Deconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deconstruction - Essay Example Allan Poe was born in in 1809, in Boston. His father was called David Poe while the mother was Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins. He lost his parents before he was three, and he had to move to Virginia to live with a wealthy tradesman called John Allan. John took Poe as one of his sons. Poe went to private school and conflicts occurred between him and his guardians when he decided to pursue literary works. He attended university of Virginia, but his dropped after the first year. He had gambling debts and his guardians refused to settle the debts. He joined the army and became sergeant major. He later quit the army. He wrote many literary works. He wrote many poems when he was in West point. His life became miserable when he became a heavy drinker and smoker. He went through many problems in his live that helped him write many poems. His nature of being a heavy drinker is even realized in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†. His literary talent would not have been that interesting if were no t the way his behavior and character influenced his writing. His love for alcohol helped him incorporating the abuse of alcohol in his work. A clear evidenced in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, where he used Fortunato show the effects of heavy drinking in the society. The names that have been used in Poe’s work have some hidden meaning. ... The name sherry could be used to mean a titular amontillado. Therefore, in Italian, it represents a Montilla wine. Therefore, there is a â€Å"relationship between the way amontillado is produced and the way Montresor is using Fortunato† (Lewis, 179). Theory of deconstruction is further illustrated trough names used on the Poe’s work and some activities that are taking place. Meanings of the names that are used are related to the activities that take place in this literary work. One of the related activities includes the way Montresor is treating Fortunato and the process that is involved during the production of Montilla wine. â€Å"Montilla wine is manufactured by allowing yeast to grow in a pipe. This yeast can only grow under certain conditions. These conditions include leaving two spaces open on the cask that is used. The wine should be protected from oxygen in order to allow fermentation to take place. If oxygen is allowed to have contact with the yeast, the wine will not be produced with the required standards. This entire process should result in production of sweet wine† (Lewis, 181). This process of manufacturing mantilla wine is directly related to the process that Montresor uses in revenging on Fortunato. Montresor views Fortunato as his sweet pretender who has been induced by alcohol. Montresor’s behavior seems to be sweet to Fortunato. This is because his behavior has been induced with alcohol and he not able to realize Montresor’s intention. Montresor enjoys the alcohol effect on Fortunato since he knows he (Montresor) is going to achieve his goal. The alcohol content in Fortunato’s body prevents him from refining himself. Another contradiction in the story comes out when the

Driving Essay Example for Free

Driving Essay Realistically as you start your day it is safe to assume that you have no intentions of being in a head on collision and your vehicle being bashed nor did the person who was nonchalantly steering the car with their knee while texting as they were driving. Ultimately I think everyone will come across at least one irresponsible driver in their lifetime. Most of us are fortunate enough to survive these encounters, however not everyone is that lucky. Reckless drivers endanger and destroy people’s lives and possessions on a daily basis. Various conducts while driving are considered hazardous. Speeding is a very common practice that can lead to a catastrophe. Drivers that speed are engaging in irresponsible and impetuous conduct. It is especially dangerous to speed in residential neighborhoods where children and pets may be playing. Speeding drivers can also be dangerous in neighborhoods where homeowners in their vehicles are entering and exiting their driveways. Driving at an excessive rate of speed is quite common. This practice is especially dangerous when driving through a residential neighborhood or a school zone. Posted speed limits are not meant to be suggestions; ignore them and you run the risk of being stopped and ticketed by police. Driving Too Slow Some drivers fail to take into account the location where they are driving and drive at the same speed on the highway as they do in a residential area. A better strategy is to look at the posted speed limits and adjust your speed accordingly. Many dangerous driving habits are a result of over confidence. Drivers with years of experience sometimes become dangerous drivers because they are over confident with driving their particular vehicle or a particular route between home and work. They are not prepared when something out of the ordinary occurs.

White Mans Burden :: essays research papers

â€Å"White Man’s Burden† The movie we watched in class was called â€Å"White Man’s Burden.† According to some sociologists the white man’s burden is an unwanted burden that white men, who are in the upper part of society, must bring the minority classes up to their status. For example, if it were applied today white folks would have to help bring black folks up into a higher class. While this theory was used many years ago, it is still in consideration today. This movie took a very unique approach. It separated two classes of people, whites and blacks. They were separated by, what I believe is the greatest degree of separation today, money. In the movie the only people in the upper class were black and the main family in the movie was white. In today’s society that is different, you would expect white people to have the money and black to be in the lower class. While that is not always the case, it is what is perceived in today’s society. The movie portrayed life in the inner city as we are conditioned to see it. Everyone in the inner city was of the same race. Everyone was poor and life was rough. There was some violence in the inner city but it was on only between the two classes. Also everyone in the inner city didn’t speak proper English. The movie almost implied that it was these people fault that they were poor and that they were bad people. It did not show the fact that these people of the inner city could have been dealt a bad hand. This point is shown when John Travolta is evicted from his house. When this happens his mother in law comes over to get his wife and kids. While she is there she yells at him and asks him what kind of husband he is that he can’t keep a job and raise his own kids and support her daughter. The fact that maybe he was dealt a bad hand was over looked. John Travolta is still a good person. There were stereotypes portrayed in the movie. One can be shown when John Travolta was beaten by some cops. He was beaten by cops because he â€Å"fit† a description of a criminal. The stereotype here is that all people who are of the lower class are criminals. John Travolta was not stopped and asked for identification, it was just assumed that since he was of a lower class that he the criminal they were looking for.

Linguistic Changes of an Individual in Migration Essay

Introduction and Overview of Topic: As the world becomes increasingly globalised, we observe a rising trend where individuals migrate for educational and economic opportunities. The prestige of being educated in a highly ranked university and the prospects of higher paying jobs are definitely important pull factors for both internal and international migration (Welch, 1970). When people move, they also transfer the use of their existing linguistic repertoire to their host country. However, what might have been effective at home might be interpreted differently when placed in different socioeconomic contexts. Hence, the relative value of linguistic repertoire one possesses and how mobile are one’s language skills in the world determines how a migrant interacts with a new community. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide insight on how the relative value of linguistic resources affects one’s mobility and decisions in community interactions. Drawing on Blommaert’s study on the sociolinguistics of globalisation, this discussion will focus on how an individual’s linguistic repertoire is being used to one’s advantage within the community. It also highlights the changes which occur when one attempts to transfer the same linguistic repertoire as the shift to a place of varying cultural and linguistic ability. As Blommaert suggests, â€Å"placed resources are resources that are functional in one particular place but can become dysfunctional as soon as they are moved to other places† (Blommaert, 2003). Essentially, this essay seeks to expound on the changes of one’s linguistic repertoire and how it affects one’s interactions with new communities resulting from migration. Linguistic repertoire refers to linguistic varieties acquired by an individual to different degrees of proficiency and for different uses (Crystal, 1990). The acquisition of linguistic repertoire thus extends not only to the procurement of different types of language codes like English and Hindi, but also the speech styles and genres within each language. In light of this definition, this paper chooses to trace how one’s use of language repertoire might change in the context of internal migration and  international migration. With this in mind, a migrant from India who experienced both types of migration was chosen. India boasts twenty-two official languages as per the Constitution of India, where English is determined as the secondary official language and is used as lingua franca throughout India. Within the context of this paper, the experiences of the migrant serve to provide personal insight on language mobility within the transmigrational arena. Research methodology and background of interviewee  With this in mind, a fifty minute interview was carried out on 16th October 2012 to gather substantial data in order to provide a comparison between internal and international migration. The sole participant is Joshua Cherian, aged 24 who is currently pursuing a postgraduate education in Singapore. He was born and raised in Kerala, Southern India, after which he moved to Jamshedpur, Northern India to pursue a tertiary education before working in New Delhi. He was taught English at a young age and learnt Hindi during university, while his mother tongue is Malayalam. During the interview, questions were asked ranging from the interviewee’s experiences of language acquisition and his experiences in India and Singapore to language policies in India. Utilising his personal insights on adapting to different communities and observing it through the concepts provided in Blommaert’s study, the relative value of linguistic repertoire consequently becomes more obvious not only from country to country but also within different areas of the community. Language repertoire in internal migration. Within India, it is said to have a de-facto three plus minus one language policy. Those who neither speak the language of the state nor the two official languages, English and Hindi, now have to grapple with learning four languages in order to pass the school systems and secure jobs within the modern sector (Laitin. D, 1989). Consequently, many people who migrate in the pursuit of education or jobs find it necessary to expand their language repertoire in order to compete for the chance of upward socioeconomic mobility within India. Joshua notes that: â€Å"There is a divide between the corporate world and industrial world, where managers and people in multinational companies speak in english, but those in manufacturing speak Hindi in work. In the north of India everyone speaks Hindi, so I had to learn Hindi. When I worked in Delhi, I spoke mostly Hindi in my workplace, because I am a manager of labourers and those who just passed tenth standard, they just need to make something so they don’t need English. People who do software need to interact with clients overseas, so it is important for them to speak English. † Due the demands of his job, Joshua was required to expand his language repertoire to include fluent Hindi in order to communicate with his subordinates effectively. Although English could have sufficed in interacting with white-collar professionals, learning Hindi would have enabled Joshua to ensure a smooth running of operations that he was in charge with. As such, it is observed that migrants tend to expand their language repertoire within internal migration according to which languages are most functional within their community. Furthermore, an expansion of linguistic repertoire also affects one’s interaction the community. As immigrants acquire proficiency in more languages, there is a tendency to broaden their participation in various communities within the area that they have settled in. This is especially evident in Joshua’s recount: â€Å"In India you would have to know many languages in order to fit into different communities. University students will use English because it is prestigious. It shows you are well educated. Outside of the education system, everyone speaks their own dialect or their own state language. I used to hang out with many friends when I was studying in Jamshedpur who came from all over India. I also managed to become my student governing body’s president, so speaking the many languages helped me reach out to a lot of people. † Even though migrants who migrate within their home country experience a new environment, there are common cultural familiarities that they can relate to by being in the same country. Naturally, this allows them to assimilate into the communities easily since they already share similar cultural and national identities. Rather, this pre-existing factor enables immigrants like Joshua to interact with different groups of people. Such a preference is also extremely beneficial to an individual within a new community as they are able to called upon a large network of acquaintances should they need help in the future. Hence, the broadening of one’s interaction with many communities would be positively correlated to the acquisition of language repertoire because both serve the same purpose of helping the migrant assimilate well into the new environment they are in. Language Repertoire in International Migration In contrast to internal migration, one’s use of language repertoire might decrease across different geographical spaces. It is noted that international migration denotes a shift to a foreign culture in which the values placed upon certain languages is different from one’s original country. As such, many migrants would utilise a language within their repertoire that is widely used in the world. Joshua relates his experience moving from India to Singapore: â€Å"When I first arrived in Singapore, everything was easy for me to get used to because I was already proficient in English. Even if I needed help, I could just approach anyone and they would reply me in English. I don’t even Hindi anymore because the friends and people I meet with speak only in English. Perhaps it is because there are so many races here so communication needs to be in a common language. Although I have friends from India here, they never speak in their mother tongue! Everyone would rather speak in English than Hindi! Despite Joshua’s extensive language repertoire, he only speaks in English in Singapore, thereby showing a decrease in language repertoire employed in daily life. In most cases of international migration, migrants often move from the ‘periphery’ to the ‘core’ of the world system. As one attempts to transfer one’s language repertoire from one country to another, the languages employed more frequently within the core global system would be more mobile compared to other languages. In particular, because Singapore is a multi-racial community, it requires English as a lingua franca in order to achieve cohesiveness and efficiency. Consequently, rather than expanding one’s linguistic repertoire to gain access to every community, a migrant in Singapore need only focus on speaking proficient English, which subsequently narrows his language repertoire within the host country. Parallel to one’s decrease in language repertoire, it is observed that migrants narrow their participation to a few communities that they are comfortable with. While migrants who migrate internally tend to broaden their participation in a wide array of communities, people who migrate internationally prefer to focus their efforts in interacting with a particular community where they feel most comfortable with. Joshua, expresses that: â€Å" I like to be in a place where I can interact with people well. When I came to Singapore, everybody spoke â€Å"Singlish†. It was especially hard for me to understand the jokes of my Singaporean friends. Thats why I wanted to be in a Christian group, so I went around to look for churches and even joined the varsity christian fellowship. Then I found a church cell group to be in and we could talk about common things, at least everyone there understands what I am going through when I talk about my struggles and life. I don’t meet with the Indian community much because everyone here speaks English anyway and I am more comfortable speaking in English, so when I talk about God and faith, I don’t get any puzzled looks when I am with church people†. For most immigrants, being in a foreign community could be unsettling because there exists stark differences in culture that they might not understand. In Joshua’s case, not being able to understand Singlish hindered his active participation in various communities, especially in understanding humour within the sociocultural context of Singaporean society. As such, by participating in communities with specific shared beliefs that the migrant can identify with, it could be easier for him to assimilate into a new environment. Communities with shared beliefs also tend to share a similar use of register in their daily speech. Drawing on Joshua’s case of finding a christian community, a christian setting could be more comfortable for him because he understands the semantics of words such as â€Å"communion† and â€Å"faith† used frequently in that community. Additionally, by narrowing one’s participation to few communities, individuals would have more time to spend more effort on forging closer relationships within a particular communities. This in turn could be more beneficial to the migrant as this niche area of society provides a source of emotional support for the migrant in order to cope with the anxiety of being away from home. Conclusion What Joshua has experienced demonstrates the constant change of the value of language resources as he shifts between places in migration. This relative value of one’s linguistic resources is largely due to cultural and socioeconomic factors that have shaped the community to place emphasis on certain languages and speech styles. As such, an immigrant’s increase or decrease language repertoire is largely affected by the placed importance of certain languages within their host communities. In conclusion, this paper has asserts that language mobility is profoundly affected by the changing values of linguistic resources which vary from place to place, especially when there is a shift of resources from the periphery to the core of the world system. Whether one participates in a wide number of communities or chooses to focus their efforts in a single community depends on a change in one’s use of his language repertoire. References 0. Blommaert, J. (2003). Commentary: A Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7/4, 2003: 607-623 0. Crystal, D. (1990). A Liturgical Language in a Sociolinguistic Perspective. In D. & R. C. D. Jasper (eds),Language and the worship of the church (Basingstoke: Macmillan), 120-46 0. Laitin D. D. (1989). Language Policy and Political Strategy in India. Policy Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 3/4, Policymaking in Developing Countries (1989), pp. 415-436 0. Welch F. (1970). ‘’Education in Production’, Journal of Political Economy, 78 (1), January/February, 35-59.

Twitter Swot Analysis

Twitter, a website provides online social network and microblog services, is gradually seeping through into every area of life. It was listed as the most important invention in 2009. The same with Facebook who also provide online social network service, more and more people are feeling rely on Twitter, and could not get rid of it. On twitter, we send a real-time mail which is also known as tweets to millions of people around the world within 140 characters.As users, we could share our latest news and ideas to the followers through website interface, SMS from cell phones and mobile device apps; meanwhile, we also can get the instant information about what is happening among the followings, the country and the world. On the technology aspect, Twitter has always based on open source software from the back-end to the front-end. Nowadays, Twitter has became the top ten most visited websites. Before it was known as â€Å"Twitter†, its founders named it â€Å"Twttr†.Twttr†™s idea came from Dorsey, one of the cofounders, who expressed to â€Å"enable users carrying standard cellular phones to update small groups of people on their current situation by pressing a few buttons and tapping out message. † At the spring of 2006, Dorsey sent the first  tweet, and then, launched â€Å"Twttr† through the turmoil of headcount trimming in the same year together with the cofounders, Williams and Stone. Twttr became Twitter in 2007. We could feel the name as the buzzing of the SMS message alters and chips from birds.In this year, Twitter began to hit the market and its users kept growing in the next several years contributed from its word-of-mouth promotion. During its growth, the company continued to get venture capital invents. A lot of large companies were interested in Twitter as they thought Twitter has audiences in hands which would be lucrative. However, by 2011, the company still had problems which may bring risks in the future. According to the paper, the company had four issues: 1. The company was still on the way to seek prots.It was clearly that the company would be eventually pressured by the inventors as they largely relay on venture invention to support the company. Meanwhile, their application was totally free for use, in this case, advertising was almost the only tool to gain revenues. 2. The business model and strategy remain opaque. As mentioned by Ray Valde, Twitter was in a dilemma that they need a â€Å"robust revenue model†, while had to diminish perceived value which has a lot of potential value. 3. Did not commercially exploit its large and rapidly growing user base.As a kind of social media company, who has the audience, who will make money. User was the key factor that will determine Twitter’s fate. 4. The ongoing change in the top management team. The turmoil began at the start-up phase and even had not terminated by 2011. This may become mines for the company. This case write-up wi ll state Twitter’s business problems in detail, and use SWOT analysis to make the company’s situation more clarified. Then, raise solutions and suggestions for the company.2. Strategic analysis of problem SWOT analysisWeaknessesVery popular and acceptable by a large  number of users Creatively changed the way of messaging Greater access to capitalInternal organizational turbulence Did not exploit the user base Unclear business strategy and no solid revenue modelOpportunitiesThreatsDominant position in social media industry Competitors started to emerge A ton of public Suffer from abandonment of users A more technologically savvy plantformStrengthsVery popular and acceptable by a large number of users Why people would like to use twitter? I will give some factors according to this case: †¢ easy use †¢ free use †¢ allow users to send and receive messages to a mailing list of recipients in real-time †¢ better than online chat †¢ strong brand loy alty †¢ could run on different devices, especially mobile devices Thanks to these advantages, Twitter got 200 million users by March 2011.Although it was far from Facebook’s users, the number was still amazing and at the leading position among social network websites. The more visitors, the more the site is worth. Just account for the amount of users, we could estimate that the website of Twitter will be extremely valuable.Creatively changed the policy of messagingIt is hard to say Twitter has a big invention on technology aspect, and to a large extent, it brought about by recon?guring existing technology. However, we cannot deny it is a big revolution and has changed the policy of messaging. Twitter was built on existing technologies like SMS (short message service), IM (instant messaging), and RSS (really simple syndication), then, combined them in a unique way. It is one-to-one association when we are using SMS and IM.Now, it is one-to-many association which facing to the public, when we are using Twitter. On Twitter, we send 140 characters instant micro-blog, use â€Å"@† to mention or replay other users, use â€Å"#† to post together the same topics. All these creations changed the way people communicate. Greater access to capital Twitter had attracted plenty of capital since its establishment. For a young company, suf?cient fund and patient inventors could allow them a more space to develop and complete their big idea.Weaknesses Internal organizational turbulenceTwitter’s internal contradiction emerged at the initial phase. When Odeo’s team launched Twttr Beta, six employees terminated contracts. Moreover, among the four cofounders (Dorsey, Glass, Williams, Stone), Dorsey and Williams had even acted as CEO; but both of them quitted. And the name of Glass was seldom raised in Twitter’s history. The establishment of Twitter extremely require collaboration, however, people in the founding team have different ex pectations. Inventors may lose con?dence in them.Did not exploit the user base In spite of the fact that Twitter’s success rides on the user base. However, according to the paper, Twitter did not commercially exploit it. Or we can say Twitter had no extra energy to do it. The top managers concentrated on how to make their product more advanced and how to attract inventions. They did not notice the user base was the valuable source for them. Actually, they owned the large amount of users and easier than other companies to conduct a survey on them.Unclear business strategy and no solid revenue modelTwitter has been trying to be different from other closest companies and exploiting which path was likely to take from the beginning. However, the path depended on how the ?rm perceived and de?ned itself. They just claim their blueprint for making the company â€Å"as large an impact as possible† instead of setting speci?c business strategy.What’s more, Twitter still ha d not built a solid revenue model even through their revenue kept increasing from 2009. As it stands, the company’s revenue was largely relay on advertising and the last was from data licensing. By comparison, Twitter had the similar ad model as Facebook, but facebook was trying to get rid of reliant on ad while Twitter was not able to do it at present.Opportunities Dominant position in social media industryAlthough the amount of users was lower than Facebook, Twitter still own the large amount of audiences. It was not the ?rst mover in this industry, but the ?rm acted quickly and was already far beyond other similar social media companies. Contributed by its dominant position, more and more people would like to choose Twitter based on the number of other users of this platform, and inventors would focus on the ?rm, then invent on it as they believe the one who owned the audiences would be valuable. A tongue of publicBecause of Twitter has the advantage of timeliness, it beca me a tool to publish news. In 2008, it played as a key tool in the U. S presidential campaign and the attacks in Mumbai, India. From then on, Twitter became an important role in politics. People became more and more believe the platform as they can use it to publish their opinion to the public. It was helpful to strong its social position and brand impact. A more technologically savvy platform As Stone said, Twitter was most likely a â€Å"information company.† In recent years, this platform value which was derived from information-sharing has reached the peak. Twitter has owned two advantages: a large user base and information-sharing platform. These resources could be used to improve revenue. There was no better savvy platform than Twitter to help companies promote services and products with limited budgets. This project was known as â€Å"promoted tweets†, launched in 2010. When followers log in Twitter, promoted tweets will appear at the top of the timeline, then a dvertisers will pay when a user engages.Threats Competitors started to emergeAs the industry was lucrative, some companies had started to emerge and attempted to share the cake. Now, it was not just Twitter provided free services, some large and competitive companies like Friendfeed, Identi. ca, Present. ly, and Google were looking at the market. These competitors were not just copy Twitter but offering some new functions that Twitter did not have. If Twitter stop improving their applications, it may be eliminated in the competition.Suffer from abandonment of usersOnce your friends left the social network platform, more and more connected users may leave it. Then, this website will face catastrophe. Now, Twitter was facing the trouble—although they had attracted a lot of users, the abandonment rate up to 40 per cent yet. On contrast, only 7 per cent Facebook users said they may never use Facebook. And Twitter’s active users were far below than Facebook. One data analys is showed that in Jun-10, only 12 millions U. S Twitter active users while the number was 137 millions for Facebook.3. Solutions and recommendationsConclusion about TwitterTwitter entered the market at a right time, and grabbed the larger resource in the industry. It was a big Internet Innovation and changed the way people communicate. However, it was true that Twitter did not do as good as other similar companies like Google, yahoo, and facebook. For example, in 2009, Google earned more than $18 from unique visitor, Facebook earned about $3, but Twitter only got lower than $1. They were still facing challenges and on the way to exploit the best path.The challenges which were brought by competitors’ expanding The denying and ongoing innovation of Internet will never stop in this age, and its sustainable innovation has brought about a new round of reform of the marketing mode. Twitter cannot just stay stuck in its old mode. In this industry, stagnate means decline. The first  challenge was from the companies who imitated Twitter while developed more functions. However, these competitors had precisely pushed forward Twitter and proved microblog had the bright prospects for development. To deal with them,Twitter had better to enhance its brand loyalty, and form its own core competitiveness. Users would like to choose the one who dominated the industry because they were easy to be impacted by conformity. Moreover, Twitter should be sure to avoid following others, developing the functions what others have. They should keep creating new ideas and act quicker than competitors. Even through competitors’ function was more advanced than Twitter, it did not mean it was an appropriate product for Twitter. Another challenge was from large companies like Facebook and Google.These companies also wanted to do everything and dominate the industry. They were similar as Twitter, owned a large amount of users, but did not do microblog. Twitter was not safe even th ough it did the best in microblog. These services were another form of social media that also may grab Twitter’s market. Twitter needs not only to improve its model to attract more users, but also continue digging potential value in other area to expand the ?rm. Exploit more sources of revenue Twitter cannot largely rely on venture capital invention and advertising any more.It needs to ?nd out another way to obtain fund. The ?rst option was to imitate Google and Apple, provide more services and develop more products to increase revenue. Another option was to imitate Facebook, launch IPO. Or it can do both. I think launch IPO will be better because Twitter did not have the technology support as strong as Google and Apple. And Twitter’s revenue model was already unclear now, if it provides more products, the model may become more confused. What’s more, IPO is a better choice for long term development.Increase the R&D activities It is not only the revenue model nee ds R&D, but also the new application innovation needs R&D. When going to Twitter. com, we will basically see the same thing that the company did years ago. They did not keep working on anything that cool. Meanwhile, they did not reveal any details about the R&D plan and result. Conducting R&D could help Twitter to improve their products and services, which was necessary for a technology company. Twitter website was built on open source software. It was helpful  to develop new applications. Furthermore, in order to keep an eagle eye on the competitors and customers, R&D should not be ignored by Twitter.Promote overseas marketIt was clear that Twitter owned a large number of overseas users, but had not ï ¬ gure out an effect proï ¬ t in other countries. â€Å"Promote the tweets† won a big market in the U.S, similarly, the foreign market had a large proï ¬ t that could be exploited. But it will be a big project that need marketing research and detailed plan before they d ecide to move in a foreign market.

Johnson s Sleeper Curve Essays

Johnson s Sleeper Curve Essays Johnson s Sleeper Curve Paper Johnson s Sleeper Curve Paper Sleeper Curve until reading this excerpt, hadnt ever really considered the idea that modern media was more than just idle entertainment. I too unintentionally looked down on video gamers and those that watch reality TV, only seeing laziness in interests of that nature. However now I would say I agree with what Johnson was trying to promote with the sleeper curve idea. While baseball statistics and video games arent my cup of tea, there are plenty of there things in my life that could be seen as similar activities in relation to the sleeper curve. An example Of this is the show pretty Little Liars, which I watch religiously. To the average Joe, this show is just teenage girl-drama nonsense. However, if looked into theres so much more at play. The person watching the show has to keep up with all of the constantly changing situations and relationships (not necessarily romantic), as well as consider character backgrounds, such as crimes committed, from previous episodes/seasons. If something major happens, its not just because; the watcher must consider motive and intention. Like Johnson referenced, this show illustrates the complexity of social networks and situational relationships. Its both relatable and usefully educational, not only to teens in high school, but also to young adults about to embark on the journey of life in the real world. Another major example is social media as a whole. Instating, for instance, is an app in which you post pictures. Sounds simple, right? However there is a much deeper thought process involved than just upload a picture. In general, the understood objective is to have a good ratio of followers to following. This means that you want to have a lot more people following you, than you follow,/. To do this, you post interesting pictures; you like other peoples photos so that theyll be more likely to return the favor. You add a filter to the photo to make it more interesting you edit it like crazy. You add lots of tags hostage) to the pictures description so that more people are likely to see it when they search that subject through the app. This app is training todays middle-cholers to be savvy in the business world. If you think about it, these children are going into high school pre-educated in marketing strategies. Theyve learned firsthand how to present themselves, hopefully appropriately, and this knowledge can be used later in the real world, such as applying for jobs. Cellophane applications also have real-life applications it seems.

T Dinosaur Extinction Event

The K/T Dinosaur Extinction Event About 65 and a half million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, dinosaurs, the largest, most fearsome creatures ever to rule the planet, died off in vast quantities, along with their cousins, the pterosaurs, and marine reptiles. Although this mass extinction didnt happen literally overnight, in evolutionary terms, it may as well have - within a few thousand years of whatever catastrophe caused their demise, the dinosaurs had been wiped off the face of the Earth. The Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction Event - or K/T Extinction Event, as its known in scientific shorthand - has spawned a variety of less-than-convincing theories. Up until a few decades ago, paleontologists, climatologists, and assorted cranks blamed everything from epidemic disease to lemming-like suicides to intervention by aliens. That all changed, though, when the Cuban-born physicist Luis Alvarez had an inspired hunch. Did a Meteor Impact Cause the Extinction of the Dinosaurs? In 1980, Alvarez - along with his physicist son, Walter- put forth a startling hypothesis about the K/T Extinction Event. Along with other researchers, the Alvarezes had been investigating sediments laid down all over the world around the time of the K/T boundary 65 million years ago (its generally a straightforward matter to match geologic strata - layers of sediment in rock formations, river beds, etc. - with specific epochs in geologic history, especially in areas of the world where these sediments accumulate in roughly linear fashion). These scientists discovered that the sediments laid down at the K/T boundary were unusually rich in the element iridium. In normal conditions, iridium is extremely rare, leading the Alvarezes to conclude that the Earth was struck 65 million years ago by an iridium-rich meteorite or comet. The iridium residue from the impact object, along with millions of tons of debris from the impact crater, would have quickly spread all over the globe; the massive amounts of dust blotted out the sun, and thus killed the vegetation eaten by herbivorous dinosaurs, the disappearance of which caused the starvation of carnivorous dinosaurs. (Presumably, a similar chain of events led to the extinction of ocean-dwelling mosasaurs and giant pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus.) Where Is the K/T Impact Crater? Its one thing to propose a massive meteor impact as the cause of the K/T Extinction, but its quite another to adduce the necessary proof for such a bold hypothesis. The next challenge the Alvarezes faced was to identify the responsible astronomical object, as well as its signature impact crater - not as easy a matter as you might think  since the Earths surface is geologically active and tends to erase evidence of even large meteorite impacts over the course of millions of years. Amazingly, a few years after the Alvarezes published their theory, investigators found the buried remains of a huge crater in the region of Chicxulub, on Mexicos Mayan peninsula. Analysis of its sediments demonstrated that this gigantic (over 100 miles in diameter) crater had been created 65 million years ago - and was clearly caused by an astronomical object, either a comet or a meteor, sufficiently large (anywhere from six to nine miles wide) to occasion the extinction of the dinosaurs. In fact, the size of the crater closely matched the rough estimate proposed by the Alvarezes in their original paper! Was the K/T Impact the Only Factor in Dinosaur Extinction? Today, most paleontologists agree that the K/T meteorite (or comet) was the prime cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs - and in 2010, an international panel of experts endorsed this conclusion after re-examining massive amounts of evidence. However, this doesnt mean there couldnt have been aggravating circumstances: for instance, its possible that the impact was roughly concurrent with an extended period of volcanic activity on the Indian subcontinent, which would have further polluted the atmosphere, or that dinosaurs were dwindling in diversity and ripe for extinction (by the end of the Cretaceous period, there was less variety among dinosaurs than at earlier times in the Mesozoic Era). Its also important to remember that the K/T Extinction Event wasnt the only such catastrophe in the history of life on Earth - or even the worst, statistically speaking. For example, the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago, witnessed the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, a still-mysterious global catastrophe in which over 70 percent of land-dwelling animals and a whopping 95 percent of marine animals went kaput. Ironically, it was this extinction that cleared the field for the rise of the dinosaurs toward the end of the Triassic period - after which they managed to hold the world stage for a whopping 150 million years, until that unfortunate visit from the Chicxulub comet.

Franz von Hipper in World War I

Franz von Hipper in World War I Franz von Hipper - Early Life Career: Born in Weilheim in Oberbayern, Bavaria on September 13, 1863, Franz Hipper was the son of shopkeeper Anton Hipper and his wife Anna. Losing his father at age three, Hipper commenced his education in 1868 at school in Munich before moving to a gymnasium five years later. Completing his education in 1879, he entered the military as a volunteer officer. Later in the year, Hipper elected to pursue a career in the Kaiserliche Marine and traveled to Kiel. Passing the required exams, he began his training. Made a probationary sea cadet on April 12, 1881, Hipper spent the summer on the frigate SMS Niobe. Returning to the Naval Cadet School in September, he graduated in March 1882. After attending gunnery school, Hipper commenced training at sea with time aboard the training ship SMS Friedrich Carl and a world cruise aboard SMS Leipzig. Franz von Hipper - Young Officer: Returning to Kiel in October 1884, Hipper spent the winter attending the Naval Officer School before being appointed to oversee the training of recruits in the First Naval Battalion. The following fall, he passed through the Executive Officer School. After spending a year with a coastal artillery unit, Hipper received an appointment at sea as an officer aboard Friedrich Carl. Over the next three years, he moved through several ships including the armored frigate SMS Friedrich der Grosse. Hipper returned to the ship in October 1891 after completing the Torpedo Officer Course aboard SMS Blà ¼cher. After additional assignments afloat and ashore, he became senior watch officer aboard the new battleship SMS Wà ¶rth in 1894. Serving under Prince Heinrich, Hipper was promoted to senior lieutenant and awarded the Bavarian National Defense Service Medal the following year. In September 1895, he took command of the Second Torpedo-boat Reserve Division. Franz von Hipper - Rising Star: Ordered to SMS Kurfà ¼rst Friedrich Wilhelm in October 1898, Hipper remained on board for nearly a year before landing a choice assignment aboard the royal yacht SMY Hohenzollern. In this role, he attended Queen Victorias funeral in 1901 and received a number of ceremonial decorations. Promoted to lieutenant commander on June 16, 1901, Hipper assumed command of the Second Torpedo Unit the following year and flew his flag from the new cruiser SMS Niobe. Made a commander on April 5, 1905, he attended the Cruiser and Battleship Gunnery Schools in early 1906. Briefly taking command of the cruiser SMS Leipzig in April, Hipper then shifted to the new cruiser SMS Friedrich Carl in September. Turning his vessel into a crack ship, Friedrich Carl won the Kaisers Prize for best shooting in the fleet in 1907. Promoted to captain on April 6, 1907, Hipper was dubbed an Imperial Captain by Kaiser Wilhelm II. In March 1908, he assumed command of the new cruiser SMS Gneisenau and oversaw its shakedown cruise and training of the crew prior to its departure to join the German East Asia Squadron in China. Leaving the ship later in the year, Hipper returned to Kiel and spent three years overseeing the training of torpedo boat crews. Returning to sea in October 1911, he became captain of the cruiser SMS Yorck four months before being appointed chief of staff to Rear Admiral Gustav von Bachmann, the Deputy Flag Officer, Reconnaissance Forces. On January 27, 1912, following von Bachmanns promotion to command of the High Seas Fleets scouting forces, Hipper was promoted to rear admiral and made deputy commander. Franz von Hipper - World War I Begins: When Bachmann departed for the Baltic in 1913, Hipper assumed command of I Scouting Group on October 1. Containing the High Sea Fleets battlecruisers, this force possessed a mix of power and speed. Hipper was in this post when World War I began in August 1914. On the 28th of that month, he sortied with part of his force to support German vessels during the Battle of Heligoland Bight but arrived too late to take part in the action. In early November, Hipper was directed by High Seas Fleet commander Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl to take three battlecruisers, a cruiser, and four light cruisers to bombard Great Yarmouth. Attacking on November 3, he shelled the port before withdrawing back to the German base in the Jade Estuary. Franz von Hipper - Battling the Royal Navy: Due to the success of the operation, a second attack was planned for early December with the bulk of the High Seas Fleet sailing in support. Striking Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby on December 16, Hippers squadron, which had been augmented by the new battlecruiser Derfflinger, bombarded the three towns and inflicted numerous civilian casualties earning the admiral the sobriquet baby killer. Having broken the German naval codes, the Royal Navy dispatched Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty with four battlecruisers and six battleships to intercept Hipper on his return voyage to Germany. Though Beattys ships arrived in position to trap the enemy, signaling errors prevented the plan from being executed and Hipper was able to escape. In January 1915, Ingenohl directed Hipper to take his force to clear British vessels from the area around Dogger Bank. Alerted to German intentions by signals intelligence, Beatty again attempted to destroy Hippers ships. In the Battle of Dogger Bank on January 24, the two sides engaged in a running battle as the German commander attempted to escape back to base. In the fighting, Hipper saw Blà ¼cher sunk and his flagship, SMS Seydlitz severely damaged. Blame for the defeat fell to Ingenohl rather than Hipper and he was replaced by Admiral Hugo von Pohl the following month. Falling ill, Pohl in turn was replaced by Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer in January 1916. Two months later, Hipper, suffering from exhaustion, requested sick leave. This was granted and he remained away from his command until May 12. Franz von Hipper - Battle of Jutland: At the end of the month, Scheer sortied with bulk of the High Seas Fleet in the hope of luring out and destroying part of the British Grand Fleet. Aware of Scheers intentions via radio intercepts, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe sailed south from Scapa Flow with the Grand Fleet while Beattys battlecruisers, augmented by four battleships, steamed in advance. On May 31, Hipper and Beattys forces met in the opening phases of the Battle of Jutland. Turning southeast to lure British battlecruiser towards the guns of the High Seas Fleet, Hipper engaged in a running battle. In the fighting, his command sank the battlecruisers HMS Indefatigable and HMS Queen Mary. Spotting the danger posed by Scheers approaching battleships, Beatty reversed course. In the fighting, the British inflicted severe damage on Hippers ships but failed to score any kills. As the battle continued, the German battlecruisers sank HMS Invincible. As the main fleets engaged, critical damage to his flagship, SMS Là ¼tzow, forced Hipper to transfer his flag to the battlecruiser Moltke. Attempting to maintain his forces station for the remainder of the battle, Hipper saw his badly damaged battlecruisers compelled to limp back to Germany after Scheer was able to evade the enemy during the night. For his performance at Jutland he was awarded the Pour le Mà ©rite on June 5. With his squadron crippled, Hipper received command of large detachment of the High Seas Fleet following the battle. Over the next two years, the High Seas Fleet remained largely inactive as it lacked the numbers to challenge the British. When Scheer ascended to become Chief of the Naval Staff on August 12, 1918, Hipper took command of the fleet. Franz von Hipper - Later Career: With German forces on the Western Front reeling, Scheer and Hipper planned a final effort for the High Seas Fleet in October 1918. After mounting attacks on the Thames Estuary and Flanders, the fleet would engage the Grand Fleet. As ships were concentrating at Wilhelmshaven hundreds of sailors began to desert. This was followed by several mutinies beginning on October 29. With the fleet in open revolt, Scheer and Hipper had no choice but to cancel the operation. Going ashore on November 9, he watched as the fleet departed for internment at Scapa Flow later that month. With the end of the war, Hipper asked to be placed on the inactive list on December 2 before retiring eleven days later. After evading German revolutionaries in 1919, Hipper retired to a quiet life in Altona, Germany. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he elected not to write a memoir of the war and later died on May 25, 1932. Cremated, Hippers remains were buried in Weilheim in Oberbayern. The Nazi-era Kriegsmarine later named a cruiser Admiral Hipper in his honor. Selected Sources First World War I: Franz von HipperFranz Ritter von Hipper History Today: Franz von Hipper

Five Approaches for Qualitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Five Approaches for Qualitative Research - Essay Example Thus, the research study critically evaluates the role of theory in qualitative research in relation to leadership styles employed by both directors of nursing and social services in promotion of psychosocial well-being of nursing home residents. The role of the theory in the grounded theory, narrative, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case study influence the research study in different ways. First, theory plays significant role of influencing research design such as enabling leaders to make vital decisions about things to research and implementation of research questions. Therefore, theory underpins qualitative research methodologies; hence, it can have an implication on data analysis and interpretation. The main role of theory is to influence the research; thus offering practical guidance to the researchers in order to enable them become aware of what the theory has to perform and the way it affects research design. Keele (2011) argues that the quality of a qualitative research analysis is influenced depending on the way the researcher attends to theoretical concerns at varied research process; the theoretical concerns plays significant role at all stages of research design. Although many nursing practition ers have tended to ignore the theory because they believe that they work on reality, understanding the role that theory play, in both five qualitative research approaches is significant. Grounded theory is an effective method employed by researcher and it utilizes the data obtained for developing or finding a theory in research study process. Grounded theory was developed by Glaser Barney and Strauss Anselm, and it has a particular purpose which moves beyond narrative or description approach (Creswell and Creswell, 2007). Both directors of nursing and social services can use grounded theory in discovering and generating a theory that will enable them to find the impact that their leadership styles can have on the

The coca-cola Company struggles with Ethical Crises Case Study

The coca-cola Company struggles with Ethical Crises - Case Study Example Coca cola Company, one of the most revered and common soft drink manufacturers in the world has had to deal with a number of ethical complaints against it. The company has had a number of influential business people serving various positions within its ranks, including Warren Buffet who served in the company’s board. In this paper, one out of a number of the ethical misdeeds raised against Coca Cola Company will be analyzed. In this analysis, the company’s response to the issues raised by the company and how it affected the success and operations of the business will be discussed. The economic and social impacts of the complaints against the company will also be discussed in line with differential business practices and response to ethical concerns (Jennings, 2011). Ethical concerns Just like any manufacturing company, coca cola has had a number of ethical challenges especially on their manufacturing and package practices. In 1999, the company was faced with one of the most dreaded ethical concern that arose after the safety of its products was questioned. The source of this questioning arose after thirty Belgian children developed health complications after consuming a wide range of the company’s products. This forced the company to react immediately by recalling its Belgian based products to enable them conduct tests to confirm the source of the illnesses (Jennings, 2011). ... This created a major public outcry with the media giving the company a lot of negative publicity. These developments forced the company’s management to give a detailed apology to enable them gain the public confidence that was forced fading. This was the end of the company ethical manufacturing practices as France followed suit and banned all products from the company after a number of coca cola consumers developed complications. Other products from the company like the coca cola water that was being supplied to Poland reported the presence of mould, fungi that are harmful to human health (Jennings, 2011). Coca Cola Company and the community Organizations today have more roles, not just to the stakeholders and the consumers but to the general population and the society. In this regard, Coca Cola Company has not been left behind in developing proper community based projects and serving in different roles as part of its corporate social responsibility. To enable the company rega in the trust of the community as a whole and recapture the mass consumers, especially those who migrated to other brands like Pepsi, the coca cola company have developed a number of programs that targets the community (Kesler, 2012). These projects are supported and coordinated by its philanthropic and community based wing known as the coca cola foundation. Through this foundation, the company is engaged in community development and environmental programs in different parts of the world, especially in countries where it operates its subsidiaries. It funded the education on wheel program in Singapore in which students were allowed to learn different historical developments in the country through interactive mobile visits. This program has been lauded for its ability to

Financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial crisis - Essay Example The global north was after this period walking on a financial tight rope. With the resource utilization reaching the maximum limits compounded further by a relatively high wage rate, most enterprises were feeling the pinch in the reduction of their rates of return. There are also indications that the credit crisis began in the developing nations that had began to experience financial turbulence in the early years before it eventually impacted the giant economies like the United States. With respect to these revelations and more, this paper therefore examines the causes of the credit crisis that affected the world and which its effects are yet to be fully mitigated. This essay will closely look at the major influencing factors in the global economy and that of the United States that led to the credit crisis that was experienced in the year 2004. As a precursor, the two major reasons for this crisis were internal policy framework and external influence as discussed below. Deregulation: Shadow Banking and Mortgage Securitization The main internal factor was that of the policy instruments by the government that led to further instability in the financial sector of the economy that was already unhealthy. The period before the crisis was characterized by a highly capitalist tendency that favored lack of regulation in the financial sector. Blundell-Wignall, Atkinson and Lee (3), state that by the year 2004 there were four key crisis-causing factors that came into perspective. First, the then president’s policy of making mortgages cheaper to low-income household. Secondly, the increased restriction of the sole mortgaging authority that made banks venture more into the sector and thereby increasing low value lending. Third was the publication of the Basel II accord that encouraged banks to get involved in other non-trading activities. Finally, the investment banks were given more freedom through ‘consolidated entities program’. In effect, this led to instability of economies mostly in the northern parts of the globe that depended highly on export surpluses. This created some sort of instability as Kapadia and Jayadev (35) indicate. They further state that the creation of a benchmark of currency and the isolation of the United States’ consumption sector as the last in consideration when exporting resulted into instability in the world economy. The effects of deregulation were mostly felt in the banking sector. First, the impact of disallowing the regulations that stated that demand deposits accrued interests. Secondly, the mortgage interests with relation to residential properties were lowered creating a boom in the housing sector through increased mortgage lending. Lastly, the deposit taking institutions were allowed access to the Federal Reserve through a credit window that in turn allowed non-banking institutions into the financial market that was already unstable. It was therefore inevitable that deregulation was boun d to create ‘indiscipline’ in the financial sector and that was the case. For instance, lack of proper monitoring of the banking institutions was creating an environment prone to unscrupulous deals that amounted to lose invested funds that created a recipe for future collapse of the whole lending system. Moreover, the mortgage sector was also affected

Today Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Today Media - Research Paper Example Advertisements can distort reality. It is a one-sided stand in order to obtain corporate goals. Lastly, some audience does not have enough ability to understand advertisement’s purpose. Based on these reasons, the proponent was able to use important journal articles, and books in line with understanding the very nature of advertising and its impact on the society. Furthermore, other important related concepts in other fields such as psychology, and social science are integrated within the concept of mass communication and the social media. In doing this, further justification of the use of advertising as effective approach in conveying information is justified. The important implications of advertising in the society are also discussed based on other relevant and practical examples commonly observed in common and various ads. Introduction Certain ads are effective in conveying information to the extent that consumer persuasion is at a higher level. This persuasion at a higher level is very influential in trying to convince people of certain ideas. For example, tobacco marketing is associated with youth smoking, their behaviors towards it and their intention to smoke (Hanewinkel, Isensee, Sargent, & Morgenstern, 2010). However, anti-tobacco media campaigns are found helpful in smoking cessation (Biener, Reimer, Wakefield, Szczypka, Rigotti, & Connolly, 2006). Furthermore, anti-tobacco television ads using fear and disgust contents have been found significant on resources intended for message encoding, recognition memory and emotional responses (Leshner, Bolls & Wise, 2011, p. 77). These only show that advertising is effective way of communicating ideas, information and other relevant social concerns. In particular, advertising activities are integral parts of marketing and other related social interactions that aim to promote certain ideas, opinions or products and services. For a long period of time, ads are used to convey significant information and peo ple are learning many things from them. The very proof why ads are effective is their continuing existence in the media, and other related mass communication today. If they are not that effective, then they should have been long banished and should never be the primary options on the list among marketers and some people. However, certain ads should be banned in the interest of health, morality, annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc due to the following reasons. Advertisements distort reality The advancement of technology makes it possible for advertisers to distort reality by creating much of virtual reality (Frith & Mueller, 2010). It has long been contended that advertisements tend to distort the reality, but the availability of much advanced technology has become the doorway to create more virtual reality. There are many available animated commercial advertisements today that try to distort the picture of reality. What the advertisers try to promote is th e product itself and not the entire concept of the social reality. These highly animated commercials are without question attractive to the extent they can actually catch attention. Some of them moved out from the bound of morality and other relevant social issues. These ads might be considered the reality among children so it is important to consider that unrealistic ads should be totally

The government of Costa Rica Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The government of Costa Rica - Research Paper Example The paper tells that having gained its independence from Spain as part of the broader Central American independence movement in the former Kingdom of Guatemala, Costa Rica became a constituent province of the short-lived Federal Republic of Central America, or Central American Union. Following the Union dissolution in 1838, Costa Rica proclaimed itself as a sovereign nation under Braulio Carrillo, who was ultimately removed from power in 1842; in 1847, Jose Maria Castro Madriz was appointed President of Costa Rica, who, during his first term of office, formally declared Costa Rica an independent republic. The constitutional reform of 1848 attempted to establish basic civil rights and might be thought to have laid the foundations for a tradition of political moderation and civilian government despite having had some interludes of military rule. Two significant periods of political turmoil had taken place since the late 19th century, the first of which started with the 1917 military co up against Gonza Flores administration, led by General Tinoco Granados, whose rule failed to gain recognition from the United States and had eventually ended in 1919 under both external and internal pressure. The second one is considered the bloodiest event in the 20th-century Costa Rican history – the civil war following a highly contentious presidential election in 1948, which lasted 44 days and caused some two thousand fatalities. The Costa Rican civil conflict led to several far-reaching effects, including the abolition of the regularly army, the foundation of one of the first welfare states in the region and the creation of a new constitution. (Meyer 1). The latter prohibited the maintenance of standing army except in case of external invasion, outlawed the communist and fascist parties, and provided for the creation of a Supreme Electoral Tribunal that would oversee the electoral process and have police power during elections; the duty to guarantee the nation’s s ecurity was assigned to a national police force called the Civil Guard (Watkins). Population and Society As of July 2011 estimates, Costa Rica’s population totals 4Â  576Â  562 people, being comprised of four major ethnic groups as follows – whites, primarily of European (Spanish) descent, which, along with the mestizos, account for 94 % of the total population; 3 % blacks, which are, for the most part, of Jamaican origin; and the remainder – 1 % Chinese and 1 % Amerindians respectively (CIA; Encyclopedia of the Nations). Some 69 % of the Costa Ricans are in the 15 to 64 age group, 6.4 % are over 65 year-old and another 24.6 % are under 15 year-old (CIA). Those living in urban areas, according to 2010 data, account for 64 % of the total population (CIA), as compared to 48 % in 2001(Population Reference Bureau, cited in Encyclopedia of the Nations). The capital city, San Jose, has 1. 416 million inhabitants as of 2009 (CIA); other large cities with population o ver 100Â  000 are Alajuela, Cartago and Puntarenas, as well as Limon and Heredia, with over 50Â  000 inhabitants each (Encyclopedia of the Nations). The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish while English is mainly spoken among the middle class in some urban areas, and among descendants of Jamaican origin as well (Encyclopedia of the Nations). The major religions are Roman Catholic, which is the predominant one embracing over 76 % of the population, and Evangelical – shared by 13.7% of the Costa Ricans; along with 1.3% Jehovah’s Witnesses, 0.7% other Protestants, and other religious cults (CIA). In as much as the vast majority of Costa Rica’s people belong to one and same ethnic group, namely the ‘white’ one, which also includes people of mixed ancestry, the so-called ‘whiteness’ would appear the factor that defines the Costa Rica’s population as homogeneous; this homogeneity, however, is further reinforced by the overwhel mingly common origin, hence

Today Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Today Media - Research Paper Example Advertisements can distort reality. It is a one-sided stand in order to obtain corporate goals. Lastly, some audience does not have enough ability to understand advertisement’s purpose. Based on these reasons, the proponent was able to use important journal articles, and books in line with understanding the very nature of advertising and its impact on the society. Furthermore, other important related concepts in other fields such as psychology, and social science are integrated within the concept of mass communication and the social media. In doing this, further justification of the use of advertising as effective approach in conveying information is justified. The important implications of advertising in the society are also discussed based on other relevant and practical examples commonly observed in common and various ads. Introduction Certain ads are effective in conveying information to the extent that consumer persuasion is at a higher level. This persuasion at a higher level is very influential in trying to convince people of certain ideas. For example, tobacco marketing is associated with youth smoking, their behaviors towards it and their intention to smoke (Hanewinkel, Isensee, Sargent, & Morgenstern, 2010). However, anti-tobacco media campaigns are found helpful in smoking cessation (Biener, Reimer, Wakefield, Szczypka, Rigotti, & Connolly, 2006). Furthermore, anti-tobacco television ads using fear and disgust contents have been found significant on resources intended for message encoding, recognition memory and emotional responses (Leshner, Bolls & Wise, 2011, p. 77). These only show that advertising is effective way of communicating ideas, information and other relevant social concerns. In particular, advertising activities are integral parts of marketing and other related social interactions that aim to promote certain ideas, opinions or products and services. For a long period of time, ads are used to convey significant information and peo ple are learning many things from them. The very proof why ads are effective is their continuing existence in the media, and other related mass communication today. If they are not that effective, then they should have been long banished and should never be the primary options on the list among marketers and some people. However, certain ads should be banned in the interest of health, morality, annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc due to the following reasons. Advertisements distort reality The advancement of technology makes it possible for advertisers to distort reality by creating much of virtual reality (Frith & Mueller, 2010). It has long been contended that advertisements tend to distort the reality, but the availability of much advanced technology has become the doorway to create more virtual reality. There are many available animated commercial advertisements today that try to distort the picture of reality. What the advertisers try to promote is th e product itself and not the entire concept of the social reality. These highly animated commercials are without question attractive to the extent they can actually catch attention. Some of them moved out from the bound of morality and other relevant social issues. These ads might be considered the reality among children so it is important to consider that unrealistic ads should be totally

Sustainable Management Futures. Corporate Social Responsibility Assignment

Sustainable Management Futures. Corporate Social Responsibility - Assignment Example Even though, they acknowledge its efficiency, they still claim that free enterprise is inherently exploitive or unfair. Although opponents agree that free market is productive, they still argue that it produces the wrong commodities. For instance, they argue that free market produces too much of the luxury goods at the expense of public goods. The opposition to free market is not much of economic considerations as moral. For example, profit comes from the workers, but the workers are only entitled to a small pay. The profit rightfully belongs to workers but end up being denied the right. Although production from the free market can be efficient, the commodities produced do not fit what people desire. The inequalities resulting from the free market depict unethical moral standards. Individuals gain wealth unequally favouring inequality in the distribution of resources, which is morally wrong (Schumpeter, 1994 pp 68). It is in the free market that individuals dictate what people should consume and what they should earn. These considerations represent a moral consideration. These considerations are based on values and goals rather than the real working of an economy. Moral equality supports that no individual should be superior to the other and, therefore, no one can impose his value, desire, and belief on another. Since each person has his to follow his discretion in what he decides to produce or sell, there is no coercion. When there is no coercion, there is no moral wrong; hence, since free market is free from coercion, the market is then ethical. It is only in the free-market that commodities and services are worth what individuals believe they are worth. This makes individuals be willing to pay for a charge that they feel is worth the value of the commodity or service. Moral equality in a free market is emphasized by the equal right of all individuals being free to act without coercion. Involvement of government in a free economy is unnecessary and wrong ethi cally. When governments are involved in a market economy, there is coercion to doing certain things. For example, people are coerced to pay taxes to sustain inefficient bureaucracies. These violate the rights of individuals. People, who oppose free market and prefer power of government in making things done, impose their views on others, which indicate moral superiority on others. A free economy depicts a free society, where every person can live as per his own values and principles. Since people need to be free without being coerced to act, free market exists as the only market practicing ethics. Capitalism represents a system of interaction, which utilizes money as the medium of exchanging commodities and services (Nelson, 2010 pp 16). The system evolved from barter trade, where individuals traded items in terms of value. Just like a free market, there is no coercion in the trading of products and services. Each person has the discretion of producing or selling what he feels is ri ght for him. What makes capitalism a moral aspect is the presence of fair trade and involvement of voluntary transactions. Capitalism benefits the society through freeing up commerce, creation of wealth, and provides incentives necessary for technological advancements. Socialism usually exists in a parasitic association with capitalism (Mises, 2009 pp 51). It has to rely and work within a monetary system.

Week 7 Assignment Busn 420 Essay Example for Free

Week 7 Assignment Busn 420 Essay Since this class is going to be part of my major and all the reading and the concept of business law, it will be very helpful for my major as well. In this 7 weeks I have learned about contracts, verbal, electronics and some others that I know are going to be part of my every day tasks, also at the mean time where to go or to do at a specific court house too. The knowledge that I got since taking this class and the way Im going to analyze the legal aspect of my career. Also the differences in how each states have they own business law (courts) and how to apply for them too. Like common law that I never heard about this law and what constitute to business, in my own I made a lot of mistakes before because I didn’t know what I know now about how or which type of business should I have or where to go, the difference among corporations or in which way I could be affected if anything happens. How partnerships will affect the relations with my partners specially if they are members of my family or friends. I personally had a LLC Corporation and to tell you the true I didnt know the meaning or the privilege of having a LLC Corporation like I do now, I know that the steps that I need to do now if I would like to have or open another corporation and all because of this class. This time I know I wont make the same mistakes I made in the pass, specially signing contract or agree to something I dont know, and learn how to identify remedies available ac cording to each states too, for example UCC SALE OF GOODS and to make sure the contract is valid or had been made according to the law or with ARTICLE 2 SALES OF THE UCC. All this knowledge that I obtained in this class its making me a better professional businessman, I will handle and perform better in any position management, also knowing and dealing with everything this class thought me I will challenge anything, by know what to do or where to go(courts) that deal with any legal matter (business law) Im ready. Thanks.

Case Study On Strategic Analysis Management Essay

Case Study On Strategic Analysis Management Essay This will be done through analysing the variety stores industry in which Woolworth operates, the companys past, present and future growth strategies and its current performance. Using recognised strategic tools, the various options available to the company will be recommended and evaluated. METHODOLOGY: The Methodology that will be used to compile this dissertation will mainly be in the form of secondary research. This is largely because the nature of the project requires the co-operation of managers at very strategic level of the company. The Managers understand and have sufficient information on the strategic direction of the organisation. The writer was unable to arrange interviews with the management in the company, as information they have cannot be made public for confidential reasons. As a result it is deemed that the information gathering from other sources within the company would not be as reliable as desired for this topic. Informal primary research interviews will be arranged to gain general information on Woolworths PLCs policies and operations with members of Woolworths store staff. Secondary information will also be used to compile this dissertation due to the availability of reliable and valid information on Woolworths PLC and the variety retail industry. Secondary research will be conducted through examination of annual reports and accounts of the company and its main competitors. To evaluate these, sources such as Mintel Marketing Intelligence Reports and Marketing and Business trade journals will be used. Published academic books on Strategic Management will also be used to assist with the theoretical elements of this dissertation. HISTORY Woolworths is generally described as a variety store. These are organisations that concentrate their efforts on the retailing of a range of products in the lower and more popular price ranges. They provide a walk in, shop and carry facility as the major route of purchasing (home delivery and pre ordering being rare), with open display and self-service merchandising. They are unlikely to be departmentalised. Other related categories include department stores, discounters and specialist shops (also known as category killers) (Oxford English Dictionary 2001). Woolworths was first established by Frank Winfield Woolworth in 1879 with the concept of selling products costing no more than 5 cents. This proved a popular idea with the consumers and the turnover continued to grow. The concept was of no frills shopping, with a range of low priced, non-perishable items. When F.W. Woolworth died in 1919, he had built an empire of 1,081 stores with sales in excess of $118 million per year (Faulkner et al 2003). The company continued to grow and developed internal competencies in areas such as marketing, finance and estates management (Faulkner et al 2003). Faulkner et al also comment that this period of Woolworths history was characterised by the focus of its strategy: it was able to deepen its existing competencies and incrementally expand both its competency base and it knowledge of different market environments (such as suburban retailing) (Faulkner et al pp. 279 2003). However, this was to prove insufficient when discounters and category killers became more prevalent in the market. Wal-Mart had begun trading in general merchandise at low prices and specialist retailers, such a Toys- R- Us provided a destination shopping location for those consumers seeking a particular product, a wider range of products or specialist knowledge about the products. Woolworths began a decline in sales in real terms due to its lack of insight of how to capitalise on the prevalent retail preferences. They failed to take the move to expand their business either into a wider focus or a narrower one, strategies which would have given them a platform from which to take on their competitors. It wasnt until the late 1980s that Woolworths changed their strategy in the United States with their diversification into specialist areas, such as Kids Mart and Little Folks, as well as entering the discount retail business with the Woolco concept. However, they lacked the competencies and capabilities to make up for the time they had lost which had allowed their competitors to establish a strong market lead and in 1995, Kids Mart and Little Folks both closed down. This was on top of the closure of 400 stores in the USA and the sale of 122 Canadian Woolco stores to Wal-Mart (Faulkner et al 2003). One of the specialist areas they had entered into, footwear, did prove to be a success and led Woolworths in the USA to open over 7, 000 athletic footwear stores covering a range of gender and age segments by 1998. The company decided at this stage to change its operating name in the USA to the Venator Group (Faulkner et al 2003) and to reposition itself as a specialist sports footwear reta iler. The groups business in the UK moved in a different direction and kept the original company name. At present, in the UK, Woolworth currently owns around 900 stores selling toys, confectionary, house wares, seasonal products and electronic entertainment. The UK business has also moved into specialist areas with the introduction of MVC home entertainment and electronics which currently has 85 shops, E.UK, which is the largest distributor of home entertainment products in the UK, and the music and video publishing arm VCI (Cornell date unknown). Having become a public company in 1931, Woolworths was briefly taken over in 1982 by Kingfisher, but returned to public ownership again in mid-2001. Woolworths stated aim is to be at the heart of the community and the best loved retailer for kids, home and family leisure (www.woolworthsgroupplc.com). As will be seen Woolworths performance has been variable over recent years and in January 2005, they received a takeover bid from the private equity group, Apax. Although the Woolworths board rejected that offer, a higher one was received four weeks later and is currently under consideration. This means that the future for Woolworths is an uncertain one, with the possibility of a substantial cash injection, but diminished control for the current management team. Should the Apax offer be rejected again, Woolworths is likely to receive offers from its major competitors. PORTERS FIVE FORCE ANALYSIS. Threat of new entrants Despite the high number of retailers dealing with general merchandise, two areas are seen as being particularly relevant. Currently, there are only two catalogue based shopping concepts in the UK, Argos and Next. This market remains highly under-represented considering the success particularly of Argos and it could be expected that the concept will be taken up by more companies in future. These businesses offer the full range of house wares, electrical goods, toys and gifts as available from Woolworth, and have a distinct competitive advantage in their practice of minimal stock holdings in store allowing extra selling space to be released. They may face difficulties in finding the number and size of locations they would need to become a major player in this market, but this could be overcome through the acquisition of an existing retailer. Further new entrants may be seen as foreign companies try to increase their market share. These have already been seen in two main forms. Firstly the specialist retailers who started from nothing in the UK and have achieved good organic growth. Examples include Toys-R-Us, Ikea, Gap, HM, Beneton and Poundstretcher. The second group are those who gain a foothold in the UK market through acquisition. These include Wal-Mart, Brantano and Claires Stores. There is no reason to expect the level of foreign retail interest in the UK to decrease. Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers has been much diminished with the development of e-commerce. Because of the vast increase in access to information between potential suppliers and buyers, the suppliers pricing strategy may be the only way to secure business. This is likely to increase as more use is made of the Internet. One recent development has been the practice of reverse auctions where a retailer specifies what they want and competing suppliers out bid each other, via a web site, by lowering the price rather than by raising it as in the traditional auction (www.gusplc.com). Once suppliers have been agreed, the large size of this retail sector also ensures buyers can act from a strong negotiating base, as they have significant control over the future health of dedicated suppliers. Recently there has been publicity around the practice of large retailers setting what are seen as unfair terms with suppliers and of insisting on price reductions even though the supplier then operates at a loss (Telegraph 2005). However, it is not expected that any legislation will bring about changes in this situation in the foreseeable future. On the negative side, specialist suppliers such as those supplying mobile phones and computer games, have an increasing amount of power due to the demand for their products. A retailer would need to ensure they have sufficient quantities of a product such as the latest Playstation, for the Christmas market, but are frequently left in the hands of suppliers who can give preferential service to other customers. Threat of substitutes Product substitutions can be used in two different ways. Firstly, as is the strategy of many of the main supermarkets, own brand labels are seen as acceptable substitutions for everyday grocery items. The cost of substitution is low to the customer i.e. they feel that there is little risk because of the loyalty they have to the store. The other type is through introducing higher priced, luxury type items. This strategy can be seen in the Marks and Spencer food sector where they market the products as being superior to other brands.For the variety retailers, the concept of substitution does not seem to have been fully exploited and it is a possible strategy for securing market share in the future. Bargaining power of customers The high level of competition amongst retailers has led to a position of power for the consumer. Having moved from seasonally driven sales events to permanent deals, the aggressiveness of these approaches has also increased. Customers now expect to be able to get three for two offers throughout the year. This puts the retailer at a disadvantage, as they will lose the potential benefits of targeting marketing promotions and means they are continually forced to take the path of competitive pricing. This can lead companies to over rely on the profits made from a limited range of products whereas the rest of the ranges operate at unsustainably low profit margins as loss leaders. Competitive rivalry within the industry The variety stores sector is highly competitive and there is no reason why this should not continue to be the case. It is suggested by retail analysts, Peters, Elworthy and Moore, that the variety store business in the UK has become saturated and that the larger stores are likely to take over or merge with the independents (cited in Potts 1996). Competition from superstores and supermarkets is expected to increase as they add to their ranges of non-food items in a bid to gain a higher share of the overall consumer market (Potts 1996). It is also expected that the differentiation between department stores, variety stores, home shopping and supermarkets will become less sharp as retailers look to alternate channels and increasing product ranges to maximise their turnover (Potts 1996). This will make it difficult for new entrants to enter the market unless they benefit from a unique selling point such as discounting, as has been seen with companies such as Wilkinsons. PEST ANALYSIS: Political Ecological/environmental issues- corporate social responsibility (csr)- The main belief around csr thinking is that the practice of businesses within the capitalist economy to concentrate their efforts on providing wealth for its shareholders, is unacceptable and that companies should take the responsibility of considering the well being of society as a whole (The Economist, January 22nd 2005). It has been countered by Lynch that failure to make a specific statement on ethical issues, does not mean that a company is not fundamentally ethical in the way that it does its business (Lynch 2003). Retailers generally are coming under increasing pressure to ensure they cannot be charged with poor practices with regard to the developing world or the environment. The activities of and publicity around the anti-globalisation movement, may dissuade organisations from expanding their markets abroad, although many see these as a small minority and it is questionable as to whether their activities would cause a company to alter their strategy. It is more likely that they will take the issues into account in terms of having a robust csr policy and when reporting to the media. Woolworths made the following statement on csr in their latest financial statement: During 2003/4, through the CSR Committee, Woolworths Group has continued to work to understand the impacts, both positive and negative, of our business. A proper understanding of the risks we must manage and the opportunities we have to be a catalyst for improvement is a fundamental part of how we do business (www.woolworthsgroupplc.com). Woolworth has specific policies on the areas of timber and chemical usage, a strict code of ethical trading and has set up its own charity (Woolworth Kids First) to provide the opportunity for their employees to help children on a local basis (www.woolworthsgroupplc.com). Whilst Woolworths are outwardly taking their csr seriously, it is an area that has come from nowhere to heavily impact organisations in the past and Woolworth would do well to bear in mind the impacts on Nestle of the baby milk episode and on Marks and Spencer of the sweat shop issues.   Legislation- a new White Paper has been announced that will give retailers the ability to offer legal advice through their own law companies. Dubbed Tesco Law, it provides a further service to encourage the one stop shop approach of the large supermarket chains (BBC D). Supermarket chains, which are one of Woolworths main sources of competition, have had a strategy of offering a one-stop shop opportunity to their customers with the introduction of such facilities as pharmacies, banking facilities and insurance. It is not yet known whether Woolworths is planning to introduce such offerings in its store. Government policies- in the recent budget, Gordon Brown announced a doubling of the threshold for stamp duty on house purchases to  £120,000. This was done to assist particularly first time buyers. Encouraging the housing market will have a beneficial effect on Woolworths house wares, furnishings and DIY ranges, but this will obviously extend to their competitors as well. Government term and change- whilst a General Election is due in the UK, the writer believes that there would be no significant impact, either positive or negative, were the political party currently in power were to remain or change. Economic Home economy situation- the current economic situation in the UK can be seen as a positive factor for Woolworths with low interest rates (2.7%) and high property values leading to record levels of borrowing. However, there are concerns over the level of borrowing as debt levels for have reached more than  £1 trillion (BBC E). It should also be noted that low interest rates would dissuade people who are living off investments from spending, although these tend to be those in retirement who are not considered to be Woolworths target consumer. They have identified that their typical customers are mothers with dependent children living at home(www.woolworthsgroupplc.com). Home economy trends. The Government states that Council tax will rise by an average of 4.1% in the next financial year, the lowest increase in more than ten years (BBC B). In the housing market, figures for changes in house prices vary by source with the Halifax quoting a 0.5% rise and the Nationwide a 0.5% fall (BBC A 2005). There is currently no solid evidence of a crash in the housing market. Should this occur, the impact on the whole retail industry would be immense. Overseas economies and trends- oil prices had risen to a high of $56.15 per barrel in mid March (BBC F). Although they are currently falling, they remain 25% higher for the year (BBC F). Long term, the situation is likely to worsen as demand for oil increases from growing economies such as China, where the economy is growing at 9% and a 10% increase in oil use is predicted for 2005 (BBC F 2005). High oil prices will affect both production and distribution costs for all retailers and will have to be passed onto the consumer through increased prices if alternative savings cannot be made in the value chain. Market and trade cycles- despite good economic factors such as low interest rates, the UK retail economy seems to be slowing down. In March Morrison, Boots and Jessops put out profit warnings and it was reported that data suggests generally poor retail sales and weak spending for the period since Christmas (Verdin 2005). The figures point to a growth in consumer spending of only 0.2% for the last quarter of 2004 the weakest figure for almost two years (Duncan 2005).No specific cause for this downturn has been identified; although the writer would suggest that the publicity around levels of personal debt and the worsening pension crisis may have some influence. Social Consumer attitudes and opinions- Mintels annual lifestyle report has found that consumers are shunning the larger supermarkets and chain stores which they find impersonal, and are much more likely to frequent local, independent shops (cited in BBC C). The implications of this for Woolworth could be positive or negative. To many people, they may be classed as a multi-site retailer and therefore avoided by the consumer. However, the history of the company, its generally high street locations and the nature of the products it sells may lead some to choose it as a shopping venue over large supermarkets. In this area, the history and reputation of Woolworths can only be beneficial. Fashion and role models- the value of celebrity endorsement is well understood by the retail industry and icons such as Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith and David Beckham have all become associated with particular brands. Woolworth identified this pattern and adopted the puppet characters, Woolly and Worth, for their 2004 Christmas campaign. Its success has encouraged them to continue the use of these characters for future advertising campaigns (www.woolworthsgrouppls.com). Technology- the rate of increase in use of cutting edge technology based items has given retailers a highly lucrative new product range. For example, mobile phone technology only became widely available in the early 1980s, but today, approximately one in six of the worlds population owns one and in most of the developed countries, market penetration exceeds 70% (The Economist 2005). As well as the phones themselves, the associated hardware and software are highly popular and unexpected markets have developed, for example, ring tones. There are no indications that these products will do anything other than maintain their growth and the continual developments in technology help to keep the market buoyant. Consumer buying mechanisms/technology- the growth of e-commerce has provided two new strategic directions for retailers. Firstly, there is the opportunity of selling the technology itself- mobile phones, personal computers, software, downloads, games- and secondly, it provides a further channel through which to sell goods. All the major retailers have web sites on which customers can research products, compare prices, order and pay for goods and, as such, there is reasonable competition to encourage consumers to visit particular web sites. An extra dimension is the number of companies who sell only through the Internet. This provides them with a competitive advantage of having lower overheads as premises and shop floor staff are not required. A good example of this is the book retailer Amazon.com who have diversified into clothing, apparel, DVDs and compact discs following their success with books. Further channels have yet to be fully utilised including ordering goods through mobile phone technology and digital television shopping channels. Whilst building their e-commerce business, Woolworths need to ensure it is based on a stable and secure foundation. Although not alone in the experience, they had to close their www.woolies.co.uk site for two months in 2000, when a customer reported that they could view other peoples credit card details on the site (Azeez 2002). Maturity of technology- Radio Frequency Identity Tagging (RFID) is seen as the way forward by many retailers who are undertaking trials of the technology. The most well known is probably Tescos who have been testing it on their high relative value, easily portable items such as razors. Woolworth had been trialing systems but has announced this year that there is no longer funding for the project (www.woolworthsgroupplc.com). They are allowing the technology to reach maturity and should then be able to capitalise on the research done by others. There are some risks with this strategy as it gives the competitors the opportunity to realise the benefits of such technology at an earlier stage. However, it also protects Woolworths from the high level of risk associated with this technology and dealing with issues raised by the Data Protection Act. STRATEGIC GROUP ANALYSIS. The competitors of Woolworth are deemed as being: Discounters those stores which offer stock at particularly low prices and have this as a unique selling point. These would include: Wilkinsons, Asda-WalMart and Poundstretcher Supermarkets stores that historically sold predominantly food items, but have now generally expanded their range to include substantial non-food categories. Examples are: Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda-WalMart and Waitrose Department stores a store which sells a range of items, usually non-food, that divides its goods into distinct areas of the store. In the UK this category includes: MS, Debenhams, House of Fraser, British Home Stores (BHS), and John Lewis Catalogue stores the retailer has a large proportion of the store space dedicated to storage rather than selling space. Few, if any goods are on display and customers select from a catalogue, usually without viewing the product first. Argos and Next are the most well known in the UK. Special ist stores those who concentrate on selling a particular product, which corresponds to part of the Woolworth range. For example, Mothercare and the Early Learning Centre for childrens clothes, BQ, Homebase and Focus DIY for DIY products. Competition is high for all segments of the retail industry which has lead to a blurring of the differences between the categories. Many companies are diversifying into new sectors or aiming for higher market penetration in their existing products. A good example are the supermarkets which have had many years of fierce competition with the main three, Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda, regularly changing places in the retailer league. Their strategy involves adopting a hybrid approach. Cost leadership to some degree by ensuring they maintained competitive pricing for generic products and then offering their own brands at a significantly lower price and differentiation in terms of the range of products they offer by branching out into greater ranges of non-food items. New entrants to the market had to have a unique selling point to appeal to the consumer and found it in terms of outperforming the established market in cost leadership. Aldi, Netto and Lidl have achieved some success in this, p roviding generally unfamiliar brand named, everyday products at a significantly lower price than the main supermarkets. The supermarkets also attempted to increase their market share through increasing their ranges of products and increasing the size of their stores to include superstores and hypermarkets. Other tactics include offering an appearance of being more exclusive (such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer), positioning as a leader in corporate social responsibility (as in the Co-Operative stores and their Fair-trade products) and seeking new selling opportunities (for example, Marks and Spencers food outlets in service stations). The amalgamation of Asda and WalMart and Morrisons and Safeway showed that some of these strategies left companies with no clear customer focus, trying to be all things to all people, and, with decreasing sales and market share, they became attractive propositions to companies wishing to achieve a foothold in a new geographical location (the south of England in the case of Morrisons and the whole of the UK in the case of WalMart). The biggest threat to Woolworths from these stores has been through product diversification. Initially seeking to offer a one stop shop experience, with selling general merchandise, they then took on specialist stores such as Lloyds pharmacies, and non-retailers with the offerings of financial services. The specialist stores have had to recognise that as well as competing between themselves where products overlap, they are now also having to take on the supermarkets. Music retailers, such as HMV and Virgin, are experiencing pressure from supermarkets, who area able to take them on in terms of cost leadership due to economies of scale and value chain efficiencies, leaving the music stores with the only option of maximising their niche qualities. However, the increasing popularity of e-commerce, both in terms of new retailers and innovative product formats (such as downloads), has put this strategy at risk as their niche status is coming under attack. The implications for Woolworths high street stores are that they are having to rely on appealing to customers who are not seeking a specific item when they enter a store, as they cannot compete on grounds of price or specialism. Their appeal is to the impulse purchaser or those who are buying for someone else and are unsure of what they want. This merges well with the Woolworth strategy of concentrating on Kids and Celebrations. However, if they are positioning themselves as a one stop shop provider for celebration events, they are still in competition with the supermarkets who are able to provide the same items and the opportunity to purchase them whilst doing the regular grocery shopping. In areas where Woolworth has traditionally been seen as a key provider, childrens clothes, again, the supermarkets are offering a cost leader alternative with a strong fashion selling point, by employing well-known designers to support their products (such as George at Asda). Tesco recently showed their power by offering Levis jeans at a price point lower than the manufacturer. Coupled with this is the strategy of other companies to move into this line as a new product or to increase their market share. Key players are Mothercare and The Early Learning Centre. Seen as specialists for the child market, their threat to Woolworth is significant as is that of clothing retailers identifying the market for childrens clothes and exploiting it using their strength in reputation to appeal to the consumer (Gap Kids for example). Whilst all these forms of retail outlet vie for the consumers business, there is an inherent risk for all of them in terms of being able to convert their sales into profit. With competition being so fierce and coming for several different directions, most retailers have to ensure that whilst they are not necessarily the cheapest, they are competitive. The exceptions to this are those that promote themselves as exclusive, such as Waitrose. All these retailers are seeking to reduce their costs through driving savings with the value chain. This has wide reaching implications. As pressure increases to produce the goods at a lower cost, the source of production moves to countries with lower wages and poorer working conditions. As well as affecting the UK economy through increased unemployment, there have been cases where the apparent violation of human rights has produced poor publicity for the retailer. An example of this is the situation Marks and Spencer encountered in the late 1990s. On the one hand they were being accused of being too expensive, so they moved production of their clothes to developing countries. This led to an outcry in the media when companies in the UK who had been supplying them for years, could no longer operate and had to close down. Another strategy to reduce production costs is to use cheaper raw materials, but again, the negative aspects of this receive attention, with the current example being the questions raised over the nutritional value of cheap food products. Within the organisations themselves, streamlining head office personnel in terms of numbers and outsourcing support functions such as recruitment, have shown to be effective in the short term, but the long-term effects of cutting costs in areas such as research and development and training has yet to be seen. SWOT ANALYSIS. Strengths Many of Woolworths strengths come from its long history. They have a recognised internal competence in supply chain management and are able to use this both to reduce their costs and to enter into agreements with organisations that would traditionally be classed as their competitors, such as Tesco. They are using their expertise to provide additional turnover. Their contracts with other companies that utilise their strengths also allow them to minimise the risks to themselves. Having been long established, Woolworth has a good reputation in the UK and is a recognised name on the high street. They have a strong presence in toys, house wares, confectionary and seasonal products markets and due to their size can boast a dominant position over the majority of their suppliers. The perception of consumers is of a high level of corporate social responsibility, having not been subjected to significant poor publicity in any areas. The general economic conditions in the UK are promising although the recently reported slow down in consumer spending must be regarded as a risk. The locations and number of stores operated by Woolworths can be seen as a further strength, especially as consumer preference moves away from out of town shopping. They have made a good move in the adoption of advertising icons, which are considered to be a key element of their marketing campaign. Recent improvements in their stock management systems involving the introduction of an integrated replenishment system and the Kingstore till systems, gives them the ability to manage their stock levels more efficiently, thereby reducing both costs and instances of stock outages. They have undergone a recent review of how they can improve their operational efficiency and this shows a proactive strategy to take on their competition. They have a high level of understanding of customer base which they have developed through their long history in the retail market. This enables them to predict changes in consumer requirements and gives them the potential to maintain a competitive edge. Their decision to increase their use of their own brand products gives them the opportunity to heighten their market penetration in these areas, whilst their expansion of electronic entertainment offerings shows a desire to widen their range within a specific sector. These strategies seem to be successful at present.