American Apparel Case Analysis Essay

Key Facts of the Case (no analysis) -Who is the decision maker? (Remember: in analyzing a case you have to put yourself in the position of the decision maker and try to figure out what YOU would do in his/her position). -maximum 5 key facts that summarize the case. Key Decision Maker Board of Directors (AA is a publicly traded company) Key Facts American Apparel minimized their use of outsourced labour. They localized their manufacturing activities and were known for their anti-sweatshop practices The company was also praised for their environmentally friendly practices such as using organic and recycled materials in several of their products, and participating in charitable causes Their advertising campaigns stirred up a lot of controversy for the company, as some consumers believed them to be too sexual and borderline pornographic Charney (CEO) took the ad pictures himself using women he found on the streets or his own employees. As a hiring practice, employees were required to provide full length self-portraits to him Charney brought heat to the company via sexual harassment lawsuits and by creating a hostile working environment (using foul language, walking around in his underwear, flirting with employees, etc.) Problem(s) Statement -What is the main problem(s) or opportunity(s) that you (as decision maker) must deal with? -How urgent and how important is this issue and why? Main Problem The main problem presented for American Apparel is that there are discrepancies between their controversial advertisements and workplace practices and their positive business initiatives, which has resulted in a loss of sales for the company. They must determine how they are going to move forward and inspire a turnaround. Urgency Moderately urgent The company forecast a turnaround by 2015 (3 years to the future) Problem(s) Analysis -What is the background that has led to the problem(s)? -What are the key points that the decision maker must consider when figuring out a solution? (eg. constraints that limit the possible solutions or opportunities that could arise) -If a financial analysis is required, outline that in this section. -Perhaps a different format for analysis is more appropriate? (eg. SWOT, PEST, Porter’s Five Forces). Background American Apparel strived to promote raw natural beauty. To do this, they used real, non-photo-shopped, airbrush-free models in their advertising campaigns Their signature advertisements featured women in racy outfits and poses Charney took the pictures himself and either found women on the streets or used his own employees Charney said it was the company’s way of marketing to millennials, targeting contemporary adults who desired sexual freedom, and fighting against the pressures on women to achieve perfection Charney’s strange and inappropriate workplace behaviours made some employees feel uncomfortable SWOT Strengths Pro-labor practices Anti-sweatshop Made in USA label Pay their employees nearly double minimum wage Provide job security and good benefits for employees Environmentally friendly practices Use of organic and recycled materials Strong international presence – 253+ retail stores in 20 different countries Reasonably priced and good quality products Weaknesses Provocative advertisements Store environment makes some customers feel uncomfortable – â€Å"reeked of sexual sin† CEO Dov Charney’s workplace behaviour and practices which have led to complaints and lawsuits The company’s cost of production is likely higher than their competitors because of their â€Å"made in USA† policy High labour costs $120 million in debt Opportunities The company has the opportunity to tame their provocative advertising campaigns They can also steer the focus back onto their positive business initiatives Ethical buying habits are on the rise – consumers are becoming more conscious of the environment Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Threats Their competition who offer similar products at equal or lower price points, and have cheaper production costs Threats of lawsuits against Charney which create a negative public image Threats of consumers shopping elsewhere due to dissatisfaction with AA’s sexual advertisements SWOT Findings: The SWOT analysis shows that American Apparel needs to bring the focus back onto the strengths of the company. They need to remind consumers of the ethics the company was built on and their goodwill and valuable contributions. Their weaknesses primarily revolve around being too overtly provocative, whether this is towards consumers or within the workplace itself. The company clearly cannot continue with this controversy, as they risk overshadowing the positive aspects of their business. Decision Criteria for Solutions -What goals or objectives must be achieved by any potential solution to the problem? (eg. Must maximize market share) -What constraints limit the range of solutions (eg. Can’t cost more than $1 Million) Goals and Objectives The goal is to save the company’s reputation which will in turn stop their money-losing streak Constraints Must not incur further debt 10 Identification of Realistic & Practical Alternatives available to the Decision Maker – In most situations there will be at least 3 alternatives, one of which can be status quo. One or two short sentences to describe each. – Each alternative MUST be a stand alone solution to your problem(s). Alternative 1: American Apparel should fire their current CEO, Dov Charney,  and elect a replacement. Alternative 2: American Apparel should change their advertising strategy by toning down their sexual nature and focusing on their business strengths to create positive publicity. Alternative 3: American Apparel should continue with their current advertising strategies. Pros and Cons of each Alternative Alternative 1 Pros Charney’s provocative vision and proneness to scandal will leave the company with him It shows that AA will not stand for sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviours The company can bring in a new vision and have a fresh start Cons The company may lose customers who supported Charney and his vision The replacement CEO may not be any better than Charney at running the business Alternative 2 Pros It helps AA to fix the disconnect between their ethical and unethical practices It reminds consumers of the company’s positive values Cons Charney may not go for the new vision; he may push back It doesn’t solve the issue of unethical workplace incidents The company may lose customers who support the provocative and â€Å"natural† ads Alternative 3 Pros No changes will need to be made, therefore employees will not need to be trained or guided through any change The controversy surrounding the company may actually bring in customers Cons Discrepancies of the company’s business practices will not be solved Consumers who do not like the provocativeness of the company may continue or  start to avoid it Recommendation & Implementation Plan – You must have a sentence that says, â€Å"I recommend alternative†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Do not combine alternatives. Pick just one. – Defend your choice of alternative. Explain WHY it is better than the others. – If applicable, explain how the alternative will be implemented. (who, what, where, when, how) Recommendation I recommend alternative 1 – firing Dov Charney. I do not believe alternative 3 is an option because the unethical advertisements and workplace practices would likely catch up with the company and really affect their performance in the long run. The reputation of American Apparel would just continue to deteriorate if nothing is changed, which would deter consumers from shopping there. Alternative 1 is a better path to take than alternative 2 because it really gets at the root cause of all the issues – Dov Charney. The provocative and controversial advertisements were largely inspired by the CEO himself. Simply changing the company’s advertising campaigns is good and well, but there is no guarantee that Charney will even go for that. And what’s to say he wouldn’t go back to his old ways in the future? Also, alternative 2 doesn’t fix the issue of employee complaints and sexual harassment lawsuits that have given the company a bad image. Alternative 1 has the potential to resolve both the advertising strategies and the inappropriate workplace incidents. Implementation Who Board of Directors What Fire Dov Charney Where At a board meeting When As soon as possible How Gather all documentation of Charney’s inappropriate behaviours Review the termination agreement that was made at the time of hiring Charney Review the company’s succession plan for the CEO – determine who may be able to take Charney’s place in the interim Seek counsel from the company’s lawyers on the best method to fire Charney Overall Quality (logical consistency & readability)

Leadership Principle of Jesus

Principles of Leadership What is leadership? Leadership is the ability to obtain followers. Leadership is influence. You are a leader to the extent that people are following you. Why is leadership important? Leadership is important because it influences the destiny of people. Leadership also determines, to a large extent, what a group of people will be able to achieve. Leadership moves people towards common goals, principles and values. Good leadership enables people to work together well, and realize their potential. Poor leadership frustrates both people and projects. Poor leadership results in people being hurt.Good leadership results in strong people and excellent results. These comments apply to every area of life and human endeavour. Who Can be a Leader? Anyone who can act can be a leader – however, some have greater leadership potential than others essay writer pay. Not everyone can be a great leader, but everyone can be a better leader. The multiplication of leadership is the key to the multiplication of a movement. The communists knew this, and had as a motto, â€Å"Every communist a leader†. People have different personality types and styles of relating. Being a leader does not depend on having a particular personality type or style of relating.Neither does leadership exclusively depend on having a particular technical ability or giftedness. A good leader without certain skills or gifts can lead people possessing those abilities. A great leader can gather around them others who are very gifted and capable in particular areas. Both men and women can lead, although it is a fact that there are more male leaders in the world than female, and this will probably continue into the next century also. On the other hand, for every man that ever was, there was a mother, and the leadership influence of mothers over their own children can hardly be over-estimated.How Does Leadership Happen? Leadership happens in two ways. The most common way is that a faithful follower is promoted to a greater position of influence within an organisation, and thereby takes responsibility to lead people in their group or division. The other way leadership happens is when an individual gets passionately interested in doing something, starts doing it alone, and finds others who want to join in. A leader must lead. There is no leadership without action. There must be both action and communication. What Qualities make a Better Leader?A good leader leads by example. The greatest authority in leadership is reserved for those who have have done themselves the things they seek to motivate others to do. A positive attitude is very important. Leadership is not possible without advocating something. Criticism of others behind their backs is not leadership. A leader must show a better way, mostly by example. People what to be part of a winning team. A good leader must be positive even in the face of setbacks, so that people will not be discouraged and give up. This requires the quality of steadfastness and endurance.A good leader is self-disciplined. A good leader can sacrifice his or her present comfort for future benefits, and in this way inspires others to do the same. A good leader manages his or her time well. A good leader knows and studies people. A good leader is a good listener, and also observes the body language and non-verbal communication of others. A good leader waits before speaking, and does not promise quickly. A good leader is in touch with the needs, hopes, aspirations and desires of others. A good leader considers others, and seeks to do things that benefit everyone involved.A good leader is prepared to change and skilled in preparing others to embrace change. A good leader encourages dissatisfied people in the organisation to work together to find a solution. A good leader is willing to learn from others. A good leader also invests considerable time in self-education – by reading books, listening to tapes o r attending seminars. A good leader has personal integrity and works hard to develop this quality. Integrity means keeping one's word, and dealing truly with others. People do not like being let down by the broken promises of those in authority over them.A good leader will avoid resorting to tactics of manipulation. A good leader is highly motivated to achieve results, and therefore diligent. A good leader nevertheless is patient and slow to anger. A good leader is faithful to others and inspires loyalty and team spirit in his or her followers. A good leader enjoys other people and doesn't overly dwell on their weaknesses. A good leader invests in others and empowers others to achieve and to become leaders themselves, without being threatened. A good leader seeks models the attitude and practice of service towards others.Biblical Examples of Leadership Jesus Christ modelled all of the above characteristics. In seeking to lead people to God the Father, Jesus himself demonstrated the power of a relationship with God through prayer. He modelled faith for his disciples to observe, showing to them and later declaring to them the power of faith (see Mark 11:22-24). Jesus modelled love, self-discipline, integrity and righteousness. Not even his enemies could convict him of sin. They could only point out where he violated their own traditions and interpretations – such as his healing of people on the Sabbath.Jesus ultimately gave His life for his followers. The great miracle was that He got in back through his resurrection from the dead. Jesus was positive and cheerful. He said to his disciples, â€Å"that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete†. Even though he had many things to correct, he did so in a wise way. Jesus believed that his work would be accomplished, and entrusted part of it to his disciples, whom he trained. Later he left his disciples the task of reaching the world. Jesus was self-disciplined. He often prayed through the night . Once He fasted forty days.All these things were preparation for His ministry. Jesus could perceive the inner thoughts of others, even his enemies. He knew things about his disciples, even beyond what a man could know through the power of observation alone. Jesus did not waste His words. Jesus gave himself to serve the needs of the people by healing their sick, feeding them when they were hungry, giving them a true hope concerning the kingdom of God, and setting them free from evil, sin and demons by the power of His Word and the Holy Spirit. Jesus made disciples and developed others who could continue His ministry after He left the earth.Jesus demonstrated both nobility and compassion in his dealings with people. Multitudes followed him, yet he invested in relatively few so that the quality of his mission could continue for longer. Jesus demonstrated a humility and servant attitude that is unparalleled, considering his divine origin. Many other things could be pointed out from the life of Jesus that illustrate leadership. It is true that Jesus' style of leadership was and is very different to much of the leadership of today. Yet His life has produced enduring moral results which have lifted so many to a better life and some to life eternal.

An Examination of the Power of the Dark Side

Entrepreneurship does have a Dark Side and It Is powerful, Indeed. With rare exceptions, the literature about entrepreneurship Is positive and supportive and implies that uniform benefits accrue to the economy, to businesses, and to individuals as a result of entrepreneurship. This is only half the story. A small number of researchers have examined the dysfunctional aspects of entrepreneurship and pointed out that a Dark Side definitely exists (Sets De Varies, 1985; Solomon & Winslow, 988; Winslow & Solomon, 1987; 1989).This paper will look at those who turned to the Dark Side for their very existence. The authors have surveyed prisoners who have been convicted of a felony and who are serving sentences In a Federal Prison in the Midwest. The participants were enrolled In a continuing education course Involving entrepreneurship and small business startup Ideas and they all espoused a desire to â€Å"go straight† when their sentences had been served. How did they become criminal s? Did they view their criminal satellites as entrepreneurial ventures? Will they become legitimate entrepreneurs in the future?Can entrepreneurship education alleviate the problems faced by these offenders when released and is there a greater or lesser chance of acidifies when these inmates are given the opportunity to study entrepreneurship while still incarcerated? If they exist, are Dark Side Entrepreneurs different from main stream Entrepreneurs? These were the questions which drove our research. A major problem facing society today Is the Impact that the growing number of inmates serving sentences have on the economic vitality of our nation.The problem has been exacerbated because our Jails are not only filled with first time-offenders but with a large population of repeat offenders, those returned to prison because nee were unmade to malting a crime-Tree Testily rater Deluge released. According to the Bureau of Justice (2000), in the United States released prisoners were re-a rrested at an average rate that was greater than 60%. The high percentage of re-arrested former prisoners is a clear indication that Just serving one's sentence is not a deterrent to committing more criminal acts.The economic cost to society and to those directly affected by criminal activity is tremendous. According to the Bureau of Justice (2000), one of every fifteen people in the U. S. Will be incarcerated. That figure is staggering. During the past 25 years, the penal system in the United States has implemented a strategy of â€Å"lock ‘me up and throw away the key. † As a result, there has been an unprecedented growth in the prison population in the number of incarcerated inmates even though the crime rate has been decreasing.Further exacerbating the situation is that incredibly high rate of recidivism. According to the Three State Recidivism Study (Stouter, Smith, and Tracy, 2001) released inmates reported that less than half had a Job awaiting them after they we re freed from prison. While most (about 87% of those who had received training hill in prison and 83% of those who did not participate in training) believed that they had a place to stay after they were released, the remainder were released as homeless, left to roam the streets, mostly in urban areas.The economic cost of incarceration and the cost to society of criminal activity, plus the lost wages due to imprisonment of convicted workers and the cost of providing welfare for their families is creating a substantial burden on local, state and federal budgets. The combination of rising costs multiplied by an ever greater number of incarcerated inmates is putting pressure on the penal system to find an alternative, deter strategy for success after release. Is there a strategy that can lead to a lower prisoner population through a decrease in recidivism?

Would you be willing to go on a one way trip for the rest of your Essay

Would you be willing to go on a one way trip for the rest of your lives to the Galaxy Andromeda. Why or why not - Essay Example However, I think something unsure that may even cause my death is not worth risking my relationships on Earth. Also, I do not see the appeal of doing something significant when there is no way to share my experience with the people who are important to me. Like William Feather, if I see my life as an adventure, I can get the most out of it. Thus, I would not lead a boring existence and I would not need to find something to achieve or do to make my existence exciting. I would find joy and contentment in the life that I have on Earth. Indeed there may be a lot to explore in the Galaxy Andromeda. But then again, the Earth is so vast it would be impossible for me to explore the totality of it in my lifetime. Yes, there may be new experiences in that other galaxy. Still, new experiences also await me on Earth and surely they will be no less surprising for the simple reason that these new experiences will be mostly

Broadway Musicals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Broadway Musicals - Essay Example This display created another layer for people to indulge in and become a part of as they watched this very different style. By the 1940s the musicals of the 1920s had fallen on hard times. Because of the War and the economic times people were not able to pay to see theatre as often. The shows that were more unusual or daring fell by the wayside form lack of audience participation. The reviews that had been so popular because it was a place where new actors were show cased, evolved into vaudeville. Many performers from the old musicals were now doing motion pictures. Major composers were either dead, retired or doing something different. The musicals of the 1920s had crated a formula of fast and furious entertainment without a plot, realism or a good story (Mordden 1999:4). By the 1940s audiences were bored with the old musicals and they were looking for something fresh and different. It is important to note that all the musicals of the 1920s to the 1940s had different formulas that e ncouraged comedy with no real plot. An example, many of the Andy Hardy musicals with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney were examples of these. Babes on Broadway was to entertain people and make them happy. It had very little plot. Usually the musical started with a bit musical number that evolved the entire chorus. Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and the team of Rodgers and Hart were producing singable tunes that also had elements of the music from the time -- ragtime, boogie-woogie, jazz and more (Mordden 24).

Gas turbine science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gas turbine science - Coursework Example .. 3 2.1.2 Compressor †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 2.1.3 Combustion chamber †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 2.1.4 Turbine †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 2.1.5 Exhaust nozzle †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 2.2 Turbofan Theory †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 2.2.1 Fluid mechanics †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 2.2.2 Thermodynamics †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Works Cited †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 Gas Turbine Design One of the technological leaps in the history of science that led us to a wide spectrum of newer prospects of energy production and transportation was that of the gas turbines engines or what we simply call gas turbines. Today, they have developed into more efficient and dependable machines and have surpassed other types of mechanical prime movers, such as internal combustion engines, both in efficiency and mechanical robustness. The aim of this report is to explore the design ideas and scientific and thermodynamic principles that have helped us develop these valuable machines. Our study will revolve around the design of a turbofan that is a type of gas turbine engine commonly used in airplanes and energy production. 1. The Turbofan Turbofan is a type of gas turbine engine that itself is a common type of air-breathing engine. In order to understand its design, its construction and the function of its important components should be understood. The important parts of a turbofan are as follows: 1. Inlet 2. Compressor 3. Combustor 4. Turbine 5. Exhaust nozzle Figure 1 shows the location of each of these components in a turbofan. To understand the importance and function of every component mentioned above, we will briefly describe the working principle of a turbofan. 1.1 Gas Turbine Operation The operation of an air breathing engine can be understood by looking at the path of the air through the engine and the temperature and pressure variations that it undergoes. Figure 1: Turbofan (2-spool) schematic. (Turbofan) Air from the atmosphere is received by the engine through its inlet and is di vided into bypass stream and the engine core stream. The fan along with the compressor increases the pressure of the air in order to enable a greater air mass flow rate through the engine core, which in turn in required for efficient fuel combustion and the production of sufficient thrust. The compressed air from the compressor is brought into the combustor – or the combustion chamber – where a fine stream of fuel is added into the compressed air and ignited using a flame torch setup. The temperature of the air rises substantially during combustion and as it tends to expand, it is directed towards the turbine which uses the energy of this very hot air to drive the compressor. The rest of the energy gained by the air makes it expel the exhaust nozzle at a high speed and provides the thrust required to accelerate the plane. 2. Design issues of the turbofan Having looked into the operation and role of every component in it, we can classify the design problems of a turbofa n into two categories: 1. Aerodynamics 2. Theory or Science Now we will delve deeper into these modes of design separately and identify the design complexities and the solutions that have been proposed to them. 2.1 Turbofan Aerodynamics

State, Market and Social Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

State, Market and Social Policy - Essay Example At most of part of this paper is the provision of the answer to the question on whether we should be concerned on market failure or government failure. There are inefficiencies brought about by monopolies. One in which is that they can get away with imposing higher non-pecuniary (non-financial) costs on buyers (Lewis and Widerquist 2001). For instance, assuming a small local market for counseling had just one provider of psychotherapy. Clients who went to this provider's office might have to spend long periods in waiting areas. This would have been the time that the clients could have spent engaging in other valuable activities; as a result their waiting time would be a cost. The therapist might be able to do some things to lessen clients' waits, other than as a monopolist, the therapist faces no viable demands to do any of them. In response to this, Lewis and Widerquist (2001) assert that a government has three things it can do to lessen and improve the inefficiency caused by monopolies. First, it can attempt to promote competition in monopolistic markets through breaking up monopolies or by avoiding them from forming. This is the reason why the United States has antitrust laws. Antitrust laws limit mergers (the joining together of firms in order to create bigger firms) between firms that sell goods in the same market. Moreover, antitrust laws also limit price-fixing between firms in the same market through preventing competing firms from performing as if they were monopolists. Evidently, the U.S. government utilized antitrust laws to break up American Telephone and Telegraph's monopoly on long-distance phone service, and the Justice Department has taken Microsoft to court. Second, governments have the power to decide whether to permit the monopoly to survive but regulate its price. As an application and realization, the U.S. government has employed this solution for phone companies and electricity companies, and local governments on occasion use it for cable television. This preference is frequently used for industries that are supposed to be natural monopolies. For the reason that a group of smaller firms would have a higher cost than one large firm would, breaching up a natural monopoly would not work very well. On the other hand, leaving the natural monopolist alone generally is not a good suggestion since natural monopolies have the same aspiration to get the most out of profit as any other firm, subsequently they will increase prices higher than costs and have the tendency to raise prices well above costs. For instance, one may think that his/her water bill is high now, but how high would your bill have to go before you seriously considered drilli ng a well You would probably let it go quite high (as cited in Lewis and Widerquist 2001). Therefore, if the water company were an unregulated monopolist, it could get away with a very high price. It is not easy for government to determine the right price to tolerate a natural monopolist to charge, and firms that face a regulated price have efficiency problems, but regulation may be the best solution, basing on the options. Lastly, the government may perhaps plainly take the monopoly over and run it itself. The U.S. government

Essay about play Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About play - Essay Example In the beginning of the play, the conditions of living, as described by the house is striking. In addition to this, Walter Lee’s irresponsible nature makes a reader anticipate some kind of change, to alter the balance. Moreover, when Joseph Asagai visits the Youngers’ house, they are in the midst of cleaning up. This point is the fulcrum, since after this point, the ‘process of cleaning’ is geared up towards change. At the end of the play, we see that the family is all set to move into a new house in Clybourne Park, which is symbolic of a change in the physical environment. In addition to this, Beneatha’s life undergoes a change, since she chooses Asagai over Murchison, though it was an expected action. Moreover, the biggest change is seen in Walter Lee’s character, which becomes a round character by the end of the play. The character undergoes an internal change and this is evident when Walter Lee stands up for his family and their principles. Consider the following dialogue spoken by Mama, â€Å"Oh—So now its life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now its money. I guess the world really do change .† Thus, Change can rightly be called one of the themes of the play. Another major theme of the play is the concept of ‘dream’. It is closely related to, and can be called a critique of the American Dream, wherein it is believed that every individual must be provided with the opportunities to earn and own a piece of land and lead a luxurious life. All through the play, the concept of ‘dreams’ plays a strong undercurrent. Each member has a particular dream. Mama’s dream is to buy a comfortable house in an all-white locality, while Walter Lee’s dream is to get into business. Ruth is an independent intelligent girl, who wants to steer clear of all the Americanisation, and get in touch with her African roots. Mama is scheduled to get the pension

Johnny Lechner and his 12-year college education at the University of Essay

Johnny Lechner and his 12-year college education at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater - Essay Example is taking this year instead of the regular 12 to 18 credits, as he has already taken all the existing courses available, and has even unknowingly repeated some of them twice. The decision of almost doubling the fees has come possibly in reaction to Lechners long stay at the institution, and Wisconsinites have dubbed it the Johnny Lechner rule. It is a valid decision, one that will encourage students to treat colleges and universities for what they are, venues for focused learning, for quenching intellectual thirst and gearing an individual towards becoming a useful member of the society. There are those that consider that this decision will be hard on those like Lechner. In Lechners defense, it must be said that he has paid his own fees for the last ten years, by working part time in order to support himself and through student loans, since his parents supported him only for the first two years of his college life. A man can strive to learn more and more for the sake of learning itself, and here is a man that tries to do his bit for society, and volunteers with numerous organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the UW-Whitewater Prairie Restoration Project and Camp Getaway for inner-city Chicago children with AIDS. He is also a good student, who is regular in class, recently made the dean’s list with a 4.0 grade-point average for a semester and has got good grades throughout, even managing straight As in one semester. So one knows that he is not too weak a student to graduate, and is not graduating out of intention, not incapability. One may also argue that a persons life need not necessarily follow a particular mold, that includes educa tion, employment, marriage and retirement, and eventual death, and as long as he or she is not a burden on society a person may want to learn as much as possible, and study in order to do this. But this is where the contradiction comes in. Lechner has, in fact, been a burden on society these past years, because the

NEW HAIR PRODUCT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NEW HAIR PRODUCT - Essay Example Marketing strategy. Initially ARG Hairs Group wanted Hair Softe to be carried by supermarkets in UK and Ireland. ARG Hairs Group also plans to open a company website wherein prospective customers can order the product on line. A separate study on the marketing strategy is being prepared to initialize the campaign. Production capability. Hair Softe Shampoo is a commodity item that is saleable for both men and women, and a target of 24,000 ml units of shampoo monthly could easily be sold in the UK market. It has a production capacity of 1,000 ml. units per day, but has the capability to increase future production. Investment plan. An investment of $150,000 and equity capital of ARG Hairs Group are needed to launch the product in the market. Owners’ capital is $65,000.00 while investors will have to provide $150,000 in form of stock equity. 1. The return on the equity of the owner is 9% on the first year of operation. The 9% return on investment is higher than the prevailing bank rate of interest in UK which is 0.5%. UK interest rate is expected to remain at the recent level because of the government’s monetary policy. (Bank of England, 2011) Monetary Policy Decisions. (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/) 2. The cash flow statement of the company prepared for a 12 month operation shows that for the first three months there is a shortage of cash inflow to sustain all the expenses of the company and there is a need for an outside financing for its day to day operations because of capital expenses during these months. Thereafter, after March, company will have available cash to pay for its loan obligations, taxes and interest and to pay for equity. The cash flow has been prepared based on the 1,000 ml. units of production per day and operations of 24 days in a month. Sales are expected to increase by 5% a month, and profit is also anticipated along the operations. The cash flow statement present all the cash expected to be

13 Explain The Post 16 Options Essay Example for Free

13 Explain The Post 16 Options Essay The opportunities for pupils aged 16 and over has traditionally been either to leave school and start employment or to stay and continue with their education. Although many pupils do still choose one of these options, there is now more opportunities available as there has been an increased government focus on education for post 16 year olds in particular a focus on reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. The government is in the process of increasing the age to which all young people in England must continue in education or training. Since 2013  all young people have been required to continue in education or training untill they turn 17 years of age this will increase to 18 years of age by 2015. The goverment are focusing on post 16 options because they want to increase the quality of education available and ensure that all young people have the tools and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential so they are prepared for further education and work regardles of their background or life circumstances. See more:  Perseverance essay By giving young people the options to undertake academic and vocational education including appreniteships and traineeships they are  providing the skills need for life and work helping to create a more responsible, engaged and cohesive society. The post 16 options set out by the government are:  ·College  ·Sixth form  ·Apprenticeships  ·Employment with training One of the reasons for this change has been because of the governments concerns over the number of 16-24 year olds who have been classified as Neets. Neets are young people who are not in employment, education or training and are between the ages of 16-24. There is a number of factors that can contribute to young people becoming Neets they are:  ·Young people who were eligible for free school meals are more likely to become neets than those not eligible.  ·Young people who have been excluded or suspended from school are more likely to become neets than those not.  ·Young people who have their own child are more likely to become neets than those who dont.  ·Young people who have a disability are more likely to become neets than those who are not.  ·Young people who achieved five or more GCSEs A to C grade are less likely to become neets than those who have not. The government hopes that by raising the participation age it will ensure that  young people are equiped with the skills they need to be able to gain qualifications that will lead to sustainable jobs. Education and training is provided by a number of different ways for example:  ·Colleges  ·Universities  ·Charities  ·Armed forces  ·Youth and community organisations  ·Employment training  ·Private training providers The learners can work towards a range both academic and vocational qualifications as well as take GCSEs and functional skills such as English and Maths. They can work towards getting Alevels, access courses, foundation degrees and post graduate qualifications. In addition to the qualifications mentioned there are professional and specialist qualifications available to learners such as first aid, safeguarding training, manual handing ect. All the above together will help to ensure that:  ·More young people go on to study and gain the skills and qualifications that lead to sustainable jobs.  ·They will be fewer young people who are classified as neets (not in education, employment or training.  ·More young people will be involved in social action and feel they can make postivite changes in society and their own lives.

Music falls Essay Example for Free

Music falls Essay This third activity was chosen because it provides the children with this means of communication, giving them the opportunity to express themselves freely. Doing this helps them progress emotionally and cognitively in all other areas of their learning. Music falls under Donaldsons construct mode, under value-sensing. She argues that emotion and thought are frequently related closely to one another (Palmer, 2001).  Neill (1927) also favoured music within the curriculum, as he alleged that it had a therapeutic function, particularly with children with psychological problems. He also acknowledged that it gave the less academically challenged pupils something they may excel at. This activity, therefore, assists in increasing the childs self esteem, giving them more confidence in other areas of the curriculum too. Differentiation  The possibilities for differentiation within this lesson are extensive. As it is a relatively free activity, the children can move as much, or as little as they like. Interaction from the practitioner could be by means of praising those who demonstrate effort and capability, or by encouraging the children to express themselves and by giving them the confidence to move as they wish. Those who do not attempt to join in could be partnered with others, to provide further encouragement and enjoyment. Evaluation  This activity provides the children with the freedom to move their bodies in ways which are normally considered inappropriate within the classroom. There is no specific way in which the children are required to move and so they have the opportunity to truly express themselves without the usual confines and barricades. Skinner (1971) believes that behaviour is not something a child is born with, it is shaped by consequences. The conditioning adopted by the setting determines the catalogue of behaviour the child has at his disposal (cited in Palmer 2001). Skinner recognised that children respond to positive re-inforcement. The practitioner in this activity praises the children, encouraging them to express themselves further. Bandura suggests that adults can gain childrens attention and highlight the behaviour patterns they want to encourage (David T et al, 2003). He suggests that the children will mimic the behaviour they see in others. In this activity, if the children see the practitioner praising one child as suggested by Skinner, their behaviour will be reinforced and this should encourage more of this behaviour. As the rest of the children bear witness to this development, Bandura suggests that they will reproduce this behaviour to gain recognition for themselves. This was apparent when watching the behaviour of the whole class. When one child became slightly over-excited and silly, others began to imitate him. The practitioner quickly took control of the situation by praising one of the children who was making slower, more gentle movements and the children responded swiftly by slowing their movements down too. Conclusion Each one of these activities proved to be successful. The children enjoyed them and were keen to stay on task throughout. The relevant areas and aspects of learning were adequately covered and the children gained a great deal from participating. From carrying out this research, it is apparent that it is necessary for practitioners to plan their scheme of work effectively in order to guarantee that the foundation stage curriculum is covered throughout the year. This work has examined the long, medium and short term plans and has explained why they are used. It has researched the emergence of the foundation stage curriculum and the ways it can be adapted and moulded to fit into many different types of early years settings. Using the three activities this work has established the theoretical underpinning of the curriculum and demonstrates the strategies which can be applied to differentiate the experiences effectively. Bibliography Books Bee, H. Boyd, D. (2004) The Developing Child, Tenth Edition USA: Pearson Education, Inc.  Boushel, M., Fawcett, M. Selwyn, J. (2000) Focus on Early Childhood: Principles and Realities Malden, Mass: Blackwell Science  Carnie, F (2003) Alternative Approaches to Education: A Guide for Parents and Teachers New York: Taylor and Francis

Market analysis of Stratsim management simulations

Market analysis of Stratsim management simulations StratSim management simulations are on-line games pioneered by Michael Deighan and Stuart W.James from Virginia USA aimed at giving students a wider exposure in the real world business arena. The initiators perceived students to view the simulations as a unique learning event where the knowledge gained so far within the academic years could be now made into practices. Quintessentially, apart from being a learning experience it was anticipated to bring a challenge to both managers and executives. According to the case, This is far easier to say than to achieve. 1.1. Industry Overview StratSim management simulation was a game-like, all about different firms operating in an automobile industry whose managers compete to the maximum by setting goals and objectives that are intended to outwit its immediate and within industry competitors. The managers used efforts to the best of their abilities so as to ensure right decisions are put forward just to earn superb profits due to greater sales ascribed by the management. Altogether, throughout the simulations there had been a total number of seven (7) firms ranging from firms A, B, C, D, E, F A and G. The initial alphabets of each firm meant that its respective vehicles began with either of them from A until G. All these firms had a similar starting point to commence its operations including funds. Among the firms, the best one was to be judged on performance bases mainly in terms of market share, market value, income generated as well as efficiency in playing with the marketing tools i.e. marketing mix (4 Ps). 1.2. Firms Overview Firm F was a group formed by four members who are Raya Nassor, Sarah Alley, Shahista Hasmani and I, the author of this report. Firm F comprised of three (3) vehicles which were Fantasy, Fast and Fish while their classes were Family, Truck and Economy respectively. I worked hand-in-hand with my colleagues in making the best decisions for our firms survival in an ocean of high waves of competition. The firms utmost intention was to position itself as a market leader by entering new markets and meeting the needs and desires of customers through vehicle attributes. However, there was a class which wasnt served by almost all the rival firms. It was known as AEV which must be addressed as technology modern with integrated marketing efforts. As far as Firm F is concerned, my colleagues and I decided not to opt for it as our firm was keen enough on cost minimisation and not spendthrifts of resources. 2.0. Mission and Vision Mission Statement Mission statement aims to provide employees and stakeholders with clarity about the overall purpose and raison dà ªtre of the organisation. (Johnson et al 2009, p.112) According to Peter Drucker (father of modern management), what is our business? is all about its mission. It is also known as creed of statement. Firm Fs statement of purpose could be: To address different consumer segments desires through value creation with respect to their financial capability when it comes to automobiles and eventually ending-up with immense profits generated from sales. Vision Statement A vision statement is concerned with what the organisation aspires to be. Its purpose is to set out a view of the future so as to enthuse, gain commitment and stretch performance. (Johnson et al 2009, p.112) Therefore, firm Fs dream is as follows: To be a company of the people, for the people and by the people in the automobile industry. 3.0. External and Internal Analysis These are the frameworks used to carry out an analysis of an organisations progress by examining two major extremes, the inner (internal) as well as the outer (external) environments. 3.1. PESTEL The PESTEL framework categorises environmental influences into six main types: political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal. (Johnson et al 2009, p.25) The external environment is much more complex than internal because the earlier could exert enormous pressure to firm F to the extent of determining its ways to carry on its operations. Now let me examine all the six factors while reflecting firm F. Political This refers to the roles played by the government together with the degree of countries stability which will influence production of the motor vehicles for firm F to move on or lag behind. Also, this factor will determine whether the firm is undermined by a particular set of restrictions in its business such as not manufacturing vehicles which are similar to those possessed by the government. Throughout my analysis, all the firms including firm F were operating in a peaceful environment for the following reasons: Firms were increasingly thinking on product development and further production. Various customer categories continued to buy automobiles of their desire as they did not doubt the political situation in their areas. Increase in the number of dealers in all the extremes of a compass direction. Economic Within the course of the game, the business cycle wasnt predictable due to the fact that pricing structures employed by the automobile firms was different to one another. Firm F and other were aggressive towards increasing the dealer discount rates thinking that it would boost its motor vehicle sales and hence increase its profitability. However, the economy of the firms operating in the simulation kept on deteriorating with reference to the starting market shares, market values, stock price and overall net income. At the end, economies were badly shaped. Social This refers to the society in which the firms are operating their automobile business. Within the society, people differ in culture and demography. Some had been considering others as their point of reference in buying certain cars. Also, its obvious that as there are many automobile firms means more vehicles down the roads and hence more traffic collisions to the extent of delaying people planned activities during the day. Technological Advancement in technology was restricted among the firms as there were maximum limitations of technological capabilities in interior, styling, safety and quality extremes for which not a single firm could exceed. Above all, the firms were given an opportunity to make developments and marketing for a new class i.e. AEV which at the start had no introduced vehicle. The AEV being technology-driven, it is possible that it could use electricity, gas or other means. From my narrow view, I perceive AEV development to be more risky. Environmental Here Im greatly concerned because while vehicles are developed who knows how the waste materials are damped. This may have greatly deteriorated the soil and the species inhibiting in and on. These vehicles emit green house gases which add more health concerns to its own users through pollution after the fuel has been burnt in the engines. Legal It is up to the government to make sure that, a firm which goes against the labour laws, health and safety regulations, environmental preservation and trade practices are debarred from operating in the automobile industry. The government should enact laws which limit the number of vehicles to be owned by a single person unless it is big company with large operations in-order to minimise pollution on air, land and water sources. 3.2. Porters Five Forces Model According to Michael Porter, there are five cut-throat forces that demonstrate the rules of competition within the automobile industry and which determine both industry attractiveness and the degree of profitability. These forces are: Threat of new Entrants Throughout my analysis, I realised that for a firm to enter into automobile industry is not that much easy due to the reasons that, too much investment funds will be required to have a successful starting point as a matter of fact its not all about producing but knowing the needs of the market through Research and Development (RD) which costs greatly. For late movers, enjoying economies of scale will be highly minimal because there are giants already operating in large scales. Some of the giants may have done either backward or forward integration which may distract new entrants. Hence, the threat of new entrants in the automobile industry is low but firms need to be extra careful as the world is dynamic. Threat of Substitutes There are plenty of substitutes to vehicles but it doesnt mean people will shift towards them i.e. bicycles, scooters and walking. I dont expect people to abandon automobiles due to increasing costs instead people will shift to more economical ones from luxurious. Hence, the threat of substitutes is medium. Bargaining power of Suppliers Suppliers degree of power is low due to the existence of a big number of components and parts distributors in the automobile industry. It is likely for a manufacturer to switch from one supplier to the other. On the other side, firms at StartSim are likely to enjoy low prices of components because suppliers are many. Bargaining power of Buyers In the StratSim world, this is high as customers are likely to navigate from one manufacturer to another if their needs and desires are not well addressed considering the fact that, there are almost seven (7) firms operating in automobiles. Reluctantly, firms will be forced to stick on customers decisions on the requirements, pricing and other vehicle attributes. Customers are the core and a major reason for the firms existence. Rivalry Intensity This is very high because of the presence of many firms including firm F operating in the automobiles. These firms used various business strategies which have got differing effects to the competition intensity. Hence, the degrees of profitability and market shares will differ at large. 3.3. SWOT ANALYSIS This is a framework used to examine internal and external environment. Strengths (Internal) Firm Fs names of its motor vehicles were unique i.e. Fantasy, Fast and Fish which couldnt be easily imitated by its rivals. Weaknesses (Internal) Mismanagement of stocks which had a greater fall in value together with more inventory days. Failure to make proper use of the marketing tools i.e. promotions and prices. Firm Fs product ranges didnt compete effectively with those of its competitors. Opportunities (External) The AEV class vehicles could be a platform for firm F to maximise its market share and sales growth. Poor performance in other firms could allow firm F to gain more customers who couldnt benefit from the earlier firms. Moving into markets which were not served before through market and product development. Threats (External) Continuous technological developments for which firm F couldnt cope. Global economic recessions resulting to fall in currencies and slowing vehicles demands. Automobile industry being competitive, firm Fs employees may have been head-hunted by other rival firms leading moving away the company secrets. 4.0. Strategic Planning Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. (Johnson et al 2009, p.3) Planning refers to making decisions on which strategic choices to carry forward in the course of the business. 4.1. Basic Strategy Firm Fs long term strategy is to offer vehicles with the lower possible investments but in maximum numbers with the intention of increasing the net cumulative income and market share from period 1 until period 4 with much focus on the Family class. 4.2. Technology Firm F thought that to go hand-in-hand with advancing technology as not necessary because it could lead it away from high profitability. Instead minor upgrades in the vehicle attributes are considered. Technology will be used to minimise wastage so as to increase productivity. 4.3. Financial Control The management of firm F aspires to have immense sales and increasing profitability but at same time controlling Research Development as it wont like to spend a lot for it. It looks forward to increase assets held while decreasing liabilities including debts. 4.4. Marketing Firm F intend to create awareness to both society and potential customers through advertisements and promotions. Also, efforts will be done to review pricing structures and the vehicles with related products to be of value to customers. Distribution points will be monitored too. 4.5. Future Development The management of firm F looks forward to do major upgrades in its motor vehicles if the level of profitability will permit it to do so. Otherwise, the kind of development which is expected could be maximising of the firms plant production capacity. 5.0. Lesson I learnt from simulation exercise I came with a mindset that a firms market share could be inversely proportional to net cumulative income. Also, it wasnt a good idea at times to discuss with members from rival groups as my group was at last decision mislead by another group leading to its low income and stock price too. Teamwork is the essence towards achieving success as decisions were jointly made by group members who differed in knowledge, background and experience. 6.0. Conclusion To me, it was much lucrative due to the fact that I had been exposed from theoretical to practical because the simulations made me think outside the box as to whether the strategies I took part in could outwit competitors. Finally, I agree that a business without strategy wont have a direction.

Quarter Reflection :: essays research papers

Reflective Paper Well, I would have to say things have changed for the better†¦.I think. This quarter I actually had some interest in what we were doing. I could do a lot of opinionated things like our reflection things. Normally your 3rd quarter is the worst but not this year in Mrs. Dickson’s College prep. English Class, I ended up doing all my work, well that I know of, and I participated in just about everything. So here we go, I am gonna sum it all up in these next few paragraphs. Our Miami portfolios were good and bad for me. I had my stuff where I could write what I wanted to write, and we had the crap that they wanted us to write about. We had the stuff where we could choose a poem or lyric and basically analyze it, and I loved it. I spoke my mind and had fun. Then again there was the other writing about a moment in time or a deep thought. Which I hated because I couldn’t BS my way through it. I personally don’t think this helped me at all, because I feel the same about writing as I did before and I don’t seem to write any better because of it. Well so far we are not too far into the whole college project. I have not learned much about colleges yet or I haven’t learned anything new from what I’ve already known. I planned on going to college at U.C. anyway and studying criminology and trying getting into the CIA or the FBI. And last we have â€Å"The Great Gatsby† personally can tell you I haven’t read much of it, and I’m not going to lie, I probably wont read it all. I will take my chances on the test and go from what I know and I think that I will do fine. It really doesn’t change me as a thinker, because the people back then are almost like

Overlooked Renassaince Painters :: Baccio della Porta Fra Bartolommeo Art Essays

Overlooked Renassaince Painters Even the average person with little or no background in art may have heard the names Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, or Raphael. Not only because they are the most famous and noteworthy painters, sculptors, draughtsmen, designers, and inventors of the high renaissance, but also because of the countless stories and movies, fact and fiction which included these men and at least mentioned their importance, relevance, and influences on today'7s world. Many children have grown up already knowing these names, and perhaps that they were artists however simplistic that may be, after the explosion of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the late eighties. Perhaps there is one high renaissance artist who does not always recieve due credit, but who was influencial just the same. One such artist was Baccio della Porta, a Florentine renaissance painter. Baccio della Porta was born in Florence, Italy in 1472. As historians know, most artists went into apprenticeship at about the age of eleven or twelve at this time in Florence. Taking this into account, it is assumed that Baccio did become an apprentice of Cosimo Rosselli at that age since he was well known in his workshop by 1485. Baccio della Porta's master or teacher, Cosimo Rosselli, had probably just returned from his work in Rome in the Sistine Chapel. It is also known that the average length of time for an artist's apprenticeship was about six to eight years, putting Baccio on his own around 1490. According to many modern art historians, Vasari is the most reliable source of information on the life and works of Fra Bartolommeo after he entered the Dominican Order and became a brother.3 Baccio della Porta and a pier of his, as well as a fellow student of the arts, Mariotto Albertinelli became intimate friends during their apprenticeships. Following their apprenticeship the two decided to work proffesionally together at the home of Baccio della Porta. They made this decision to work together in 1491, but their "partnership" and friendship apparently ended when they went their own ways in styles and choices of schools to follow and associate with. Baccio della Porta joined the followers of Savonarolas, Mariotto associated with the Medici followers, specifically working for the patron Alfonsina Orsini who was the wife of Piero de ' Medici.

Digging For a Living :: Digging for Living

Digging For a Living In his poem "Digging," Seamus Heaney describes a unique relationship between a boy and his father. Their relationship closely relates to the one I have with my father. Throughout the poem, the poet's pen is contrasted with the father's spade, using each as a symbol of their vocation and background. Along the same lines, the relationship between my father and myself can be expressed through my keyboard and his pencil. Heaney's poem tells of a boy and his father who have different callings for their career. The father has worked on the family's farm his entire life, digging up potatoes and keeping up the farm. The poet describes his father's digging, as the title infers, with alliteration from the line "Under my window, a clean rasping sound when the spade sinks into gravely ground: My father, digging" (3-5). The poet, on the other hand, would much rather be writing stories or novels than out in the field doing manual labor all day. The father digs physically with his hands while on the contrary, the son digs mentally with his brain. Heaney uses a spade to symbolize the father's ambitions, thus, representing his farm work. He metaphorically describes the son's writing with the passage, "Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests" (29-30). My father and I share the same type of relationship that Heaney and his father have in the poem. My father is an architect and designs buildings for a living. He spends most of his day at his drawing table, sketching plans for new buildings. On the other hand, I have a job that involves using computers most of the day. He uses his pencil to get the job done, while I use my keyboard to get the job done. When I was younger, he always wanted me to be an architect with him, but now he accepts the fact that I am not going to be an architect because I have a sufficient job in the computer field. Throughout Heaney's poem, diction highlights certain words and phrases that require extra emphasis. For example, in the line "The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft against the inside knee was levered firmly," the words chosen intensely impact the meaning (10-1). Lug, shaft and levered all intensify the line. Furthermore, most of the words are parts of a gun, which is another metaphor used.

From a Game of Polo with a Headless Goat Notes Essay

Form/ Text type & Purpose: Travel writing, to inform the reader of unknown tradition and concepts and introducing various issues. Levine chooses to explore this using sports and other traditional forms of entertainment. Audience: Emma Levine does not specify her targeted audience although she hopes to appeal to travelers. Not only does she write to inform travelers, her writing style suggests that she attempts to fulfill her reader’s general interests, promoting her travels and the choices they have. Techniques: Levine generally incorporates an informative tone throughout her narrative. Her narrative draws the reader in while providing factual information to satisfy external interest in various aspects of the culture she is exploring. The extract from â€Å"A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat† also consists of a large build up where Levine experiments with first hand pessimism but also includes reassurance. The extract’s pace is changed to build tension during and after the race. Paragraph 1-3 / Build up Paragraph 1 – Optimism, author promotes her own, Yaqoob and Iqbal’s excitement. ‘We’ll open the car boot †¦ we’ll join the cars.’ à   Brief description of what will happen and Levine’s expectations. Builds immediate excitement and enthusiasm for race and the reader’s expectation of instant action. Works effectively with Paragraph 2 – Contrast in tone between â€Å"The two lads†¦suddenly fired up with enthusiasm† in which Levine narrates the creation of new enthusiasm within locals (her guides) to reflect on the reader and the rest of the paragraph Use of â€Å"eternity† – hyperbole to exaggerate impatience and derived emotions such as boredom â€Å"the only action was †¦ gazed around at us.† Hopeless tone, at the point of giving up, is a let down to the reader The contrast emphasises the climax in paragraph 7 Paragraph 3 – Alternatively, Levine builds hope and optimism in paragraph three, â€Å"coming, coming† the locals replied Line 12: â€Å"I was beginning to lose faith†¦ lads remained confident† holds elements of first hand pessimism/ loss in faith and witnessed optimism in the form of reassurance. The effect creates suspense further building the impact of the Climax. Paragraph 4 & 5 / Climactic Beginning Paragraph 4 – Climax appears as an explosion of activity Choice of diction â€Å"revved† prominent v sound creates imagery and the impression of speed. Develops the moment of frisson Change in tone from narrative to informative and factual, now not narrating their journey but provoking the reader’s interest. â€Å"The Kibla donkey is said to reach speeds of up to 40kph† â€Å"Although not cruelly† at the end of paragraph four seems out of place, this is where Levine reveals that she is conscious of her effect on travelers and corrects the imagery she has introduced. She protects the culture and the tradition in order to promote the sport and the traditions. Paragraph 5 – Change in punctuation to speed up the pace of Levine’s writing, overall generating excitement. She begins to use lists and triads (â€Å"horns tooting, bells ringing, and the special rattles used just for this purpose†) and again incorporates an informative tone in order to introduce different aspects of culture. Long, disjo inted sentences imitate the excitement, pace and disorder of the event: â€Å"men standing on top of their cars and vans† Paragraph 6 / Levine Enters Race Use of analogies like â€Å"Formula One† (fast-paced, seemingly chaotic), â€Å"City center rush hour† relates to reader and creates understanding of speed and â€Å"anarchic† disorder. Paragraph 7 Illustrates danger in order to provoke different kind of excitement, â€Å"Survival of the fittest† à   Creates a life and death situation, introduces the animal, hunt theme. Choice of diction creates a sense of importance, desperation and danger. e.g. â€Å"Depended† creates a sense of necessity Animal theme: â€Å"sharp flicks† â€Å"quick reflexes† â€Å"nerves of steel† all phrases associate with an animal during a chase or a hunt. All instinctive. â€Å"Horn† could be interpreted as a pun – car horn or animal horn/ impression of danger, competition, tension even battle â€Å"Yaqoob loved it.† Tone is enthusiastic, describing the fun, excitement. Link to ending. â€Å"Growing more colourful† Euphemistic impression of tension Paragraph 8 / End of Race Levine describes scenery to reflect the atmosphere.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Road straightened and leveled† Tone is calmer, pace has been slowed, longer sentences, wider distribution of punctuation. Effective ending â€Å"The race was over.† Mixture of long sentences with short blunt ending implies immediate end of race and excitement. Paragraph 9 / Another Beginning â€Å"I assumed the winner was the one who completed the race but it was not seen that way by everyone.† Emphasis on alien culture and traditions, so exotic that even common reasoning differs. â€Å"Voices were raised, fists were out and tempers rising† Levine reuses lists and triads to speed up the pace, rebuild the excitement lost at the end of the race. Ending Irony, incorporated humour to reflect on the reality of the danger. Links back to â€Å"Yaqoob loved it.† Where the tone was still expressing shared enjoyment and fun, new realization and understanding is born to recreate an adapted impression of the entire extract.

Defending Liberal Arts Essay

William Butler Yeats is accredited with once saying â€Å"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.† It seems this idiom no longer rings true; today’s preferred education encompasses the regurgitation of technical jargon in the hopes of finding a job. People now deem Liberal Arts degree worthless; it’s too expensive and impractical in today’s job market. The sciences and career colleges are where the jobs lie. In the battle over higher education, through his iconoclastic article â€Å"The New Liberal Arts,† Sanford J. Ungar stands as a lone crusader against an onslaught of â€Å"misperceptions.† I for one agree with and applaud his effort, although he could use some additional support in presenting some of his counter arguments. Unger first battles the misperception of the value in a liberal arts degree for first-generation, lower income college students; these degrees are for the elite upper-class. As Ungar’s imagined antagonists put it, â€Å"A liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford. ‘Career education’ is what we now must focus on† (191). Ungar contends that although skyrocketing tuition makes it increasingly difficult to pay for a college education it is now a more prudent investment than ever before (191). Continuing his crusade against naysayers by suggesting that â€Å"the career education bandwagon† (191) is not a smart investment, asserting that â€Å"It is far wiser for students to prepare for change—and the multiple careers they are likely to have—than to search for a single job track that might one day become a dead end.† (191) Ungar shows the pitfalls of having a narrowly focused education. Moreover, Ungar seems utterly disgusted with the notion that an education in the liberal arts is one for the upper class, the rich and the privileged; those who are not of this stratification are better suited implementing the ideas of the elite, not coming up with ideas of their own (192). He brands these accusations as â€Å"condescending† (192) and â€Å"prejudice† (193) and rejects the idea that the lower-class’ only duty is to implement the ideas of the upper-class. I believe that Ungar is correct on these assertions; however, Ungar’s argument would be better served if he acquiesced to the fact that a college education, much less one in the liberal arts, is not right for everyone. Higher education is not a one size fits all discipline. There has to be some to fill the factories, work the land, pave the roads and power the service industry. Unger is accurate in saying that the liberal arts should be available to everyone and everyone could benefit from this type of classical education; nonetheless not everyone is suited for such an education. The misperception that the liberal arts are for the elite is one that has been heard before but not nearly as much as the old â€Å"employers do not want to hire people with useless degrees† line which Unger obliterates with his next argument. Ungar continues his defense of a liberal arts education by refuting the claim that employers no longer hire someone with a â€Å"useless† degree, such as French. Showing how not only a specific degree such as a foreign language is one that is wanted by employers but the usefulness of other liberal arts degrees, emphasizing â€Å"A 2009 survey for the Association of American Colleges and Universities actually found that more than three-quarters of our nation’s employers recommend that college-bound students pursue a ‘liberal education.’† (192) Ungar deals with this common misconception methodically by first stating â€Å"what people believe† and then contesting that belief with facts diversified with his own opinions. Although he is correct and he brandishes documented facts to back up his assertions Ungar may have missed the mark by not including actual job numbers. By displaying irrefutable proof that those who have a liberal arts degree are more likely to get a job in any field and by showing those jobs are more lucrative for degree holders than those who are not, Ungar could put the nail in the coffin naysayers. For his next dose of perception breaking, Ungar skirmishes with the following idea: Liberal arts degrees are antiquated, the Sciences and Career colleges are where the smart money is, and the STEM fields are much better suited for today’s economic reality. Ungar contests this misperception by showing that a degree in liberal arts also includes the sciences. He illustrates that a traditional liberal arts degree includes the sciences: â€Å"the historical basis of a liberal education is in the classical artes liberales, comprising the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music)† (193). Many of Ungar’s points are valid; his handling of this misperception is deft and detailed. However, I feel that Ungar is stretching with his response to this argument. Although a liberal arts degree does offer some glimpses into the STEM disciplines, it is not comparable to a degree in those specialties. A student wishing to become a chemist would not be well served pursuing a degree in History. In showing that these misperceptions are just that, Sanford Ungar single-handedly makes the case for a classical liberal arts education. He does a wonderful job tackling the misperceptions being thrown around today about a college degree in the liberal arts. He takes each one of these common misconceptions and thoroughly disproves each claim skillfully and without hesitation. By doing so he reopens the door to higher education. Perhaps if he and others like him continue to confront the onslaught of misinformation doled out upon the masses we can return to a world where a traditional liberal arts education is once again commended and no longer forsworn. Works Cited Ungar, Sanford. â€Å"The New Liberal Arts.† â€Å"They Say I Say†: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: with readings. Eds. Gerald Graff, Kathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Ltd, 2012. 190-196. Print.

Project Management Careers

Project Management Fall 2012 Search the internet for terms project management, project management careers, project portfolio management, information technology project management. Write down the number hits that you received for each of these phrases find at least 3 web sites that provide interesting information on one of the topics write a two page paper summarizing key information about these 3 web sites as well as project management institution’s Web site (www. pmi. org).Gant charts were dominantly used in the beggings of project management however in the 1950’s Entire jobs and professional careers were made around the idea of a â€Å"project manager†. Now in beginning of the 21st century technology has revolutionized the field of project management once again. My research and search results have shown that Project Management Jobs have sustained demand over the last 8 years compared to the general field of technology jobs which has seen steep decline since 200 4. Google Trends AnalysisOne of the articles I had read form InformationWeek was titled â€Å"Project management Gets Lean† (IT can't afford to do projects the old way. Lean project management gives a better picture of success or failure. ) In this article they explain a scenario where workers feel like projects are happening to them and not because of them. The article goes on to say that, Project managers can get so wrapped up in Gantt chars and forecasting that they often don’t look at the overall picture and this can lead to scope skewing or project failure.Managers have to start approaching projects as Participation over Compliance. Compliance makes everyone feel like a captive prisoner where was participation can give the individual the perception of being a part of the solution. It is staff attitude which often accounts for a projects success or failure. Also if a group does not understand a project is can often add confusion that may hinder the perceived succes s of an assignment. If at all possible it is best to keep it simple; adding complexity to the user is often not a requirement of a complex system.All users are not power users and do not require the grandiose system that upper users need. It is not a coincidence that Information Technology people often look to project management when they are interested in a career change. Both fields have Rigid deadlines, tight budgets, require careful planning, painstaking deployments all of which are common variables Information Technology and project management. It is difficult to classify a project as success for failure because most often projects in the IT field are never complete.As summed up in the article, the nature of IT means you are never done. Only when a project is a failure are you done. Having the ability to recognize failure is a skill that many project managers lack due to inflated ego. Figure A General Search Results Google Search ResultsProject ManagementAbout 691,000,000 resul ts   Project Management CareersAbout 138,000,000 results Project Portfolio ManagementAbout 84,200,000 result Information Technology Project ManagementAbout 190,000,000 results| http://www. nformationweek. com/global-cio/interviews/leaving-it-4-job-options-for-frustrated/232900489? queryText=project%20management http://www. informationweek. com/global-cio/personnel/project-management-is-finally-getting-re/227800091? queryText=project%20management http://www. informationweek. com/software/project-management-gets-lean/232600005? printer_friendly=this-page http://www. google. com/trends/explore#q=project%20management%20jobs%2C%20Information%20Technology%20Project%20Management;cmpt=q

What Can Businesses Learn from Text Mining

Case StudyWhat Can Businesses Learn From Text Mining? Text mining is the discovery of patterns and relationships from large sets of unstructured data – the kind of data we generate in e-mails, phone conversations, blog postings, online customer surveys, and tweets. The mobile digital platform has amplified the explosion in digital information, with hundreds of millions of people calling, texting, searching, â€Å"apping† (using applications), buying goods and writing billions of e-mails on the go.Consumers today are more than just consumers: they have more ways to collaborate, share information, and influence the opinions of their friends and peers; and the data that they create in doing so have significant value to businesses. Unlike structured data, which are generated from events such as completing a purchase transaction, unstructured data have no distinct form. Nevertheless, managers believe such data may offer unique insights into customer behaviour and attitudes t hat were much more difficult to determine years ago.For example, in 2007 JetBlue (the American Airline) experienced unprecedented levels of customer discontent in the wake of a February ice storm that resulted in widespread flight cancellations and planes stranded on Kennedy Airport runways. The airline received 15,000 emails per day from customers during the storm and immediately afterwards, up from its usual daily volume of 400. The volume was so much larger than usual that JetBlue had no simple way to read everything that its customers were saying.Fortunately, the company had recently contracted with Attensity, a leading vendor of text analytics software, and was able to use the software to analyze all of the e-mail it had received within two days. According to JetBlue research analyst Bryan Jeppsen, Attensity Analyze for Voice of the Customer (VoC) enabled JetBlue to rapidly extract customer sentiments, preferences, and requests it couldn’t find any other way.This tool us es a proprietary technology to automatically identify facts, opinions, requests, trends, and trouble spots from the unstructured text of survey responses, survey notes, e-mail messages, Web forums, blog entries, news articles, and other customer communications. The technology is able to accurately and automatically identify and many different â€Å"voices† customers use to express their feedback (such as a negative voice, positive voice, or conditional voice) which helps organisations pinpoint key events and relationships, such as intent to buy, intent to leave, or customer â€Å"wish† vents. It can reveal specific product and service issues, reactions to marketing and public relations efforts, and even buying signals. Attensity’s software integrated with JetBlue’s other customer analysis tools, such as Satmetrix’s Net Promoter metrics, which classifies customers into groups that are generating positive, negative, or no feedback about the company. Using Attensity’s text analytics in tandem with these tools, JetBlue developed a customer bill of rights that addressed the major issues customers had with the company.Hotel chains like Gaylord Hotels and Choice Hotels are using text mining software to glean insights from thousands of customer satisfaction surveys provided by their guests. Gaylord Hotels is using Clarabridge’s text analytics solution delivered via the Internet as a hosted software service to gather and analyze customer feedback from surveys, e-mail, chat messaging, staffed call centres, and online forums associated with guests’ and meeting planners’ experiences at the company’s convention resorts.The Clarabridge software sorts through the hotel chain’s customer surveys and gathers positive and negative comments, organizing them into a variety of categories to reveal less obvious insights. For example, guests complained about many things more frequently than noisy rooms, but complaints about noisy rooms were most frequently correlated with surveys indicating an unwillingness to return to the hotel for another stay. Analyzing customer surveys used to take weeks, but now takes only days, thanks to the Clarabridge software.Location managers and corporate executives have also used findings from text mining to influence decisions on building improvements. Wendy’s International adopted Clarabridge software to analyze nearly 500,000 messages it collects each year from its Web-based feedback forum, call centre notes, e-mail messages, receipt-based surveys, and social media. The chain’s customer satisfaction team had previously used spreadsheets and keyword searches to review customer comments; a very slow manual approach.Wendy’s management was looking for a better tool to speed analysis, detect emerging issues, and pinpoint troubled areas of the business at the store, regional or corporate level. The Clarabridge technology enables Wendyâ₠¬â„¢s to track customer experiences down to the store level within minutes. This timely information helps store, regional and corporate managers spot and address problems related to meal quality, cleanliness, and speed of service. Text analytics software caught on first ith government agencies and larger companies with information systems departments that had the means to properly use the complicated software, but Clarabridge is now offering a version of its product geared toward small businesses. The technology has already caught on with law enforcement, search tool interfaces, and â€Å"listening platforms† like Nielsen Online. Listening platforms are text mining tools that focus on brand management, allowing companies to determine how consumers feel about their brand and take steps to respond to negative sentiment.Structured data analysis won’t be rendered obsolete by text analytics, but companies that are able to use both methods to develop a clearer picture of the ir customer’s attitudes will have an easier time establishing and building their brand and gleaning insights that will enhance profitability. ENDCase Study Questions: 1. What challenges does the increase in unstructured data present for businesses? 2. How does text mining improve decision-making? 3. What kinds of companies are most likely to benefit from text mining software?Explain your answer. 4. In what ways could text mining potentially lead to the erosion of personal information privacy? Explain. 5. Visit a website such as TripAdvisor. com (or high street retailer ) detailing products or services that have customer reviews. Pick a product, hotel, or other service with at least several customer reviews and read those reviews, both positive and negative. How could Web content mining help the offering company improve or better market this product or service?What pieces of information should be highlighted| What can businesses learn from text mining? 1. What challenges does the increase in unstructured data present for businesses? The increase in unstructured data, such as that generated from e-mails, phone conversations, blog postings, online customer surveys and tweets, presents challenges for businesses as it has no distinct form, unlike structured data, which is generated from events such as completing a purchase transaction.The challenge of having unstructured data means that it can be difficult to interpret a large quantity of data in a short time as there are so many differing pieces of data rather than just a few structured pieces. The need to use tools such as text mining to interpret unstructured data adds extra challenges specifically those related to finance. The cost of implementing such tools can be great; not only does the technology need purchasing; the rate at which technology evolves means there will be costs in the upkeep with regards to updating new software.Other costs will include staff training; this will have an initial outlay a s well as a continuous financial impact as new technologies will require new training. 2. How does text-mining improve decision making? Using text mining improves decision making as it can analyse a vast quantity of data, condense the results into specific categories and reveal information that would have been less obvious otherwise. It can show correlations between many different factors more easily than without the text mining analysis.Using these less obvious insights gleaned from the information it is possible for a business to make better informed decisions that may never have been thought of if it was not used. Using text mining tools allows companies to build predictive models to gain insight into both their structured and unstructured data. Using these tools it is possible to recognise patterns and common themes amongst unstructured data, particularly those gained from things such as focus groups and blogs. Identifying these themes allows better decisions as it can show corr elations between data that otherwise would not have been visible.An example of this practice is the use of listening platforms such as Nielson Online which can determine the feelings of consumers and allow a company to better make decisions based upon their customers’ wants and needs. 3. What kinds of companies are most likely to benefit from text mining software? Large companies that have information system departments will benefit mostly from text mining software as it will enable them to speed up processes that they are already concentrating on. The text mining software will allow these companies to analyse large amounts of data that would normally take weeks to work through in just days.Other companies will benefit from smaller packages of the text mining software, particularly those that incorporate ‘listening platforms’. This will allow companies to more easily gauge how they are perceived by their consumers in terms of brand satisfaction and highlight any improvements that need to be rendered. Financial and communications provider companies can benefit from using text mining software by using it to identify their customers’ needs from their customer feedback to interpret better ways in which to retain their most profitable clients.Marketing companies can benefit from using text mining software to implement predictive modelling to improve marketing and promotions to their target audience and retailers can benefit from text mining software to quickly identify any major issues that occur on store level to better help managers improve their stores. 4. In what ways could text mining potentially lead to the erosion of personal information privacy? Text mining could potentially lead to the erosion of personal information privacy as it gives such an increased insight into the movements and habits of the public.Although text mining can help make improvements in the services being offered, it also gains a large amount of information abo ut an individual. This insight into one’s personal information further adds to the ever growing ‘big brother society’ or ‘surveillance society’. With the introduction of things such as increased CCTV monitoring the streets and larger quantities of data constantly being stored by companies there is much speculation that personal privacy is quickly being eradicated. Text mining tools may be another way in which this is apparent.An example of this is text mining tools used on holiday purchases; such a simple task can give an insight into the financial circumstances of an individual from the cost of the holiday to any extras purchased with it, as well as spending habits of that individual and other preferences. One way this information could infringe privacy is if it is then used to market other products specifically to that individual based on their prior purchases. 5. How could Web content mining help the offering company improve or better market this product or service?What pieces of information should be highlighted? Using Tripadvisor. com to read reviews on a hotel in London it has been possible to see the differing opinions of guests staying there. The hotel needs to utilise these reviews in order to better promote their services and to eradicate any problems. Using web content mining could be the most efficient way to do this. The hotel has 736 reviews of which 630 are positive and 106 are negative. It would be inefficient to manually read hrough this amount of text and cross reference specific points that need addressing. Using web mining tools the hotel could easily find which points they can use to market their services, some which appear to be the accessibility to amenities, particularly the tube station, and which points they need to improve on, particularly apparent is the attitude of the staff. Not only will web mining easily flag up these points it will easily show trends in the feelings of the guests, which could be missed if the reviews were to be analysed manually.The hotel would also save time and money by allowing the use of web mining as it eradicates most man power and human error. Bibliography Books Kenneth C. Laudon, Jane P. Laudon (2012). Management Information Systems: Managing The Digital Firm. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Online Sources Daily Mail Online (2010) Big Brother society is bigger than ever: New technology is ‘undermining privacy by stealth’. Available at: http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-1328445/Big-Brother-society-bigger-New-technology-undermining-privacy-stealth. tml#ixzz1s9qMFfIg (Accessed 10/04/2012) JISC (2012) The Value and Benefit of Text Mining to UK Further and Higher Education. Digital Infrastructure. Available at: http://bit. ly/jisc-textm (Accessed 10/04/2012) Nucleus Research (2007) SPSS Text Mining. Available at: http://www. spss. ch/eupload/File/PDF/Guidebook%20–%20SPSS%20Text%20Mining. pdf (Accessed 10/04/2012) World Ac ademy of Science, Engineering and Technology (2005) Powerful Tool to Expand Business Intelligence: Text Mining. Available at: http://www. waset. org/journals/waset/v8/v8-21. pdf (Accessed 10/04/2012)

Facebook Puts Other Companies Underneath Its Wings

IntroductionFacebook is considered these days as a leader for the social networking websites, Facebook is such a great success story which officially came out in 2004 created by Mark Zuckerberg and his classmates at Harvard University. On October 28, 2003, when they were in the second year, Zuckerberg and his team started the idea by launching a website called â€Å"Facemashâ€Å", after that, for many reasons the website was shut down by the school. On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg started again with his team a new website called â€Å"Thefacebook†, they worked hard to develop the website and they divided the tasks professionally; Eduardo Saverin is responsible for the business side, Dustin Moskovitz for programming issues, Andrew McCollum for the graphic design, and Chris Hughes. Facebook has been written and developed using C++ and PHP language.They worked together such as a great talent team until the website was expanded to many schools (Who Invented Facebook, ND). In my point of view, Facebook made a difference in the social media world by making the website so attractive to the users, right now Facebook has over than one billion active users, in addition, Facebook has a second global rank and a second US rank according to the Alexa traffic rank, and the visitors of the site are viewed as an average of 18.1 pages per day (Facebook Rank, ND). So we are going in this paper to discuss all aspects and terms of my thesis statement and verify it as well. Moreover, we are going to review one of the strategy that Facebook has and do SWOT analysis as well. My thesis statement summarized as the following â€Å"Facebook puts other companies underneath its wings by imposing Ads network strategies, marketing strategies and as well as social media strategies†.The Five Porters ForcesRisk of entry by potential competitors: The barriers of entry to other  competitors of Facebook is very high, since Facebook has the criteria of the users satisfaction which makes the users more loyal to Facebook, for instance, I would say Google is a potential competitor to Facebook, hence, the risk of entry is low. Intensity of rivalry among established firms: Twitter is one of the most competitors to Facebook, since Twitter has Five Hundred million users on its social network as well as has the tenth rank on Alexa traffic rank; furthermore, Facebook and Twitter are fighting to make the users more attractive by coming up with new ideas in the network social networks to make it more easier to the end users.Bargaining power of buyers: Since Facebook offers social networking services to the end users, Facebook does know the importance of the user’s power to make them successful by offering unique and flexible tools for the social networking, moreover, Facebook team should take into considerations the feedbacks and reviews of the end users. Bargaining power of suppliers: In Facebook case, there’s no specific supplier because they are offeri ng online services, they could be the suppliers themselves, and we would consider the government is a supplier for Facebook; since the government monitor and control the social networks. Threat of substitutes: The threat of substitutes for Facebook is represented by any social networking website like Twitter or Myspace which they are really rivals, so Facebook team should update the website from time to time to make the users satisfied and to face the user’s daily demands on the social network.Facebook SWOT AnalysisStrengths: Facebook has the second rank at Alexa as a global rank and second rank in the US (Facebook Rank,ND). In addition, Facebook now has over than one billion active users; Facebook has announced its revenue by gaining more than $150 million from the mobile advertising (Turcan, 2012). Furthermore, Facebook supports more than 70 languages for the users across the world which makes Facebook attractive for many users their mother language is not English. Now Face book has a popular brand name and it has been used as a reference in many movies or even in the business cards (FACEBOOK SWOT, ND). Weaknesses: There are many faked accounts and duplicated accounts that cannot be identified easily. Also, people say Facebook is secretly gathering information about them which may leave an impression to remove their accounts.Moreover, Facebook posted a loss in last two quarters which will  impact its stocks (Turcan, 2012). Opportunities: Researchers can take advantage of using Facebook by gathering data for surveys purposes. Moreover, Ads prices are still going up as Facebook recently announced which will have the investors buy new stocks. Also, Facebook can be used as a market place; people can sell and buy items through Facebook (FACEBOOK SWOT, ND). Threats: China government doesn't allow Facebook to operate out there in China; since china has a huge population. In addition, it is probably that users may switch to any other services like Google+ (F acebook Investment, 2012). Also, Twitter has a strong competition with Facebook in the market place and they are making unique features Faecbook doesn’t. Furthermore, there are many viruses have attacked Facbook as we have heard recently from news, and it might be a threat of ongoing hacking in the future. Facebook Marketing StrategyMarketing strategy is one of the interesting strategies that Facebook has; Facebook demonstrates its strategy by defining the target audience which means Facebook has grouping packages for all accounts by age, gender, profession and location which help the other companies to post their Ads on Facebook for specific class of people and as well as specific region, furthermore, Facebook helps other corporations to increase the traffic on their websites by creating an official page contains their official website link and contact information which truly helps the corporations to share their information, run certain events, post any kind of advertisemen ts and get more likes.I would say the more likes you get, the more success you are. In another hand, the non-profit organizations can take the advantage by creating a page on Facebook to get donations and find volunteers across all the world, moreover, Facebook provides the page owners with all kind of statistics tools and reports, those kind of reports are weekly and daily updated and included with the post quality, how many likes, page views and photo views.ConclusionIn my point of view, the marketing strategy makes Facebook an attractive destination for all kind of businesses to post Ads, upload photos, create events and communicate with people which leads rapidly to grow revenue of  Facebook. In my opinion, Facebook developers should work on the privacy settings to make sure that the users will stick with them for a long period of time. Moreover, the developer team should do something to prevent the existence of the duplicated accounts and the faked accounts by monitoring the IP addresses of the user’s computer. Finally, Facebook is still in the fore beating up Twitter, My Space and other social networking websites, as I mentioned before, Facebook has been a leader for the other online social networking services, I would say Facebook made a difference in the information revolution these days and created a competitive environment in the market place. Facebook Puts Other Companies Underneath Its Wings IntroductionFacebook is considered these days as a leader for the social networking websites, Facebook is such a great success story which officially came out in 2004 created by Mark Zuckerberg and his classmates at Harvard University. On October 28, 2003, when they were in the second year, Zuckerberg and his team started the idea by launching a website called â€Å"Facemashâ€Å", after that, for many reasons the website was shut down by the school.On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg started again with his team a new website called â€Å"Thefacebook†, they worked hard to develop the website and they divided the tasks professionally; Eduardo Saverin is responsible for the business side, Dustin Moskovitz for programming issues, Andrew McCollum for the graphic design, and Chris Hughes. Facebook has been written and developed using C++ and PHP language. They worked together such as a great talent team until the website was expanded to many schools (Who Invented Facebook, ND).In my point of view, Facebook made a difference in the social media world by making the website so attractive to the users, right now Facebook has over than one billion active users, in addition, Facebook has a second global rank and a second US rank according to the Alexa traffic rank, and the visitors of the site are viewed as an average of 18. 1 pages per day (Facebook Rank, ND). So we are going in this paper to discuss all aspects and terms of my thesis statement and verify it as well. Moreover, we are going to review one of the strategy that Facebook has and do SWOT analysis as well.My thesis statement summarized as the following â€Å"Facebook puts other companies underneath its wings by imposing Ads network strategies, marketing strategies and as well as social media strategies†. The Five Porters Forces Risk of entry by potential competitors: The barriers of entry to other competitors of Facebook is very high, since Facebook has the criteria of the users satisfaction which m akes the users more loyal to Facebook, for instance, I would say Google is a potential competitor to Facebook, hence, the risk of entry is low.Intensity of rivalry among established firms: Twitter is one of the most competitors to Facebook, since Twitter has Five Hundred million users on its social network as well as has the tenth rank on Alexa traffic rank; furthermore, Facebook and Twitter are fighting to make the users more attractive by coming up with new ideas in the network social networks to make it more easier to the end users.Bargaining power of buyers: Since Facebook offers social networking services to the end users, Facebook does know the importance of the user’s power to make them successful by offering unique and flexible tools for the social networking, moreover, Facebook team should take into considerations the feedbacks and reviews of the end users. Bargaining power of suppliers: In Facebook case, there’s no specific supplier because they are offering online services, they could be the suppliers themselves, and we would consider the government is a supplier for Facebook; since the government monitor and control the social networks.Threat of substitutes: The threat of substitutes for Facebook is represented by any social networking website like Twitter or Myspace which they are really rivals, so Facebook team should update the website from time to time to make the users satisfied and to face the user’s daily demands on the social network. Facebook SWOT Analysis Strengths: Facebook has the second rank at Alexa as a global rank and second rank in the US (Facebook Rank,ND).In addition, Facebook now has over than one billion active users; Facebook has announced its revenue by gaining more than $150 million from the mobile advertising (Turcan, 2012). Furthermore, Facebook supports more than 70 languages for the users across the world which makes Facebook attractive for many users their mother language is not English. Now Faceboo k has a popular brand name and it has been used as a reference in many movies or even in the business cards (FACEBOOK SWOT, ND). Weaknesses: There are many faked accounts and duplicated accounts that cannot be identified easily.Also, people say Facebook is secretly gathering information about them which may leave an impression to remove their accounts. Moreover, Facebook posted a loss in last two quarters which will impact its stocks (Turcan, 2012). Opportunities: Researchers can take advantage of using Facebook by gathering data for surveys purposes. Moreover, Ads prices are still going up as Facebook recently announced which will have the investors buy new stocks. Also, Facebook can be used as a market place; people can sell and buy items through Facebook (FACEBOOK SWOT, ND).Threats: China government doesn't allow Facebook to operate out there in China; since china has a huge population. In addition, it is probably that users may switch to any other services like Google+ (Facebook Investment, 2012). Also, Twitter has a strong competition with Facebook in the market place and they are making unique features Faecbook doesn’t. Furthermore, there are many viruses have attacked Facbook as we have heard recently from news, and it might be a threat of ongoing hacking in the future. Facebook Marketing StrategyMarketing strategy is one of the interesting strategies that Facebook has; Facebook demonstrates its strategy by defining the target audience which means Facebook has grouping packages for all accounts by age, gender, profession and location which help the other companies to post their Ads on Facebook for specific class of people and as well as specific region, furthermore, Facebook helps other corporations to increase the traffic on their websites by creating an official page contains their official website link and contact information which truly helps the corporations to share their information, run certain events, post any kind of advertisements and get more likes.I would say the more likes you get, the more success you are. In another hand, the non-profit organizations can take the advantage by creating a page on Facebook to get donations and find volunteers across all the world, moreover, Facebook provides the page owners with all kind of statistics tools and reports, those kind of reports are weekly and daily updated and included with the post quality, how many likes, page views and photo views. Conclusion In my point of view, the marketing strategy makes Facebook an attractive destination for all kind of businesses to post Ads, upload photos, create events and communicate with people which leads rapidly to grow revenue of Facebook.In my opinion, Facebook developers should work on the privacy settings to make sure that the users will stick with them for a long period of time. Moreover, the developer team should do something to prevent the existence of the duplicated accounts and the faked accounts by monitoring the IP addres ses of the user’s computer. Finally, Facebook is still in the fore beating up Twitter, My Space and other social networking websites, as I mentioned before, Facebook has been a leader for the other online social networking services, I would say Facebook made a difference in the information revolution these days and created a competitive environment in the market place.