Compare how feelings are presented in two of the poems Harmonium and Brothers Essay

Everyone experiences feelings; they cannot be ignored as we have no control over them. In ‘Harmonium’, Simon Armitage explores the feelings of the relationship between himself and his father, using the extended metaphor he presents the instrument ‘harmonium’ to test his feelings that exists between the father and son. The name itself ‘harmonium’ immediately highlights the connection or ‘harmony’ between them. Armitage also underlines the feeling of regret throughout the poem, as the harmonium is â€Å"gathering dust†, which means by protecting the instrument, he can retain memories from his life. In ‘Brothers’ feelings are also explored by Andrew Forster, the poem underlines the childhood experiences, and the unbalanced relationship with siblings. Forster presents a nostalgic part of a childhood memory, which consists of emotional significance, where relationships change between two brothers. The little brother is considered inferior, as the older brother does not enjoy his â€Å"spouting† conversation, he takes advantage to neglect his little brother so that he can be with his friend doing â€Å"what grown-ups do†. In similar, this poem also identifies regret, the older brother expresses guilt that the ‘distance’ he has created between them, and the little boy with his ‘hand holding out’ showing desire for connection with his older brother. Feelings are presented differently throughout the poems. In ‘harmonium’, Armitage uses colloquialisms which shape the speech patterns of Yorkshire dialect, and also showing discomfort between the feelings of father and son. At the start of the poem, Armitage begins with ‘for a song’, which explores the idea of memories of the past ‘struck a chord’. Armitage also highlights his father’s vulnerability, as he is a ‘dead weight’ which may suggest that he is a burden to his son as he gets older, where they have formed feelings of regret. Similarly, in ‘Brothers’, Forster also uses colloquialisms ‘saddled with you’ or ‘me and Paul’ to represent the speaker’s voice as more realistic. Forster explores the feelings through using monosyllabic language such as ‘said you should go and ask Mum’ which is clearly suggesting childhood and an emotional tone, also showing regret in their feelings. In ‘Harmonium’, Armitage uses personification to identify the metaphorical link between his father and the harmonium, such as ‘the case is ‘aged’, its keys are ‘yellowed the fingernails’, it has ‘lost its tongue’. These suggest that Armitage is describing his father as old, no longer needed. Contrastingly, in ‘Brothers’, Forster uses verb forms to underline the feelings of the two brothers, as the older brothers are considered ‘ambled’ and ‘strolled’, whereas the younger brother ‘skipped’ and ‘windmilled’ which suggests that he is at ease. However, his brothers fear unassertiveness due to being in their teens. This suggests that they hold feelings for each other, but don’t want to expose them in front of their friends. Imagery is used to express the uselessness and vulnerability of the father in ‘Harmonium’. As the instrument itself is ‘gathering dust’, old and is rusty, the father is also ‘aged’, showing that he is no longer needed and is a burden. ‘Bundled off to the skip’ and ‘laid on its back’ suggest his uselessness. However, Armitage also emulates on the harmonium’s positive past, by describing it as ‘under the sunlight, through stained glass’, and the voices to be singing like ‘glided finches’. This positivity of his father’s is shown as the last words in the final stanza, where the use of sibilance, imagery and strong rhyme suggests whispering of the ‘phrase’ contained in rhyming couplet which creates regretful tone and feeling, which could suggest that Armitage cannot bring himself to speak. On the other hand, in ‘Brothers’, the tone becomes regretful as he describes his little brother from a distance when ‘holding out a coin’. This suggests that the brother is regretful for neglecting and abandoning his little brother for being with his friends and ignoring his existence, and this is shown at the end of the poem where the older brother realises the ‘distance’ he created between them both. Hence, the love for his little brother is a realisation of guilt through the description of his carefree playfulness and him ‘holding hand out’ for a coin. The repentance makes his feelings for his little brother come across and their relationship alter over time. Both poems present strong, feelings of emotional pain and regret. Harmonium’ where Armitage discovers the vulnerability of his father at the end and through the instrument itself, where he feels something has been lost which is unable to recapture. Which suggest that he later wanted his father to be a part of his life. ‘Brothers’ where the poet underlines the difficult relationships between siblings and how they chan ge overtime, as for the older brother feeling regretful for neglecting his younger brother who was ‘holding up a coin’. Both poems suggest and express regret for a missed opportunity to communicate the feelings with the close ones.

Compareison/ Han China an Roman Empire Essay

EMPIRE AND CULTURAL IDENTITY: PATTERNS OF IMPERIAL EXPANSION Arising out of preexisting territorial kingdoms, the Roman and Han empires marked a different scale and quality of empire building. With a population of over 50 million people and up to 4 million square miles under its control, the Han Empire had vast resources on which to draw. The Roman Empire governed equally vast land and territories, yet the two empires had separate patterns of development. The Chinese envisaged imperial culture as an ideal from the past to be emulated by the civilian magistrates and bureaucrats who managed the state. The Romans, in contrast, transformed—through experimentation and innovations—from a city-state ruled collectively by citizens into one-man imperial rule. And both empires became principal models for successor states. The Qin Dynasty King Zheng of Qin claimed the mandate of heaven and forged a central state far more powerful than that of the Zhou dynasty. He forced the families of  defeated states to move to his capital at Xianyang so he could ensure that they were not gathering armies against him. And he took the title Shi Huangdi—First August Emperor. ADMINISTRATION AND CONTROL Zheng divided China into thirty-six provinces (or commanderies) and each province into counties. Each commandery had a civilian and military governor, both of whom answered to an inspector general. Regional and local officials answered directly to the emperor, and they could be removed at the emperor’s discretion. Civilian governors rotated offices to prevent them from building an independent power base. All males were registered by clerks, providing lists for conscription and taxation. All able-bodied men were expected to serve in the army and provide labor for public works. The Qin took control over education and learning. Censorship of books was strongly enforced, and books in private residences confiscated and burned. Teachers were forbidden from using outlawed books. A new standard written script was created to facilitate communication. Standard weights and measures and currency were also established. An idea of â€Å"grand unity† emerged as the Qin began to extend the boundaries of China. The Qin chief minister Li Si subscribed to the principles of Legalism and established strict laws and punishments in order to provide social stability and order. The Qin also established a road network connecting the Qin capital to all parts of the empire. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHANGES Building on trends in landownership that began during the Warring States period, the Qin dynasty championed free farmers who could be individually taxed by the state. By supporting agricultural production, the state could expand its tax revenues. As agriculture shifted from self-sufficient royal manors to farmers producing goods for the marketplace, landowners began to use contracts and money to strike bargains with laborers and with each other. The practice of farmers and traders using contracts was coming to replace the tradition of ties of blood dominating public and private  affairs. A class of merchants grew as long-distance trade expanded, aided by the new roads and canals built by the Qin dynasty. The Qin state, however, believed trade produced nothing of lasting value and encouraged the production of crops over trade. NOMADS AND THE QIN ALONG THE NORTHERN FRONTIER As the Qin dynasty sought to extend its borders to the north and west, it encountered the nomadic Xiongnu who traversed a large zone of the Inner Eurasian steppe. The Xiongnu sought to protect their pasturelands from the Qin and also engaged in trade and diplomacy with them. In order to secure the Xiongnu pasturelands for settlement, the Qin established a road and a massive defensive wall along the northern border and settled 30,000 colonists in the steppe lands of Inner Asia. In response, the Xiongnu formed a loose confederation among the steppe tribes and reconquered their lands when the Qin fell in 207 BCE. This pattern of trade and diplomacy punctuated by armed hostility persisted for centuries. THE QIN DEBACLE Qin rule collapsed quickly. Heavy tax and labor requirements resulted in mutinies from conscripted laborers, who were joined by local military leaders, influential merchants, and others. When Qin rule collapsed in 207 BCE, civil war erupted in which an unheralded commoner, Liu Bang, declared himself the prince of his home region of Han and in 202 BCE declared himself the first Han emperor. Liu Bang turned to Confucian scholars to justify his ascendancy by depicting the Qin as cruel, immoral despots. Yet the Han adopted much of the Qin bureaucratic system and penal codes while affirming the Confucian idea of the moral and cultural foundations of state power. The Han Dynasty The Han dynasty became China’s formative empire, extending Han rule in all directions. The Han relied on conscripted labor and state revenues from state lands, along with a land tax. The western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)  was marked by economic prosperity and expansion of the empire. After a usurper seized power from 9 to 23 CE, the Han claimed authority and the eastern Han dynasty lasted from 25 to 220 CE. FOUNDATIONS OF HAN POWER The Han Empire was distinguished by a tight-knit alliance between the imperial family and the new elite—the scholar-gentry class—who united in their effort to impose order on Chinese society. Economic and social supports, as well as a strong military and bureaucratic administration, contributed to the strength, expanse, and longevity of the Han Empire. Power and Administration In order to secure support, Liu Bang provided land grants to his military supporters and relatives who had helped to overthrow the Qin. Power emanated from the ruling family, whose kin were made nobles and given land over which they had direct power. Governors who administered the commanderies remained under central control, and a grand counselor headed the civil bureaucracy drawn from the educated men representing powerful local communities. At the outset of the Han dynasty, the central government refrained from interfering with regional communities. Thus, the emperor and his family and court represented a strong, centralized monarchy, but practical considerations always restrained the ruler’s power. The Han-centralized bureaucracy became an enduring source of state power. The Han court soon tightened its control over regional administration and removed powerful princes or regional lords. Regional officials came to govern these aristocratic enclaves as commanderies of the empire. A civilian official and military commandant administered each commandery, each with immense responsibilities. They were accountable for political stability and the collection of taxes. The state established schools to promote the scholar-official ideal, and eventually established a university with over 30,000 members who studied not only the Confucian classics but numerous aspects of the natural world. Officials selected students on the basis of recommendations, and at graduation these young men began careers in the bureaucracy. Increasingly, local elites encouraged their sons to become masters of Confucianism as a means to enter and advance in the ruling class.  The Confucian classics soon became the heart of the autocratic state. Over time, a bureaucratic political culture emerged that balanced the interests of the authoritarian emperor with the officials he needed to rule—a partnership between China’s rulers and its educated and economic elites. Confucian Ideology and Legitimate Rule The Han used Confucian thought as the primary ideological buttress of the empire, in which the welfare of the people was the foundation of legitimate rule. Not only were local elites expected to be supported, but the people were also expected to be civilized. By 100 BCE, the Confucian ideals of honor, tradition, respecting the lessons of history, and emphasizing the emperor’s responsibility to heaven became the official doctrine of the empire. By embracing Confucian political ideas, the Han established a polity that created a careful balance between the emperor and his officials and empowered officials to criticize bad government and even to impeach corrupt leaders. THE NEW SOCIAL ORDER AND THE ECONOMY The genius of the Han was their ability to win support of diverse social groups by forming alliances with key leaders. A massive agrarian base provided the Han with tax revenues, as did a variety of special revenue sources, such as tribute from outlying domains. The state also promoted growth in silk and iron production and established state monopolies in salt, iron, and wine to fund military campaigns. Government monopolies undercut the independence of merchants, forcing them to become partners with the rulers. Daily Life Wealthy families lived in lavish homes with women cloistered in inner quarters. Women from less wealthy backgrounds worked the fields or joined troops of entertainers. Silk was abundant and worn by members of all classes, and the rich exposed their wealth by the fashion of their meals. Music and entertainment became divorced from ritual occasions, although funerary rites were taken very seriously. Social Hierarchy At the base of Han society was a free peasantry who owned  and worked their own land. Peasants were honored for their productivity while merchants were subjected to a range of controls. Poor tenant farmers and hired laborers eked out an existence, and at the bottom of society resided convicts and slaves, who represented a small percentage of the population. Confucians and Daoists supported this hierarchy. The empire’s most loyal social group was the scholar-officials, who linked the imperial center with local society. By 99 BCE, local uprisings forced the Han to relax its efforts to control local lords, and landlords and local magnates became the dominant powers in the provinces. Disenfranchised agrarian groups turned to religious organizations to provide the organizational framework for dissent and revolt. Religion and Omens Under the Han emperor Wu, Confucianism slowly took on religious overtones with Confucius possessing aspects of divinity. Religion linked scholars and officials to the peasantry. A cluster of calamities or celestial omens was taken as a sign that the emperor had lost the mandate of heaven. EXPANSION OF THE EMPIRE AND THE SILK ROAD The Han created a powerful army that expanded the borders of the empire and created stable conditions for the transit of goods over the Silk Road. Emperor Wu made military service compulsory. Conscripts served in their local areas. The standing army totaled more than one million men. Roman field armies, in contrast, rarely exceeded 30,000 men. Expanding Borders The army expanded borders in all directions, including into northern Vietnam and Korea but struggled more in the south and southwest due to mountainous terrain and malaria. The Xiongnu, the Yuezhi, and the Han Dynasty The most serious military threat to the Han came from the nomadic peoples to the north, especially the Xiongnu. Emperor Wu launched offensive campaigns against the Xiongnu, eventually splitting the Xiongnu tribes in half. The southern tribes surrendered to the Han, while the northern tribes moved westward. The Chinese Peace: Trade, Oases, and the Silk Road After the defeat of the Xiongnu, a Pax Sinica ensued that allowed a period of extended peace and prosperity. Long-distance trade flourished, and the Han enjoyed tribute from peoples far outside the Han territory. The Xiongnu even began to serve as middlemen in the Silk Road trade. Wu extended the northern defensive wall and established a series of garrison cities. Military and farming settlements began to develop this area with support from the government. A similar system of oases was developed on the rim of the Taklamakan Desert. Traders could now find food and fodder along this route, which soon became part of the Silk Road. SOCIAL CONVULSIONS AND THE USURPER The vast Han army stretched over long distances requiring huge expenditures. Emperor Wu raised taxes, which strained the small landholders and peasants, but by the beginning of the first century CE the Chinese empire was financially drained. Economic decline ensued as natural disasters led to crop failures. Many free peasants fell into debt and were forced to sell their land to large landholders. The social fabric of Han society tore apart as fast-growing populations confronted land shortages. Rebel movements soon formed. Wang Mang, a Han minister, seized the throne, believing the Han had lost the mandate of heaven. Wang Mang enacted reforms to help the poor and sought to redistribute land equitably. He increased taxes on artisans, hunters, and silk weavers to pay for a storehouse system to alleviate grain shortages, but his reforms failed. NATURAL DISASTER AND REBELLION Wang Mang’s reign was quickly undermined by a violent upheaval that united peasants and large landholders against central authority. In 11 CE, the Yellow River broke its dikes and switched course to the south. The entire region was plunged into famine and banditry, affecting nearly half of China’s population. Wang Mang’s regime was unable to cope with the disaster. Daoist clerics led a march on Wang’s capital, and by 23 CE, they had  overthrown Wang Mang. The Han returned to the throne and repudiated Wang Mang’s reformist policies as well as adopting a conservative ethos favoring hereditary privilege. THE LATER HAN DYNASTY The Later Han dynasty restored Han rule by accepting social, political, and economic inequalities. These problems slowly diluted the central power of the emperor and the court into the hands of great aristocratic families who obtained even more private property and turned free peasants into tenants. Social turmoil emerged as inequality grew, and full-scale rebellion erupted in 184 CE. Popular religious groups championed new ideas among commoners and elites, and Daoist ideas gained popularity. At this propitious moment, Buddhist clerics arrived in northern China preaching a new religion of personal enlightenment for the elite and millennial salvation for the masses, and their ideas were warmly welcomed. Yet Daoism offered the greatest challenge to the Han dynasty as Daoist masters challenged Confucian ritual conformity. Religious groups such as the Yellow Turbans emerged across the empire and championed Daoist millenarian movements. As agricultural conditions further deteriorated, people refused to pay their taxes or provide forced labor, and internal wars engulfed the Han dynasty. After the 180s CE, three competing states replaced the Han. The Roman Empire Whereas the Han dominated an enormous continental landmass, the Romans dominated the lands along the world’s largest inland sea, the Mediterranean. Through almost unrelenting wars, the Romans forged an unparalleled number of ethnic groups and minor states into a single large political state. FOUNDATIONS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE The Romans had no great imperial ancestors from which they drew imperial models. Up until 350 BCE, Rome was one of several city-states on the Italian peninsula, but then it entered a period of military and territorial  expansion. Within a century it controlled most of the Italian peninsula, due largely to the migration of foreign peoples and to Roman military and political innovations. Population Movements The invasion of Gallic peoples into the Italian peninsula in the late fifth and early fourth centuries BCE undermined the dominance of the Etruscans in that region. While the Gauls were repulsed, the Etruscans never reestablished their dominance over the other peoples in Italy, including the Romans. Military Institutions and the War Ethos The Romans created unassailable military power by organizing the communities they conquered in Italy into a system that provided huge reservoirs of manpower for the army. Beginning in 340 BCE, Rome defeated its fellow Latin city-states and then continued on to defeat other communities in Italy. Rome demanded that defeated communities provide men for the Roman army every year. Thus, the Roman army grew as its victories accumulated. By 265 BCE, Rome controlled the entire Italian peninsula and launched a series of three wars against Carthage. Through these Punic Wars, Rome established a dominant position in the western Mediterranean. Most dramatically, the Roman defeat of Hannibal during the Second Punic War demonstrated that the resources in terms of manpower and material that the Roman army could draw upon were of a qualitatively different character than those of a city-state such as Carthage. Such resources provided the Romans a decisive advantage. The Romans also created a war ethos in which honor precluded Roman soldiers from ever accepting defeat, pushing themselves into battle again and again. Roman soldiers also faced fierce discipline in which minor infractions were punishable by death. The Romans drafted and trained a large number of men—at its peak about 10 percent of the adult male population was drafted into military service. By 146 BCE the Romans had a monopoly of power over the entire Mediterranean basin. Military victory for generals brought not only glory and territory for the state but enormous personal rewards. Men of great talent and ambition were drawn into military service—and vast numbers died in Roman wars. Political Institutions and Internal Conflict Once the rush of military success slowed in the second century BCE, social and political problems in the Italian peninsula began to surface. The political institutions of the Roman city-state were now inadequate to manage a vast empire. Rome’s elite seized the wealth flowing into Rome from its empire and acquired huge tracts of land and imported slaves to work them. Poorer, free- citizen farmers were driven off their lands and into the cities, which resulted in a severe agrarian crisis. The Gracchus brothers, who served as tribunes to protect the interests of the common people, sought to institute land reforms but were assassinated. Poor Roman citizens increasingly looked toward army commanders to provide them with land and a decent income. Thus, generals became increasingly powerful political figures who ignored the state institutions and traditional rules of politics. In 90 BCE, a long series of civil wars began. EMPERORS, AUTHORITARIAN RULE, AND ADMINISTRATION After a half century of brutal civil war, Roman leaders sought to establish political stability, but such stability came at a price: one-man authoritarian rule. Peace depended on the power of one man who possessed sufficient authority to enforce orderly competition among the Roman aristocracy. Julius Caesar’s adopted son Octavian reunited the fractured empire and emerged as its undisputed master by 30 BCE. He assumed the name Augustus (the Revered One) and concentrated authority in his hands. The emperors were frequently cultivated as semidivine, yet they were careful to present themselves as civil rulers whose power depended on the consent of Roman citizens and the power of the army. Some emperors, such as Caligula, acted in the arbitrary ways that Romans associated with tyrannical kings. The position of emperor was fraught with difficulty, as fifteen of the twenty-two emperors between Augustus and the beginning of the third century died by murder or suicide. Emperors ruled with the help of several institutions, most importantly the army. Augustus transformed the army into a professional force. One joined for life and swore allegiance to the emperor and his family. The empire was divided into forty provinces, each headed by a governor appointed by the emperor. Governors depended on  lower-ranking officials to aid them. Compared to the Chinese bureaucracy, the Roman Empire was relatively underadministered. Governors were expected to maintain peace and collect taxes. TOWN AND CITY LIFE The emperor had to count on the local elites of the empire to see him as a presence that guaranteed stability and their personal well-being. Municipalities The towns in the empire provided the backbone of local administration. Roman town centers were dominated by an open-air forum around which were arranged the town’s main public buildings. In smaller towns, sanitation and health appear to have been reasonably good. Rome Rome, however, had over one million inhabitants. While aqueducts provided fresh water and basic food supplies were guaranteed, living conditions were appalling. Housing was dangerous and cramped, and crime and violence was rampant. The lack of sanitation led to a disease-ridden environment that killed off many inhabitants as new immigrants arrived. Mass Entertainment Every significant Roman town had a theater and an amphitheater, the most famous of which was the Colosseum in Rome. The Colosseum was a state-of-the-art entertainment facility, used most infamously for gladiatorial games in which well-trained men fought, sometimes to the death, for the enjoyment of huge crowds. The creation of public entertainments stresses the importance public citizens had in Roman life. Han Chinese elites, in contrast, created large palace complexes to impress and amuse themselves, not the general public. SOCIAL AND GENDER RELATIONS Men and women of wealth in the Roman Empire acted as patrons to clients of the lower classes. The wealthy made generous distributions of food and entertainment. These relationships were formalized in legal definitions of responsibilities of patrons to clients. The essence of Roman society,  however, was the presence of formal relationships governed by Roman laws and courts. The legal code featured not only a rich body of written laws but also institutions for settling legal disputes and educated men who specialized in interpreting the law. The apparatus of Roman law appeared in every town and city of the empire, and its influence long outlived the empire itself. The civil laws placed the family at the foundation of the Roman social order. The paterfamilias headed the family and had near total power over his dependents, yet compared to the women in the Greek city-states, Roman women had much greater freedom and control over their own wealth and property. They frequently entered into contracts and conducted business and personal transactions. ECONOMY AND NEW SCALES OF PRODUCTION Rome achieved a staggering transformation of scale in the production of agricultural, manufactured, and mined goods in the Mediterranean basin. The Romans also built an unprecedented number of roads and drew up complex land maps on which all major roads and the distances between towns were specified. They also coordinated the road network with sea routes to support the flow of commerce. Coinage was produced in massive quantities to facilitate the exchange of commodities and services. Large-scale commercial plantation agriculture emerged on estates called latifundia. Specializing in cash crops for urban markets, these estates required large numbers of slave laborers. These economic developments were supported by a firm belief in private property, which was codified into Roman law. RELIGIOUS CULTS AND THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY The political unification of the Mediterranean under one empire suggested that the beliefs of the people might also be unified. The municipal charters of towns required town councilors to institute and maintain the support of a wide variety of official and semiofficial religious cults. Christianity emerged from a direct confrontation and dialogue with Roman imperial authority. Jesus was tried by a Roman governor and executed by the standard Roman penalty of crucifixion. Disciples of Jesus attempted to write about  his life and record his sayings in four books that came to be called the Gospels, explaining that Jesus had been divine. Jesus’ preachings were deeply Jewish, with Jesus as the shepherd of his people. Through the textual portrait of Jesus drawn in the Gospels and the preaching of a Jewish Roman citizen named Paul, the image of Jesus as divine began to spread through the Mediterranean. Followers formed a church in which death was the hallmark of faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus and their own deaths as witnesses and martyrs to God. The persecution of Christians remained sporadic and local. Not until the middle of the third century CE was a formal, empire-wide attack on Christianity directed by the state. By the late third century, Christian communities reflecting different strands of the movement were present throughout the empire. THE LIMITS OF EMPIRE The Romans extended their empire to its ecological limits to the west (the Atlantic Ocean) and the south (the Sahara Desert). To the east, the Romans were prevented from expanding beyond the Mediterranean periphery by the empire of the Parthians and their successors the Sasanians. The nomadic Parthians and Sasanians had a decisive advantage on the arid plains of Iran and Iraq against the cumbersome Roman infantry. In the lands to the north, the illiterate kin-based agricultural societies were led by warrior elites. Their relationships with the Romans were characterized by war and violence. The only commodity that these societies produced that was in demand in the Roman world was slaves, and the slave trade out of this region was immense. The Romans became enmeshed with these northern tribal societies, and the tribal societies were drawn into internal conflicts among the Roman elite.

Course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Security Administration and Management - Essay Example From our analysis, by focusing on differentiation strategies in the security industry, Securitas AB success can be attributed to its vast experience in the market, product differentiation, and assorted brands. Securitas AB by using its trademark experience and know how both product differentiation and cost leadership strategy means the company has a focus strategy, focusing on cash on transit and other security system. It business concept of ", packaging, counting and storage of physical values such as cash and precious metals". This has become part of the company's culture. According to Johnson & Scholes (2007), organisational culture is a tool in management strategic armory which appears to be invisible yet it influences "why" "how" "what" and "when" things are done in an organisation or "it is the way things are being done here" (Johnson & Scholes 2007:66 Today's business environment is increasingly becoming more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before and to survive, it is vital that a firm can do something better than its competitors ( Wonglimpiyarat 2004:1). ... 1.0 Introduction Today's business environment is increasingly becoming more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before and to survive, it is vital that a firm can do something better than its competitors ( Wonglimpiyarat 2004:1). Globalisation has not only altered the nature and the intensity of competition but has had to dictate and shape organisations in terms of what consumers wants, how and when they want it and what they are prepared to pay for it (Hagan 1996:1). Kanter (1995:71) on his work of "Mastering Change" argues that success in the present day business is not for those companies that re-engineer the way they do things, or for those fixing the past. According to Kanter (1995) such an action will not constitute an adequate response. This is so because success is based on an organization's ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks and view it self and the needs (Kanter 1995:71). Within the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). This paper aim at examining the external environment of the United Kingdom Mobile phone industry, this

Facebook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facebook - Research Paper Example In the view of such vulnerable position, the state legislative entities have shown their concern regarding the state of security being provided by Face book. Senate has shown its interest in bid to make Face book more secure (Teschler 2010). The aims of the paper is to evaluate the present state of Face book services, its security functions, the potential loopholes and safety that is offered by Face book, assess the level of concern shown by different segments and the possible changes that may be made in order to make Face book more effective and less insecure. Face book has become the most famous and successful social network in the internet world. According to Alexa, a website the specializes in the determination of the ranking of the web sites, Face book is the runner-up behind the famous search engine Google (Alexa 2012). However, surrounding the Face book revolution and evolution drama, there have been controversies, speculations and rumors about the privacy policy of this, first social network in the world. Recently, the issue received considerable attention from the media. Therefore, there are two sides, those who agree with the policy of Face book and those who are against the Privacy Policy. The issue has ballooned during the recent revolutions in the world, especially "The Arab Spring". The reason is that planning for the revolutions happened on pages or within groups on Face book specifically. Because of this, some Governments have to stand against the policy of Face book. For example, Saudi Arabias King Abdullah had wanted to buy out Face book for $150 billion because he was very upset with Mark Zukerberg, who is the CEO of Face book, for allowing revolt Face book pages in Egypt and Libya to be formed (BBC 2011). According to Mark Zukerberg, it is the users themselves, who seek such an expanded option list and further, people are less insecure due to the prevailing trends that have evolved over

Article analyze Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article analyze - Assignment Example It was during this same year that he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of Sultan Suleiman the magnificent to iron out the tension and creases that were erupting between the Sultan and Ferdinand of Habsburg. Busbecq served as the ambassador the court of the Sultan from the year 1555 to 1562. In these years, Busbecq wrote four letters in Latin to his fellow diplomat at Habsburg in which wrote complete details of his travels and his stay at the Ottoman Empire. His letter was highly important because he highlighted the Janissaries. The letters of Busbecq are important because it highlights the goodness and strength of the Ottoman Empire and the sturdiness of the Janissaries in comparison to the Christian soldiers. During his stay at the Sultan’s court, Busbecq fist met the Janissaries at Buda. The Janissaries were essentially the infantry portion of the royal guard of Sultan. These guards were stationed everywhere according to Busbecq to maintain peace and order throughout the cities. Further, he listed in his chronicles that this infantry also provided protection to the Christians and the Jews from the attacks of other races at all points of time. In his letters, Busbecq first described the attires of the Janissaries. He described those wearing robes that reached down to their ankles. Further, their heads were covered by cowl like headgears that flapped along their necks. On Busbecq’s first encounter with them in Paris, he was filled with awe. This was because he had never met soldiers so well disciplined and such courteous like them. He even described their incident of courteousness in his letter in which he recounts that in Paris the infantry had come up to him. He remembers their sense of etiquette in which the soldiers had given him flowers in his hand and had receded back quickly without showing their backs to him. Busbecq was highly amused with such gesture because he

The Problems with Using Nostalgia to Represent the Past Essay

The Problems with Using Nostalgia to Represent the Past - Essay Example The word ‘nostalgia’ originates from the terms ‘nostos’, which means ‘to return’, and ‘algos’, which means ‘pain’ (Trigg 2006, 53). Therefore, nostalgia has mostly been a representation of the ‘pain’ a person feels when s/he is not with his/her loved ones or away from his/her dear homeland. This essay discusses the potential problems with using nostalgia to represent the past. What is Nostalgia? The term ‘nostalgia’ plainly means ‘homesickness’ or ‘home-longing.’ In the book The Future of Nostalgia, Svetlana Boyn develops the two expressions of nostalgic sentiment, a ‘reflective nostalgia’, which â€Å"dwells in longing and loss† and a ‘restorative nostalgia’, which refers to ‘nostos’ and suggests to â€Å"rebuild the lost home† (Scott 2010, 45). It was Johannes Hofer who first used the word ‘nostalgia’ in 1688. Hofer enumerated several indications of nostalgia, namely, weakened senses, weakness, quickened heartbeat, insomnia, anxiety, sadness, etc. For Hofer, nostalgia is a physical illness caused by brain disorders (Naqvi 2007, 10). Between the 18th and 19th century nostalgia was assumed to be, to a certain extent, a psychosomatically illness brought about by internal struggles. Psychoanalytic accounts linking nostalgia to a childhood trauma and the desire to go back t o the mother’s womb were widespread throughout the 20th century (Naqvi 2007, 10-11). . On the other hand, counter to the disagreements on the roots of nostalgia there was strong agreement until the mid-20th century to categorise nostalgia as an illness. During this period nostalgia was specifically linked to depression. However, in the 1970s the meaning and image of nostalgia fully transformed. It was at this time that nostalgia shifted from a longing for home to a longing for time, specifically for the past. As a result, nostalgia started to be differentiated from ‘home-longing’ (Koneke 2011, 5). In addition, although nostalgia was previously interpreted from the point of view of the individual in the 1970s nostalgia turned out to be a sociological occurrence as well. Social scientists linked nostalgia to a perspective of demise in humanity, particularly a demise in morality and unity, and with a longing for peace, genuineness, and nature. This newly formed social viewpoint resulted further in the development of a new viewpoint on nostalgia, namely, a c ollective nostalgia (Koneke 2011, 5). Understanding the nature of nostalgia has actually been very difficult. Even though nostalgia was originally regarded to be a depressing or melancholic illness whilst it is currently rather regarded to be pleasurable, most professionals who have been looking at nostalgia have recognised that nostalgia involves favourable and unfavourable sentiments at the same time. In fact, nostalgia is largely regarded as a bittersweet feeling, a bipolar sentiment which merges pleasure with anguish, affection with pain, and happiness with sadness (Sprengler 2011, 14). Nostalgia’s bittersweet essence is largely either due to experiencing at the same time past pleasure and existing anguish, or to the problem of simultaneously longing to break away from the need to accept the present and into the past. Even though there is widespread agreement that nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion there is a certain debate, whether the happy or the melancholic aspects do minate. A number of scholars, particularly psychoanalysts, have deduced from case narratives that the central features of nostalgia are disillusionment, anxiety, and grief (Koneke 2011, 5-6). To sum up the

Analysis of Comments on a New York Times Article Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Comments on a New York Times Article Essay The article, â€Å"Forced From Executive Pay to Hourly Wage,† which was written by Michael Luo and was published in the New York Times last February 28, 2009, basically told the story of people who used to earn five or six-figure amounts per year, are now being paid hourly minimum wages. One example in the article was the case of Mark Cooper, who used to earn $70,000 as a security manager for Fortune 500 Company in the United States and who oversees a budget of $1. 2 million. Nine months ago, he lost his job and now he is earning $12 an hour in his job at his friend’s janitorial services company. Although the article itself is appealing enough, it is also interesting to note the readers’ comments about it. As of now, there are 300 comments about the article and upon reviewing most of them, it can be surmised that each reader who commented had significantly different viewpoints and opinions about the story told in the New York Times article. Evidently, these readers adhere to different moral codes which are seen through their responses. In general, the readers who commented on the article can be divided into two groups: one group lauded the brave act of Mark Cooper while the other criticized the style of writing and the subtle message that New York Times writer used in the article. One of the reader’s who praised the article story admired the courage of Mr. Cooper as he was able to lower his pride and found ways to provide for his family even if it means that he has to scrub toilets and have his salary dramatically reduced from five figures to an hourly wage without any benefits. In a sense, this group highly regarded the value of hard work and starting all over again in a dignified way. Most of their comments basically indicated that Mr. Cooper is not alone and that there are hundreds of Americans who have similar â€Å"riches to rags† stories. These readers, based on their comments, also believed that there is no shame being poor as long as one has a dignified and lawful job. On other hand, the other group of readers who commented on the article criticized the New York Times for insinuating that those who work blue-collar jobs are lower forms of human beings than those who work white-collar ones. They see the article as discriminating to Americans who have been living their lives below the poverty line for a long time even before the current economic crisis. For example, one reader lamented that article more or less showed that a $12-an-hour job is an indecent way of living, which is not true. In addition, one reader did not feel sorry for Mr. Cooper and commented that he had a lot to be thankful for because he lives in an above average house and was able to live a rich life. To this reader, the economic crisis makes everyone in America equal because they are struggling to make ends meet. However, what’s common in all the readers’ responses is that they could all relate to the difficulties experienced by the people depicted in the article. In fact some of the readers, who are evidently from different walks of life, shared their own stories in their comments. In other words, the single factor that binds all the readers who commented is the hardship brought about by the financial crisis in America. In a way, the article’s comments show two things: one is that there are a lot of Americans who are so used to a good life that they are seemingly caught off-guard when a devastating financial crisis like this hits them and the other is that due to the crisis, most Americans would be willing to take on any job just to survive. But the comments also indicated that Americans are more unified in achieving a common goal which is to recover from the devastating effects of the crisis and rebuild their lives. Works Cited Luo, Mark. â€Å"Forced From Executive Pay to Hourly Wage. † 28 February 2009. New York Times. 4 March 2009 http://www. nytimes. com/2009/03/01/us/01survival. html? pagewanted=1_r=2sq=executive%20janitorst=csescp=1.

Toyota Strategy Analysis

Toyota Strategy Analysis Automobile sector is known as one of the worlds most competitive and high tech sectors. But it is very difficult to enter into this sector because it needs huge capital to develop an infrastructure to compete with big giants of the market. Toyota corporation is also one the big giants. The following study is an analysis of this. The company was started in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda, now it is the second largest automobile manufacturer in the world after General motors. The following study undertakes the brief analysis of the different strategies implemented in the Toyota Corporation. These strategies were belonging to resource school of strategies and their main emphasis is on product quality. This study also provide us a insight view about the strength and weakness of Toyota and what are the future opportunities for them and what are the threats they can face as well. Introduction: Company Overview: Toyota is one of the leading Automobile manufacturers from Japan. The company manufactures almost all kind of vehicles like Buses, cars, SUVs, Forklifts, industrial vehicles and trucks. It was established in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda. In 1933 in his father factory, which was named as Toyoda automatic looms works Ltd., he established a small automobile unit. Then he visited many automobile plants in the United States. His unit was working to create fuel efficient vehicles in which they got succeeded in 1935. Than in 1937 he formally launched his own company with the name of Toyota Motors Company Limited. Toyota released its prototype small car in 1947. In 1949 the company was near insolvency, does not meet the payroll, and had to deal with the problems of workers. Toyoda left the seat due to economic failure in 1949. Shoichi Saito and Eiji Toyoda who were his successor start the business with modern techniques and injected more capital to take it in running form. They build Kanban system in 1954, to ensure that all manufacturing parts must be available in the stocks. The popular models were Celica which was introduced in 1970, Tercel was developed in 1978 and the most renowned Model Camry was introduced in 1980. Till 1980, Japan had manufactured more vehicles than the vehicles manufactured in United States and Toyota was one step below from the world largest cars producing company GM (General Motors). Toyota and GM motor joined hand in 1984 to build a new combine manufacturing Unit Lexington, Kentucky. After that, for the next ten years from 1980s to 1990s to build new plants in North America Toyota invested 6.5 billion US dollars. They diverted their attentions towards luxurious car manufacturing. In the global recession while every company i s in losses Toyota did not lose its market worth. Toyota has introduced first electricity and gasoline empowered car in 1997. In next two years they sold these cars in Japan up to 30,000. Over the time period its demand increases with a massive rate. Aims of Repot: This Report will provide a complete insight about the strategies of Toyota Corporation. It will tell us about the current business position of Toyota and how they have maintained the competitive advantage in the most competitive automobile industry. This will also provide us knowledge about different strategies used by Toyota. Literature Review Toyotas mission vision Toyota vision: Toyota Company is having very broader visions that depicts from their vision statement which is To be the most successful and respected car company in America It shows that Toyota wants to be the best company of the world but also to be best they do not want to comprise on their quality and customer friendliness. They want to be respected by their customers as well as their all other stake holders. Toyota mission: Toyota is company which is known due to its quality products. They provide their customer best quality and high value products in order to gain their loyalty this is also depicts from their mission statement. To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America. This mission statement tells us that the mission of the Toyota is all about its customer. They want to provide high value products to attract new customers and to retain the older ones as well. Toyotas global strategic decision making Toyota Company has claimed that they will setup technology centers which will gear up their global decision making capabilities. They have faced 8 million orders of new cars per year thats why they need a speedy decision making system. They will increase the different center around the world in order to increase the efficiency of the product and speedy order processing. For this they have decided to build 6 units in North America, 6 in china and 7 units in Europe and many more in other countries. They are trying to be the world largest cars manufacturing company for this purpose they are decided to build Customer first training center in which they will ensure the quality and quantity of the products. The head of Toyota Company Akio Toyoda is giving more emphasis on the quality of the product in order to get more loyalty of the customer. For this purpose he has appointed the five best Chief quality officers around the world Including, For Europe Didier Leroy, For North America Angelo, For Asia Region Sonoda, Masahiro Kato is selection for China, and Africa, Latin America and Middle East he has appointed Two person Katsutada Masumoto and Hisayuki. The Main emphasis of Toyota Companys decision is to gain the customer loyalty and trust. Thats why in their every decision or strategy customer is the main beneficiary person. Recent Credit crunch badly affected the demand and growth of the Toyota. People purchasing powers are very low in this day thats why no one is going to buy new cars. This results a decrease in demand for new cars and eventually it will result in the reduction in the profit of the company. TOYOTA PEST ANALYSIS (P)OLITICAL: Instability is caused due to fuel efficiency an important decision factor for car buyers, increasing the chance of the plug-in hybrid. You can see some consumers will buy a hybrid plug-in like a train, dependence on foreign oil, and one that serves to strengthen the independence of the United States reduce the purchasing power in relation to the government. The Political instability around the world due to war and terror is also a big challenge for Toyota Corporation. (E)CONOMIC: The Oil prices by the concerns of increasing supply and demand will increase the attractiveness of the vehicle features such as plug-in hybrids that are less dependent on gasoline. Government increased tax credits and tax increases for gasoline, the possibility of plug-in hybrids. Global oil consumption has exceeded global production. India and china are growing at 8-10% per year put an enormous demand for oil on the world market prices to stay stable. (S)OCIO-CULTURAL: Positive factor for Toyota is that it is overall market leader with hybrid technology. Consumers will realize more their ecological footprint in the upcoming years. The operation of a hybrid is a status symbol in the young Hollywood. (T)ECHNOLOGICAL: Sales of hybrid vehicles will increase the competitive advantage over competitors with the potential mass market for hybrid technology and has established a strong position to innovate and develop hybrid platform to ward off competition. Next three years, Toyota and Honda are planning to hybrid power train to reduce weight by 50%. They also seek; the price of hybrid technology from $ 4,000 to $ 1,900 per vehicle as much low as possible. SWOT Analysis on Toyota Motor Corporation (S)trengths Toyota is having a very good recognition among 170 countries due to its multinational image. There is massive growth rate over the year around 29.3% with sales turn over around  £131,511 million during 2009. Due to its Lean production system which constitute of TQM a JIT Toyota has gained Worlds No. 1 Position. Toyota is considered now one of the worlds large car manufacturers due to entrance in major market of US, China and EMEA etc. Toyota is having Research and development center which is ensuring quality and environmental friendliness of the products. (Toyota Annual Report: 2009) (W)eakness Toyota is regarding as foreign imports due to the Japan based company. Toyota most of manufacturing Units are located in US and Japan only, while its competitors are taking the advantages of low production cost, cheaper labor and other cheaper management costs. (O)pportunities Due to shortage of Oil and increase in oil prices Toyotas management is looking for other alternatives like gas-guzzling cars and they are looking for new hybrid gas and electric cars production on mass scale. (Toyota Annual Report: 2009) Toyota is looking for cars that can increase performance, fuel efficiency and mainly environmental friendly. To develop the car which are controlled through electricity and fulfills the institutional and social requirements and cost effective for this purpose Toyota has established their Eco-Vehicle Assessment center. (Toyota Website) Now they are looking for big countries for the expansion purpose like Brazil, India, Pakistan, China and Russia. (T)hreats Competitive pressure is increased due to increase in Research and Development and belligerent marketing campaigns. Increase in the prices of raw materials. Decrease in the demand of new cars due to the recent recession around the globe. Purchasing power of the people is almost down to earth. To cater the need of larger family units who demand for larger cars. (Demographic Factor Website) In western countries there is large trend of using public transport instead of their own vehicles, this will eventually decrease the demand for new cars. (Market Research website) Nowadays people are more contented to send their child through school or college busses instead of their own cars. BCG Matrix (Toyotas products) The BCG model depicts that how much priority should be given to the particular business unit. Following is Toyota BCG model: The BCG Model Of Toyota Company Business growth Rate High Stars (Corolla) Question Mark (Cuore) Low Cash Cows (HiLux) Dogs High Low Relative Position Market Share The BCG Model Of Toyota Corolla Business growth Rate High Stars (2.0 D, 2.0 D Saloon) Question Mark (SE Saloon, GLi) Low Cash Cows (Xli 1.3) Dogs High Low Relative Position Market Share Toyota Resources School of Strategy: The Resource strategy is based on the argument that some companies develop a collection of their key competencies in which they can differentiate themselves from their competitors. The Toyota is known for its quality which they have developed after the hard work and commitment of decades. They have invested a lot in their employees, in their structure, in their manufacturing units, and most importantly in their products in order to reach this skill level. Porters 5 Forces and Generic Strategies (on Toyota) Threat of New Entrants: In Automobile business the threat of new entrance in the industry are very low because it is a high tech industry and needs huge amount of capital and innovative technology to establish a manufacturing unit. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Toyota is one of the leading automobile manufacturers and holding a major share in the global market, so it has dominant role on its suppliers but it does not manipulate the rights of suppliers it take cares them and their needs as well. Intensity of Rivalry: The competition is very high in the Automobile industry the larger Automobile companies are General Motors, Ford and Honda are its main competitor. They are having large resources and they can any strategy to have customer without taking care of capital back up. Bargaining Power of Customers: As there is a large no. of substitute available in the market and the bargaining power of customer is high. Threat of Substitutes: Due to many substitutes available in the market for Toyota products as other manufacturers are producing same quality products as well.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   7S Model (7s strategies of Toyota) Strategy Share Values System Style Structure Skills Staff Western Management of the Toyota is giving more importance to the hard side of the seven Ss model which includes structure, strategy and system. They give their more intentions towards day to day activities and daily events and to develop a better organizational structure in order to have and maintain competitive advantage. On the other hand Japanese management of Toyota pay more value to soft side of seven Ss model which includes sills, shared values and staff etc. They pay more intentions to get competitive advantage through their employees, they provide them training and different skills to enhance their working power and they have unique leadership style and unique shared values. DEMAND AND SUPPLY FOR TOYOTA In the market the price is totally depended on the price which is offered by the seller and the prices on which the buyer is willing to buy the product that is called market price. Here we will discuss the Toyotas demand and supply side factors which are the essential elements of the automobile market. The Following factors influence the demand and supply of automobile: 1. The price at which seller is ready to sell in the market after bargaining. 2. The price which at which any potential buyer is ready to buy from the market. In the market the Buyers make an offer for car and the seller has right either to accept it or reject it. Analysis of the Factors which affect the demand and supply of Toyota: The main factors which affect the demand of the Toyota in the UK are population, Income POPULATION The increase in population will result in increase in demand for the products. The increase in the population will increase the long run demand for Toyota cars. When the population increases the people will go for new product this will automatically increase the demand for products which are prevailing in the market. Following charts will show the rightward shift in the demand of the Toyota products which will cause due to the increase in the population around the world. P S D1 D When demand goes up Toyota has to increase its supply to cope with market needs. The New demand for Toyota products is depicted through D1 curve. INCOME Other determinant of demand and supply is the Income of adult. The Toyota Company has to look the income rate of adults before setting their prices. To increase the market share the Toyota has to look the right segment for the right products. As income level goes up the demand for the products also increases. Following charts will show the rightward shift in the demand of the Toyota products which will cause due to the increase in the income level of the population. P S D1 D When demand goes up Toyota has to supply to cope with market needs. The New demand for Toyota products is depicted through D1 curve.    Why is Toyota leading from others? The rise of Japanese manufacturers in the positions of global hegemony in the decades after World War II is well known. In recent years, despite the known problems for Japanese companies like Nissan and Toyota cars worldwide, including continued and even increased its competitiveness. This is based on the philosophy of a competitive advantage, such as the Toyota Production System that is well known. System depends in part on the management of human resources policies, promoting creativity and loyalty of employees, but also and above all, a very efficient network of suppliers, manufacturers of components. Toyota is second on the list, which includes fourteen worlds best manufacturers, including General Motors and Ford. While Honda and Nissan are now also considered high quality cars manufacturers but they can never defeat the Toyota in advantages of suppliers networks, Human resource management and distribution systems in World and in also in the most competitive market United States. Critical Analysis of Toyota: The technology is found all over the world and it is important to experiment for the company is recognized worldwide. In the world of automotive industry, Toyota is considered is to be a leading automobile company from Japan. This status they achieved by spending billions of dollars on new design and innovations in car and mass marketing campaigns. Toyota is in the eyes of consumers has emerged, many cars in the world. Toyota is enjoying a global reputation by building new, innovative and best quality products in affordable prices. As compared to its competitor Toyota is offering lower prices. The quality is the core strategy of the Toyota they do not compromise on it. They believe on a long term relationship with suppliers and with all other stake holders. Typically, the companies do not want to reduce their returns and follow the target strategy is for sale at cost price + profit = Sales prices. But Toyotas is having different approach a bit , which is devised in the car price cos t = profit. Strategic management in all organizations on their activities has a direct impact. This is the reason due to which Toyota is the leading car manufacturers policy; strategic management is attractive which has established in the world. It is easy for your new employees and managers, such as design and installation of the new car, get Training in the Centers which are located near to them. Toyota plans to build more new plants. Toyota is now one of leading automobile dealers due to its strategic management. The result of this strategic architecture, are based on a thorough analysis of corporate resources and skills, as well as the orchestration of strategic resources and capabilities over time in measures of productivity. Product quality of Toyota was compared with five other companies including Nissan, Honda, GM, Ford and Volkswagen. In vehicles problems that Toyota received are one on per hundred vehicles that make top ranked company among industry giants. This is harmonized by a recent test conducted on truck safety, Trucks Insurance Institute of America. In this study, rating of the Toyota Tundra was a good one amongst all its competitors. Impact of additional Assets The Following chart shows the data of productivity of the cars over 6 years from 2003 to 2008 amongst 6 giant car producers including, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Volkswagen. Above figure shows the employees productivity over 6 the years for different car producing countries. GM motors show very low productivity in terms of per employee. They start from 10,000 $ per employee which is very low they improve over the years but not as compared to others. In the end of 2008 they can just touched the 12500 dollar per employee productivity. The second company is also showing low results in terms of the productivity for per employee. They have fluctuations over the last 6 years. They started with 10300 $ and in the 2007 they crossed 15000 for per employee. But they went down in 2008 to 10800 $ productivity for per employee. Next company is Ford they are showing good growth over the years. The good thing was its having constant growth. They started with 15600 $ and after a constant growth ended with 25000 $ for per employee at the end of 2008. The Toyota is leading amongst the all; they are showing very good results over the 6 years from 2003 to 2008. They started good and end is also good. Toyota started with record opening of 42500$ per employee productivity. They are improved over the years. In the second year they went down little bit but they recovered from the very next year. They ended with the remarkable ending of 62500 US dollar per employee productivity. Even the world No. 1 company cannot compete with Toyota in terms of productivity. Honda is also showing very good results like the Ford Motors. They started very low from 13500 $ and ended with 23000 $ after 6 years. Nissan is also showing fluctuations over the years and the Volkswagen shown very low results as compared to all. BCG model Analysis: According to BCG analysis we can see Corolla line of products of Toyota is falling in stars that show the high growth rate and high market share as well. In needs a lot of investment because every new cent invested in this category will result in high returns. When we make further BCG matrix of Corolla line of product we found that 2.0 D and 2.0 D saloon these two models fall in stars it means these models are having high growth rate and high market share as well. They can earn much more results. SE saloon and GLi lies in question marks they need analysis to increase market shares. Xli 1.3 falls in cash cows and it has slow growth rate and having high market share. The Cuore Line of products of Toyota are having very high growth rate but very less market share as compared to Corolla line of products. Hilex line of products lies in Cash Cow category that have high market share but now low growth rate. It is also about to saturation point. Conclusions Recommendations Recommendations: The Toyota has achieved its current status by maintaining its product quality now they have market reputation so they never have to compromise on quality in every situation because competition is very strong and no room for mistakes.3 Secondly Toyota has good human resource management system as well it can also improve it to maintain its competitive edge. Toyota have many models which are performing very well in the market but on the other hand there are many other models which are just wasting the resources of the company, Toyota needs to do a brief analysis of them and if it is not possible to bring them in stars then company must have to drop these models. For investors, Toyota is still very good option to invest it is having very well past records, high productivity and huge market share and we can expect future demand as well. Conclusion: The Toyota is considered a place with high job satisfaction and to produce the high quality and customer oriented products. Toyota is one of the leading car producer made so many changes in their own plants and as well as their suppliers units as well. Toyota has adopted very successful system and developed a customer oriented market structure. Over the few years we have seen many drastic changes in the Toyota products which resulted in the high growth and more capital share.

Database Management System (DBMS) Software Research

Database Management System (DBMS) Software Research 5-2 FINAL PROJECT MILESTONE THREE: DBMS RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATION DBMS A.Research and Analysis: A database management system (DBMS) software is employed to manage the organization, storage, access, security and integrity of structured data. It could come as a set of flat files stored on computer tape/disk, or it could consist of database tables that are managed by the system. The different types of DBMS products include: relational, network and hierarchical. Currently, the most widely and commonly used type is the Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS). (http://dbms.ca/concepts/types.html). In addition to security, one of the biggest advantages of using a DBMS is that it allows end users and application programmers the access and use of the same data while managing data integrity. Data is better protected and maintained since it can be shared using a DBMS, rather than having to create new iterations of the same data to be stored in new files and for every new application. The centrally stored data can be accessed by multiple users in a controlled manner. However, a DBMS that is required to perform additional work to provide these advantages brings with it the overhead. In other words, a DBMS will use more memory and CPU than a simple file storage system, as well as require different types and levels of system resources. (Rouse). Several DBMS applications are currently available: Oracle, IBM, MySQL, Microsoft SQL, Amazon AWS, FileMaker, Teradata, MaraDB, SAP, Adminer, MongoDB, Ingres, Firebird, PostgreSQL, HP Vertica, Alpha, WizeHive, Apache, TeamDesk and Couchbase to name a few. (http://www.capterra.com/database-management-software/#infographic). For over three decades, the primary operational DBMS has been relational. It continues to be dominated by industry giants such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2. Similarities: Each one having been used for production systems all along proves that the technologies involved in these three market-leading products are sound. For Unix and Linux installations, the primary choices are Oracle and IBM DB2. Oracle is the market leader on these platforms. Although other DBMSes in a Linux partition can be run on the mainframe, IBM is ideal for a large organization with a mainframe. For Windows platform, all three are viable options. Naturally, Microsoft is the clear leader on its own OS. All three of the leading DBMS products are highly rated in terms of performance, application development capabilities, support, ease of use and functionality. (Mullins.) Differences: Oracle: Given its installed base and wide platform support, skilled Oracle Database technicians and developers are readily available.   Likewise, an abundance of tools for Oracle database administration, application development and data movement/management are accessible. In short, the ensured skills and tooling are not an issue with Oracle. (Mullins). Function-wise, Oracle keeps pace with many new and advanced features, e.g., JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) support, temporal capabilities and multi-tenancy. The new Oracle Database In-Memory is an option that uses in-memory columnar technology to enable enterprises to accelerate the performance of their business analytics easily and transparently. (Mullins). Overall, customers give Oracle high marks for performance and availability. However, cost-wise, Oracle has a reputation as being expensive to license and support. Additionally, public opinion indicates that in North America and Europe, Oracle ranked lowest in terms of ease of doing business. (Mullins). IBM DB2: This DBMS is Oracles biggest competitor on Unix and Linux OS. DB2 is additionally available on Windows, z/OS mainframe and iSeries midrange servers. Although skilled DB2 developers and DBAs are likely to be more difficult to hire, compared to Oracle, experienced DB2 professionals are not scarce, albeit there is the need to differentiate by platform (e.g., mainframe DB2 for z/OS skills are different and somewhat more difficult to find than for DB2 for LUW; DB2 SQL is almost identical between the z/OS and LUW platforms.) Likewise, there are several developments, data movement and DBA tools available for this DBMS both from IBM and other independent software vendors (ISVs). (Mullins). Functionally speaking, DB2 is regularly revised and updated with market-leading features, (e.g., JSON support, temporal capabilities, shadow tables and advanced compression). With the DB2 SQL compatibility feature, IBM is able to run Oracle applications in DB2 for LUW, requiring no changes to business logic in the client code, triggers or stored procedures. Additionally, the DB2 includes compression capabilities and column store capabilities. (Mullins). Microsoft SQL Server: Its current version is SQL Server 2016. It runs on Linux and MAC and supports numerous Windows versions. Naturally, there are plenty of skilled SQL Server developers and DBAs, just as there are several available tools supporting development, data movement and database administration both from Microsoft and ISVs. SQL Server licenses come with Analysis Services, Integration Services and Reporting Services that provide functionality. These are typically required add-on tools for the other DBMSes (e.g., Oracle and IBM DB2). These added features enable SQL Server customers to minimize their budget for tooling. (Mullins). Technological- and functional-wise, Microsoft keeps current with the market, (features such as stretch database capabilities for integrating on-premises with cloud, strong encryption capabilities, integration of Hadoop with relational data using the Polybase feature and improved in-database analytics capabilities). Microsoft features Azure, its cloud-integration vision for SQL Server. This includes simplified backup to Azure and the ability to set up an Azure virtual machine as an always-on secondary. (Mullins). However, since Microsoft lacks a database appliance (e.g., Oracles Exadata and IBMs PureData System), Microsoft is not a realistic option if one is looking for as a pure plug-and-play database appliance. However, there are third-party appliances available that embed SQL Server. Additionally, Microsoft offers the Microsoft Analytics Platform System, which is an analytics appliance that integrates SQL Server with data from Hadoop (an open-source software framework used to store data and run applications on clusters of commodity hardware). (Mullins). B. Recommendation: Microsoft Access allows users a way to create desktop databases. It is an easy-to-use tool for quickly creating browser-based database applications. Data is automatically stored in a SQL database, so its more secure than ever, and the applications can easily be shared with colleagues. (https://products.office.com/en-us/access). Access, for its simplicity and ease of use, can be appropriate for the organization. The data can be exported into SQL. Although SQL has a steeper learning curb (compared to Access) and based on the advantages listed above, it is recommended that the organization employ Microsoft SQL Server from the start. This will eliminate the need to learn an entirely new/different software application. Additionally, Access is available for purchase or by subscription only, whereas SQL is free to download and use. SQL has plenty of technical support available. This is essential for the owner and his staff, who lack any technical training or background. Skilled developers are in abundance. They can further enhance or develop the database as needed. In addition to SQLs product dependency and reputation, Microsoft has a practice of further developing its products to meet the demands of the market, to satisfy its customers and to stay in competition. All the above benefits ensure that as the organization grows, the database system can grow along side, without the need to switch. C.Hardware, Software Recommendation: Vince Roberts, the owner of Vinces Vinyl, is not technologically savvy. He requires the most fundamental training. Both recommended software applications provide plentiful online support in the forms of manuals, tutorials and videos. He has been using and is accustomed to a Windows 8 computer. He has no plans to switch to another platform any time soon. With either or both recommended software, he is not required to upgrade his system. Additionally, he is beginning to become familiar with and comfortable using his Android tablet and smart phone. Eventually, he would like to be able to access his database using all available devices and from any location. Both or either cloud-based Access and Microsoft SQL Server data can be accessed through the means available to him.

Online Fraud, E-Crime, and Internet Scams Essay examples -- Computers

Online Fraud, E-Crime, and Internet Scams In the mid-1980’s, computer-related crimes appeared in the United States. Computer-related crimes have now spawned into Internet crimes, and have raised issues regarding Internet security. Essentially, the Internet has become a playground for criminal mischief. Basically, 21st-century technology and Internet accessibility are providing arenas for criminals to use old-fashioned techniques to take advantage of consumers. Recently, Internet crime rates have skyrocketed. The FTC reported that in the last two years, Internet-related-shopping complaints have risen from being 10% of all consumer complaints to 30% of consumer complaints. Last year, 75% of online merchants were concerned about online fraud and e-crime. This year, more than 83% of online merchants are fearful that online fraud and e-crime could affect them. It is predicted that this year alone, online credit-card fraud will increase by 24%. Victims of Online Fraud and E-Crime Lose Big Apparently, merchants are very wary of online schemes and scams because when they are the victims†¦they sustain enormous losses. Internet transactions made with a credit card are deemed as â€Å"card-not-present† transactions. Therefore, merchants have no redress against credit card fraud. Essentially, merchants are responsible for the monetary damages of online fraud because only credit card numbers are required for an online transaction and a cardholder’s signature is not required. Also, credit card companies require the merchant to pay $25 to $100 in charge-back fees. Although the monetary costs to merchants are substantial, most merchants say money is not their primary concern. Merchants are more fearful that whe... ...peech and privacy concerns. In early November, the British government announced it would spend $35.79 million on a package to help local police combat crackers and pedophiles who use the Internet. Almost every developed nation with Internet access has recently undertaken steps to combat e-crime. Conclusion It seems as if worldwide efforts are being focused on reducing cybercrime. However, there is really no truly effective judicial standard for punishing e-criminals. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act allows criminals to slip through its loopholes, and European nations have just recently begun to draft legislation outlawing online criminal behavior. For the time being, the most obvious way to avoid falling victim to an e-criminal is to become an educated consumer and avoid Internet activities that are known to be susceptible to mischief and fraud.

AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

AIDS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aids stand for Acquired Immune Defiency Syndrome, which is the final and the most serious stage of the HIV Disease and it causes damage to the immune system. Between the ages of twenty five to forty four, AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death. Since the start of HIV disease forty seven million have been infected in the world. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is what causes aids. This virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body open a lot of illnesses and cancers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aids are transmitted through sexual contact, through blood, or from mother to the child. It is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, touching doorknobs, or toilet seats by a person infected with the HIV Virus. It is also not transmitted to a person who donates blood, but it can be transmitted to the person receiving blood or organs from an infected donor. The people that are at risk the most are homosexual men, who are having unprotected sex, drug users who share the same needle, sexual partners who participate in high risk activities, and infants born to the mother who is infected with the HIV Virus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aids begin with the HIV infection. The people infected with the HIV Virus may not have any symptoms for ten or more years, but they can transmit the infection to other during this system free period. Their immune system emptied by HIV and is very susceptible to opportunistic infections. Some of the common symptoms are fever, sweats, swollen glands, chills, weaknesses, and weight loss.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no cure for Aids at this very moment, but there are several treatments that are available that can possibly slow down the progression of the disease for many years and improve the quality of life for the ones who have the symptoms. Antiviral Therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV Virus in the body. A combination of several antiretroviral agents, termed Highly Active Retroviral Therapy (HAART), has been highly effective in reducing the number of the HIV particle in the blood stream. This might help the immune system come back for a while and improve the T-cells count. People on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still give the virus to others through sex or by sharing needles this treatment shows a great promise. When HIV becomes resistant to HAART, salvage Therapy is required to try to suppress the resistant strain of HIV.

The Biology of Wetlands

The term â€Å"wetlands† is often associated with the image of the coastal marsh – a muddy area that is teeming with a variety of animal life and emergent vegetation such as mangroves, rush and cord-grass. But wetlands are actually areas that are characterized by the formation of hydric soils and the existence of flora and fauna due to the presence of standing water during all or part of the year (Spray and McGlothlin, xiii). Some wetlands cover hundreds or thousands of square kilometers and are therefore homes to a wide variety of plant and animal life.General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class) Examples of wetlands include the Florida Everglades, the Hudson Bay Lowlands, the Mekong Delta and the Danube Delta (Van der Walk, 1). At present, there is no universal classification scheme for wetlands. However, wetlands are usually categorized according to their hydrologic flow regimes, vegetation types and hydrogeomorphology. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for instance, classifies wetlands according to four major types – marshes, swamps, bogs and fens. This basic but simplified scheme was intended to â€Å"(promote) understanding (of) the diversity of wetland ecosystems† (Spray and McGlothlin, xiv). Marshes are regions whose soil is either periodically or continually inundated with water. Mashes are classified into two types – tidal and non-tidal. Tidal marshes are found in areas that have erratic soil moisture due to ocean tides but do not experience heavy wave action. Tidal marshes can be freshwater, brackish or saline. Non-tidal marshes, on the other hand, are freshwater or brackish marshes that undergo episodes of drought (Spray and McGlothlin, xiv). Swamps are wetlands that are characterized by saturated soils during the growing season and standing water at other times of the year. Consequently, swamps are home to many species of plants and animals. The Great Dismal Swamp, a 109-acre forested wetland situated between northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, is dominated by bald cypress, tupelo, red maple and black gum. It is likewise the habitat of animals like the white-tailed deer, river otter, bats, raccoons, mink, black bear, bobcat, snakes, turtles and at least 200 bird species (Spray and McGlothlin, xv). Unlike marshes and swamps, bogs are wetlands that possess various types of soil and vegetation. Some of the substances found in bogs are peat deposits, acidic water and sphagnum moss. Furthermore, bogs derive their hydration mostly from precipitation instead of from groundwater, streams or runoff – they are therefore sometimes referred to as precipitation-dominated wetlands. Examples of bogs include pocosins (evergreen-shrub bogs located in the southeastern United States) and northern bogs (found in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the United States) (Spray and McGlothlin, xv). Akin to bogs, fens are wetlands known for their peat deposits. What differentiates fens from bogs, however, is that the former receive their water supply from groundwater inputs instead of from precipitation. Furthermore, fens have less acidic water and higher nutrient levels than bogs (Spray and McGlothlin, xv). Wetlands play many important roles in preserving the Earth’s ecosystem. Scientists refer to wetlands as the â€Å"kidneys of the Earth† – they filter the water that moves through them of pollutants such as toxins and organic and inorganic nutrients. Wetlands therefore have high levels of sediment-water exchange and mineral uptake, which, in turn, render it suitable for plant and animal life. Wetlands likewise acquire sediments and particles by decreasing the flow velocity of the running water which enters them (Spray and McGlothlin, xvi). Other functions of wetlands include providing flood control, preventing coastal erosion and serving as a critically important habitat for plants and many endangered species. As of 2000, wetlands made up about 3. 5% of the land area of the United States and were the primary habitat of around 50% of the 209 animal species that were listed as endangered 1986. Scientists and environmentalists thus argue that the preservation of wetlands is crucial for environmental health – wetland ecosystems are neither artificially created nor easily regenerated (Spray and McGlothlin, xvi). Wetlands are home to many species of plants – the former are sometimes classified according to the types of hydrophytes present in them. There are three kinds of hydrophytes – submersed, emergent and obligate. Submersed refers to plant species that are completely submerged. Emergent (also known as terrestrial) is identified with plants whose stems and roots are found underwater, but reaches to or above the surface. Obligate (also known as facultative) pertains to plants that thrive both in wetlands and in certain upland habitats (Dennison and Berry, 57). Wetland plants play a key role in the survival of wetland ecosystems. Most wetland animals, as well as many non-wetland ones, depend on wetland plants as their primary food source. Wetland plants also assist in the thermoregulation of many wetland animals and provide cover from predators. When wetland plants undergo decomposition by fungi and bacteria, they immediately become a source of nutrients for animals and other wetland plants (Dennison and Berry, 59). Wetland plants, specifically seed-producing ones, are very important in the regeneration of wetlands after periods of drawdown and drying. Read also Lab 2 Biology Other groups of organisms that inhabit wetlands, such as algae, fungi and bacteria, are also crucial for the survival of wetland ecosystems. Apart from making nutrients available to other organisms by decomposing dead plant and animal material, they likewise enable wetlands to survive certain weather and climatic conditions. The blue-green algae, for instance, may form a â€Å"periphyton† mat which has the capacity to withstand prolonged periods of drought. Consequently, the presence of a periphyton layer is considered as a possible sign that an area is a wetland (Dennison and Berry, 60). During the winter, many wetlands are transformed into valuable wildlife habitats. Evergreen forested wetlands (cedar swamps), for example, are the winter homes of deer and moose. Black ducks live in northeastern coastal marshes during the winter, while other waterfowl consider bottomland hardwood swamps as their winter refuge. In the Upper Midwest, migratory waterfowl start arriving in pothole wetlands even before winter starts. Male red-winged blackbirds are among the first migratory birds that return to freshwater marshes in the Northeast for the winter (Tiner, 28). In the winter and early spring, floodplain forested wetlands become important fish habitats. During these seasons, various fish species use the flooded wetlands either as spawning areas or nursery grounds. Some amphibians, however, start breeding in vernal pool wetlands in the northeastern United States even before winter begins. At the start of the year, the Jefferson salamander is the first amphibian to breed in vernal pools. According to animal experts, it â€Å"migrates over the snow on rainy nights in late winter to slip into the pond (vernal pool) through cracks in the ice† (Tiner, 28). But there is likewise significant breeding activity even before the start of winter. Marbled salamanders, for instance, migrate to dry vernal pools in the Northeast from late August to October. Males leave sperm sacks at the bottom of the pools for the females to fertilize their eggs with when they later arrive. The fertilized eggs are then left beneath leaf litter or rocks in the pool. The eggs hatch in the fall, with the larvae feeding on aquatic invertebrates (Tiner, 28). The pitcher-plant bog crayfish is another animal species which share the same type of life history requirement. They are active from late fall to late spring – periods when Mississippi’s pitcher-plant bogs are flooded. Pitcher-plant bog crayfishes begin to mate in the late spring, with the females retaining the fertilized eggs before depositing them in the flooded bogs in the winter (Tiner, 28). Apart from the suitability of breeding sites, other factors that control the distribution of animals within wetlands include the level of protection from predators, the speed of travel within a certain area and the availability of particular food sources (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 19). Some wetland animals thrive in most wetland habitants. Examples of these are the tiger salamanders, American toads, painted turtles and snapping turtles. This flexibility is required in order to meet changing requirements over their life cycles (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 20). Some animals, however, require very specific environments for feeding or nesting. Wet prairies, for instance, have tall and dense grass vegetation. In addition, they thaw and dry up earlier than deeper wetlands. Consequently, wet prairies are characterized by an abundant food supply and a grass cover that provides excellent protection against predators. Birds that live in wet prairies include ground-nesting birds like the northern harrier, short-eared owl, savannah sparrow, swamp sparrow and the common yellowthroat. The short-tailed shrew and the Franklin’s ground squirrel, meanwhile, are some examples of the mammals that live in wet prairies (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 20). Sedge meadows thaw early and remain moist even in summer, turning it into another early source of food and protection. Large sedges and grasses provide a close canopy but an open understory, allowing animals to move about more freely while keeping them protected from predatory birds (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 20). The aforementioned wet prairie birds can also nest in sedge meadows, along with other birds such as American bittern, common snipe, sedge wren, marsh wren and LeConte’s sparrow (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 21). Other mammals are likewise drawn to sedge meadows because of the latter’s reliable invertebrate populations. The masked shrews and the pygmy shrews, for instance, feed on plants and seeds that inhabit sedge meadows. Meadow voles, on the other hand, can be found on the moist parts of the meadow due to their diet of rushes, sedges, grasses, insect larvae and fungi. Meadow jumping mice have a diet that adapts to seasonal changes – invertebrates in the spring and seeds, fruits and fungi during the summer. Although chorus frogs thrive in different wetland habitats, they breed only in those with a lush growth of lushes, sedges and grasses – the vegetation effectively conceals their mating call against predators (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 21). Shallow emergent marshes are characterized by dense vegetation and prolonged standing water. As a result, they provide effective concealment and reliable source of food. Shallow emergent marshes are inhabited mostly by birds that build nests that are either floating on water or are anchored on emergent vegetation. The horned grebe, eared grebe, least bittern, Virginia rail and American coot are some examples of birds that inhabit shallow emergent marshes (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 21). It is often said that everything in this planet is interconnected. A seemingly â€Å"useless† insect may actually turn out to be an important cross-pollinator. A huge, leafy but fruitless tree might be the only source of food for animals in the forest during the summer season. A bacterium living in the ocean could have the capacity to filter the latter of pollutants. Thus, it is very important that wetlands be preserved. Although they may appear to be large mud puddles with lush vegetation, wetlands are in truth home to various organisms that depend on each other to sustain life on this planet. The extinction of wetlands, therefore, will spell the end of many plants and animals on which humans are dependent on for survival.