Benziger Family Winery Essay

In the case of the Benziger Family Winery, is being faced with the decision of whether or not Chris Benziger should invest in an ISO 14000 certification. The answer is yes, he should pursue the certification in an attempt to strengthen his knowledge that his company already has about being environmentally friendly. This will strengthen his position on the market as a leader in wine industry. In pursuing the certification, he will also educate other growers on the importance of a strong environmental management system. This will make them want to take those same steps to help promote their business to be more like him. By getting the ISO this will further support his environmental policy that he strongly applies to the daily routines for helping the company conserve resources and prevent pollution. He is already certified by the Sonoma County Green Business Program (SCGBP) and is in full environmental compliance. As part of this compliance, the winery has saved over 2 million gallons of water per year through recycling all wastewater. They reduced solid wastes as well as energy cost due to the construction of a wine cave built in the hillside which maintained temperature cool enough to prevent them from using electricity to cool. The Gap Analysis is the formal study behind what the business is currently doing and where they want to be in the future. This means the need for continuous improvement is necessary in promoting the best possible outcomes for the company goals. The gap analysis identifies the gaps from what the company is doing now to what they would be doing should they utilize additional resources to help improve the company’s outputs. By documenting what they have done in the past, this will show what other requirements are necessary to be put in place in an attempt to maximize the company’s capabilities. This may involve benchmarking as well. In this case the winery currently has annual revenues of about 15 million. They are striving to launch a new brand, Tribute that would be selling in the $50-$60 range at about 4000 cases per year. They would also like their exports to increase from about 10% of sales to 20%. For Benziger, this analysis can be done at an operational level since all of his employees are well-trained on the company’s environmentally friendly efforts and are shared with guests of the winery to promote the business. This is an opportunity for Benziger to bring his reputation to a high point and work towards his goal for being a world-class leader in the wine industry. Since the U.S. market is very competitive this would make him stand out since very few U.S. wineries have their ISO 14000 certification. He could enter more markets that its consumers are sensitive to environmental products and continue expanding his business to other countries. It is stated that becoming certified with the ISO 14000 is expensive. This is an investment that will pay for itself in the future. There will be revenue increases by becoming more attractive to consumers who support the environmentally safe production process. The ISO 14000 is an attempt to develop a widely accepted, uniform approach to certify that Benziger’s EMS is the best way to run a business for long term savings and making a positive contribution to the environment. In exhibit 40.4 it shows the EMS Gap Analysis and explains what policies and procedures the Benziger may or may not have in place. It explains that he does have an environmental policy in place and that he has conducted an analysis of the impact that it has on the environment. When it comes to legal requirements, they do not have a procedure in place. This is the responsibility of the Ranch manager and it has not been done yet. He has covered all of his objectives and has established a well-written program to achieve those objectives. He has very good structured within the winery and has delegated responsibilities to each of the family members as well as their other employees. However no roles have been defined and documented yet. It is also noted that there is need for additional training on EMS aspects. The Ranch manager seems to need assistance with organization of training and documentation as well. Although they are on the right track he needs to ensure that they are taking all the necessary steps to continue the company professionally and in an organized fashion. Once the ranch manager has assigned specific roles and tasks to certain team members it will not be all on him to keep the EMS running properly it will become a part of the way they do business. The last part of the Exhibit 40.4 shows some things that they need to improve on. There is no documentation for anything the company does. He needs to be able to show records of his work to be environmentally sensitive. Several of the drafts have been started but none have been completed. It also states that there needs to be a regular review ensuring that the EMS is suitable and effective. Exhibit 40.5 is the Benziger Family Winery Environmental Policy. In comparison to Exhibit 40.4, the policy states the steps they are willing to take to make sure the winery is an environmentally safe and sustainable business. However, when each of the bullets are broken down into a series of questions as they are in Exhibit 40.4, they are not satisfying all of their own expectations. It seems as though they have a few small improvements to make that seem as though are they are not too time consuming. Once each of these steps has been achieved, they are well on their way to being more successful and more organized. If the proper steps are taken to correct the small issues on-hand, the next step for the Benziger Winery is to pursue the ISO 14000 certification. This will set the bar for how other wineries should be run and help the company become one of the top U.S. wine distributors.

Essay on Reality Shows Should Not Be Banned

Reality television has become very popular over the past decade with shows such as â€Å"Survivor†, â€Å"Big Brother† and â€Å"The Apprentice† attracting big audiences and making a lot of money for broadcasters worldwide. A definition of reality television is quite difficult but at its most basic it means programmes that show things really taking place, rather than drama or comedy that follows a script. Typically reality TV involves a group of people who are not trained actors being filmed in unusual situations over a period of time.Sport and news programmes are not considered reality TV. Documentaries that explore aspects of society are a grey area, with some closer to news reporting and others blurring into reality TV because they set up situations which did not already exist. Recently celebrity versions of reality shows have made definition even harder, because they show the private lives of professional singers, actors, sportspeople, etc. as they cope with new situations.Reality TV is often a hot topic as proponents believe it paints an unrealistic and inappropriate portrait and is therefore bad for our society and the children that make up the majority of the audience. They call for a cut in the number of hours given over to reality programmes, or even to ban them completely. Opponents meanwhile maintain that people should be allowed to watch what they like, and that reality programmes make good TV, as shown by consistently high viewer figures.Reality TV is dishonest – it pretends to show â€Å"reality† but it actually distorts the truth to suit the programme makers. The shows are not really â€Å"real† – they are carefully cast to get a mix of â€Å"characters† who are not at all typical. Mostly they show a bunch of young, good-looking self-publicists, who will do anything to get on TV. Usually the programme makers try to ensure excitement by picking people who are likely to clash with each other.T hey then place them in unnatural situations, such as the Big Brother house or the Survivor island, and give them strange challenges in order to provoke them into behaving oddly. In The Bachelor, where a group of women compete for the affections of an eligible male, the ‘intimate dates’ they go on are filmed in front of any number of camera; that is not reality (Poniewozik, 2003).Finally the makers film their victims for hundreds of hours from all angles, but only show the most dramatic parts. Selective editing may be used to create â€Å"storylines† and so further manipulate the truth of what happened.

Intertextual Relationship Between Renoir’s Parte de Campagne Essay

France can be credited as the home to the film industry. French film directors can be said to have invented the whole concept of cinema. For instance, as early as 1895, Lumiere brothers produced a 50 seconds film titled The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station and this led to pundits to name it as the first bold step in the cinema industry. They continued in their production until the First World War where they shifted focus to producing documentaries films and newsreel. However they had already laid the bedrock for the advancement of the film industry and other pioneers took it in the 1930’s. (Hortelano, 2011, p.256) While during the First World War, the cinema industry seemed to have grounded to a halt, the period after 1920 going to 1930’s show emergence of younger film directors with much enthusiasm in the industry. Such included Marcel Carne, Rene Clair and Jean Renoir (Conley 2007 p.166). He adds that they experimented on wide styles and cinematic themes in the process. However, France was plunged into the Second World War in 1939 which consequently led to slow down the evolution of the cinema industry. This did not pick up until 1950’s where again France show emergence of young budding enthusiastic film directors who are regarded as the new wave, Nouvelle Vague, of cinema industry. This included among others, Jacques Rivette, Jean lucques Godard, Loius Malle, Francois Truffaut and Alain Resnais. This group of film makers believed that a filmmaker has possession of the film without interference from either studios or producers. This paper will discuss Partie de Campagne and Les Mistons., two films made by two great French film makers, Jean Renoir and Francois Truffaut respectively. Renoir’s Partie de Campagne is a forty-minute film produced in 1936. It is regarded as the greatest unfinished film ever made. While many films are abandoned and fail to break the ground due to unreliability of financiers or filmmaker’s own volition to abandon the project, Parte de Campagne was abandoned due to persistent bad weather (Miller, 2006, p.3). However, despite it being unfinished, it was released ten years down the line. Renoir is famed for producing films with lots of realism and satirical content (Hortelano, 2011, p.257). Just like Truffaut’s film, the film Parte de Campagne is a romance filled film based on a story by Guy de Maupassant and the plot of the film revolves around a family that decides to take sometime in the country side. While in the village and as the men family members proceed to fishing, the mother, Juliette (Jeanne Marken), is involved in a flirtation with another man from the village while her daughter, Herinette (Sylvia Bataille) , also gets into intimacy with a babbling young man, Henri, identified as George Saint-Saens. However, being a vacation, the family leaves and never to return in the same place any sooner. When they did fourteen years later, so much had changed. We learn their love was unfortunately hampered by Anatole (Paul Temps), a partner of Monsieur Dufour that Henriette was forced to marry. The former lover, George Saint-Saens, undertook to renew the initial relationship but to no avail. They both try to catch up but the family heads to the city. Episodes on what happened were never shot as the project was abandoned (Miller, 2006, p.5) Exemplar, the shots of the summer storm and the long sequence of the rain firing the river that, underlying the explosion of passion of the natural element, and between Henry and Henriette. The sequence leads the film to the next encounter of the lovers, dramatically resulting in the resigned acceptation of the course that social norms have imposed on their existences. It has been argued that the film captures the importance details of the French history, at a time when there were no hostilities, in the 1900’s. Being produced 1936, no one would ever think what lay ahead in 1939 when France was involved in the war and Paris fell in 1940. The film captures the serenity of the moment when people were relatively care- free before the world fell into disgrace (Hortelano, 2011, p.258). On the other hand, Truffaut’s Les Mistons delves onto the lives of children. It was shot in 1957, when Truffaut was only twenty five years old. Unlike Renoir, Truffaut represents the second phase of French new wave in the cinema industry. However, the two seem to put emphasis on the theme of love. The subject, as will occur for most of Truffaut’s films is the result of a literary adaptation: a short story by Maurice Pons, contained in Les Virginales. But adaptation is not so much based on the principles of inventing without betraying the spirit of the text, but rather by the need to filter the situations offered by inspiration through the feelings and concerns of the author, by combining the elements of the story to traits of his personality. Telling the story of five teenagers who spend their time to monitor and harass a pair of lovers, during a sunny summer in a small town in the south of France (Nà ®mes), the film disposes to surprise and record, with participation and detachment together, the disturbances produced by a nascent sensuality, awakened by all the more insinuating and fleeting images, a new tenderness full of mystery fuelled by sweet visions of bare legs showing under fluttering skirts, of still images of breasts, furtive kisses exchanged in the dark of a movie theatre and of embraces favoured by the complicity of a deep forest. Bernadette is the origin and object of a prestigious discovery, symbol of a bright sensuality, mysterious and fascinating personification of the dark dreams and secret imaginations that populate the nights of adolescents in Nà ®mes. She becomes the victim of a hostile crowd as soon as the brats learn the impossibility to possess the object of desire, the sense of their strangeness as jealous witnesses, forced to only spy kisses and desire hoped tenderness. The camera takes on this helpless anger, clutching close behind the five Mistons, following them lovingly. The destruction of the couple has a remote character, is projected out of the exclusive world of adolescents: there is just a little bitterness, pity perhaps, only as a memory of the adventures of adolescence. Thematically, the film seems to anticipate, in an inaugural gesture, the main obsessions that make up the universe of director’s film: the cruelty of childhood, the fleeting nature of happiness, the unstoppable flight of time, the purity of feelings and the instability of the couple. Claude Beylie, in â€Å"Cahiers du cinà ©ma† comments upon the film â€Å"I ​​like this sincerity on the skin that follows them like the look of someone who has not forgotten his childhood, this luminous sensuality that they pursue (and the camera with them) without having the exact consciousness, this unbridled eroticism sifted through a demanding purity †¦ For me, some say, is like little pieces of wood. With small pieces of wood and a crazy talent put together, Truffaut reinvents cinema â€Å". (Alberto Barbera, Franà §ois Truffaut, Il Castoro Cinema, 1976) The film was the foundation of what Truffaut would be viewed in future as a romanticist. He attempted to make the film as sensuous as possible using affects such as reverse motion and slow motion in for instance the scene where Gerald is seen kissing Bernadette on the balcony (Dixon, 2006, p.6). Just like his hero Renoir, the shooting of the film was grounded for some time, as the cast took a ten days break and came back to continue as if nothing had happened. Being twenty five years then, it captures the moment of the time as it displays his love for the youth and relationships. It being shot in black and white does not diminish its feel. It adequately captures the serenity of the summer time and the bouncy energy of the youthful age (Hortelano, 2011, p.258). Truffaut’s creatively is portrayed in the fact that no boy stands out as the main play and hence they could be used interchangeably to play their role of admiration. So well was the synchronization that any boy chosen to appear on the scene would be seen to be representative of the entire idea of all boys’ infatuation (Conley 2007 p.166). This is based on his approach in acquiring the cast where he conducted interviews with boys in the age bracket eleven to fourteen, where he was looking for raw talent and best fits into the cast rather than theatrical experience. His desire to grow and uplift young people saw him recruit a young person for the position of director of production, his friend and collaborator Bazin (Dixon, 2006, p.5). In Les Mistons another feature that has accompanied the entire work of director is evident: quotes from other movies, but never a pure a cinephile divertissement but rather they are the filmic transposition of the sympathies and antipathies of Truffaut as a critic. You could almost say that the French director never fails to be a film critic and does so on newsprint, continuing to write about cinema, and in film, when substituting the typewriter with the camera. The film captures evident homages to the Lumià ¨re brothers, Jean Vigo, Roger Vadim, his friend Jacques Rivette, of which the two lovers see at the cinema Le coup du berger , but also a fierce critic to Chiens perdus sans collier, film by Jean Delannoy already crushed by Truffaut. In fact, one of the boys out of the cinema rips the poster while the others sing Colliers perdus sans chiens, reversing the lyrics of Paul Edmond Bacri Misraki which is part of the soundtrack of the film by Delannoy. Both Renoir, and years later, Truffaut managed to convey the message on the ‘frailty of human nature, the uncertain journey of human heart and the inevitability of passion taking over convectional social mores and the mutability of love’ (Miller, 2006, p.4). Both aueturs treat similar themes in a natural framework, signature of both’s poetic realism. Conclusion From the discussion above, it becomes apparent that both films can be categorized as short films. Yet they captured all the essence of a full blown film. Though both the films are short, the writers have been able to capture the theme ad impression intended. They were shot at a time when commercialization of film was not entrenched and as such, they are as authentic as they can be. In addition, coverage of the films was done in the natural setting using not so advanced technology and hence, they have both been regarded as masterpieces up-to-date. Reference Conley 2007, Cartographic cinema, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Dixon-Winston 2006, Senses of Cinema. [Online]. Available at: http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/cteq/mistons/ Hortelano, TJ 2011, Directory of World Cinema: Spain, Intellect, Bristol Miller, K 2006, Parte de Campagne. [Online]. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028445/reviews

Thomas Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Essay

Thomas Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Essay Example irst stage, â€Å"pre-paradigm science,† details that individuals seeking to comprehend an observed phenomenon do not share universal stock of background theory. In this stage, individuals start from ground zero and endeavor to construct a science from scratch. The lack of a paradigm to organize the data makes all facts to appear as uniformly relevant (Kuhn, 1996). At this stage, individuals lack a tradition that can be passed from one individual to the other for subsequent development and investigation. At some point, some of the inquirers establish an account of the registered phenomenon that bears adequate substance and explanatory power to draw the attention of a host of community of individuals, who will then propel the inquiry along the suggested lines. A paradigm comprises four critical features, which include a body of theory inclusive of laws, background metaphysical assumptions, values and exemplars. The attainment of a paradigm converts pre-paradigm science into normal science. Normal science predominantly comprises puzzle solving whereby the main task details expanding knowledge of facts identified as significant by the paradigm. Investigators, in this case, do not advance bold, fresh theories but employ the accepted theoretical frameworks in fresh and novel sorts of cases. This phase also incorporates enhancing the similarity between the facts and the paradigm’s forecasts, as well as additional development and articulation of the paradigm (Kuhn, 1996). Scientists undertaking normal science do not necessarily work to counter or depose a paradigm, or even seek out to verify whether a paradigm is accurate. The scientists presume that the paradigm is factual, and continue based on that assumption. Working within a paradigm demands that the scientists embrace the core elements of the paradigm as a dogma. The scientist’s main task in this stage encompasses working out the particulars of the paradigm devoid of calling into question the fundamental

Assignment2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment2 - Essay Example It would have been more appropriate if the memo had an introductory paragraph that outlined its purpose. A memo should not start with a main point without a proper introduction. The use of language and choice of words is of critical importance in technical communication. The memo does not consider this. Many of the sentences use words that make it discourteous to the residents (Anderson 34). It is advisable to urge people to abide by certain rules instead of commanding them. Many residents may feel agitated by the threats in the memo and the improper use of language. As highlighted above, each paragraph deserves a proper heading so that communication may be more straight forward. The use of capital letters in an entire sentence is considered as yelling to the residents, and is improper to use in the memo. Although the building manager exercises a form of authority, the communication style used should reflect his respect for the residents. In any case, the residents are the customers and deserve the highest consideration. Therefore, it is unwise to address them in a manner that can be considered rude. It would have been more appropriate for the building manager to highlight the problems and make suggestions of potential solutions. This would have persuaded the residents to follow the rules of tenancy. Notably, the memo should use logos in an effort to convince the residents that they can do more in ensuring a high level of functionality in the plaza. However, the memo used pathos in creating fear in many of the residents, which is not an effectiv e strategy. The memo should leave a room for the tenants to give their suggestions on the new terms of tenancy. It is critical to bear in mind that there are terms and conditions that define the tenancy agreement (49). Therefore, introducing new rules should not be a form of compulsion to the tenants. In addition, it is improper to

English as an Additional Language Learning Programs for Multicultural Case Study

English as an Additional Language Learning Programs for Multicultural Students - Case Study Example Before 19th century ends, there are already more than ten states that had implemented this English as an additional language Law. Some localities also had also English as an additional language but without the admission and permission of the state. During the 20th century there are already more than a thousands of students who had already adopt the English as an additional language. At present, there are already millions of people worldwide who are studying English as an additional language.Because of growing global migration, national, and linguistic diversity in different Irish Schools, English as an additional language became more widespread and more evident. In Ireland, different schools had been in need of this English as an additional language. The Department of Education and Science earn funds for the English Language for the different students in Ireland. Today, the growing need for the establishment of English as an additional language around northern Ireland is indeed a pro per distinction as to how the nation tries to provide the necessary indications that are needed to be considered when it comes to educating their visitors of the language that could assure them of a better future in the country and even in the field of modern global approach.The British society at present has the highest rate of having a multicultural society. The advancement of the economic developments that globalization has opened to the British society has made it possible for people from all sections of the world come towards the so called 'dream land', the British territories. Some are coming in the country for the sake of employment, some for education and some for permanent residential. As a result, the students who are coming from different nations around the world meet a challenge of dealing with the difficulty of living and getting used to a the living that is accustomed for the foreign land that they ought to fit into. In this paper, a comprehensive set of lessons shall be discussed that would be directly applicable to any subject in general. The applicability of the said lessons is attested by the fact that in dealing with multicultural classes, there is a certain need of having a variety of approaches as to how the subjects are presented. Problem Statement It has been mentioned earlier that there is a dire need of producing or formulating programs that suits the need of adults and young students as well to learn business English for them to be prepared in facing the real business world later on. Hence, the problem that is to be discussed in this paper is much related on the way that the educators were motivated to make the necessary adjustment for the said program applications. The following are among the questions to be answered: How could the educators be moved to take advantage of the current need of 'producing' students who are able to speak English as their Second Language, thus giving the business industries higher competencies in the future' How should the educators feel about the progressive teaching strategies that the program requires of them' Would there be progress in applying the necessary points of consideration in the said program, especially with regards to teaching strategies' These questions shall serve as guidelines for the author of this paper in completing the required data for this assignment. Purpose of the Study The main reason why this study has been commenced is to be able to show the important factors that motivational procedures contribute to the success of different educational programs offered specifically in Toronto. These programs involve different

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Management - Essay Example In the contemporary age, there is a lot of competition in the market. In order to gain competitive advantage, companies are trying to make their systems perfect. There is no room for deficiency because the clients have a variety of vendors to choose the services from. In such circumstances, proper management of the project ensures that the project is completed on time, within budget and with least inconvenience to any of the parties involved in the project. Project management adopts a pro-active approach to assess and manage the potential risks of the project which is beneficial for all parties in the long run. Successful project management promotes business. Lifecycle of a project can be divided into four phases, namely project initiation, project planning, project execution and project closure. Project lifecycle management is basically the management of these four phases of the project. Each of these phases has its own crucial aspects that need to be managed. For example, in the pr oject initiation phase, risk assessment and mitigation is primarily important. In project planning, selection of the plan that is the most cost-effective among all is mainly important. In the project execution phase, supervision of the work is the most important whereas in the project closure stage, clarifying the snag list prepared by the consultant or client and acquiring the payment is primarily the work of the project manager. Project management is extremely important for an organization because it enables the organizational personnel to do the work in an organized manner. When the majority of risks have been timely identified and catered for, work flows smoothly and so does the cash flow. This allows the finance department to generate the salaries on time and everybody is happy. The peace of mind thus achieved enables the organizational personnel to optimize upon their capabilities and they are able to give in their best for the organization. Hence, project management is vital for the success of an organization. Planning is one of the most fundamental concepts of the project management. Planning means determining how the work will be executed. There can be numerous ways to attain the final product. The goal of the project manager is to select such a plan from among a variety of options, that consumes the least resources, is the least time-consuming and yet leads him to the product without compromising upon its quality. In order for a project manager to identify such a plan for a particular project, it is imperative that he carries out a comprehensive research to brainstorm himself with the possible alternatives that can be adopted to get the project executed. While doing the research, the project manager should see how a project of a specific nature has been executed in the past, what potential benefits and drawbacks were identified by the project executers of using such a plan after it had been executed, and what

Horses in Han Dynasty China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Horses in Han Dynasty China - Research Paper Example However, one wonders why horse carvings and sculptures were a common feature of the Han dynasty? The depiction of the horse on the tombs translates to a critical role that the horse played in the afterlife. A superficial view of the issue may assume that the horse was just an additional object that accompanied the dead to the afterlife. However, a deeper analysis of the religious set-up of the Han dynasty provides highlights on the critical role played by the horse in guiding and protecting people in the afterlife. This paper will analyze the belief system of the Han dynasty and the attributes of people whose tombs had horse carvings. History and Religion of the Han Dynasty The Han dynasty emerged in 207 B.C.E as a successor of the Qin dynasty. The Han dynasty found a united Chinese society from the efforts of its immediate predecessor. This dynasty lasted for the longest time in China thriving in unity. However, the dynasty faced a division in the years that followed. Initially, the western Han had political strength. Upon its collapse, the eastern side rose to take its place. The Han dynasty had an intense culture and architectural designs evident from archeological and historical evidence. The society practiced agriculture and the war. In addition, history reveals that the society domesticated horses. The people of the Han dynasty had strong beliefs about life beyond death.... In the ritual ceremonies that sought to unite the dead bodies with the immortal spirits, people offered sacrifices. The people opined that sacrificial goods were critical because they would be useful in the afterlife. The dead received a decent and well-designed burial tomb, an honorable place where they could spend their eternity. Attempts of Describing the Tomb Architecture Different reserchers have tried to unravel the relevance of the horse. The mausoleum of an emperor played the role of his palace in the afterlife. The horse was one of the common sculptures in most of the tombs.The people associatedthe horse with the potential of guiding the deceased emperor in the journey towards the next phase of life. Just as a horse would guide and protect an emperor in real life, the Han dynasty believed that the horse had the power to do the same in the spirit world. An emperor going to the next life without a horse would lack a basic aspect in the next world. In addition, horses were the symbols of wealth and power in the afterlife just as they were among the living.4 The Han dynasty mausoleums had details of a complete palace with different rooms designated to palace servants such as guards, dancers, cooks, and the burial chambers.5 The structures had detailed the architecture and the construction took a long time. The people’s beliefs and convictions of life after death compelled society to give up some people for servitude in the spirit world. However, in the Han dynasty, carvings replaced the sacrifice of people. Mausoleums proved to be places of great significance for the Chinese people. From the archeological records of excavated

Reading response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Reading response - Assignment Example The pictures tell without words the journey he went through in his administration as the president. Per se, the images support the viewpoint that the history will look back and determine what could have been done better. The images also tend to describe certain mistakes that were made in a better and accepted manner than words. For example, the image where the words ‘mission accomplished’ did not convey the actual message that was intended. Consequently, it depicts the mistakes done during his leadership but offers a room for correction in the future (Ammon, Bette & Gale 50). Most of the images and photographs serve a greater purpose creating an identity of who we are and always reminding us of what we are supposed to be. The images also depict how we are perceived (Ammon, Bette & Gale 51). The images indicate that president bush had his way of doing things. President Bush always did what he thought was right and honorable. In conclusion, the images show that everyone is entitled to have or express his or her opinion in the United

Nursing Education and Competency Essay Example for Free

Nursing Education and Competency Essay Nursing Education and Competency The purpose of this paper is to explore the different paths of education to become a registered nurse. Specially, to examine the educational tracks of the Associate Degree nurse and the Baccalaureate Degree nurse. The question at hand is how do these educational paths differ in the level of competency? First, I will show the difference in educational structure and then examine how these relate to the competency of the nurse following completion of each program. The Associate Degree in nursing came about during the 1950s in an effort to combat a nursing shortage in the Unites States following World War II. An Associate Degree nursing program is a two-year program that is typically affordable and offered at a junior or community college. The focus of this program is â€Å"on the basic sciences and theoretical and clinical courses related to the practice of nursing† (Potter Perry, 2005, p. 16). It prepares the student for â€Å"competent technical bedside† nursing in â€Å"secondary care settings† (Cresia Friberg, 2011, p. 33). Following completion of the two-year program, the student is eligible to take the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination) and can achieve a license as a registered nurse. The first Baccalaureate Degree in nursing was â€Å"established in the United States at the University of Minnesota in 1909† (Cresia Friberg, 2011, p. 25). It consists of a four-year program on a university or college campus with a larger financial attachment. There are typically two years of general education requirements followed by two years of upper-level nursing education courses. In addition to the basic science, theory and clinical education the program â€Å"include courses in community and public health, beginning research, management and leadership (Cherry Jacob, 2005, p. 81). It prepares the student to become a â€Å"professional nurse generalists for acute care settings, community-based practice, and beginning leadership/management positions† (Cresia Friberg, 2011, p. 33). Following the completion of the program, the student is also eligible to take the NCLEX-RN to receive licensure. Do these two years of additional education make a more competent nurse? â€Å"Over the past several years, policy makers, researchers, and practice leaders have identified that education does make a difference in how nurses practice† (Johnston, 2009). The University of Pennsylvania in an issue of Medical Care released one such  study that supports this in October, 2012 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). It states that: surgical patients in Magnet hospitals had 14% lower odds of inpatient death within 30 days and 12% lower odds of failure-to-rescue compared with patients cared for in non-Magnet hospitals. The study authors conclude that these better outcomes were attributed in large part to investments in highly qualified and educated nurses, including a higher proportion of baccalaureate prepared nurses. (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012) The current healthcare environment is changing through federal policy, technological advancements, and a growing global multicultural population. These additional years of education are believed to â€Å"enhance the students professional development, prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice, and provides the nurse with a better understanding of the cultural, political, economic, and social issues that affect patients and influence† (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). The four-year baccalaureate program offers more education to develop these skills giving the nurse the ability to adapt and contribute to these continual changes. Let us now use the following patient care situation of a newly diagnosed patient with Diabetes Mellitus Type II to explore the differences of an Associate Degree nurse (ADN) and Baccalaureate Degree nurse (BNS). A newly diagnosed diabetic needs teaching, the focus of this example will be on how the AND verses a BSN would approach teaching. As stated previously the ADN is prepared at a more technical level, although they share the same basic science and theory as a BSN. After explaining the basics of disease process to the patient, the ADN primary focus may be on the methods of testing blood glucose levels, the correct techniques for drawing up insulin and administration. This is due to the fact that the bulk of their educational training encompassed technical nursing. They would consider proper aseptic techniques for finger stick testing while teaching. Interrupting the results and applying it to a sliding scale of insulin related to food intake and activity. Then teaching the method of drawing up insulin, administration, and sharps disposal. A BSN nurse would teach the basics of the disease process taking the patient’s learning modality into consideration before starting. What is the patient’s ability to learn? Is the patient ready to learn? What is the best method for teaching (audio, visual, written material, or discussion)? What is the  family dynamic and should the family be involved in the teaching? Are there any cultural considerations? The BSN nurse might be inclined to research the topic of teaching new diabetics and find some current evidence based literature to assist in providing the best possible care for this patient. All of these items would have to be taken into consideration before moving onto the task of blood glucose testing, interpreting results and administering insulin. The example above is just a brief look into the thought process that comes with the different tracks of nursing education. A BNS nurse has a larger knowledge base to work from applying critical thinking, evidence based research and cultural consideration into their daily practice. They also possess some of the qualifications to move toward nursing positions in leadership and management. Research is leaning toward the idea that a nurse that has received a Baccalaureate Degree makes for a more competent nurse. National nursing associations support this thought. Policy makers are privy to this information as well. What seems to be a topic of debate now could soon become a reality and change how we educate future nurses. References American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2012, October 24). The impact of education on nursing practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education. Cherry, B., Jacob, S. R. (2005). Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, and Management (3 rd ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier, Inc. Cresia, J. L., Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice, (5 th ed.). http://dx.doi.org/. Johnston, K. A. (2009). The Importance of Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Education. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from http://www.peoriamagazines.com/ibi/2009/apr/importance-baccalaureate-degree-nursing-education Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G. (2005). Fundementals of Nursing (6 th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby, Inc.

A Study On Amazon | Essay

A Study On Amazon | Essay E-commerce business Amazon.com is widely praised for having pioneered web-based customer relations, setting an industry benchmark in market-leading technological infrastructure. Kotler et al (2008) recognise that ‘the technology boom has created exciting new ways to create products and services tailored to individual customer needs (p.33). Amazon.com first entered the US e-commerce trading arena in 1995 under the ownership of Jeff Bezos, operating, as many do, from the comfort of home. As part of an emergent growth strategy, within ten years Amazon expanded at an alarming rate and penetrated the markets of several countries, basing fulfilment centres in the US, Europe and Asia with the aim of managing the product distribution process from supplier to consumer. Quarterly sales revenue has consistently grown year on year, to a current $5.45 billion in the third quarter ended September 2009 of this year a growth of 28% over the same period in 2008 according to Amazons investor press release (phx.corporate-ir.net). Further financial reporting presented in the press release shows Amazons US market exceeds total international income. The $5.45 billion consists of $2.84 billion in North America, and $2.61 billion from the UK, German, Japanese, French and Chinese sites. It has remained unscathed by the recent global economic downturn; quite the contrary, Amazon has capitalised on the reduced disposable income of consumers. ‘The research area is potentially fruitful since, even in recession, e-shopping volumes in the UK, for example, are continuing with double-digit growth, whereas traditional shopping is languishing in zero growth or less (Dennis et al, 2009: p.1122). Since commencing operations those years ago selling second-hand books in small volume, Amazon has vastly diversified its product portfolio. ‘You can find beauty supplies, clothing, jewellery, gourmet food, sporting goods, pet supplies, books, CDs, DVDs, computers, furniture, toys, garden supplies, bedding and almost anything else you might want to buy (money.howstuffworks.com). There are a number of ways in which the site operates. It stocks and sells its own products from reputable branded suppliers in fulfilment centres; allows stores to use Amazon as their portal for marketing both new and used goods; invites the public to join and sell their items in online auctions. However the true beauty of Amazons internet service lies within a highly innovative, targeted and versatile customer interface. The Oracle Corporation (an agent of the database design and implementation) has constructed a diagram of the database system as shown in Appendix 1. This study aims to demonstrate the concept of customer orientation as part of a marketing strategy and its effectiveness as a constituent of the holistic practices of Amazon. One may think, at first glance, that the concept of customer orientation seems obvious. Its basic definition confirms this, affirmed by Kotler et al (2008) as ‘a company that focuses on customer developments in designing its marketing strategies and on delivering superior value to its target customers (p.372). However, the extent to which a business devotes resources to the customer is often difficult (but not impossible) to distinguish at a contextual level. Marketing forms the foundation of our very livelihoods. Blink and its there right in front of you. Post-modern society dictates that organisations no longer navigate consumer trends merely by the commodities that they make competitive business has evolved in the realisation that ‘nowadays, ever more emphasis is placed on the importance and nature of the relationships that an organization has with its customers (Jones et al, 2007: p.106). The fruits of economic growth have no doubt spurred the strengthening of (both consumer and business) purchasing power and with it, variety-seeking opportunity. The opportunity presented by marketing (or rather customer) orientation opens up the potential to extrapolate future demand before the consumer even demands it. Here it is about identifying gaps in the norm, and, driven by innovation, manifesting those undiscovered wants into tangible demand. The marketing sphere has become highly complex, giving rise to certain implications. How does a marketer adequately identify profitable market dynamics in this day and age? Is it even possible to satisfy the needs of every targeted consumer? Amazons marketing strategy will be discussed in relation to its handling of customer needs, or rather, how the company perceives its customers needs are best served through the online innovator. Donaldson and OToole (2002) identify four marketing strategies; Amazons being the â€Å"high-tech, high-touch quadrant†. Porters (1996) â€Å"Five Forces Analysis† model can influence the 7 Ps of the â€Å"Marketing Mix† and the value a company can create for the consumer. It is a useful model for presenting the intensity of external market pressures from different angles. See Appendix 2. ‘If management wants to change how the firm connects with its customers, it has to change the organisation (Molineux, 2002: p.109). The culture behind Amazon since emerging online in 1995 as a simple bookstore has taken rapid progression in-line with its marketing strategy. The company has evolved through its heedfulness of the rising effectiveness of relationship marketing electronically around the end of the 1990s, so that ‘the dominant approach to IT and relationship research is being replaced by a relationship strategy rather than a transaction strategy position, focussing on information as opposed to technical (Donaldson and OToole, 2002: p.181). Dibb (1998) states ‘increasing evidence suggests that businesses have problems operationalising segmentation (p.394). Harvesting different segments with universally positive outcomes is often troublesome for organisations. ‘For most businesses it is simply unrealistic to satisfy the entire diverse customer needs in the marketplace (Dibb, 1998: p.394). Amazon is one of the few that can, or at least makes great attempts to. Many other online companies have only recently followed suit. Amazons system breaks the contemporary rules of market segmentation. Each customer is his or her very own segment, targeted by one versatile, adaptive system able to meet their personal characteristics by recommending a set of products at a variety of prices from low, second hand to brand new. The system epitomises customer relations management, catering for any socio-economic status, music taste, literature-lover, and so on. Amazon is a target marketer, for marketers. ‘Each customer is assigned a unique number Companies have databases for sales, marketing, service, inventory, payments, and so on (Buttle, 2009: p.103). Amazon utilises a complex, controversially patented Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) which the site draws from to personalise its content toward the customer and supplements functions such as the â€Å"one-click†. Contrary to the norm of a consumer initiating a purchasing process, Amazon acts as the initiator with its variety-fulfilling interface, performing a dual-class role as the â€Å"middle man† between the business and consumer market. Kotler et al express how Amazon leverages the benefits of electronic B2B relationships through ‘E-procurement [which] gives buyers access to new suppliers, lower purchasing costs and hastens order processing and delivery. In turn, business marketers can connect with customers online to share marketing information, sell products and services, provide customer support services and maintain ongoing customer relationships (p.307). McBurnie and Clutterbuck (1988) justifiably assert ‘until competitors copy or segment your segmentation, you have a competitive edge, even if you serve the segment with a standard product or service. If the product or service is specific to the segment then your competitive advantage is multiplied (p.23). Such is t he unique selling point of Amazons personalised service. Consumer behaviour is encapsulated within a set of layers that range from the collective culture right down to pinpoint developments in individual characteristics. Although identified separately, each layer bears a holistic influence on the outcome of one another. For example, a consumer might be into the skating subculture, meaning they believe DC shoes are the best buy in the market. However, as they grow older, they may grow out of skating and take interest in a different culture, likely to make a new trend of purchases. A consumers culture is therefore not set in stone, and as the learning process of life progresses, so too may the views and values of the individual. Career progression is equally important since it determines the level of disposable income. ‘There is evidence for the importance of social interaction and recreational motives, as demonstrated by virtual ethnography (webnography) of â€Å"Web 2.0† blogs, social networking sites and e-word of mouth (Dennis et al, 2009: p.1121-22). Amazon allows end users to share reviews and ratings of products so that future potential buyers are able to make a more influenced, informed choice. However everyone is unique and therefore what may appeal to one customer may be disliked by another. This is therefore contingent upon the orientation of the particular traits of a customer, which dictates the degree to which a person evaluates and therefore heeds the information he/she comes across. ‘Intention to shop with a particular e-retailer will be positively influenced by past experience (p.1124). Amazon does exactly that. It harnesses the past purchases of the customer and extrapolates correlations in the form of recommendations based on what the system recognises as the buyers personal characteristics and therefore purchasing influences from within. The system aims to successfully delineate a person and even interacts like a person itself, acting in a rather paternalistic manner, knowing what is best for the consumer. In a retail store staff are not likely to draw upon past purchasing trends for a particular customer and therefore cannot offer the sort of tailored service that Amazon.com does. Amazon offers a variety of convenient functions, not least the â€Å"Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering† option at the checkout. Dennis et al couple with this the notion of â€Å"web atmospherics† ‘Graphics, visuals, audio, colour, product presentation at different levels of resolution, video and 3D displays are among the most common stimuli (p. 1128). Visit the Amazon website and you will see that administrators have decided to implement a festive header, the promotion of gift e-vouchers customers can send to family via the internet, wish lists based on categories of relationship (for example husband, granddaughter, and so on) to name but a few of the sites seasonal customisations. ‘Customers have shown they dont want to be hunted like prey. They dont want to be managed; they just want companies to make their lives easier and less stressful (Newell, 2003: p.7). One of the implications for Amazon is, as shown by internet banks, that ‘online banks are finding that they also need an on-ground presence if they want to compete successfully (Zinkhan, 2002: p.414). Many businesses find equilibrium in their marketing strategy through the balance of both tangible and web-based enhancement of the Marketing Mix. Does Amazon seem challenged by the lack of localised Amazon service outlets? Its financial performance figures suggest not. The company strives on passing on the overhead saving to the consumer. As the SWOT analysis in Appendix 3 displays, outlets are nonetheless an opportunity for Amazon to grow, particularly where the consumer prefers to make a tangible purchasing decision in items such as clothing. ‘It is about creating an experience, personalizing the interaction with individual customers in ways directed by the customer, and thereby developing relationships (Newell, 2003: p.7). There is a fine line between assisting the customer through recommendations and effectively spamming them with products they might not like. Newell states that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is inferior to a new strategy of Customer Management of Relationships (CMR). Looking closely at the ways of Amazon, it is possible to identify mixtures between the two, and therefore in the eyes of Newell, a conflicting and inefficient combination. On the one hand, there Amazon treats customers as individuals and understands their unique needs as part of the CMR mechanism. On the other hand, Amazon seems to know too much for its own good, since it is merely a computer system making the decisions. As Newell distinguishes under CRM, customers are likely to feel â€Å"stalked† and in some ways may feel forced into making a purchase. Against the positive, praising grain of this study thus far it is possible to suggest Amazons system contradicts the very foundation of ‘good marketing practice that is, to make people buy things they do not actually need and therefore want. Amazon makes them believe they want the product. Herein lies a fundamental implication Does the Amazon system really get to grips with an individual? Is it at all likely that a person can feel cared for by a computer? Donaldson and OToole (2002) affirm ‘the debate continues on whether e-relationships will reduce the inter-personal/social bonds prevalent in relationships (p.177). Keller (2003) in his study on Strategic Brand Management suggests ‘service firms should allocate fewer resources to traditional quality programs, productivity programs, and efficiency programs and allocate more resources to service-orientated revenue initiatives such as customer satisfaction programs, customer retention and loyalty, CRM and customer equity programs (p.245). Effectively he asserts a need for heavy weighting towards customer orientation, however the degree to which capital should be leveraged in favour of the customer and away from vital operational functions of the organisation is unclear and potentially adverse if perceived as unbalanced as it sounds. A company may well listen to the needs of the consumer wholeheartedly, but if process efficiency and output quality are neglected, the company will not succeed. In the case of Amazon, it remains a predominantly service-orientated company, combining the strong brand images and separate marketing strategies of the c ompanies it markets for, with its own e-market leading online interface aimed at maintaining high levels of brand equity. Amazon is not known exclusively for the products it markets, but the way it markets them. Any good book store will stock a copy of the latest J.K. Rowling fiction. The importance is this ‘Because of associations to product assortment, pricing, and credit policy, quality of service, and so on, retailers have their own brand images in consumers minds. Retailers create these associations through the products and brands they stock, the means by which they sell them, and so forth (p. 358). Although separate resource-consuming entities, the perceived quality of the Amazon service indirectly reinforces the marketing efforts of the brands and the products that it stocks and sells from its fulfilment centres. This is not to say, however, that efficiency is not of upmost importance. A fast, responsive inventory database is in action with the aim of delivering (for f ree!) to customers and managing stock replenishment with minimal downtime particularly important for seasonal demand such as Christmastime. Amazons pricing strategy is to minimise the cost to the consumer, through simple but nonetheless effective marketing communication. Customers incentive for their word-of-mouth marketing efforts is a manifested in highly competitive, low pricing since the profitable costing and mark-up of products does not need to earn a return on advertising investment. Remaining a sole e-tailer negates the need for a skimming strategy on the part of Amazon. The aim is simple minimal overheads and marketing expenditure, attractively low pricing, profitable mark-ups. Amazon has done remarkably well where other companies often underrate the power of the consumer as a communications tool. Dorward (1987) cites Doyle (1968) who ‘claimed that persuasive advertising will be more effective either when products are relatively cheap, as consumers will not expect to gain much financially from an extensive market search or when it would be difficult for consumers to evaluate the product prior to purchase (p.155). In the case of Amazon such factors are satisfied by the sharing of previous purchasers as influencers of the decision process, whereby it is much easier to read reviews than to, for example, visit different book or music stores to evaluate the product effectively. The relatively low cost product types that Amazon e-tails enforces the idea that person to person advertising is sufficient and that customers are more likely to take notice of the recommendations Amazon offers. In an interview with Jeff Bezos, wired.com (2005) uncovered why Amazon.com does not utilise media such as television as a form of marketing communication. ‘More and more money will go into making a great customer experience, and less will go into shouting about the service. Word of mouth is becoming more powerful. If you offer a great service, people find out (wired.com). Therefore to communicate its service the company simply relies on the conveyance of its high brand equity through personal communication channels, which Kotler et al recognise as ‘a major reason for Amazons success in growing sales per customer. You have probably made an Amazon purchase based on another customers review or the â€Å"Customers who bought this also bought† secton (p.708). ‘In most cases, it turns out that the most workable solution is often a hybrid, integrating the new e-tail channel with the traditional ones, so customers can purchase items through either e-tail channel or retail channel (Yao and Liu, 2005: p. 236). It is much more difficult to ensure performance gaps between expect and actual quality of service are minimised when dealing with tangible assets such as a group of employees. It is simply not as easy as a programming code alteration in the database system or interface design. Contemporary management practices would inevitably need to be implemented, and since the very heart of Amazon is based online, does it have the competency and experience to manage the working capital utilised for tangible outlets? Although fulfilling the human-human personal interaction function that online service lacks, there is the implication for Amazon as a brand to meet Kellers brand extension disadvantages. A store will most likely be unable to accommo date for the vast array of products that Amazon can deal with so efficiently online. If customer service does not live up to the tailored specification of the renowned e-system, there could be detrimental effects to Amazons customer-centric image. In-store service may override the comparatively low-overhead, low-pricing online service, drawing attention away from Amazon.com and therefore reducing sales. Perceived highly customer-focused service image could be tarnished with a more general retailer image, removing a key selling point for Amazon. ‘In 1988, building on their early research, PZB [Parasuraman, Zeithamal and Berry] published a multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality, named SERVQUAL (Baron and Harris, 2003: p.23). There is a distinct lack of implementation in the Amazon system for a customer-to-management feedback approach. The â€Å"vibe† of the site emits an overly paternalistic, Amazon-knows-best interface without much functionality devoted to Total Quality Management-style input from the customer. Perhaps Jeff Bezos takes the view that the sharing of customer reviews between one another effectively deems the site a self-maintaining organisation one could perhaps interestingly compare Amazons values to the general outlook of the Conservative government in the 1980s in its approach of free market enterprise, de/self-regulation and cost-cutting efficiency with the ultimate aim of maximising value for society. Effectively Amazon supports what could be coined C2C Mark eting, a phenomenon hardly touched by academics in its own right. So where does the future lie for Amazon? Well it does not take long upon scanning the internet to find companies cottoning onto the customer-orientated ways which Amazon mastered a decade ago. Its year-on-year financial success displays itself how the companys brand equity is firmly embedded in the consumer market. ‘Amazon Services is building complete e-commerce solutions for companies that are potential Amazon competitors, leaving open the possibility that Amazon will ultimately head in the direction of technology service over retail sales (money.howstuffworks.com). This provides the opportunity to effectively control its competitors by leveraging its famous CRM patents and driving forward an Amazon-era of e-commerce which has proven so successful. The concept of customer orientation is prevalent in the case of Amazon.com. Right from the very outset the company sought to delineate the customer as an individual, and not merely a group with similar needs a segmentation strategy so many companies use and even then, some fail. This is not to say, however, that Amazon neglects other concepts in its mission to maximise brand equity. The other key aspect relevant to the context of the company, bearing in mind that the self-selling characteristic of Amazons customer orientation has already been mentioned (effectively deeming the conventionally separate selling concept unusually intertwined within it), is the production concept, controlled by an efficient RDBMS and strong B2B relations with its suppliers. Referencing: http://amazon.co.uk/About-Amazon/b?ie=UTF8node=203038011 http://money.howstuffworks.com/amazon.htm http://money.howstuffworks.com/amazon1.htm http://money.howstuffworks.com/amazon3.htm http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664p=irolnewsArticleID=1345412highlight= http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bezos.html Jones, D., Bichard, M., Thompson, D., Green, A., Bilmoria, K., Peppitt, E., and Tusa, J., 2007. Six of the Best: Lessons in Life and Leadership. Hodder Arnold Publishers Ltd. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Wong, V., and Saunders, J., 2008. Principles of Marketing. 5th European Edition. Pearson Education Ltd. McBurnie, T., and Clutterbuck, D., 1988. Give Your Company the Marketing Edge. Penguin Books. Dibb, S., 1998. Market segmentation: strategies for success. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. Vol. 16, pp.394-406. Dennis, C., Merrilees, B., Jayawardhena, C., and Wright, L.T., 2009. E-consumer Behaviour. European Journal of Marketing. Vol. 43, pp.1121-22. Zinkhan, G.M., 2002. Promoting services via the Internet: new opportunities and challenges. Journal of Services Marketing. Vol. 16, pp.412-423. Newell, F., 2003. Why CRM Doesnt Work: how to win by letting customers manage the relationship. Kogan Page. Donaldson, B., and OToole, T., 2002. Strategic Market Relationships: from Strategy to Implementation. John Wiley Sons Ltd. Molineux, P., 2002. Exploiting CRM: Connecting with Customers. Hodder Stoughton. Buttle, F., 2009. Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Technologies. 2nd edition. Elsevier Ltd. Keller, K.L., 2003. Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity. 2nd Edition. Pearson Education Ltd. Doyle, P., 1968. Advertising expenditure and consumer demand. Oxford Economic Papers. Vol. 20, pp. 395-417. Dorward, N., 1987. The Pricing Decision: Economic Theory and Business Practice. Harper Row Ltd. Porter, M.E., 1996. What Is Strategy? Harvard Business Review. pp.61-78 Yao, D.Q., and Liu, J.J.. 2005. Competitive pricing of mixed retail and e-tail distribution channels. The International Journal of Management Science. Vol. 33, pp.235-247. Baron, S., and Harris, K., 2003. Services Marketing: Texts and Cases. 2nd Edition. Macmillan Press Ltd.

Essay example --

The year 1964 has been a very powerful time for the Civil Rights Movement. All the protests and fight for equality has been called for by activists all over America. There have been many films and music committed to show people that the country need to change and that discriminating against people is immoral. All the revolt against society and its norms have led to the important event, where on July 2, 1964 the Civil Rights Act was signed by President Johnson. In January 13, 1964 was the release of the song that supported for such an event was by Bob Dylan called The Times They Are A Changin’. The movie that also called out to people to change was Black Like Me, released in May 20, 1964. Due to the release of such songs and films, there was clearly an issue of inequality and injustice going on in America. The intolerance of people who aren’t white was rising especially in the south. The creation of the song and film hoped to open people eyes to what was going on in Ame rica. I think that the song and film helped society by making them realize that the Civil Rights Act needed to be passed and that the ways things were had to change. On the day of the signing of the Civil Rights Act by President Johnson, many historical events took place to make the bill pass. There were many non-violent supporters of the bill. From events such as the Montgomery bus boycott to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat in a bus and Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. The Civil Rights Act was supposed to be signed by former President Kennedy but his assassination on November 1963, led to Johnson taking over for Kennedy. During the debate of the bill, whether it should be passed or not, there were much opposition to it from both the House ... ...ack Like Me in 1959, which was later made into a movie. The south didn’t take what Griffin wrote about the conditions the African American was facing lightly. They lashed out against Griffin and his family, who lived in Texas. They sent threats to Griffin and his family, they even went as far as burning an effigy of Griffin. It resulted in Griffin and his family moving to Mexico for a few years. I was surprised to find that Griffin was a strong supporter of racial equality, since he grew up in Texas and has lived there most of his life. In the film, Griffin explains how he fought in the Korean War and he tells the doctor, who was helping him get his skin darker, that he was blinded in the war and he regained his sight. During the time he was blinded, Griffin says, â€Å"when your blind there are no color differences and you see things differently and judge differently.†

Color Blindness Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

Color Blindless Color blindness is the inability to distinguish particular colors. It is generally an inherited trait, but can result from a chemical imbalance or eye injury. There are three primary colors. They are red, blue, and yellow. All other colors are the results of different combinations of primary colors. Special visual cells, called cones, are respon-sible for our ability to see color. People with normal vision have three different types of cones, each responsible for a different primary color. The absence of particular cones causes the absence of particular colors. This can be one cause of color blindness. There are four types of color blindness. The rarest forms are mono-chromatism and a-typical monochromatism. People with monochromatic vision, or total color blindness, has no cones at all. As a result, they have no ability to see colors, and no hue discrimi-nation whatsoever. Monochromatic vision is very similar to watching a black and white television program. Somebody with a-typical monochromatic vision has just one type of cone, and can see just one color, and various shades of that color. This form is even rarer than the "typical" monochro-matism. Another, more common, form of color blindness is called dichromatism. People with di-chromatic vision tend to confuse red, green, and gray, but can easil...

Louis XIV :: essays research papers

Louis XIV Louis XIV was a good leader for many reasons, some of which will come out in this essay. Louis ruled with an iron fist, he didn't let anyone mess with France, and if they did , he made them suffer. Second, Louis had mercy on those who betrayed him, a trait rarely seen in his day and age. Third most he did his best to bring down the nobles of France, particularly the more richer ones who thought they were above the law. Louis ruled with an iron fist he didn't let anyone mess around with France, if anyone had the guts to even think about challenging his power over the people of France he would do he would go out of his way to make them suffer. (*1) â€Å"At the same time he regarded himself as God's deputy in France and would allow no challenge to his authority, from the Pope or anyone else† Louis got into many wars while he was ruler of France, he was quick to the draw and did not hesitate to start a war. To show the Catholics that he was still a catholic king ,Louis kept mounting pressure on the French Protestants, until 1685 when he revoked Edict of Nantes. Then he forbid anyone to practice Calvinism. To the people of France this showed great strength on the part of Louis, the fact that he could keep he kept everyone in France inline at the same time. everyone in France obeyed him because he was such a grand, rich, fair king. Louis got into many wars with other countries over the stupidest things, when Charles II were to die with no kids, he made he offered to make Louis's grandson the sole beneficiary of the vast inheritance to be left behind, Louis Accepted the the offer out of pure greed, but that dicision meant war with Austria. Although, Louis was already getting half of the money he still greedily accepted the offer, if he had not accepted the offer war could have been avoided, but hey we all make mistakes The second thing about Louis that made him a good leader was that he had Mercy on those who betrayed him which was something rarely seen in that time. Most Rulers just murdered those who betrayed them, but Louis would jail them. In the case of Louis's most important lieutenant, named Mazarin, He was charged with peculation and found guilty then sentenced to banishment from France. Instead of letting the whole ordeal go down Louis intervened and changed Mazarins sentence from banishment to imprisonment for life.

A/c term paper

HOOF-iffy has the acceptable stability and the compatibility properties with HOFF-AAA. It is also mildly flammable but not as flammable as previous refrigerant. This is why company's such as Volkswagen who has refused to use the new refrigerant. This new product also has a low toxicity level. Comparing the two refrigerants of HOFF-AAA and HOOF-iffy the AAA is a hydro fluorocarbon while the iffy is a hydrofluoric-olefin refrigerant. HOFF refrigerants are have one single bong while the HOOF refrigerant is bonded with at least one double bond between the carbon atoms.HOOF-iffy has the same physical properties as HOFF-AAA therefore iffy may be used in current AAA systems without making many modifications to the system. According to DuPont iffy has the potential to be retrofitted to the existing HOFF-AAA systems. The only problem with this that it can cause is that HOOF-iffy is said to be tens times more expensive then the existing HOFF-AAA which then brings the idea of shops recharging t he system with â€Å"HOOF-iffy† but actually refilling it with the cheaper HOFF-AAA since they will be so similar. Studies have proved that HOOF-iffy has improved performance beating the HOFF-AAA.HOOF-iffy will have a lower total contribution to climate change. It has a more environmentally sustainable refrigerant for automobiles that has a 99. 7% better GAP score than the currently used refrigerants, test have also proved that it will lead to better fuel efficiency. Thus also leading it to be more efficient in warmer climates rather than using CO. Performance Test First begin doing your test with selecting your temperature knob to cold then your selector to Max LLC. This will now recalculate the cabin air without letting outside air thus resulting in colder temperature.Then turn blower switch to full blast. Now start engine, put pressure on gas petal until reaching two thousand RPM. Now make sure to close all windows and doors. The next step would be to place an auxiliary fa n in front of the car facing the condenser. Allow the system to stabilize which will take approximately five to ten minutes. Now begin to place a thermometer in the register closet to the evaporator and check the temperature. When you read the temperature it should be around thirty-five to forty degrees Fahrenheit with an ambient air temperature of eighty degrees Fahrenheit.At this time if you have a set of gauges, this would be a good time to put them on to read your pressures and see when the impresser is cycling or cycling at all in some cases. If outlet temperature is high, check compressor cycling time. After this process now first check the cycling clutch switch operation. Second and final step for this process, is if clutch is energize continuously, discharge the system and check for missing orifice tube, plugged inlet screen, or any other restrictions in the suction line. Diagnosis using Manifold Gauge Test 1 . ) Low side should read 30 SSI and high side should read 200 SSI. This is considered a normal pressurized system. 2. ) Low side reads 12 SSI and high side reads Pepsi. When the gauges read this, this will cause the clutch to cycle more often thus resulting in the clutch having to be bypassed to be diagnosed. Your diagnosis should conclude with a possible partial restriction in the metering device, screen clogged, or moisture in the system or a possible kinked hose on the low pressure side. You should visually inspect to see if there faulty blower or a faulty cycling switch. Also check to see if the evaporator so dirty or the filter and to see if it is iced. . ) Low side will read very low around Pepsi. High side will read normal at first but then drop. Your diagnosis will conclude that you are low on refrigerant. First perform a leak test to see if that is why your refrigerant is so low. Then check and see if there is a total restriction on the low side. Another possibility is the TXT being stuck closed. If so warm the sensing bulb and check press ure, sensing bulb may have lost its charge. 4. ) Low side will read low. High side will read high. This will mean there is restriction in the discharge line. 5. ) Low side will read high or equalized.High side will read low or equalized. If equalized check hand valves to make sure they are open all the way. Possible electrical problem with the clutch not engaging. Also check fuses, clutch coil, wires, relay, switches, and compressor to see if there are any defects. Check to see if the clutch is engaged, valves are open and rings, belt, bearings and seal are in good working condition. 6. ) Low side will read high. High side will read normal. In this case the TXT will be stuck open. Sensing bulb may not be insulated or loose. Also could have a flooded evaporator. 7. ) Low side will read high. High side will read high.This will result in a overcharged system or air contamination. Also a oil overcharge or dye overcharge. Also check to see if the condenser is blocked. Check for dirt, pla stic bags, bent fins. Could need to be cleaned and replace broken fans if need be. Now check the electrical side such as the fans, clutch, and check to see if the engine is overheating because of poor air flow. Suggests that could be caused from the timing being off or contaminated refrigerant. Leak Detection To first do leak detection you will need to get your system to at least Pepsi for a minimum. Second you must I. D your refrigerant.One detection method is a Halide torch. This will only work on Cuff's and Hooch's. You will need propane and a search hose. Next heat your reactor plate until it is red hot. The color of the flame will change once it finds a leak depending on the size of the leak. The second method of doing leak detection is the Soap Solution. Use a premixed soup solution mixed with water then spray on Joints and suspected areas of possible leaks, now look for leaks. A third method is the fluorescent dye. Take dye and inject into system while it Is in vacuum. Let th e dye cycle through the system for three to four days then bring back in to check for leaks.This method does not harm the systems performance, once back not the shop check system for leaks with a black light. The dye comes in two colors which are yellow and red. The drawback of using this method is the dye stains and will never come out. The fourth method of leak detection is using an electronic leak detector. A new and old type of these systems. The older year detects the chlorine in R-12 and the newer models can detect both. They are self-calibrating and can self I. D leak rates as low as . Jazz per year. Once you hear a beep that's when it has found a leak. You never want to touch the leak detector to the refrigerant.

Premchand’s Goodan and Dickens Hard Times Essay

There is always unremitting impression which brings Premchand’s Goodan and Dickens Hard Times in framework as an entirety. Goodan which was written 1936, in a nutshell travels on the apprehension of a life of a farmer, most importantly oppression in the hand of class structure. As a critic points out the life of Indian village and the farmer seems to be trapped in the net woven by the landlords, moneylenders and police i. e. suggesting double standard of the capitalists. Dickens correspondingly voices social injustice and problem in the capitalist framework most importantly oppression of the lower class by the upper class. A critic suggested that both the writers Premchand and Dickens primarily concerns to voicing the social reform, consciously trying to draw a balance between idealism and realism as a whole. In Hard Times which was written in 1854, depicted Victorian industrial society, and formulated a troop of radical critique of industrial England. Siengfried A.  Schulz in his book â€Å"Premchand : a western appraisal† provided mainly three proposition drawn between Hard times and Goodan. In Hard Times : 1) Injustice 2) Oppression of the poor by the upper class 3) Attack on the economic theorist, utilitarian. Again, in case of Goodan he proposes 1) deeply intrigued on the Question of Dharma. 2) Oppression of the poor by the rich. 3) Confinement of Premchand to depict the ugly aspect of Indian society. If we closely observe there seems to struggle between two world : world of fancy and world of factualism in Hard Times and world of village and city in Goodan. Goodan presents the life of Hori and his inclination towards religious ritual i. e. Goodan and his unable to forsake the concept of his dharma and his life is doomed due to his adherence to it. The use of the term Dharma by Premchand gives the impression of a hollow ring suggesting hypocritical too. Hori, hopes that all other would understand and naturally adhere to a traditional code of conduct, but his attitude is not reciprocated. This also gives a vibrant picture of problem of social hierarchy as a whole. In Hard Times too, the fact oriented ideology of the characters like Gradgrind and Bounderby can be seen as they opposed any kind of fancy or imagination. Dickens represents utilitarian concept of adherence to ‘fact’ which is dominant in the novel. Again, a critic points out that the marriage between Lusia- Bounderby can be connected with the character of Hori, as he too maries his elder daughter in marriage to an elderly man, but the difference according to him is that it is Hori’s helplessness and misery that drives him towards this decision. Some critic even points out that Premchand’s bringing out of this concept of marriage gives a parallel treatment of marriage as a whole for the western as well as Indian society. Through Hori, Premchand reveals the prospect of Indian farmers giving a warning that life of misery would continue until there is no change in the approach of Indian farmers towards his environment. Through Gradgrind and Bounderby, Dickens produced his product of representing the contemporary purely materialistic, scientifically bent utilitarian theory. A critic posts Goodan far ahead of Hard Times as it seems more realistic then Hard Times. There is many instances like the Gradgrind’s giving shelter to Sissy Jupe, and Hori’s giving shelter to Siliya which proposed Siegfried’s attempt of convincing that there can be possibility of borrowing ideas by Premchand Form Dickens. Again, there is also a possible analogy between lives of Stephen and Hori as both had extreme faith in life and simplicity and honesty are almost akin to Hori’s dharma. Even their death brings out similarity as both dies with desires that are not fulfilled. Stephen’s fall symbolizes the destruction of the working class by industrial upper class and Hori’s death indicates defeat of the Indian peasant in the face of unbearable odd. There can be similar parallel between characters like Stephen- Richel and Mehta and Malti in Goodan. Both limited roles, suggesting extra-marital affair. Through these characters Premchand represented the immergence of free thinking society. Mehta and Malti exposes Premchand’s idealism and Dickens depicted realistic form through Stephen and Richel. Premchand posesthe concept of westernization in the cities as well as Malti becomes the target of his sarcasm and satire too in Goodan. At last Tom and Gobar poises two portal of articulation as Tom suggests natural and nasty influence of the fact – oriented society. Gobar seems to be burdened by the approach of younger generation. Tom, like Gobar becomes the link betwwn the two worlds. Dickens seems to be hopeful but Premchand exposes his pessimism, his loss of faith in the ability of the Indian psyche to overcome change. This voices the two writers concern in reforming society. â€Å"No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road, turn back. † — Turkish Proverb

Financial analysis for smartphone industry

After a heat discussion, our team chose the smart phone industry for the following two reasons. Firstly, telephone is a significant communicating instrument around the world today. International Telecommunication Union predicts that the number of cell phones would exceed the number of human beings in 2014. Secondly, with the increasingly functions of smart phone, it plays a vital role in the relevant industries. The flourishing development of smart phone industry also accelerates the development of other industries such as the cell phone battery industry and cell phone game industry. . 1 Industry Analysis We are talking about smart phone industry specifically. The newly formed competitive market includes hardware manufacturing, operating systems and content. Looking back on the history, leaders of those fields have changed a lot, as Monika, Motorola and RIM have been transcended by Apple, Samsung and other brands. Apply Porter's five force analysis to smart phone industry. Starting f rom threat of entry, software faces this more because of open platforms. Floods of capitals are required for R and operation levels, thus this threat is moderately high.Substitutes like Pads, Notebook and laptops have entered the market causing the threat. Threat also comes from suppliers, fragmented supply and the difficulty of vertical integration have impeded company profiting. But the threat is low overall. Meanwhile, buyers also impact threat by various demands and higher bargaining power. All these four threats result in a high threat of rivalry. Brand and concentrated market also matter. For the industry status, in 2011, the smart phone application market was about USED 6. 7 billion which is expected to be USED 1 55 billion with CARR of almost 55% from 2011 to 2017.In addition, worldwide sales of smart phones to end users totaled 968 million units in 2013, an increase of 42. Percent from 2012. Sales of smart phones accounted for 53. 6 percent of overall mobile phone sales in 2013 which accounts for 75. 8% of the overall mobile handset revenue. 1. 3 Firm description We choose six companies in smart phone industry to do some analysis. They are Sony, Apple, Samsung, ETC, Black Berry and Monika. The firms we choose represent different level of performance in the industry. Apple and Samsung are outstanding firms with higher net income and greater profitability.MONIKA, SONY and Blackberry are firms once created brilliant achievements but suffer from ailing business in the past 3 years. ETC is a newly brought-in competitor with advanced technology in developing smart phones. The six firms experienced different types of history. Samsung struggled with poor quality and inferior products in its earlier times. Apple seemed to grow gradually since it was established. On the contrary, Blackberry and MONIKA were once outstanding in the industry. SONY (SONY Ericson) left behind when transforming from mobile phones to smart phones.ETC has a short history. Most of the f irms experienced several important mergers or acquisition in the past 5 years. Badly-performed firms shrink while well-performed ones expand their equines by proper selling plans or acquisitions. Some important events are as follows. Microsoft declared to acquire Ionians mobile business and large amounts of patent portfolios with 7. 17 billion dollars. Blackberry made an announcement that the corporation agreed to be acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings at the price of 47 billion, though the selling plan turns out to be failed.SONY and Ericson were incorporated into Sony Mobile Communications. 2. Past performance analysis Note: Risk free rate: US. Government bond rate for 5 years Expected market return: historical industry return for 5 years 2. 1 Samsung 013 is a fancy year for Samsung, possessing the biggest market share in smart phone for 31. 5% ahead of 15. 5% for Apple. For the first sq in 2013, PEE ratio decreased from 9. 09% to 6. 99% and it rose to 7. 30% in SQ. For the cap ital structure, 93. 2% was financed by equity and bond took up 6. 7%. Stock return for 2013 is -3. 7%. Move to past areas. PIE ratio experienced biggest decrease from 1 1. 88% to 7. 04%. Stock return is waving from 2. 98% to 28. 53%. Now focus on past areas. PEE ratio as 1 1. 88% peaked in 2011 standing out from a general downward trend. Besides, the releasing of GALAXY Tab 3 and GALAXY Note 10. Drove inventory turnover ratio higher. The peak for debt to equity ratio appeared in 2011 which is 0. 1446 and the trend is downward. Stock return in 2009 is highest for 64. 42%. The cost of equity for Samsung is 27. 63% given its current beta is 1. 12.For the dividend policy, the payout ratios are 12. 3%, 9. 3%, 6. 0%, 5. 1% and 7. 11%respectively since 2009. The most recent dividend pay date is on August 26, painting out 75. 4 million USED. On July 17 2012, Samsung acquired the handset operations of CARS Pl, and invested a 4. 9% stake in the company later. It is the largest acquisition cas e for Samsung since the 1997 uncial crisis. Actually, Samsung completed 5 acquisitions in 2012 which is more frequent than before. Acquisitions progress appears in net income rising from in 2011 to and to in 2012 and 2013.Inventions also declined from 3,859,994 to 2,918,234 until 2013. Samsung sold a record 86 million smart phones in Quaff 2013 and widened its lead over Apple selling 51 million for phone 5. 2. 2 Monika In 2013, Monika had a negative PEPS, showing that Monika didn't do well in 2013. The inventory turnover was about 6. 0, lower than the industry average (about). ROE was negative. The debt/asset ratio was 72. 59%. The dividend per share was O in 2013. The stock return was 97% in 2013 and the cost of equity for Monika is 8. 66%, given its current beta is 1. 3. Looking at the past 3 years, we find Debt/Equity ratio of Monika was increasing constantly. The ROE ratio was always negative over the past three years, decreasing from 2011 to 2012 and increasing from 2012 to 201 3. The dividend per share decreased from 0. 33 in 2011 to 0. 13 in 2012, then too in 2013. The stock return increased from -55% in 2011 to -23% in 2012, then to 97% in 2013. Considering the past five years performance, we find that Monika did quite a good Job in 2009 and 010 because its PIE ratios were positive and really high.The dividend per share decreased from 0. 41 in 2009 to 0. 31 in 2010. The trend of dividend per share from 2009 to 2013 is declining. The stock return increased from 2009 to 2013 while it was negative from 2009 to 2012. As for important events, on September 3rd, 2013, Microsoft declared to acquire Ionians mobile business and a large amount of patent portfolios with 7. 17 billion dollars. The stock price of Monika soared from about 3 dollars per share to about 8 dollars per share from August 29th, 2013 to November 18th, 2013.We compare the financial performance of the third quarter and fourth quarter of 2013 and find that net income increased a lot from -91 mil lions to -millions of dollars. 2. 3 Apple In 2013, Apple had a perfect performance. The ROE (about 0. 3064) and PIE ratio (about 15. 21) are both three times higher than the industry average, Besides, the inventory turnover of Apple is about 83, Apple is already well-known for its supply chain. The company's 40. 31% of assets came from debt and 59. 69% of assets came from equity. The of PAPAL in 2013 is 0. 74, and the cost of capital for PAPAL is 22. 3 percent in 2013.In the past 3 years, the current ratio and price-earnings ratio did not change a lot, but ROE decrease sharply in 2013, and the debt/equity decreased in 2012 and increased in 2013, meaning that the company issued more stocks than bonds in 2012. The annual stock return 0. 013 in 2013, 0. Tent 2012, and 0. 243 in 2011. Looking back over 5 years, the ROE increased from 2009 to 2012 and decreased in 2013. The inventory turnover went up sharply from 2012 and went down a little in 2013, which is partially because of the phon e ass's huge success. In addition, PAPAL began giving shareholders a quarterly dividend of $2. Per share in 2012. This dividend yield is about 1. 2% higher than the industry average. Apple's business philosophy is to acquire small companies that can be easily integrated into existing company projects, so Apple did more than 60 small acquisitions in the last decades. Apple merged plenty of software makers including Sir. After the acquisition, Sir has been an intelligent personal assistant and was introduced as a feature of the phone AS. This technical innovation has been a huge success so that more than 50% profit of Apple company came from phone in 2012. 2. ETC 013 is a struggling year for ETC, we can see that most of the key ratios of the company are under the industry average, profitability measures are almost all negative, and ROE are -1. 67, indicating that ETC failed to earn enough profit to even cover its expense. The high Debt/equity ratio (1. 22) makes its stock risky. The o f ETC in 2013 is 1. 88, while the industry average is only 1. 12. High makes the cost to raise capital high too. The cost of capital for ETC is 10. 13 percent in 2013. Looking back over 3 years, we found that Itch's profit has been declining since 2011, inventory turnover declined from 12. 8 to 7. 0 due to the poor sale and management problem. The annual stock return -0. 525 in 2013, 0. 064 2012, and -0. 392 in 2011. Looking back over 5 years, it is clear that the business boomed during 2009 and 2011, and started to fall behind since then. The sale increased by about 1 11% from 2009 to 2010, but stock price has fallen by 90 percent since then. Besides, the company prescribed at least 50% of the total dividend be distributed as cash dividend, it pay dividend in July or August every year. ETC believe that acquisitions are the key to help ETC quickly grow to compete with its competitors.So ETC spent more than $700 lions on acquisition in 2010 and 2011 trying to gain market share. Major mergers include SO Graphics, Beats Electronics LLC, and etc. However, Itch's acquisition strategy didn't work well as expected. Those deals neither helped ETC to boost its brand image or to win the law suit, the sale have also been decreasing since the requested of 2011. 2. 5 Sony From 2009 to 2013, Sony had gone through a road of difficult and twists. In 2013, Sony didn't have a well performance. Its current ratio, ROE and inventory turnover ratio is under industry average.To be specific, its inventory turnover ratio is the lowest. Through its PEE ratio is strangely high, I think it mostly related to the small profit number. Looking back over 3 years, we can see most ratio, including ROE and inventory turnover ratio, had a peak in 2012. Especially ROE had a soaring from 2011 to 2012. There are four reasons. First, Sony Corp. acquired the remaining 50% stake from ELM Ericson Telethon ABA on February 15, 2012, which made mobile phone sales increased a lot. Last, the yen devalued. Lo oking back over 5 years, the current ratio and ROE had a drop until 2011.The inventory turnover ratio had a peak in 2010 while he debt-equity ratio increased until 2012. Actually, Sony had negative net income for consecutive four years. Not only it is a result of disasters such as JP Tsunami, but also it is because the yen appreciate and digital products from Japan were shocked by other goods. The stock return ratio of Sony from 2009 to 2011 has dropped from 0. 5 to -0. 47. However, it began to increase then. The ratio in 2013 is about 0. 15. It is consistent with what ROE shows. The cost of equity is 52. 72%. It is large due to the high Arm (29. 64%) and high risk (beta-?I . 2). 2. 6 Blackberry 2013 is not a pleasant year for Blackberry. The ability to generate profit is far behind its peer competitors. PEPS and ROE of the firm are -1. 23 and -6. 61% due to the negative net income. However, the current ratio highly above the industry average (about 1. 09). Stocks risk of Blackberry is low, measured in of 0. 48. Based on p, the cost of capital is 3. 70%. On account of the bad performance over the year, annual stock return in 2013 is -0. 426. Looking back to the past three-year performance, Blackberry dropped from its recent peak in 2011 to historical worst.Blackberry experienced a terrible service interrupt in Cot, 2011, which severely damaged the rim reputation and directly caused the following bad performances. Business declined sharply in 2012, with falling ROE and PEE ratio. In retrospect the performance in last five years, we could see that even under unpleasant financial crisis, Blackberry still could hold itself. PEE ratio was 17. 1 in 2009 and 10. 0 in 2012, both showing a good prospect, however, the ratio then began to decrease sharply after 2010. Annual stock return was at first positive in 2009(0. 19), but it has fallen below zero ever since. Inventory turnover is quite stable during the whole period. No dividend has been strutted during recent five years because of the disappointing performance. Most important series of restructuring events in Blackberry's history appeared in the year 2013. BlackBerry first announced to have reached a potential acquisition agreement with its biggest shareholder Fairfax Financial on Seep 23rd, after this good news, the stock price of BlackBerry shot up 0. 6 dollars. But the potential acquisition plan didn't last for a long time.In Novena, 2013 BlackBerry declared the breakdown of the selling plan. By pm Novo 4th, the stock price of BlackBerry has dropped 1. 44 dollars (18. 53%). 3. Future performance analysis . 1 Pro formal Pro formal of Cash Flow Pro formal of Balance Sheet & Income Statement Note: Erg (regression) W-M (weighted-moving-average method) Final (final forecast) We complete the pro formal by three steps. First step is to do an autoregressive analysis to forecast the data of 2014 and 201 5 through the historical data from 2009 to 2013. Then, we computed the weighted average by givi ng the weight of 0. 5, 0. 1, 0. 15, 0. 3, and 0. 4. Finally, we find some forward looking data predicted by economic forecasters on the internet and use moving weighted average method to get final data which are more efficient. What is more, if there is no forward looking data, we use weighted average on the regressive result and average result. We combined two different methods to do the forecast. Because every method has it is own drawback. For the regression method, it cannot show that the latest data, which indicates the trends more accurately, is more vital than the previous one.And the weighted average can overcome this drawback by giving the latest data more weights. But for some items like income, we think the result of regression method is more accurately. So we combined these two methods by using weighted average. 3. 2 Recommendation We divided the analysis of future performance of PAPAL into two parts: The analysis of data and the analysis of reality. Firstly, Let us focu s on the forecast data. We analyze three kinds of vital data measuring the performance of PAPAL. The first one is earnings per share (PEPS), which reflects the ability of company to generating profit.We forecast this data by regression, which is to estimate the net income and shares and do a Multivariate regression. The result is around 45. Then, there are five websites give out the PEPS estimate around 47. 9. We give them weights and get the final data of 47. . PEPS is the dollar value of earnings per each outstanding share of a company's common stock. Higher PEPS means that the company can generate more net income by each share and it can use less capital to get higher profit. Besides, the dividend may be high because of the high PEPS. The forecast data 47. In 201 5 is higher than today's data and it is reliable, because the net income and the shares are both increasing and the increasing speed of shares is slowly. So the performance of PAPAL will be better in the future. The seco nd one is PIE ratio. We use the weighted average method to get PIE in 201 5, which is 13. 2, and we also use the regression method to get it, which is 13. 44. We find that the forecast PIE ratio in Yahoo is 13. 07, which is not a high one. Theoretically speaking, a stock with low PIE ratio is a good one to investment, because the purchase cost is low.Besides, we think the value of PAPAL is underestimated now because of the high PEPS and the low PIE ratio. The price of stock will go up in the future. The third one is ROE, which shows how well PAPAL uses investment funds to earnings growth. We use the weighted average method to get ROE in 201 5, which is 36. 34%, and we also use the regression method to get it, which is 38. 6%. The average number is 37. 6%. ROE measures the rate of return on the shareholders' equity of the stock owners, which measures a firm's ability of generating profits from every unit of shareholders' equity.Generally speaking, ROES more than 10% are considered go od. Besides, the ROE of PAPAL is a reliable one, because the debt asset ratio is not high. In conclusion, we recommend that stockholders could hold Pal's stock for a long time because of the low PIE ratio and the high ROE. Performance we forecasted originates from two reality parts, one is expected increase based on past and current situations and the other is unexpected hangs including systematic and unsystematic risks align with future. The anticipated two opportunities for Apple are analyzed as following.The global market for smart phone will grow in few years based on GIG prediction and the annual sale is expected to increase from 1 billion in 2013 to 1 . Billion in 2017. Until the end of 2013, the SIS system accounted for 41. 2% and Android is 51. 9% comparatively. This intense rising user trend will amplify the market pie. The other is the cooperation with China Mobile. Above million regular customers of China Mobile will assist the sales rise for Apple. Unexpected systematic risk consists of interest rate risk and foreign currency risk. The company typically invests in highly-rated securities and changes in U.S. Interest rates affect the interest earned on the company's cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, the fair value of those securities, as well as costs associated with hedging. In the third quarter of 2013, the company issued $17. 0 billion of long-term debt, which included $3. 0 billion of floating-rate notes. In addition, Apple is a net receiver of foreign currencies and changes in exchange rates, particularly strengthening of U. S. Lars will negatively affect its net sales and gross margins expressed as U. S. Dollars originally. Unsystematic risk involves Apple's internal specific performance.New products release like will be a main source. The attraction of next generation Apple phone is controversial and based on past dissatisfying sales of phone and pad, their growth rate nearly held constant. Some people concern its innovation w ithout Jobs but some analysts note that the bigger size for phones will eliminate advantage of Android system brands like Samsung. Charm of wearing new product which is twitch concretely is also worth anticipating ND we may get some indicts from the coming WAD held in Los Angels. Beyond this, Apple will increase repurchase of stocks and issuance of dividends.According to Sanford C. Bernstein prediction, Apple will issue BIB dollars dividends in 2015. This will increase the value of stocks held on shareholders if the PEE ratio increased after the issuance. 4. Relative Performance According to the comparison of 5 key ratios, the underperforming corporations are SONY, Blackberry, ETC and MONIKA. Most of the firm shared common problems in several aspects as lack of innovative products and inventory management, while mom have critical faults in designing strategies. Relative performance and recommendations are as follows.According to the lowest inventory turnover ratio of Sony among its industry peers, one recommendation for Sony is to turn over its inventory quickly. It can improve its supply chain, manage efficiently to product appropriately. Due to the fast update of digital products, long inventory turnover period will enlarge the risk and the cost. Besides, 3. 1% of the market share is so small compared with Samsung and Apple that its ROE can't increase smoothly. The key to increase its market share is to launch the new production. Only by creating great mobile phones like phone, can Sony rebuild its Sony Time.Similar problems appeared in Blackberry and Monika. Most of Blackberry's profitability ratios as PEE, ROE and PEPS are under industry average due to firm's negative net income. The reasons are lack of attractive application programs and disappointing new product. Apple's phone and Google's Android squeezed the market share of Blackberry smart phone. The newly launched table PC was also not satisfying with simple functions but high selling price. Blackber ry should not only depend on its good reputation in E-mail recessing system, but focus more on user's entertainment experience like fancy interface and programs.Besides, Blackberry is the only one who ignores the prospect in China. To recover from declining tendency, a competitive product is required to open its Chinese market. The negative ROE and low inventory turnover ratio indicates that MONIKA is losing money . The reason is that the product of Monika is not as popular as that of other leading companies like Apple and considered to be lack of innovation, and its Simian operating system (until 2013) is not advocated by developers. So Monika should increase funding for research and develop products that appeal the consumers.Given that the mobile phone business of Monika was acquired by Microsoft on April 5th, 2014 (the acquisition was started on September 3rd, 2013), Microsoft should learn a lesson from the failure of Monika. ETC has been struggling in China due to price competit ion and limited distribution. Many people think the wrong high-end market strategy got ETC into trouble. To get out of woods, ETC may need to forget its strategy on high-end market and consider a partnership (merger) with another smart phone company that could provide synergy.Chinese smart phone makers sell products domestically because they have weak brand awareness in other regions, but ETC has established solid brand awareness in the United States and Europe, which Chinese handset makers could capitalize on. And ETC could get resources to get through this situation and look for new chances for development. So a merger with Chinese films could be a win-win. 5. Conclusion From the perspective of companies in the smart phone industry: Considering the fast speed of development of Asia-Pacific market, each company should strive to evolve Asia-Pacific market.Moreover, the target market of the company must be effective. As for products, companies should develop the products that satisfy consumers' preference. From the perspective of investors: The smart phone industry has a great development potential, so investors have substantial investment opportunities in this industry. But investors should cautiously determine the invested companies. We recommend selecting invested companies according to their past and future financial performance, the fitness between their products and the preference f the market, the market strategies and so on.