Marketing plan for topps tiles for 2009 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing plan for topps tiles for 2009 - Essay Example The additional spending it had made on a national level TV advertisement campaign coupled with the inflationary trends have resulted in the increased gross expenditure of 43 percent of the total revenue, while it was only 41 percent the last year. On the basic earning reported per share, the results showed a reduction of about 16.5 percent (Topps tile , 2007). But initiatives are being taken to position Topps tiles as the most favoured brand through different customer relationships initiatives, advertisements and also variety of social outreach programmes. The marketing plan for the Topp tiles have been prepared after a very careful analysis of current market position and anticipated growth for the current year. The plans would include all the possible stakeholders in the business of tiles. They are the customers, builders association in UK and also other business players targeting similar set of customer needs. The primary approach is to create a wide range of product choices that would make the customer with excellent choices and hence the purchase could be completed for the choice expected by them. The broad distribution of buyers are shown in the figure 1. Innovative strategies are adopted for the effective marketing of Topp tiles across U K and Holland. The emphasis would be on strengthening the existing customer base at the current sales locations and hence concentrate more to stabilize the leadership position in the tile segment. In one of the important plans proposed, the effort is given to motivate a buyer to have more purchases in the period even though the market studies have shown the prevailing tendency among the customers as to reduce the buying choices to the most minimum levels. Hence, it is to be planned that every prospective customer need to be motivated to have a higher volume of choices, which could

Giuseppe Peano Essay Example for Free

Giuseppe Peano Essay Giuseppe Peano spent most of his career in teaching mathematics at the University of Turin in Italy. He was a fanatic of mathematics who contributed many ideas to mathematical logic but later on gave more focus on symbolic logic and developing auxiliary languages. He wrote his mathematical ideas and logic in 200 books and papers (Giuseppe, 2006). Peano was born on August 27, 1858 to a poor family in an Italian farm in Spinetta, near Cuneo, Italy. He graduated with high honors in the degree of Mathematics at the University of Turin wherein he later worked as its mathematics professor starting in 1880. At the same time in 1886, he was also employed in the Royal Military Academy. Peano’s contribution to mathematics includes differential equations and vector analysis and his famous space-filling curve that contradicts some of the existing axioms and concepts of mathematics in his time (â€Å"Guiseppe†, 2006; Golba, 2007). Another contribution of Peano was in the development of symbolic logic. He introduced many symbols, such as the symbol which means â€Å"belonging to the set of† that is still used in science and math today. Peano had reasoned that the ambiguity of the ordinary language in his time tends to hamper the progress in the development and study of mathematics therefore he proposed many symbols to use for a much easier learning and universal understanding. He believed that the scientific community needed a universal language so that anybody who spoke different languages may understand each other through it. In 1891 and for the next fifteen years , Peano worked on a project he called Formulario Project or better described as an Encyclopedia of Mathematics† that proposed to use mathematical symbols by publishing all the 4200 symbolized formulas and symbols of science using his invented standard notation (â€Å"Guiseppe†, 2006; Golba, 2007) . Peano became an active promoter of auxiliary language. In the second International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris in 1900, (right after the First International Conference of Philosophy where he was a member of the patronage committee), he presented a paper that touch on the subject of how to correctly form definitions in mathematics, including the question of â€Å"how do you define a definition? in the first place. This of course is made to arouse an interest and a need for an auxiliary language. By now, Peano’s main interest and quest (for the rest of his life) had shifted to this philosophical view to such an extent that he had neglected his calculus (â€Å"Guiseppe†, 2006; Golba, 2007). The popularity of Peano’s symbolic logic had prompted a resolution in a mathematics conference calling for the formation of an international auxiliary language to spread its mathematical and commercial idea. In 1903, Peano presented his work of a universal auxiliary language called Latino sine flexione, (Latin without flexions, eventually recognized as Interlingua) which uses the popular and widely known Latin vocabulary but stripped of its grammar and without its â€Å"irregular and anomalous forms† (â€Å"Guiseppe†, 2006; Golba, 2007). In 1908 Peano became a director of the Academia pro Interlingua in Turin, a congress that was set up in order to study and develop auxiliary languages. At the same time, he published the fifth and final edition of the Formulario project (â€Å"Formulario Mathematico†) with all proven theorems in 516 pages. This project had not been much of a success at that time since it was published in Peano’s new Latino sine flexione language which nobody really understood (Golba, 2007). Even with the opposition against Peano and his subsequent resignation in the Military Academy due to the students’ resentment of having to learn his mathematical symbols which they reasoned they will never use in real life, by 1910 Peano continued to develop and promote auxiliary languages. He remained to teach in the University of Turin until his death of a heart attack on April 20, 1932. Peano got married in 1887 but he was childless (â€Å"Guiseppe†, 2006; Golba, 2007).

The Canterbury :: Canterbury Tales Knights Essays

The Canterbury As April comes, the narrator begins a pilgrimage to Canterbury from the Tabard Inn at Southwerk. Twenty-nine people make the pilgrimage toward Canterbury and the narrator describes them in turn. The pilgrims are listed in relative order of status, thus the first character is the Knight. Chaucer describes the knight as a worthy man who had fought in the Crusades. With him is a Squire, the son of the Knight and a 'lusty bachelor' of twenty. The Knight has a second servant, a Yeoman. There is also a Prioress, shy and polite. She is prim and proper, sympathetic and well-mannered. The Prioress wears a broach with the inscription "All things are subject unto love." With the Prioress is her secretary (the Second Nun) and a Monk. The monk is a robust and masculine man who loves to hunt. The Friar, Hubert, is an immoral man more concerned with making profit than converting men from sin. The Merchant from Flanders is a pompous man who speaks endlessly on how profits may be increased. He seems grave, yet there is no better man, according to the narrator. The Clerk follows the Merchant. As an Oxford student without employment, he is impoverished and wears threadbare clothes. The Man of Law is a man who deserves to be held in awe. He knows the law to the letter and gives the impression that he is far busier than he actually is. A Franklin travels with him. He is a man who lives in comfort and is interested simply in pleasure, particularly culinary delight. There are also five guildsmen: a Weaver, a Dyer, a Carpenter, a Tapestry-maker and a Haberdasher. With them they bring a Cook. A Shipman is the next traveler, who comes from the port of Dartmouth, and with him a Physician. The Wife of Bath is next; she is a weaver who wears bright red clothing. She has been married five times (and had several companions as a youth). The Parson is an honorable, decent man who cares for his congregation and adheres to the teachings of Christ. With him is his brother, a Plowman, who is equal ly kind. The final travelers are a Miller, a Manciple, a Reeve, a Summoner and a Pardoner. The Miller is a large man with an imposing physique. The Manciple is from a lawyers' college and knows every legal maneuver. The Reeve is a slender man with a fiery temper.

Analyzing Garret Harding’s Article Essay

This paper seeks to analyze the article â€Å"The Tragedy of the Commons† by Hardin (1968). The first part summarizes the main thesis by identifying the principle or principles that Hardin used to explain the Tragedy as he defines it. The second part describes how Hardin’s thesis would apply to production of smog pollutants in California. 2. Summary and Application 2. 1. Summary The paper article talks about the tragedy of the commons which has contradicted the â€Å"invisible hand† that was described by Adam Smith that would managed things for people by just allowing man’s selfishness to keep on profiting without realizing that the same could be helping people in the process. The tragedy of the commons is therefore preventing the operation of the market or certain individuals from fully attaining what is good for these individuals because of the inevitable overpopulation. However the author has also acknowledged ways or factors under which the tragedy of commons could be neutralized such the existence of private property in support of that man’s selfishness in accordance with Smith’s theory. He also mentioned other factors that may have either supported to weaken the tragedy of commons. He therefore still sees a solution to the tragedy, which is the relinquishment of freedom to breed by the commons. Such can be done by some intervention of those who have the power like the state. The thesis of the Hardin (1968) further asserts that the problem on overpopulation has no technical solution for there is nothing to maximize. He noted the fact the people are concerned about the problem of overpopulation and that the same people would try the ways to avoid the evils of such situation but without giving up the pleasure that they have now. The author asserted the fact the people would want to make everything possible where plans could be growing or developing any source of food that will solve the problem caused by the overpopulation. Hardin asserted about the absence of technical solution to the problem as in winning the game of tick-tack-toe. He concluded that the simplest summary of the analysis of man’s problem in population is that the commons could justify their existence only under conditions of low-population density. Thus he argued that given the fact the population has increased, these commons have to be abandoned in one aspect. According to Hardin, the first way to abandon them can be done food gathering, enclosing farm land, restricting pastures and in hunting and fishing areas. He also saw the commons as a place for waste disposal that would justify their abandonment. Since the author also values human freedom preservation, it was his position that to preserve and nurture the more important kinds of freedom, the solution is to give up the freedom to breed from these commons as soon as possible. 2. 2 Application to the Production of Smog Pollutants in California This part of the paper will define â€Å"Commons† in the case of the smog pollutants in California as those people that may be part of the creating the problems of smog pollution in California, who may or may not be aware of the solution or cause of the problem. Individuals or non-commons may be those that are not part of the common which could be exemplified by the group described by Hardin which espouses the relinquishment of freedom to breed in order to arrest the tragedy of overpopulation caused and who believes that there are no technical solutions to problem. Since the case of pollution is related to overpopulation which according to Hardin has caused the problem, the non-commons extends their argument in this part that opt to give up still the freedom to breed for commons. This part describes also the problem in terms of the different view from the commons, the non-commons or individual In terms of the commons, the problem of smog Production is a problem that could be technologically solved. Hence these commons would argue for the need for the production of cars that would be equipment of the capability of reduced or smog pollutants (Vannijnatten and Lambright, 2001; Dooley, 2002)). This could be evident in the case of what is being required now of new cars from California. Newer cars starting with 2009 model will be required to have label that contains a level as to tier ranks in terms of environmental impact. The information is designed to provide consumers with the practical information that could contribute to their being responsible decision makers in the use of environment friendly vehicles while satisfying or meeting the needs of these people to move around (Environment News Service, 2009). The label used for environmental performance will include a scale of 1-10 for global warming scores and smog score. The higher score on both scales will show that the car is more environment friendly car. With average normal score of 5 on both scales, the values of the decision makers will also show how they will value the environment will also be reflective of scores recorded (Environment News Service, 2009). Electric cars are noted to earn higher ratings than non-electric cars on both score thereby indicating the role of technology (Environment News Service, 2009). This would provide a strong argument against that of Hardin (1968) that there is no technical solution to the problem. It could be argued that electric cars evolved from gasoline cars and therefore consumers may be deemed to have become more responsible to the environment. In terms of the individual interests, as espoused by Garrett Hardin (1968), the solution is non-technical that one can never minimized or maximized that point where there could acceptable smog pollutant level. From this view, the problem comes from the commons in the case of production of smog pollutants and not from non-commons which do not see themselves as part of the problem. Hardin’s viewed that there are indeed people causing smog pollutants in California which may not be prevented from having better cars due to the bias that there is no technical solution to the problem. The solution could not be found therefore under the principle developed as viewed by commons that more efficient cars could be produced but rather in stopping the freedom to breed commons which will prevent the problem created in the production of smog pollutant in California. Hardin under his own view would rather therefore go for stopping the breeding of the commons who keep on violating the rights of individuals because of the enclosures or certain advantages or favors given to these commons. The solution could include calling for government actions to deny seeming shout for more rights and liberties by the commons. In the article on Tragedy of the commons, Hardin (2008) also attacked the fact that every favor given to the commons is a deprivation of somebody’s personal liberty. He argued that while infringements made in the past could be accepted by him and the believers of his cause, he could only now see the abuse of infringement made because of the cries for rights and freedom are made by commons. He saw the benefits given to the commons are a way of robbing against the non-commons. He further saw only universal ruin if the logic of the commons would continue to be upheld. For this purpose the author saw only the need for true freedom that is based on recognition of necessity. If this principle is applied to the smog pollutants in California, Hardin would see hopeless of having smog free cars and that the cost of regulation for smog free cars could only be caused by the commons. If Hardin’s position is to be sustained, this would amount to prohibiting rather the commons to not having cars any more by government actions since these non-commons would not want to share life with the commons who will eventually cause overpopulation. Hardin (1968) also argued in the article that the most important aspect of necessity is the present need to recognize the necessity of abandoning the commons in breeding. Since he saw the absence of technical solution to the problem the misery of overpopulation would necessarily come along with all related evils. He posited that freedom to breed will bring ruin to all. In effect, Hardin would want to address still the issue of overpopulation since all the issue of pollution according to him is also cause by population. In terms of collective interest, people need to co-exist together whether commons or non-commons because they only live in one land surface — the earth which provides life for everybody. The right of co-existence happens because the ethical theory of social justice demands that one must practice what is just and fair to everybody concerned. To have peaceful-coexistence, there must be an intention of each of the commons or the individuals to sacrifice some of their rights for the survival of both. The resulting conflict, if not solved, will put humans into a level of what is contentious as instinctively, the instinct for survival is as old as life itself (Fikes, 2001). Each person whether common or non-common has rights and obligations to discharge if each is to live together harmoniously. While it is true that smog production would be dangerous to the environment and the common may occupy a bigger share in the total number of the population, it could be easily accepted that they could be wipe out on earth so that only the non-common shall live. To determine whether indeed a technical solution is possible, there is a need to understand the nature of smog which is a kind of air pollution caused them the petrochemical reaction of sunlight with volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen when released into the atmosphere. The same is therefore normally observed in automobile operation. To attain smog free objective, California used smog score by ranking each vehicles pollutant’s levels in terms of non-methane organic gases and oxides of nitrogen in relation to other vehicles within the current model year. Within the scale of 1 to 10, the California scale assigns 10 to be the cleanest while the average score 5 (Environment News Service, 2009). This could therefore testify to the creation of technical solutions that would solve the problem of smog production in California. This again will provide strong argument against the position taken by the Hardin (1968) on the absence of technical solution. Another proof of this evolution in technology is in the light of the belief that car model before 2006 would fall below the smog score of one. An action for more stringent standards must be viewed as a way of creating solution that would satisfy the collective interest of both commons and non-commons. The fact of smog inspection involves knowing whether Hydrocarbons, Nitrous Oxides or Carbon Monoxides (SmogTips, Inc, 2009) are present since these chemicals are identified for the production of smog. The fact the human knowledge has identified these chemicals from a long list of other known chemicals must speak further as evidence of technical solution to the problem of pollution. 3. Conclusion This paper concludes that the thesis of Hardin (1968) on lack of technical solution to the problem of smog pollutants in California is not rue. This paper has found moves in California to control the production of smog pollutants. The thesis may have raised some points that consider in effect the tragedy caused by the commons where the author has even attacked the theory of universal human rights. The view of the author is in favor individualist orientation and subscribes to the ideal of selfish genes. However, as society has evolved, the individualists have lived together with the commons for centuries and although the position of Hardin may be logical at some points, this paper takes exception to the assertion that there is no technical solution to problems. There is a solution because humanity is forever looking for ways to solve its problems whether the scientist may come from commons or not. References: Dooley, E. (2002) Fifty Years Later: Clearing the Air over the London Smog; Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 110 Environment News Service (2009) New California Cars Display Smog, Global Warming Scores, {www document} URL, http://www. ens-newswire. com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-02-092. asp, Accessed January 29, 2009 Fikes, T. (2001) Evolutionary Psychology as Computational Theory in the Cognitive Sciences; Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 29 Hardin, Garrett (1968) â€Å"The Tragedy of the Commons†, {www document} URL http://www. sciencemag. org/cgi/content/full/162/3859/1243, Accessed January 29, 2009 SmogTips, Inc (2009) How to pass the California emissions test. 3-Part Test. , {www document} URL http://www. smogtips. com/passing_inspection. cfm, Accessed January 29, 2009 Vannijnatten and Lambright (2001); North American Smog: Science-Policy Linkages across Multiple Boundaries Canadian-American Public Policy

Gender Roles Defined

All the Pretty Horses would be widely considered a fairly typical western in the traditional sense. There are many of the common western tropes that exist explicitly and implicitly within the novel. While much of the idealistic â€Å"western† characteristics appear in a blatant manner, the novel is laced with incidents and dialogue of seemingly little consequence or significance at first glance. There are many occurrences which are overlooked in the story that represent and support a common and major idea that is stated in a more major or explicit form at other times.The role of gender is one such idea. In the early stages of the novel, the conflict which sets the entire story in motion takes place as Cole's mother has decided to sell the ranch now that his grandfather has died. Cole is distraught over this as the ranch is his desired lot in life. He attempts to talk to the familys attorney after attempts at persuasion with his mother fail only to reach similar end. The reason ing the attorney postulates for his mother's decision is a minute detail of the scene but brings about an interesting and otentially underlying idea throughout the story.His rationalizes her motives on the basis that, â€Å"she's a young woman and my guess is that she's like to have a little more social life than what she's used to† (McCarthy 17). This determination does not come off as explicitly Judgmental but simply a plausibly suggestion for her actions. Upon closer examination however, it proves to be more meaningful. The attorney is asserting Cole's mother's social life as a legitimate reason for her to forfeit the ranch her father had built from the ground up and worked so hard for.There is no such concern mentioned for the sixteen year old John Grady whom is interested in not only keeping the ranch, but running it himself. The adolescent stage of life in generally considered the pinnacle of social importance in society as adult relationships begin to form and develop. This is a very biased Judgment on the attorneys part based on a very glaring difference between Cole and his mother which is their gender. Mrs. Cole's social obligations appear to him as a legitimate reason for her to back out of the hard work, and presumably things considered â€Å"man's work† ecessary to run the ranch which she had inherited.It appears through his acceptance about Cole's mother and her decision, reaction to Cole's request, and lack of concern for his social needs that the attorney is convinced of his mother's inability to run the ranch without much displeasure because of her gender inferiority. There is no question of the ability and willingness to struggle by both Cole and his grandfather but there is a quick dismissal of the lack of drive and ambition to keep the ranch by the female entity.Such a characteristic of women as playing an inferior role to males is shown elsewhere in the novel. Examples of this ideal being maintained in the story came also in more explicit form. One such an example is in an exchange between Rawlins and Blevins as they discuss the riding skills of Cole. Rawlins is fishing for a positive response from Blevins to support his highly held esteem of Cole so asks he poses a clearly untrue and negative statement that, † suppose I was to tell you he's never been on a horse a girl couldn't ride† (McCarthy 8).This assertion is intended to draw a clear reaction to me being false due to the absurdi ty ot a male, let alone the Jonn Grady Cole, be ot a lesser ability ot riding a horse than a female. The reference to the female gender inferiority in that statement is understood by Blevins despite not being in close relations previously with Rawlins which shows an encompassing ideal that women are inferior to men. The male superiority trope surfaces again later in the novel as Rawlins and Cole come across the ranch which they work for. Rawlins observes the use of female horses as work horses and is surprised by such an act. Well†¦ I can see why theyre hard on a horse. Putting up with them bitches† (McCarthy 102). Rawlins is suggesting by his surprise in the use of female horses to perform work as opposed to males that the females are incapable, whatever the species, of performing the tasks and duties that are expected of and within the ability of a male. Along with their inadequacy he also sympathizes with the ranchers having to deal with the less desirable temperament of he females and promotes the subsequent assertion of physical dominance over the animals do to their supposed inferior gender.Such dominance would be easy to gain due to the lack of supposed equality between rider and horse as the riders are male and therefore more capable according to the ideology. Gender inadequacy is even given as verbally explicit presence in the eyes of the novel as possible when Alfonsa. Her concern for the relationship between Alejandra and Cole rests in the unfair but concrete views o f society on the morals of women compared to that of men â€Å"There is o forgiveness. For women. A man may lose his honor and regain it again. But a woman cannot. She cannot† (McCarthy 137).Alfonsa's extremely blunt but realistic views on how people perceive and forgive actions committed by men and women paints a black and white picture of the glaring inadequacy the novel's ideals carry for gender. Essentially she is saying that males lay above reproach or at least may atone for their sins or supposed sins but females are held to a much harsher standard with a greater punishment in that they cannot regain the positive image society has nitially placed upon them no matter what action that take to rectify simply because of their sex alone.The implicit and roundabout assertion of the attorney to Cole lay the foundation for a very prominent ideal of the story. Female inferiority to males is illustrated explicitly and has no bounds in terms of the realm of inadequacy or even the species as it appears to be universal. Such flaws of women can't even be atoned for in the eyes of the story as forgiveness is only available to those fortunate enough to be seen in society as forgivable because of their superiority.

buy custom Dell Company essay

buy custom Dell Company essay Executive summary Information technology industry is an important industry in economic environment. IT organizations have participated in various planning, and implementation strategies to realize substantial growth in the industry as well as elating the economic environment. This research focuses on analyzing Dell computer corporation Inc as one of the most developed areas on the IT industry. The analysis will focus on the background information of the Dell Corporation through understanding the market trends, and its main competitors using different methods of analysis such as SWOT analysis. The paper will also attempt to evaluate the strategic situations within the Dell Corporation, and how to handle the threats, and opportunities that are found within the organization. The business environment of Dell Corporation will also be analyzed in terms of the organizations strategies towards its functional business corporations at internal levels that give them aggressive benefit over other companies with a like products in the market. At the end, the paper will address challenges that face Dell business strategy, and the possible implementation strategies aimed at revitalizing the business environment. Background Information Dell is an information technology corporation based in Texas. Dell is rated as one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world. The corporation that was founded by Michael Dell in 1984, today, serves the world with a wide range of computer products, and it continues to grow significantly in the world market. Since its inception, Dell has continued to be the most successful company in the IT industry. One of its successful business strategies in the market entry point is the use of direct sale of its products to the customers. The IT services provided by the Dell Inc are incorporated worldwide into technology solutions. Dell Corporation is involved in designing, and developing Smartphones, Laptops, Notebooks, and PCs as well as networking services in the market. Dell also provides security software products, and other computer accessories such as printers, notebooks, keyboards, mouse, and networking systems. Last but not least, Dell Corporation products also constitute financia l services such as collection, and customer receivables related services (Holzner 20). Strategies Dell has played part in both local and international market in order to sell its products. A number of strategies have been employed to counter the stiff competition in the market. These strategies in the marketing sector have involved use of both print and electronic media devices. Another strategy they have employed is lowering the prices o their products, provision of bonus, and shipping of their products. Dell gaming campaigns have also featured in the internet. The marketing strategy has also switched to using various advertising agencies in marketing, for example, promotion of products such as XPS lines have been promoted by the working mother media agency (Hoskisson and Hitt 62). In the competition front, Dell continues to face competition in the market sector from the companies that produce similar products such as IBM (Jay, pg. 144). Dell has been successful in the computer industry as well as information technology industry through offering products that are valued by its customers. The core values of the Dell Corporation is to sell their products directly to the customers in order to get insights into the customers needs, and then provide them with the IT solution that is effective. The consumer chain of the Dell business is portioned into large enterprise, public operations, medium and small business links, and consumers. Dell Corporation is simply committed to maintaining, and managing its business around the globe. (Holzner 65) SWOT analysis of Dell Corporation This section of the report analyses Dell Corporation using SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool. The precinct of the SWOT analysis idea of Dell Corporation is to come up with the valuable understanding of the Dell Corporation, and the relevant implementations to be made in order to add value to the corporation. Dell Inc is analyzed by understanding various issues that are found within the organization entailing the price war in the international markets that is staged by different computer manufacturers, decrease in number of sales, structure of leadership system within the corporation, manufacturer contracting, and market share value. (Cushman and King 102). Dell strength in the market, for example, is encouraged by the production of a strong model that is sold directly to the consumers without involving the chain of cartels. The direct model that is used by the consumers to customize laptops gives the corporation a competitive advantage over other similar products available in the market. The production of direct model into the computing market is derived through the specific needs of the consumers. The release of products such as laptops illustrates increase in market options initiated by the consumers based on performance and portability of the product. Dell Corporation has also regained its strength through cutting out the retail sellers that were initially used as distributors. This has facilitated direct ordering of the products by the consumers direct from industry. The Dell Model has also gained strength in terms of schedules for the delivery of their products to the consumers. The consumerss are able to place their order with th e company, and confirm the receipt of the ordered products within a short period of time. Dell business products meet the demand/needs of the consumers (Holzner 112). Dell major weakness is experienced in terms of how it targets a specific market with some of its products. Educational institutions have been targeted with the products such as laptops. This contributes to insignificant percentage of its sale due to the weak relationship that exists between the corporation and the educational institutions. Home users of Dell products on the other hand are not able to visualize the importance of Dell products. Customization of its products is also a major weakness in Dells product chain. Dell, however, has great opportunities in the external environment. The purchase of personal computers has significantly increased in the computer market. The increased awareness of quality products is also surging in the computing industry. There is also significant improvement in the level of communication and technological development. This has been seen in terms of internet as a purchasing tool as well as where the information can be assessed. The trend seen in the computing industry gives Dell Inc opportunity to grow its business in all segments. The changing business environment poses a great threat to various businesses as well as Dell Corporation. Increased market competition compels Dell Corporation to produce high quality products with low prices. The expediency of the production of these products is also at a stake. Price difference between the products has a smaller margin. Implementation strategies To contain the competition and changing economic environment through maintaining competitive advantage, Dell Computer Inc must adopt various implementation strategies in their policies to keep a breast with its main competitors. The future management of Dell Corporation should focus entirely on sustaining its corporate clients. They should also concentrate on improving storage and server businesses for large companies rather than dealing with small and medium size companies. Conclusion Information technology industry is rapidly changing. Computer industry for example has changed in terms of consumer specific needs. Dell is therefore, compelled to adapt to the dynamics in the economic environment. In order for Dell Company to contain the shift in demand it must be able to take advantage of its strengths, and analyze the weakness points. It must also be able to analyze the opportunities and the threats that exist in the economic environment in order to position itself in a competitive market. Buy custom Dell Company essay

guitar comparison essays

guitar comparison essays To be a musician is to surrender to process, as music is never a thing to be mastered, but rather a universe to be explored. Explore this world every day and your natural talent will find its voice. (Jeff Foster, 1997) Its been said that music is the universal language, and to many, what better way to speak than through the strings of a guitar? From Lead Belly to Led Zeppelin, from Chet Atkins to Carlos Santana, from B.B. King to Les Paul, to Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton , as soloists, part of a band or part of an orchestra, musicians have played guitars for centuries. In todays music world musicians play both electric and acoustic guitars. Which is better? Electric and acoustic guitars can be played in the same manner, but they are very different instruments. Most beginners choose an acoustic guitar over an electric because of its cost and portability. Electric guitars are generally easier to play than acoustics because of their lighter strings. Electric guitars can be played with less effort because the amplifier produces the sound. The guitar itself produces the acoustic guitars sound. Therefore to be louder the musician must play with more effort. Electric guitars are custom to rock music, even though they are played in a lot of todays country groups. Acoustic guitars symbolize country music but are also used by bands that play different types of music. Electric guitars are generally heavier and thinner than acoustic guitars. Electric and acoustic guitars come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Electric guitars range from solid basic black to vibrant spotted color. Acoustic guitars are mostly a naturally finish or sunburst color. Electric guitars cost more than acoustic guitar. The reason is that for an electric guitar to make sound it must be plugged into an amp. An electric guitar starter pack includes an amp, bag, guitar, and cables. An acoustic guitar start...

Preston Brooks Beat Charles Sumner Over Anti-Slavery Speech

Preston Brooks Beat Charles Sumner Over Anti-Slavery Speech In the mid-1850s, the United States was being torn apart over the issue of slavery. The abolitionist movement was becoming increasingly vocal, and enormous controversy focused on whether new states admitted to the Union would allow slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 established the idea that residents of states could decide for themselves the issue of slavery, and that led to violent encounters in Kansas beginning in 1855. Key Takeaways: Sumner Caned in Senate Chamber Senator Sumner of Massachusetts, a prominent abolitionist, was physically attacked by a slave state congressman.Preston Brooks of South Carolina caned Sumner, beating him bloody in the U.S. Senate chamber.Sumner was severely injured, and Brooks was hailed as a hero in the South.The violent incident intensified the split in America as it moved toward the Civil War. While blood was being spilled in Kansas, another violent attack shocked the nation, especially as it took place on the floor of the United States Senate. A pro-slavery member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina strolled into the Senate chamber in the U.S. Capitol and beat an anti-slavery senator from Massachusetts with a wooden cane. Senator Sumner's Fiery Speech On May 19, 1856, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, a prominent voice in the anti-slavery movement, delivered an impassioned speech denouncing the compromises that helped perpetuate slavery and led to the current confrontations in Kansas. Sumner began by denouncing the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the concept of popular sovereignty, in which residents of new states could decide whether to make slavery legal. Continuing his speech the next day, Sumner singled out three men in particular: Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, a major proponent of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Senator James Mason of Virginia, and Senator Andrew Pickens Butler of South Carolina. Butler, who had recently been incapacitated by a stroke and was recuperating in South Carolina, was held to particular ridicule by Sumner. Sumner said that Butler had taken as his mistress â€Å"the harlot, slavery.† Sumner also referred to the South as an immoral place for allowing slavery, and he mocked South Carolina. Listening from the back of the Senate chamber, Stephen Douglas reportedly said, â€Å"that damned fool will get himself killed by some other damned fool.† Sumner’s impassioned case for a free Kansas was met with approval by northern newspapers, but many in Washington criticized the bitter and mocking tone of his speech. A Southern Congressman Took Offense One southerner, Preston Brooks, a member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina, was particularly incensed. Not only had the fiery Sumner ridiculed his home state, but Brooks was the nephew of Andrew Butler, one of Sumners targets. In the mind of Brooks, Sumner had violated some code of honor which should be avenged by fighting a duel. But Brooks felt that Sumner, by attacking Butler when he was home recuperating and not present in the Senate, had shown himself not to be a gentleman deserving of the honor of dueling. Brooks thus reasoned that the proper response was for Sumner to be beaten, with a whip or a cane. On the morning of May 21, Preston Brooks arrived at the Capitol, carrying a walking stick. He hoped to attack Sumner, but could not locate him. The following day, May 22, proved fateful. After trying to find Sumner outside the Capitol, Brooks entered the building and walked into the Senate chamber. Sumner sat at his desk, writing letters. Violence on the Floor of the Senate Brooks hesitated before approaching Sumner, as several women were present in the Senate gallery. After the women left, Brooks walked to Sumner’s desk and reportedly said: â€Å"You have libeled my state and slandered my relation, who is aged and absent. And I feel it to be my duty to punish you.† With that, Brooks struck the seated Sumner across the head with his heavy cane. Sumner, who was quite tall, could not get to his feet as his legs were trapped under his Senate desk, which was bolted to the floor. Brooks continued raining blows with the cane upon Sumner, who tried to fend them off with his arms. Sumner finally was able to break the desk free with his thighs and staggered down the aisle of the Senate. Brooks followed him, breaking the cane over Sumner’s head and continuing to strike him with pieces of the cane. The entire attack probably lasted for a full minute, and left Sumner dazed and bleeding. Carried into a Capitol anteroom, Sumner was attended by a doctor, who administered stitches to close wounds on his head. Brooks was soon arrested on a charge of assault. He was  quickly released on bail. Reaction to the Capitol Attack As might be expected, northern newspapers responded to the violent attack on the Senate floor with horror. An editorial reprinted in the New York Times on May 24, 1856,  proposed sending Tommy Hyer to Congress to represent northern interests. Hyer was a celebrity of the day, the champion bare-knuckles boxer. Southern newspapers published editorials lauding Brooks, claiming that the attack was a justified defense of the South and slavery. Supporters sent Brooks new canes, and Brooks claimed that people wanted pieces of the cane he used to beat Sumner as â€Å"holy relics.† The speech Sumner had given, of course, had been about Kansas. And in Kansas, news of the savage beating on the Senate floor arrived by telegraph and inflamed passions even more. It is believed that abolitionist firebrand John Brown and his supporters were inspired by the beating of Sumner to attack pro-slavery settlers. Preston Brooks was expelled from the House of Representatives, and in the criminal courts, he was fined $300 for assault. He returned to South Carolina, where banquets were held in his honor and more canes were presented to him. The voters returned him to Congress but he died suddenly in a Washington hotel in January 1857, less than a year after he attacked Sumner. Charles Sumner took three years to recover from the beating. During that time, his Senate desk sat empty, a symbol of the acrimonious split in the nation. After returning to his Senate duties Sumner continued his anti-slavery activities. In 1860, he delivered another fiery Senate speech, titled â€Å"The Barbarism of Slavery.† He was again criticized and threatened, but no one resorted to a physical attack on him. Sumner continued his work in the Senate. During the Civil War he was an influential supporter of Abraham Lincoln, and he supported Reconstruction policies following the war. He died in 1874. While the attack on Sumner in May 1856 was shocking, much more violence lay ahead. In 1859 John Brown, who had gained a bloody reputation in Kansas, would attack the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry. And of course, the issue of slavery would only be settled by a very costly Civil War.

Analysis of Art at the Beginning of the 20th Century Assignment

Analysis of Art at the Beginning of the 20th Century - Assignment Example The analytical deconstruction of form began by the artists at the end of the 19th –most notably the cubists century was taken further and forms were exploded or simplified. Artists were searching for a truth beyond a mere visual representation of a scene. Wassily Kandinsky had painted among the German Expressionists and pushed his work to an extreme that could be seen as no longer representational He came back to Russia IN 1914 when the second world war broke out, and later returned to Germany and the Bauhaus when the tension in Russia became too much. In his six-year period, he had a profound influence on Russian modernism, where a certain clean and pared down style came to the fore-a fresh and individual voice encompassed by artists such as Kasimir Malevich and Rodchenko. Form became so minimal that the canvas itself and the negative space took on importance. There was a distinct flattening of form, a move away from texture and simplification. Malevich had created a movement called Suprematism, in which the elements within a work became the most important aspects of the painting. He was clear and logical-his work has the purity of a mathematical equation. His works, Morning in the Village after a Snowstorm1912 and Black Square 1913 show firstly his links to the Russian countryside and his move towards absolute abstraction. The Russian revolution of 1917 meant that Russia was reborn in a sense and was ready to throw off the Rococo finery of the tsars and develop an artistic identity that was representative of the proletariat. This was one point of view apparent in Russia.     

The evolution of Italian Fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The evolution of Italian Fashion - Essay Example The essay "The evolution of Italian Fashion" discovers the evolution of fashion in Italy. Gucci noted that Savoy Hotel customers used quality leather luggage, prepared by European craftsmen. He discovered that the wealthy individuals were obsessed with quality, and never cared much about the cost. Later, Gucci returned to Florence where he worked in an antique store before moving to a leather firm. After the World War I, Gucci began working in a leather firm that manufactured quality leather products. The owner of the firm, Franzi, taught Gucci all the elements of leatherwork, including the tanning processes, selection of hides, and how to work with different kinds of leather. Gucci started his own leather business in Florence in 1921; the store prepared leather for the affluent tourists who visited Florence. Since the business grew the reputation of Gucci, quality luggage started to spread in Europe. By the end of 1923, Gucci gained wide recognition for its distinctive craftsmanship . The dictatorship of Benito Mussolini in 1920s led to harsh sanctions on the country. As a result, Gucci was not able to purchase all leather he needed in his shop. Gucci began designing and making handbags and luggage of both leather and canvas. In his book, Jones notes that affluent customers of Gucci products increased thus enhancing the business in both Florence and Rome. Wallets, belts, and Gucci floral scarf were among the products of Gucci stores. Guccio died in 1953, and immediately, his son Aldo.

Demand and Supply & Perfect Competition Assignment

Demand and Supply & Perfect Competition - Assignment Example The food vending business in Amsterdam is on the rise and is an example of a perfect competitive industry. Several food vendors are under the same roof selling a variety of products ranging from Mumbai street food to hot dogs that are sold in pretzel buns. The idea of the owner of the food vending stalls was to involve original ideas of Amsterdam locals without including common franchisers such as KFC and McDonalds in the industry. It is reported that the food vending hall had only been open for two weeks and buyers had been flocking into it without restriction. The food vending industry in Amsterdam is an almost perfect competition industry. In the article, food vending industry is vast and has diverse products that are supplied every morning to be produced under cheap and affordable circumstances. One of the factors that make street food vending industry a perfect competitive market is the ease in entry into the field. As explained by Draper (1996), most street food vending businesses require small scale operations, use of traditional food processing methods and low capital costs to start. Secondly, there are no set restrictions in order to start selling in the market. As explained by the owner of the food mall, the only restrain was set for food chains such as MacDonald’s but local food vendors were accepted. This restriction denotes that the food vending industry in the food hall was not purely a perfect competitive market. Thirdly, products sold by food vendors are standardised and homogeneous. The sandwiches, soups, hams, burgers, vegetables and other street foods that are sold in the food hall are foods that are known and standard. Therefore, the food products sold from the fresh produce received every morning are standardized and this makes the food vending industry in Amsterdam perfect competition market. The price of the goods cannot be changed by the seller but depend on the availability of

FSA and stiffer penalties to individuals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

FSA and stiffer penalties to individuals - Essay Example FSA also protects consumers by reducing financial crimes in the financial markets (Davidson 2010). In the past few weeks, FSA has imposed heavy penalties on individuals for regulatory breaches. FSA has been much more efficient in ensuring prosecution of individuals who breach regulatory requirements. FSA has implemented a new policy that is aimed at deterring financial crimes through imposing penalties that reflect the magnitude of the regulatory breach, or financial scandal (Pettet 2001). The recent penalties are based on numerous factors including the need to achieve an appropriate deterrence effect and removal of any profits that may have accrued due to the regulatory breach. FSA has also considered the mitigating and aggravating factors and need to apply any settlement discount in imposing the high penalties (Davidson 2010). Main legal aspects of the cases The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and Market Abuse regulations of 2005 mainly deal with insider dealings and market price manipulation misconducts. The offence must occur in the prescribed markets. The prescribed markets include the markets governed by UK recognized investment exchanges (RIE) and other markets in the EEA countries. Some of the financial markets in the UK, where such market abuse occur include ICE futures, London stock exchange and London Metal exchange limited. Other markets include the NYMEX Europe limited and EDX London Ltd (Davidson 2010). The qualifying investments that are governed by FSA market abuse regulations include the transferable securities like shares, securitized debts and bonds that are regulated by the ISD directive. Other securities include the forward interest agreements, currency and interest rate swaps, future contracts and derivative securities. Firms are required to report any suspect dealings and implement adequate internal control and compliance mechanisms (Davidson 2010). FSA has the powers to deal with misconduct that is not necessarily market abuse bu t that breach the guiding principles of FSA. Sections 401 and 402 allow FSA to prosecute various financial markets offenses under the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 and any other relevant legislation (Pettet 2001). Some offenses include offering securities for sale to the public without publishing a prospectus since FSA listing requirements under Section 85(2) require the issuer to provide a prospectus before the actual listing. Section 397 of the Act prohibits firms and individuals from making fraudulent and misleading statements and manipulating the market fundamentals (Pettet 2001). Insider dealing is one of the criminal offenses that have led to high penalties to individuals. Insider trading is a criminal offence if the individual transacts the securities with inside information, or encourages another person to transact in the securities while in possession of inside information that is not available to other market participants (Davidson 2010). If the insider avails information to a market player other than in the ordinary performance of his duties or employment, FSA will consider such act as criminal insider dealing. Section 52(3) outlines that the above offenses are committed when dealing with a security in the regulated market or where transactions of price affected securities are executed by an individual using the inside information or are conducted by a professional intermediary using such inside

Exploring Traditional Thai Shapes, Lines and Curves, and Forms within Literature review

Exploring Traditional Thai Shapes, Lines and Curves, and Forms within the Context of Buddhist Art and Sculpture - Literature review Example Although the study will primarily focus on the Thai frame of mind and its connection to jewelry, the findings will be reflected in diverse social and scientific fields relating to tactility and emotional responses. Main research questions for my project: a) How can different materials, techniques, and designs in jewelry making enhance positive emotional responses? Testing with images of the Thai Sukhothai Buddha statue. Testing with shapes/forms, sizes, finished surfaces, in 2 & 3 dimensions and different colors. Testing with the design of finished pieces, together with and without its functional use within the piece itself. Figure 1 Practical-based research: table shows samples, which will be investigated through these testing b) How can Thai forms in the context of jewelry positively affect the emotions of the user (positive emotion)? â€Å"Positive emotions† are ways that broaden habitual modes of thinking or acting which are represented by various thought-action tendencies from their own well being i.e. to optimize, to play, or to explore and to appreciate. c) To define the relevant terms of understanding the linkages and relationships between Thai artistic experience and jewelry design in a contemporary world. â€Å"Thai artistic experience†: knowledge within the Culture of Thailand in terms of culture and art. ‘Linkage’ in this context implies a situation where one thing affects the other in human interaction platforms such as profession, religion, or social intercourse. 3. Relationship of your proposed research to previous research Please explain how your research will build on or add to previous research and how it will make an original contribution to knowledge. (approx. 500 words) Whereas this research work seeks to establish the relationship between Thai forms/jewelry and positive human emotional response, most of the previous research work has been done on cultural meaning of Thai forms. However, some researchers such as D onald Norman and Professor Semir Zeki have done profound research within the context of my study. Zeki has primarily focused on establishing the neurasthenic effect of forms. Other researchers such as Patry Leidy, Betty Gosling, Promsak Jermsawatd, among others have tried to explore the subject within the historic, contemporary, and cultural context (Gosling, 2004, P.38-44). According to the above stated researchers, among others, Buddhism lays the basis for Thai cultures. Arts of different types act as tools to guide and persuade people to think and take action in a ‘righteous’ way. Therefore, art forms are an obvious tool to teach and direct the way people think. This research involved an experiment on the effect of various forms upon myself and found that indeed, there exist neuro-aesthetic feelings when I engage the meaning of the forms deeply (Jermsawatdi, 1979, P. 59-60). Originality of this work stems from the fact that it portrays combinations of concepts and re lated traditional Thai art components shown through the interplay of shapes that interact with my emotion to being still and at peace. As a jewelry wearer and designer, I am mostly interested in traditional Thai culture and the search for forms, shapes and lines, which will bring positive and better emotions to wearers (Stratton, 2004, P. 38). Resembling to what Donald Norman believes, is that

Fashion Glasses and Contact Lenses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Fashion Glasses and Contact Lenses - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Glasses and Contact Lenses" discovers the Glasses and Contact Lenses in Fashion. Style and fashion is associated with social status, cultural background of people belonging to various social groups. Changes in tastes and fashions call for innovations in design, quality and use of materials that enhance aesthetic values associated with the product. Gasses and contact lenses have evolved into fashion objects and undergone radical changes keeping in tune with the technological developments, though utility value of these products cannot be underestimated. Combination of fashion and utility in fact ensured sustainable growth of the eye glasses as fashion objects of style and fashion in the industry. When people are under compulsion to go for glasses either for vision correction or protection of their eyes, the next logical decision in buying involves proper selection of glasses. This decision is based on several factors which are guided mostly by cultural background of the consumer. But, the important aspects of decision making are style and fashion, keeping in mind the personality and social status of the person. Values are the beliefs or ideals shared by people in a culture which influences a person’s behaviour and attitude. In study of fashion emphasis is on the way in which the objects of fashion such as jewellery, garments and accessories like shoes and glasses acquire meaning in specific historical and cultural contexts. Tilley, C. stated The concept of objectification may be held.

Exploring Traditional Thai Shapes, Lines and Curves, and Forms within Literature review

Exploring Traditional Thai Shapes, Lines and Curves, and Forms within the Context of Buddhist Art and Sculpture - Literature review Example Although the study will primarily focus on the Thai frame of mind and its connection to jewelry, the findings will be reflected in diverse social and scientific fields relating to tactility and emotional responses. Main research questions for my project: a) How can different materials, techniques, and designs in jewelry making enhance positive emotional responses? Testing with images of the Thai Sukhothai Buddha statue. Testing with shapes/forms, sizes, finished surfaces, in 2 & 3 dimensions and different colors. Testing with the design of finished pieces, together with and without its functional use within the piece itself. Figure 1 Practical-based research: table shows samples, which will be investigated through these testing b) How can Thai forms in the context of jewelry positively affect the emotions of the user (positive emotion)? â€Å"Positive emotions† are ways that broaden habitual modes of thinking or acting which are represented by various thought-action tendencies from their own well being i.e. to optimize, to play, or to explore and to appreciate. c) To define the relevant terms of understanding the linkages and relationships between Thai artistic experience and jewelry design in a contemporary world. â€Å"Thai artistic experience†: knowledge within the Culture of Thailand in terms of culture and art. ‘Linkage’ in this context implies a situation where one thing affects the other in human interaction platforms such as profession, religion, or social intercourse. 3. Relationship of your proposed research to previous research Please explain how your research will build on or add to previous research and how it will make an original contribution to knowledge. (approx. 500 words) Whereas this research work seeks to establish the relationship between Thai forms/jewelry and positive human emotional response, most of the previous research work has been done on cultural meaning of Thai forms. However, some researchers such as D onald Norman and Professor Semir Zeki have done profound research within the context of my study. Zeki has primarily focused on establishing the neurasthenic effect of forms. Other researchers such as Patry Leidy, Betty Gosling, Promsak Jermsawatd, among others have tried to explore the subject within the historic, contemporary, and cultural context (Gosling, 2004, P.38-44). According to the above stated researchers, among others, Buddhism lays the basis for Thai cultures. Arts of different types act as tools to guide and persuade people to think and take action in a ‘righteous’ way. Therefore, art forms are an obvious tool to teach and direct the way people think. This research involved an experiment on the effect of various forms upon myself and found that indeed, there exist neuro-aesthetic feelings when I engage the meaning of the forms deeply (Jermsawatdi, 1979, P. 59-60). Originality of this work stems from the fact that it portrays combinations of concepts and re lated traditional Thai art components shown through the interplay of shapes that interact with my emotion to being still and at peace. As a jewelry wearer and designer, I am mostly interested in traditional Thai culture and the search for forms, shapes and lines, which will bring positive and better emotions to wearers (Stratton, 2004, P. 38). Resembling to what Donald Norman believes, is that

Can a Coffee Shop Brand Developed in Kuwait Become Significant in the Dissertation

Can a Coffee Shop Brand Developed in Kuwait Become Significant in the Global Market - Dissertation Example The food and beverage industry is a major contributor towards growth in all the economies and has witnessed a high and consistent growth rate. The industry is expected to generate CAGR of 3.5% to about $7trillion USD by the year end 2014. With respect to structure of the industry it is highly fragmented and the top market players such as Nestle, Unilever, Kraft and others accounts for only 5% of the total value. The economic downturn also had an adverse impact on industries including the food and beverage industry (IMAP, 2010, p. 4). ... Although the coffee shops have been suffering a setback, but the growth in speciality coffee has resulted mainly from three areas which includes home consumption derived from coffee machines which available to the consumers, new product targeting the young generation and through Quick service cafes or restaurants which serves coffee beverages like lattes and cappuccino attracting the young customers. This trend is being accelerated in the current global coffee market giving rise to high number of coffee outlets selling coffee beverages (Guyer, 2009). For the dissertation â€Å"Kings Coffee Co† is chosen which plans to expand its coffee business in the UK market. Kings Coffee Co is a private organisation and can be categorised under coffee both roasted and green and is located in Safat in Kuwait. The coffee shop has been doing well in Kuwait and plans to expand its business and adopt the internationalisation mode of strategy. Before a brand expand itself into foreign countries it is necessary to evaluate the opportunities in the desired target market and the future opportunities. Thus in order to analyse the future opportunity, the UK coffee market has been analysed to determine growth rate of coffee business and establishment of Kuwait coffee brands in the UK coffee market. Kuwait Coffee Market In Asia, particularly Kuwait, which is predominantly inhabited by Arabs, many are fond of coffee and as a result it is possible that a coffee shop built and developed in Kuwait can flourish with ease. In addition, the growing technological market can help in the growth of the coffee shops globally as many can view its profile online and eventually visit the place and feel part of the achievement. This project proposal tries

The amount of energy Essay Example for Free

The amount of energy Essay In this investigation I will be burning alcohols to heat up a can of water. I will be burning four alcohols, methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol. The aim is to find out how much energy is produced when burning these alcohols. Alcohols react with oxygen in the air to form water and carbon dioxide. The reaction that is involved in burning alcohols is exothermic because heat is given out. From this reason the reactant energy is higher than that of the product. The energy is given out when forming the bonds between the new water and carbon dioxide molecules. The amount of energy produced by such exothermic reactions can be calculated by using the formula Mass of the substance x rise in temp x SHC (specific heat capacity). The specific heat capacity is the number of joules required to heat one gram of water by 1 °C. I chose to use water because it is safe, easily found, and has a reliable specific heat capacity of 4.2. I will also need to ensure that I conduct the experiments safely. As alcohols are very dangerous and highly flammable I will wear my safety goggles at all times. I will need to keep all lose items off clothing tucked in. the lids on the alcohols must be kept on at all times to prevent evaporation or any spillages. Prediction I predict that the more bonds there are holding the carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms together, more energy will be required to break them apart. For example Ethanol has the formula C H OH. In this formula you have five C-H bonds, one C-C bond, one C-O bond and one O-H bond. To separate these types of bonds you require a certain amount of energy which I will show in a table. To separate C-H bond you need to apply 410 joules of energy. There are five such bonds in ethanol so you multiply 410 by five to get 2050 joules. You do these calculations for all the other types of bonds that make up ethanol, add them all together and you get 3270 joules. All of the other alcohols can be broken up in this way. Below is a table showing the energy required to break up the bonds in each alcohol. Type of alcohol Energy required to break the bonds in the alcohol (kj) As you can see a longer molecule takes more energy to break its bonds, in this case Butanol. Compared to a smaller molecule, methanol that requires less energy to do so. I can come to predict that the longer the molecular structure in the alcohol the more energy it will take to remove the bonds. So when I come to predicting results I can safely say that Butanol will evolve more energy than methanol simply because it has more bonds to break. Analysing and drawing conclusions I think my results tables and graphs clearly show the pattern that I have found in this experiment. That is that heat combustion does increase when  the amount of carbon atoms increases. I believe that my results do show a positive correlation and do show that the more carbon atoms there are the heat of combustion goes up. Another reason for these results is that the molecular length becomes longer in the bigger molecules increasing the surface area hence allowing more energy to be released. These results do support my initial prediction. After this I can conclude that my initial prediction was actually right but I didnt allow for all of the experimental errors. I conclude that carbon atoms in alcohols do have an effect on the heat of combustion. As the amount of carbon atoms go up the heat of combustion does. This is because everytime you add another carbon atom you are also adding 15 onto the relative atomic mass that plays a big part in calculating the end results. Evaluation Sound and light energy could have been lost into the room. I could have placed heatproof mats around my experimental area, they could not have kept all of the heat in and much of this would have been taken away in the convection currents through the air. The tin that the water was being held in would have used up some of the heat energy to heat itself up. The alcohol containers had varying amounts of alcohol in them to start with along with varying sizes of wicks. This all contributed to the fact that the flame coming from the alcohol was varying in size so was sometimes not even touching the tin can. The room temperature would also have acted as a cooling agent. One of the less important factors could have been if there was a lacking of oxygen leading to incomplete combustion. Then the oxygen molecules would only form with one carbon molecule producing carbon monoxide but I doubt this actually happened. This was a very difficult experiment to conduct in a classroom because there are lots of potential ways of losing heat because everything likes to gain heat energy. I think the thing that hindered our results the most was the fact that gusts of air and convection currents were taking the heat away from the experimental area and there was no way to stop this. Perhaps if I started the experiment below room temperature, so that the amount of gained  energy, from room temperature, might equal the energy lost at temperatures higher than room temperature, then the experiment could produce better results. If there is a limited supply of oxygen then you get carbon monoxide (each carbon atom can only bond with one oxygen atom). This is when incomplete combustion has occurred. This is so because the carbon monoxide could react some more to make carbon dioxide. If the oxygen supply is very limited then you get some atoms of carbon released before they can bond with any oxygen atoms. This is what we call soot. Since heat is given out when bonds form, less energy is given out by incomplete combustion. So this is why it affects the outcome of the experiment. To overcome this problem, I would have to make sure a sufficient supply of oxygen was involved in the reaction.

The Cause of Macbeths Destruction in William Shakespeares Macbeth Ess

The Cause of Macbeth's Destruction in William Shakespeare's Macbeth      Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth was a well-respected man of noble birth, but his fortune was reversed after he turned to darkness. He plummeted endlessly into a chasm of evil until his corrupt life was ended on the edge of Macduff's blade. Whose actions opened up the path of darkness to Macbeth? Whose actions led to Macbeth's demise? The answer is threefold. The weird sisters set Macbeth's fate into motion. Lady Macbeth goaded her husband towards the acts of evil that doomed him. Macbeth himself made the choices that cemented his dreadful end. The weird sisters, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth himself all served to bring about Macbeth's downfall.    The weird sisters where a malevolent trio that were bent on destroying Macbeth. They initiated the series of events that destroyed Macbeth and tormented the land of Scotland. With the prophetic greeting, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter", the weird sisters gave Macbeth the confidence to fulfill his scheme of regicide (Shakespeare 184). Without the sisters' prophecy that his plans would succeed, Macbeth may never had the temerity to assassinate the King of Scotland and force his way to the throne. Without the confirmation of the witches, Macbeth would have remained an honorable thane and would have averted the path of darkness. Besides simply initiating Macbeth's destruction, the weird sisters helped cement it. An apparition summoned by the weird sisters told Macbeth, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute, laugh to scorn / the power of man, for none of woman born / shall harm Macbeth" (Shakespeare 226). This prophecy gave Macbeth a sense of security because all me n are ... ...beth, the weird sisters plotted and initiated the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth helped move along the process of her husband's damnation. The flaw-filled Macbeth chose a path marked with signs of evil, murder, and mayhem. All parties contributed their own integral elements to the downfall of Macbeth. All were partly to blame for the climatic downfall of the treacherous Macbeth. All were responsible for spreading that most ruinous peculiarity known as evil.       Sources Consulted:    Schlegel, August Wilhelm.   Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies . A Course  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Lectures on   Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul  Ã‚   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1987 Wills, Gary. Witches & Jesuits. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.  

Ibsens Roles Essay -- essays research papers

The movement from nineteenth-century Romanticism to twentieth-century Realism in art and literature sought to accurately reflect real life instead of idealizing it. Playwrights all over Europe and America rebelled against the established standards of a "well-made play". They shocked, as well as horrified their audience, by abstaining from writing a resolution, or an "ideal ending" in their plays. These innovators insisted on presenting social issues in a dramatic scenario, and imposed their discussions onto their audience. Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, the "Father of Realism" was one of the main advocates for social revolution. He was notorious for weaving controversial topics into his plays, as well as for including female leads. He knew very well that society’s oppression over women was a prime example of the hamper it placed over every person’s potential. Writing about women allowed him to make a universal call, not only to wo men, but to every sentient being. His plays cried out for the individual’s emancipation. In A Doll’s House , Ibsen portrayed the altruistic nature instilled into women by society, the consequential stunt of their development, and the need for them to find their own voice in a world dominated by men. For ages, society has taught women to set aside their own needs and to focus on those of her husband and children. Women have been forced to be passive, gentle creatures who must also be willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Nora, the protagonist in the play, expresses her intention in protecting her husband at any price, "Torvald, with all his masculine pride--how painfully humiliating for him if he ever found out he was in debt to me." Nora will not admit to Torvald that she has saved his life, for he will most likely acquire an inadequacy complex for his inability to be in control over every aspect of his life. She prefers to be deprived of the credit she deserves than to hurt Torvald’s manly ego. She allows Torvald to treat her like a mischievous little spendthrift although he is not aware that "she had scrimped and skeletonized her own needs so that Helmer and the children had been deprived of nothing" (Salomà ©, 46). Nora has selflessly given up any extra money for herself so that her children ... ...surpass those needed to carry out menial tasks at home. When Torvald calls her a "blind, incompetent child", Nora assertively responds, "I must learn to be competent, Torvald". Because Nora was always submitted herself to Torvald’s expectations, she is not aware of her own capacity. Only by leaving Torvald and her seemingly happy home, will she have enough focus on her own person to discover her own potential for success. The family is a microcosm of society; any problem that can arise within this institution is a direct reflection of a problem faced by society. Ibsen takes advantage of this knowledge and focuses on women and their shackled autonomy. He certainly is a master at presenting us a glimpse of ourselves in our daily life experiences, and leaving us questioning society in the end. By using Nora as the protagonist in A Doll’s House , he shows people that a hint of selfishness is much better than blind altruism, that choosing to reject this knowledge will only be self-destructive to a person, and embracing this knowledge can help one break out of society’s manacles and into a quest for freedom.

Fashion Mirrors Society Essay

One of the most stable industries in the contemporary society is the fashion industry. Fashion, because it manifests and affects every person, is one of the aspects that holds strong influence over the society. As the society undergoes changes, fashion is also subjected to these changes. And as such, there are people who merely abide with the current trends because of the dictates and influence of the mass media. Fashion is a way through which a person expresses his or her identity; as such, it is believed that the clothes that people wear is an extension of their personality. see more:essay on fashion The clothes manifests the people’s values, attitudes and behavior. In school, cliques and groups can be identified by means of their clothes. One can already judge a person’s personality through his or her looks which primarily consists of clothes and other fashion accessories that one wears. Fashion is considered as a phenomenon to dress up oneself; but it is also a reflection of the things that are currently happening in the society because it conforms to the present changes and the behavior of a particular society. It reflects the current popular culture as well as the alterations that are taking place in the society. People try to express their emotions, ideas and principles through various ways. Some people make use of various art forms as their own channel of expression. As individuals pursue alternative ways of expressing themselves, the concept of fashion becomes the best vehicle to bridge this pursuit. Fashion is something that every person has within him or herself. The clothes that people wear say something about themselves, regardless if they are or are not aware of the latest fashion trends. For every human being, it is one’s natural desire to achieve his or her own identity. As such, one would always wish to become a person who could stand out from the rest of the crowd. This goal is the reason behind every person’s fashion statements, especially the youth nowadays. However, the one thing that is certain is that fashion constantly changes. These fashion fads, trends and style undergo various changes over time. As such, the members of the society are constantly bombarded with new and innovative ideas in the world of fashion. Thus, it is a necessity for fashion agents to be always full of creative ideas that they can sell in the market (Alina, 2004). â€Å"Fashion is a means of self-expression that allows people to try on many roles in life. Whether you prefer hip-hop or Chanel-chic, fashion accommodates the chameleon in all of us† (Public Broadcasting Service, n. d. ). As such, fashion does reflect the values within a particular society of culture. It provides a certain non-verbal way of communicating and presenting oneself to the public. It serves as an extension one’s personality and identity. For example, a woman who wears Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent wardrobes and accessories can be perceived as a wealthy, sophisticated woman and a socialite. On the other hand, a man who prefers rugged jeans and tight-fitting shirts would probably be judged as a rough troublemaker. Thus, a person’s unique fashion statement clearly labels his or her personality in the community. As such, the clothes that one wears largely speak of his or her own self. Thus, clothing is indeed a powerful silent communicator. Some people argue that fashion does not depict the reality and may be utilized to conceal the unpleasant attributes of a person. People dress up in order to hide the things that they or other people dislike with them. Fashion may not also always reflect the person’s true identity because it can act as a form of disguise. Rather than speaking of the person’s real identity, people can use fashion to project an image that they want other people to perceive about them. As such, fashion plays an important role in the society and culture. Fashion is the basis or the foundation of everything that people do. In addition, fashion sets the standards of people’s activities. There is appropriate clothing style in every activity that people do; for example, people wear uniforms for their jobs in order to feel comfortable in doing their works. In most time, majority of the members of the society attempt to match their clothing, pets and even the food that they eat to what is considered as fashionable (Book Rags, 2006). Fashion also reflects society; some of the cultural characteristics are seen in the current fashion trends and styles. Fashion is embedded in the society and may be regarded as an important part of a whole. Scholars argue that, â€Å"Fashion does not directly or simplistically reflect the times; the fact that it is always and everywhere situated within a society and culture† (Entwistle, 2000, p. 80). The authors suggest that â€Å"fashion† is a connected concept from â€Å"society†. As such, fashion is directly related to the society because fashion is within the context of the society itself. â€Å"Fashion is embedded within culture and cannot be isolated as an independent variable† (Entwistle, 2000, p. 81). Thus, fashion changes along with the development of one’s society and culture; therefore, it is a part of a society or rather inculcated within it. In history, American garments are much different from today which is because of the fact that natives’ dresses and accessories are part of the culture. Natives and tribes wore beads or animal teeth around their neck as it is part of a certain tradition. Clothes, aside from being a basic necessity of the people, is also an integral part of cultural traditions and practices. Some of the clothes are the traditional clothing of a particular place. Fashion is culturally-initiated and it reflects the lifestyles of the members of the society. Like the bone and teeth that served as the accessories of the native Americans, it also showed how the people before hunt for food which is the main characteristic of their lifestyle. However, fashion or clothing is not an entirely reliable reflection of the society. The fashion statement of a person is an individual decision on how he or she would like to be perceived by others. Thus, the authenticity of this act can be doubted. The reliability of fashion requires the person’s honesty in dressing according to his or her own socio-economic status. Many people do otherwise; indeed, there are people who do not want to reveal their true socio-economic state because of several personal reasons. Nonetheless, according to Virginia Woolf in her novel Orlando, â€Å"it is clothes that wear us and not we them† (ctd. in Ribeiro, 2006, p. 348). Ribeiro (2006) adds in her description that, â€Å"she [Virginia] knew how dress carries within itself its own history of the past and dictates people’s expectations of us as wearers† (p. 348). Evidently, wardrobes have their own history as time progresses. The fact that societies with unstable mobility do have trends with regard to dressing shows that their fashion says a lot about them. It still identifies them as a group because of the uniformity of the way they put on and design their clothes. One of the many examples of how fashion reflects the modern society is in terms of consumerism. Before, people conserve as much it is possible; however, nowadays – just like the ever-changing fashion trends – people also try to change a lot about themselves. Consumerism is the offspring of advertising. Modern advertisements are too successful and effective in their field that they have influenced a great quantity of people to think that some â€Å"unnecessary† products are actually necessary. From a psychological perspective, it is believed that â€Å"[in] a sense, ‘consuming’ fulfills needs that will require other ways of being satisfied in a post-consumer society: the need to belong, the need for variety in life, the need to control your personal environment and your work† (Collis et. al. , 2009). In some countries, groups are identified through their clothes. The members of high-class society is perceived to wear elegant and extravagant clothing combined with various expensive ornaments. On the other hand, the members of the urban poor or those who live in poverty can be identified due to the filthy clothing they wear. People’s basic needs have extended from the concept of physical survival to the expensive concept of narcissism. Social and emotional needs are apparently the reasons why people engage in consumerism. As modern advertising progresses, people are becoming more influenced to consume and buy products that they do not really need. Fashion becomes synonymous to consumerism because as fashion trends change, consumers also avail of more market products to adapt to the change. Fashion is an integral part of society that reflects different principles, ideas and even stature in life. However, it is not a reliable mirror of society because of its ability to conceal the true self of the one who wears it. Moreover, the current fashion trends and styles do not cater for all members of the society. Rather, it caters only to the agents and perpetrators of these fashion trends. People are somehow defined through the clothes they wear; however, their attitude and behavior is still the most reliable source and reflection of one’s personality. References Alina, Y. (2004). Fashion in Modern Society. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from http://nota. triwe. net/teachers/tolstikova/students06. htm Book Rags. (2006). The Importance of Fashion in U. S. Culture. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from http://www. bookrags. com/essay-2006/8/10/234130/814 Collis, C. , Cooper, S. , Fitzgerald, P. , Lawson, J. , Purkiss, J. , Ryan, J. & Thomas, A. (n. d. ). How can we change consumerism?. Never enough anti consumerism campaign: a critical look at consumerism, poverty, and the planet. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from http://www. enough. org. uk/enough08. htm Entwistle, J. (2000). The Fashioned Body: Fashion, Dress and Modern Social Theory. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. Public Broadcasting Service. (n. d). What is Fashion? Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://www. pbs. org/newshour/infocus/fashion/whatisfashion. html Ribeiro, A. (2006). Fashion and Fiction: Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Progressing Through Life

Progressing in life could be one of the most difficult things that a person will have to face during their lifetime. The troubles and problems that they encounter helps them to develop as a person, but also puts them through extraordinary pain. Denis Waitley a man known globally for counselling some of the world's most famous athletes, said a quote that could relate back to developing in life. He said â€Å"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.†In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, developing as a person is portrayed in several different ways through the main character Amir. As a child Amir faced conflict between his father and himself mostly because he was trying to find a way to learn and connect with his father to help him figure out how he wants to live. As he enters his teenage years he experiences evil in this world first hand, something some people will never see. Le arning to control himself and realize how to handle it is a major step for most people.Later when he enters adulthood he begins to take responsibility and puts others ahead of himself. Helping those who cannot help themselves is a considerate and remarkable thing to accomplish in life. During a human’s childhood they face a lot of self realization and this causes most kids to be confused as they are proceeding through the early stages of their lives. Amir's father makes it very challenging for Amir to develop as a child because he does not have very much respect for Amir and does not acknowledge him enough. â€Å"This is grown-ups time.Why don't you go read one of thosebooks of yours? † (Hosseini 3). This quote shows how Amir’s father ignored him like he did not exist. This caused Amir to get very frustrated with his father because all he ever wanted was to be accepted by him. Another point that relates back Baba not loving loving Amir as much as he should, is w hen Baba is talking to Rahim Kahn. They are talking about how Amir never sticks up for himself and Hassan has to do it for him. â€Å"Self defence has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him?Hassan steps in and fends them off. I've seen it with my own eyes. And when they come home, I say to him, † How did Hassan get that scrape on his face? â€Å"†¦ † he fell down† I'm telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy. â€Å"( Hosseini 18). This quote shows us how Baba has very little respect for Amir because he believes that he does not know how to stick up for himself and this causes Baba to ignore him more than he already does. This is not completely Amir’s fault because he has never been taught how to stand up for himself.This is Baba’s job, as a father and role model, to make sure he knows this. There is also a time when Baba tries to reach out to Amir and give him the chanc e to impress Baba but Amir fails to impress him. When Baba puts Amir into soccer, he is hoping that Amir will take an interest in it. Amir likes the idea so he tries it out, but when he does he finds out that he is not good at playing soccer and he cannot get through this athletic challenge. He is unable to keep up and his dad gets frustrated so he takes him out of it and tries to see if watching the soccer will be better for him.For the first few weeks Amir fakes being interested in it and his dad soon catches on that he has no interest in it and wants to give up on him. (Hosseini 15). Amir feels as if he has not inherited any athletic ability from Baba and this makes him feel even more discouraged than he already is. All Amir ever wanted was to get his father’s approval and he fails to do it in almost every situation as a child. As Amir entered his teenage years he faced the evil in the world first hand. Amir witnessed an event that could scar any person for their entire li fe.When Amir saw Hassan get sexually assaulted he did not engage in the situation to try and help his friend Hassan. Amir stood by and watched his best friend surrender to the boys who sexually assaulted him. This situation relates back to the first point in this paragraph because if Baba would have taught Amir how to stick up for himself and his friends, he could have tried to stop or prevent this horrible circumstance. This situation relates to the point because if Amir would have prevented the sexual assault then he would not have felt so guilty and lost his best friend.If this situation never happened it could have change his life completely. After Amir watched his best friend get sexually assaulted, this stalled his growth as a child because he was feeling very guilty and did not know what to do with himself. (Hosseini 61). This is demonstrated during the fight between Amir and Hassan at the pomegranate tree. Amir throws a pomegranate at Hassan trying to get him to throw one ba ck at him because he wants to feel like he is even with Hassan again but Hassan does not react.Instead Hassan smashes one on his forehead to show that he is loyal to Amir and does not want to hurt him like Amir hurt him. (Hosseini 78). These last two examples shows how Amir is developing and maturing as a person because he now knows what he should do in a situation like that if it ever happens again and it also teaches him how he should be loyal to every person you are close to in life. In Amir’s later teenager years his father decides to move to America to get away from all the evil that was starting to happen in Kabul.He thinks that this is a good choice for him and Amir because it will give them the chance to start a new life in a different country. ( Hosseini 93) This is a turning point in Amir's life because he gets a chance to live in a different environment and take all of the knowledge he has gained and apply it to his new life. When Amir enters his adulthood he conti nues to mature and starts to apply everything he has learned through his experiences while growing up as a child and teenager. After Amir finds out that Hassan has passed away, his first instinct is to go and save his son Sohrab.Amir returns back to Kabul and finds out that Sohrab is under the control of the Taliban. As Amir finally finds Sohrab he is faced with the leader of the Taliban which is the man who sexually assaulted Hassan as a child. Amir then sacrifices himself for Sohrab and takes a beating from the leader and escapes with Sohrab later on. (Hosseini 247). This is showing that Amir has figured out that he has to put others before himself sometimes in order to make them happy and do what is right. It is a major step for Amir because he has not done this before.After Amir rescues Sorhab from the Taliban he brings him to a hotel so they can stay together until he brings him back to America. The morning after they settle at the hotel, Sohrab runs away to a Mosque and Amir h ad no idea where he went. Amir then started to panic because he knew that Sohrab was now his responsibility. Amir then asks the man at the front desk several questions until he mentions the Mosque and Amir immediately ran there hoping to find Sohrab. He finds Sohrab there and has a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders because he has found him, and knows that he is okay. (Hosseini 271).As Amir stays with Sohrab he is trying to get the papers which allows him to enter America. When Amir first meets the man trying to help him get Sohrab into America he faces a major issue that becomes an obstacle. The man tells Amir that Sohrab will not be able to leave Kabul until Amir gets proof that he is the uncle of Sohrab. (Hosseini 290). This brave challenge would have been extremely difficult for Amir to handle previously but since he is now very responsible and mentally stronger, he now works hard and does what is necessary to make it possible for Sohrab to come back to America with Amir.Am ir has grown and developed significantly since his childhood and now realizes how he can have in impact on other people’s lives if he really puts his mind to it. Mary Engelbreit once said, â€Å"If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. † Developing in life is a very difficult challenge for most people, but for some it is something that they can do overnight. In this novel it is close to impossible for Amir to develop in the main stages of his life because of the type of person he is.In his childhood he tries to get his fathers approval, but later finds out that it will be a lot more challenging than it may seem. As he enters his teenage years Amir exposed to the worlds evil first hand. He witness' an event that he could have changed but fails to do so because of his lack of knowledge. Then when Amir becomes an adult he finally starts to figure out how to take the responsibility for others and put ot hers in front of himself in order to make them happy. Amir finally develops in life and puts everything that he has learned to the test. Amir has come a long way and now can say that he is a fully developed man.

Environmental analysis Essay

Rivalry Competition in the US video rental industry is fierce. There are actually several different segments of players within the industry, like rentals who establish physical store locations and rentals who serve mail-orders, but these different segments are competing to gain the same market share. Blockbuster reveled that the business actually has a small profit margin, due to the high cost of building and equipment maintenance. Furthermore, the movie rental industry has a stagnant market condition, or in simple words, the market does not reveal any meaningful growth within the years. This means the only way to grow is by taking away a piece of competitors’ market share. Thus, competition is s serious issue for Blockbuster because in one hand, the company cannot afford to loose more market share due to its minimum profit margin, and in the other hand, Blockbuster would also need to experience some kind of revenue growth. Ironically, competitors of Blockbuster also possess the same obsession. As a result, price war is the only way to determine which player would lead the market. Unfortunately, most of the players in the industry has already sustain heavy operational and maintenance that they cannot afford to reduce rental prices. In addition, most of these players have also minimum promotion budget because of the small profit margin. Today, competition industry enters a stage where all the players are stagnant in most of its departments (Brem, 2002). Not all movie rental industry can survive in a long term, especially if the industry is online. With the recent tightening in the market, some executive and investor are challenging Blockbuster.com to show some results: higher revenues, more customers, perhaps even a profit. This is should become tough news for Blockbuster. com who have spent most of their money on expensive advertisements, PR campaigns, or websites that look attractive. The full integration of Blockbuster. com online and in-store programs planned for next year will enable them to provide their customers, young and old, with unmatched convenience, service, selection and value. If a customer is in their store and wants to return a movie they rented online, Blockbuster.com will be able to accommodate them. If a member rents primarily in-store, but wants a hard-to-find title Blockbuster. com does not typically carry in store, they will be able to go online and get it. It is a matter of maximizing convenience and choice (â€Å"About Blockbuster. com†, 2006). Blockbuster has not been watching these developments lazily. It has launched its own online rental service in response to the competition, despite the set-up costs and the fact that it could take revenue away from its retail operation. It has also introduced a number of initiatives, such as a part-exchange deal on VHS tapes, and is currently exploring offering an in-store download service. †¢ Buyer Power Due to the stagnant market and the need for huge economies of scale to reach profit, buyers of the video rental industry has quite an influential power. In a nutshell, by choosing to go to which rentals, buyers will determine which one will reach profit within the financial period and which one will fall below targets. The increasing use of Internet becomes the power of buyers that soon force Blockbuster to provide online services. To change itself from a zone of movie rental store into an â€Å"anywhere-anytime† entertainment destination that eventually will enable customers to rent, buy or trade movies and games, new or used, in-store and online, Blockbuster initiatives to continues their accomplishment as the online rental service company (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). Blockbuster. com becomes the business through information technology (I. T. ) marketing. Because of the online marketing Blockbuster can live and breathe. They can get more competitive, lower their costs, and provide better service through continuous improvement of the I. T. marketing (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). However, as online retail, marketing efforts of Blockbuster. com could be even more effective if they asked the consumer for a dash of personal information. So far, businesses were hoping that personalization technology would serve as the equivalent of a best friend who just happened to have all the same tastes in products and services. More consumers are choosing to rent online, which has no late fees and have the movies mailed to them. It makes Blockbuster. com has increased their membership (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). The only way for movie-rental stores to continue operations is to rise to the challenge and shift their business model to stay practical. To develop a substantial share of the online rental business by the end of next year, Blockbuster. com is providing rental plan and their practical understanding marketing. It should help Blockbuster. com to be more successful in the next period. Movie distributors and the large chains, such as Blockbuster, Inc.directly negotiate revenue-sharing agreements covering most titles distributed by the upstream (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). Personalization and community features are very important. Blockbuster. com should allow film fans to rate films and write reviews to help inform other users. In addition, Blockbuster. com need to have a management team with bags of expertise, which they believe differentiates us from the competition. †¢ Supplier Power Suppliers of the industry generally have little power over the Blockbuster. The prices of inputs are nearly identical for most suppliers and there is no price discrimination because of the widely available substitutes. †¢ Threats of Substitutes The video rental industry is actually facing quite significant threats from various substitutes. Examples of substitutes are: pay-per-view, video-on-demand, streaming on-line videos, etc. All of these alternatives are delivering the same product in a quite similar quality, which means that they contribute notably to the tension within the video rental industry (‘Videotape Rental’, 2004). Barriers of EntryAnalysis of the industry indicated that Blockbuster is actually enjoying significant level of entry barriers. First, as mentioned earlier, the industry generally has a small profit margin, which means that a huge economic of scale is required to create a profitable business. This is caused by the high operational and maintenance costs, profit sharing agreement with studios, etc. Second, Blockbuster enjoyed a positive image due to its long-time presence and its popularity within the US market. Both of these factors ensured the triumph of Blockbuster against any newcomer. Most of these conditions however, are now becoming obsolete. This is true partly due to the presence of internet. As internet shopping becomes more popular, mail-order rentals like Netflix gain notable attention from the market. In addition, Blockbuster made the mistake of not providing enough copies of popular and recent movies, which ultimately get customers to think of going to alternative rentals. Another factor that reduces the entry barrier is the popularity of DCDs over the old VHS which no longer require negotiating revenue gain agreements with studios (Brem, 2002; Wagner, 2003).