars and clubs. Appendix 2 (Cost Analysis) TV adverts: Coverage within the UK REGION COST FOR 30 ADVERTS ON ITV LATE PEAK DRAMAS Central  £10,313 London  £16,730 Yorkshire  £3,827 Scotland  £3,169 Total Cost  £34,039 Number of shows to place adverts: 4 Frequency: 4 times weekly, for 20 weeks. Monthly cost:  £344,624 Cinema adverts:  £23,000 per month Magazines: Number of magazines: 4 Frequency: monthly Monthly cost:  £73,200 Outdoor adverts: Billboards and Posters:  £15,000 monthly Online adverts  £37,500 monthly Sponsorships A total of  £150,000 was budgeted to sponsor specified events across the four regions. Sales Promotion 1000 t-shirts and soft horses, free trials over the year:  £ 96,500. 10.0 Creatives to be sent to agency Appendix 3 (Advert for Television and Cinema) This will be a 30 seconds advert which will make our target audience associate White Horse whisky as a fun drink. Scene 1 Nice music playing in the background The advert starts at a bar scene with a couple of people ordering drinks at the bar. In a distance, people can be seen dancing. The camera zooms in on a young man and lady (Lady 1). They exchange pleasantries and the young man leaves shortly as he gets his drink Scene 2 The young man is seen with two others men chatting and looking around. He spots a young lady (Lady 2) in a corner sitting by herself and he walks up to her to ask for a dance. Lady 2 agrees and they move to the dance floor. Scene 3 The young man and Lady 2 are seen dancing and having a good time. Lady 1 walks up to them with two drinks in her hand. She hands a drink over to Lady 2 and turns to face the young man. She says to the young man: I see youve met my mother. The young man has a confused face and says: your mother? Scene 4 The three of are sitted at a table and are seen chatting, laughing and having White Horse whisky. The advert closes and a screen showing the White Horse whisky bottle and a glass with the contents. The tag line: White Horse.Surprising fun is shown below this screen This advert is to make the target audience know that even though the label is old, it still has the right mix and quality to appeal to them. . Appendix 4(Advert for Magazines, Billboards and posters) A picture of a group of four young adults (two men and two women) wearing casual and fashionable outfits. They are smiling at themselves and each person is seen holding a glass that contains White Horse whisky. The caption underneath the picture states: White HorseSurprising fun. Appendix 5(Design for t-shirt) The shirt is a black cotton Polo shirt. At the centre of the shirt in front, there is a White Horse. The back of the shirt carries the caption:Surprising fun.

Nanotechnology: The Future Here Now Essay -- Science Technology Essay

Nanotechnology: The Future Here Now Webopedia defines nanotechnology as the â€Å"field of science whose goal is to control individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices that are thousands of times smaller than current technologies permit†. Current manufacturing processes use lithography to imprint circuits on semiconductor materials, at a size of less than one micron (1,000 nanometers), dealing with aggregates of millions of atoms. It is believed that this method is quickly approaching its physical limits. In order to continue reducing the size of semiconductors, new technologies that juggle individual atoms will be necessary. Popularly, the term nanotechnology refers to the science whose goal is to control individual atoms and molecules to create various things that are thousands of times smaller than the current technology allows. These processes will touch on all areas of our lives, several of great importance to our health and well being. New terms are startin g to surface, such as molecular nanotechnology, nanocoating, nanoceramics, nanoparticles and targeted nano therapies. While many definitions of nanotechnology exist, the National Nanotechnology Initiative defines nanotechnology only if the process involves all of the following: 1. Research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or macromolecular level, on the length scale of 1 – 100 nanometers. 2. Creating and using structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and functions because they are very small. 3. The ability to control and manipulate on the molecular level. Some of the societal benefits that will be important to ... ...tronics Planet.com. 07 Mar. 2005 . Nano Investor News. 07 Mar. 2005 . National Nanotechnology Initiative. 07 Mar. 2005 . Neagley, Clinton H. UCDavis Technology Transfer Center. U C Davis. 07 Mar. 2005 . Phoenix, Chris, and Mike Treder. Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. Mar. 2004. 13 Mar. 2005 . Rashid, Nancy E. UCDavis Technology Transfer Center. U C Davis. 07 Mar. 2005 . The World Health Network. 07 Mar. 2005 . United States of America. Office of Science and Technology Policy/ Executive Office of the President. National Nanotechnology Initiative. 07 Mar. 2005 WorldHealth.net. 07 Mar. 2005 .

Consumer Behavior and Purchase Decision Making Process

Consumer behavior and purchase decision making process Every day we need to make a decissions – buy or not to buy anything. There are many things which helps us to make decissions like location, mood, advertisments and other. Consumer behavior is the mental and emotional processes and physical activities people engage in when they select, purchase, use, and dispose of products or services to satisfy particular needs and desires. A consumer goes through several stages before purchasing a product or service: 1. need; 2. information gathering/search; 3. evaluation of alternatives; . purchase of product/service; 5. post purchase evaluation. In my opinion, in this process there are two main steps – information gathering and evaluation of alternatives. These steps help to understand how much you need the product and how good it is. The buying process starts with comming needs. A need can be activated through internal or external stimuli. A need can also be aroused by an exter nal stimulus such as sight of a new thing in a shop while purchasing other things. Need is the most important factor which leads to buying of products and services.Need infact is the catalyst which triggers the buying decision of individuals. After need arousal, the consumer tries to solve it and gathers the sources and information about the product. Depending upon the intensity of need, it produces two states of individual. The first state is called heightened attention when the consumer becomes more receptive to the information regarding the item he needs. If a consumer needs to purchase a refrigerator, he will pay mere attention to fridge ads and the remarks made by friends and associates about fridges.If need is more intense, the individual enters a state of active information search and he tries to collect more information about the product, its key attributes, qualities of various brands and about the outlets where they are available. There are a lot of consumer information so urces like family, friends, advertisements, mass media, salesman. In my opinion, it is hard to arrange in the order wich one is the best source where get information about product. All these sources have pluses and minuses.If I prefer get information from family there is possibility that I do not get info about technical stuff. Or if I choose only salesman advice he can aggrandize about product advantages. That is why I recommend to take information as much as possible from every source. Having collected the information, the consumer clarify and evaluate the alternatives. There is, unfortunately no simple and single evaluation process used by all consumers or even by one consumer in all buying situations. Consumers can make choices based on their emotions and feelings.They elicit from memory their overall evaluations of products and choos the alternative for which they have the most positive feelings. One of the most current process of evaluation is to judge the product largely on a conscious and rational basis. Various considerations form the part of judgment such as product attributes, importance, weights, brand image, utility function for each attribute, and attitude and other. After evaluation of various alternatives, he takes the decision to buy or not to buy.Ofcourse, people can make choice on the spur of the moment, often without prior problem recognition. But I recommend going through all theese five steps focusing on information gathering and evaluation of alternatives. And always remember that the best impression about product you can get only after you try it. Izmantota literatura: http://www. managementstudyguide. com/consumer-decision-making-process. htm http://uwmktg301. blogspot. com/2010/01/evaluation-of-alternatives. html http://www. slideshare. net/Annie05/consumer-buying-behavior-and-decision-making-presentation

Deadly Unna Film Essay

Australian Rules A comparative review by Anita Jetnikoff (QUT) for Australian Screen Education. Published as: Jetnikoff, Anita (2003) Australian Rules: a comparative review. Australian Screen Education(30):36-38. The title may mislead some viewers, as this is not a film about a football code, anymore than Bend it with Beckham is about soccer. This powerful, brave and rather brutal feature is the debut of Paul Goldman, who co-wrote the screenplay with the novelist Phillip Gwynne. Both the storylines and characters from Gwynne’s awardwinning novel Deadly Unna? nd its sequel Nukkin Ya, have been combined in the film, which was commissioned by South Australian Film Corporation for the Adelaide Festival of Arts 2002, and caused a furore with the local Aboriginal community. The film was screened after much deliberation over the objections against depictions of a character resembling a member of the Penninsular community. This certainly suggests collaboration with Indigenous communities could have been sought at earlier stages of the project. In my reading of the film, however, it is the white community who emerge the more brutal, bigoted and shameful. The Aboriginal community, on the other hand, represent solidarity, and sharing. The film was released and promoted by Palace, with the slogan ‘live by the rules play by the rules’. There is, however, an almost apartheid divide between the black [Nunga) and white [Goonya) communities in this film and the central character’s personal navigating between the two, means he must break unwritten rules. The film is based on aspects of two novels, the partly autobiographical novel Deadly Unna, and its sequel, Nukkin Ya, Nunga expressions for ‘Great hey’ and ‘See you later’. Both novels were easy to read and full of humour in spite of the serious subject matter of racism, interracial relationships, adolescent angst, death and revenge. The novels belong to the adolescent problem or coming-of-age genre and are being studied in secondary schools. The film has little of the novels’ lightness and the narrator’s ability to laugh at himself and his community’s foibles. This sometimes disturbing film’s tone is brutal, the landscape stark, sordid and in decay. Most of the characters occupying the saline, arid coastal town are nasty. The adult men are barflies, maggot breeders, fornicators and losers and the women are victims or sluts. This hopeless adult world offers nothing for the young in this fishing town. Viewers are invited to identify with the young, for whom hope lies in escape. The central figure of Blacky (Nathan Phillips), is an intelligent 14 year old caught between the literary world of his imagination and the literal world of his small towns’ bigotry. His mother, who encourages him to play football and to do well at school, is a battler, a victim of his father’s brutality. The dilapidated house the Black family occupy oozes poverty and neglect. These are white fringe dwellers. In the novel Blacky refers to what kind of chops the family will consume as indicative of the ‘pov metre’. They shop at the local op shop. Like many small rural Australian towns, this coastal community struggles to survive. The black and white communities in the region are divided, separated physically by a stretch of coastline, whites at the port and blacks at the point. Even the local pub segregates the Aboriginal drinkers from the white ones. The irony is that the local football team is only viable when the Aboriginal boys come over from the point to play. The sporting fixture allows the communities to merge, but the union stops there. Blacky crosses the racial divide to befriend Dumby Red (Luke Carroll) a talented Aboriginal Australian Rules Player from the Point and to romance Dumby’s sister Clarence (Lisa Flanagan). Whereas book built up the friendship through Blacky’s doubt and hesitation about Dumby, this is not dealt with in the film. The film opens with the two characters already mates, sitting together in the dilapidated shed of the red dirt football field, commiserating over the ineffectiveness of their coach, Arks (Kevin Harrington). Dumby’s spectacular football prowess has been spotted by a city talent scout, which sets up the need for him to win best Player in the final against a much stronger team. A contract to a city football team would mean a possible escape from the bigotry and emptiness of the Penninsular—his chance to be a sporting success. Blacky finds himself an unwitting hero and awarded best team man for winning the premiership game. He unwittingly collides with the toughest star player on the opposing team and is knocked unconscious, along with his gigantic opponent. The shooting sequences of the match were not especially riveting, but this was in keeping with the importance of the game to the story. The film is not about winning or losing, but the personal integrity of the play or the journey in the ongoing process of discovering identity. The medal for ‘Best on the Ground’, rightly belonged to Dumby Red. His ticket out of the hopeless community, however, was denied to him, because rather than kicking a sure goal, he had passed a ball to a cousin who had not handled the ball all day. The cultural code of sharing was stronger than the competitive need to win. In the film, the loss of the award to the coach’s son paves the way for Dumby’s tragic demise. He joins Pretty (Tony Briggs) in an armed robbery of the pub, perhaps to extract an alternative prize to the one he’d been denied. The publican, Mac, laid out in a drunken stupor on the pool table, is beaten even more senseless by Pretty. The noise rouses Blacky’s father (Simon Westaway) who shoots and kills his son’s friend Dumby Red in revenge for the publican’s beating. In the novel the publican was the murderer, but the film’s central villain is Blacky’s father, Bob, who represents fear, loathing and menace. His violent rages left his own family in fear of him. In one memorable scene they escape his menacing torment of their mother behind closed doors by escaping through the window and sleeping in the chicken coop. The feeling is that this experience was not new to them. Blacky is torn in the novel between his initial attraction to Clarence in Deadly Unna, which he conceals from his white ‘friends’ in order to attract the attention of a rich white ‘camper’ girl. In the sequel this relationship between Blacky and Clarence and Blacky and his father represent two kinds of coming of age. His masculinity is tested early on in a storm at sea and later when he was caught in the shed stealing paint to cover a racist slogan in the local boatshed. His intelligence means little to his father, and his good grades and scholarship to Kings College in Adelaide are ignored. In the sequel Nukkin Ya, the filial relationship seems almost mended when his father takes on the renovation of a ‘windjammer’ to bring potential tourism to the town. His father’s project becomes obsessive at the expense of putting food on the family’s table, but the male relationship seems to be temporarily repaired along with the boat, which becomes symbolic of rebuilding strength, unity and hope around the fantasy of the future. In the novels we experience Blacky’s angst at discovering his father’s infidelity to his mother. Blacky and his friend Pickles, stumble upon their adulterous fathers visiting the Aboriginal women at the point. The irony of this is that the entire community seemed set gainst the burgeoning love relationship between Blacky and Dumby’s sister Clarence. The fact that the cross-race relationship of the father is not dealt with in the film makes his violent reaction to finding Clarence innocently sleeping alongside Blacky in his bedroom connected more with his hatred of Aboriginal people, than it is to do with his guilt over murdering Dumby Red. It is a response reduced to racism alone, rather than his own guilt and hypocrisy, which in the novels is built up subtly through the two volumes. The antagonist in the second novel, having moved away from the father, is embodied by the figure of Lovely (Pretty, in the film) who menaces Blacky over his relationship with Clarence. Lovely sports a hate tattoo on his fingers and is a violent instigator in both book and film. The disclosure of the white men’s infidelity at the expense of the black women, who remain nameless and faceless, leads to the climax of the second novel. The boat is set alight, which symbolizes the death of the relationships between Blacky and his father and his community. Lovely is framed, Blacky absolves Lovely in court by taking the blame, but Pickles (Tom Budge ) was the real arsonist. This false confession, leads to Blacky becoming a cipher in his own town, where boats and the sea are peoples workplaces. He becomes a ‘boat burner’ in the cultural imaginary and is forced to leave. In the film this purging is less powerful and seems to emerge from some kind of corporate malice rather than revenge. Pickles manically sets alight rival maggot breeder Darcy’s breeding drums, which has less symbolic poignancy than the boat burning in the novel. Blacky’s central challenge in the film is to reaffirm his masculinity by standing up to his father, through the relationship with Clarence. Blacky is constructed by his father as a ‘gutless wonder. ’ Blacky’s painful journey to manhood, is much harsher in the film than the book. In the novel the father is a violent adulterer, but in the film, he kills Blacky’s best friend. Blacky’s attendance at Dumby’s funeral represents a betrayal of familial solidarity in the eyes of the father. The relationship was not strong enough however, for Blacky to take his father’s side. At this point, Blacky abdicates from identifying with his father. He has begun to flee the emasculated self constructed by his father, towards a more potent, sexual self, embodied by his attraction and identification with the other through the literal ‘body’ of Dumby and the physical, sexual body of Clarence. What is morally worrisome is that the father, who both Blacky and the viewer see as a murderer, continues to live in the community with impugnity, the ‘common sense’ gap we fill is that he claims he shot Dumby in selfdefense. Blacky courageously resists his father’s imperative to stay away from the funeral. In the film’s powerful and moving climax, the battered, but united family in the background witnesses the final stand off between father and son. Blacky literally stands up to his father, not by competing in battle of fists, but resisting by sheer will and strength of character. The father leaves in a vicious rage and we can’t help feeling that the family will be better off with him gone. The second novel Nukkin Ya begins with hope of Blacky taking a scholarship at Kings in Adelaide. His girlfriend Clarence achieves a scholarship to art school and Blacky has a reason to follow her. The film ends with the two young lovers romantically swimming in the clear waters, symbolically cleansing themselves of the grime and grease of prejudice, which had tainted their relationship until that point. The film treats the romance in a much lighter way than the books. There is no stand off between the characters; in fact Clarence becomes Blacky’s bridge between the two cultures. In the film it is Clarence who stands up to Bob Black in Blacky’s bedroom with dignity and silent resistance. Lisa Flanagan’s performance was elegant and dignified. It was Clarence who gently cut through the wall of hostility from the Nunga boys at her brother’s funeral- allowing Blacky to mourn his friend’s death. It was Clarence who understood Blacky’s poetic allusions to dying stars- these two are cosmically connected and there is an almost Shakespearean sense of their fate. The love scenes provide the film’s only softness and the resolution, although moving, is not sentimental. The young people must leave the still-divided community, to survive together.