Analysis Of Gris Grimly s Frankenstein And My Related Text

Demonstrated through the core text Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein and my related text Shaun Tan’s ‘The Red Tree’, identity is never illustrated as static. But what is identity? Identity is the way that someone sees themselves, or the way that someone perceives others. It is an idea that, in the core text and related text, does not stay the same. Changing identity is a key element in both the graphic novel and picture book, as the characters develop over time and they discover their true selves. In Frankenstein (published in 2013, about a creator of life regretting his decisions) and The Red Tree (published in 2001, about a girl who doesn’t know what she wants to be or do with herself), acceptance of oneself and misunderstanding of what’s around you are both explored in detail. Firstly, acceptance of oneself is displayed in Frankenstein and The Red Tree. Understanding your identity helps to gain confidence and reassurance in yourself. A vital part of someone’s identity is not only to understand it, but to accept it, and know who you really are. In Frankenstein, this is shown as having the strongest effect on Victor’s creation, or the ‘monster’. The creation finds itself misunderstood by everyone around it (even the creator himself) for the haggard appearance it presents, while his true intentions are different. He only looks for a friend, or a mate – and when he is denied, he retaliates, through the deaths of Victor’s loved or close ones. On pages 86 to 114 of volume 2, a series

Tesco Financial Report and Analysis - 2683 Words

Introduction After the end of every year, major companies produce an annual report to show shareholders or poteintial investors their performers for the year. Throught this report, the company is able to plan and set goals for the next trading year. Therfore, allowing them to identify their weakness and streanght. The purpose of this report is to analyse Tesco’s annual report. The reoprt consist of a sypnosis of Tescos, describing what it does where it does it, how many people it employs and whether it is growing or declining. It also consist of the main accounting policies used by the company; analyses of its financial performance for four years. It also shows the ratios for the performance analyses. Findings 1 Sypnosis†¦show more content†¦Tesco’s financial year represents the 52 weeks that ended 27 February 2007, which is prior to 53 weeks that ended 28 February 2009. In accordance with the International Financial Standards (FRS) were the consolidated financial statements prepared. The statements were also prepared in agreement with the Financial Reporting Interpretation Committee (IFRIC). 2.1 Basis of preparation The financial statements are presented in Pounds Sterling, generally rounded to nearest million, which are prepared on the historical basis, exempting certain financial instruments such as share-based payments, customer loyalty programmes and pensions that have been measured to fair valued. 2.2 Basis of consolidation/association Tesco PLC works in association with other groups, and the group financial statements consist of the financial statements of Tesco PLC (the ultimate Parent Company) and the Group’s share of its interest I joint ventures and associates. Also, where necessary, changes are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates to bring accounting policies used into line with those of the Group. 2.3 Use of assumptions and estimates Managements are required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies; assets, liabilities, income and expenses in order to prepare consolidated financial statements. These assumptions and estimates are critical and they are made inShow MoreRelatedIntroduction to J. Sainsbury Plc910 Words   |  4 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Company analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comparative analysis   Ã‚     Ã‚  Financial Ratio Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gearing/Financial Risk   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evaluation of Financial Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction The objective of financial reporting/statements is to provide information about the reporting entity’s financial performance and financial position that is useful to a wide range of users for assessing the stewardship of the entity’s management and for making economic decisions. This is a report on the operations of J. SainsburyRead MoreTesco PLC: A Business Overview1473 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 02 Historical Share Price of Tesco†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 02 Performance Analysis of Tesco†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 03 Capital Structure of Tesco Plc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦05 Corporate governance of Tesco†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 06 Corporate social responsibility†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..06 Trend and new stories about Tesco Plc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.07 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦07 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦08 Introduction: Tesco Plc, the worlds fourth largest and EuropeRead MoreA Report On Tesco Plc1711 Words   |  7 Pages1.0 Introduction The purpose of this report is to applies financial ratios analysis indicators in specific to analysis ,comparisons and evaluation of annual report of Tesco PLC and Wm Morrison supermarket PLC .It will be focus on following respects (1)Comparing Tesco PLC and Morrison PLC between 2013 and 2014 respectively. (2) Comparing Tesco PLC and Morrison PLC in 2014. 2 .0 Three limitations of ratio analysis (1)Although Tesco and Morrison operates in similar sectors ,but it is impossibleRead MoreSwot Analysis : Tesco s Cut Throat Competition 1649 Words   |  7 Pagesover 30 years, Tesco remains one of the biggest retailers worldwide. However Tesco has suffered a dramatic decrease in its market share and profits (Ruddick, 2015). To avoid this, SWOT and PESTLE analysis needs to be constantly updated (Marcousà © et al. 2003: 61). According to Marcousà © et al. (2003:61) a SWOT analysis â€Å"identifies internal strengths and weaknesses of the business, and highlights the external opportunities and threats†. Mullins and Christy (2013:91) state, â€Å"PESTLE analysis is a techniqueRead More(a) Threat of New Entrants and Substitutes for Tesco1258 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: This individual assignment will be assessed by means of a 3,500  ± 10% word Report. The assignment has been designed to allow you to develop and use your knowledge and skills in understanding key strategic issues relating to food retail internationalisation. You will be required to apply the strategic concepts and analytical techniques studied in this module. All the learning outcomes below will be assessed: 1. Demonstrate critical understanding and application of relevant theoriesRead MoreFinancial Analysis Of Tesco Plc1693 Words   |  7 Pagesassignment is to do analysis of financial statements. This part will focus on the financial analysis based on last three year’s financial statement plus analysis of company’s place within the industry sector. The chosen company is Tesco Plc., which is a public limited company. Hence, this part of assignment will give analysis of financial statement of Tesco Plc. and analysis of Tesco will be done in comparison with the retail industry. Discussion Financial analysis of Tesco Plc. A financial statementRead MoreFinancial Analysis Of Tesco Plc959 Words   |  4 Pagesto do analysis of financial statements. This part will focus on the financial analysis based on last three year’s financial statement plus analysis of the company’s place within the industry sector. The chosen company is Tesco Plc., which is a public limited company. Hence, this part of the assignment will give an analysis of financial statement of Tesco Plc. and analysis of Tesco will be done in comparison with the retail industry. Discussion Financial analysis of Tesco Plc. A financial statementRead MoreTesco Strategic Options948 Words   |  4 PagesTesco Strategic Options Expansion Tesco has already established in UK, Europe, Asia and USA and has 6531 stores globally. Tesco continues to open into further new markets in order to increase its market share and market growth. Diversification This is a most risky strategy as organisation enters into new market where it has no information available or less experience. The risk could be failure of acceptance of products by consumers not making enough sales. Tesco has diversified its marketRead MoreAccounting And Finance For Decision Makers1063 Words   |  5 PagesRoshan Student ID: 1419290 Contents Introduction: This report of Sainsbury is based upon the financial statement which represents a clear record or data dealing with the financial activities of Sainsbury. These reports quantify the monetary supremacy, efficiency and liquidity assets of a business. This report incorporates the working capital, capital structure and account. A monetary articulation are extra explanations that help clarifyRead MoreData and Technology in Business1053 Words   |  4 Pagesactivities (management) are related to collection, storage, and analysis and interpreting data. The purpose of data collection is to get hold of information and to continuously record and to make decisions on key issues. Data collection is the storage of data and prepare for the future process. Moreover, every piece information is a valuable resource in business, such as cost of production, share prices and exchange rates, company reports and market research. The information (data) is mostly collected

Chapter Practice Free Essays

Question Answer the trend towards worldwide markets makes it easier to predict where competitors will spring up. true or false? false because many countries are investing in countries other than their own, each country is becoming more autonomous and independent. true or false? false an advantage of international expansion is that competition within foreign countries is generally very similar to that of the US. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter Practice or any similar topic only for you Order Now true or false? false In michael porter’s â€Å"diamond of competitive advantage† there are 4 broad attributes that, as a system, constitute a nation’s competitiveness in an industry. true or false? true the factor endowments of a country are inherited and cannot be created. true or false? false with regard to factor conditions the pool of resources that a firm has is much more important than the speed and efficiency with which these resources are deployed. true or false? false demanding domestic consumers tend to push firms to move ahead of companies in other countries where consumers are less demanding and more complacent. true or false? true high levels of environmental awareness in Denmark have led to a decline in Denmark’s industrial competitiveness in the international marketplace. true or false? false countries with a strong supplier base benefit by adding efficiency to upstream activities. true or false? true typically, intense rivalry in domestic markets does not force firms to look outside their national boundaries for new markets. true or false? false many international firms are increasing their efforts to market their products and services to countries such as India and China as the ranks of their middle class continue to increase. true or false? true international expansion can extend the life cycle of a product that is in its maturity stage in a firm’s home country. true or false? true an advantage of international expansion is that it can enable a firm to optimize the location of every activity in its value chain. true or false? true the laws, and the enforcement of laws, associated with the protection of intellectual property rights, represent a significant currency and management risk to multinational firms. true or false? false differences in foreign markets such as culture, language, and customs can represent significant management risks when firms enter foreign markets. true or false? true offshoring takes place when a firm decides to shift an activity that they were previously performing in a domestic location to a foreign location. true or false? true 2 opposing pressures that managers face when they compete in foreign markets are cost reduction and adaption to local markets. true or false? true theodore levitt has argued that people around the world are willing to sacrifice preferences in product features, functions, and design if they are offered lower prices and high quality. true or false? true among theordore levitt’s assumptions that would favor a global strategy is that consumers around the world are becoming less price sensitive. true or false? false within a worldwide market, the most effective strategies are neither purely multidomestic nor purely global. true or false? true industries in which proportionally more value is added in upstream activities are more likely to benefit from a global strategy than those in which more value is added downstream. true or false? true in a global strategy a firm operates all its businesses under a single common strategy regardless of location. true or false? true a multidomestic strategy is the most appropriate strategy for international operations because it drives economies of scale as far as possible and provides a middle of the road product appealing to the largest number of consumers in every market. t or f? false the need to attain economies of scale encourages multinational firms to operate under a multidomestic strategy. true or false? false corporations with multiple foreign operations that act very independently of one another are following a multidomestic strategy. true or false? true a multidomestic strategy would likely include the use of high volume, centralized production facilities to maximize economies of scale. true or false? false a limitation of a multidomestic strategy is that it may lead to overadaptation as conditions change. true or false? true multinational firms following a transnational strategy strive to optimize the tradeoffs associated with efficiency, local adaptation, and learning. true or false? true a key tenet of transnational strategy is improved adaptation to all competitive situations as well as flexibility by capitalizing on communication and knowledge flows throughout the organization. true or false true according to studies by Rugman and Verbeke, most of the world’s 500 firms are global- not regional or biregional. true or false? false a franchise generally expires after a few years whereas a license is designed to last into perpetuity. true or false? false typically joint ventures involve less control and risk than franchising. true or false? false typically the best method of entry into a foreign market is the establishment of a wholly owned foreign subsidiary so that the parent organization can maintain a high level of control. true or false? false a major trend in international developments include: greater international trade and operations, growing recognition of an international managerial perspective, a large increase in international investment the reasons that explain why some governments make better use of the inflows from foreign investment and know how than others include: governmental practices that are business friendly, local entrepreneurs that can train workers and invest in modern technology, sound management of broader economic factors such as interest rates and inflation according to michael porter’s framework all of these factors affect a nation’s competitiveness factor conditions, demand characteristics, related and supported industries rivalry is intense in nations with conditions of ____ consumer demand, _____ supplier bases, and _____ new entrant potential from related industries strong, strong, high according to michael porter, firms that have experienced intense domestic competition are: more likely to design strategies and structures that allow them to successfully compete abroad. all of these factors have made India’s software services industry extremely competitive on a global scale large pool of skilled workers, large network of public and private educational institutions, large, growing market and sophisticated customers advantages of global diversification firm not being solely dependent on domestic market, firm with large margins at home helping subsidize its operations in other nations, potential to lower costs of operation even if the primary market is at home optimizing the location of every activity in the value chain can yield all of these strategic advantages performance enhancements, cost reduction, extending the life cycle of the product or service Microsoft decided to establish a corporate research laboratory in Cambridge, England to access the outstanding technical and professional talent available there so that they can attain world class excellence in selected value creating activities the sale of boeing’s commercial aircraft and microsoft’s operating systems in many countries enable these companies to benefit from: economies of scale Many US multinational companies set up maquiladora operations south of the US-Mexico border primarily to take advantage of the low cost of labor appreciation of the US dollar will have this impact on McDonalds lower profits, because foreign profits will be reduced when measured in dollars This occurs when a firm decides to utilize other firms to perform value-creating activities that were previously performed in house outsourcing what is one of Theodore Levitt’s assumptions supporting a pure global strategy? MNCs can compete with aggressive pricing on low cost products that meet the common needs of global consumers pressures to reduce costs require that a company must pursue what is economically beneficial to the company including maximizing economies of scale and learning curve effects Low pressure for local adaptation combined with low pressure for lower costs would suggest what type of strategy? international High pressure for local adaptation combined with low pressure for lower costs would suggest what type of international strategy? multidomestic Software Tech Inc. a company in the computer software industry, invests heavily in RD and product design. Thus, most of its value is added upstream Industries in which proportionally more value is added in _____ activities are more likely to benefit from a ______ strategy. upstream, global What types of international firms are most likely to benefit from a global strategy as opposed to a multidomestic strategy? firms in industries that have much value added in research and design or manufacturing Recent trends that might lead to managers of multinational corporations to adopt a more decentralized strategy for their operations would include consumers are the world are increasingly willing to trade off idiosyncratic preferences in product features for lower price, flexible mftg trends have allowed a decline in the min volume required to reach acceptable levels of production efficiency Firms following a global strategy strive to offer ______ products and services as well as locate manufacturing, RD, and marketing activities in ______ locations. standardized, few Gillete’s worldwide success with its Sensor razor demonstrates that a global marketing effort can sometimes be successful as in the case of Siebel systems, elements of a global strategy may facilitate the competitive advantage of differentiation by the creation of a world wide network to achieve consistent service regardless of location. risks associated with global strategy firm with only one mfg location must export its product, geographic concentration of any activity may also tend to isolate that activity from the target market, concentrating an activity in a single location makes the firm dependent on that location limitations of global strategy: limited ability to adapt to local markets, concentration of activities may increase dependence on single facility, single locations may lead to higher tariffs and transportation costs Elements of a multidomestic strategy may facilitate the competitive advantage of cost leadership by decreased shipping and transportation costs inherent in local production limitations of a multidomestic strategy less ability to realize cost savings through scale economies, greater difficulty in transferring knowledge across countries, may lead to overadpatation as conditions change high pressure for local adaptation combined with high pressure for lower costs would suggest what type of international strategy? transnational Units coordinate their activities with headquarters and one another, units adapt to special circumstances only the face, and the entire org draws upon relevant corporate resources. These are attributes of: transnational strategy What is a disadvantage of a transnational strategy? unique managerial challenges in fostering knowledge transfer in order to realize the strongest competitive advantage, firms engaged in worldwide competition must pursue a strategy that combines the uniformity of a global strategy and the specificity of a multidomestic strategy in order to achieve optimal results According to studies by Rugman and Verbeke, approx how many of the world’s largest 500 firms are global, that is, they have at least 20% of their total revenues each in North America, Asia, and Europe? 10 What describes the most typical order of entry into foreign markets? exporting, licensing, franchising, joint venture, and wholly owned subsidiary a domestic corporation considering expanding into international markets for the first time will typically consider implementing a low risk/low control strategy such as exporting The form of entry strategy into operations that offers the lowest level of control would be: exporting Fees that a multinational receives from a foreign licensee in return for its use of intellectual property are usually called royalties the difference between a franchise and licensing contract is that a franchise contract is more specific and longer in duration _________ entails the creation of a third party legal entity; whereas _______ do not. joint ventures, strategic alliances a business in which a multinational company owns 100% of the stock wholly owned subsidiary This is most appropriate where a firm already has the appropriate knowledge and capabilities that it can leverage rather easily through multiple locations in many countries wholly owned subsidiaries How to cite Chapter Practice, Papers

Gatsby and the Complexity of the American Dream free essay sample

The Great Gatsby is an exploration of the American dream in modern society, in which money and prosperity are significant factors and it may not be as simple as you think; and the movie Citizen Kane is another example of the complex issues relating to the American dream. First, we will explore the American dream, in which it is to make a great deal of money because it provides for a comfortable living, and characters in the novel reflect upon this very ideal. Second, achieving the American dream of wealth is perceived to bring happiness, but that is not always the case as will examine the dream relating to the characters in the novel. Third, we will explore the American dream of Jay Gatsby in comparison to Charles Foster Kane in the movie Citizen Kane, and how they approached life differently, but both ended up with similar outcomes. FIRST, the American dream is the desire to acquire an enormous amount of fortune through the opportunities in the United States; however, to some people, the American dreams are the finer things in life other than money, such as freedom, family, health, love, and happiness. According to the novel, wealth is the central theme of the story. Most of the characters seem to revolve themselves around money one way or another. Money is important to sustain a normal lifestyle, the opportunity of working hard to earn a living, and having a representative democracy is what I believe to be the American dream. The American dream is the opportunity to make a large sum of money, in which it would provide financial security. It would change your social status; all of a suddenly, you belong with a different crowd of people in the upper echelons, an entirely different playing field. It is also the ability to attain material goods through the measure of wealth and success. The United States is a place where opportunities are available to all individuals, regardless of your social status or racial background; the land of the free, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Here are several examples of people with different social status and racial backgrounds who are living the American dream: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Colin Powell, Jackie Chan, and Jennifer Lopez. It is rare to find people with different racial backgrounds in other countries to have the amount of wealth as the people in the United States. The vast array of resources makes this place known as the land of opportunity. The American dream, however, is not necessarily all about wealth to some people. Wealth may not necessarily bring happiness to everybody. There are many more important things to life than revolving yourself around money all the time. Some people feel that living in a democratic society with the freedom of political representation is the American dream, because there are many countries in this world that still holds a repressed society. It could also be about earning a decent living, not necessarily a lot of money, but enough, and the well being of family members. In other words, the American dream could be having a stable income enough to be satisfactory, while maintaining a loving and healthy family. There is an old saying that money cannot buy happiness. The American dream, according to the novel, portrays that money is above all things, and Fitzgerald stresses the importance of money throughout the story because money seems to be the root of all causes. It also explores the different levels of the social class, from royalty to peasants. It seems as though money builds confidence, according to the novel, in which you are perceived to be a ‘nobody’ in society without wealth and status. It seems to be about what you own and who you know. To have money is to have power and access to happiness. For example, Gatsby insisted on showing Daisy his house when they first reunited. He said to her, â€Å"My house looks well, doesn’t it? See how the whole front of it catches the light. † (pg. 95, 8-9) Gatsby is blatantly and intentionally showing off his wealth to Daisy, and she fell for it. If Gatsby did not have the wealth, Daisy would have never given him the time of the day that she has. By having money, it changes your entire life, social status, and the ability to have almost anything you want. Gatsby throws weekly parties at his house with spectacular decorations, entertainments, and world class cuisines. People don’t even know who Gatsby is, but they attend his parties because of the apparent wealth this man has to show. Everybody wants to be apart of the popular and wealthy crowd. He wanted to be accepted into the high society and these parties are a way to build his status. As shallow as it sounds, the novel seems to talk about people judging a book by its cover. In other words, the American dream to the characters in the novel is how wealthy and how much money one has. The characters in the novel reflect the very ideal of what most people perceives as the American dream, and that is the amount of money that one has. Jay Gatsby is a man who grew up with no money, but gained an enormous amount of wealth. He accomplished what most people dream of having, a life of luxury, but his only draw back is that he thought money can buy happiness. Tom Buchanan grew up with money and is a pretentious rich boy. He is living the American dream of wealth and fortune. It is his money that attracts women to his side, such as his wife Daisy and his mistress Myrtle. Tom can get almost anything he wants simply because he has money. Without it, I doubt his wife and mistress would stick around. Daisy Buchanan also grew up with money and her social status is important to her. Even though she loved Gatsby, she could not compromise her social status to marry a poor boy who suddenly became rich. She rather stays with a man who has wealth his entire life because ‘old money’ is considered a higher class than ‘new money’. Myrtle Wilson is a lady who loves to live a life of luxury, but she married a guy who cannot afford the lifestyle that she wants. She thought the man she married had money, but found out later he had to borrow a suit for their marriage. She became infatuated with Tom Buchanan simply because of his wealth and how he can offer her a chance to live the American dreams. She had mentioned to Catherine at a party with Tom â€Å"I married him because I thought he was a gentleman. I thought he knew something about breeding but he wasn’t fit t lick my shoes†, referring to her husband as being poor who doesn’t even deserve to lick her shoes (pg. 39, 8-10). This woman is all about the money. George Wilson and Nick Carraway, on the other hand, are different than the other characters. They are not as money crazy. George is a hard working man who runs a gas station and trying to provide for his family. Money doesn’t seem as important as long as he and his wife are happy. Carraway has a stable desk job and a decent place to live. To some people, that is the American dream. The American dream is about golden opportunities to make a large sum of money, but to some people money is just a form of survival. Others perceive the American dream as a lifestyle of freedom, freedom from a repressed society. The novel displays that social status is very important, which ultimately goes back to having money. To the characters in the novel, the American dream is that money is the most important factor to life, with a couple of exceptions who sees money as not important as the other characters make of it. Money is important, but the American dream is not necessarily about wealth all the time. There are other important factors to life other than acquiring a large amount of money. Making a large sum of money would solve many financial burdens, but it may not resolve the intangible problems, such as love and happiness. SECOND, as we mentioned earlier, the American dream is the chance to make a great deal of money, which is perceived to bring happiness; but wealth and happiness does not always go hand in hand, it can also lead to other problems, such as distress and loneliness. Having money can be a good thing, but it is also the root of most causes. We will examine the consequences of the American Dream on the characters in the novel; Jay Gatsby has wealth, but he wasn’t able to reach the happiness he desired. Daisy Buchanan was born wealthy, and in the end she chose money over love and happiness. Nick Carraway was not wealthy, but he was happy with his life. When there is money involved, it comes with many non financial problems. A consequence of the American dream on the character Gatsby was that he built a tremendous amount of wealth for himself in a short period of time, but his wealth indirectly killed him. It began with him trying to buy happiness with his fortune. As soon as Gatsby became rich, he started planning for his happiness, which is to rekindle his love with his former girlfriend, Daisy Buchanan. He utilized his wealth to throw fancy parties that cost a fortune only to gain social status and be accepted in high society, at the same time strategizing to get reacquainted with Daisy. When Gatsby saw Daisy for the first time since their adolescent years, he was already showing off his wealth and status to her hoping that his fortune would attract her back to his side. Wealth is only important to Gatsby because it gives him status in society, which he needs to get Daisy back. By buying his way into the upper class, he thought it would bring happiness to him simply because his status was comparable to Daisy. When Daisy chose his husband over Gatsby, suddenly Gatsby’s money became powerless because money could not buy him the love that he wanted. In the end, it was love that Gatsby was searching for and his wealth cost him his life. His expensive car was easily identified as the car that ran over Myrtle Wilson after Gatsby had a furious feud with Tom and Dasiy. When Myrtle (Tom Buchanan’s secret affair) saw the fancy car approaching the gas station owned by her husband George Wilson, and while assuming it was Tom’s car, she ran out to the streets thinking that it was Tom going to take her away. She was run over by the car and died. Gatsby was blamed for her death. Therefore, George wanted to avenge the death of his wife, so he shot Gatsby in the pool of his backyard. The point being is, Gatsby’s wealth indirectly killed him rather than giving him the happiness he was searching for. Another consequence of the American dream on the character Daisy was that she was born to wealth, and money seems to be her first priority, above love and happiness. She married Tom Buchanan, who also grew up with money. They shared a very similar background, both rich with upper class status. Daisy was in love with her ex-boyfriend Gatsby, but she was also attracted to Tom’s wealth and status in society. He bought her a very expensive jewelry when he proposed. To her, money and status were above the love she had for Gatsby. Gatsby grew up poor and Daisy could never bring herself to marry someone with a social status below her. She would compromise love for money and status, something in which her husband has an advantage over Gatsby. Tom was not a one lady man; he cheats on Daisy behind her back. Daisy was not completely innocent herself; she would secretively have meetings with Gatsby behind Tom’s back. Daisy was aware that Tom was having an affair, yet she could tolerate it. Daisy also knew that Gatsby would do anything for her, yet she was not satisfied because of his upbringing. In the end, she chose Tom over Gatsby simply because Gatsby was considered new money, while Tom was considered old money. â€Å"She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby-nothing†. (pg. 156 28-30, pg. 157 1) She was a careless and uncaring person, in which money was the guidance of her life. She was selfish and doesn’t care about other people’s feelings, simply because she knew she had the wealth to back it up, so she could act however she pleases, like a spoiled brat. So, the American dream of Money once again proves that having a large sum of money is not necessarily a good thing, because having money doesn’t give you the power to hurt other people. A third consequence of the American dream on the character Carraway was that he valued money because he knew the true value of a dollar. Money was never handed to him, unlike the other characters, such as Tom and Daisy. He was brought up with the importance of hard earned money through examples oh his parents, and he is someone who practices the same ideals, yet he was fascinated with the lifestyle of Gatsby who spent money like it grows on trees. Carraway liked how Gatsby can make you feel like you are the center of attention. He is very observant of Gatsby, â€Å"On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus bearing parties to and from the city†¦.. Every Friday, five crates of oranges and lemons arrive from fruiterer in New York†¦. † (pg. 43 8-19, pg. 44 1-12) He would love a lifestyle of the rich, but he realized he was content with his life. He knew what it was like to rise and fall back down. Therefore, he was not as money crazy. Carraway was not rich, but his lifestyle was certainly not too shabby. Although he was surrounded by wealth and money from relatives and friends, he seemed to have a solid head on his shoulders. He experienced and became a spectator of how wealth can be the root of all evil. He saw what had happened to Gatsby in search of his love by utilizing his wealth. He learned that money cannot buy love and many other things. He saw what money can do to a person and marriage, that was with selfishness and betrayals between his cousin Daisy and Tom. They both had affairs behind one another. Even though Carraway has wealthy friends, he doesn’t get too caught up in the getting rich scheme. He kept it simple, he dated, he had a decent career, and he had a decent place to live with an ocean view. His simple lifestyle seems far less complicated than the lifestyle of the wealthy people. Carraway learned that money is great, but money cannot buy love, happiness, and many other things. So, according to the American dream, money brings happiness, but one can be happy without the need to be extremely wealthy. Many people want to live the American dream of wealth and riches, but they don’t realize that it may not necessarily bring happiness into their lives; it could potentially turn out to be lonely. Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom had money, but they were not able to live the happiest life. Carraway, on the other hand, was not rich, but he was happy with his life. So, to say that living the American dream of wealth and money would bring happiness may not necessarily be true because happiness is a problem that money may not be able to solve. The novel of The Great Gatsby and the movie Citizen Kane share a common bond of what it is like to live the American dream. THIRD, Gatsby and Kane were a mere reflection of each other in several ways, in which they both lived the American dream, and finding out in the end that it is not as pleasant as originally thought; but the way they got their was quite different. Living the American dream of money and power were of importance to both Gatsby and Kane because it brought superiority, in which it was the access to everything in life, but also lead to unhappiness. They were both unsuccessful with their love lives because they neglected to think that money may not have been able to buy love and happiness. Gatsby and Kane were trapped in a place with the idealistic view that money could buy everything and disillusioned that money could buy the intangible things as well. Let us explore the comparison of Gatsby and Kane. Gatsby and Kane both viewed money and power as an important part of their lives because they could utilize the money and power for their own personal gain. They were both born to struggling parents, but were able to fulfill the American dream of wealth and luxury. The difference is that money was important to Gatsby because it upgraded his social status in society, which was the only way for him to get the attention of the love of his life; otherwise, money would not be important to him at all. As we mentioned earlier, money is the root of all causes, thus money caused Gatsby his life. He could have been able to live a full life if it wasn’t for money. On the other hand, money is important to Kane, but for a different reason. Kane was a pleasant young man, with great aspiration to run a successful newspaper business. He worked hard and aimed high to succeed in that industry. His urge of wanting money and power side tracked him for selfish reasons; hence the scene of which there were dancers and he was the center of attention with a feeling of superiority; this was the beginning of his greed. All of a sudden, he viewed money as the single most important goal: Here is a dialogue of Kane commanding his employees to follow his orders: Charles: Now look, Mr. Carter, heres a front-page story in the Chronicle about a Mrs. Harry Silverstone in Brooklyn whos missing. Now, shes probably murdered. Heres a picture of her in the Chronicle. Why isnt there something about it in the Inquirer? Carter: Cause were running a newspaper. Carter: Theres no proof that that woman is murdered, or even that shes dead Its not our function to report the gossip of housewives. If we were interested in that kind of thing, Mr. Kane, we could fill the paper twice over daily. Charles: Mr. Carter, thats the kind of thing we are going to be interested in, from now on. (Citizen Kane) This sounds like a decent man turned into a tyrant because of money. Even though money did not cost Kane his life, there was nothing meaningful about it. He had no true friends and family to spend his life with because of his greed with money and power. Gatsby and Kane, although rich and powerful in the American way, were unsuccessful with love and happiness. Gatsby was unsuccessful with love because he did not achieve what he set forth to accomplish, which was to be with the love of his life, Daisy. Gatsby did everything in his power to be with Daisy. He treated her with the utmost respect, putting her as the number one priority in his decision making. He catered to her every whim. In the novel, Gatsby fired all his servants: â€Å"My Finn informed me that Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 120, 20; pg. 121, 1-2) Gatsby fired all his servants for the sake of Daisy because he feared that people would see her leaving his house and would give her trouble. Despite his gentlemanly efforts, Daisy chose another man in the end. On the other hand, Kane was also unsuccessful with love because the two marriages he was involved in fell apart. He cheated on his first wife, and drove his second wife away. He was too self-centered, wanting everything his way or no way. In a relationship there should be compromises, but Kane offered nothing remotely close to a compromise. His actions signified that if you have money, your words were final; thus, the words from Kane himself, â€Å"People will think what I tell them to think†. (Citizen Kane) He assumed that by having money and power, love was inevitable; but he was very wrong. Money cannot buy friendship, romance and happiness. Kane’s last word before his death was â€Å"Rosebud†. (Citizens Kane) Not a single person could explain the meaning of this word, even those who thought they knew Kane well. This indicated that he had no family and true friends that eventually lead Kane to a lonely death. Gatsby and Kane were both trapped in a world of idealism and disillusionment. They were idealistic about money and power, in which it would provide for everything in this world; but they were disillusioned that money can buy the intangible things as well, such as love and happiness. Gatsby was very idealistic about money and power, that he could have anything he wanted if he had a tremendous amount of wealth, and a tremendous amount of wealth he had indeed. He was disillusioned that money could buy the love of Daisy and the happiness of his life, thus the intangibles. Gatsby said to Nick, â€Å"I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ She’ll see†. (pg. 117, 3-4) He thought that his money could fix all his problems, but he thought wrong. Daisy chose her husband over Gatsby. In the end of the novel, we found out that money could not buy just anything, certainly not love and happiness. Kane was idealistic about money and power because of the notion that it would provide for everything in this world. He was disillusioned that money would empower him to do as he pleased, and with that, happiness would follow. He was disillusioned that money could buy the intangibles of friendship, love and happiness. It could have started when he was taken away from his parents at a very young age because his mother thought Kane would live a better life if he had money. This could have had a negative repercussion on Kane when his parents were willing to give him up; and because of his parents giving him up for money, he could have grown up with the idea that money as being the most important factor. Gatsby and Kane lived the American dream, but it was the dream of money that led to the conclusion of their lives. Gatsby and Kane both lived the American dream of wealth and luxury, but it was money that defeated them in the end; Gatsby lost his life, while Kane lived a lonely life. Even though romance existed in their lives, neither one of them were successful in maintaining a loving and lasting relationship. They were both idealistic about money and its value, but disillusionment that money could buy everything, which includes love and happiness. The American dream comes with many other unforeseen problems, as Citizen Kane is anther example of the complications of the American dream. In summary, the American dream provides hope for people who are ambitious. To have money would relieve many financial burdens, but it may not necessarily bring the happiness you are searching for, as we saw with the characters in the novel. The characters in the novel had a great deal of money, but in the end were something less than happiness. Another example is Citizen Kane, in which money may not necessarily bring happiness. In conclusion, the novel portrays that money is the root of most causes, because it is the focal point of the American dream; Citizen Kane is another example of this cause.

The Infamous Jay Gould Essays - Erie Railroad, Gilded Age, Jay Gould

The Infamous Jay Gould Shortly after Gould left for Wall Street he made a modest profit by shorting railroad stocks in the panic of 1857.He had made a modest and profitable investment. He then went long in several railroads, shortly after the panic and his timing prooved to be extremely accurate. In 1867 Daniel Drew, treasurer and longtime director of the Erie Railroad, added Gould and James Fisk to the Erie board of directors. When Cornelius Vanderbilt, of the New York Central, sought to buy control of the Erie a spectacular battle ensued. Gould, Fisk, and Drew promptly issued thousands of shares of new, watered stock. The poison pill of the time, although Gould may hav been as Erie as the canal, he did revolutionize financial tactics. When the angry Vanderbilt obtained an arrest warrant for the three, they ferried company headquarters to Jersey City, and Gould rushed to Albany where a pliable New York legislature authorized the stock issue. Eventually peace was made with Vanderbilt, but that gentleman was reported to have muttered that his trouble with the Erie has learned me it never pays to kick a skunk. Later in the fall of 1869 Gould and Fisk conspired with the brother-in-law of President Ulysses S. Grant to corner the gold market, causing the panic of Black Friday, September 24, 1869, and a tremendous margin call for Gould. He was even reported as telling his partners to buy as he was selling tremendous volumes of gold. After the crash his partners were left with nothing as Gould went long the market at the lowest levels. Gould continued to loot the Erie until his departure in 1872. His role in the Erie War and the attempted gold corner gave him a reputation as the prime financial predator of the age. Possessing a fortune, Gould turned to western railroads. In the twenty years after 1872 he was a director of seventeen major lines and the president of five. He purchased much Union Pacific stock and controlled that road until 1878. At first Gould improved the management of the Union Pacific but later blackmailed the company by threatening to have the Gould-controlled Kansas Pacific build a nuisance line to Utah. During the 1880s Gould controlled about half the mileage southwest of St. Louis and Kansas City and tried unsuccessfully to expand his western holdings into a transcontinental rail empire to the Atlantic Coast. He also owned the New York World for a time and held major investments in New York City's elevated railways and several large telegraph companies, including Western Union. Gould was a man of many faults and virtues. He was cold and unscrupulous but courteous and unassuming, and in his private life, devoted to his family, flowers, and books. He could not be trusted but nonetheless helped build more efficient regional rail systems. He was a wrecker of values but a railway leader who helped achieve major rate reductions. Gould remains the prototype robber baron of the late nineteenth century, although his defects probably have been exaggerated because he was never comfortable with the press. History

The Negative Effects of Wealth in Society

The Negative Effects of Wealth in Society Wealth brings far more significant problems than depriving people of beauty. This is because once the rich in society set eyes on a given item or property, they will do anything within their means to ensure that they get it irrespective of the adverse effects that their actions may have on the lives of the poor.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Negative Effects of Wealth in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essay seeks to analyze the other adverse effects that wealth can bring to society apart from the aspect of the destruction of beauty. To this end, examples from modern day living shall be drawn and coupled with proper explanations to illustrate the weaknesses of wealth-driven society adequately. Wealth leads to the creation of frustrated individuals in society. For instance, a wealthy man driving on a highway through the countryside will see a large farm with animals grazing peacefully, and instead of appreciating the calmness of the region, he would probably see how he could turn the farm into an out-of-town shopping mall. The owners of the land may not be willing to part with their property, but this rich man could easily come with ridiculously vast amounts of money and ensure that he has convinced them to leave. Eventually, high story buildings will go up and concrete structures replacing the trees. In this instance, the rich man would have interfered with the beauty of the land. However, and even more disturbing is that he would not care where the farmer and his family relocate to because it is almost apparent he (the rich man) is not going to offer them an alternative settlement. Consequently, the farmer may find himself in an urban region where the costs of living are very high, and in time at all, the money he had received from the sale of the land will have gone into rent and food. With time the farmer and his family will have to go back to the rich man to look for men ial jobs at his shopping complex and in a way signing to lifetime slavery. From this example, it is easy to see that wealth also ends up creating a few happy persons at the expense of many frustrated individuals. The acquisition of wealth results in the breaking of family and societal linkages. An individual will generally tend to relate very well with members of his extended family as well as his neighbors as long as they don’t have a lot of money. However, once this individual lands an extreme amount of wealth, he will turn on the people that he used to share good times with and convert them into his laborers.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In a way, he will strive to ensure that even the people who helped him get where he is don’t get the opportunities that would make them arrive at his level. A good example is a way politicians in third world countri es behave. Before the election, they will meet with the people, share meals and even relate positively with them. They would spend a lot of time pledging to improve the lives of poor citizens as soon as they get elected. However, once they get to the office, they move into posh houses and buy huge cars with dark windows to ensure that the people who elected him/her do not get to know of his whereabouts. If a person, even his/her uncle wants to meet him to seek some slight help, the now-elected Member of Parliament or counselor will demand that they make appointments with his secretary and most of the time he/she will not make an effort to see whether the matter was attended. The desire for wealth also brings with it very many societal vices. One good example is corruption and bribery within public service. Individuals who work for the government are generally always complaining that they are not well paid. Since they are in the office for most of the day, they do not have time to do something else on the side, and this leads them to come up with ways of getting the extra dollar while still at work. So instead of following a given protocol while serving individuals who come seeking assistance from their offices, they will do things slowly and sometimes withholding certain relevant documents only to release them once the client has promised to give a few extra dollars to get the work done on time. The same applies to police officers who can catch an individual in the midst of committing a crime and instead of arresting him/her, they let the person go after receiving a huge amount of money as a bribe. This desire for wealth is the primary factor that drove western countries to invade the nations in Africa during colonial times. The colonialists discovered that Africa had a lot of natural resources and since they (colonialists) had the tools for accessing things like minerals, they invaded the countries, turned the natives into their slaves and shipped all the min ed products to their mother nations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Negative Effects of Wealth in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In conclusion, it is easy to see that the adverse effects of wealth in society are much more than just the destruction of beauty. As has been shown above through various examples, wealth can lead to the development of many unwanted characteristics in individuals which sometimes leads them to lose all sense of humanity such that they see other individuals as lesser humans. I, therefore, agree with the fact that apart from the destruction of beauty, wealth also generates many adverse effects in society.

Multicultural education scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multicultural education scenario - Essay Example How multicultural education would be deemed as effective here totally depends on my undertakings. I would have to find out the exact ways through which their understanding of education would increase and make them feel comfortable with the studies at hand. This will propel them to attain education at their best and thus move ahead with the basics of their respective lives in a reasonable way. I would find out how they will be more effective than they are at the present, and thus offer them solutions which are based on pure logic and comprehension. For making them realize that education is the key to open any lock within their lives, I would ensure that education is instilled within them in a very hassle-free way, so is the case with the 4 students who are having special needs and have to bring in a great amount of hard work with each passing day of their lives. It is important to know that the children who hail from the poorest of backgrounds would have to be considered for their edu cation norms more than anyone else. They would have to be given the special emphasis which is direly required in this day and age. Within the aegis of the classroom, these students would be supported by encouragement and special efforts shall be made to let them get acquainted with the other students in the classroom as well. What remains important however is a vision to move ahead in life and find out about its different nuances through hard work, devotion and complete commitment coming to the fore. The types of activities that could be done within the classroom include the making up of groups which shall comprise of students from different backgrounds so that they have a better understanding and interaction levels with one another. This would set the ball rolling as far as their respective domains are concerned, and they would feel better at interacting with the ones who are present within their respective groups. Role-play could be deemed as one of the most looked after propositi ons within the activities that could be inculcated within the classroom understandings, and this shall pave the way for the future success of the classroom in the long run. Each group could allow the others (groups) to learn more because each of these would be able to bring in the very best with the changing activities that they have been offered with. The groups would therefore tie in the results with the comprehension that has been reached upon, as it will assist in a better understanding of how things shape up within their respective realms and how serious consideration should be paid towards realizing where the other group has derived its basis from, in the wake of reaching the desired results (Davis, 2007). The learning tangent is such an important one for the 21 students within this classroom setting because it teaches more than mere education; it makes them realize who they really are essentially. One of the most significant reasons behind preaching multicultural education li es in the fact that it does away with the ailment of stereotyping within the classroom. Nearly all of the students understand that stereotyping someone due to one’s diverse background or merely an ailment is not something which

International marketing of Safari motors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International marketing of Safari motors - Essay Example Advancement in technology including communication efficiency and better international relations has contributed to the promotion of the international trade. Competition has however become a great challenge to the success of international trade but most companies are rising to the challenge. To achieve greater investments and better market opportunities in the international market, it is necessary that primary and secondary market research is done to ensure that information regarding the country is achieved. (Hollensen, 2004) This paper will therefore look into the requirements and plans needed for a company (Safari Ltd) to enter market successfully. The main issues that will be addressed by the paper will be; marketing across borders, risks and opportunities that the company will face and country analysis using SLEPT and size of the Chinese computer manufacture market. Safari motors is computer manufacturing company in the United States located in Texas. This company offers a wide variety of products including the manufacture, assembly, and maintenance of computers. The company has risen from being a retailer of used computers to become one of the improved companies in the sector. It boasts of a financial base of $ 120Million. The company has been for the past two years getting recognition and that it believes it has met the needs for the domestic market and now it needs to explore the international market. Changing nature of international environment There have been many changes on the way international market environments have been behaving especially in terms of diversity. The international marketing environments are usually done through the use of a STEP or PEST analysis procedure. (Hollensen, 2004) This analysis is worth because it determines whether the organization will be fairing well or not. For the purposes of this paper we shall use SLEPT marketing tool to analyze the Chinese market China China is the fastest economically-growing country in the Asia currently and is considered to be very developed come the next decade. Accompanying a rapidly growing economy is the increase in environmental pollution and this pollution is contributed by foreign companies which have heavily invested in China. Currently it is number two economy in Asia. (Lee and Carter, 2005) Ready market With an increase in the economic growth rate of the Chinese economy, most sectors will require computers to improve on its technology and service provision. The manufacturing sector in Chinese has grown bigger in the last few years demanding more usage of the computer software and hardware. The introduction of internet and other communication services such as the mobile phone sector, has taken the country by storm. With an increase in the need for internet access, comes an increase in the need for computer hardware and software. A study conducted by Coopers limited (UK) in China has shown a rise in the need for internet among the Chinese urban population especially the youth. (Lee and Carter, 2005) SLEPT analysis This is an analyzing tool which is used to examine a business environment it stands for social, legal, economic, and political. Social Forces within the society such as media, family and friends have affected the way an organization sells its products. Most of the customers in china believe that products made from America are of high quality or low quality or any other

HOUSING SYSTEMS (urban planning) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

HOUSING SYSTEMS (urban planning) - Essay Example Policy makers of United States and Dutch have commonality of looking forward for renewal and revitalization. These renewal and revitalization are not just physical improvements but it incorporates the socializing aspect as well. A certain portion of self-efficacy is also involved in this renewal process. The measures and means of Dutch and America to attain this goal can be different but the final outcome of both the nations is same. (Varady, David P. and Karien Dekker, 2011) The recommendations about policies, driven from this information cannot be described clearly. Perhaps, the policy makers of Dutch want to learn from United States’ better approach to management. This can lead to a dramatic improvement for the safety of the sites of HOMES VI. A substantial dependence is on the marketing network which needs to play a key role in making a positive of these sites of revitalization. These efforts can be effective only when the social culture supports them. The anti social families and other multi problems need to be screened out. This would be a challenging task for Dutch policy makers and politicians. American policy maker Susan Popkin is looking for new different ways to house families having multi problems but there is no easy way to do such a complex issue. America can benefit Dutch policy makers because they have healthy experience of linking housing mobility with the revitalization of public housing in order to move to low poverty and healthy areas. It might be a challenging task to relocate this American rhetoric to Netherlands. The reasons include that many of the residents want to remain close to their relatives and family members and other institutions. They are also at ease with cheap social housing. However, housing mobility cannot be said as a poverty panacea. There are numbers of efforts required to monitor

An Introduction To Network Topology

An Introduction To Network Topology In the context of a communication network, the term topology refers to that way in which the end points, or stations, attached to the network are interconnected or it is the arrangements of systems in a computer network. It can be either physical or logical. The physical topology refers that, a way in which a network is laid out physically and it will include the devices, installation and location. Logical topology refers that how a data transfers in a network as opposed to its design. The network topology can be categorized into bus, ring, star, tree and mesh. Hybrid networks (They are the complex networks, which can be built of two or more topologies). Bus Topology A Bus topology is characterized by the use of a multi point medium. A long and single cable acts as a backbone to connect all the devices in a network. In a bus topology, all computers or stations attach through the appropriate hardware interfacing known as a tap, directly to a bus network. Full duplex operation between the station and tap allows data to transmit onto the bus and received from the bus. A transmission from any station propagates the length of the medium in both directions and can be received by all other stations. At each end of the bus is a terminator, which absorbs any signal, removing it from the bus. Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines and taps. A drop line is a connection running between the device and the main cable. A tap is a connector that either splices into the main cable or punctures the sheathing of a cable to create a contact with the metallic core. A bus network work best with a limited number of computers. Advantages Bus topology can install very easily on a network. Cabling will be less compare to other topologies because of the main backbone cable laid efficiently in the network path. Bus topology suited for a small network. If one computer fails in the network, the other computers are not affected they will continue to work. It is also less expensive than star topology. Disadvantages The cable length will limited and there by limits the number of stations. If the backbone cable fails, the entire network will goes down. It is very difficult to trouble shoot. Maintenance cost is very high in a long run. Terminators are required for both the ends of the cable. Ring topology The ring topology the network consists of dedicated point to point connection and a set of repeaters in a closed loop. A signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to device, until it reaches its destination. It may be clock wise or anti clock wise. When a device receives a signal intend for another device, its repeater generates the bits and passes them along. As with the bus and tree, data are transmitted in frames. As a frame circulates past all the other stations, the destination station recognize its address and copies the frame into a local buffer as it goes by. The frame continues to circulate until it returns to the source station, where it is removed. These topologies are used in school campuses and some office buildings. tifsTemp 13.a.tif Figure (2) Bus topology Advantages It performs better than star topology under heavy work load For managing the connection between the computers, there is no need for the network server. It is cheaper than star topology because of less wiring. By adding the token ring in the network, can create large network. Very order network because all the devices has a access to the token ring and opportunity to transmit. Disadvantages A break in the ring (such as a disabled station) can disable the entire network. It is much slower than an Ethernet network with under normal load. Any moves, changes and adds of the devices can affect the network. Network connection devices like (Network adapter cards and MAU) are much more expense than Ethernet cards. Star Topology In a star topology, each station is directly connected to a common node called hub. Unlike a mesh technology, the devices are not directly linked to one another. A star topology does not allow direct traffic between devices. The controller act as an exchange, like if one device wants to send to another, it sends the data to the controller, which then relays the data to the connected device. In a star, each device needs only one link and one I/O port to connect it to any number of others. The star topology is used in local area networks (LAN) and sometimes high speed LAN often uses a star topology with central hub. Advantages If one link fails in the star topology, only that link is affected. All other links remain active. It is easy to identify the fault and fault isolation. Easy to expand the network in the star topology. No disruptions to the network when connecting or removing devices. It is very easy to manage because of its simplicity in the function. Disadvantages In a star topology, if the hub goes down, the entire network will fails. It requires more cable length compared to the linear bus topology. It is much more expensive than bus topology, because of the cost of the hubs. Tree Topology A tree topology is the generalization of the bus topology. It integrates the multiple star topologies together on to a bus. The transmission medium is a branching cable with no closed loops. The tree layout begins at a point known as the head end. The branches in turn may have additional branches to allow quite complex layouts. A transmission from any station propagates throughout the medium and can be received by all other stations. This topology will allow for the expansion of an existing network. Advantages Tree topology is well supported by the hardware and software vendors. Point to point wiring for each and every segments of the network. It is the best topology for the branched networks. Disadvantages It is more expensive because more hubs are required to install the network. Tree topology is entirely depends upon the backbone line, if it fails then the entire network would fail. It is very difficult to configure and wire than other network topologies. In a tree topology, the length of network depends on the type of cable being used. Mesh Topology In a mesh topology, every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to every other device. The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic only between the two devices it connects. To find the number of physical links in a fully connected mesh network with n nodes, we first consider that each node must be connected to other node. Node 1 must be connected to n-1nodes, node 2 must be connected to n-1nodes, and finally node n must be connected n-1 nodes. However, if each physical link allows communication in both directions, we can divide the number of links by 2.In other words we can say that in a mesh topology, we need n (n-1)/2. tifsTmp9.tif Figure (5 Mesh topology Suppose if we are connecting 15 nodes in a mesh topology, then the number of cables required; DA = n (n-1)/2 DA = Number of cables = 15 (15 1)/2 n = Node = 15*14/2 = 15*7 = 105 Therefore, the total number of cables required for connecting 15 nodes = 105. Advantages There is no traffic problem because of the dedicated link in the mesh network. Mesh topology is robust. If one link becomes unusable. It does not incapacitate the entire system. Point-to-point links make full identification and fault isolation easy. Security or privacy for data travels along the dedicated line. Network can be expanded without any disruptions to the users. Disadvantages Installation and reconnection are difficult. Large amount of cabling and the number of I/O ports required Sheer bulk of the wiring can be greater than the available space can accommodate. The hardware required to connect each link can be prohibitively expensive. Hybrid Topology A network can be hybrid, which uses two or more network topologies together in a network. For example, we can have a main star topology with each branch connecting several stations in a bus topology. The OSI Model The Open System Inter connection (OSI) reference model was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)2 as a model for a computer protocol architecture and as a frame work for developing protocol standards. The purpose of the OSI model is show how to facilitate communication between different systems without requiring changes to the logic of the underlying hardware and software. The OSI model is not a protocol; it is a model for understanding a network architecture that is flexible, robust and interoperable. The OSI model is a layered frame work for the design of network systems that allows communication between all types of computer systems. It consists of seven separate but related layers, each of which defines a part of the process moving information across a network. The seven layers of the OSI reference model can be divided into two categories: upper layers and lower layers. Upper Layers of the OSI Models are; Application layer Presentation layer Session layer The upper layers of the OSI model designate the application issues, presentation session stages and generally are implemented only in software. The highest layer, (the application layer) is close to the end user. These upper layers are act as an interface between the user and the computer. The term upper layer is sometimes used to refer to any layer above another layer in the OSI model. Examples of upper layer technologies in the OSI model are SNMP, FTP, and WWW etc. Lower Layers of the OSI Model Transport layer Network layer Data link layer Physical layer The lower layers of the OSI model provide network specific functions like data transport issues (flow control, addressing and routing). The lower layers of the OSI model (the physical layer and the data link layer) are implemented in hardware and software also. Examples of lower layer technologies in the OSI model are TCP, UDP, IP, IPX etc. Application layer The application layer enables the user, whether human or software, to access the network. It provides user interfaces and support for services such as electronic mail, remote file access and transfer, shared database management, and other types of distributed information services. The application layer provides specific services like network virtual terminal, file transfer, access and management, mail services and directory services. Network virtual terminal: A network virtual terminal is a software version of physical terminal, and it allows a user to log on to a remote host. File transfer, access and management: This application allows a user to access files in a remote host (to make changes, read data), to retrieve files from a remote computer for use in the local computer and to manage or control files in a remote computer locally. Mail services: The application provides the basis for e-mail forwarding and storage. Directory services: This application provides distributed database source and access for global information about various objects and services. Presentation layer The presentation layer is concerned with the syntax and semantics of the information exchanged between two systems. The presentation layer is responsible for the translation, compression and encryption. Messages are sending between the layers. Translation: The process in two systems are usually exchanging in the form of character strings, numbers, and so on. The information is changed into bit streams before being transmitted. The presentation layer at the sender changes the information from its sender dependent format into a common format. On the receiving machine, the presentation layer changes the common format into its receiver-dependent format. Encryption: Encryption means that the sender transforms the original information to another form and sends the resulting message out over the network. Decryption reverses the original process to transform message back to its original form. Compression: Data compression reduces the number of bits contained in the information. It becomes particularly important in the transmission of multimedia such as text, audio and video. Session layer The session layer is the network dialog controller. It establishes, maintains and synchronizes the interaction among communicating systems. These layers have specific responsibilities include the following; Dialog control: The session layer allows two systems to enter into a dialog. It allows the communication between twp processes to take place in either half duplex (one way at a time) or full duplex (two ways at a time) mode. Synchronization: The session layer allows a process to add check points, or synchronization points, to a stream of data. Examples for session layers are MPEG, JPEG, MIDI, NCP etc. Transport layer The transport layer is responsible for process to process delivery of the entire message. The transport layer is responsible for the delivery of a message from one process to another. A process is an application program running on a host. The transport layer ensures that the whole message arrives intact and in order, overseeing both error control and flow control at the source-to-destination level. It also has some specific responsibilities mentioned below; Service-point addressing: The transport layer includes a type of address called a service-point address (or port address). The network layer gets each packet to the correct computer,; the transport layer gets the entire message to the correct process on that computer. Segmentation and reassembly: A message is divided into transmittable segments, with each segment containing a sequence number. These numbers enable the transport layers to reassemble the message correctly upon arriving at the destination and to identify and replace packets that were lost in transmission. Connection control: The transport layer can be either connectionless or connection oriented. A connectionless transport layer treats each segment as an independent packet and delivers it to the transport layer at the destination machine. If a connection oriented transport layer make a connection with the transport layer at the destination machine first before delivering the packets. After all the data are transferred the connection is terminated. Flow control: The transport layer is responsible for the flow control. However, flow control at this layer is performed end to end rather than across a single link. Error control: Transport layer is also responsible for the error control. Error control at this layer is performed process-to-process rather than across a single link. The sending transport layer makes sure that the entire message arrives at the receiving transport layer without error. These layers using the TCP/IP and UDP protocols. Network layer The network layer is responsible for the source to destination delivery of a packet, possibly across multiple networks (links). This layer ensures that each packet gets from its point of origin to its final destination. Network layers also have other responsibilities include the following; Logical addressing: If a packet passes the network boundary, it needs another addressing system to help distinguish the source and destination systems. The network layer adds a header to the packet coming from the upper layer that, among other things, includes the logical addresses of the sender and receiver. Routing: When independent networks are connected to create internetworks or a large network, the connecting devices route or switch the packets to their final destination. Data link layer The data link transforms the physical layer, a raw transmission facility, to a reliable link. It makes the physical layer appear error-free to the upper layer. It also has other responsibilities include the following; Framing: The data link layer divides the stream of bits received from the network layer into manageable data units called frames. Physical addressing: The data link layer adds a header to the frame to define the sender and/or receive of the frame. If the frame is intend for a system outside the senders network, the receiver address is the address of the device that connects the network to the next one. Flow control: If the rate at which the data are absorbed by receiver is less than the rate at which data are produced in the sender, the data link layer impose a flow control mechanism to avoid overwhelming the receiver. Error control: The data link layer adds reliability to the physical layer by adding mechanisms to detect and retransmit damaged or lost frames. It also uses a mechanism to recognize duplicate frames. Error control is normally achieved through a trailer added to the end of the frame. Access control: When two or more devices are connected to the same link, data link layer protocols are necessary to determine which device has control over the link at any given time. Data link contains two sub layers; LLC (Logical Link Control) and MAC (Medium Access Control).LLC is the upper sub layer, which maintains and establishes the communication links to the device. And it also responsible for the frame error control and addressing.MAC is the lower sub layer of the data link layer. It controls how the devices sharing the media channel. Physical layer The physical layer coordinates the functions required to carry a bit stream over a physical medium. It deals with the mechanical and electrical specifications of the interface and transmission medium. It also defines the procedures and functions that physical devices and interfaces have to perform for transmission to occur. The physical layer is also concerned with the following: Physical characteristics of interface and medium: Physical layer defines the characteristics of the interface between the devices and the transmission medium. It also defines the type of transmission medium. Representation of bits: This layer data consists of a stream of bits with no interpretation. To be transmitted, bits must be encoded into signals electrical or optical. The physical layer defines the type of encoding. Data rate: The transmission rate the number of bits sent each second- is also defined by physical layer. In other words physical layer defines the duration of a bit, which how long it lasts. Synchronization of bits: The sender and receiver not only must use the same bit rate but also must be synchronized at the bit level. Line configuration: The physical layer is concerned with the connection of devices to the media. In a point-to-point configuration, two devices are connected through a dedicated link. In a multipoint configuration a link is shared among several devices. Physical topology: The physical topology defines how devices are connected to make a network. Devices can be connected by using a mesh topology, a star topology, a ring topology, a bus topology, or a hybrid topology. Transmission mode: The physical layer also defines the direction of transmission between two devices: simplex, half duplex, or full duplex.

Guy de Maupassant was born in 1849 and died at the tragically young :: English Literature Essays

Guy de Maupassant was born in 1849 and died at the tragically young age of 43 in 1892. Guy de Maupassant was born in 1849 and died at the tragically young age of 43 in 1892. He was a prolific writer and had written over 300 short stories in his time. Maupassant was considered to be the best author of his time, and probably one of the greatest French authors ever. Not only was he famous but he was very popular with the French audience. Some of Maupassant's stories were based on poverty. This was useful to aid him in his stories as he had a poverty stricken background. People could relate to the themes of his stories as they dealt with everyday situations and this is why it drew in a wide audience. His stories ranged in genre, and because of this many people enjoyed them. They also provided education for some people. His stories were first published in magazines such as "the Strand" and this helped the short story genre become more popular in the 19th century. He based many of his stories in Paris. He may have done this as he knew the area well and this could help him with description. Guy de Maupassant's stories have inspires many other authors and they still do today. "The Necklace" is set in Paris, France. The title of this story is simply and straight to the point so you automatically know what the story is about. It is about a woman born into a lower-middle class family but she feels that she deserves better in life. The general themes in this story are remorse, friendship, love, greed (money), envy, pride and joy. The overall structure of this story is basically telling us that you don't need money to make your life good as long as you have good friends. The story begins with a very descriptive opening of Madame Loisel and the surrounding area "dressed simply", "pretty and charming girls". Its shows how her husband would do anything for her in that her gave up the money he was saving up to buy a hunting gun just to buy her a dress for the ball. Later on she borrowed an exquisite diamond necklace from her rich friend. She realized when she had got home she had lost the necklace this also proved her husbands love as "her husband returned at about seven o'clock in the morning". They bought a new necklace to replace the lost one but it took the losiels' "10 long years" to pay off the necklace. When Madame Losiel met up with her

The Role of the Individual in Matthew Arnold’s “Culture and Anarchy”

The Role of the Individual in Matthew Arnold’s â€Å"Culture and Anarchy† Culture, as defined by Matthew Arnold in his essay â€Å"Culture and Anarchy,† is the drive to attain perfection through development and growth bolstered by knowledge and appreciation of the beauty of humanity. Granted, this is an oversimplification of Arnold’s complex musings on what culture is, but this broad concept of culture, here, is useful in the discussion of the role of the individual in society.Ideally, for Arnold, those that perpetuate this idea of culture are the same people who ought to comprise a kind of rational control within the State. Arnold works to define the three classes of 19th century England (Barbarians, Philistines, and Populace), and makes it clear, following his conditions for culture, that none of the classes have the appropriate means to govern properly. Arnold says, â€Å"It seeks to do away with classes; to make the best that has been thought and know n in the world current everywhere. Ostensibly, it is up to the individual to transcend their class, and nurture the State in a utilitarian fashion. However, the chasm between the maturation of the individual and the ultimate betterment of the community seems daunting. Arnold’s ideal culture originates with the individual, as it is â€Å"a study of perfection,† which is â€Å"an inward condition of the mind and spirit. † Yet, â€Å"Perfection, as culture conceives it, is not possible while the individual remains isolated,† because, it is necessary, in order to obtain a collective perfection, that there be a ready exchange of ideas and sense of commonality.How can the potential danger of isolation via individualism be curbed? Additionally, Arnold is aware that a weighty facet of individualism is that people are concerned with, and believe in, having their personal freedoms—the â€Å"right to do what [one] likes. † This assumption of personal f reedom can, according to Arnold, lead to anarchy. It looks, then, as if there must be a balance between the individual’s duty to himself, and duty to others.Indeed, Arnold contends, â€Å"the men of culture are the true apostles of equality,† at once extolling the potential of the individual, while maintaining the importance of a level society. However, these individuals cannot be ordinary, but must exemplify Arnold’s idea of the â€Å"best self,† or, the individual who is united, rather than at odds, with others. The people that can become their best self are â€Å"persons who are mainly led, not by their class spirit, but by a general humane spirit, by the love of human perfection. Here, the concept of the individual and the community can be reconciled, although the ability of one to completely transcend societal structures is idealistic. This idealism, for Arnold, is transferred to the art of his contemporaries. Regarding 19th century England, Arnold states, â€Å"Each section of the public has its own literary organ, and the mass of the public is without any suspicion that the value of these organs is relative to their being nearer a certain ideal centre of correct information, taste, and intelligence, or farther away from it. As Arnold depicts England’s current situation, it is clear that he believes that literature, like individuals—or as the product of individuals—should embody an ideal cultural universality. In looking at the literature of Victorian England, is it possible that there are any works, which would satisfy Arnold’s criteria for cultural harmony?

Bureaucracy and Liberalisation

After independence the newly emerged Indian State was characterized by the dominant role in all the spheres of society. It was a welfare state whose objective was to secure political, social and economic justice to all the sections of Indian population. The Westminister model of parliamentary democracy with universal adult franchise was adopted. In social field, various evils in the society were sought to be eradicated by the State.Untouchability was abolished and social reforms were undertaken. In the economic sphere, the state not only regulated the market, it also emerged as the major employer providing employment opportunities to the people. India adopted the policy of mixed economy/a powerful public sector was created. For Nehru, the public sector undertakings were the temples of modern India. Their objective was to assist in the rapid economic growth and industrialisation of the country.Over the years their number and investments have grown in size and quantity. While in 1951, there were five central public sector undertakings (PSUs) with an investment of Rs 29 crores, now there are as many as 243 enterprises with a total investment of Rs 1,78,628 crores. The private sector was also to play an important role in the mixed economy. However it was highly regulated and controlled economy as far as the private sector was concerned. Rightly it was called the licence-quota permit Raj.However the collapse of socialist political and economic system in earstwhile Soviet Union and other socialist states led to the emergence of a global economy which meant introducing competitive markets, liberalising foreign trade and opening up the economy for foreign investment. According to Marina Pinto â€Å"Liberalisation is the policy of removal of restrictions, trade barriers and protectionist measures to enable the free flow of capital, technology and services. It is generally seen in the context of globalization and privatization. † In eighties liberalisation process started taking place in India economy.But the severe foreign exchange and fiscal crisis in early 1990's compelled India to take massive loan from IMF and world Bank which as critics point out, dictated India to liberalise its economy. This was done under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Finance Minister in P. V. Narsimha Rao Government. The New Industrial Policy of 1991, stated that â€Å"Foreign investment and technology collaboration will be welcomed to obtain higher technology, to increase exports and to expand the production base. † The Licence-quota permit Raj has been given a good-bye and the economic system has largely become competitive.Even in the public sector the nine major public sector undertakings or Navratnas—Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC), Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL), National Thermal P ower Corporation Limited (NTPC), Oil;National Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) have been given considerable financial and functional autonomy.The Government was also considering to include more public sector undertakings in this list. However this does not mean that the role of the State would recede and it would only concentrate on the maintenance of law and order. The state continues to be a welfare state. It will continue to ameliorate the conditions of poor and down-troddens. The economic policies are to be realistic. Jagdish Bhagwati, one of the leading economists says that the first fifty years of independence has been â€Å"half a century of foolish policies, which cost her (India) growth and hence a significant opportunity to ameliorate poverty. Now rational policies are to be drafted and implemented with due regard to monitoring of policies in stages. This also means that the generalist administ ration will either be substituted by the experts or they be given their due place in the administration. The bureaucracy will have to be responsive and transparent and infact the entire work ethos has to be changed. It also means maximum possible delegation of authority and sufficient decentralized control. Ultimately it may lead to debureaucratization of the administration.The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment providing for local self government is designed to transfer the developmental functions to the local self government. We may be witness to gradual shrinking of the state and its administrative machinery. But this does not mean that state would recede in the background. It may be a scenario where we have a reoriented, purposive accountable and transparent administration as a friend, philosopher and guide. The essential condition for all this is poliucal will, integrity and honesy at higher levels of politics and de-criminalisation of politics.

Online Bookselling through Amazon Essay

Online Bookselling through Amazon Essay Online Bookselling through Amazon Essay Online Bookselling through Amazon Essay The popularity of online book selling by Amazon has spread rapidly since last two decades all over the world. Relevant digital growth driven by information technology has also been assisting Amazon to become one of the best online sellers of a large variety of books stored. After a long period of Internet development, which rapidly increase the number of web users due to availability of high speed internet, some new technologies have also come into existence and enabled Amazon to promote online bookselling through the web site. Hence, detailed information of books and enhanced delivery services have attracted a large proportion of people to change their consumer behaviour from the traditional way of shopping for books and made them rely more on online shopping. Amazon was the first company to take the lead in the Internet shopping because the company realised that the transformation of the consumer behaviour is unavoidable trend. Thus, the company developed new marketing strategies a ccording to needs of consumers. Recent researches indicate that online shopping, especially in the context of books, has increased tremendously; and Internet shopping has become more popular among a large number of audiences. The paper aims to identify various factors, which drive consumers to buy books from Amazon, as well as to determine the perceived benefits from internet shopping. Besides, this paper also documents some critical factors that have influenced buyers to switch from brick and mortar stores and obtain books from Amazon.com. Internet Shopping Development of Amazon Several factors contribute to a rapid growth of online shopping for books through Amazon, which is primarily because of the benefits that the company offers. First of all, Amazon provides a large variety of facilities to consumers for shopping books. With the growth of information technology, consumers do not need to search for books in brick and mortar stores as the Internet assists them to search information from online sites, and it also enables them to evaluate various websites in order to find and buy books at the cheapest price. Buyers prefer to buy books from Amazon because the company helps them in availing services more effectively than other procurement channels. With the help of the different search engines, consumers save their time in assessing consumer-related information, which provides a mixture of sound, images and processed text description, thus assisting consumer learning and selecting the most suitable books that satisfy their needs. Although the internet shopping continues to develop rapidly, especially in the case of the book industry, there still exists a vast difference between online and traditional bookstores. For instance, traditional bookstores offer convenience in shopping and parking, which enables people to visit and read different texts and select a book of their choice, check the quality of literature in books before they buy, and the after sales service is also available to customers. However, traditional bookstores do not stock huge variety of books and their selling price is usually higher than those of online booksellers. By comparing, it can be observed that limitations for traditional bookstores serve as advantages for Amazon, whilst the weaknesses of online bookstore serve as advantages for traditional bookstores. Somehow Amazon continues to encounter challenges arising from the external environment because internet shopping of books also reflects potential risks for the customers, such as safety of payment and after sales service. With the development of the internet technology, online payments have recently become a convenient way for purchasing products from the Internet. Internet payment expands consumption efficiency while at the same time its virtual property reduces the security. After sales service is another drawback of Amazon, which deters consumers from shopping for books from them because of location of their virtual shops worldwide. In addition, Amazon’s limited structure does not enable consumers to file complaints or replace books in case of any defects. It is not like traditional retail store where products and services give a sense of security of after sales services to consumers. Hence, customers face greater risks, especially in case of buying some highly-priced books . Amazon.com – The Road to Market Leadership Company Portrait Amazon.com, a Fortune 500 company, incorporated in the year 1994 in Washington and reincorporated in 1996 in Delaware, went online in July 1995. The founder, Jeff Bezos, had an ambition to evolve Amazon.com into one of the largest customer-friendly one-stop shop on the Web. In November 1999, Amazon.com projected market capitalization of $31.4 billion, 12 million of loyal customers, 18 million items on sale, recorded sales of $1.4 billion in 1999, and became the most trusted brand name in e-commerce business. Amazon.com has a strong ambition to become online super mall of choice for online shoppers by providing incomparable books and services. Its secret of success involves innovative techniques driven by â€Å"customer obsession† and capability to offer an enjoyable and secure online shopping experience, but its dominance is because of customer fulfilment processes that deliver results. A cautiously orchestrated and skilfully executed â€Å"sell all, stock few† strategy demonstrates Amazon’s success with e-tail customer requirement. Amazon business consists of Baker Taylor and Ingram Book Group, the two largest book wholesalers in United States, and dozens of other smaller companies. In the year 1998, Amazon received 60% of its books supply through Ingram, which conducts its business operations through seven strategically located warehouses in the United States. The Amazon Company pays Ingram a wholesale price including a few percentages above the publisher’s price for its shipping services. In 1999, Amazon.com launched six self-managed new automated distribution outlets in the United States in addition to its two centres already functioning in Delaware and Seattle. The aim is to fight sharp decline in margins, for example, by sourcing books directly from publishers, reducing dependence on Ingram and other publishers, and extend its overall con trol over online fulfilment process to attain competitive advantage. Effective management control system enables Amazon to deliver books same or next day to its customer all over United Kingdom, as well as most of the European countries. During the holiday season in 2009, Amazon sent packages in excess of 14 million to customers, which is more than any other mail-order retailer or e-tailer in the country. The leadership of Amazon in customer fulfilment networking has proved a pivotal role in its success as the holder of the largest online shopping mall in the Web world. Book Retailing: Barnes Noble vs. Amazon During the launch of Amazon, the book industry was extremely fragmented and scattered with the single largest retailer of books, Barnes Noble projecting 12% of the total volume of book sales in the United States. Barnes Noble operated its outlets as megastores on a covered area of 6000m2, stocking more than 185,000 titles in mall-based stores. Although they were smaller in area and selection of books was also limited, but the company provided mail-ordering service through catalogues. Barnes Noble operated a centralized distribution and logistics base that helped leverage economies of scale in the sourcing of books directly from publishers, receiving higher discounts than other book sellers, and avoiding high mark-ups from wholesalers. The centralized system of stockholding helped in shipping books to customers within two to three days, thereby avoiding delivery delays from publishers. BN also established an electronic system in store management that enabled exchange of accurate an d timely information among its stores and efficient co-ordination between distribution facilities and wholesalers with access to the 3.0M title database. Amazon redefined traditional book selling by adopting a radically different approach: towards online selling. Traditional book retailing has several drawbacks. The selection of books is physically restricted by the availability of limited store space. Traditional book retailers must invest in real estate, inventory, and qualified staff for each retail store, and it is not feasible to offer a customized store for each and every customer or offer customized recommendations without significantly increasing selling costs. E-commerce book retailers possess the benefits of centralized inventory management system and low occupancy costs. An online company can target a large and global group of the audience from a single central location, enabling extremely efficient business model. Tracking consumer purchasing behaviour enables businesses to anticipate demand in order to offer personalized services, for example, customized storefronts. Amazon has been successful in offering more than 1M titles in its database, but it maintains only 20,000 of them in its own warehouse. In contrast to BN, Amazon.com procures its books mainly from wholesalers because the company does not stock large volumes of books even though deliveries from publishers require weeks to arrive. In contrast, book wholesalers possess the capability to ship most orders within a couple of days. In comparison to BN’s centralized stock sourcing strategy, Amazon’s just-in-time sourcing strategy increases inventory and minimises working capital (see figure 1) to increase gross margins. Amazon Strategy to Increase Book Sales Amazon has the advantage of a negative operating cycle: the company receives the payment by credit cards usually within a few hours of buying, but payments to suppliers are usually done forty-five days laterfrom the date of sale. Besides, Amazon does not maintain an inventory system for many of the products it sells; instead it depends on a fast delivery from suppliers; thus, it shifts inventory risks to its suppliers. Amazon shows an operating cycle of around -20 days while the traditional book retailing operating cycle is usually around more than 80 days. Hence, Amazon generates interest on the full sale price, cost of goods and gross margin for over a month (see figure 2). Operating Cycle of Amazon.com Amazon’s business model includes informational elements such as a virtual storefront with physical elements of operations. The sales strategy of Amazon focuses highly on investment in information technology with a strong emphasis on software instead of hardware; its operations are practically restricted to packing and shipping most of the time. The company’s core value propositions for purchasing books over the Internet include selection, price, convenience, and efficient customer service. Amazon’s web store works online 24 hours 7days and offer supplementary services to viewers, such as book reviews, customers’ feedback and recommendations. Amazon owns an immense database of 1.25M books in comparison to 185,000 books in the largest superstores. Customers of Amazon can use the database search function to find even most rarely available and certain out-of-print titles, which becomes possible due to filtering by different search criteria. Amazon has also achieved popularity in competitive pricing by offering discounts equivalent to those offered by large book stores (see figure 3). Comparison of Book Pricing The company has simplified online shopping for books through the simplest checkout procedure, which BN could not realize at the time it launched own online business in 1997. By that time, Amazon was successfully taking over a strong leadership position in online book selling and controlled more than 73% of all book sales on the internet. Amazon volume of sales showed a tremendous increase of 838% from $15.7 million in 1997 to $147.8 million in 1998, while customer accounts had shown a growth of 738% from 0.18M to 1.5M during the same period. Aims and Objectives The objectives of current case study are: To find out the factors that encourages consumers to buy books from Amazon. To find out whether consumers are satisfied with the quality of books offered by Amazon. To find out whether consumers compare features of books such as prices, content, bibliography with its competitors before arriving at final decision. Data Collection and Analysis The researcher adopted quantitative technique and conducted a short research by posting a questionnaire to frequent online buyers of books from UK and China to analyse the popularity Amazon book service. The number of emails sent to UK respondents stood at 78, and 12,740 emails were posted to China. Many emails did not receive a response because such email addresses were invalid and also no longer were in use or were ignored. As such, only 826 respondents sent duly filled questionnaire, which included 47 from the UK and 779 from China that were valid for research before proceeding to analysis. Brief Analysis of Amazon Online Book Selling The next process chooses appropriate responses wherein respondents have been asked to answer the following questions regarding shopping for books from Amazon. Within this research chose 41 out of 47 questionnaires from United Kingdom and 585 out of 779 questionnaires from China were chosen for analysis. What kind of goods do you purchase from Amazon.com? This question holds significance for Amazon.com as it might assist them to analyse Customer needs in order to design future marketing strategies. The books listed are the most preferred on the Internet and books are the most popular products on Internet shopping in the United Kingdom that scores highest 40% and hotel/travel booking 24% respectively, followed by software (13%) and CD/Video (11%). The comparison of shopping for books with other products is also necessary to demonstrate a clear picture of increasing demand for books from Amazon.com. The three types of products such as books, followed by computer accessories and CD/Video are more popular with UK respondents whereas Chinese respondents score 34% with respect to buying books, followed by CD/Video and Computer accessories from Amazon.com as shown in Figures 4 and 5 below. Reasons for shopping on Amazon.com? The purpose of this question is to examine what encourages customers to purchase books from Amazon.com, and what factors motivate them or arouses their needs. As seen in both Figures 6 and 7, most of the respondents agreed that shopping for books from Amazon saves their money and time since they can find a large database of books from various famous authors. Besides, they can find bestseller lists of famous authors that include wide range of bibliography with several features, quick registration for personalized services, read and post reviews, engage in promotions, and check order status online. The customers appreciate prime components of Amazon’s Website such as browsing, searching, content previews, personalization and recommendation, one-click technology, secure in payments by credit card, availability of books, and commitment. Only few respondents felt that the Internet shopping from Amazon offer convenient, simpler, easier and efficient shopping environment. It also shows that customers demand high quality books from Amazon.com to fulfil their needs. Which books have attracted popularity and best-selling since last year? The researcher selected a sample of 45 latest books in disciplines such as science, fiction, mystery and thrillers, biographical, romance, religion, history, and literature from Amazon and asked respondents for their reviews and feedback. The 28 books shown in Table 1 received maximum scoring and favourable votes and secured the highest percentage of favourable votes on top among the buyers from the UK and China. The next section compromises of two questions: Do you use the Internet to search for product information before purchasing, (whether from Amazon or any other store)? Do you compare prices of Amazon with other websites prior to making your purchase decision? The first two questions are primarily to find out how many respondents prefer the Internet for searching information, and how it assists them prior to placing their order with Amazon. From the results, almost all of respondents stated that they prefer to search information before buying books that satisfy their requirements from Amazon. Approximately 95% of them indicated their preference to compare prices from various websites. Nearly 35% of respondents from the United Kingdom are more concerned about the author’s name and content offered by Amazon. However, more than 55% of respondents from China gave preference to lower prices as the main reason to shop from Amazon.com. live CHAT Summary of the Case Study The fast development of World Wide Web (WWW) and information technologies in the past decade has led to an enormous growth of E-Commerce all over the world. The example of Amazon success in a short period endorse this statement as the number of customers purchasing books from Amazon consistently grows, whereas traditional stores face declining sales. This feature of the Internet in the business world has opened another important marketing channel for many firms. The findings of current research suggest that Amazon has to improve the quality of services to attract customers and at the same time offer better products or services that fit the customer’s needs. This study has analysed the factors that help consumers to shop for books from Amazon and examines its strategy leading to competitive advantage in the online book industry. To a large extent Amazon has been successful in impacting brick and mortar stores by offering quality books of latest renowned authors around the World various topics, thus providing customers with a wide range of options to select from and buy books of various authors for their research, studies, and entertainment. Yet, consumers are not satisfied with the level of information provided on the Amazon website since abstract and bibliography are insufficient to evaluate the contents of the books and not all books are available for preview.