Barney’s View of Our World

Barney’s (2007) shows on visiting the zoo as well as play reading were fantastic in that they revealed an extremely peaceful view of our world. As a matter of fact, the message of both of these shows was founded on the principle of friendship. Barney’s song in both shows, â€Å"I love you/ You love me/ We’re a happy family/ With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you/ Won’t you say you love me too? † is sensational not only because it focuses on family and love, but also for the reason that it does not leave any room for negativity in human relations.The children on Barney’s shows did not fight at all, neither did they try to beat others in various competitions. Rather, each child’s individuality was recognized and valued. Barney’s show on visiting the zoo expressed the child’s sense of curiosity in a wonderful way. The children had gone to the zoo for a trip of exploration. Moreover, the children were divided by age. Nevertheless, each child knew what was relevant for his or her age group. The younger children did not envy the older children because the latter were more knowledgeable; neither did the older children envy the cuteness of the younger.Rather, they all showed respect for the knowledge given them; and they cherished their togetherness. The show on play reading undoubtedly described reading as fun. Barney sang a song with the children: â€Å"Books are fun/ Books are great/ Let’s sit down with a book today. † All children danced and then sat with books through the song. The show also had a segment on art work. In this, all children drew and painted, without anybody trying to best the others through superior art.The theme of both shows was friendship with respect to learning. The message was: We learn best when we are with friends, when we are positive and happy rather than negative and BARNEY’S VIEW OF OUR WORLD Page # 2 sad. Furthermore, there is no tension of comp etition among Barney and his friends. He is a great group leader for the children, who follow him and love him absolutely.Although our culture is defined by competition, and violence rather than peace is on the news channel, Barney’s television shows remind us about our true universal values. Jesus comes to mind at this point, because he had said that adults must become like children before they can find their way to Heaven. In this way, Barney’s theme and message are totally applicable in our culture, seeing that most of us believe in Jesus’ words. Many children learn about competition very early in life. This competition is often sibling-related.In school, children may start competing for higher ranks. All the same, every individual would like the sense of humaneness whereby everybody is recognized for his or her own talents and skills. Such is the message of Barney, taking us back to perhaps the newborn stage of life when it really did not matter how better o r worse we were with respect to others. It may very well be that Jesus was talking about this newborn stage of life when he mentioned that we must become like children in order to find our way.It is obvious that Barney is not depicting our actual culture in the conditions we live through today. Rather, the show is reminding us about our true universal values – values that everybody forming a part of our culture believes in, unconsciously or consciously. BARNEY’S VIEW OF OUR WORLD Page # 3 References 1. Barney. (2007, March 5-6). Television. Nick Junior.

Cell Phone Abuse

Cell Phone Abuse At the present day, with the development of IT and information industry, cell phone gradually plays an indispensable role in our daily life. Nonetheless, for the benefit of our concentration, health and social interaction around us, more attention should be paid to negative impact on the overuse of cell phone. According to a study of two hundred students at Sanford University revealed that 34 percent rated themselves as addicted to their phones, while 32 percent worried they someday would be addicted.As a matter of fact, a vast majority of people suffer from the same problems. It is not uncommon that when they get ready for the day, their cell phones go with them everywhere. Despite the convenience and efficiency cell phones bring them, they fail to take into account the fact that too much addition to phones contributes directly to be unable to concentrate well on daily affairs. For instance, on account of depending on constant contact and instant information, when e ven having classes, a great many students cannot help checking the message or email on phones surreptitiously.Furthermore, when working, driving, just hanging out with friends or doing whatever, to be honest, we are bound to be extremely attached to our phones with enjoying the pleasurable feelings from the act of texting or receiving messages. When it comes to my relationship with cell phone, exaggeratingly speaking, it seems that if I am not called, texted, or commented on my blog, my soul will be lost; hence, it prevents me from focusing on doing my assignments or having a sound sleep. Apparently, excessively obsessed with cell phone distract us from noticing what important happen around us and getting things well done.Admit it, no one can deny the basic fact that cell phone not only provides us with a huge amount of information and various of applications, but also enables us to contact our friends and family immediately and conveniently. However, we tend to live under the illus ion that cell phone can get us more associated with the people and the community nearby, without awareness of the hidden fact that it has crept into every aspect of daily life, ironically weakening the basic human communication.For one thing, with the increase of cell phone use, face-to-face conversations in relationships are unwittingly unpopular with most of us; instead, we prefer to convey our affections by text messaging and cell phone conversations. It is showed by a Verizon Wireless survey that for the Augusta area there are close to 50 percent of its customers send and receive more than 100 text messages a week. † Moreover, Rick Pukis, an associate professor of communication at Augusta State University, says that texting may affect the way we interact with each other.Actually, as we all know, sometimes when we send the smile expressions in the messages, it is not exactly what we do on our faces. Worse still, in order to save time or just feel cool, we usually brief the words such as replacing â€Å"are† with â€Å"r†, which may makes us run the risk of losing the ability to communicate completely and intelligently. On the other hand, spending too much time on calling up or texting the friends we already knew decreases the chance of developing friendships with strangers, cutting off new conversations and potential friends in the public.As a consequence, without doubt, cell phone builds a wall between the community and us, exerting a detrimental influence on our social interaction. But at the same time, cell phone benefits us a lot, too. On the one hand, mobiles make it convenient for people to keep in touch with each other at anytime anywhere. With phones in hand, even though being abroad, we still can immediately share our daily life with friends by uploading images on face book. In this way, friends will feel closer to us and be able to express their affections to us as they like.In the abundant sunshine of friends and our family th rough the phones, our life will be more colorful and powerful. Additionally, under the pressure of working or studying, one of the ideal ways to relax and refresh ourselves is to do some recreation. For example, we can release the stress and adjust the mood by playing some funny games and listening to music, which help us have a better state to continue our next tasks. Therefore, to some degree, smart phones increasingly play a significant role in our life.

Deception Point Page 87

â€Å"Anything?† Rachel asked. The pilot let the arm make several complete rotations. He adjusted some controls and watched. It was all clear. â€Å"Couple of small ships way out on the periphery, but they're heading away from us. We're clear. Miles and miles of open sea in all directions.† Rachel Sexton sighed, although she did not feel particularly relieved. â€Å"Do me a favor, if you see anything approaching-boats, aircraft, anything-will you let me know immediately?† â€Å"Sure thing. Is everything okay?† â€Å"Yeah. I'd just like to know if we're having company.† The pilot shrugged. â€Å"I'll watch the radar, ma'am. If anything blips, you'll be the first to know.† Rachel's senses were tingling as she headed for the hydrolab. When she entered, Corky and Tolland were standing alone in front of a computer monitor and chewing sandwiches. Corky called out to her with his mouth full. â€Å"What'll it be? Fishy chicken, fishy bologna, or fishy egg salad?† Rachel barely heard the question. â€Å"Mike, how fast can we get this information and get off this ship?† 104 Tolland paced the hydrolab, waiting with Rachel and Corky for Xavia's return. The news about the chondrules was almost as discomforting as Rachel's news about her attempted contact with Pickering. The director didn't answer. And someone tried to pulse-snitch the Goya's location. â€Å"Relax,† Tolland told everyone. â€Å"We're safe. The Coast Guard pilot is watching the radar. He can give us plenty of warning if anyone is headed our way.† Rachel nodded in agreement, although she still looked on edge. â€Å"Mike, what the hell is this?† Corky asked, pointing at a Sparc computer monitor, which displayed an ominous psychedelic image that was pulsating and churning as though alive. â€Å"Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler,† Tolland said. â€Å"It's a cross section of the currents and temperature gradients of the ocean underneath the ship.† Rachel stared. â€Å"That's what we're anchored on top of?† Tolland had to admit, the image looked frightening. At the surface, the water appeared as a swirling bluish green, but tracing downward, the colors slowly shifted to a menacing red-orange as the temperatures heated up. Near the bottom, over a mile down, hovering above the ocean floor, a blood-red, cyclone vortex raged. â€Å"That's the megaplume,† Tolland said. Corky grunted. â€Å"Looks like an underwater tornado.† â€Å"Same principle. Oceans are usually colder and more dense near the bottom, but here the dynamics are reversed. The deepwater is heated and lighter, so it rises toward the surface. Meanwhile, the surface water is heavier, so it races downward in a huge spiral to fill the void. You get these drainlike currents in the ocean. Enormous whirlpools.† â€Å"What's that big bump on the seafloor?† Corky pointed at the flat expanse of ocean floor, where a large dome-shaped mound rose up like a bubble. Directly above it swirled the vortex. â€Å"That mound is a magma dome,† Tolland said. â€Å"It's where lava is pushing up beneath the ocean floor.† Corky nodded. â€Å"Like a huge zit.† â€Å"In a manner of speaking.† â€Å"And if it pops?† Tolland frowned, recalling the famous 1986 megaplume event off the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where thousands of tons of twelve hundred degrees Celsius magma spewed up into the ocean all at once, magnifying the plume's intensity almost instantly. Surface currents amplified as the vortex expanded rapidly upward. What happened next was something Tolland had no intention of sharing with Corky and Rachel this evening. â€Å"Atlantic magma domes don't pop,† Tolland said. â€Å"The cold water circulating over the mound continually cools and hardens the earth's crust, keeping the magma safely under a thick layer of rock. Eventually the lava underneath cools, and the spiral disappears. Megaplumes are generally not dangerous.† Corky pointed toward a tattered magazine sitting near the computer. â€Å"So you're saying Scientific American publishes fiction?† Tolland saw the cover, and winced. Someone had apparently pulled it from the Goya's archive of old science magazines: Scientific American, February 1999. The cover showed an artist's rendering of a supertanker swirling out of control in an enormous funnel of ocean. The heading read: MEGAPLUMES-GIANT KILLERS FROM THE DEEP? Tolland laughed it off. â€Å"Totally irrelevant. That article is talking about megaplumes in earthquake zones. It was a popular Bermuda Triangle hypothesis a few years back, explaining ship disappearances. Technically speaking, if there's some sort of cataclysmic geologic event on the ocean floor, which is unheard of around here, the dome could rupture, and the vortex could get big enough to†¦ well, you know†¦ â€Å" â€Å"No, we don't know,† Corky said. Tolland shrugged. â€Å"Rise to the surface.† â€Å"Terrific. So glad you had us aboard.† Xavia entered carrying some papers. â€Å"Admiring the megaplume?† â€Å"Oh, yes,† Corky said sarcastically. â€Å"Mike was just telling us how if that little mound ruptures, we all go spiraling around in a big drain.† â€Å"Drain?† Xavia gave a cold laugh. â€Å"More like getting flushed down the world's largest toilet.† Outside on the deck of the Goya, the Coast Guard helicopter pilot vigilantly watched the EMS radar screen. As a rescue pilot he had seen his share of fear in people's eyes; Rachel Sexton had definitely been afraid when she asked him to keep an eye out for unexpected visitors to the Goya. What kind of visitors is she expecting? he wondered. From all the pilot could see, the sea and air for ten miles in all directions contained nothing that looked out of the ordinary. A fishing boat eight miles off. An occasional aircraft slicing across an edge of their radar field and then disappearing again toward some unknown destination. The pilot sighed, gazing out now at the ocean rushing all around the ship. The sensation was a ghostly one-that of sailing full speed despite being anchored. He returned his eyes to the radar screen and watched. Vigilant. 105 Onboard the Goya, Tolland had now introduced Xavia and Rachel. The ship's geologist was looking increasingly baffled by the distinguished entourage standing before her in the hydrolab. In addition, Rachel's eagerness to run the tests and get off the ship as fast as possible was clearly making Xavia uneasy. Take your time, Xavia, Tolland willed her. We need to know everything. Xavia was talking now, her voice stiff. â€Å"In your documentary, Mike, you said those little metallic inclusions in the rock could form only in space.† Tolland already felt a tremor of apprehension. Chondrules form only in space. That's what NASA told me. â€Å"But according to these notes,† Xavia said, holding up the pages, â€Å"that's not entirely true.† Corky glared. â€Å"Of course it's true!† Xavia scowled at Corky and waved the notes. â€Å"Last year a young geologist named Lee Pollock out of Drew University was using a new breed of marine robot to do Pacific deepwater crust sampling in the Mariana Trench and pulled up a loose rock that contained a geologic feature he had never seen before. The feature was quite similar in appearance to chondrules. He called them ‘plagioclase stress inclusions'-tiny bubbles of metal that apparently had been rehomogenized during deep ocean pressurization events. Dr. Pollock was amazed to find metallic bubbles in an ocean rock, and he formulated a unique theory to explain their presence.† Corky grumbled. â€Å"I suppose he would have to.† Xavia ignored him. â€Å"Dr. Pollock asserted that the rock formed in an ultradeep oceanic environment where extreme pressure metamorphosed a pre-existing rock, permitting some of the disparate metals to fuse.†

Studying Broadcast Media. What Is The Difference Between Game Shows Essay

Studying Broadcast Media. What Is The Difference Between Game Shows Like Deal Or No Deal And The Weakest Link - Essay Example At present, distinction among two genres is getting blurred as reality television shows are mingled with these forms, thus presenting to the audience a game show experience with all elements of emotional appeal associated with reality TV (Holmes, 2006, p.53). 1990s have experienced a shift from the conventional adoption of US based television programmes in the UK broadcast media. After success of Who wants to be a Millionaire? (ITV, 1998-) British television paved the way for new innovative programmes in quiz genre especially The Weakest Link (2000 - ) as well as Deal or No Deal (Channel 4, 2005-). Both these shows being originally produced in UK helped TV industry to generate massive revenues by exporting the concept abroad. Game shows and quiz programmes have the inclination towards intermingling two slightly different genres in a single show e.g.in Deal or No Deal the emphasis is laid on the relation between the participants all integrated against a single banker making the format of the show half like a lottery game and half like a reality TV(Holmes,2006). The Weakest Link was produced by BBC. The emergence of this programme changed the quiz show genre in terms of game structure as tone of compeer was totally opposite to the traditional format, being more â€Å"nasty† (Holmes, 2008, p.109). ... The programme has been able to attract audience as questions motivate people to think that they also might be able to answer them. The concept of chain links is well anticipated but ramped values could be more influential is value gap is increased between two consecutive links. The ultra serious outlook of Anne Robinson adds interesting element to an otherwise predictable show format(UK Game Shows, 2010). Deal or No Deal format can either make contests millionaires or they have to leave empty handed thus all depend on the risk choices they make during playtime. The show had its origin by the Dutch production center named Endemol with first telecast in Netherlands in the year 2002. The show is broadcasted by Cheetah Television West, previously renowned as Endemol West of Channel 4. First programme was aired on October 31, 2005 and the show is in progress till date . The format of Deal or No Deal was then reproduced in almost forty countries encompassing United States (Holmes, 2008, p. 27). British television media exported format of The Weakest Link to Western Europe, New Zealand and Australia (Waisbord, 2004, p.361). Deal or no Deal gained international fame in 2006, improving public interest in game shows but still it did not threaten the popularity of knowledge based games (Holmes, 2008, p.55). In a broad sense both these programmes belong to the reality television. This genre make use of unscripted drama created on screen, in spite of professional actors, ordinary people participate in a contest situation where some monetary rewards are in store for the winner. Common programming formats include game and quiz shows (Hill, 2005, p.41). There exists a clear

Operational Strategies and Change Management Case Study

Operational Strategies and Change Management - Case Study Example Before being acquired by Rendall Graphics, Preston Plant was going through problems mostly related to the quality of the products, which were surprisingly identified the customer, HP. The company was facing many hardships in producing quality products and no concept of control over the product operations. The existing crisis revolving around the quality of products and business operating under loss, the success would have been only possible with occurrence of certain significant events. Concern by HP criticizing the work of Preston Plant which was not able to control the quality of its products which was depicted in the control chart prepared by HP itself for Preston plant, which shows that HP was performance of quality was closely monitored by HP though it was not done by the Plant, worked as a alarm bell for the plant management. Tom Branton, Managing Director, employed cost reduction strategies to bring the company expenditure down by job layoffs and decision was taken to create a portfolio for the plant dedicated to new ideas in order to establish greater confidence in the future sales and an innovative ideas was 'Photowrap' for newsprint that could be re-pulped. According According to Slack et al (2007:566)3 quality is consistent conformance to customers' expectations. The word 'conformance' is stressed upon to meet the specifications set by the customer, ensuring a product or service conforms to specification whereas consistent implies that conformance to specification is not an adhoc. The quality crisis could be diagnosed by reducing the gaps in cusomter specification-operation's specification, the concept specification, the quality specification - actual quality, the actual quality - communicated image which can be done through marketing operations, product/ service development, etc. As per the case study, prior to the acquisition by Rendall Graphics, the management was producing goods which met the specification on the customer, but they did not performed any control check on the product, which was eventually done by HP, which showed the loopholes in the performance of Preston Plant. Preston Plant, after being acquired by Rendall Graphi c underwent massive change in the operation and management wherein the departments were asked to review the day to day performance of the operations which was later put on to debate and discussion once in a month. The result was positive as the processes were coming under control, quality levels were improving and the

General Biology - Summary and Review of Two Articles Article

General Biology - Summary and Review of Two Articles - Article Example Charles Darwin’s suggestion that life began from a warm little pond rich in nutrients also supported the concept; however, oceanographers still continue to find the oases of life on the seafloor. Meanwhile, a team of researchers discovered that the cellular fluid is very similar to condensed vapors found in volcanic mud pots on land and that terrestrial environments boast the high ratios of potassium and sodium compared to marine environments (Mosher, n.p.), which explains why cellular life probably began on land as cells are rich in potassium and sodium. The first cells were believed to have no complex proteins to pump excess sodium making them highly permeable and completely at the mercy of their environments. Geothermal fields on land such as mud pots are probably rich in potassium, an environment favorable to begin cellular life; however, scientists ignored the theory because the modern Earth is in acidic condition. I agree with what the scientists say that life began at primordial oceans. In my opinion, a warm, slimy mud fed by volcanically heated steam is not an ideal setting for cells to begin or either sustain life. I learned that a warm and moist environment could host bacterial cells but an environment with above boiling point temperature such as a volcanically heated steam could kill living cells thus, it is not possible for cellular life to begin in an environment that could kill them at once. In addition, I think that my perception about where cellular life began is true.

Tourism is becoming increasingly important as a source of income to Research Paper

Tourism is becoming increasingly important as a source of income to many countries but its disadvantages should not be overlooked - Research Paper Example Imported influence facilitates adoption of imported systems that deny the local promotion of local contents, for instance local music. Tourism is associated with shifts in population hence creating imported character behaviors. Tourism is sought to be a cause of immoral behavior and crime (Morgan, 2013). Tourism create deep influences in many ways, for example, the manner in which people dress is in many occasions influenced by the way tourists dress. The traditional or national manners in which people used to dress is slowly fading away to the tourism manners of dressing. Tourism also influences the spoken languages in many places (Morgan, 2013). Certain vocabularies of a nation end up being corroded by the influences introduced by tourists in different parts. The tourists create dents in the manner in which people address each other or speak to each other. They create different versions of words that are adopted in the communities. The adoption of heavy words that are insulting and abusive or disrespectful are adopted in the normal speeches of people making them part of the today culture (Morgan, 2013). Tourists are attributed for causing environmental damage especially in terms of wild fires in forests. The same tourists are responsible for the destruction of certain facilities such as the sand dunes in desert attractions. Tourism has also brought environmental pollution causing contamination of the environment. Tourism also undermines different cultures in different ways. One of the ways is commercializing culture which increases the level of litter, graffiti and vandalism. Tourism also comes with noise pollution and disrespect of local culture (Morgan,

The Richard Bruno Hauptmann Trial Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Richard Bruno Hauptmann Trial - Case Study Example After two days, the body of the baby was found dead leaving no suspect. The investigation of the crime which includes the autopsy and the ladder has lead to a conclusion of inside job. But two years after the crime was committed, gold certificates were reportedly being used in New York. After how many days, Richard Hauptmann was tracked down and was arrested but stated his innocence in the crime. He informed the investigators that he got the gold certificates from the properties of a friend but he was still charged with the case because more gold certificates were found in his house. Prosecutors laid three aspects involving Hauptmann in the case. First is the ransom bills hidden in Hauptmann's garage. Second is the link of the beam from Hauptmann's loft to the ladder used by the kidnappers and third is the claim of handwriting experts that the handwriting used in the ransom notes were written by the suspect. The 20-month old victim, Charles Lindbergh Jr., was the son of the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, and poet and writer, Anne Lindberg. Charles Lindbergh is considered as one of America's hero and is the first man to fly in Atlantic using a one-engine airplane. After the kidnap-murder of the 20-month old Lindbergh baby, many had pitied the family and had supported the investigation up to the trial of the case. But after Hauptmann was sentenced to death, many have doubted the fairness of the trial. The trial of the Lindbergh case was questionable in terms of the following: (a) The missing and distorted evidence. Hauptmann claimed that he worked at the Majestic Apartments at 72nd Street and Central Park West during the day of the crime until 5:00 P.M. giving him no time to travel to New Jersey and commit the kidnapping. The contractor of the accused had signed a receipt proving that Hauptmann was on his work until 5:00 P.M and it was submitted to the Districts Attorney. But during the presentation of the records, the receipt was nowhere to be found. Documents showing that the accused was employed before the day of the crime, were distorted. Also the prosecution changed their testimony that the accused had worked before the crime was committed instead claimed otherwise. (b) Voice recognition When Charles Lindbergh was first asked if he had recognized the voice of the kidnapper during the giving of the ransom, he stated that it is impossible for him to recognize the voice. The following day, when he was again asked, after hearing Hauptmann saying the words said by the kidnappers, he claimed he was very sure that Hauptmann's voice was the kidnapper's voice. (c) Nearly blind eye witness Why would the court allow

Logistics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Logistics - Term Paper Example To a business, quality control helps in meeting the criteria and targets of the output. Other importance of quality control will include: customer satisfaction, enhanced product quality, effective teamwork, increased revenue, and reduced amount of waste. Quality management, as a principle, ensures that the business’ products and services are of quality to the expected standards. Several quality programs can be used in ensuring effective quality control such as: Total Quality Management, the Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints. Hence, the goal of quality control is to create high performing service and products, of high quality, that meets and surpasses the expectations of the customers. In addition, quality control is important to the business in that it: help training results or trainees reduce the probability of fault and reach a distinct level; ensure the businesses obtain good image and attain high level of performance; ensures continual development and establishment of q uality products and services; enhance the system of work and continually improve the output of training, and ensure continual training evaluation so as to develop work system (John, 2009). Logistics is a planning network of an enterprise that is used for the reasons of material management, information, and capital flows. Effective management control program in the logistics organization helps the business in making the right deliveries at the right place for the right price in the right condition. This process includes importance of communication and control systems as well as complex information of the organization. Effective management control program in the logistics organization plays a vital and pivotal role in the accomplishment of the objectives and goals of the business. This is because logistics management helps in planning, controlling, and

Marketing Mix Essay Example for Free

Marketing Mix Essay 1.1 Background to the Report Strategic management refers to analysing the important initiatives which are taken by the top management of the company on behalf of the owners. It successfully keeps a track of day- to- day activities which are going into an organization to organise the resources and plan a strategy which the organization should follow in order to get benefit in the business. It provides a direction to the organization and is closely related to the field of organizational structure. (Hambrick, 2007) In this report, strategic management of Singapore Airlines is critically evaluated on the basis of several strategies used by them. This not only helped the company in achieving the results but also enabled SIA to expand itself in the global market as well as establish a new base in the new expanding countries. 1.2 Aims of the research are – To develop a good understanding about what involves in Strategic management. To develop knowledge about constituents of strategic management process. Critical assessment of strategies of a selected organization. To throw some light on the internal and external environment of selected organization. Gap analysis for Singapore Airlines – 2. Analysis of internal framework of Singapore Airlines – Capability to restore competency in order to attain similarity with the change in business environment are termed as dynamic capabilities. This is done by reconfiguring, mixing and adjusting external and internal resources, skills and abilities (Teece et al., 1997). 2.1 Resources – Connecting strategic resources and core strategies is defined as ‘configuration’ by Hamel where core competencies and assets, process and assets are organized and combined in order to maintain strategies (Hamel, 2002). Resources are divided into two categories, tangible and intangible resources of Singapore Airlines. They are further divided into sub categories on the basis of which it can be assessed that core strategies and strategic resources were well connected. 2.2 Capabilities – On the basis of broad variety of competency and technological expertise in newly invented planes, Singapore Airlines effectively fascinated more airlines clients to its fleet management industry, securing its place as major fleet management facility providers of the world. It also persists on expanding its potential by means of strategic joint ventures. For instance, a joint venture agreement is signed by SIA with Panasonic Avionic Corporation in order to prepare a facility for maintenance, repair and operation of communication and in-flight entertainment. Facility will be based in Singapore and components will be generated by Panasonic Avionics (Singapore Airlines, 2011). 2.3 Core Competencies – Core competencies of Singapore Airlines consist of the interpersonal talents of its flight assistants and ability of its top level management in planning strategies for marketing. They endeavour to make flights as relaxing as possible (Singapore Airlines, 2011). 3. Analysis of external framework of Singapore Airlines – PESTEL Analysis FactorsSingapore Airlines PoliticalUnpredictable, SIA reject Air India offer EconomicSIA offer created trouble in Hong Kong SocialSIA Airplane crash in Taiwan TechnologicalQuick technology implementation EnvironmentalLaunch of A380 Air career LegalPassengers safety 4. Five forces of porter – Porter’s five forces model deliver a well-liked external analysis framework for Singapore Airlines. After analysing the internal and external framework of Singapore Airlines, S.W.O.T analysis is performed in order to assess SIA’s capabilities, followed by the critical analysis of corporate and business level strategies. 5. S.W.O.T. Analysis – Strengths – Singapore Airlines has an expanded geographical reach. They operate in a number of reasons like US, West Asia, Europe, Africa, South west Pacific and East Asia. They run flights to 63 cities globally, whereas its division Silk Air is offering flights in 12 countries with 39 cities. Considerable amount of revenue is generated by SIA group with its airline operations around the globe. Equally spread and diversified revenue base guarantees that group is not dependent on single geographic market for most of its profits, by which business risk decreases significantly. Though, SIA is basically a passenger airline, but the group is also offering various specialized services like engineering services, airline operations, cargo operations, etc. which are providing them stability by diversifying business threats. Additionally, SIA group has a policy of maintaining young aircraft fleets, which emit lower carbon emissions and have less burning of fuel per kilometres. This is also strength of SIA group as this factor helps in keeping maintenance costs less, along with reducing performance related security concerns (Heracleous, 2006). Weaknesses – SIA faced extremely competitive market in its initial phases. Many countries restricted air-route access to protect national airlines from other competitions. SIA worked hard to get access rights for many important airports (eg. Heathrow, Manchester) (Reddy, 2004). Various competitive authorities keep on investigating about Singapore airlines and its subsidiaries. For example, South Korea, Canada, Australia, South Africa and European Union investigated about SIA group in order to determine whether the rates, surcharges, and other characteristics of cargo service were determined lawfully or not. In financial year 2012, SIA paid administrative penalty to South African competition commission (2.8millionUSD) as settlement. Legal expenses connected with the inquiry and court case and time spent on this issue left an impact on SIA’s business and operations. Opportunities – Singapore Airlines with its well-built base of operations and proficiency, is well placed to reap advantages from the worldwide boom in tourism industry. This would help SIA Group to produce extra profits. Also, group is focusing on joint ventures and strategic operational alliances to add opportunities for growth and sales. SIA entered into partnerships (jetblue Airways) and code-sharing agreements (Virgin Australia/ Virgin America) in order to increase growth opportunities. For instance, SIA signed code share agreement with Virgin America in December 2012 (SIA, Virgin America reach code-sharing agreement, 2012). SIA will add its ‘SQ’ airline code to flights of virgin which are America-operated serving Washington DC, Las Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, etc Furthermore, SIA group has launched ‘Scoot’ which is a low cost carrier in order to grow its existence in low cost flight market. This step will enable SIA group to attract more groups of customers which will in crease its growth and revenues. Threats – Competition is very high in the airline industry. Reputation, safety records, customers service, flight schedules, fares, code-sharing relations are few parameters of competitions. SIA faces straight competition with other carriers on its route. Cathay Pacific, Japan airlines, United Continental,  AMR are few of its competitors. Extreme competition on the basis of price matching, promotions, discounting, capacity, etc. affects operating margins of SIA. Also, Natural disasters can have affect on SIA’s operations effecting the cash flows and financial state. Moreover, hike in the prices of jet fuel can increase operating costs, which can affect the profitability (Heracleous, 2006). 6. Strategies used by Singapore Airlines – 6.1 Corporate level Strategies – Diversification – Companies tend to grow their full potential in economies which are developing, with the help of strategic diversification. Strategy of diversification is followed by SIA at the corporate level. SIA group has number of primary companies with key companies being SIA Cargo, SIA Engineering Company and Silk AIR. They also have number of associated companies. Its Airlines divisions which consist of 49% ownership of Virgin Atlantic, 32 % of Tiger Airways and entire ownership of local carrier Silk Air cover basic segments of customer in the industry. This was a long-term strategy (Singapore Airlines, 2008). Benefits of using diversification by Singapore Airlines is to enable passing of learning and control quality and side by side reaping cost synergies. Subsidiaries serve as sources of learning; and also as progress arena for skills of management and corporate rather than divisional viewpoint through job rotation. Profit margins are better in related operations (like aircraft maintenance and catering) on comparison with airline business itself as structure of industry in those sectors is more favourable. (Singapore Airlines, 2008). Strategic Alliances – In April 2000, SIA joined Star Alliance as a step of its internationalization strategy. In the three main airline alliances, Star alliance hold its place  with Oneworld and Skyteam. Also, In India and China, SIA Group were investing through planned deals during this time. Deals were done with local services like engineering services, cargo85 divisions, catering and airport services. SIA is also under a code share contract with Malaysian Airlines. These airlines are offering up to 14 flights in a day between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore (Doganis, 2006). For the expansion of the company, strategic alliances are becoming more common tool. SIA used strategic alliances for increasing competitiveness in the global and domestic markets. This helped SIA in developing new business opportunities with the help of new services and products. This resulted in the expansion and growth of company globally. An alliance is a business-to-business relationship (Jeffrey, 2004). 6.2 Business level strategies – Differentiation strategy – Premium services were successfully delivered by Singapore Airlines to those customers who are very demanding and this can be termed as achieving differentiation strategy. This helped Singapore Airlines in identifying that different customers are broadly scattered, with varied needs and sufficient spending power. If an organization is unique in something which is valuable to its customers at the same time, it differentiates itself in the marketplace (Chamberline Robinson, 1996). If an offer is valuable for the customers, they tend to be less sensitive to characteristics of competing suggestions where cost may not be one among these characteristics. This accomplishment of SIA challenges viewpoint of Porter that cost leadership and differentiation strategies are equally exclusive strategies (Porter, 1985). Differentiation strategy allowed Singapore Airlines to insulate itself partially from rivalry competitors of same industry. Customers of differentiated services were less sensitive to prices and they started preferring SIA over other airlines, that is, SIA succeeded in gaining customer loyalty (Hitt et al., 2007). SIA carefully applied this strategy and played safe by delivering premium services appropriately without over-proliferating them. leadership strategy – Singapore Airlines has considerably greater effectiveness than its peer group, which is a crucial aspect of an effective leadership strategy. They have young fleets which have lower maintenance costs; they are fuel efficient and have effective hedging of fuel. Labor cost of SIA is comparatively low (16.6%) than average of all prime airlines (20.1%) (Singapore Airlines, 2008). Singapore Airlines have youngest fleets in the airline industry, which is worth considering. Their fleets have average age of 75 months, and average age of half of airline industry fleets is 163 months. SIA’s fleets are much efficient. Younger planes are quiet, comfortable and fuel efficient. They have low repair, service and maintenance costs which are all part of its leadership strategy. 7. Recommendations – Keeping in mind the weaknesses discussed above, some recommendations for Singapore Airlines come into light like keeping company information confidential. SIA paid huge fine as various companies successfully investigated about SIAs internal facts and figures. Also, they need to keep a close eye on its competitors who try to gain lead in the competition on the basis of price matching, promotions, discounting and capacity. 8. Conclusion – A variety of strategies were executed by Singapore Airlines by which the company is successful for a considerable time. By keeping a track on industrial environment and the macro environment, Singapore Airlines can uplift its capabilities to secure future success. However, as there are uncertainties in the environment and market keeps on altering quickly, it is crucial to monitor and carefully consider all the strategies before implementation. Singapore Airline’s potential to become accustomed to change will positively help the company..to..strive..on..with..competitors..in..the..future. 9. References – Chamberline. E, Robinson, J. (1996). â€Å"Theory of Monopolistic Competition, What is Perfect Competition ? † Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. II, no. 4, 431- 433 Doganis, R. (2006). Outlook, The Airline business ed. 2, Routledge, Abingdon. Hambrick, D. C., (2007). What is strategic management really? Hamel, G. (2002). Leading the Revolution: How to Thrive in Turbulent Times by Making Innovation a Way of Life. New York: Plume Books. Heracleous, L. (2006). Flying high in competitive industry: Cost effective service at SIA. Mc Graw hill. Hitt, M., Hoskisson, R., Ireland, R. (2007) Management of Strategy: Concepts and Cases.7th ed., Thomson South-Western, USA Jeffrey, R., (2004). Strategic alliances: Theory and evidence, Oxford university press, US, 2004. Porter, M.E.(1985). Competitive Advantage. New York: Free Press, 6-22. Reddy, A. (1994). Total quality marketing: the key to regaining market shares. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. SIA, Virgin America reach code-sharing agreement (2012, December 15, Saturday). Business pg30..Retrieved..from http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20121215/1512BZC032.pdf SIA (2012). Virgin America reaches code-sharing agreement, December 15, 2012. Singapore Airlines, (2008). Annual Report, Singapore. Singapore Airlines, (2011). Annual Report, Singapore. Teece, D., Pisano, G., and Shuen, A.(1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management, Strategic Management Journal , 18, 509-533. reaches code-sharing agreement (2012, December 15, Saturday)

Shakespeares supernatural elements

Shakespeares supernatural elements Shakespeare used the supernatural in Macbeth to entertain and to terrify his audiences. Is a modern audience entertained and terrified in the same way by the supernatural elements in the play? The main function of the play is to entertain and to terrify the audiences who witness the play. The three witches lure Macbeth into their plan and he fulfils their predictions after being influenced by the idea of becoming king. Once king, Macbeth goes back to see the witches again and he demands more prophecies of his future. Macbeths ambition takes control of him and is what eventually leads him to his death. The mood and atmosphere, within the audience changes, dramatically, during play. The characters, e.g. Macbeth, are constantly developing and becoming new people due to the supernatural effect, influenced by others. The supernatural creates a dark and sinister effect towards the atmosphere of the play, where it is easier to believe that evil things can occur, for instance, Duncans murder. The way the witches control the mysterious forces of the supernatural gives the audience an uncomfortable feeling which partially contributes to the dark, threatening mood. Characters use ambiguities and antitheses to bring across a dramatic effect, fair is foule, and foule is fair is a direct contrast of words yet it has more than one meaning. This type of language adds towards the threatening mood of the play. Many people today do not believe in witches because we know that there is no such thing as supernatural, due to scientific evidence. This is why modern audiences enjoy reading or watching plays, like Macbeth, because it is very exciting and out of the ordinary due to its use of supernatural elements in the play. We notice that there is also a lot of superstition manifested in the play. Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth says, Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, this tells us that she has a strong belief in superstition and relies on the evil spirits to give her strength. She also says The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements this shows that she believes in superstitious signs about what will happen. Shakespeares contemporary audiences would not have understood anything about the reality of supernatural elements. They would have all been very superstitious and have believed in the supernatural of witchcraft. They wou ld have believed that Macbeth was possessed because he had visions and was distressed. People believed in these supernatural figures because they did not have any explanations for the things that happened. Nowadays we have the advantage of having scientific knowledge and theories. We have a full advantage on the understanding of the supernatural elements of the play. Act 1 Scene 1 is the first supernatural scene that we observe. In an open, deserted, wasteland, we first notice that all three witches mysteriously gather together and plan to meet again on the heath. Throughout the play, the witches speak in their own language to confuse their victims. We observe the witches in three different clips and they are each portrayed very differently. Clip 1, directed by Trevor Nunn, 1978, the scene is rather daunting and unsettling. The witches enter a dark, deserted cave-like area at night and are seen as typical witches. All three witches are dressed in rags yet appear to have different ages and appearances. The two elder witches rely on the younger witch as a source of prophesy for the future. The clip is fully focused on the witches as it is set on stage so the background is less detailed. Many background sound effects are used to create a dangerous storm-like atmosphere which creates a build up of tension. Clip 2, directed by Bogdanov, 1998, is an inaccurate approach to the witches as they are set in the future. It is set in an old quarry with an unpleasant and deserted atmosphere due to all of the rubbish and fires. Yet again, the witches all have different appearances- they are different races, they wear unusual, gypsy-like clothi ng and could be described as homeless people. Clip 1 is more realistic than Clip 2 because we know that at Shakespeares time, the surroundings would not have been like that and it is less convincing. The witches are able to predict and foretell the coming future, Witch 3 exclaims, That will be ere the set of sun, this shows us that they can prophesise what is going to happen. The witches plan to meet with Macbeth from the very beginning of the play, There to meet with Macbeth which also emphasizes their powers, because they plan to meet with a character of whom they have never met before, yet they know that he will definitely be there. As prophesized, he comes, and repeats the words that the witches have used, So foul and fair it is almost as if he has already had an anonymous connection with the witches and evil spirits. Act 1 Scene 3, Banquo and Macbeth first meet the witches. Banquo describes them as withered th inhabitants o the earth, this tells us they are old, wild looking, very unattractive and strange for wearing such unusual clothes. He also says that they have beards, which explains how they are different to most women. The Witches make predictions for Macbeths future. They exclaim, Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none which leaves Macbeth confused yet intrigued to find out more about his prophesised destiny. Banquo thinks that it is weird how they have predicted such a grand future for Macbeth and exclaims things that do sound so fair? Banquo does not believe the predictions will happen, L the name of truth. Act 1 Scene 3, the witches speak in contradicting riddles to confuse Macbeth, Lesser than Macbeth, and greater, Not so happy, but much happier. Both riddles are particularly confusing for the audience and Macbeth to comprehend due to their contradictions. Throughout the play, the witches continue to act very mysteriously, which also contributes to the cunning, impact that they have on us. Even though the witches are reluctant to tell Macbeth too much, they influence him to fulfil the prophecies, in order to become king, after a previous prediction comes true. It suggests that the witches put him under a spell as he is continuously intrigued to find out more about the predictions for his future. Act 4 Scene 1, known as the cauldron scene, is one of the most commonly well known superstitious scenes throughout the play. It is well known for its famous quote, double double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble!. This scene is brought to life in the dramatic way in which the Witches use the cauldron. The theatrical effect is increased by the spell and its imaginary ingredients. A few of the ingredients are, eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog. This creates a dramatic impact towards the mood and atmosphere of the scene because the audience is encouraged to feel disturbed by the strange, eerie events on stage and the mysterious actions of the witches. The witches are very sinister and serious about the potion and repeat their charm, double double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble!, three times, which adds to the suspension causing the audience to feel especially nerved as they wait for what is going to happen next. This scene is very powerful because it creates a huge amount of suspension within its audience, who begin to feel as though they are being lingered into the dreadfully, dark, evil magic being created. Audiences may even begin to believe that they are supposed to be dark spirits and witches, observing the creation of the potion. Before Macbeth enters the cave, the Witches predict, by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. Yet again, this emphasises their continuous, precision in their predictions. Macbeth begins to rapidly rely on the witches for his success in royalty. We begin to see that they are slowly, with disguise, lingering him into their prophesised trap and allowing him to become another one of their helpless victims. During this scene, Macbeth is very unaware as he does not think deeply enough about the prophecies that he is being given for the future. Macbeth enters the cavern and demands the witches to tell him exactly what he wants, you secret, black and midnight hags! What ist you do? Macbeth instantly appears fearless and has too much confidence. When he is told that none of woman born shall harm Macbeth, Macbeth appears oblivious when he says then live, Macduff, what need I fear of thee?. He is fooled by the trick within the announcement and believes that no one can harm him. He believes he is invincible and is unafraid of death, Ill fight till from my bones my flesh be hackd. Macbeth threatens to curse the witches if they dont do as he commands, and this shows that he has over estimated his power. The supernatural has a powerful, dramatic effect over peoples lives that takes control and causes characters personalities to change for the worse. The witches are linked with supernatural and co ntrol the mysteriousness of it all, which is how Macbeth became possessed, leading to his death. When Macbeth was told the predictions for his future, he made a turn for the worst and used evil methods to complete the necessary requirements, to fulfil the predictions. We know that Macbeths knowledge of the future took over his life and forced him to become an evil character. Another scene that contains supernatural elements is Act 2 Scene 1, also well known as the dagger scene. Macbeth expresses his thoughts and emotions whilst heading towards Duncans chamber. Macbeth has visions and sees a dagger and is fascinated by it. The first half of the soliloquy, Shakespeare explores Macbeths feelings towards the dagger. Macbeth questions the dagger and is uncertain whether he is hallucinating or if there is a real dagger in front of him, is this a dagger which I see before me. Macbeth follows the dagger and exclaims, Thou marshallst me the way that I was going. Shakespeares plot suggests that the witches have sent the dagger as a sign for Macbeth to follow and fulfil. The second half of the soliloquy, Shakespeare creates a daunting atmosphere, nature seems at dead and wicked dreams abuse. Shakespeare uses imagery to create a picture of the scene in our minds. He uses similes, moves like a ghost, and so we can picture how silently Macbeth travels. Macbeth fears that all of the evil spirits will disturb the plan and cause it to fail for fear thy very stones prate of my whereabout. Macbeth is the main character of the play and as the story develops we start to become part of his character. Our thoughts and emotions become more similar to his, which is why although Macbeth is doing wrong, we still feel sympathy for his feelings and do not want him to be found out and punished. Shakespeare describes the outside world as a hell world and suggests that it is full of dark and evil spirits, hiding among the shadows of the night. Shakespeare creates an atmosphere that is both tensional and stressful for the audience. The night is full of dark, evil, dangerous, spirits from the unknown world and with such a sinister atmosphere; it resembles the witches because they encourage evil deeds to take place- this makes us sense that the witches are trying to communicate with Macbeth and lure him into their plan. Macbeth says, Witchcraft celebrates Pale Heca tes offerings, which suggests the witches are near. Act 2 Scene 1, there are many different interpretations which are all represented uniquely. Trevor Nunn, 1978, the scene is entirely focused on Macbeth as he speaks aloud. The daggers sharpness is emphasised and the scene is almost too quite- this forces us to share his intensity. We see that Macbeth is terrified as he is sweating heavily and speaks with an uneasy tone. He later goes on to caress the dagger due to his madness. In the Orson Welles 1948, version, the entire scene is portrayed by Macbeths thoughts. The eerie background music is very disturbing and suspicious which adds to the impact of the scene. The camera goes in and out of focus, which adds to the confusion of the scene and the low-key lighting represents good and evil. We are unable to see the dagger although we hear mysterious voices, which represent how the witches are always watching their victims. Act 3 Scene 4, is when we witness another supernatural scene from the play. The Banquet scene is the centrepiece of the play. When Banquos ghost appears, Macbeth is immediately terrified and scared that the ghost might punish and haunt him for the evil sins he has committed. Macbeth refers to the ghost and says Thou canst not say I did it! Never shake thy gory locks at me! which shows his fear as he tries to deny the murder. Macbeth is so terrified, he begs the ghost to leave several times, Prithee, see there!, Avaunt and quit my sight!. The fact that Macbeth can see ghosts reveals that he is losing his state of mind and going mad as a result of his fear and guilt. We do not feel the same way or have the same guilt and emotions as Macbeth does, this is because we cannot see the same visions since we havent committed his crimes and therefore do not have the same feelings of guilt. The tension, as we wait to see how Macbeth will react, creates a large amount of excitement within the au dience. Shakespeares audiences would have been held under suspension as they waited to find out what was happening to Macbeth, since they couldnt see the ghost. Although, towards the end of the scene they would have explained that Macbeth was hallucinating over a guilty conscience .Although, nowadays a modern audiences opinion would not necessarily changed that much compared to Shakespeares contemporary audience. Many people would have thought similarly that Macbeth was fretting and hallucinating over a guilty conscience. Just after Macbeth succeeded in murdering Duncan, we learn that he and Lady Macbeth appeared to have swap roles. The supernatural starts to take control of Macbeth and he dramatically changes characters. As before, he used to rely on his wife, however now he becomes less dependent on his wife and takes control of situations, he even plans to kill Banquo without his wife knowing. He also becomes more confident and decisive, and is more distant with his wife. Lady Macbeth also changes; she starts to sleepwalk due to her fear in guilt, of being found out, and shouts out damned spot! as she tries to rub off the imaginary spot of blood she sees on her hand. Due to the supernatural effect, Macbeth is so focused on becoming a successful king that he ignores his wifes death. Throughout this play, we learn how some people will do almost anything to be powerful and Macbeth was one of those sorts of people. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a character with a good heart. He was even prepared to die for his king. However when he was given the chance to rule, as king, he seized the opportunity and from then on, he became frighteningly power crazy, which was when he was overrun by his aspiration of becoming an entirely successful, triumphant king. Shakespeares audiences may have seen the world in a different way to modern audiences, but nowadays we have the advantage of having scientific knowledge and theories, so we find the supernatural elements entertaining and, to some extent, terrifying. Many people today do not believe in witches because we have no evidence that it is physically possible, so we are not scared or intimidated by them. For example, we know that there is no such thing a wizard, potions and spells, which is why we enjoy watching Harry Potter. It is different from reality and we like to imagine that such a thing is possible. Although modern audiences do not react to supernatural elements in the play in the same way as Shakespeares audiences, we still find them entertaining and terrifying, in a different context.

Mimic Essay -- Matrix Snow Society Essays

Mimic Throughout history, writers have attempted to mirror reality in their literature. Sometimes, an author may attempt this feat using the tool of realism, trying desperately to replicate the world that surrounds them everyday. They make only subtle changes, perhaps inventing characters, maybe even a location or two. In other stories, the creator will attempt to parallel life using exaggeration and some rather complex warping of reality and time. This method of well placed hyperbole, and inventive worlds could be considered the foundations of movies such as The Matrix and novels such as Snow Crash In many ways, the motion picture and the book resemble our society. In other ways, they demonstrate what we may become, or extremes of what we are. Either way, they are both thought provoking, albeit sometimes frightening glimpses into the darkness of humanity. The future is a desolate place. The United States as we know it has collapsed, shriveling up into little more than a vague notion of th e great nation that once was. From the ashes of this distraught realm has risen a system of countries within a country. Individual neighborhoods have broken down to become their own independent nations. In this wasteland of a society, laws no longer exist. Such absence of authority has allowed the mafia to grow, or rather morph into what would appear to be a legitimate pizza franchise. This is the future as predicted by Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash. On the other hand The Matrix, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, shows an alternate outcome of human existence. With the rise of artificial intelligence, man and machine wage war against each other. The society of men think that without the sun, the machines will not survive. T... ... find our world today more chaotic than we, in the modern world, find the future civilizations portrayed in these modern works of literature. The authors may have intentionally made life more complex in the future, to make it seem as overwhelming to us as our world may seem to someone living a hundred years ago. Throughout time societies have changed greatly, and if all goes well, it will continue to do so. But one thing that has not changed very much is the desire of writers to write what they see. Often writers will take what is around them, and distort it into some sort of setting that is more pleasing to the storyline. But one their characters and situations still mirror the current life. This is true most great literature. Works Cited Stephenson, Neal. Snow Crash. New York: Bantam Dell, 1992. Wachowski, Larry & Andy. The Matrix. DVD. Warner B Mimic Essay -- Matrix Snow Society Essays Mimic Throughout history, writers have attempted to mirror reality in their literature. Sometimes, an author may attempt this feat using the tool of realism, trying desperately to replicate the world that surrounds them everyday. They make only subtle changes, perhaps inventing characters, maybe even a location or two. In other stories, the creator will attempt to parallel life using exaggeration and some rather complex warping of reality and time. This method of well placed hyperbole, and inventive worlds could be considered the foundations of movies such as The Matrix and novels such as Snow Crash In many ways, the motion picture and the book resemble our society. In other ways, they demonstrate what we may become, or extremes of what we are. Either way, they are both thought provoking, albeit sometimes frightening glimpses into the darkness of humanity. The future is a desolate place. The United States as we know it has collapsed, shriveling up into little more than a vague notion of th e great nation that once was. From the ashes of this distraught realm has risen a system of countries within a country. Individual neighborhoods have broken down to become their own independent nations. In this wasteland of a society, laws no longer exist. Such absence of authority has allowed the mafia to grow, or rather morph into what would appear to be a legitimate pizza franchise. This is the future as predicted by Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash. On the other hand The Matrix, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, shows an alternate outcome of human existence. With the rise of artificial intelligence, man and machine wage war against each other. The society of men think that without the sun, the machines will not survive. T... ... find our world today more chaotic than we, in the modern world, find the future civilizations portrayed in these modern works of literature. The authors may have intentionally made life more complex in the future, to make it seem as overwhelming to us as our world may seem to someone living a hundred years ago. Throughout time societies have changed greatly, and if all goes well, it will continue to do so. But one thing that has not changed very much is the desire of writers to write what they see. Often writers will take what is around them, and distort it into some sort of setting that is more pleasing to the storyline. But one their characters and situations still mirror the current life. This is true most great literature. Works Cited Stephenson, Neal. Snow Crash. New York: Bantam Dell, 1992. Wachowski, Larry & Andy. The Matrix. DVD. Warner B

Essay --

In the novel Lord of the Flies, one of the main characters Jack Merridew is said to represent the instinct of savagery, violence, the desire for authority and evil. In the beginning of the novel, Jack desires power and authority over all things. Jack also retained a sense of moral politeness and behavior that society instilled in him. But soon, Jack becomes obsessed with hunting and devotes himself to the task, becoming very atavistic or animal like. As the novel continues, Jack becomes more savage, strengthening his ability to lead the group. Jack’s thirst for authority and violence are closely connected as both characteristics allow him to feel powerful. By the end of the novel, Jack has discovered that the boys’ fear of the beast is useful in controlling their behavior. Over the course of the boys’ time on the island, Jack’s behavior has experienced a significant transformation due to lack of civilization, primitive acts and cruelty towards others. One of the major developments in Jack’s behavior during his time on the island was loosing touch of the civilized world. In the beginning of the novel, Jack gives off the impression that he is willing to consent with the group before making any decisions. He does this in such ways as allowing the group of boys to elect either Ralph or himself as chief, and rationalizes with Ralph to settle any disputes. As Lord of the Flies continues, Jack creates difficulties for the boys, many of which would not be accepted in civilization. For example, in chapter 10 Jack attacks the hut Ralph and Piggy were sleeping in and steals Piggy’s glasses in order to kindle a fire on his side of the island. Golding writes â€Å"He was a chief now in truth; and he made†¦ From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken... ...s to keep watch of it, so it wouldn’t go out. Jack also presents acts of cruelty in chapters 10 and 11 when Jack orders his savages to tie up and capture Wilfred, Sam and Eric so Jack can beat them assimilating irresponsible authority. Jack’s constant beatings and cruelty towards the other boys in the group has advanced throughout the novel, going from name calling and mocking to physically beating and killing. In summation, Jack Merridew’s desire for authority, power and violence overcame his knowledge of civilization throughout William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies. Jack’s transformations were built off of his lack of civilization, primitive acts and ruthlessness towards others. Jack represented a dictatorship and evil on the island. Jack’s behavior changes were not for the better, but for the worst, bringing out the worst in him, as well as the other boys.

Discuss Charlotte Bronte’s portrayal of childhood in Jane Eyre. Essay

Discuss Charlotte Bronte’s portrayal of childhood in Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s ‘Jane Eyre’ was a controversial novel for its time. It traces the heroine from an orphan child to a contented adult woman. Through the trials Jane experiences Brontà « highlights many hypocritical aspects of Victorian society, mainly focusing on the religious hypocrisy of the era. Subtitled ‘An Autobiography’, the novel in parts closely resembles Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s own childhood and her evocation of Jane’s experiences of Gateshead and Lowood remain as vivid as ever for the modern reader. Brontà « explores childhood feelings of hurt and loss, focusing on a solitary, suffering child. In these first nine chapters we see Jane at 'Gateshead', where she is the victim of unjust treatment within the Reed family (a 'poor relation'), and then at Lowood, the victim once more of a harsh, tyrannical and unjust regime (despite the good influences of Miss Temple). In these circumstances Jane is shown to be continually subject to harsh and unjust treatment. Yet the narration also establishes Jane as a passionate, emotional, potentially fiery, and morally clear-sighted: she has a strong will, and refuses to let injustice and hypocrisy go by. She comments that ‘conventionality is not morality’. However this unusual and uncontrollable passion in a little girl is abhorred in Victorian society, it goes against the doctrine that states ‘children should be seen and not heard.’ Bessie exclaims ‘Did anybody ever see such a picture of passion!’ when Jane attacks Master Reed. She is often described by the Reed household as an animal: ‘you rat!’; ‘Hold her arms Miss Abbot: she’s like a mad cat.’ She is lowly regarded within the household, they wish she c... ...es represented by Mrs. Reed and Mr Brocklehurst is shown most clearly in the character of Helen Burns, who is most clearly a product of their propagandizing on humility and self-denial. Although Jane respects Helen’s honesty and stoicism, she cannot understand her beliefs and the way in which she accepts her constant chastisement so submissively; she herself ‘should wish the earth to open and swallow me up.’ After talking to Helen, Jane comments that her feelings were ‘better regulated’ and ‘thoughts more harmonious.’ Finally in Mrs. Temple Jane finds someone whom she can respect and admire; a role model. Helen observes that ‘Miss. Temple is full of goodness; it pains her to be severe to anyone.’ The portrayal of Childhood in this novel is utterly convincing and illustrates the triumph of a child’s spirit in spite of difficult circumstances very well.

Mcq International Payments

1. In the case of a â€Å"sight draft† A. the draft acceptance is after the shipment of goods B. the draft is presented to the buyer for acceptance when the shipment has been made C. the risk for the importer consists in the disposal of the unpaid goods D. the goods are available to the buyer before payment 2. It is not a bank draft A. promissory note B. checks C. money orders D. bill of exchange E. documentary collections 3. B/E represents: A. unconditional order in writing to pay a specified amount of money to a specified person or to the bearer, upon presentation of the bill at a specified future date B. n order given to the bank in order to pay a specific amount to a person from the company current account against the presented bill C. an order given by a person to its bank in order to pay a specific amount directly in the beneficiary’s account D. a written promise to pay a determinate sum of money made between two parties 4. This is not a benefit for the importer w hen he use a payment based on the letter of credit: A. reliance on issuing bank’s credit rather than buyer’s B. documentary evidence that the ordered goods have been shipped on time C. payment deferred until goods are shipped and documents presented D. ssurance that necessary clearance documents will be provided 5. A clean L/C means that: A. the L/C can not be revoked without the specific permission of all parties involved, including the exporter B. the L/C is issued by a bank and confirmed by another, obligating both banks to honor drafts drawn in compliance C. the place where the payment is realized by the exporter bank D. the documents are presented without other additional documents or notifications 6. In the case of open account payment A. the goods available to buyers before payment B. the risk belongs to the importerC. the goods are shipped to a buyer with a strong guarantee of payment D. the goods are available to buyers after payment 7. â€Å"Consignment† means that: A. the exporter retains actual title to the goods that are shipped to the importer B. an order given to a bank in order to pay a specific amount to a person from the company current account C. the goods will not be shipped until the buyer has paid the seller D. the goods are shipped to a buyer without guarantee of payment 8. The chief advantage in case of advance payment is: A. no credit extension required B. apital tied up until sales; must establish distributor’s creditworthiness need political risk insurance in some countries; increased risk from currency controls C. if customer does not or cannot accept goods, goods remain at port of entry and no payment is due D. lowers customer resistance by allowing extended payment after receipt of goods 9. The difference between a P-note and B/E consists on: A. the amount of money is well determined B. the maker of a P-note to personally pay the payee rather than ordering a third party to do so C. the P-note is more se cure than a B/E D. he issuer of a P-note is the exporter 10. The highest risk is in case of: A. sight draft B. time draft C. cash in advance D. revocable L/C E. open account 11. International payments A. require common payment procedures B. are always guaranteed by a different bank C. are less risky D. are more complex than local payments 12. Open account payments mean that: A. the exporter retains actual title to the goods that are shipped to the importer B. the goods will not be shipped until the buyer has paid the seller C. the goods are shipped to a buyer without guarantee of payment D. n order given to a bank in order to pay a specific amount to a person from the company current account 13. In the case of a letter of credit this is not an advantage for the exporter A. Reliance on issuing bank’s credit rather than buyer’s B. Payment protection C. Rapid, local source of repayment, if payable at a local bank D. Payment deferred until goods are shipped and documents p resented (use of funds) 14. â€Å"Check† means that A. the exporter retains actual title to the goods that are shipped to the importer B. the goods are shipped to a buyer without guarantee of payment C. n order given to a bank in order to pay a specific amount to a person from the company current account D. the goods will not be shipped until the buyer has paid the seller 15. This is not a problem when we pay using a letter of credit A. Stipulations concerning freight cost are unacceptable B. Price is insufficient due to Interest Rate C. Unexpected quantity of product D. Description of product insufficient or too detailed E. Shipping schedule is not met 16. The Red-Clause Letter of Credit it is used when A. the exporter, as beneficiary, offers its credit as security in order to finance the opening of a second credit B. beneficiary has the right to instruct the paying bank to make credit available to one or more secondary beneficiaries C. the bank on whom the draft is drawn co mmits to pay the face amount at maturity by stamping â€Å"Accepted† across the draft D. in case of an advance payment in favor of an exporter 17. The lowest risk is in case of A. cash in advance B. open account C. sight draft D. revocable letter of credit E. time draft 18. In the case of Documents against Acceptance A. the bank issues a commitment for a stated time period to pay a beneficiary a stated amount of money B. he buyer may only receives the title and other documents after paying for the goods C. the buyer signs a time draft for payment at a later date D. the buyer may receive the title and other documents after signing a time draft promising to pay at a later date 19. In international payments are not used A. payment instruments B. non – cash payments C. cash payments D. balanced payments E. payment techniques 20. Stand-by Letter of Credit is used A. shipping schedule is not met B. stipulations concerning freight cost are unacceptable C. when the export pric e is insufficient due to FX rate changes D. nly if the importer didn’t fulfill it’s obligations E. only if the exporter didn’t fulfill it’s obligations 21. â€Å"Cash in advance† means that A. the goods will not be shipped until the buyer has paid the seller B. the exporter retains actual title to the goods that are shipped to the importer C. an order given to a bank in order to pay a specific amount to a person from the company current account D. the goods are shipped to a buyer without guarantee of payment 22. In the case of Documents against Payment A. the bank issues a commitment for a stated time period to pay a beneficiary a stated amount of money B. he buyer may receive the title and other documents after signing a time draft promising to pay at a later date C. the buyer may only receives the title and other documents after paying for the goods D. the buyer signs a time draft for payment at a later date 23. â€Å"Money order† represen ts A. is a written promise to pay a determinate sum of money made between two parties B. an order given to a bank in order to pay a specific amount to a person from the company current account C. an order given by a person to its bank in order to pay a specific amount directly in the beneficiary’s account D. nconditional order in writing to pay a specified amount of money to a specified person or to the bearer, upon presentation of the bill or at a specified future date 24. It is not a document required in case of a letter of credit A. Bills of Lading B. Income statement C. Commercial Invoice D. Packing List E. Certificate of Origin 25. In the case of a â€Å"time draft† A. the goods are available to the buyer after payment B. the draft is accepted by buyer in the delivery moment of goods C. the time of payment is after the maturity of draft D. the draft acceptance is after the shipment of goods

Business Articles- Term Paper for Econ 500

PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS ECON 5031 – Jul/Aug 2007 Instructor: Dr. Hi? n Van Tr? n, Professor Requirement The paper must be between 3 to 5 pages long and double-spaced with the font size of 12 and 1-inch margin for all four sides. The focus of the paper is on a survey and analysis of macroeconomics and microeconomics-oriented business articles that have been published within the past two months in non-Vietnamese business magazines/journals/websites concerning a non-Vietnamese event. Each of the chosen articles must be 1000 words or more; and your paper should cover three articles of non-related events. For each article, your write-up must include the source (magazine/journal/website name, publication date, author, and page number), a brief summary of the article, the embedded macroeconomic concept(s), and your thoughts on why you chose this article. The goal of this essential course is to understand distinctly events happing all over the world with the term of microeconomics and macroeconomics. Based on this goal, during the course, the course’s knowledge helps me clarify the world’s economy, the way how firms and households interact together in the competitive market as well as the ways how the government adjusts a country’s economy through governmental policies. In the term paper’s content, I would like to choose three different articles which analyze three different events of microeconomics and macroeconomics to have a thorough grasp the economic foundation. Article 1 _ â€Å"Russia’s economy† Publication date: August, 24th, 2007. From the Economist Intelligence Unit Views Wire. Source: http://economist. com/daily/news/displaystory. cfm? story_id=9706752 Summary: To curb the fall in the rouble’s value against the dollar of around half of a percentage point, the Central Bank of Russia sold up to US$4bn on Aug, 21st. Due to the rouble’s dip, foreign investors have liquidated their rouble positions in the wake of turmoil in the US subprime mortgage market and potentially a change in sentiment towards risk on the part of investors. That the spread on the benchmark 2030 Eurobond had been rising since June made the biggest decrease of RTS Index, gold and currency reserves during that time. Regardless of the short term movements in currency and bond markets, the Russian government continued to run a healthy fiscal surplus, which has significant exposure to the US subprime mortgage market. In fact, Russia has to face the following difficulties. Firstly, although the authorities have tended to favor a competitive exchange-rate over the price stability in recent years, the importance accorded to a stronger rouble as a curb on inflation has increased this year. The reduction or elimination of upwards pressure on the rouble therefore it presents a problem for the authorities. Secondly, Russia’s corporations cannot be as sanguine as the government about the rise in spreads and the reduction in risk appetite on part of investors. Last but not least, that numerous issues were delayed, cancelled or scaled back makes Russian firms eager to generate finance for expansion and raise their profile abroad. If this is the worst of the subprime crisis for Russia, the country will have got off lightly. Embedded economic concepts: †¢ Central bank: A government monetary authority that issues currency and regulates the supply of credit and holds the reserves of other banks and sells new issues of securities for the government. Stock market: An exchange where security trading is conducted by professional stockbrokers. †¢ Financial market: financial institutions through which savers can directly provide funds to borrowers. †¢ Bond: a certificate of indebtedness. †¢ Stock: a claim to partial ownership in a firm. †¢ Exchange rate: The charge f or exchanging currency of one country for currency of another Why am I intrigued by this article? In the macroeconomics, the government policies play a very important role to curb the currency’s value and to dominate the inflation as well. In this article, the Russian government had an active policy to curb the fall in the rouble’s value against the US dollar. Yet the global market is usually changeable, Russia cannot be out of the market’s affects and has to face many difficulties as well. To solve the problem, the government must have flexible regulations, rules and laws in the proper time to control the currency’s value, inflation and the economy’s growth rate. In fact, the Russian government has to do more things to bypass the subprime crisis. Article 2 _ â€Å"Chinese seek to buy a U. S. maker of disk drives† Publication date: August 25th, 2007. By JOHN MARKOFF (New York Times) Source: http://www. nytimes. com/2007/08/25/business/worldbusiness/25drive. html? _r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1188035759-/R6wMhYdw1xWl4NHKbqKUA&oref=slogin Summary: A Chinese technology company has expressed interest in buying a maker of computer disk drives in the United States, raising concerns among American government officials about the risks to national security in transferring high technology to China. The transfer of advanced disk drive manufacturing technology would give the Chinese a major leg up in competing in information technologies. China, however, still lags in basic manufacturing skills like semiconductor design and manufacturing. In fact, the Chinese government faces a quandary: how to improve yields on its foreign exchange reserves as well as how to encourage companies and even individuals to invest more overseas, as a way to offset some foreign investment pouring into China. Yet the Chinese companies’ investment for an American high-tech company is blocked for political reasons. Basically, Washington so distrusts China, therefore they are trying to throw roadblocks in the path of its economic developments. Embedded economic concepts: †¢ Foreign exchange: the system by which one currency is exchanged for another; enables international transactions to take  place †¢ Import: goods produced abroad and sold domestically †¢ Export: goods produced domestically and sold abroad Trade surplus: A quantity that a country gains from trade. Why am I intrigued by this article? In chapter 17, we can see that technologies play an important role to improve a country’s productivity. If China wants to get the trust from Washington, in general, and American high-tech companies, in particular, the Chinese government must have good policies in the information technology anti-piracy and come to terms in a highly national security when receiving th e transferring high technology from the US. In addition, the policies which encourage Chinese companies to invest more oversea in order to balance between the inflow and the outflow investments in China is an excellent example of regulating a country’s macroeconomics. Article 3 _ â€Å"To Woo Europeans, McDonald’s Goes Upscale Publication date: August 25, 2007. By JULIA WERDIGIER (New York Times) Source: http://www. nytimes. com/2007/08/25/business/worldbusiness/25restaurant. html? _r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=worldbusiness&adxnnlx=1188088657-Xu2NFGoMNso7mpC3w6pNjA Summary: With the innovation aiming to create a more relaxed experience in a sophisticated atmosphere, McDonald’s plans to spend hundreds of millions dollars remodeling almost its restaurants and spreading its hegemony in Europe. The changes are paying off when the sales at Europe’s 6400 restaurants increase 15%, to $4. 1 billion, compared with 6% growth in the US, where McDonald’s has 13,800 restaurants and sales totaled $3. 9 billion. Moreover, that McDonald highly adapts its menu to local tastes gives incentives to customers and makes them more enjoyable with its restaurant chain throughout the Europe. It has a broad appropriate diversification in design and tastes, which are appealing and suitable for each locations and clientele. Remodeling is also catching on in the United States in the last two years, though less extensively than in Europe, but it seems to be less efficient in where customers prefer to eat in their cars or take their food home. Embedded economic concepts: †¢ Total revenue: the amount paid by buyers and received by sellers of a good, computed as the price of the good times the quantity sold. †¢ Profit: total revenue minus total cost. †¢ Incentive: something that induces a person to act. †¢ Competitive market: a market with many buyers and sellers trading identical products so that each buyer and seller is a price taker. Why am I intrigued by this article? Different from the two articles above, this article is about the microeconomics in term of interacting between a global firm and customers. In chapter 4, we study the factors that affect the demand curve, including the price, income, tastes, and expectations. In fact, the most interesting thing when I read this article is that McDonald’s has a perfect diversification strategy not only in design but also in tastes and expectations, which is suitable for each appropriate location throughout the Europe. It makes sense when giving incentives to customers to be more enjoyable in common fast food like hamburgers, French fries or caffe` lattes. As a result, it makes the increase in McDonald’s products demand all over the world. With this innovation, McDonald’s is doing a good job in term of luring more customers and raising its revenue in the global competitive market. [pic]

Being Congruent

Anchored on Carl Rogers’ theory on the person-centered approach of understanding behavior and applying such an understanding to the â€Å"healing† process, the concept of congruence is among the highlights of this renowned theorist’s perspective. It is understood as a concept which usually starts or initiated by the therapist or practitioner and modelled to the client whereby the former displays more of the real person that he/she is and reducing denial of the real struggles or feelings that tend to be kept inside (Smith, 1997; Rogers, 1951).In the process, the client learns to unveil the real self rather than assume a facade which not only masks the real problems, make the therapeutic relationship increasingly difficult (Rogers, 1959). Rogers probably in his long years of exposure to different clients or patients, found commonality in his interactions that help facilitate better recovery and congruence as modelled by a therapist eventually gained its place in hi s approach. My list (Roman numeral #I) reflects specifically what I am like and readily present a sketch on my person. There are obvious similarities and the differences are there as well.I have many characteristics that I wish I have such as what I had just enumerated in the second set of list (II). The reason that there are differences especially the yearning on my part, for instance, to be â€Å"less temperamental† spring from the fact that because I am too tired from being dedicated and serious which are manifested in the works I do, I tend to be short-tempered or easily get irritated. In order for this to be attained, the legitimate need to be less serious or work-aholic and have more fun then, is easily understood or acceptable.This actually portrays a healthy tug of being real and aspiring to be more real to others in more ways than I am at present. Sufficient to say, basing on the idealization of the self by Rogers, I appear to be a congruent person because I gain mor e insights of who I am. IV. Include an action point that provides details on how you will strive for more congruency between your actual and ideal self. Action Point: There are some â€Å"steps† that had been coined by Rogers to put the theory in â€Å"action, so to speak. To elaborate, the following are some of the most important things that I will be doing or implementing for a targeted schedule.– Step 1: I will examine my values; what I cherish and make me thrills are among the things that are found under this step. – Step 2: Start to honour the values that I know are my treasures. – Step 3: I would probably pay attention to my body – such as my physical reaction to the things I don’t want to do but was just forced to do because of what people might think – increases incongruence. Every time I do this, I begin to enhance and increase my ability to say no, or being real especially. Sensing the inner peace and – Step 4.As muc h as possible, I will start to remove or minimize encounters or activities leading to incongruence. The more I listen to the inner prodding that the most important things are given priority, and this vantage point becomes a pathway within the person to experience more confidence in expressing the real issues inside of him. The more I check whether what my actions are, no matter how seemingly trivial they may be, the more I’d realize whether the discrepancies do exist and there are perhaps few improvements to narrow the dividing line.This results to being a contented person, able to fully accept inner failings and realizing that people eventually tend to follow suit. Reference: Rogers, Carl . R. 1951. Client-Centered Counseling, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. Rogers, Carl . R. 1959. A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonal relationships, as developed in the client-centered framework. In S. Koch (ed. ). Psychology: A study of science. (pp. 184-256). N. Y. : McGraw Hill. Sm ith, M. K. (1997, 2004) ‘Carl Rogers and informal education', the Encyclopaedia of informal education. [www. infed. org/thinkers/et-rogers. htm

Toyota Production System -Business and Marketing Strategy, Swot Analysis and Its Implementation Plan

{draw:g} Contents Executive Summary *â€Å"Toyota Service Management and Project Implementation Plan*† Report provides the complete analysis of Toyota and its Production System. The report includes the brief history about organisation and consists of a comprehensive description about Toyota Production System (TPS). Further we have analysed the Business and Marketing strategy of the Toyota and performed the â€Å"SWOT† analysis in order to understand the strengths, weaknesses of the organisation and also threats to the organisation. The information that had been gathered via various means of the overall Business functioning of Toyota has been transformed graphically into â€Å"Blueprint† that helps us to have a better picture of Toyota’s business. Blueprint of Toyota has been embedded as a major part of the report. On the basis of analysis and blueprint a project plan has been devised to implement the project in a new location. The Project plan has been developed using MS Project and report encompasses the Activity on Node Diagram (Network Diagram) and Gantt Chart to give a detail explanation of the project implementation by breaking down the implementation process into different phases. Finally the report includes financial statements that include the Balance Sheet and Cash Flow sheet to implicate the financial transactions and cost the project would imply on organisation for starting a new venture in Melbourne. The Purpose of this report is to Analyse a Service Industry, its Business and marketing strategy, develop a blueprint, devise a project plan and financial budget for successful implementation of the company in Melbourne using various statistical and organizational information available. History and Background Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational company headquartered in Japan and it is one of the best car selling companies in the world. The company was founded in the year 1937 by a successful businessman – Mr. Kiichiro Toyoda. [1] Toyota Group is the largest group of industries in the world. Toyota Industries develops and manufactures automobiles and automobile-related products, such as vehicles, engines, car air-conditioning compressors, car electronics components and devices, and stamping dies. In the vehicle and engine businesses Toyota has achieved a top-class level of quality and productivity within the Toyota Group and is contributing to Toyota Motor Corporation's car production. 9] Toyota employs the expertise it has mainly accumulated through its automobile manufacturing business to conduct business in a variety of other fields including housing, finance, communications, GAZOO, marine, and biotechnology and afforestation. [10] {text:list-item} Toyota's management philosophy has evolved from the company's origins and has been reflected in the terms â€Å"Lean Manufacturing† and Just In Time Production, which it was instrumental in developing. The Toyota Way has four components: Long-term thinking as a basis for management decisions. A process for problem-solving. Adding value to the organization by developing its people. Recognizing that continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning. The Toyota Way incorporates the Toyota Production System. [2] {text:list-item} Toyota has long been recognised as an industry leader in manufacturing and production. Regardless of the origin, the principles, described in Toyota's management philosophy, The Toyota way, are as follows: Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term goals Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface Use â€Å"pull† systems to avoid overproduction Level out the workload Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment Use visual control so no problems are hidden Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others 10. Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company’s philosophy 11. Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve 12. Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu) 13. Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly 14. Become a learning organization through relentless reflection and continuous improvement [2] Business and Marketing Strategy text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:t oc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:list-item} Toyota adopted series of globalization strategies to become a formidable contender in the global automobile market from being Japan’s number one automaker. The Business strategies have evolved over the years to earmark its global development and drive through all the steam in mist of challenges. Business Strategy currently pursued by Toyota has been described in detail: Growth Strategy by region:- Operations tailored to various conditions in each region Hybrid Vehicle (HV) Strategy: The strategy is to become number 1 selling automaker in HV market. Thus motive is to increase hybrid vehicle and unit supply capacity and making HV systems smaller and lighter and thereby reducing the cost. Management Foundation Strategy*: This is a unique strategy being adopted by Toyota for self improvement. The Binding reasons for developing these strategies are improving quality, reducing cost and developing human resources. {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Toyota has been aggressively pursuin g marketing strategy to effectively implement the business strategy. Toyota’s successes are largely due to its ability to identify growth opportunities and develop marketing strategies to capture them. Firstly, they achieved greater market penetration by marketing their cars as fuel-efficient, well-built alternatives to the gas-guzzling, problem-prone American cars. Secondly, Toyota was also able to identify new opportunities for market development and spent time on product development to tap into these markets. The results of Toyota’s product development were the creation of Lexus and Scion, brands that both offered a unique line up of cars, a unique brand philosophy, and services that target the luxury and youth market. Third, in spite of their successes in capturing new markets and achieving greater market penetration, Toyota occasionally downsizes their products such as the Celica and MR2. The goal was to make difference using sophisticated, normal way while still encompassing luxuries of everyday life. Toyota adopted marketing strategies to brand their car among the identified segmented market. [8] Marketing Strategy for Youth Toyota focuses mainly on the youth market by advertising through youth-oriented media (Rolling Stone, MTV, late-night programming), creating a flashy website to highlight their brand philosophy, and sponsoring live concerts. Not only does it specifically target the young buyers, but they also simplified their sales tactics by offering no-haggle pricing, which means that Scion dealers will not be allowed to negotiate prices or pressure a potential customer into buying, and giving their customers a high degree of vehicle customization. Because of these marketing tactics, Toyota was not only able to bring in younger customers but it also encouraged Honda and Nissan to consider introducing youth-oriented cars into their line up. [7] Marketing Strategy for US Toyota and other Japanese carmakers aggressively marketed their cars to Americans as being fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly, and having better build quality than American cars. In addition, Toyota marketed their cars as being hip and fun with memorable slogans like, â€Å"you asked for it, you got it, Toyota,† and with commercials involving young Toyota drivers jumping in the air. Toyota also decided to create a new brand because they had a reputation of being a company that only offered fun and fuel efficient compact cars. Hence they decided to launch a new car with heavy emphasis towards quality customer service. They also focussed on major metropolitan cities in US in order to maximize their revenue. 8] To sum up, Toyota is a great case study on how a company should develop, identify, and evaluate market opportunities and how to develop the right products and marketing tactics to capture such markets. SWOT Analysis Toyota Motor Corporation – SWOT analysis com pany profile is the essential source for top-level company data and information. Toyota Motor Corporation- SWOT Analysis examines the company’s key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy. SWOT analysis provides a study of major internal and external factors affecting Toyota Motor Corporation as well as breakdown and examination of leading product revenue streams of Toyota Motor Corporation. [4] Strengths Global organization, with a strong international position in 170 countries worldwide. High financial strength (1997, sales turnover, ? 131,511 million), sales growth of 29. 3%. Strong brand image based on quality, environmental friendly (greener), customized range. Industry leader in manufacturing and production. Maximizes profit through efficient lean manufacturing approaches (e. g. Total Quality Management) and JIT (Just in Time) manufacturing and first mover in car research and development. Excellent penetration in key markets (US, China, EMEA) and now the second largest car manufacturer in the world, surpassing Ford. Weakness Japanese car manufacturer – seen as a foreign importer. Production capacity. Toyota produces most of its cars in US and Japan whereas competitors may be more strategically located worldwide to take advantage of global efficiency gains. Some criticism has been made due to large-scale re-call made in 2005, quality issues. Opportunities Innovation -first to develop commercial mass-produced hybrid gas-electric vehicles (gas and electric), e. g. Prius model. Based on advanced technologies and R&D activity. With oil prices at an all time high – this investment and widening of product portfolio fits consumers looking to alternative sources of fuels away from gas guzzling cars. To expand more aggressively into new segments of the market. The launch of Aygo model by Toyota is intended to take market share in youth market. To produce cars which are more fuel efficient, have greater performance and less impact on the environment. To develop new cars which respond to social and institutional needs and wants. The development of electric cars, hybrid fuels, and components reduces the impact on the environment. Toyota’s Eco-Vehicle Assessment System (Eco-VAS) has helped in production, usage, and disposal. Continued global expansion – especially in the emerging markets e. g. China and India, Russia, where population and demand is accelerating. Threats Saturation and increased competition, intense marketing campaigns increasing competitive pressures. Shifts in the exchange rates affecting profits and cost of raw materials. Predictions of a downturn in the economy e. g. recession, will affect car purchases (especially new cars). As household budgets tighten – this could lead a decline in new car sales and possible rationalization of dealerships. Changing demographics e. g. number of large families is declining. Undermining the demand for large family cars. Changing usage – families using the car less for taking children to schools. Home deliveries. Businesses – restricting business travel (tele-conferencing). Governments encouraging alternative forms of transport – cycling and incentives to use public transport across Europe. Service Blueprint A â€Å"Services Blueprint† is a process design tool which is a flow chart of the business operations. The blueprint for Toyota has been developed using the information available from different Toyota websites. The Blueprint involves all the steps from customer placing an order to delivery of car to customer. The blueprint is explained as follows: Customer Actions: The various customer action that have been identified are customer placing an order, Checking specifications on internet and enquiring about the details of car and placed orders. Final Customer action that has been identified is customer receiving the car and documents pertaining to car. The identified Onstage customer actions are the different payment details that will be available after customer places the order and also Customer Representatives that will be answering the customers queries regarding the current status of production stage i. e. whether car is in assembly stage or the car is still in welding stage or in delivery stage. Backstage Contact Employee Action: The Different Backstage Contact Actions that have been identified are the overall manufacturing process and the delivery of car from factory. Again the manufacturing process is broken down into Building the engine, making the body i. e. Press Plant, Welding the different parts of car to the body, Painting the car and finally assembling the different sections of car together with the body. Support Process: The different Support processes that have been identified are the records of the current production status for a particular customer. The need for carrying out thorough quality check is imperative to satisfy customer satisfaction level and has been identified as a Support process that complements the manufacturing process at every stage. {draw:frame} Implementing Project Plan The report encompasses project plan for starting a new venture of Toyota in Melbourne. Project Plan is a critical part in implementation and success of project. The estimated time, cost and resources help us to identify the budget and expected duration of project. The project Plan has been designed to implement a new project for Toyota from scratch by breaking down the whole process from setting up plant to delivery of car into different stages. The project plan also includes the time that will be required for completing the different tasks. The constraints that will affect the various task at different stages has been identified and defined in the plan. Following are the relevant activity and its brief description which can be tailored to fit the needs: Conceptual: – The first phase of project is to identify the Business objectives, conceptualising a plan, assessing the place for constructing a plant, staffing requirement and the different requirement for equipments. This again can be broken down into following tasks which consists of above mentioned subtasks: {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:bookmark} {text:toc-mark-start} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:toc-mark-end} {text:list-item} Following is a brief overview of different activities or task with its subtasks. {draw:frame} {text:list-item} {draw:frame} Gantt Chart is a graphical representation of the duration of tasks against the progression of time. It is really useful while monitoring a project’s progress. The above Gantt chart helps us to identify the constraints and the tasks that are dependent on completion of other tasks in the overall Toyota project. Hence it helps to visualize the criticality of project and path and the success of project in Melbourne. Note: Due to Space constraint we have not been able to include the complete Gantt Chart. {text:list-item} Activity Network Diagram can be used within Toyota for detailed evaluation planning. Below is the screenshot of all major tasks identified in the project plan. {draw:frame} The screenshots attached below are of the tasks broken down into its subtask identified in the Project Plan. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Financial Factors of Project and Business The Financial factors play a major role in success of project. The financial factors that have been identified and will be impacting the implementation and success of project are: Changes in economic conditions affecting, and the ompetitive environment in, the automotive markets in Australia. Toyota's ability to realize production efficiencies and to implement capital expenditures at the levels and times planned by management. Political instability in the markets of Australia. Toyota's ability to timely develop and achieve market acceptance of new products. Fuel shortages or interruptions in transportation systems, labour strikes, work stoppages or other interruptions to, or difficulties in, the employment of labour in the major markets where Toyota purchases materials, components and supplies for the production of its products or where its products are produced, distributed or sold. 6] On the basis of project plan – the estimated time, resource requirement and cash flows for carrying out the various activities we have prepared Balance Sheet and Cash Flow for the whole Toyota project. The assumptions that have been made are listed below: {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} On the basis of above assumption we have developed the Balance sheet at the beginning and end of year and Cash Flow statement at the end of year which is given below: Balance Sheet at the End of Year Balance Sheet at the End of Year Cash Flow at the End of Year Conclusion The Primary goal of the report is to analyse Toyota- the way business is carried out and mechanisms by which it implements different processes. The analysis carried out about its business and marketing strategies helped us to devise the overall project plan for starting a new business in Melbourne. Hence on the above basis we devised blueprint and finally prepared the financial statements. The report has taken into account the various constraints i. e. technical and financial constraints that may affect the success of project. The Project that is stated for implementation is a profitable venture. Hence the wise move will be to implement the project due to huge demand in Australian market. References http://ezinearticles. com/? The-History-of-Toyota&id=2790459 ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Toyota http://www. toyota. co. jp/en/ir/presentation/2008/pdf/080828presen_1. pdf http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reports/541936 http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_the_swot_analysis_ of_Toyota http://www. thefreelibrary. com/Toyota+Announces+Third+Quarter+Financial+Results+-+Net+Revenues+and†¦ -a0141766841 http://www. detnews. com/2003/autosinsider/0304/21/a01-141863. htm http://lifeinmotion. wordpress. com/2006/12/23/%E2%80%9Ctoyota-developing-strategies-for-growth%E2%80%9D/ http://www. toyota-industries. com/product/auto/ 10. http://www2. toyota. co. jp/en/business_field/ 11.