(Government) Towns and Township Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Government) Towns and Township - Essay Example rchase Information for South Carolina, Motor Fuel online Filing System, Check Out eSales, Electronic Payment System and South Carolina Withholding Reconciliation Tax Return. The collective performance of these departments makes South Carolina Department of Revenue a successful organization (Welcome to the South Carolina Department of Revenue, n.d). South Carolina Business One Stop is an online business portal that aids businessmen through the state. South Carolina Business One Stop offers businessmen a portal between the businesses and the government. This online web portal allows people to apply and pay for licenses online, registrations, permits and other official filings. A few of the services the organization provides is to establish business entity with secretary of state, registration for corporate taxes, submit filings to inform secretary of state about changes, apply for renewal of alcohol beverage license and applying for renewal of department of consumer affairs (SCBOS, n.d.). South Carolina Department of Revenue is responsible for collection of Use Tax. Use Tax is the tax which is imposed on purchase of items made outside of South Carolina. The USE TAX is paid to South Carolina Department of Revenue. The items on which USE TAX is applicable are items purchased on mail order, catalogs, and shopping networks and on any items bought on the internet. Online items which are bought include books, electronic, clothing and jewelry (All About Use Tax, n.d). South Carolina Department of Revenue has an electronic sales taxing system which has been made to make taxpayers a fast, free, electronic and secure way to submit taxes and revenues. This online electrical system gives people an option to make payments online without the need to leave your homes (What is the Sales and Use Tax System, n.d). Another online forum working to collect tax is â€Å"South Carolina Department of Revenue Electronic Withholding System† is made specifically to provide the individuals

Asian American Essay Example for Free

Asian American Essay America has grown very much over the past couple of years when it comes to the representations of race, gender, class and sexuality. In America today many people are aware of the issues that different people have faced and the problems they are currently dealing with. Breaking a stereotype is a hard thing to do for any minority but it has been especially hard on the Asian community. From the early days of media Asian men and women have been portrayed a very specific way in film and television. In the 1950’s and 1960’s Asian women were portrayed as sexual objects, they were evil goddesses with slanted eyes or smiling, cunning, sexual deviants. This objectified Asian women to only two choices, be naive and hopeless or untrustworthy and devious. Now a days the media has obviously tried to eliminate these stereotypes. Their attempts have worked to some extent however there still are not many big name Asian women actresses. One of the biggest Asian actresses in Hollywood is Lucy Liu. Although is she a very successful actress all of her roles are very sexual. Is this a good or bad thing for the Asian community? Yes she is very famous but is she playing right into Asian women being sexually exploited in the media. Asian males have faced a very similar problem over the years. Although the term Asian American covers about 30 different ethnicities, in the media they are almost all portrayed in the same way. In the early days of American media you barely saw any Asian males on T. V. One of the most prominent Asian characters on T. V. in the early 30’s and 40’s was the character of Charlie Chan. Charlie Chan was a detective who appeared in over 40 different films, his character was very wise, smart and witty. The only problem was this Asian character was played by three different white actors over the years. The reasoning behind this was that all the good characteristics Charlie Chan had were because the actors were white and all of his negative characteristics were due to the fact that the character was Asian. Once again in todays society we have progressed significantly since the days of Charlie Chan. However Asian males today have been predominantly reduced to two major roles. One of these two roles is pretty easy to figure out, that role would be the kung foo action role. If I said, name a couple of Asian American actors the first that come to mind are Jackie Chan and or Bruce Lee. Everybody knows or has seen a couple of the films these two stars have been in. Another role is the role of the villain. Many Asian characters do not have big roles unless they are the bad guy. They are often linked with gang activities such as prostitution, gambling and murder. Here are some examples of these stereotypes and representations. The first one is the movie trailer for The World of Suzie Wong. This movie is about an American writer who is struggling in life and falls in love with a Chinese prostitute. Although it is a love story and Suzie Wong is the main character you can just tell by the trailer what American men think of Asian women at the time. www. youtube. com/watch? v=jnepiAcqb_g The next clip is a more modern movie. It stars Lucy Liu who is a very successful Asian actress. This movie is obviously a step forward, in the 1960’s an Asian woman fighting crime would have been thought of as blasphemous. Although her role in this movie is a strong woman who fights crime there is still a little bit of sexual objectivity here and in many other scenes of the movie.www. youtube. com/watch? v=cjyqWsrpQAA This next image is an image of Charlie Chan. You can tell by the picture that the actor that plays Charlie Chan is white. They use make up and he talks with an accent to make the character Asian. This truly makes no sense to me at all. The character is Asian but could not be played by an Asian because his good values would not seem realistic, but all of the negative qualities he has is because the character is of Chinese decent. http://beyondmediaonline. com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/chan. jpg. This next clip is from Rush Hour 3 and it pretty much plays into all the stereotypes I was talking about before. Jackie Chan is the star of this movie and he is a detective who specializes in martial arts and the man they are interrogating in this scene is a French/Asian gangster. Now once again not every Asian actor is a martial arts star or portrays a gangster in a movie now a days. It just seems that the major roles Asian actors get are ones like this. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=tfEZwRukZOo Nittle, N. (2013). Asian American Stereotypes. Retrieved from http://racerelations. about. com/od/hollywood/a/Five-Common-Asian-american-Stereotypes-In-Tv-And-Film. htm Is Lucy Liu a heroine or a curse? (2003, January 29). Gold Sea Asian American Daily. Retrieved December 4, 2007, from http://goldsea. com/Air/Issues/Liu/liu. html. Chan, C. (1988). Asian Stereotypes. Retrieved from Chan, C. (1988). Asian American women: The psychological responses to sexual exploitation and cultural stereotypes. The Politics of Race and Gender in Therapy. Ed. Lenora Fulani. Haworth, 31-38.

The Birth of Baseball :: essays research papers

The Birth of Baseball Baseball. The American Pastime. A true love of mine and of many Americans. The game's objective is to outscore your opponent by having more baserunners come across the final of four bases, called home plate. It's ironic in a way. The more these athletes "go home," the more successful they are. There is a reward in a "walk" and batters can be among the game's greats by failing seven out of 10 times. Although baseball is usually traced to the mid-19th century, games involving bats and balls started long before that. In fact, the first recorded "batting contests" began more than 5,000 years ago when Egyptian priests engaged in mock combat with bats. Balls which sometimes symbolized the sun and other deities, eventually found their way into the game. These games were gradually brought to Europe and eventually America. When these games reached England, they became classified as "stoolball." The "pitcher" attempted to hit an upturned stool with a ball before a "batter" could bat it away with a "stick." Legend has it that when this game moved out of the churchyard and into the countryside, more "stools" or "bases" were added. These bases had to be circled after the ball was struck. This led to the creation of English game "rounders," and a rule was added. A base runner could be put "out" by being struck with a thrown ball. Imagine that ruled had stayed. You'd have Roger Clemens firing fastballs at rookie infielders, who would run for their lives. Posts called "goals" or "bases" were driven into the ground.

The Positive Impact of Computers in the Classroom :: Education Technology Essays

The Positive Impact of Computers in the Classroom Computers have been integrated in almost every aspect of today’s society; PC’s in the home and office, laptops for business traveling, graphics software for the media, and most significantly computers in the classroom. However, the technology of computers has not always been part of the education system and is a relatively new part of the teaching and learning process. In the 1950s large and expensive computers were only used by the government and large corporations (Beekman, 2003). In 1958 the National Defense Education Act extended its funding to allow schools the luxury of new technology, but the first PC didn’t enter the classroom until 1975 when a few Apple I PC’s were donated to schools (History, 2004). As computers became smaller and less expensive they integrated themselves as part of society and the education system. In the 1990s school systems began purchasing PC’s for classrooms and labs. Soon after the introduction of the PC’s, the World Wide Web was developed and students and faculty were â€Å"surfing the web† for new informational sources. Now in the 21st century, computers aid in basically every educational aspect. For example, computers are beneficial for saving large quantities of information such as enrollment, attendance, records, grades, assignments, tests, etc. This technological advance helps the staff to be more organized and eliminates mistakes. Teachers benefit from computers because they can quickly compute grades and grade tests through the use of scan-trons, receive assignments as email attachments, and save all homework and tests pre-typed on disks. All of these things allow teachers to dedicate more time to teaching and less time for preparations and after school work. Also computers in the classroom not only gives students more sources of knowledge, but they also give teachers the option of obtaining news articles, pictures, sources, and education web sites from the internet. Even though computers are everywhere in the school and benefit all staff and faculty, the students by far receive the most benefits from integrated classroom technology, Sasa Petricici of CBC’s The National, visited schools that have integrated computers into the classroom.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the C0-Operative Bank Essay

1. Introduction This report aims to review the corporate social responsibility (CSR) models which managers should consider important when deciding their CSR stance. The report will also review the corporative bank and their stakeholders regarding CSR. The report will then go on to analyse and evaluate the corporative bank’s CSR and ethical position. 2. Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a topic has received the attention of organisations and managers as a whole. The 1950s marked the start of the modern era of CSR for managers, where Howard R. Bowen (1953) defines social responsibilities in his publication as the businesses’ duty to make decision and follow principles that are acceptable to society. However, Milton Friedman (1970) argued that social responsibilities is for people not businesses, he claims that the only responsibility business managers should have is to use all their resources to maximise profit and increase shareholder’s wealth (Friedman, York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970, pp. 32-34). 2.1 Carroll’s CSR Models In 1979, Carroll developed a social responsibility model with a hierarchy of four responsibilities, starting from economic, moving to legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities (see fig. 1.1). This CSR model talks about responsibilities which are the main areas that managers should consider when taking a stance on CSR. The summarised views of Carroll’s hierarchy are businesses should strike to make profit as their main priority, and then complies with the rules and regulations of the law; also behave ethically and finally be good corporate citizen (Carroll, 1979, p.500). The hierarchical four responsibility model was later improved by Carroll in 1991 as â€Å"pyramid of corporate social responsibility† (see Fig. 1.2). 2.2 Modern CSR Arguments As the definition of CSR developed and gain more attention over the years, more arguments over CSR began emerge. In reviewing CSR, both Goyder (2003) and Moore (2003) argued that firms claiming CSR in expectation of achieving greater profitability is unethical. Firms should take up CSR only if they can ensure positive impact on society and the environment. Even though Jones (2003) argued that managers must not use CSR as a business strategy but should see it as an ethical stance. However, he does not believe firms taking advantage of the opportunity to make profit is unethical. (Wan Saiful wan-Jan, 2006, pp.176-184) 2.3 Introduction of 3C-SR Model In order to counter the deficiencies of previous approaches, Meehan et al (2006) devised the 3C-SR model- â€Å"competitive advantage through â€Å"social resources†Ã¢â‚¬ . This model claims that Corporate Responsibility (CR) is a tool to making profit not ways of reducing revenue. This model is made up of three inter-related components, ethical and social commitment, connection with partners and consistency of behaviour. According to Meehan et al, if management encompasses all three elements it will build a strong corporate social performance and become a good corporate citizen. (Meehan et al, 2006). However, the models has not been based on observations and experiments, also there was no criticisms by other authors. It is subjective base and was not well supported. 3. The Co-operative Bank and Their Stakeholders The Co-operative bank is a part of the co-operative group, the largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom (UK). The bank offers a range of financial services such as saving accounts, current accounts loans and overdrafts. They are an organisation that makes profit consistently while operating in a socially and environmentally responsible manner by putting their ethics into action (www.co-operativebank.co.uk). The Co-operative Bank is sensitive to the needs of all their stakeholders (see fig 1.3). It aspires to meet common economic, social, environmental and cultural needs of their stakeholders. Stakeholder of a company is anyone who has can be affected or can affect the company’s actions or decisions. The co-operative bank acts quickly on relevant and important stakeholder concerns. Engagement with their stakeholders is an important continuous activity. The cooperative bank’s CSR stance of responsible finance which consists of ethical screening, financial inclusion and microfinance is important to each of their stakeholders. (Co-operative bank sustainability policy, 2010) 4. THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK’S CSR and ETHICAL STANCE ANALYSIS 4.1 Sethi’s Three-Stage Schema Sethi’s three-stage schema is useful in determining and analysing the Co-operative bank’s adjustments of their corporate behaviour to social needs. There are three categories of social commitments; social obligation, social responsibility and social responsiveness (Sethi 1975, pp. 58-64, cited Carroll, 1979). Social obligation refers to companies behaving in response to market forces or legal restrictions. Managers of such companies only limit their response to social issues which are guided by law and the economic system. Social responsibility is corporations acknowledging social values and expectations also the importance of ethics. Whilst social responsiveness states that it is important for firms to search for ways to be socially responsibly in the continuous changing society in the long run than how to react to social pressures (Sethi 1975, pp. 58-64). Co-operative bank is continuously searching for ways to be socially and ethically responsible to meet to match the dynamic social system. They are constantly coming up with ethical policies either to meet suppliers needs or customers needs. They plan to the most socially responsible business in the UK. The bank is also making profit maintaining their economic duty to be successful. (http://www.co-operative.coop/join-the-revolution/our-plan/responsible-finance) 4.2 The 3C-SR Model Ethical and Social commitments: This element represents the values aspect of social resources. This component comprises of the promises that organisation made to their stakeholders, also the ethical standards set by them which are stated in their mission statement and goals. (Meehan et al, 2006). The Co-operative bank seeks to be the leading retail bank in global financial services industry. They have been operating with values that have been handed down by the founders which are social responsibility, openness and honesty. They aim; ââ€" ª To be profitable ââ€" ª To meet customers and community needs ââ€" ª To respond to members and give them a fair return ââ€" ª To be an ethical leader and exemplary employer in order to inspire others The Bank is very committed to delivering value to their stakeholders. In 1992 they launched their ethical policy when the customers requested that they would like their money to be invested ethically. The policy was formed to reflect customers’ ethical concern not that of the managers. The bank practice ethics in action by turning away businesses that are involve in unethical practices (fossil fuel extraction, child labour etc). The bank’s suppliers gets paid fair price and there is effective communication between them and the bank, which leads long term relationship. With the banks fantastic delivering value policy some customers and employees are yet to be satisfied. (The co-operative bank sustainability report) The Co-operative Asset Management (TCAM) ensures that there is gender balance within their banks employees and also there is no discrimination. In 2010, the bank extended this policy to other companies they do business with (The co-operative bank sustainability report, 2010, p112). Connections with partners in the value network Norman and Ramirez (1993, p69, cited Meehan et al) claims that a business network gets value from a value creating system in which all the stakeholders and the business itself work to together to create value. Meehan et al believe that if anyone of the parties fails to embrace the value network structure, then the socially oriented business model is bound to fail. If one organisation chooses to associate with another organisation, the nature of that relationship should be based on credibility on both parties, then the value structure works. In the other if on party fails to meet the commitment of the other then a stakeholder deficit will occur (see fig 1.4). The Co-operate bank ensures that their corporate customers share the same values with them as in gender equality and anti-discrimination through their TCAM. There is also their ethical screening which helps them maintain the ethical finance image. The ongoing employee, members and customers survey ensure that the connection between them and the bank is still there (The co-operative bank sustainability report). Consistency of behaviour The consistency element refers to organisations implementing their policy to conform to the commitments and maintain the performance in the long term. It is the behavioural component of the social resources over time and across all aspects of an organisations operation. The common source of criticism is when businesses claims to be socially responsible and fails to act responsibly towards society. (Meehan et al) The Co-operative bank’s ethical policies and social responsibilities have been improved to meets stakeholders needs and maintained over the years. The bank has been consistent with a satisfaction survey for their employees called â€Å"the Voice† carried out twice a year. They have also maintained their investments to their local communities and society at large over the years (The co-operative bank sustainability report). Ethical investment policy generated in 1992 is still an ongoing process for the bank (http://www.thenews.coop). In maintaining this policy, the bank is loose out on income resulting to a reduction in income for turning business away. 5. Conclusion This report has reviewed some of the different CSR theories and models that are important to managers when they are deciding on their CSR approaches. The report also reviewed how CSR has been evolving over the years with theories and models of different scholars. The co-operative bank engages their stakeholders in all their CSR approaches which help them to understand the stakeholders better. The bank understands the fact that a successful business occur only when all the stakeholders work together with mutual ethical values. Using the sethi’s three stage schema and the 3C-SR model to evaluate the Co-operative bank, it is quite clear that the bank is an ethically and socially responsible corporation. Even thought they are losing income and spending a lot to remain ethically and socially responsible they still insist on maintaining ethical policy. On the other hand the benefits of sustaining their ethical policy out weight the losses being made. The bank made a more profit in 2010 than 2009. The bank is not only using CSR as a business strategy but they are also being sensitive to all the needs of their stakeholders including positive impact the environment. REFERENCES Articles Carroll, A.B. (1979), â€Å"A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 497-505 Bowen, H.R. (1953), Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, Harper, New York, NY. Carroll, A.B. (1991), The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: towards the moral the moral management of organizational stakeholders†, Business Horizons, July/August, pp. 39-40 Carroll, A.B. (1998), â€Å"The four Faces of Corporate Citizenship†, Business and society Review Vol.100 No.1, pp.1-7 Friedman, M., (1970) â€Å"The Social responsibility of business is to increase its profit†, York Times Magazine, September 13 1970, pp. 32-34). Meehan, J; Meehan, K; Richards, A. (2006), â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility: the 3C-SR model†, International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 33, pp.386 – 398 Sethi, S.P. ((1975), â€Å"Dimensions of corporate social responsibility†, California Management Review, Vol. 17, No.3, pp. 58-64 Wan Saiful Wan-Jan, (2006), â€Å"Defining Corporate Social responsibility†, Vol. 6, Issue 3-4, pp. 176-184

Emotion On Stage essays

Emotion On Stage essays What is an actor if she cannot relay to the audience the depth of her character? Convincing an audience that the character truly feels and responds comes from the art of being in touch with ones own feelings and senses. In her book Respect for Acting, Uta Hagen perfectly illustrates the importance and mechanics of keeping in touch with your senses to better live in the mind of your character. In the chapter 3 Substitution, I learned that it is important to flesh out my character after I have found my identity. If I cannot directly relate to my character, I must find substitutions to fully become the character I portray. I learned that if I have difficulty finding a substitution for my act it is because I am trying to be too literal. This is often a tendency of mine. I have to remember all the emotions I as the character feel at that moment. I can say, I want you to leave, but while that is true, deep down inside I want that person to stay. I have to realize the total motive of my character, which will produce the reaction I must have. In chapter 4, Emotional Memory, Hagen describes the response to my substitution as finding the emotional recall. Finding the right sensation that I want produced means that I have discovered the correct substitution. Ignoring all my substitution will rob me of the emotions I must feel and deliver as the character. I can use the its as if... method that The Handbook describes. I have to find the substitutions that stir me, the ones that will draw a reaction from me. Sense Memory in chapter 5, explains the physical responses that I have while I am in character. The body does not lie and my non-verbal messages through action will tell whether or not I am truly in full character. I must fully understand the task at hand as the character in order for my physical actions to take part in the moment ...

The Representation of Irish Nationalism

The Representation of Irish Nationalism Introduction The attempts to revive the Irish political nationalism have seen considerable Irish literary achievement. The country’s long history as a British colony and the effects of that colonization shapes the struggle for Irish nationhood and identity even today, both politically and imaginatively.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Representation of Irish Nationalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The country’s struggle for independence intensified towards the turn of the 20th century culminating in partial independence in 1921 from British colonization (Abrams 2304). The long history of colonization has had profound effects on the cultural, political, economic and social aspects of the Irish; a situation Ireland is struggling with even today, in its efforts to establish a distinct Irish culture and an Irish nation state. The nationalist struggle for Irish identity and nationhood began in the t urn of the 19th century culminating in partial independence from British colonization in 1921 (Abrams 2305). This struggle is integral to Irish recent history and is a central focus for the many political activists, poets, artists and writers who attempt to give the Irish national spirit a voice. The three literary works: Yeats’s â€Å"September 1913†, â€Å"Easter 1916†, and Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead† revolve around the period preceding and after the Irish independence and subsequent creation of an Irish State. The three literary works touch on the problems and the issues associated with the Irish nationalist struggle in the early 20th century and its aftermath. The Themes: Yeat’s â€Å"September 1913† and â€Å"Easter 1916† Yeats’s Poetry comprises of poems written by an Irish poet, William Butler Yeats in the twentieth century (Yeats 1). In the two poems, â€Å"September 1913†and â€Å"Easter 1916†, Yeats u sed the themes of national unity, nationalism, social division and the freedom of expression in the context of his country, Ireland. Through themes and figurative language, the poems reveal Yeats’s feeling regarding the Irish struggle for independence. In particular, the theme of nationalism dominates in the â€Å"Easter 1916† poem, where he mentioned the national heroes who died during the rebellion such as MacDonagh (Abrams 2308). He said, â€Å"Now and in time to be, /whenever green is worn,† (Finneran 182). Green in this context referred to the national color of his country and a color of the Irish solders’ uniforms. In this case, he alluded that the struggle for independence was still on in Ireland.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In â€Å"September 1913†, Yeats introduces the theme of freedom from oppression. Although Yeat s was a patriot and advocated for independence of Ireland, he often criticized his country for the suppression of the right to free expression. In this poem he says, â€Å"Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, / it’s with O’Leary in the grave† (Finneran 108), which shows that Ireland he had imagined no longer existed. His mention of O’Leary implied that the heroes who fought for Ireland’s freedom died in vain. He also alluded that Ireland lacked patriots who were willing to continue fighting for its freedom: â€Å"Yet they were of a different kind, /the names that stilled your childish play, /they have gone about the world like wind†, (Finneran 108). The middle classes comprising of the contemporary Roman Catholics had failed to fight for the same cause Yeats had fought for during that time; as such, Yeats felt betrayed by the contemporary Irish society (Abram 2303). Another theme that Yeats uses in his poems is that of social division, w hich appears in â€Å"September 1913†. Yeats detests the contemporary middle classes in Ireland and their corrupt practices (Abrams 2303). In the first three lines of this poem, he detests the money grabbing practices: â€Å"What need you, being come to sense, /But fumble in a greasy till, / and add the halfpence to the pence (Yeats 8). In this case, Yeats viewed the middle classes as selfish as they cared less about their history and only cared about money. Neither, did they care about the Irish freedom fighters or their religion, Catholic. In contrast, in Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead†, Gabriel seems scornful of Irish language and Ireland as a whole; he claims that he is â€Å"sick of own country, sick of it† (164). In this regard, Joyce laments the lack of real Irish nationalists as represented in the character Gabriel. Similarly, in the â€Å"September 1913† poem, Yeats appears to favor â€Å"aristocracy and peasantry for their economic benefits but hates the middle classes because of their indifference to Irish freedom or nationalism† (Abrams 2303). As Yeats implies, â€Å"their selfishness destroyed the once romantic Ireland and made nationalism appear meaningless or less prominent† (Abrams 2307).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Representation of Irish Nationalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In contrast, the premise of national unity stands out in Yeats’s masterwork of â€Å"Easter 1916†. This poem, written after the Easter rebellion in 1916, expressed the spirit of unity by the use of the word â€Å"our† to emphasize the importance of reconciliation of the middle classes who were behind the rebellion. In contrast, Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead† criticizes the cultural imperialism that threatens the harmony of the Irish and the revival of the Irish language and culture (Abrams 2306). The mood in â€Å"Easter 1916† is harmonic and apologetic; he apologizes for his misjudgment of the middle classes in his earlier poem, â€Å"September 1913†. He says, â€Å"Polite meaningless words, and thought before I had done, of a mocking tale or a gibe, to please a companion† (Finneran 180). In this regard, he recognizes their role in the rebellion and implies that the middle classes carried the Irish honor and as such, were part of the Irish history. In the â€Å"September 1913† poem, Yeats had indicated that he resented the middle classes for their critical attitudes towards Ireland (Finneran 111). Nevertheless, their role in the Easter Rebellion saw him change his mood from resentful to reconciliatory to promote unity. Themes: Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead† In ‘The Dead’, Joyce includes the Irish language to bring out the theme of national pride. During the last decade of the 19th century, the Irish underwent profound cultural revival; â€Å"they str uggled to define their identity† (Abrams 2307). A movement emerged to revive the national culture and language. As such, the Irish developed a renewed interest in the Irish language and literature including learning Gaelic that had been forgone as Irish adopted English language in public communication (Abrams 2307). Thus, this cultural revival gave the Irish a sense of identity and national pride. Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead† was written during this cultural revival: a time when the search for Irish identity and nationalism was at its peak. In â€Å"The Dead†, Gabriel’s interaction with Miss Ivors shows the significance that the Irish attached to Irish language. Gabriel totally refuses to acknowledge Ms. Ivors’ Irish nationalism. â€Å"Was she sincere? Had she any life of her own behind her propagandism?† (Joyce166).Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Similarly, Ms. Ivors disapproves of Gabriel’s regular travel abroad and challenges his assertion that the European languages contain more cultural elements compared to his Irish language: â€Å"why do you go to France and Belgium, said Ms. Ivors, instead of visiting your native land†, Well, it’s partly to keep in touch with the languages, said Gabriel† (Joyce 164). In this regard, Joyce compares the cultural values and language of Ireland and those of Britain as represented in the character Gabriel Conroy. In this story, West Ireland symbolizes Irish Nationalism, with Gabriel representing disloyalty to Irish culture and language, whereas Ms. Ivors appreciates her native culture. As Gabriel implies in his speech, the West of Ireland values and practices contravenes the Irish traditions on hospitality (Joyce146). Further, following Ms. Ivors provocation, Gabriel develops a negative attitude towards anything Irish. Thus, Joyce uses the two characters to contr ast two different attitudes developed towards Ireland during the Irish struggle and its aftermath. Gabriel, though cultured in Irish culture, holds a low opinion of his nation; instead, he turns to British culture, which he perceives as sophisticated and better (Joyce 164). Ms. Ivors, on the other hand, is passionate about her native culture and leans towards the Irish traditions and culture. She spends her holidays in West Ireland where she can use her limited native language, Gaelic, freely (Joyce 157). She even accuses Gabriel of betraying his own culture by calling him a ‘West Briton’, (Joyce 166) as he identified himself more with English culture than his own native culture. This turns out to be true as Gabriel, in his speech after dinner, quotes from Robert Browning, an English poet. He even criticizes the true nationalists like Ms. Ivors: â€Å"the new generation growing up in our midst† (Joyce147). Here, Joyce alludes to cultural imperialism by the Englis h culture that threatens to erode the revival of Irish culture, and by extension, the Irish nationalism. Yeats in his â€Å"September 1913† directly criticizes the middle classes for their indifference towards Irish culture (Finneran 118). In contrast, Joyce, through two characters, Gabriel and Ms. Ivors, ridicules cultural imperialism warning that there are consequences for cultural traitors towards the end of the story. One can see Gabriel’s paralysis as due to his association with English culture rather than his own culture (Joyce 166). Yeats in the â€Å"September 1913† also shows the element of cultural betrayal but, hints that the Irish struggle for independence would continue. He criticizes the middle classes of doing little to protect their country and rues the death of Irish nationalism. He laments the loss of the glory that once his romantic native land prided. Yeats, unlike Joyce, used figurative stylistic devices to highlight the Irish situation duri ng their struggle for independence. Yeats used symbolism in â€Å"September 1913† and â€Å"Easter 1916.† In the â€Å"September 1913† poem, the expression â€Å"wild geese spread† and â€Å"wing upon every tide† (Finneran 108) symbolizes the Irish nationalists in asylum, in countries such as Austria, France and Spain. The inclusion of the names of the freedom fighters such as O’Leary symbolizes the Irish glory. In addition, the title â€Å"Easter† in â€Å"Easter 1916† poem symbolizes the rebirth of the Irish nation state. It is an illustration of the renaissance of Yeats’s view about the middle classes because of their position in the Irish Rebellion. Conclusion Irish literature is central to Irish nationalism and the modern Irish experience. Yeats, through the two poems, â€Å"September 1913† and â€Å"Easter 1916† captured the cultural reality of the Irish in this era. He believed that the Irish culture had the power to revive and reflect the Irish identity: â€Å"Now and in time to be, /whenever green is worn,† (Finneran 182). Similarly, Joyce in â€Å"The Dead† alludes to cultural imperialism and its consequences on nationalism. Thus, the dominant theme explored by Irish literature regards nationalism and continuity of the Irish culture. Abrams, Mayers et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W. W. Norton Company, Inc., 1986. Print. Finneran, Richard. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats. New York: Simon Schuster Inc., 1996. Print. Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York: Signet Classics, 1967. Print. Yeats, William. Selected Poems and Three Plays by William Butler Yeats. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1962. 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The Female Vote and Empire Building Essays

The Female Vote and Empire Building Essays The Female Vote and Empire Building Essay The Female Vote and Empire Building Essay The Female Vote and Empire Building Name: Course: Date: The Female Vote and Empire Building 1. Provide two or three reasons that men resisted the idea of women voting for so long, focusing on what they may have feared The chauvinistic attitude in men prevented them from allowing the women to have their voting rights. The men believed that voting was the exclusive activity of men. They did not want the women to get the idea of holding political posts, which they strongly believed were supposed to be for men only. Men were overtly against the freedom of women to take part in an election because it would undermine their control. The men were afraid that by allowing the women to vote, they would lose the control they had over the women. The men feared that presenting the women with the freedom of women to take part in an election would make them involved in politics to the extent that they would forget their traditional roles at home. They believed that all women belonged at home, and they had no place in political affairs (Scher, 2011). 2. Make a connection between the enfranchisement of women and the progressive movement, showing how it may have helped with reforms or hindered reforms, or made no difference Many women were engaged in the quest for voting rights. They held demonstrations, protested, and even went on hunger rights. Despite these efforts, some of the women were supporting the men in opposing women suffrage. They were determined to ensure that other women would not achieve the freedom to take part in an election. The provision of education to women, and all the action that went with it, provided an educational and awareness ground for many women. Those who were involved in securing the freedom of women to take part in an election concentrated on educating the other women on the importance of the ballot process. This education and increasing awareness contributed to the progressive movement. The women realized that they had been oppressed and denied many rights, and their success in securing the vote gave them the courage they needed to fight for other rights. 3. Take a position on the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment as a civil rights victory, explaining how you think the female vote has influenced or not influenced the direction of civil rights in this country The 19th amendment secured the right of American women to cast a ballot. As per the requirements of the amendment, all American citizens had the freedom to take part in an election, and no one should deny anyone this right based on gender. The vote of the women was crucial in altering the course of the civil rights. Many people felt that they could fight for their rights of representation and recognition after the passage of the amendment. The passage of this amendment, guaranteed women the freedom to take part in an election. It also made other people, especially racial minorities, demand for their rights. Empire building 1. For a country such as the US that makes the equality and protection of rights one of the centerpieces of its own existence, explain how the annexation of foreign territories during this period was justified The US justified its actions by claiming that it was advancing democracy. It claimed that annexing the foreign nations ensured that the people would live in freedom, and they would have justice. The US was determined to propagate its agenda to the foreign nations because it did not believe that the policies and rules governing these nations were beneficial for the people. It believed in a democratic system which encouraged capitalism, leading to the growth of the economies. Some of those individuals in the affected areas recognized the benefits of this, and they supported the annexations, making the US campaigns successful 2. Give two examples of how the United States benefits by owning territories and having military bases around the world today The US benefits from operating military sites in many countries on a global scale because this helps them maintain and protect their interests. For instance, settling in strategic locations enables the military to be able to ensure more security for its citizens, because it is able to know what is going on around the region, and the threat is facing from different locations. Gathering information becomes relatively easy when troops are deployed to various places around the world. By owning territories, the US is able to secure more resources for its industries. It also benefits from the expertise provided by the people in different sectors of the economy, providing labor in areas of shortage. 3. Describe the political impact to the party in power here at home when the US military is victorious in a foreign war or takeover and when it is defeated The political party benefits because it is able to gain more confidence among the people. When the military is victorious, the people increase their confidence in the government’s ability to take care of them. They feel more secure and guaranteed, and this enables them to know that the government has its priorities right. The political party gets more authority and power, as it increases its memberships. The opposite happens when the military is defeated. The people start opposing the government’s move in engaging in the war, and they show their lack of confidence in the government. Many of them opt to support the party that opposed the war. References Lutz, C. (2009). US bases and empire: Global perspectives on the Asia Pacific. Retrieved from globalresearch.ca/us-bases-and-empire-global-perspectives-on-the-asia-pacific/14468 Scher, K. R. (2011). The politics of disenfranchisement: Why is it so hard to vote in America? Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe

Human Resources Labor Relations, Employee Relations, and Global HR Essay

Human Resources Labor Relations, Employee Relations, and Global HR - Essay Example The preliminary survey result will then be collated and submitted to the management which will include my professional evaluation and recommendation focusing on the major issues that the employees are facing and probable bargaining solutions as deemed appropriate. Informal recorded meetings will also be held with the union members prior to the actual negotiation so that preliminary solutions can be drafted. This way, the management will be prepared and the employees' side will also be fairly represented. This is a very important task of a supervisor because the absence of safety regulations in a manufacturing firm could mean not just loss of assets or income but employees' lives as well. The first thing that I would do is form a committee that would plan and come up with safety standards. This will include experts on the machines or equipment that are being used, operators, engineers, electricians, production managers, and maintenance personnel. The first task for this committee is to gather essential information on the machines being used focusing on the risks or possible hazards that these will cause. After gathering adequate information, general guidelines will be established. Operators and maintenance personnel will be required to keep a logbook regarding the machine usage and maintenance frequency and requirements. The information will be used to re-assess the guidelines and to come up with specific policies. A module will be developed with the help and supervision of machine e xperts and this module will be used to train all the employees working in the manufacturing plant. Everybody should be aware of proper ways to do their jobs and to ensure their safety. Periodic training should be given so that employees' competency will be assured. As the supervisor, I should also make sure that resources will be allocated properly and that the employees will be provided with complete uniform and safety gears and wearing of these will be strictly implemented. Aside from training and provision of resources, the committee will be tasked to continuously monitor and to submit regular reports about the over-all condition on the plant floor. Individual safety handbooks and general policies and procedures will be provided and safety reminders will be posted wherever appropriate. Last but not the least, formal and informal means of airing out complaints and opinions will be established and in case of accidents, everybody will be made aware of what to do and who to call. Thi s way, the employees in the manufacturing plant will have a sense of security and confidence that they know the risks involved and are prepared for possible incidents in the plant. Scenario Three: One of your plant managers will be sent to your sister company in Bulgaria for a period of three years. Write an expatriation and repatriation plan for this employee. The expatriation plan will be divided into three: Base salary, benefits, and incentives. The base salary for the plant manager to Bulgaria will be equivalent to what he or she is

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Taxation - Essay Example The first problem involving Ms. Vaughan involves a sale of a house giving rise to the payment of Capital Gains Tax (CGT). CGT can only arise on the disposal of an asset, which is this case is the house. However, not all sales of properties are subject to CGT. The most common exemption and is relevant to the case we have is the sale of a person’s principal private residence. In identifying whether such sale is taxable or not, let us look into the facts involved in the case. Ms. Vaughan bought the property in Brechin in 2 January 1982. She resided in that house until May 1984 before moving to Germany. From then on until 31 August 1990, she did not reside in that house not even on holidays. She lived in that house again from June 1995 until May 2002 where at the same time, she lent a large portion of the house to a tenant. In June 2002, she moved to Liverpool and was never able to live in the house in Brechin again. The question now is whether or not the house in Brechin is the primary resident of Ms. Vaughn. A primary consideration in determining whether such house is the primary residence of a person is the time spent is that place and the intent to go back to such place and establish residence. Under our tax code, residence simply means the place where one lives. Determining ones residency is dependent on ones length of stay, number and frequency of trips to the place (i.e. habitual stay) and the intention to stay in that particular place. Judging by the amount of time Ms. Vaughan spent in the property in Brechin and the fact that she lent the house to a tenant while she occupied only a portion thereof belies the fact that she wants to establish the place as her primary residence. Thus, such sale of property do not fall under the exemption provided for under the law. The indexation allowance in capital gains tax is computed based on the indexation rate of March 1982. It must be noted that implementation for individuals of

Job Materials Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Materials Portfolio - Essay Example Customer service experience is another mandatory requirement since people to hold this position will have a lot of exposure to the customer. Therefore, one should have the necessary experience to serve customers in a hospitable manner hence making sure that the customer comes back once more. I have chosen to apply for a sales associate in Zara this is because this is the field I have got a lot of experience. In fact, I have studied a course related to sales in the college and this makes me feel that this field can be my best. In fact, I am looking forward to developing my career very much in sales. The opportunity with Zara will give me an opportunity to learn more on what selling really entail. These include selling, restocking and merchandising. Zara is an American company that deals with fashion for both men and women. This means that the company sells clothes to the American population bearing in mind the essence of fashion. For instance, every time designers keep on introducing new fashions in clothes market. This calls for business people to be so keen when it comes to deciding what customers need in order to survive. Zara takes into consideration customers’ preferences in a great way to make sure that their wishes are given priorities when designing their out fits. The company’s mission is to provide excellent customer service. This means that the organization works hard to make sure that they provide perfect services to their customers. This can be achieved through various methods which include involving customers in developing their designs. This means that the organization goes extra miles to make sure that they obtain necessary information from customers in terms of their fashion preferences and tastes. In addition, they use their sales associate to merchandise their stores hence creating a visible image to their customers. Zara Company started its operation in

Check the attachment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Check the attachment - Assignment Example The aim of this paper is to analyze colour combination or application techniques based on three images (Foo Fighters Wasting Light Album cover, SMH Fletcher Jones advertisement and Interior). Considering the given images, several techniques of colour combination or scheme are evident. The first picture (Foo Fighters) indicates an extensive use of analogous-complementary colour scheme. This combination technique combines colours that are primarily comparable in hue by adding a small fraction of contrasting colour (Feisner, 2000). In the said image â€Å"Foo Fighters†, colours that are primarily comparable in hue are red-purple-green. These complementary colours contrast and due to their full saturation on the image, they create a vibrant look (Nita, 2008). According to Livingstone (2002), this design can be enhanced by initiating a warm brogue color flanking a cool corresponding colour. Alternatively, a cool accent color can be merged with a warm colour. This analogy is evident in the image where the accent colours harmonize the designs (Ryan and Conover, 2004). The second image (SMH Fletcher Jones advertisement) is an example of a monochromatic colour combination technique. This technique is characterized by one single color or varying intensities of a particular color such as taupe and light taupe (Albers, 1963). Compared with other colour combination techniques, the effect of this technique on the given image is extremely quieting. This effect is apparent because of the dark background featured on the image. Despite this evaluation, this technique is considered by many as the easiest (Delamare and Guineau, 2000). However, for advertising purposes this technique is not recommended because it hardly catches the attention of people. It can find meaningful application in movie theatres. The third picture (Interior) is characterized by use of hue-similarity combination technique. In this image, the

Strategic Management of Information System Essay

Strategic Management of Information System - Essay Example Evidences suggest that individual IT service management systems may not enable an organization to develop a stable and responsive IT environment, which would be adaptive to changing business conditions. To illustrate, consider the application of ITIL version 3. ITIL is one of the key tools to IT service management as it provides a cohesive set of well developed and effective IT practices. As Blokdijk (2008, p. 23) points out, the ITIL version 3 contains provisions for developing service strategy and service design, enhancing operational services and service transition, and promoting continuous service improvement. Carvalho et al (n.d) also agree that ITIL can address range service management aspects. However, it does not authentically address enterprise architecture and this situation raises some potential challenges to the management in meeting many of its operational objectives (ibid). Therefore, the blended use of ITIL version 3 and enterprise architecture approach may be benefici al for the organization to effectively coordinate its IT operations and establish a stable and responsive IT environment. Shuja (n.d) believes that an integrated use of ITSM practices may aid an organization to deliver cost-effective and quality services to its clients. In addition, this practice promotes integrated centralized processes, which in turn help an organization keep its various departments inter-connected, and this condition will certainly offer improved services that can meet business and end user needs. Furthermore, if there is a good connection between various departments of a company, then the management can reduce its workforce strength and thereby cut down operating costs. This structure is also very useful to respond to some unforeseen

Check the attachment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Check the attachment - Assignment Example The aim of this paper is to analyze colour combination or application techniques based on three images (Foo Fighters Wasting Light Album cover, SMH Fletcher Jones advertisement and Interior). Considering the given images, several techniques of colour combination or scheme are evident. The first picture (Foo Fighters) indicates an extensive use of analogous-complementary colour scheme. This combination technique combines colours that are primarily comparable in hue by adding a small fraction of contrasting colour (Feisner, 2000). In the said image â€Å"Foo Fighters†, colours that are primarily comparable in hue are red-purple-green. These complementary colours contrast and due to their full saturation on the image, they create a vibrant look (Nita, 2008). According to Livingstone (2002), this design can be enhanced by initiating a warm brogue color flanking a cool corresponding colour. Alternatively, a cool accent color can be merged with a warm colour. This analogy is evident in the image where the accent colours harmonize the designs (Ryan and Conover, 2004). The second image (SMH Fletcher Jones advertisement) is an example of a monochromatic colour combination technique. This technique is characterized by one single color or varying intensities of a particular color such as taupe and light taupe (Albers, 1963). Compared with other colour combination techniques, the effect of this technique on the given image is extremely quieting. This effect is apparent because of the dark background featured on the image. Despite this evaluation, this technique is considered by many as the easiest (Delamare and Guineau, 2000). However, for advertising purposes this technique is not recommended because it hardly catches the attention of people. It can find meaningful application in movie theatres. The third picture (Interior) is characterized by use of hue-similarity combination technique. In this image, the

Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) Assignment

Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) - Assignment Example Etisalat is established on three values that include openness, energy and enablement. Etisalat cultivates the value of openness by being direct, fair and honest in business deals and by being friendly and sociable to their suppliers, customers and employees. The company values and foster energy and enthusiasm required for achieving the best performance in business and are prepared for the future opportunities and challenges (Etisalat, 2015). Finally, the corporation focuses on creating new opportunities and enabling people to attain their goals.   Etisalat’s vision states what the company offers and how they do it, for whom and the reason or intended results. It states as follows; â€Å"People will effortlessly move around the world, staying in touch with family, making new friends as they go, as well as developing new interests. Businesses of all sizes, no longer limited by distance, will be able to reach new markets. Innovative technologies will open up fresh opportunitie s across the globe, allowing the supply of new goods and services to everyone who wants them† (Etisalat, 2015).Location Planning The UAEs Etisalat corporation has it is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and other three regional offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates (Etisalat, 2015). UAE is the central business region with a focus from across the globe. The mobile penetration in the region is the highest globally having reached over 200% penetration. The region has highly developed technological infrastructures.  

The Views of Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama Essay Example for Free

The Views of Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama Essay Hilary Clinton and barrack Obama are the two Democrat presidential candidates who are on the race to the White House. They latest reports indicate a tightly held contest and an equally intense campaign to clinch the Democratic Party nominations. Both hold almost similar views as far as how the economy should be and issues about war and mostly on terrorism. They also hold different opinions in health matters. The candidate that musters more delegates is the one that will be the Democrat presidential candidate facing Mc Cain, the Republican presidential candidate in the 2008 election. My main interest in this essay is to analyze on their views on the economy, war and health issue. The two candidates have tried to portray themselves as different from each other, they are however both protectionists when it comes to the trade agreements. Clinton is sounding to be more anti-trade than how Obama sounds. Already Clinton is opposed to the proposed economic terms on trade on Colombia, Panama and South Korea. There are times where both agree on some points, for example they are both opposed to the idea of having a free trade with the Dominican Republic and the Central America in 2005. Obama is for the idea of America doing business with other nations. He believes that this is the only way through which the American economy would be strengthened . He promised that if he were elected as the president of U.S.A. he would try his best to provide and protect the free trade. He will open up more job opportunities by creating foreign markets. He will also set proper job and environmental standards for all nations in the world to follow and resist the idea of free trade that is being advanced by the Central American nations. Obama also promised to review the North American Free Trade Agreement if he will be elected the US president. He is not opposed to the idea of making Mexico and Canada to cooperate with American workers. This will address the issue of workers so that they could adapt to the dynamics of the economy. He will also make amendments to the trade adjustments assistance if elected the president come this 2008 presidential election so that workers would have refresher courses to live up to the times, giving them a competitive edge and job security. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton pledged to strengthen the small enterprises that she believes are the economy’s growth engine. She will dedicate her efforts towards creation of jobs for Americans. Hillary Clinton said that if elected the president, she would strengthen the manufacturing industries as the country is dependent on them and by doing this, Americans will have better living standards. She said that she would fully utilize the nation’s innovation and capital investment to widen economic base for the country. Clinton also pledges to strengthen the rural economy to reverse the trend of urban migration as these areas also contribute to the economy. To achieve this she said she would initiate programs that would enhance the rural economic growth. She also pledged to increase research and technology funding. She would ensure schools; homes and libraries will be equipped with the latest technologies so that they would be competitive in the global market. She criticized Bush’s administration of mismanaging the economy making the gap between the rich and the poor to widen but she promised to solve this problem once elected. She will also help the middle class Americans to stabilize in the economy. On the issues of health care both have similar opinions although in some issues they differ. According to Hillary Clinton she will ensure that every American will be entitled to health insurance but Barrack Obama does not share the same sentiment, as he believes the focus should be on children who should be provided with free insurance. He will also extend health care for the adults who are currently uninsured. Clinton estimates that the cost of implementing her plans would be a hundred and ten billion U.S dollars while Obama’s proposal ranges from 50 to 65 billion U.S dollars. The truth of the mater is that neither of them will provide full insurance cover for every American but both aspire to make this work. While attacking Obama, Clinton criticized his plan saying it is only targeting fifteen million Americans while hers will ensure most of the Americans have free health care. She said most Americans die because they cannot afford quality health care. In her plan, all drivers will be required by law to have auto insurance and promised that all families will be given tax credits so that they would meet their health insurance. If she will be voted in, all households would be able to meet the required health premium. The federal government according to Clinton will subsidize the health insurance for all those families that cannot afford it while businesses and organizations will be required to provide their workers with health insurance. She is quick to add that this plan will not affect small businesses but what will be required is that they will provide these businesses with tax credits to motivate them to do so. The health care providers will be required to pay for those people with huge bills without asking them for more money. Americans, according to Clinton, will be provided with similar private health care that the congress receives and this will be provided to citizens through the employees benefit program that will be a public program similar to that of Medicare. Obama on the other hand pledged to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid so that they would continue taking care of the vulnerable members of the society. These programs mostly target those citizens that are poor and uninsured. He pledged to amend the National Medic Act so that patients who are injured as a result of medical negligence would be compensated. He will also increase funds on research and development so that HIV/AIDS would be contained both in USA as well as in other parts. Both Clinton and Obama have taken issues with the Iraq war. Clinton is currently accusing Obama of not being consistent with opposing the Iraq War, as he was when he assumed the post of a senator. Obama has promised to withdraw American troops from Iraq if he becomes the next president in 2008 election. Obama was not opposed to all wars but was particularly opposed to the Iraq war. He accused president Bush of starting another war instead of finishing that on Osama but Clinton supported Bush to resort to military action if other methods such as diplomatic means failed to restore order in the nation. Currently, she is also advocating for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. We have seen that the two Democrat presidential candidates do agree and disagree on some issues. For example, they both agree that health care for all Americans would be vital but they differ in how the program would be implemented. They both promised to strengthen and widen the country’s economic base so that the quality of life of the Americans would improve and to end the war on Iraq and they both promised to end it once they will assume power. Work Cited. Associated Press. Hillary Clinton blasts Bush economy. May 29, 2007.Accessed at http://www.politics.com/news/stories/0507/4230.html on March 25, 2008 Friel et al. Obama: Most liberal senator in 2007. National Journal 31st Jan 2008; 16 Accessed at http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings on March 25, 2008 Kelly P. Politics. New York Times. January 22, 2008.Retrieved an http://www.nytimes.com/2008/0122/us/politics/22clinton.html on 25 March 2008 Johnson G. Obama-Clinton politics of Health Mandate now playing in mass. Associated Press. Insurance Journal. 2008. Sklar R. Micro Debate: Clinton and Obama on Health care. Huffington Post

ZARA SWOT and Competitor Analysis

ZARA SWOT and Competitor Analysis In this age of advanced media and technology, where customers are flooded with marketing messages all the time, it is very hard for the businesses to progress efficiently without marketing and especially internet marketing due to quick adoption of internet and use of computer and others related devices. With a nominal investment on the website and web based marketing, lots of new markets and customers can be attracted through this marketing technique. The retail industry is generally a very dynamic, fast changing sector. It constitutes one of the main sectors in the economy, in terms of transactions and turnover; as a result, it is a highly competitive and sophisticated industry. As Zara has an international presence in many countries of the World, it is now compulsory for Zara to adopt an online marketing strategy to compete with its competitors, capture and retain more market share and increase profits in this highly competitive environment where every customer is fully informed and equipped with information about the market. Digital marketing is very fast growing and cheap solution to reach maximum customers without any boundaries. Through customised digital marketing where you can convey your message only to potential customers and lots of new customers can be attracted by using different techniques. Todays economy is forcing everyone to search for the best deals they can find. Usually these deals are found on the internet. Digital marketing helps a company to increase its exposure to consumers who are actively seeking your product or service, making it much more effective than other forms of advertising. Increasing your companys exposure through digital marketing is the equivalent of McDonalds only showing you a Big Mac commercial when you are hungry It is targeted, effective, and relevant. Online marketing has many advantages for businesses as well as customers, but on the other hand there are some problems which are related to internet marketing and use of technology and its popularity among your target market. While using online marketing, you do not cut back your companys marketing budget during this economy; instead, focus on spending your marketing budget more effectively by investing in a highly targeted digital marketing campaign. In-fact, this is the best time for businesses to review their marketing strategies and bring internet marketing into focus because of increasing costs of marketing on traditional medias which do not guarantee that you are actually targeting your potential customers. Situation Analysis There are not many businesses which are running without any marketing in this age of communication and technology. If some business is doing good without marketing it dose not mean that the business has captured maximum market and there are no more opportunities to grow. If some business is already doing well, it can do better by launching a marketing campaign and can get more market share. If someone owns a business in todays marketplace, it is not easy to run a business without marketing and not enough to run an advertisement in the local newspaper to maximize the exposure of business. In fact, it is not even enough to run a television commercial on a local broadcasting station because the best marketing tools at anyones disposal have quickly become those associated with online marketing. In fact, if someone starts to explore marketing business via the internet he will quickly find that instead of reaching just a few consumers, he will now have the unique ability to reach both the millions of customers from a global approach and a more specified group of customers that are closer to him as well, a broader appeal than his business may have had previously. He can use social media as a marketplace, and also have a targeted market. Of course, before actually getting the benefits of a wider consumer base there is a need to attract them to the website which is where online marketing tools come into play. Products and services need to be presented in a clear and visually appealing way on the website. The website is a companys store on the internet, the products must be easy to find, priced properly for the market, and delivery methods clearly outlined. Adding a blog element to the website provides fresh content, photos, and innovations to customers, as well as satisfying the search engine criteria for active use and renewal. This also helps search engine placement. Other popular ways to help a business market its website include social media outlets like Facebook, Buzz and Twitter, link building and other search engine optimization tactics, or by using the Google tools like Google Local to increase the online exposure. With the help of all these tools and techniques, where we can promote our website through online marketing, there are some issues related to online presence. Online security is the main concern of the customers who are interested to buy online and want some sort of security that the information they are providing for transaction is safe and will not be misused in future. This matter can be resolved by getting some online security verification certificates and putting them on the website. Other online marketing concerns may be the annoying banner ads on the websites where you are advertising, viral marketing, too much information about the product on the main page which is not necessarily required by every customer, product search problems on the website. On the other hand before launching digital marketing campaign we should be very clear about our customers that do they use internet frequently and do they have proper training and skills to surf the internet easily. As far as Zara is concerned the main target market is people who like fashion and keep themselves updated with latest trends in clothing, so this type of people use internet very frequently to keep them update and interact with the community online most of the time. 2.1- Market Summary By keeping in view the current market trends and situation analysis our plan is to launch an online marketing campaign. Europe, America, Australia and Asia are our main target markets and there is an increasing trend of use of interne in the countries of these continents. We can see the growth rate of internet use and its penetration in last ten years in different regions of the world. With the help of these figures we can easily understand the importance and reach of internet marketing. Most of the market shareholders are now using internet marketing strategy and increasing their market share by giving information about the new products and designs, product offerings and offering buying online facility, business policies related to environment and customers through e-marketing. There are 383 million users of internet in China only and we can target them without spending lots of money on retails outlets all over China. Same is the case with Japan and India where we do not need to open stores in all the cities. We can open our stores in main cities and market our product through internet to other areas where we can find our customers and target them. This is the strategy adopted by most of the successful businesses like Clark, they do not keep all the stock on their out lets and promote their website by asking customers to use their website to see the full range of the products in different categories. 2.2 SWOT Analysis ZARA has 1,608 stores (including 213 ZARA kids stores) in 74 countries, with the companys international growth currently offsetting the economic downturn in the domestic Spanish market. ZARA has a very strong brand image and the number of outlets can be increased with the time and growth. Comparatively high product price is a weakness but we have opportunity to explore markets where we can find customers who want to buy high quality products. Entry of new competitors and non availability of sufficient raw material can be a threat in future. 2.2.1- (S)trengths ZARA has a very strong market Image due to quality, style and availability of products. Product/ Brand Image is also very high because of very high quality, reliable products for children, women and men. Strong financial position of ZARA is also our strength which will help us to invest adequately to get favorable results. Due to strong market position there is availability of finance from other financial institutions like banks. ZARA can benefit in saving the cost from existing infrastructure of suppliers. Vast network and store on different main locations all over the UK, Europe and other regions of the World is also our strength. At this time we have availability of suppliers who can provide us required raw material on good prices and we can build good relations with them for future when the competition will be higher. Online availability of our full catalogue is also our strength and customers can see, choose and make a final decision by just sitting home. 2.2.2- (W)eaknesses High product price is a weakness but we can not compromise on quality and customer services. Due to no marketing strategy and planning the rate of getting market share is very low. Proper management and implementation of the new system can take time. 2.2.3- (O)pportunities New market search is the next step after capturing our existing market we can go to US and central Asian markets more deeply. More innovation, improved quality and value added products for our customers. Adoption of new technology will help us to lower the cost of our products. Research and development department can be made more efficient and strong for product improvement and availability of the products. Improved and more focused customers service. Continuous training of the staff and labor for cost effective production. Strive to exceed the customers expectations through quality, innovation and customers services. Increase in promotional activities through online marketing to get maximum market share. Building relations and long term contracts with the suppliers will be beneficial for future buying. 2.2.4- (T)hreats Entry of new competitors is a threat for our product which can be avoided by building stronger product image in the mind of customer. Unavailability of sufficient raw material because of high number of customers for raw material in the market. In the near future there will be high price of raw material due to increased demand. Availability of raw material in future is another threat and can be managed by involving maximum number of suppliers in the beginning with small quantity orders to all the suppliers. Order quantity can be increased in future as per demand. Low buying power of the customers in existing markets is also a threat and can be managed by searching new markets. 2.3- Competition At this stage if we compare the top high street stores in the UK, most of them, i.e. John Lewis, New Look, Debenhams, MS, next, Bhs, HM, asos, peacocks and topshop are the main stores which are focusing on online presence and are among the top list stores on search engines in fashion and clothing search results. Because Zara is not in putting any effort for online marketing, that is why we do not find it in search results. John Lewis: The retailer has adopted Omniture SearchCenter to optimize paid search marketing.   This combination of products enabled John Lewis Direct to optimize customer preferences throughout the entire acquisition to conversion cycle. John Lewis Direct is a compelling example of a traditional retailer making a success of its online strategy. Millions of customers visit the award-winning John Lewis web site each month and the site has grown consistently at above market rates since its inception in 2001.   In 2008 online sales were up by 24% to  £327m. New Look: The famous and one of the favorite store of ladies for fashion clothing New Look has also understood and adopted the online marketing strategy by putting sponsored links on top search engines, using social websites for close contact with customers and launched their website in 2007. Since the eCommerce launch in December 2007, New Look website has continued to exceed expectations with nearly one million average weekly visitors in March 2009. This is a threefold increase on the same time last year, with average order value continuing to grow. The new web platform is giving customers increased access to the full product range and provides multi-channel capability, enabling customers to order in store for delivery at home. In March 2009 New Look acquired the www.newlook.com domain name and is appraising the potential to utilise this with a mainland European transactional website. This will provide marketing synergies with their international store roll-out to strengthen the brand and offer to customers. Debenhams: Debenhams is also promoting its website through search engine optimization, different blogs and social websites. Most popular websites are D Blog, Face Book, Twitter, Flicker and You Tube. Store is also encouraging Debenhams website visitors to visit these social websites and leave feedback. The Marketing Innovation Group (MIG) launched Debenhams Megaday iBrochure, in 2009, in conjunction with their September New Season Spectacular Sale. This tactical iBrochure mirrored the paper brochure that was available in store and was used to drive online sales and raise awareness. Marks and Spencer: MS has pioneered online video with MS TV (marksandspencer.com/tv), a great example of v-commerce in practice, and proof positive that compelling online video increases sales. Marks and Spencer is known for its innovative online approach, the retailer was keen to find ways of growing its online business while retaining the customers already visiting the site. In addition to enhancing the experience, the channel had to ultimately drive sales. MS TV is a collection of over 500 films divided into 12 channels. Each channel focuses on a particular company theme or business vertical, be it womenswear, menswear, or home. To maintain brand consistency, the channels are managed by a central commissioning team consisting of staff from both MS and Adjust Your Set. This team also plans future content and measures the consumer response. Engagement levels are constantly measured and regular refinements are made in order to improve the quality of the editorial and the rates of conversion. If viewers drop off before the end of video or certain links are not being clicked, then further changes are made. Keeping in view the above information Zara has a very big market to capture and this is the best time to develop and implement the new marketing strategy to enhance the market share in near future. 2.4- Product Offerings Zara offers an exclusive coordinated collection of stylish clothes, shoes and accessories for women. Collections for men, children and the home quickly followed. Zaras clothes are styled by the in-house design team to offer consistency of style, quality and value for money with a contemporary fashion edge. 2.5- Distribution Zara has a very strong network of retail stores in the UK, Europe, America, Asia, and Africa for the distribution of its products all over the World. Other than retail stores we have also introduced a fully functional website with our latest products, designs and offerings. The online store is also contributing successfully for the distribution of the products to the customers. 3.0 Marketing Strategy 3.1- Objectives Challenging but achievable objective has been set for next three years. Because of the overall condition of the economy which is not that good, result in the first year can be a bit slow. First-year Objective: In the first year we will maximize the awareness about the brand and availability of the product. We have already launched a page on facebook.com and more than 3,676,000 people like that page from all over the World. Website will be promoted through other major social networking websites, blogs, emails and in-store advertisement. Search engine optimization and data updating process will be performed more efficiently to keep the website at the top in search results on different search engines. Secure online selling will also be introduced in first year which will help to improve the growth rate. The growth rate will be increased from 6% of 2009 to 10% at the end of first year. Second-year Objective: In the second year we shall be doing well and will be on the first page of most popular search engines. In the second year more focus will be on introduction of innovative technology, make over and use of latest web technology to attract the visitors. The estimated growth rate in second year is expected to rise by 7% due to opening in new markets of Australia and Africa. Online selling will be offered to Australian customers in this year. Third-year Objective: Third year, 2012 2013, will be a year of revival for world economy, hopefully and we shall capture the market by 25%. For Europe aggressive marketing strategy will be adopted to get maximum market share. Online selling will be launched in major Asian countries to facilitate our valuable customers and to maximize market share. 3.2- Target Markets Target market of Zara is middle to high class men; woman and children who like to update themselves with latest fashion and style and want higher quality clothing on reasonable prices. With the help of online marketing it will be easier for Zara to convey information about new designs and fashion to its target markets in different parts of the World within no time because Zaras target market consists of the people who use internet frequently and update themselves with latest fashion. Zaras women collection is divided into three categories: Zara Women, Zara Basic and the sporty Trafaluc representing market segments for women who look for a more formal style, younger women for a more informal style and younger women and teenagers while menswear included Mens Line at Zara, Zara Basics, its club-wear brand 100Zara and Zara Sport. In this sense the general public from all age groups can be seen as potential customers targeted by specific sub-brands of Zara. A second important variable in defining segmentation is based on psychographic characteristics such as lifestyle, as one of the most famous and successful European brands Zara in its existing market targeted people who were especially interested in European styles at affordable price levels. 3.3- Positioning Zara is a high fashion concept offering apparel, footwear and accessories for women, men and children, from newborns to adults aged 45. Zara stores offer a unique blend of fashion, quality and price offered in attractive stores in prime locations on premier commercial streets and in main shopping centres. The in-house design and production capabilities enable us to offer fresh designs at out Zara stores twice a week throughout the year. 3.4- Marketing Mix 3.4.1- Product Zara has a tradition to launch its products in a short time of two weeks and full change in clothing item every month. The product is of very high quality and we will give a full guarantee of color, stitching, stuff, cloth quality and material used to our valuable customers. No metals shall be used for the product packing and recycled material will be used for packing of our products. 3.4.2- Pricing Zara maintained its long standing practice of providing customers with certainty over pricing. Zara has adopted a competitive pricing strategy to gain and retain customers. Competitive pricing is the most suitable for Zara because of its presence globally. This pricing strategy helps Zara to attract more customers on the high street fashion stores. 3.4.3- Distribution Zara has a very strong distribution setup which is very helpful to make available the product all over the retail chain. In my point of view Zara should start its production locally instead of producing in Spain and then deliver the products to stores all over the World because this change in strategy will help to reduce the cost of production. We do not need to bring raw material from other countries to Spain first and send finished items back to the same countries. By setting up local production houses we can also build good relationship with our suppliers, local community by offering jobs to local people, and our customers. 3.4.4- Marketing Communications Promotional activity at high street will continue aggressively and with in-store display, through online marketing and our website. For online marketing communication the first step is to update the website and its contents at the back of website like key words, key phrases and mata tags so that the search engines can find our website quickly and easily whenever anyone search for items we are dealing with. An interactive website is most appropriate idea in the current marketing situation. With the help of cookies we will gather lots of data about our customers and their preferences. Email marketing will also help us to generate more profit by attracting more customers to our website. As it is discussed earlier different social website pages like facebook, twitter, youtube, and flicker etc. are the main source of communication with customers these days. We will also communicate with our existing and potential customers by setting up different blogs and through our own website. Paid advertisements on most popular search engines like google, bing, yahoo, aol etc. is another option so that we can come at the top of search results in very short time. 3.5- Marketing Research Through different marketing research techniques like web analysis and online feed back from our valuable customers we will keep upgrading our product and system and will analyze and evaluate our existing strategy. Web analytical tools will also be helpful to get information about website visitors and their style of search and required products. Customers complaints and record of customer services department is also very helpful to improve the product and product delivery system. 4.0 Financial Matters In the first year by keeping the objective of 10% growth rate in view the projected sale for Zara in the first year is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11,750 million. Currently Zaras share in total group sale is 63.8% (2009). The total sale of the group in 2009 was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11,084 Million. Results for the Year Ended January 2009: * Group revenues (in thousands of Euros): 11,083,514 * Group operating profit EBITDA (in thousands of Euros): 2,374,189 * Earnings per share (in Euro cents): 211.4 15 million is estimated expense for first year marketing including salaries of marketing staff. For online marketing, most of the work, like making profiles on different social websites, tagging, adding key words and meta tags on the back of website, can be done through qualified staff of the company who will be responsible for the updating and maintenance of the website. So, for that there is no need to pay extra money to any third party. To advertise through search engines we will pay a nominal amount per year to major search engines and they will promote our website. Pay per click is another option which is also offered by most of the websites where we advertise. 5.0 Controls 5.1- Implementation Zara as a market leader in fashion wear always focus on product quality and customer services. Our more than 92,000 staff members are always ready to improve the system and implement new strategies. With the help of internal and external controls the top management will be in a better position to evaluate the performance and upgrade the system accordingly. We are always in a process to improve our products and services and we are always open to hear from our customers. Zara already continues to improve customer service and with the introduction of new service of online shopping we are facilitating our customers to buy anytime with their convenience. 5.2- Marketing organization International Marketing Director GM Marketing for Rest of the Countries GM Marketing Europe UK Sr. Manager Marketing Manager Advertising Advertising Analyst Manager Promotion Promotion Analyst Manager Sales Market Research Analyst Manager Advertising Advertising Analyst Manager Promotion Promotion Analyst Manager Sales

How To Hit A Golf Ball :: essays research papers

Although golfers end the day on the 18th green, their day begins on a tee box. A drive, the first hit off a tee toward the objective hole, may seem very routine and insignificant, but, in fact, it is the most important shot taken on each hole. If golfers hit a long drive into the nicely cut fairway, they have only to hit the ball off the nicely cut grass on usually a clear path to the hole. But if they hit a drive into the woods, then they have to make sure the ball does not hit any trees, branches, or other obstacles when exiting the woods. That’s why hitting a good drive is a must. With practice, even you can hit a fundamental drive. First, before you can drive a ball, you need the right equipment. You will need a number one wood, or driver, a golf tee, and, preferably golf shoes for extra traction to prevent your feet from sliding. Now that you have the proper equipment, you can begin the drive. First, take the golf tee and insert it into the ground with the needle-like bottom down. Then, place the golf ball on the platform of the tee. The tee should be set at a height of comfort for the golfer. The size of the driver head, or part that comes into contact with the ball during a swing, should be taken into consideration because the middle of the ball should be struck with the sweet spot, or middle of the clubface. Next, approach the ball and establish a stance. The stance of your legs should be shoulder width apart and square with the shoulders. More advance golfers may use open or closed stances, but a square stance is best for beginners. After establishing a stance that is comfortable then take the golf club, holding the shaft on the tape with the left hand placing the thumb on top of the shaft pointing to the ground while the other four fingers are wrapped around the handle holding it. After doing this extend the left elbow to a locking position and place the right hand on the shaft in the same fashion, but put the palm of the right hand on top of the left hand thumb. The grip should seem very comfortable. This is called the baseball grip, a widely used grip by beginning golfers.

Theories of Attachment: The Importance of Bonding with Infants and Todd

To infants, the world is a brand new experience full of new sights and sounds, and their parents are their first teacher who educates them about the new environment around them. In addition, they learn about their surroundings through touch which is an important part of the way infants observe this strange new world. Babies and toddlers learn about the way relationships are formed through becoming attached to their parents and bonding with them. Infants and toddlers love hugs, kisses, gentle caresses from their mom and dad as well as being sung and read to at night. Looking at parents bond with their children is a beautiful display of love and affection between parent and child. Seeing their infant smile back at them and be happy when their parents walk into the room are signs of healthy attachment. In order for infants to feel safe and secure they need to form a loving bond between their parents and caregivers. Healthy signs of attachment are eye contact with parents, feeling secu re when parents leave the room, feeling close to their parents, the infant or toddler is friendly, and is not afraid to explore their world without their parents. The first components of healthy attachment for children and toddlers are their ability to make eye contact with their parents and feeling secure when their parents leave the room. According to an article on Kidshealth.com it states that, â€Å"Eye-to-eye contact provides meaningful communication at close range† (Bonding with Your Baby, 2011). The first face an infant sees is their mother’s face. As a result, babies take cues from their mothers and fathers facial expressions and feel safe when they are in their parent’s arms. According to an article in the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health it ... ...en they have loving parents who will protect them from the dangers in the world. Works Cited: Brotherson, S. (2006). Keys to building attachment with young children. Retrieved from http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/famsci/fs631w.htm n/a, . (2011). Bonding with your baby. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/communicating/bonding.html# n/a, . (2011). Attachment between infant and caregiver . Encyclopedia of children's health. Retrieved July 31, 2011, from http://www.healthofchildren.com/A/Attachment-Between-Infant-and-Caregiver.html n/a, . (2011). Different types of parent-child relationships. Retrieved from http://www.athealth.com/consumer/disorders/attachment.html Perry, D. (2011). Attachment: the first core strength . Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/attachment.htm

Statement and Topic Sentence

Cause/Effect Outline Your introduction should: get your readers' attention state the title and author of the novel indicate historical context as applicable clearly identify the cause/effect relationship in the thesis Organize the body of your essay to fit the cause/effect relationship you are analyzing. For an essay that examines one effect with multiple causes l. Introduction A. Please write out your thesis statement using a complete sentence. II. Body paragraph #1† Topic sentence identifies cause#l A. supporting details (details†examples/textual support)B. supporting details C. concluding sentence Body paragraph #2† Topic sentence identifies cause #2 A. supporting details Ill. ‘V. Body paragraph #3† Topic sentence identifies cause #3 A. supporting details V. Conclusion For an essay that examines one cause with multiple effects paragraph #1 †Topic sentence identifies effect #1 Body paragraph #2† Topic sentence identifies effect #2 A. suppor ting details ‘V. Body paragraph #3† Topic sentence identifies effect #3 A. supporting details paragraph #1† Topic sentence identifies cause #1 ‘V.Body paragraph #3† Topic sentence identifies effect #1 A. supporting details V. Body paragraph #4† Topic sentence identifies effect #2 VI. Conclusion OR a. Please write out your thesis statement using a complete sentence. II. Body a. supporting details b. supporting details c. concluding sentence Ill. Body paragraph #2†Topic sentence identifies effect #1 a. supporting details ‘V. Body paragraph #3†Topic sentence identifies cause #2 V. Body paragraph #4†Topic sentence identifies effect #2 Remember, these are Just models to help you organize your essay.You may have more or fewer body paragraphs or supporting details. Do not feel like you have to force your essay to fit these examples exactly! Also remember, topic sentences and concluding sentences make assertions, Your conclusion sh ould: Restate your thesis (without using the same exact wording) Broaden from your character's examples to the larger historical and world context Leave the reader with a call-to-action/larger lesson that connects to your thesis but is applicable to the world (don't mention the book)

Best Buy Case Analysis

Case Analysis Current Situation â€Å"Our formula is simple: we’re a growth company focused on better solving the unmet needs of our customers—and we rely on our employees to solve those puzzles. Thanks for stopping. † Richard Schulze started Best Buy and grew it to a million dollar company within four years. The future CEO of Best Buy learned that diversification in the stores’ offerings and serving various target segments led to increased market share.After going public in 1985, Best Buy changed from commissioned and specialized customer assistants to a non-exempt, hourly paid sale associates to ensure that customers’ needs are the employees’ top priority. In 1999, Best Buy successfully launched its online store. Through acquisitions of Napster, electronic sellers, and home appliances suppliers, Best Buy was able to grow and gain the resources necessary for its international expansion. By using backwards vertical integration, Best Buy was a ble to broaden their scope and have bigger economies of scale, achieving savings that were passed along to our customers.Related diversification has also allowed Best Buy to maintain revenues, even through the recent economic recession. Best Buy’s primary industries are Radio, Television, and Other Electronics Stores (NAICS 443112), Electrical and Electronic Appliance, Television, and Radio Set Merchant Wholesalers (NAICS 423620), Computer and Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software Merchant Wholesalers (NAICS 423430) and Household Appliance Stores (NAICS 443111). Price per share as of February 19, 2013 is $17. 33.In September 2011, Best Buy was named to the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability index for corporate citizenship and philanthropy, social reporting, stakeholder engagement and operational eco-efficiency. Currently, Best Buy’s greatest struggle is facing new industry competitors. The company is losing market share to online retailers, such as Amazon, and to its p rimary suppliers, including Apple, HP, and Dell. Best Buy’s suppliers have taken an approach to reduce the intermediaries between company and its customers, strategies that have left Best Buy out of the loop.In order to stay ahead of competitors (in terms of market share and sales) Best Buy has implemented a permanent price matching policy that was launched during the 2012 holiday season. This tactical move will help Best Buy retain its existing market share, but maintaining costs low enough to support this pricing strategy might be difficult for the showroom giant. In regards to diversification, Best Buy has enlarged its scope from home and car stereos, to nearly all electronic appliances and to multimedia offerings such as DVD’s, CD’s, videogames, etc.Best Buy has also continued customer relationship managements by implementing after-purchase support and diversifying its offerings by acquiring Geek Squad, Best Buy’s task force that provides technical su pport and installation of various software programs for recently purchased electronics. General Environmental Analysis The general environmental analysis emphasizes the trends that occur in the technology, demographics, economics, political/legal, sociocultural, physical and global segments of the environment.The goal of this analysis is to help find which of these segments will have the most impact on Best Buy over the next few years. Based on research and data we believe the segments that will be the most relevant to Best Buy are the demographic, technology, sociocultural, and global segments. Demographically, the United States population is getting larger, older, and more ethnically diverse. There are approximately 315,398,676 people in the United States, making it the third largest country in the world. The United States has grown by 103% since 1950 and is estimated to have a population around 440 million by 2050.An influencing factor in the population increase is that Americans are living longer. Due to advances in healthcare, people are living and contributing to society longer. Baby boomers, the biggest segment the U. S. population, are now becoming senior citizens and have caused the 65+ population age to shift from 8. 1% in the 1950 to over 12. 4% today. The United States continues to move up the list as one of the most racially and ethnically diverse countries in the world. The prevailing trend is the significant increase in the Hispanic population, stronger in the next few years.This growth is caused by immigration; more Hispanics are coming to the United States seeking refuge, jobs, or a better life for their family. As the population continues to change, Best Buy must find ways to cater to all generations, and avoid dependency on demographics and traditional marketing. They must target specific market segments and foresee the needs and wants of different generations through relevant and integrated marketing promotions. Specific targeting of custom ers will help Best Buy retain customers and create company loyalty. Technology is another segment that will have a major impact on Best Buy in the near future.Predictive analysis, social media, and multichannel retailing are trends that are most important in Best Buy’s general environment. Knowing your customers is a critical part to any industry, and predictive analysis is becoming one of the best ways to accomplish that objective. By correctly using technology to control the high volume and availability of data, companies can understand customers’ wants. A core competency of both Amazon and Netflix predictive analysis; based on previous purchases or views Amazon and Netflix can recommend items that the customers may be interested in, and the customer can give feedback about those recommendations.Predictive analysis is becoming more prevalent online, and to stay competitive, pure brick-and-mortar companies must follow suit. Best Buy uses predictive analysis through re ward programs and by analyzing consumer purchases. The company then sends coupons or information about promotions that may meet a customer’s profile. A simple example could be a person buys a DVD player and predictive analysis could be used to send that customer offer or promotions on DVD’s. Social media continues to be a growing trend in today’s business. Customers are now turning to social media to get information about companies and their products.According to research 70% of consumer use social media to hear about other consumers experiences, 65% use it to find information on brands, products, and services, 50% share concerns, 53% compliment brands, and 47% share money incentives. A person’s influence in social media circles can determine the extent of the benefit or harm to a company’s reputation; this is especially true with celebrities and athletes with millions of followers. Best Buy can take advantage of these statistics to improve their s trategic competitiveness by targeting champions to test new products and promotions and diffuse the findings through social media.The company can also use social media to show customers that they voicing their concerns matters, and solving customers’ problems, which would lead to an increase in customer retention and brand loyalty. Multichannel retailing is also becoming one the more relevant trends in the general environment. Consumers today have more options of purchasing points than ever before. With the latest technology, consumers can order a shirt using their cell phone, computer, tablet, or the retail store. This trend mixes with sociocultural trends and offers consumers convenience and a better shopping experience.This is relevant to Best Buy because it allows more ways to reach customers. Best Buy can send information to customers’ mobile devices and take advantage of impulse buyers by offering a venue for them to buy directly, without having to go to store. O verall, Best buy has made efforts to improve a customer’s experience through a variety of tactical decisions. Trends in the sociocultural segment are another area that will have an impact on Best Buy through its general environment. One of the biggest trends in this segment is convenience.Location/ access, variety/availability, speed of service, price, and environment are all big factors when it comes to convenience and play a big part in consumer beliefs about the benefits of shopping at a specific store. Best Buy does its best to make stores convenient with a variety of displays, Geek Squad on hand, and a friendly environment. Best Buy has increased convenience by offering products online for customers who prefer to stay out of the brick-and-mortar store. Best Buy focuses on these efforts by offering free shipping and by developing the Best Buy Marketplace, which will increase the variety and brands accessible to consumers.Another change in the attitude of consumers is the trend of aspirationalism. People today have a heightened sense of aspiration and have many goals they hope to accomplish. As a result consumers expect companies to meet all of their expectations as fast as possible. This need is fulfilled by speedy service and Best Buy’s in-store Geek Squad is capable of meeting goals quickly and efficiently. To keep up with expectations and competition, Best Buy must provide the latest technology and equipment to customer whenever they need it.Global trends that are sweeping the market are expansion into international areas and environmentally friendly (or â€Å"green†) initiatives. Many companies are looking to expand to overseas markets due to the potential growth in markets such as China, and India. In fact, according to Forbes. com, China is forecasted to have 10 to 16% share of world GDP growth from 2007 to 2014. Best Buy has made a strategic decision to invest in China with their growth initiative, where they hope to open approx imately 50 stores and implement Best Buy Mobile store-within-a-store concept in 2013.Environmentally friendly or â€Å"green† initiatives are an important trend to consumers and companies. Consumers are now more aware of their carbon footprints and against companies who fail to be eco-friendly. One thing that retailers like Best Buy are doing to be eco-friendly is reducing the size of packaging. Recyclable paper is now one of the main packaging ingredients for retailers like Best Buy. This is important because it will improve the company’s reputation and keep them in a positive light with consumers. Industry AnalysisBest Buy is in the retailing Radio, Television, Consumer Electronics, and Music Stores industry (443112), which sell household appliances, home entertainment devices and electronic products. In this industry, these retailers typically sell new products from manufacturers and wholesalers and often offer repair services for their products. Best Buy their serv ices are their Geek Squad division. Over the last five years, the industry revenue has dropped an average rate of 5. 0% annually ending in 2012 at $72. 2b. This decrease is also expected to continue to decline another 2. 8% (this year? ).But in the years leading up to 2017 the forecasts state that with the continuingly recovering economy revenue for this industry will also slowly crawl up at an average of 1. 3% each year. In the Radio, Television, Consumer Electronics, and Music Stores industry, the threat of new entrants is low due to the fact that there are many barriers to entry. The biggest barrier is the large amount of competitors in this industry and similar industries. The leading competitors are online retailers like Amazon, discount stores like Wal-Mart, appliance retailers like Lowes. With Best Buy holding 49. % of the market share and RadioShack holding 4. 8% it’s hard for new entrants to play with organizations that have established brand recognition and the vari ety of products that these retailers have. Another barrier to entry is that it requires a lot of startup capital to purchase all of the merchandise that is needed to compete with Best Buy. The threat of substitute products is low because Best Buy has close relationships with manufacturers and wholesalers of many prominent brands that will usually keep Best Buy ahead of the game by receiving the newest products from the hottest brands.There is also not many substitute products that are available that the consumer would be interested in purchasing. The ability the consumer has to go anywhere from online, to discount stores, to other electronic retailers makes the bargaining power of the buyer to be extremely high. Customers are now able to find the best products at the best prices online or are able to do price matching Bargaining power of suppliers is extremely high because Best Buy buys most of its merchandise from Sony, Samsung and LG, etc. This gives these organizations the upper hand and the ability to determine the price at which to sell its products to Best Buy.Best Buy essentially is forced to pay any amount that these large organizations think is appropriate based on the demand of the products at any given time. The competition among retailers in the consumer electronic industry is high with Wal-Mart being the frontrunner in the competition. Wal-Mart’s price matching strategy has led consumers to purchase electronics at Wal-Mart for lower prices. The mere size of stores like Wal-Mart and Costco has made competition fierce for Best Buy because it is nearly impossible for them to keep up the quantity of goods that are available at the super size discount stores.Amazon is another extraordinary threat to Best Buy, as well as to the industry as a whole, because Amazon enables the consumer to view a larger range of products online at time that is convenient for them. Home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot have also drawn many customers to th em with their elite selection of household appliances like dishwashers, stoves, and refrigerators. Internal analysis Best Buy’s internal environment has certain qualities that have affected its primary goal of making a profit.Best Buy’s top management recently changed after its CEO Brian Dunn resigned in April 2012 after it was revealed that he had had an inappropriate relationship with a female employee. This was only a little over three short years after he came to the position in June 2009. Hubert Joly, a French businessman, took over the position of CEO on August 17, 2012. Richard Schulze, who created Best Buy and sat as chairman of the board of directors, also resigned in June 2012, and Hatim A. Tyabji was his replacement. Hubert Joly, as the new CEO, had many problems to solve when he came to the position.The stock prices were down 50% at the time. Best Buy’s financial struggles are reflected in the income statement from the 3rd quarter of 2012, which is t he most recent financial information available. In this quarter, Best Buy had a net loss of $13 million, showing a significant decrease from the 3rd quarter of 2011, in which there was a $173 million net income. Top management attributes this sharp decline in income to a lower gross profit rate, higher sales, general, and administrative expenses, and lower revenues. The 3rd quarter of 2012 showed revenues in the United States of $7. million, down 4. 7% from the prior year period. Best Buy’s fixed expenses are significantly higher than its competitors because of the costs of maintaining large superstores. These brick and mortar locations are one of Best Buy’s most expensive resources, and the costs associated with them have become one of Best Buy’s greatest weaknesses. With high costs, Best Buy has struggled to compete with its competitors’ prices, causing a decrease in revenue as well. Best Buy announced in 2012 that it planned to close 50 superstores and lay off hundreds of employees.Best Buy’s products include gadgets, movies, music, computers, mobile phones, and appliances. In order to create value that its competitors cannot easily provide, Best Buy also offers services that include installation, maintenance, technical support, and subscriptions for mobile phone and internet services. In 2002, Best Buy acquired Geek Squad, a well-known computer repair service. Now, when customers buy a computer from Best Buy, they have the option to also purchase coverage from Geek Squad at a relatively low price. Best Buy’s customer service is continually improving as it is investing more in employee training and compensation.The sales associates ask customers a series of questions to get to know their unique needs and are therefore able to find the product that best suits them. This superior customer service and technical support is a core competency of Best Buy because it provides extra value for the customer, it is rare that a company can provide the variety of products Best Buy offers as well as expertise to handle issues with all of them, it is very difficult to imitate because of the high costs associated with training and compensation, and the experience of providing customer service face to face is not easily substituted.Many people expected Best Buy to see the same fate as its previous competitor, Circuit City, who had closed all of its stores in January 2009 after declaring bankruptcy. Joly, however, has made efforts to turn around the strategy of Best Buy by lowering costs, improving customer service, and decreasing store sizes in order to help Best Buy remain competitive in its industry. Identification of external opportunities and threats Best Buy has many opportunities that must be recognized before their window of opportunity expires. Proper external analyses are essential in running, and maintaining a sustainable business.There are four key components to external analyses. These include scann ing, monitoring, forecasting, and assessing. When a company like Best Buy participates in scanning they are attempting to anticipate changes in the general environment and recognize changes that are already occurring. They then monitor those changes to see if relevant trends can be identified. Forecasting will be a challenge to Best Buy because of rapid changes in technology. It is nearly impossible to predict what will happen in the future because Best Buy is unaware of the type of resources they will have at their disposal.Once Best Buy has taken the first three steps it is important that they assess the information, so that they can interpret the data and use it in a competitive manner. After Best Buy does an in depth external analyses they will realize their opportunities include growing the services offered to customers, expanding its mobile services, and growing internationally. If Best Buy grows its services offered to customers it could potentially create value through incre asing in store traffic and online purchasing. Expanding mobile services is a highly attractive opportunity for Best Buy.Although Best Buy has seen a decrease in sales in many of its stores, Best Buy Mobile has proven to be quite successful in the current market. Best Buy has seen a 5% loss in comparable stores, which would have been a 15% loss if the sales of Best Buy Mobile did not make up the damage. Acknowledging Best Buy as a global brand could have a significant impact, and presents an intriguing opportunity to Best Buy. Global innovation, consumer electronics, and the use of technology have never been more important in an international market than they are today.Best Buy has experienced success and failure in the international market. They have had success in Canada and Mexico, and have been unsuccessful in Europe and China. Best Buy needs to figure out how to adapt to foreign markets where they have been unsuccessful. If Best Buy can adapt to foreign markets more effectively than competitors it could create a competitive advantage. The way to successfully analyze an industry like the one Best Buy is in is through the Porter’s Five Forces Model. This will indicate whether or not the opportunities the industry presents are attractive enough to outweigh the threats.The first aspect of Porter’s Five Forces is the threat of new entrants. In an industry like Best Buy’s the threat of new entrants is not very high. Best Buy has already driven multiple competitors out of business. There are high barriers to entry, and Best Buy would not hesitate to retaliate if any new entrances transpired. The second aspect of the Porter’s Five Forces Model is the threat of substitute products. This is a concern for Best Buy because many of its competitors are selling similar products online.The products they sell are not highly differentiated amongst competitors, and many consumers feel their competitors provide a more convenient option. Best Buy th en must analyze the bargaining power of both suppliers and buyers in the industry. Best Buy serves as a middle man, so they do not have much power. This means that the bargaining power of suppliers is high. There are 20 suppliers that Best Buy uses for 65 percent of their products. Five of those 20 suppliers can account for 40 percent of their products.The bargaining power of the buyer is incredibly high in this industry because consumers have several different options, and different ways to purchase the products they want. Consumers can even browse products at a local Best Buy location, search for it online to see if their competitors offer a similar product at a lower price, and purchase the product somewhere else while they are in the store. The final aspect of the Porter’s Five Forces Model is to analyze the rivalry among competing firms. Best Buy’s industry provides a vast amount of rivalry among existing competitors.Purchasing consumer electronics online has beco me a common trend amongst consumers in recent years. Online retailers can maintain low costs because they don’t have the costs associated with brick and mortar locations. This allows companies like Amazon. com to steal market share from Best Buy. Other successful companies that are competitive in the industry are Wal-Mart, Costco, and Radio Shack. Based on the Porter’s Five Forces Model our analysis of the industry that Best Buy is in does not look too attractive. We would conclude that we should avoid this industry, and pursue a different direction.Strategy Development Best Buy’s big box retail stores currently follow a focused cost leadership strategy. Best Buy is best known for its big-box retail stores that offer a narrow scope of products that mainly consists of electronics. Best Buy generally advertises low prices, low price guarantees, and they offer price matching at many locations. Best Buy wants their consumers to perceive them as low cost so it can be inferred that they follow a cost leadership strategy, and since they only operate within the electronics market then that makes it a focused cost leadership strategy.The Best Buy Corporation follows a related diversification strategy. Other than the large retail locations, Best Buy currently owns Geek Squad, Best Buy Mobile, The Carphone Warehouse, and Five Stare Appliances. All of these stores have related resources, products and services. The Best Corporation tends to stick with electronics retail stores and related services. For example, Best Buy stores sell computers while Geek Squad repairs and services computers. One business serves and supports the other.Best Buy has a good corporate strategy where they only buy and operate business that sell consumer electronics or support/service consumer electronics, but best must address issues with their business level strategies. The bulk of Best Buy and its other companies business is electronics retail from brick and mortar locations where Best Buy acts as a middle man between electronics consumers and electronics manufactures, but because of internet retailers there is increasingly little need for brick and mortar retailers like Best Buy.Current trends show that more and more people are buying online because it is generally cheaper since people can buy direct from manufactures. If this trend continues, Best Buy’s big box retail stores will become obsolete and start to lose money. Best Buy has an online retail service but the brick and mortar locations still make up the majority of Best Buy’s sales. The first recommendation is that Best Buy should shift the retail part of their businesses to being more online, while keeping the non-retail services like Geek Squad.The next recommendation is that Best Buy should grow more internationally, specifically Europe. Best Buy has a strong presence in North America, but has a lot of room to grow in Europe. In Europe Best Buy mostly exists as The Carphone War ehouse, which is similar to the American Best Buy stores but the majority of The Carphone Warehouse revenue comes from selling electronics insurance and electronics repair. Best Buys could expand more into the European electronics retail market both in-store and online.Strategy Selection We believe that the better of the two strategies is to move the retail parts of Best Buy’s business to being more online. They shouldn’t move it completely online, but Best Buy should try and sell more online to try and compete with the online retailers. Best Buy has had problems with people coming into stores, looking for items, and then going home and buying them online from places like Amazon. If the customers are buying online then Best Buy should be more competitive online.The brick and mortar stores could be more like show rooms that advertise products for the online store. If Best Buy takes this route, they should then make their online prices more competitive and be sure to adv ertise those lower online prices in the stores. Implementation In the next 3 to 6 months, Best Buy can implement its strategy of increasing profit by cutting low performing stores, increasing advertising, and increasing employee training. On the tactical level, Best Buy should cut the stores performing in the bottom 2%, which would be about 28 stores.This will lower the high fixed costs associated with maintaining large brick and mortar locations. Best Buy should then move the inventory from these locations to warehouses used for online purchases and buy more warehouses if necessary. Best Buy should also increase advertising for its new price matching policy in order to gain back some of the market it lost to competitors like Amazon. On the operational level, Best Buy should increase its training to employees so that sales associates gain valuable customer relationship management skills that provide value to customers.These tactical and operational moves will cause challenges that B est Buy must address. First, a large number of layoffs can reflect badly on Best Buy, possibly causing its stock prices to be lower. Best Buy could combat this by launching a â€Å"goodwill campaign,† expressing the savings that will be passed on to its customers. Secondly, increasing warehouse capacity could lead to high costs for Best Buy. The company should combat this by controlling its inventory holding costs and ensuring that online sales match its inventory.Finally, the cost of training employees will be a challenge to meet. Best Buy must make this training worth the expense by ensuring that the quality of customer service will result in revenues high enough to cover the costs. Customer surveys would be a good quality control for the sales staff. Customers should be given the option to answer questions about their Best Buy experience via text messages, calls, or email, and sales associates should be given rewards points for good reviews.