Internal and External Business Environments Research Paper

Internal and External Business Environments - Research Paper Example Answer of Question 1 The main five segments of the of the general business environment that tend to have significant effect on an industry and all the companies belonging to an industry (irrespective of the size and revenue) happens to be macro environmental forces in the form of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental or better known as PESTLE. Although it is needless to say that all the factors are of great significance but as per the requirement of the study economic and social factors have been chosen as the two most significant forces to reckon with. The main reason for such choice is the fact that these two factors only affects the businesses & the industry but also have a close interrelation with the other forces and corresponding affect on the businesses and the industry (Porter, 1980). Economic factors The retail industry in U.S. happens to be second largest industry in the country. The industry is responsible for 12% of the overall employment of the country. Majority of the retail industry is dominated by the organized retail chains. The country has the presence of some f the major global retailers in the form of Wal-Mart (the largest in the world) followed by Kroger, Target, Best Buy, the Home Depot, etc. However, like many other industries the retail industry is also looking to combat the wrath of the 2008 economic downturns. The economic downturn coupled the high level of competition has meant that the growth rate of the industry is going to be slow as the economy is still going through a stage of downturn. The economic downturn has also increased the unemployment rate and reduced the disposable income which most certainly will continue be a reason for the slow growth rate. It is needless to say that Wal-Mart has been affected by the economic conditions just like any other retailers. However, there have been certain opportunities that have been available to the industry such as the free trade zone. Also in the year 2009, the retailer awarded benefits worth $2 billion that included bonuses, contributions, profit sharing and attractive merchandise discounts. Here it is to be noted that this was a move that was respected by the employees and the government also most of the retailers were looking to cut down on costs and employee benefits during that period of time. But from the perspective of growth it is to be said that the company needs to focus a lot more on the operations in the emerging economies. Simply because, the economy of Germany, UK, USA is matured in nature and provide very little opportunity for growth; On the contrary the emerging economies like India and china have a relatively un-taped market and hence would provide would provide a lot more opportunity for growth than some of the matured economies. Social Factors Off late the retail industry in the country has witnessed a paradigm of shift in the domain of consumer behavior. This actually has been an affect multiple factors. Due to th e environmental concern regarding global warming the customers have become a lot more environmental conscious and like to consume green products. Consumers have also become a lot of health conscious too. Also, as mentioned above the due to the economic downturn there has been a rise in the unemployment rate and dip in the disposable income of the people. Unlike earlier due the hectic and complex schedules and high fuel costs the people prefer to

A Report on Tsings Friction Essay Example for Free

A Report on Tsings Friction Essay Anna Lowenhaupt Tsings book Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection begins with a rough overview of the global patterns and schemes in communication through a critical exploration of the more general premise of global connections present everywhere. As the author claims that the book is not a history of philosophy but rather an ethnography of global connection (Tsing, 2004, p. 1), there appears a strong concern for the presumably existing ties between the minor and major aspects of the society. As Thomas Yarrow notes, the books main concern is to capture the dynamic through which different kinds of knowledge and culture come into contact with one another (Yarrow, 2006, p. 291) which is a logical and obvious contention behind the book. The first part of Tsings book delves into the concept of prosperity by looking into the various sides of capitalism and an exploration of its causes and effects from a larger perspective. As the first part lays down the vital notions needed to better understand the foundations and contemporary manifestations of capitalism, it also raises several issues revolving around the intricate connections around the world. It opens up the entry point upon which the author will weave continuously the discussion surrounding the global environment of politics that surround the rest of Indonesia as well as the local communities residing in the country. Considering the fact that Indonesias population grew significantly from 1980 to 2001to a little less than 50% (Indonesia: Environmental Issues, 2004), the book makes it clear that the rise in the population has conversely resulted to a sharp imbalance in the environment. The book makes it a point that capitalism has also shared a huge role in this imbalance, heightened in no small way by the population boom in the past as well as in the present times. As Tsing notes, proliferation, too, is a key principle of capitalist expansion (Tsing, 2004, p. 27) which brings the idea that the population expansion with the combination of capitalist expansion are evidences of proliferation. And this proliferation in turn creates the environment of frontiers which are not just edges but particular kinds of edges where the expansive nature of extraction comes into its own (Tsing, 2004, p. 27). In essence, the opening parts of the book, including the first chapter, are primarily divided into two sections. While the first section deals with the concept of frontier and the resources which comprise it founded on the ethnographic observations during the middle parts of the 1990s, the second section deals with aftermath of the crisis during 1997 when frontier-making spiraled out of control (Tsing, 2004, p. 28). The second chapter of the book delves into the concept of Natural Universals in the global context. For establishing the connection between God and Nature, the book inevitably draws the parallels between universality of a supreme being which is God and the universality of nature through the environment. While the chapter probes into the universality of capital-N Nature which is the awe-inspiring, lawlike systematicity of the cosmos of and of life on earth (Tsing, 2004, p. 88), the book also inevitably draws the essential link between Nature and the rest of the world. Further, the second chapter attempts to establish the presumption that through the realization of an existing generality among things can one begin to act on the idea of thinking globally. That is, the realization of the commonality among the various elements and entities in the world through their predominant generalities helps us overcome the barriers that hinder us from thinking on a large scale and attain the end of global connections. Tsing firmly makes this point by stating that as long as facts are apples and oranges, one cannot generalize across them; one must first see them as fruit to make general claims (Tsing, 2004, p. 89). This makes the book even more mind rousing as it nears its middle part. While it exposes certain critical observations such as the inability or failure of individuals to realize the common general thread which holds people together as one, the book in turn brings into consciousness the probable ways in which to achieve the challenge of realizing the more general claims. The book also observes that generalization is where small details support great visions and the universal is discovered in particularities (Tsing, 2004, p. 89). This presupposes the notion that generalization to the universal requires a large space of compatibility among disparate particular facts and observations (Tsing, 2004, p. 89). It also translates into the idea that tentative and contingent collaborations among incongruent seekers of knowledge as well as their incongruent forms of knowledge can create compatible facts and observations from incongruent ones (Tsing, 2004, p. 89). These observations discussed in the book brings us face to face with the core of what the author is presupposing: the idea that mere generalizations are just as they are without getting hold of the particulars that comprise them. And these particularities, when tied altogether, comprise the larger whole where the rest of Nature and of the world operate as a single entity. Further, the book reminds us that cultural analysis thrives on the description of specificity since it is the best method upon which we are able to acquire a critical distance from the common-sense platitudes and everyday assumptions of our lives and the powerful ideologies that keep us in their thrall (Tsing, 2004, p. 122). It reaffirms the claim that missing the knowledge about the particulars disarms one with the capacity to approach and comprehend the more obvious reality behind our common-sense understanding of the world. The section of the book entitled Nature Loving further concretizes and reinforces the belief that the various interactions involving various types of knowledge and culture are solid approaches in studying universal claims. Taking the rainforests of Indonesia as a concrete illustration, the book reiterates the belief that people have always been in contact with nature. One example to this is the fact that there are nature lovers who are devoted to outdoor activities such as camping, mountain climbing, rafting, and scuba diving (Tsing, 2004, p. 122) and that these people only comprise a small portion of the larger population whose daily lives involve contact with Nature such as those people living in Indonesia. In essence, the book also attempts to bring into light the observation that Nature and the cultural processes have been commonly attributed with various disjunctions and differences as well as with the heterogeneous factors which intertwine along the way. The book reveals these things as part of what people commonly refer to as globalization. The book further concretizes this observation in the chapter A History of Weediness where the author explores the interdependence of species by reflecting on the beasts and flowers, not just as symbols and resources, but as co-residents and collaborators (Tsing, 2004, p. 172). It entails the belief that there should be respect with the way in which people treat the environment. There appears to be a hint of the presumption that the patterns upon which the societies have changed over time have also led to the significant alteration in Nature. The book penetrates deep into the analysis by juxtaposing the observations of the poet Kristiandi Tanumihardja into the observations of people from the scientific community to the masses of the society. In particular, the cornerstone of these observations from the book relates the idea that nature has its own way of communication which is evidently unique in its own mysterious ways. While the book discusses the human attempts to unveil the mysteries behind the way Nature communicates not only by the scientific community but also by the world of literature, it also hopes that even with such limited understanding the attempts might bring us closer to knowing how to live in a multispecies world (Tsing, 2004, p. 172). The last chapter of the book entitled Freedom begins with the idea that travel changes the way we imagine our home places (Tsing, 2004, p. 213). This brings the reader to the presumption that there ought to be movement in order to arrive at a better and more fulfilling comprehension and appreciation of ones own environment. Only through such movement can there be a broader understanding of the global connections existing. And these movements can be further juxtaposed with the various social movements and upheavals in the past, including the social movements not only confined within the community of civilians but also with the environment. In The Forest of Collaborations which is the last chapter of the book, the author expounds on the subject of the types of collaborations where political gains and compromises can be assessed through constant attention to these kinds of collaborations and their effects (Tsing, 2004, p. 268). It sums up the general contention of the book in studying global interconnections and the many particularities involved in comprising the larger whole. With a special emphasis on the environmental status of Indonesia, the book reports facts about the predominant themes in analyzing the ethnography of global connections as well as the discoveries in previous years and contemporary times which establish what one can perceive as the indicators of globalization. References Indonesia: Environmental Issues. (2004). Retrieved November 2, 2007, from http://www. eia. doe. gov/emeu/cabs/indoe. html Tsing, A. L. (2004). Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Yarrow, T. (2006). Book Review: riction: An Ethnography of Global Connection By Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing. Political and Legal Anthropology Review, 29(2), 291-296.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: essays research papers

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a book that i would reccomend for anyone to read. This book talks about the issues of prejidice and how it affects the community. When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem broke his arm badley at the elbow. When it healed, and Jems's fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn't have cared less as long as he could pass and punt. When enogh years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewell's started ti all, but Jem , who was four years my senior, said it atarted long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo RAdley come out. this book sucks dick i just wish that there were some kind of site that poor people could go to, u know to find essays that they might need help on. But no everyone is trying to get a little green out of things. Well you know what i am going to find a site and than rub it in ya'll faces. Ya you bot that right! Well my name is Marcia Bryant and i hope some one reads this shit and relizes that i don't have a damn credit card. I'm sixteen fucking years old, What am i going to do wit a credit card. I mean come on. You people should know that the majority of people looking for essays r students. fi hope that all the people running these essay web site burn in hell, it is only common sense here not rocket science.haluioueowijkfdsoufiudokfjkmniidlm foidom oifms oidmfkjoia flioaidj,dm foidm,fl lkfm,d ndwp04 rlksm,mkjsfj f8u9kjkjfksjlojslkjslja;lsj;ljsljkasjl;fkjslajljfljfljsdlkjfldksjflkjsaljdlksjljdlfjksdlfjskljfljsdfkljsdlkfjlsdkjflksdjflsjflkjsalkjljalkjdflaj;ldkfjlasjfljsdlfkjdkslfj s;fk jdlkf lkdj f df df dslkf ;kjds fjk ;saklf df f d flkjd;lkf aklj fjlka lk;f dlkf kla;j;fjaf;iuweopruiweuroiwuri wriwjfsdpuifpsiodu[fosudfipousdpoivfu po u ofu [psdufu po udfp[ ouf o opusdfp[uaod[puapou opfua[pouf poudfpousafopuasdpofupodsaufpoudspofupodsufpousd jfijsdlkhf;ljkshdflkjlkfj kjdfl;j d jsklfj;lskfjkldsfj;lksljf;jdkjf;dsjf;ds jsdlfkjds klfjsldkjflk;dsfjlk;jdsljflkjdlkfjklsd flkj kljdspfiuaisufpdsuifoupovupoczxupvoupjspkfj;suv;pc vefduopuivgop ergupioufcjg fsdgj fpufp p ou9opuf u o9u pou fopsdu fojdspofias ofuods ofipodu fpodsuifo ipodsuifp odsu fopudsfoids;lkfo ofd p fudfopuauspofus o o pofduspofusp9ofgksjf uodofus aasfoiaou sfdskjfdsopufduspfo f "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a book that i would reccomend for anyone to read.

Hemingway: The Relevance of Biography to Interpretation Essay

Even a cursory examination of the literature addressing Hemingway’s writing and his life can seem overwhelming. The purpose of this paper, however, is to demonstrate that some of Hemingway’s writing can be best understood through reference to his own life experiences. This is not meant to suggest that the text does not at times provide some internal textual evidence regarding the meaning of the piece as a whole, for it most certainly does, but that external biographical evidence must also be considered and weighed when interpreting Hemingway’s work. In this paper it will be suggested that an examination of the external evidence, as it relates to Hemingway’s own life experiences, is particularly relevant to any interpretation of Ten Indians or Hills like White Elephants and that in these short stories a reconciliation of the external biographical evidence with the internal textual evidence may better aid in understanding the stories themselves. Significant Biographical Characteristics: Machismo and Gender Relations In order to better understand Hemingway’s writing it is necessary to know about the man himself and some of the major events and experiences which shaped his thought process. With reference to the short stories specifically addressed in this paper there are two biographical characteristics which seem to aid in efforts to interpret meaning or to otherwise try to make sense of the text. The first biographical characteristic is often referred to as Hemingway’s extremely masculine lifestyle or what some scholars have referred to as his macho orientation. It is well-established among scholars and historians, for instance, that Hemingway thoroughly enjoyed rigorous physical activities and pursuits; it has been noted that Hemingway was known for his â€Å"highly developed skills in such ‘manly’ fields as hunting, fishing, boxing and sailing. ( Harry Sylvester, who used to box with Hemingway frequently, once told me that Hemingway was the strongest man he had ever known. )† (McCaffery 12). He was, in short, an independent-minded writer whom enjoyed physical exertion, challenging himself through a variety of pursuits, and outdoor activities. While some scholars, such as McCaffery, have viewed Hemingway’s manliness in a positive light there are some whom have viewed him in a less flattering light; indeed, as a leading Hemingway scholar has pointed out â€Å"Others view his masculinity as negative machismo. They consider him the worst example of a sexist, racist, homophobic man, and often refuse to read or teach Hemingway, or make apologies when they do. † (Moddelmog 2). Whether loved or hated, therefore, scholars seem to agree on his manliness and his abrasively macho view of life. For purposes of interpretation, this informs us that though a gifted writer, and an artist, Hemingway was not the sort of intellectual that was confined to a library or a desk at home; quite the contrary, unlike many other writers, he actually did live in many respects the very type of life which he wrote about. His were not speculative musings, or romantic idealizations, but reflections and comments on situations and characters with which he was intimately familiar. Any attempt to understand or interpret his written work, therefore, must to some extant take note of Hemingway’s own life experiences and philosophical mind-set.. The second biographical characteristic which can aid in the interpretation of Hemingway’s text more specifically, with respect to Ten Indians and Hills like White Elephants, involves his personal experiences with women and how he dealt with gender issues such as relationships and fatherhood in his writings. Hemingway, to put it mildly, experienced the company of many women and seemed almost forever to have troublesome or difficult relations with the opposite sex. He loved women and yet he seemed to struggle to understand them in reference to his own lifestyle and psychology. Referring to Hills like White Elephants, one researcher has observed that â€Å"the subtle and dramatic dialogue in ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ reveals a clear, sensitive portrait of two strong personalities caught in a pattern of miscommunication due to gender-linked language patterns† (Smiley 92); another researcher, referring to Hemingway’s writing more generally, has argued that he must be understood as a human being whom was never quite comfortable about â€Å"his own failed or failing marital and/or extramarital relations. † (Spilka 299). Gender communication or the lack thereof, particularly that dealing with romantic relationships, is pervasive in Hemingway’s writing and can to some degree be related to his own life. In sum, external biographical evidence is extraordinarily relevant when attempting to interpret Hemingway’s writing and it must be considered alongside the internal textual evidence of each written piece of work. Ten Indians An initial and superficial reading of Hemingway’s Ten Indians suggests a rather common plot in which a young boy falls in love, in which he is subsequently betrayed, and in which innocence is lost or diminished in the process. In the instant story, the protagonist is Nick Adams and he falls in love with a young Indian girl whom he apparently adores and whom he trusts feels the same as he does; the twist is that she has been spotted with another boy and that Nick is forced to confront the betrayal. The betrayal, however, is not easily predicted; it is not easily predicted because Hemingway creates a pleasant setting and a happy family atmosphere within which to develop his more depressing plot. Indeed, the protagonist Nick Adams returns home to his father after spending a happy Fourth of July with his friends the Garners. Over a late meal of cold chicken and huckleberry pie the father, who â€Å"made a big shadow on the kitchen wall,† informs Nick that his Indian girlfriend Prudence Mitchell spent her Fourth of July â€Å"threshing around† in the woods with one Frank Washburn (Carter 103) Everyone had seemed quite happy. The Fourth of July is a joyous occasion for friends and family, and young Nick Adams is in love. Although scholars have debated Hemingway’s intentions, because of different conclusions discovered in preliminary and final drafts of the manuscript, it is true that â€Å"In the final part of the published story, Nick goes into his room after the conversation with his father, gets undressed, and climbs into bed, lying with his face in the pillow and thinking, ‘My heart’s broken†¦. If I feel this way my heart must be broken'† (Nolan n. p. ). Thus, the story would appear to be a familiar one of trust, betrayal, and heartache. Further and more careful readings of the text, however, suggest deeper and, possibly, more metaphorical intentions by Hemingway. If from a superficial point of view the story appears to characterize the fallen world of young love then from a more careful examination of the text, reference to the aforementioned biographical characteristics and the relevant scholarly literature the story may also be said to characterize the fallen world of a man’s sense of orderly nature itself. This notion of metaphor, that the text sets forth a young boy’s broken heart to represent a larger type of destruction, is persuasive given the context in which Hemingway set the story and given the way in which the destruction of the wilderness is simultaneously presented in the text. As an initial matter, it is important to understand that Ten Indians was one of many short stories written by Hemingway which detailed and explored the coming of age of Nick Adams. Some scholars have suggested that the protagonist, Nick Adams, was in many ways a personal reflection of Hemingway’s own coming of age story and that he was an autobiographical figure for Hemingway in certain respects. Indeed, there are several interesting connections between Hemingway’s personal history and the people and places created in the short story, Ten Indians. First, although Hemingway was born in Illinois, it is commonly understood that he considered his spiritual home to be in Michigan. This area served as the setting for this particular short story. Second, he relied upon the local Indians of the region to create some of his important characters; in fact, he drew upon his real life observations of the Ottawa and Ojibwa Indian tribes. Indeed, the Indians and their country had a profound effect on Hemingway’s imagination. From his first attempts at fiction and in his later Nick Adams stories, he would draw upon his experiences at Walloon Lake, using Indian characters and wilderness settings. (Nagel 108) Together, these real life experiences helped Hemingway to create both the setting and many of the main characters for his short stories. In addition to providing inspiration for his setting and characters, there was a deeper conflict which Hemingway’s real-life experiences contributed to his writing design in Ten Indians; more specifically, drawing upon Indian tribes whose lives had become fundamentally changed through close contact and interaction with a different American culture, Hemingway was able to cleverly depict a metaphorical illustration of innocence lost through the betrayal of Nick Adams by the Indian girl. Nick’s innocence, it can be argued, has been destroyed in much the same way as the Indian wilderness. Hemingway lamented the modernization which infringed on the forests of northern Michigan and the parallels between the destruction of the wilderness and the destruction of Nick Adams’ heart are striking. These parallels have been noted by one scholar whom has suggested that: Hemingway shows the wilderness being destroyed and, with the loss of the trees, the end of the Indian way of life. This fallen world is the setting of â€Å"Ten Indians,† a story that centers on the adolescent Nick Adams’s first disappointment in love as he learns that his Indian girlfriend, Prudence Mitchell, has been unfaithful (Nagel 108-109) When examining the text of Ten Indians, therefore, it is important to note these important parallels, Hemingway’s love of nature and his view of man’s place in nature. Literally speaking, Hemingway drew on a familiar and beloved setting and populated much of the story with the type of Indian characters that were well-known to him. Figuratively speaking, or metaphorically speaking, Hemingway managed to link the fallen world of the pristine natural wilderness with the fallen world of a young man’s broken heart. It is against this contextual framework that any analysis of Ten Indians must proceed. This is not meant to suggest that either fallen world was the predominant theme; to be sure, both the text and the scholarly literature would seem to demonstrate that Hemingway found both the destruction of the wilderness and the destruction of a first love as betrayals that would inevitable shatter an individual’s innocence and mark another stage in the coming of age of young boys. A young boy, reconciling the external evidence with the internal evidence, might be better advised enjoying the beauty of the forests than the beauty of insincere wiles of young girls. Hills like White Elephants Although a comparatively short story, Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants is full of tension and moral dilemma; more specifically, the text appears to suggest that the man and the woman are debating whether the woman should have an abortion and what the implications will be depending on whether the abortion is done or not done. What is most striking, from a textual analysis, is the contrast between the rather relaxed atmosphere or setting and the deeply personal nature of the discussion. On the one hand, for instance, the man and the woman are relaxing at a train station, drinking alcohol, and waiting for a train. This would seem to imply a happy couple, an anticipated journey, and a relationship that will endure at least until the train arrives. These contextual clues, however, are sharply betrayed by the underlying discussion regarding whether the woman, Jig, will undergo an operation to have an abortion. One might anticipate some form of closure, some final decision arrived at by the main characters, but instead Hemingway leaves the reader grasping for answers as the story comes to a conclusion. He leaves them grasping for answers because rather than stating what decision has been made, and whether the American and Jig will actually ever see each other again, Hemingway finishes his story without a definitive declaration in either respect. With respect to the operation for the abortion, the woman states that she is willing to have the operation; the American man, however, doubts her sincerity. The reader is therefore forced to wonder, as the American wonders, whether the woman is agreeing or temporarily attempting to placate her partner and lover. With respect to the relationship itself, the reader desiring a firm and resolute statement is left grasping for straws. This is because, rather than departing on the train to Madrid together as planned, the American places their bags or luggage at different positions on the platform before rejoining Jig. The story then finishes up with the man being suspicious of the woman’s true motives and convictions and with the placement of the bags providing a possible clue that the relationship is doomed. The couple is together and yet the bags are separate; this is where Hemingway leaves his readers and scholars themselves have grappled with both the meaning of the story and the likely outcomes. The scholarly analysis of Hills like White Elephants has traditionally tended to focus upon the use of internal textual clues to determine whether Jig intended to have the operation and the fate of the relationship between Jig and the America; more recently, however, some scholars have begun to analyze whether and to what extant the short story may have been influenced or otherwise inspired by Hemingway’s own life. This bifurcated focus has been summed up, analyzed, and synthesized by one leading Hemingway scholar whom has stated the scholarly emphasis thusly: â€Å"Two recurring themes in analyses of Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ are the debate over whether or not Jig will carry her pregnancy to term and the search for biographical experiences that may have inspired and influenced the story. † (Wyche n. p). This section will examine each of these scholarly inquiries in turn. The traditional scholarly interest has involved an examination of the text for clues in order to determine whether an abortion was actually pursued and the fate of the couple. A review of the literature reveals at least four possibilities: Three different scenarios have been seriously considered: the girl will have the abortion (albeit reluctantly) and stay with the man; the girl will have the abortion and leave the man; or, the girl will not have the abortion, having won the man over to her point of view. However, there is strong support in the narrative for a fourth outcome that fits in, with the dark overall prognosis presented in other scholarly interpretations: the girl will indeed have the abortion, expecting in this way to stay on with the man, but after the operation has been performed, he will abandon her. Various verbal and non-verbal indications found in the story support this interpretation of the narrative, as does the very symbolism of the title itself. (Hashmi n. p. ) Although an extended analysis of each scenario is beyond the scope of this paper, a rationale for selecting the most plausible outcome based upon the text is not. The most persuasive outcome would appear to be the fourth; more specifically, a superficial reading of the text suggests that Jig will indeed have an abortion and that the American will abandon her despite her attempt to maintain the relationship. First, the American places their bags in different parts of the platform. Analyzed literally, this seems to suggest that he doubts her sincerity regarding the abortion and that he is preparing for a separation. Second, they stand together and Jig tells the American that despite the strain of the abortion decision she remains fine. The man has made the decision to separate the bags whereas Jig would appear to believe that things will work out in such a way as to maintain the relationship. The man’s actions represent separation whereas Jig’s actions and words represent togetherness. It is therefore plausible to argue that she will pursue togetherness by having the abortion and that the man will pursue separation by encouraging the abortion and then abandoning or otherwise terminating the relationship. Although never explicitly stating such a conclusion, the fourth scenario is supported by the aforementioned textual clues. Other scholars have instead focused on Hemingway’s own life in order to understand the story; in this way, the abortion issue is treated figuratively rather than literally. As one scholar pursuing this biographically-oriented type of analysis explains â€Å"While the figurative abortion in ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ can be understood on the basis of internal evidence, the concept of abortion as metaphor invites consideration of a number of biographical influences on the story,† (Wyche n.  p. ). While such an analysis requires a reconciling of certain parts of the text with information known about Hemingway’s personal life there are interesting parallels. One illustration involves the fact that Hemingway has been reported to have said that the birth of his first child led to the dissolution of his first marriage, that he was at the time too young to have become a father, and that â€Å"the author’s ambivalence toward fatherhood is well-documented† (Wyche, n. p. ). Against this larger framework, comparing the author’s real life with his written work, it may become plausible to argue that the scholarship dealing with the outcomes regarding the abortion and the relationship are in actuality tangential or irrelevant concerns insofar as the author was concerned; more precisely, it might be argued that Hemingway was merely incorporating difficult moments from his own coming of age experience without intending to offer concrete conclusions. In the final analysis, while it is both challenging and interesting to explore what Hemingway may have intended as a conclusion, it is perhaps more enlightening to view Hills like White Elephants as a writer’s reflections about his own past in which firm and absolute conclusions were never intended. Hemingway was placing the reader in his own shoes and asking what the reader might do, what the reader ought to do, in similar circumstances. Such an interpretation is consistent with the biographical data known about Hemingway and makes the story more powerful and personal by forcing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions rather than being force-fed a set of conclusions by the author. Conclusion In conclusion, what makes Hemingway so alluring is that he actually lived the type of life that he wrote about. It is therefore impossible to completely separate his own life from his writing as one might be able to do with other writers. As a consequence, interpretation must necessarily involve a balancing act in which external biographical evidence is weighed and considered alongside the internal textual evidence. It is this interplay, between real life and fiction, that perhaps makes Hemingway appear larger than life.

External and Internal Environmental Analysis Essay

An external and internal environment scan is necessary in developing a strategic plan for an organization. Longmont Housing Authority (LHA) needs to assess their internal and external environment to see a full view of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends. In this paper, an internal and external competitive environmental scan for Longmont Housing Authority will be performed. An analysis of the most important external environmental factor in the remote, industry, and external operating environments is included. The most important internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization will be identified. It includes an assessment of the organization’s resources. Finally, the organization’s competitive position and possibilities will be assessed. External Environment Scan The strategic management model shows the external environment as three interactive segments: the remote, industry, and operating environments (Pearce & Robinson, 2011, p. 13). Economic, social, political, technological, ecological, and international environments affect how LHA formulates their strategic plans. In the economic environment, the company is affected by inflation, interest rates, population, and so on. The threat of depressed economy is always a factor in the success of Longmont Housing Authority. Their processes and strategies can be modified to fit the changes in the economy. Due to the changes in social factors such as beliefs, opinions, lifestyle, and preferences, the company can see the underlying trends, threats, and opportunities. An increase in population in Boulder County increases the demand for affordable housing. This is an opportunity that is open for LHA as they continue to do grow and development their organization. The increased threat of a growing population and lack of  affordable housing is an opportunity for the organization to find potential funding sources to expand their portfolio. Their new project is due to break ground next month. This is a 62 unit affordable housing for seniors. Flood victims will have priority on the waitlist for this property, due to the fact that the majority of the funding for this project came from a state flood recovery program. The increasing population is also a good opportunity for the organization because they will be able to justify the need for future housing projects that will be desperately needed in the future. Factors that more directly influence a firm’s prospects originate in the environment of its industry, including entry barriers, competitor rivalry, the availability of substitutes, and the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers (Pearce & Robinson, 2011, p. 110). However, LHA does not have to face tough competition in the housing industry. They are threatened by the threats of funding being pulled by Housing of Urban Development (HUD) or other private investors, who may find affordable housing an investment risk. Internal Environment Scan The organization has been gaining competitive advantages since their launch in 2014 of bringing the property management in house, opposed to hiring a 3rd party to handle the property management. These changes have improved staff development, improved agency financial stability, has streamlined processes, and as a result, they have developed effective policies. Because there is such a demand for affordable housing and very few investors wanting to get involved in this industry there is not much competition. LHA has been able to develop good working partnership with other Longmont agencies, to include the senior center, the police department, city council, Mental Health Partners, and other non-profits that assist the homeless and low income population. LHA’s Competitive Position and Possibilities Longmont Housing Authority is in a good competitive position due to the mentioned strengths and opportunities in the internal and external environment scan. It is highly possible that they will continue to lead in the affordable housing industry because of the focus they are providing to research and development. They can also avoid the threats and eliminate  competition by having experienced staff, and focusing on employee development. Conclusion Longmont Housing Authority is affected by the external and internal environment factors. Their strengths include their property portfolio (product) and processes. They are investing in development and they have a couple major housing projects in the works. They are threatened in the industry because of the threat of lack of funding and strict government regulations. If they will continue to push their initiative in discovering new ways to fund their projects, they can maintain or even improve their current performance. References Pearce, J. A., II, & Robinson, R. B. (2011). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control (12th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. The Longmont Housing Authority. (2014). Retrieved from http://longmontha.com/

Decreasing the Divide Why Philosophy is Good for America Professor Ramos Blog

Decreasing the Divide Why Philosophy is Good for America It has become more and more apparent during the last election that the United States is governed by whoever has the best comebacks, can play upon emotions the best, and can depict the other side as a horrible force in dire need to be stopped. For Donald Trump, the enemy was the Swamp. For Hillary Clinton, the enemy was the â€Å"deplorables.† The scary truth is not just that there are many factors contributing to the massive schism between Republicans and Democrats, but that we are doing so little to try and change anything about it. As intolerance grows, the solution becomes clear: bring philosophy back, and bring it back on a level America has yet to witness. What does this mean, exactly? How could philosophy help a divided America? When people hear philosophy, many think of some old white dudes all sitting in the Thinker’s position asking a series of unanswerable questions. However, this is not an accurate representation. Philosophy teaches critical thinking on higher level. It teaches logic and how to approach arguments without emotional attachment. Most importantly, it teaches how to ask questions and how, by just asking them, important truths about our world and ideas can be revealed. Today, it is taught that a rhetorical paper includes ethos, pathos, and logos. This makes for a very convincing argument, yes, yet there arises a problem when arguments are constructed entirely on ethos and pathos and are still permitted to be called arguments. This may sound like something mostly high school and college students may be accused of doing but even our politicians are guilty of side-stepping logic. To construct a strong argument in philosophy it must be logical, sound, and valid. This means that pathos and ethos, for the most part, are considered irrelevant. Your argument is entirely reliant on its logical grounding rather than on how it makes others feel. This is exactly what we need in American politics. A freshman who takes her first philosophy class in college will have to learn the different fallacies and how to identify them in daily conversations as well as in poorly structured arguments. This can only be a benefit to her and everyone else. If we are constantly making fallacious arguments that are convincing then we are openly throwing logic out the window for some dangerous supplements. So what does any of this have to do with American polarization? Easy. Philosophy requires each of its contestants in an argument to be unbiased and open-minded. With this in mind, two people can try and understand each other’s arguments and where their â€Å"opponents† are coming from. It becomes less of two people going at it trying to prove each other wrong, like what we have today in American politics, and more of two friends trying to understand each other and make the best decision together. Today, we support people who are very persuasive in their arguments because that have lots of practice as lawyers or, now, businessmen. That would be a good thing seeing as these two professions have much to do with economics and the legal system in America. Yet, this also means that they are very convincing, even if they’re ultimately meaningless. A couple of examples are when Donald Trump coined the names â€Å"Little Marco† for senator Marco Rubio and â€Å"Crooked Hillary† for Hillary Clinton. These are nothing more than ad hominem attacks, meaning that they are attacks with no logical, argumentative substance. Clinton, on the other hand, used a combination of the ad hominem attack and the fallacy of hasty generalization when referring to Trump’s supporters as a â€Å"basket of deplorables.† The hard part with this is that we are already so divided that even now we struggle to truly try and fix this gap because it would require us to set aside what we already believe is correct. In other words, when it comes to being actually open-minded, we’re out of practice. There are multiple reasons and theories for why it is that the Right and the Left are so far apart including race (Olson), religion (Mccann), and just different economic theories. But because the reasons are diverse and are topics that we have deemed off limits for discussion, it becomes harder to overcome whatever lingering problems may be at fault for our arrogance and close-mindedness. For that reason, we should implement philosophy in high school as it was done in Hawaii (Luckey). There, kids can be taught how to use logic and then decide for themselves what to believe and what not to. In philosophy, no topic is off limits and everyone has the right to think for themselves. If logical arguments were taught like English, history, and math are in schools, imagine what kind of adults the public education system would produce. They would be nearly invulnerable to fallacies and would see discussions entirely differently. Who knows, maybe the word â€Å"argument† would no longer mean two people passionately yelling at each other, and instead, mean a series of premises to support a conclusion, as it was always meant to mean (DeCesare). I think that if taught correctly, philosophy can be the key to beginning to fix things in the United States. Afterall, we are supposed to be united but we are again so far apart and unless we have a tool that allows us to once again become empathetic on a massive scale, the divide might continue to deepen and grow. The first step is to bring it into schools, and the second is to witness as kids question authority, and unless the authority has solid reasoning behind why they are in authority (teachers have this covered) then they will be deemed unworthy. Plato onced dreamed of a society in which a Philosopher King ruled. This was because he feared that democracy would leave unworthy and uneducated people in power. But what if every person was, to some degree at least, a philosopher? If everyone could give you perfectly logical reasons for every decision they made and society was governed by purely logical, empathetic individuals? I’m willing to bet it’d be a much, much better place. Therefore, there is no doubt in my mind that philosophy must be taken seriously again and the United States once again be united. Works cited: MCCANN, JAMES A. Who Stands Where. America, vol. 210, no. 7, 03 Mar. 2014, pp. 30-33.EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=ehhAN=94618530site=ehost-live. This is a scholarly article and therefore credible. It talks about political polarization in America and how religious differences play a major role in the division of congress. I chose to use it because it relates to my topic of political polarization in America and how it can be solved by incorporating philosophy into primary education. Fay, Jacob and Meira Levinson. Teaching Democracy in POLARIZING TIMES. Educational Leadership, vol. 75, no. 3, Nov. 2017, pp. 62-67. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=ehhAN=125935939site=ehost-live. I chose to use this article because it focuses on case studies in which students were instructed to converse about controversial political subjects so as to ease the divide between students. This relates to my article directly because it demonstrates that open conversation can be used to solve the political divide. It is a trustworthy scholarly article found on EBSCO. Olson, Joel. Whiteness and the Polarization of American Politics. Political Research Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 4, Dec. 2008, pp. 704-718. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=pohAN=35266021site=ehost-live. This article offers racial discrimination as a reason for American divisiveness. It makes some interesting claims and relates to my topic. I don’t think my paper can go without at least recognizing this point of view. It is a trustworthy scholarly article. Lukey, Benjamin. The High School Philosopher in Residence: What Philosophy and Philosophers Can Offer Schools. Educational Perspectives, vol. 44, no. 1, 01 Jan. 2012, pp. 38-42. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=ericAN=EJ1005649site=ehost-live. This is directly related to my argument that philosophy should be implemented in schools. The article is about exactly that: bringing philosophy into primary education. It is a scholarly article. DeCesare, Tony. On the Potential Contributions of High School Philosophy to Ethical and Democratic Education. Teaching Ethics, vol. 13, no. 1, Fall 2012, pp. 1-16. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=ehhAN=87635049site=ehost-live. Another scholarly article dedicated to the discussion of philosophy in schools, particularly high school, and its benefits. â€Å"Department of Philosophy.† Department of Philosophy Department of Philosophy The University of Utah, philosophy.utah.edu/undergraduate/philosophy-minor.php. Gross, Sam. â€Å"‘It Sort of Makes You Stop and Think, Doesnt It.’

Towards a Caribbean Community Essays

Towards a Caribbean Community Essays Towards a Caribbean Community Essay Towards a Caribbean Community Essay Essay Topic: Claude Mckay Poems The following family narratives reflect a long history of movements that began in the post-emancipation period, when families sought to secure viable, socially accepted, and culturally valued livelihoods, providing respect in the communities with which they identified. The following analysis of these different Caribbean family legacies elucidates how the give meaning and purpose to individual family members migratory moves, the lives that they had lived in different parts of the world and their Caribbean place of origin as a site of belonging. Finally, this paper explore the significance of this Caribbean past to later generations of family members who are born and reared in various migration destinations abroad. This is thus an ethnography of mobility, interrelations, and ties place from the point of view of individual who negotiate a variety of sociocultural frameworks that influence their notions of belonging and identity. The Caribbean offers a particular interesting context within which to study migration, because the area, as noted, is entirely the product of massive population movements due to its particular geopolitical past. The archipelago was settled first by several Indian groups from North America and South America who lived by fishing and horticulture. This population was virtually eradicated within fifty years of Columbuss discovery of the islands in 1942. When during the sixteenth century European colonizers developed a plantation system in the Caribbean, producing especially sugar for the world market, they began to import labor power to replace the Indians, first indentured laborers from Europe, then slaves from Africa, and finally, contract laborers from Asia, especially India. By the end of the nineteenth century, when large-scale migration to the Caribbean had ceases, several hundred thousand Europeans, approximately 3 million Africans, and more than half a million Asians had arrived in the Caribbean (Claude, 3). The abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1834 (effectuated in 1838) set in motion massive population movements within the Caribbean, as many of those who had been left the plantations to settle as small farmers in free villages in the rural areas or to look for work in urban areas. Others moved farther afield for better economic opportunities, first within the Caribbean basin, then to South America and North America. This migration continued throughout the twentieth century and was finally extended to include Europe (Louise, 2). During the last half of the twentieth century alone, more than 2 million people left the Caribbean for Europe and North America. The long post-emancipation history of population movements for better social and economic opportunities has led some scholars to describe the Caribbean as characterized by a migration tradition or a migration culture (Louise, 1). Indeed, the Jamaican anthropologist Charles Carnegie (Anthony, 124) has wondered why migration should regarded as the marked phenomenon, and staying put as unmarked, because for particular peoples at particular times to move is an ordinary and expected a thing to do as to remain sedentary. What therefore needed in the Caribbean context, he states, are studies of the cultural system that makes migration meaningful to Caribbean people (Albinia Vera, 3) and the potentially limited social field of reciprocal relations that enable them to migrate. With the long history of population movements into, within, and out of the Caribbean, one can ask, however, what it means to be from the Caribbean or to belong to that category of people called Caribbean. In a critique of tendency of historical anthropology study historical processes in relation to particular localities, Mary Des Chene has raised the question, If ones work concerns that the lives of people who have more commonly been in motion stationary refugees, migrant workers, colonial district officers, academics, and what makes the place where one happens to catch up with them in itself revelatory of that mobility and its means? One might paraphrase this question slightly and ask, If ones work concerns the lives of people who have a long history of movements, what makes the mobility and its meanings? To address this question, it is necessary to examine how this place has been invested with social and cultural meaning and how variously positioned people have done rights. In conclusion this article has focused and explained in detail how most of the narratives of most families reflect a long history of movements that began in the post-emancipation period, when families sought to secure viable, socially accepted, and culturally valued livelihoods, providing respect in the communities with which they identified as to be part of them. The paper explores reasons why the Caribbean offers a particular context in which one can easily study migration due to its geopolitical past. Finally it ends by notifying why some scholars identifying Caribbean as being characterized by migration traditions or migration culture. Bibliography Anthony P. Maingot, Wilfredo Lozano. The United States and the Caribbean. 1994. Bennett, Louise. Anancy Stories and Poems in Dialect. Kingston, Ja: Printed by the Gleanor Co, 1944. Print. Ramesh, Kotti S, and Kandula N. Rani. Claude Mckay: The Literary Identity from Jamaica to Harlem and Beyond. Jefferson, N.C. [u.a.: McFarland Co, 2006. Print

The Many Meanings of Quarter

The Many Meanings of Quarter The Many Meanings of Quarter The Many Meanings of Quarter By Mark Nichol The word quarter has numerous senses as a noun, verb, and adjective, is the basis of several words beginning with quarter, and shares an origin with quart. Quart and quarter come from Latin by way of French; in Latin, quartus means â€Å"the fourth†; it is cognate with four. Quart came to mean â€Å"one-fourth of a gallon,† while quarter refers to one of four (usually) equal parts of a whole. Quarter often pertains, with no further description, to one-fourth of a year, often in business and especially financial contexts but also in terms of one of four segments of a school year, or to one of four periods of equal length that together constitute the duration of an athletic competition or other game. The word also refers to a compass point or direction other than north, south, east, or west or to one-fourth of the horizon or the area beneath it. In addition, it may apply to a district within a municipality or to the people living there, though the term is not precise; such a quarter may be much larger or, more commonly, much smaller than one-fourth of the city or town’s area. Quarters, the plural form, pertains to one’s living accommodations, to an assigned post or station, or to assembly of a ship’s crew. Speaking of ships, either side of the stern, or rear, of a ship is called a quarter, and the deck at the stern of a ship is called the quarterdeck. Another term pertaining to maritime vocabulary is quartermaster. One or more quartermasters traditionally assisted the master, or captain, of a ship (later an officer subordinate to the captain called the sailing master) in navigation; it remains a rating, or a designation delineating job responsibilities, in modern navies. (Among pirates during the Age of Sail, however, quartermaster was the title of a crew member second only to the captain in authority; often, both positions were filled by election.) Although these low-ranking but key naval officers also helped the master stow supplies and cargo to optimize smooth sailing, the application of the word to refer to an army officer responsible for disbursing clothing and supplies to troops seems to have developed independently, stemming from the title of a court official responsible for a monarch’s sleeping chamber. Quarter also describes 25 cents in US currency, especially a coin bearing that value. Terms derived from quarter are defined below: In football, a quarterback is positioned midway between the front line and the halfback, who is halfway between the line and the fullback. (The halfback and fullback positions were derived from similar positions in rugby, from which football originated, while the quarterback position was invented for football.) The noun quarterly, which refers to a publication produced four times a year, is derived from the adjective quarterly, which describes any occurrence of that frequency. A quarterstaff is a long stick used as a weapon; both competing explanations for the origin of the word (either it refers to the placement of one’s hands when wielding it or to quarter used to refer to a cut of lumber) lack authority. A quartet is a group of any four people or things, though the term usually pertains to a four-piece music ensemble. A quarto is a format for printing books or pamphlets in which eight pages are printed on one sheet of paper to produce four leaves with print on both sides; the term may also refer to the size of a publication (about as large as a magazine). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of LanguageBody Parts as Tools of Measurement20 Criminal Terms You Should Know

Marketimg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketimg - Essay Example First, it helps the company to promote product awareness to the consumers and also position the company in the market. Second, marketing efforts can also help the organization to boost product sales. Third, marketing helps the company to build its reputation in the market. Without marketing efforts, a company cannot convey what services or product it is offering. Actually marketing is a huge area which covers various aspects of business from identification of need in the market to the after-sale services. Moreover, marketing efforts of a company help the people to recognize the product options available in the market and the features and qualities f the products. Therefore, marketing plays a very important role in the success of a company and its products and services. Three examples have been quoted here to explain how marketing concepts help the companies to operate in a particular market. IKEA is a prominent international player in the furniture industry. The company has been offe ring well designed, functional home and furnishing products to its customers for more than 60 years. The effective marketing strategies of IKEA have helped the company to develop a strong image in the markets where it is operating. The graph shows that the number of visitors to IKEA stores is expanding significantly. Company considers its every customer as a member of â€Å"IKEA Family†. The marketing function of the company has helped the company to establish an image in the market. Moreover, through marketing programs IKEA develops relationships with its customers for example; IKEA has recently introduced IKEA mobile content which is a marketing strategy through which company has developed a database of customers. Source: Batistia, 2009 These are the marketing efforts of a company which help the company to segment and target the market and position the product to reach the target audience. Red Bull was launched as an energy drink and today company is operating in many count ries across the world. Company heavily relied on â€Å"buzz marketing† or word-of-mouth to establish a strong image in the market. In order to position the energy drink, to attract customers and to increase the visibility of the product, the marketing strategies which the company adopted include sports marketing, even marketing, advertising, sales promotions and free sampling etc. By 2004, Red Bull was having 70 percent market shares of worldwide energy drinks market (Ny Mafia, 2008). Various competitors also tried to adopt the marketing strategies of Red Bull however; these tactics could not help the competitors. Therefore, even the taste of energy drink of Red Bull was not that very good however, these were the marketing efforts which communicated the purpose and features of energy drink. Various marketing efforts are pursued by companies to attract and retain customers. The following example of Lloyds Banking Group advocates however, marketing efforts help a company to pro vide information related to products and services to the customers of the company. The company is focusing on integrated marketing communication strategy to target its customers. In addition, the company also asks the people to join the network of the company through which company keeps on updating the customers via phone or email about the new products or services.

Social Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Security - Essay Example Essentially an â€Å"investment† that all taxpayers must contribute to, it is the largest government program in the world, and the greatest expenditure in the Federal government’s budget (Office of Management and Budget). The social security program in the United States was and remains a safeguard against poverty like that seen during the Great Depression—a time in which poverty affected nearly half of all American elderly. It seems that, in the event of a current or future economic calamity, social security would provide such protection, and ensure that tragedy does not strike those Americans who cannot earn capital when the financial climate becomes inclement. A social security system is one that utilizes public funding in order to economically secure private citizens. Established in 1935, the United States’ social security system provides not only for the poor elderly, but also for those who are disabled and cannot work to earn a stable income. The income that the social security program provides is merely supplemental. All employed taxpaying citizens contribute to social security, which diverts this money to those who are of age or unable to work. Those eligible for benefits receive an amount proportionate to what they have put into the program through taxes. Although this is true, social security pays disproportionately to those who are earning low incomes; thus, social security tries to provide for those who need its benefits more. This is perhaps social security’s most noble intention: based on current estimates, social security is reported to prevent roughly half of elderly Americans from poverty, which closely follows the original intention of the program (Orr). Despite this, the Supreme Court has ruled that no one has legal right to social security benefits, and that entitlement to benefits is not a contractual right (Flemming v. Nestor). The origins of American social security lie in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, a

Online multimedia cannot compete against the traditional CD multimedia Essay

Online multimedia cannot compete against the traditional CD multimedia systems.IN REPORT FORMAT - Essay Example Here I will show how the traditional CD technology was better as compared to new online multimedia technology. The term media is employed in difference to media which simply make use of conventional types of hand-produced or printed material. Multimedia comprises a mixture of animation, video, audio, interactivity, still images and text content types (Kenneth, 1998). Multimedia is an elderly notion that has been specified fresh meaning by the computer industry in the course of their hard work to make multimedia compatible computing platforms. If we define Multimedia in the scholarly sense then it will be called as the â€Å"interactive dramatization of information†. Multimedia technology employs the computer to unite animation, text, audio, and graphics and complete motion video in the user control. However mixture of these functions have been obtainable for several years, it has been hard to merge them so that the non-technical consumer is able to control them and thus produce documents or functions that add in all these features. Usually, putting collectively such arrangement necessitates the abilities of a computer programmer or an information technology professional. In the pervious few years there has been infrequent employ made of multimedia resources together in academia and in business, however this has been mainly driven by exper t persons working ad hoc and in separation. Multimedia is generally played and recorded, accessed or displayed by information processing multimedia devices, like that a computerized or an electronic device, however it can be a fraction of a live multimedia performance (Parker et al, 1996). This section presents the evolution of the multimedia technology from its origin to present online multimedia technology. In the year 1965 the expression Multimedia was employed to explain the â€Å"Exploding Plastic Inevitable†, a performance that combined live cinema, experimental

Keys to Effective Human Resource Management Essay

Keys to Effective Human Resource Management - Essay Example 48). These may take the form of formal training programs, informal orienting activities by peers or supervisors or a combination of both. Organizational-level orientation intends for employees to feel welcomed and that they are now part of the organization; learn more about the organizational mission and vision, culture, language, history and structure. Employees come to better understand the basic workplace principles and policies (Klein, 2000). From the very beginning, HRM sees to it that the organization’s workers’ values are aligned to the company’s. Differing values create conflict and will impede goal achievement. According to Mishra and Morrissey (1990), the following factors propagate trust: open communication; giving workers a greater share in decision making; sharing of critical information and true sharing of perceptions and feelings. In every employment, employees consciously or unconsciously expect a kind of â€Å"psychological contract† apart from the expectations the job usually presents – benefits and compensation for a particular job description. This psychological contract usually includes open and honest communication, managerial support and challenging and interesting work. Employees are becoming increasingly aware of the non-monetary rewards that companies can provide them. It is generally important that the job not only fulfills their economical needs, but their socio-emotional needs as well. â€Å"This implies that the HRM needs to go beyond a discussion of compensation and benefits and highlight aspects of their organization that job candidates will find intrinsically satisfying.† (Lester, Clair & Kickul, 2001, n.p.) From the... This paper stresses that successful organizations know how to manage their human resources to achieve competitive advantage. In the case of alternative employment strategies, several companies are adopting it not only to save on finances but moreso to provide better working conditions for their employees. At Renault, workers are offered to choose these alternatives with the condition of working from home two to four times a week and reporting to the office one day a week. Teleworkers and hotdeskers are entitled to the same company benefits as other employees such as training and career development and access to workplace representatives and elections. The company also covers for the cost of necessary equipment and its installation such as a laptop computer a high speed internet connection and an ergonomically designed chair which should only be used for work purposes. This paper makes a conclusion that HR managers should keep in mind that careful and efficient management of their organisations and people is central in the well-being of their employees as well as their contribution to the company and the maintenance of harmony among all members of the organisation. They should know how to uplift the morale of their people, thereby making them perform better in their jobs and instill loyalty to the organization. It is truly a huge responsibility for leaders, and the fulfillment of their several goals and tasks for the organization may determine the success or failure of a whole establishment.

Sunbelt South Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sunbelt South - Essay Example The book continues in this vein moving along the time line until the second world war from whence a tremendous change starts sweeping through the south; altering its identity amid strong global influences. This change is witnessed amid strong resistance from the south’s white leadership who try to stem the new influences that threaten to change the status quo that has existed and given the south its distinct identity up to that point in time. Cobb uses a huge base of historical and literary references to illustrate his points and succeeds in providing a very balanced and unbiased account of the state of the south. The only criticism that can be leveled his way is the lack of reference to the medical situation through out the narration. The health maladies that plagued the south at various durations over time have also had an impact on the self- identity of the south and deserved some mention as well. To illustrate the state of the south since the Second World War, we have to r ely on the available literature and Cobb is a renowned historian of repute especially concerning the south. The study of the south is intricately interwoven with the history of America and its only fitting we look at it to understand the state of America since the end of the second world war. ... The image of the south has undergone change all through its existence and none is more profound than the change experienced after the Second World War and intensified during the civil rights era. The white supremacists fought hard to cling on to the status quo from this period but the winds of change were blowing harder and getting even harder to ignore. The very definitions of the southern way of life as it was known up till then were shaken to the core. The African Americans were at this time examining their southern heritage more keenly and openly and beginning to embrace their southern heritage amid their championing of their black identity. There is a distinct feel of the south’s development and evolution being dissected in the book and its wide array of relevant topics got fromfrom the national ascendance of southern culture and music, to a globalized Dixie's allure for foreign factories and a flood of immigrants, to the roles of women and an increasingly visible gay pop ulation in contemporary southern life. The heart of the book illuminates the struggle for Civil Rights. For instance the author refers to a time when Jim Crow still towered over the South in 1945, but Cobb shows that Pearl Harbor unleashed forces that would ultimately contribute to its eventual downfall. Rising black political influence outside the South and the incongruity of combating racist totalitarianism overseas while condoning the same at home, created the opportunity for returning black veterans to organize the NAACP's postwar attack on the South's racial system. This assault elicited not only vocal white opposition but also led to increasing violence that climaxed in the murder of young Emmett

Keys to Effective Human Resource Management Essay

Keys to Effective Human Resource Management - Essay Example 48). These may take the form of formal training programs, informal orienting activities by peers or supervisors or a combination of both. Organizational-level orientation intends for employees to feel welcomed and that they are now part of the organization; learn more about the organizational mission and vision, culture, language, history and structure. Employees come to better understand the basic workplace principles and policies (Klein, 2000). From the very beginning, HRM sees to it that the organization’s workers’ values are aligned to the company’s. Differing values create conflict and will impede goal achievement. According to Mishra and Morrissey (1990), the following factors propagate trust: open communication; giving workers a greater share in decision making; sharing of critical information and true sharing of perceptions and feelings. In every employment, employees consciously or unconsciously expect a kind of â€Å"psychological contract† apart from the expectations the job usually presents – benefits and compensation for a particular job description. This psychological contract usually includes open and honest communication, managerial support and challenging and interesting work. Employees are becoming increasingly aware of the non-monetary rewards that companies can provide them. It is generally important that the job not only fulfills their economical needs, but their socio-emotional needs as well. â€Å"This implies that the HRM needs to go beyond a discussion of compensation and benefits and highlight aspects of their organization that job candidates will find intrinsically satisfying.† (Lester, Clair & Kickul, 2001, n.p.) From the... This paper stresses that successful organizations know how to manage their human resources to achieve competitive advantage. In the case of alternative employment strategies, several companies are adopting it not only to save on finances but moreso to provide better working conditions for their employees. At Renault, workers are offered to choose these alternatives with the condition of working from home two to four times a week and reporting to the office one day a week. Teleworkers and hotdeskers are entitled to the same company benefits as other employees such as training and career development and access to workplace representatives and elections. The company also covers for the cost of necessary equipment and its installation such as a laptop computer a high speed internet connection and an ergonomically designed chair which should only be used for work purposes. This paper makes a conclusion that HR managers should keep in mind that careful and efficient management of their organisations and people is central in the well-being of their employees as well as their contribution to the company and the maintenance of harmony among all members of the organisation. They should know how to uplift the morale of their people, thereby making them perform better in their jobs and instill loyalty to the organization. It is truly a huge responsibility for leaders, and the fulfillment of their several goals and tasks for the organization may determine the success or failure of a whole establishment.

Juno Character Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Juno Character Analysis - Essay Example As the film unfolds, the viewer sees that Juno is not a bad girl; she is a young woman dealing with something she is really too young to deal with, she struggles with her situation and uses humor to manage her emotions, and she makes the decision that she feels is best for everyone involved. Throughout the film, the viewer is continually reminded that, despite her pregnancy, Juno is just a teenage girl. She is young and this was not a planned or wanted pregnancy. She is dealing with a entirely new set of emotions that she is not accustomed too. In addition to dealing with the emotions related to her pregnancy, Juno was dealing with facing the feelings she had towards Paulie, the baby’s father. As Juno spends more time with Mark, the adoptive father, she gets confused over her feelings towards him, as well. Juno states the situation of her age best when talking to her father. After witnessing Mark confront Vanessa about not really wanting to have a baby, Juno is filled with emo tions she isn’t sure how to deal with. She is confused and not sure how to deal with her emotions even though she has decided to still allow Vanessa to adopt her baby. After taking a minute to herself to cry, she goes home. Her father asks her where she had been, and she responds by saying, â€Å"just out dealing with things way beyond my maturity level.† Although she is clearly using sarcasm to mask her emotions, her comment accurately reflects the situation. After making the decision to put her baby up for adoption, opposed to keeping the baby or having an abortion, Juno does not deter from this decision. Despite this, she struggles with her decision. Her initial decision to have an abortion is abandoned early. She then immediately decides to put the baby up for adoption, and then works on finding an adoptive family. Juno frequently uses sarcasm and humor to get through emotionally difficult situations. When Vanessa questions her determination to put her baby up for adoption, Juno responds by saying, â€Å"If I could just have the thing and give it to you now I totally would.† If taken out of the context of the movie, this comment would sound cold and uncaring, but it is simply Juno’s way of expressing her determination while maintaining emotional distance. She struggles with the idea of giving the baby up for adoption, but she maintains her humor to stay focused. She also uses her humor to draw attention to her situation. She jokes about the fact she is sixteen and pregnant in an effort to divert negative attention for the same reason. During one of her interactions with Vanessa, Vanessa questions her regarding whether or not her parents know where she is. She responds to Vanessa’s questioning by saying, â€Å"I’m already pregnant so what other shenanigans could I get into?† This breaks the tension by exposing the elephant in the room. Juno makes the decision that she feels is best for everyone involved; this includes her, Paulie, Vanessa, and the baby. Juno recognizes immediately that her and Paulie are not equipped to give the baby a good life. In addition to this inability, she recognizes that fact that neither of them wants to stop being teenagers and start being parents. Forcing themselves to take on a role that neither of t

Of Mice and Men by John Ernst Steinbeck Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men by John Ernst Steinbeck Essay Of Mice and Men was written by John Ernst Steinbeck. This book was published in 1937. This is a tale about an extraordinary friendship between two migrant labourers during the Great Depression who shared the same dream of having their own ranch living on their own land. They moved on to a new job after they ran away from their previous job in a hurry, following an incident involving the larger of the two men. Here they met new people as well as trouble along their job in the ranch with the boss son who greatly dislikes big people, and his wife who likes flirting with the boys a lot. In a fight Lennie tried to defend himself against Curley but he still kept punching Lennie, he decided he had enough so he fought back and when he saw the opportunity he grabbed Curleys hands and crushed it. He also accidentally killed his wife while stroking her hair in the barn which George was really crossed about and decided to kill him for their own good. The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s (year when this book was published) when the American Stock Market on Wall Street crashed catastrophically and led to a massive economic depression, which greatly affected America and some parts of the world that resulted to workers migrated all over the country to find jobs. Lennie George were migrant farm worker who moved from one place to another to find work. They became migrant workers because of the trouble that they caused at their old place, which urged them to get on the run and find a new job. George is small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes (might be a bit worried) and having sharp, strong features Lennie is his complete opposite a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and walks heavily dragging his feet a little, like the way a bear drags its paws and with arms hanging loosely. This shows us how animal-like Lennie is. Workers in the ranch live in a bunk house a long rectangular, building which could accommodate up to 8 people in their own bunks. Georges first thoughts about the bunk house was dirty and unhygienic infested with tiny bugs; which came into his mind when he found a small yellow can on the box shelf which was supposed to kill tiny bugs and insects. The bunk house, which they were living in, was quiet big but without privacy as there were no individual rooms, an infested bunk house with an old dog going in and out which we dont know what kind of insect it might be carrying. The overall condition in this bunk house depends mainly on its occupiers of being clean and hygienic. Migrant workers like Lennie and George havent got stability; they go to the ranch mainly to work and get paid then get on with their lives. Most of their work placement isnt permanent they havent got stability at all, it mainly depends with the contract they have, which often wouldnt last that long because of different factors thats why they couldnt make any long-term plans. Migrant workers are the loneliest guys in the world theyve got no friends. They have no family and dont belong to no place. Theyve got no one to talk to, and no one cares about them. Its difficult for a migrant worker to have friend to accompany each other. Hardly none of the guys ever travel together unlike Lennie and George that gives them an extraordinary friendship. Guys in the ranch just come in the bunk, work for a month and go out alone. Lennie and George are different because they got each other to look after themselves that makes them quiet unusual. I would find it rather difficult to make friends if I work as a migrant worker. I would feel uneasy with myself going to a strange place and meeting and befriending new people. As what Slim said its a bit odd two people coming together, usually a person come and go with no one to look up to. Lennie and George shares a common dream the ambition of having a little house and a piece of land of their own an live off the fatta the lan; they dreamed of having a better life with their land having a garden, a little win mill, a rabbit cage, an a chicken run. In which they could grow different sorts of crops and raise some farm animals ranging from chickens to cows and specially rabbits that Lennie is so keen about. This dream means a lot to them saving up all their monthly stakes for this to materialise, their dream gives them hope and determination and most importantly this means their future. In the novel not only George and Lennie have dream but also Curleys wife who regrettably married Curley when she could have gone with someone richer and famous guys. She imagined herself acting and living in luxury if she had run away with the other guys instead of Curley, she coulda been in the movies, and had a nice clothes, with pictures taken of her. She could be sittin in them big hotels and it wouldnt even cost her a cent because she was in the picture. This was her once in a lifetime chance, which she deeply regrets; if only she had run away with the guys she could be rich by now. Everyone in during the depression dreamed of having their own land, thinking that they could live better off with themselves. Most of them shared a common goal the American Dream. People in the ranch has nowhere to go to so they spend most of their time dreaming of their own place but even if they worked hard enough they wont be able to save enough to move on in life. Even George was tempted to go with them to the cat-house leaving Lennie behind and spending money on their account. Even if they got their own place they were always doomed to failure of history repeating itself about Lennie, which was their huge pitfall. These people had dreams thinking they could live much better on their own life with no one controlling them. These ambitions are good for them giving them something to look forward to, to give them hope and determination that one day they would be able to achieve their dream. But somehow it would be bad to have these dreams and living on a fantasy world that some how we know, doesnt exist. Most of the people in the ranch are victims of prejudice because of their incapabilities, race or physical appearance. Prejudice means to pre-judge someone, it is an attitude of mind on any topic which encourages us to prejudge those who differ from us in some way. Racism, Discrimination, Scapegoating and Stereotyping are some forms of applied prejudice. Candy is the only oldest person in the ranch thats why he is treated with prejudice adding to the fact to that he had lost his hand, which makes him feel very useless. His dog was shot because he was powerless to stop them because he was just an old man and most of the people wants his dog dead; he was depending on how Slim would react to help him save his dog but Slim turned him down. He was the only chance he had to stop his dog from being executed. He also has the least respected job being the cleaner or swamper as its called. Curleys wife is treated with prejudice from the fact she is the Boss daughter-in-law. Her flirtatious attitude contributes to the way she is treated. She not only wants some one to talk to, she wants someone to open-up with to share her loneliness and to express her feelings. Some men have different feelings for her like Whit and Lennie are attracted to her but George and Candy despise her. But shes well aware of the power she holds over men even though shed just been there for a few weeks. She doesnt let anybody step on her and treats her like dust, she annoys them even more if she knows the person doesnt like her. Crooks is the worst victim of prejudice to the extent that he is treated in a different way being segregated from other guys because he is black. Being a black man he is the subject of verbal and physical degradation. He is sole survivor; he shows us that he is a fighter who doesnt easily get degraded. Even though he is segregated he has his own room, which not all of them have, and he has the most numerous belongings. Even though he is the victim he also shows us his manipulative way because he knows he could be dominate over Lennie in which he saw h over Lennie but Lennie quickly got off of the bait and showed him that he is still the lowest of all ranks in the ranch. Surely no one would like to be treated in such manner of Prejudging others without knowing the reasons behind it. It is usually were evil starts. Most of the time it results to discrimination and racism that, are often accompanied by either physical or verbal aggression; this is a form of prejudice in action. I strongly disagree to someone treating anyone with prejudice. Prejudice is such an evil way of thinking; only people with a clear evil intention and malicious mind would do that. I dont think their lives are appealing. I dont want to live like migrant workers moving from one place to another, I would like a permanent job and permanent place where I can have stability. They also have to understand the people around them and adjust to their new environment. They also got to bare the loneliness; people like them got no one to talk to, no families, and no place to live. They have no directions in life; in the ranch people are going nowhere. They come in to work then come out, spend all their monthly stakes and come back to work again. They migrate from their town because there is no work to be found around it. So they spent most of their time migrating depending on their contract.

Analysing Market Competition of British Petroleum and Compempetitors

Analysing Market Competition of British Petroleum and Compempetitors British petroleum was originally created by a German firm as a way of marketing its production in Britain. British petroleum started 1908 in a rugged part of Persia(history of Bp 2010) and has had a lot of oil and gas in the proverbial pipeline(Bp New millenium2010). ,including discoveries from BPs own research facilities. British petroleum is one of the worlds largest energy companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemical products for everyday items(Bp At a Glance2010).BP is the worlds second biggest oil firm by market value. BP had grown to become a global energy company, providing large quantities of oil while also making strides along a promising path towards oils alternatives(Bp At a Glance2010). British petroleum cost profit as at year end 2009 was 14.0 billion and reserves at 18.3billion barrels of oil equivalent i.e. its exploration and refines wholly and partly owned are in 30 countries. This paper analyses BP and its competitors such as Exxon Mobile, Shell, Chevron in terms of the market competition as well as its position within the petroleum industry. This essay is also aimed at assessing both the internal and external factors that greatly influence the business activities of the global petroleum company. Relevant emphasis would be made on the analysis of the critical success factors of BP alongside its business strategies over the past five years. Nevertheless, the essay will appraise the survival of BP in the competitive nature of oil and gas/renewable energies as well as an analysis of the resources and capabilities acquired by the company over the period of five years demonstrating the extent to which such resources have been effectively utilised to gain competitive advantage over its competitors within the oil and gas industry. 2.0 COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT OF BRITISH PETROLEUM Oil and Gas companies such as British Petroleum yields a huge amount of turn over for industries. In 2005 Bp delivered a record level of cash flow of $25billion and yielded cash proceeds of $8.3billion and launched the alternative BP business, also distributing $19billion of cash to share holders(Bp Presentation Script 2006). As at 2007 end oil and gas reserves were valued at 177.9billion, which is an increase from the previous year of $120.9billion, while gas was estimated to be worth $68.3billion in the UK(National statistics2010). Oil and gas industries remain highly attractive due to its favourable market position with strong financial make-up and strong earnings growth and by this barrier to entry to oil and gas industries is very high. However the oil and gas industry consist of a few players such as Exxon mobile, shell, Saudi Aram co, chevron which are involved in the large scale of International operations which increases the rivalry level(Energy Business Daily 2010).(energy 2010) argued that threat of new entrants is low due to the fact that leading oil companies as mentioned earlier are very large in size and highly integrated which make use of the large scale of their production and distribution to reduce cost and increase profit and also by investing heavily on drilling rig, technology and innovation that are hard to replicate which leads to manufacturing capabilities and investment which is a significant barrier to enter. Strong players such as BP, Exxon mobile, Shell, Saudi Aramco and few others use their scale of economies ,strong research and development(RD) which act as a significant barrier to entry. Major disadvantage of high barrier to entry is it increases rivalry between competitors and most especially declining industries which is related to the competitive rivalry between BP and competitors such as chevron, shell, Exxon mobile (Energy Business Daily 2010). However in 2009 BP marked the seventeenth year of delivering reserves replacement consecutively of more than 100%, invested $20billion in its business and gained $4billion in cash cost savings approximately 40% of lower fuel cost(annual review 09). Production grew by 4% while production cost reduced by 12% which makes BP the largest producer in deep water field globally(Annual. Reporting 09). On the other hand shell seeks a large rival method by re-enforcing its position as a leader in the industry with the ability to provide competitive shareholders return and the projection of 8billion barrels of oil to improve its financial position till 2020(Shell strategy 2010). 2.1 CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS Critical success factor is important as it allows firms concentrate on building their capabilities and allows firms to make a decision on whether they have the capability to build the necessary requirements to meet its Critical success factors(Rockart J Bullen C 1981). Rockart in (Mind tool 2010) states that critical success factors are The limited number of areas in which results, if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organization. They are the few key areas where things must go right for the business to flourish. If results in these areas are not adequate, the organizations efforts for the period will be less than desired.. Critical success factors are those major factors of a company such as reputation, brand, excellent services, delivery, product range and innovation (Johnson Scholes2002). Presently Bp is facing a huge loss in the business related to the oil spill with the effect on the environment at large in April. Early this year BP has paid $11.6bn in total costs on the gulf of Mxico oil spill, but still faces ongoing clean-up charges which is estimated to be $39.9billion).(Guardian2010). 2.1.1 Cost reduction: Bp suspended its dividend quarterly payments made to shareholders, which is about 9.5pence per share amounting to $2.6billion as a result of the oil spill making all efforts to cut cost and maximise profit(BBC New2010). Bp laid off thousands of workers ,about 20% by cutting down capital expenditure significantly as part of bps plan to reduce annual cost (BBC News Channel2008). Bp sold four oil and gas stakes in the gulf of Mxico to Marubien corporation at $650billion as a result to raise funds to pay part of the damages of oil spill which is as a result of cutting cost(Euro News 2010). BP agreed to sell part of its assets in North America and Egypt for $7 billion which is part of BPs plan to get money to pay out of the damages they caused in the gulf of Mxico which is another process of cutting cost (Bloomberg Business week 2010). (Market Watch2010). Bp established $20billion escrow fund for victims of the oil spill spreading out the payment quarterly, initial p ayment of $3billion in 3rd quarter, $2billion in 4th quarter and $1.5billion per quarter till its fully paid as a result of cutting cost . 2.1.2 Sales and Marketing: British Petroleum is into all kinds of energy products such as wind, solar, bio fuel, carbon, hydrogen power, gas fired power and storage systems(Bp 2008 pg33-34). British Petroleum invested $1.4billion in as part of the commitment of the company to spend $8billion in 10years by developing alternative energy such as wind, bio fuel, carbon and storage(Bp 2008 pg 33). The industry is currently facing a down turn in alternative energy by closing factories around the world and cutting alternative budget from $1.4billion(850m) to between $500million and 1billion(Guardian article 2009). 2.1.3 Process Innovation: British petroleum invented Bright Water with the use of polymer popcorn as a process of recovering oil from the deep shores of the sea which helps Bp to boost its oil out significantly, which is an advantage for British petroleum to improve its research and development and gain competitive advantage over its rivals(Bp report 2010). 2.1.4 Research and Development: British petroleum commenced on a $500billion research in Illinois on farm bio-energy production(Tech 2010). Bp launched a major new personal development programme which would give young people from different parts of the world the opportunity to have a better life and the positively influence local communities(London 2012). Bp has established a new research of $500million studying the impact of the deep water horizon(Bp2010). Bp is the leading player in the global bio fuel market, Bp and martek bio science corporation entered a jointed agreement to prove microbial oil for bio-fuels(Bp press 2010). Bp in 2008 commenced on a project of exploration and extraction of crude oil and natural gas from wells of 8 different countries and also completed 9 major production projects which led to record profit of $37.9billion before tax approximately 39% higher than the previous year(Bp2008 pg13-14). Bp is the largest producer of oil and gas in the US Gulf of Mexico , producing about 400,000 barrels of oil every single day. It has also made progression on nine projects n the Gulf of Mexico such as Atlanta Phase2, Tubular Bells, Kodiak, Freedom, Kaskida, Isabela, Santa Cruz, Mad Dog Tie Backs and Great White(Bp Press Releases 2009). Therefore British petroleum has a good reputation on research and development which as a result, increase competitive advantage over it rivals. 3.0 CONCLUSION 4.0 PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGY OF BRITISH PETROLEUM Cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and focus strategy are the three main strategic approach that can be applied to any products of any industry to gain competitive advantage(mind tool 2010). Cost leadership strategy is also referred to as low cost leadership strategy which is aimed at gaining competitive advantage by reducing cost below its competitors(Ecofine 2003). Differentiation strategy is a competitive business strategy in other to gain competitive advantage by the differentiations of product and services from that of competitors(Ecofine 2003). Focus strategy is the use of core competencies of an industry to serve a group of customers Niche Market(Ecofine 2003). Bps method of gaining competitive advantage is by cutting cost which led to the explosion in 2005 in Texas. It was stated that Bp implemented a 25% cut on fixed cost from 1998 to 2000 which impacted the maintenance and infrastructure of the refinery(Washington post 2006). Four successive accidents took p lace between 2005 and 2006, the explosion at the Texas city refinery, the oil spills in Alaska, the $1billion thunder oil rig in the gulf of Mxico was as a result of poor maintenance and cost cutting(The Sunday Times 2010). As at 2007 year end Bp shed more than 7500 jobs and contractors swinging its profit to $4.3billion after a loss of $3.3billion the previous year which is as a result of cutting cost(SA Business2010). The newly appointed CEO in 2008 carried out a program on cutting cost on job cuts of 14500 workers and $1billion over head cost cut by maximizing its profit with a much greater investment in Canadian oil sands(Guardian2008). A savings of $1billion and a cost cut of $2billion and the lower oil price led to increase in profit(BBC New2009). It has always been a tradition of Bp to cut cost by maximizing profit their by increasing its competitive advantage in the business, however cutting cost in 2010 has left Bp with a shredded reputation as a result of poor performance and safety caution(Panel 2010). Furthermore British Petroleum has also imbibed differentiation strategy by engaging in new projects and new researches and developments which would enhance its competitive advantage over its rivals. Bp and Edison Mission Group a sister company to Edison International in 2005 planned a project of $1billion that would generate electricity with the use of minimal carbon using hydrogen fuelled power plants in California(Green Car Congress2006). Bp is committed to developing other new project of bio fuel such as Algae, Diesel and Butanol (Good Clean Tech 2009). Bp differentiates itself from its rivals by new researches and developments, involving in new projects by creating and expanding energy products. Bp and Emerson Project Management increased the flow of wireless network technology by expanding its cherry point refinery application and installing Emersons smart wireless throughout its RD facility in Naperville(Control Global 2009). However Bp imbibed marketing and refining strategy by processing crude oil to petroleum products and selling them around the world in over 100 countries operating in 17refineries worldwide at the capacity of 2,155million barrels per day, while its retail network consists of 22600 stations branded Bp, Amoco ,Arco, Castrol brand as part of its means of differentiating itself within the energy industry and a means of gaining competitive advantage(Bp2008 pg27-28). The company has set a standard with the use of cost leadership strategy, market strategy, differentiation strategy and a bit of focus strategy to maximize profit, generate revenue and having a competitive advantage in the energy industry. 4.1 CONCLUSION This report has shown that British petroleum used cost leadership strategy which is also known as low cost strategy as a way of gaining competitive advantage which in turn had diverse effect on the business due to the explosions and positively impacted on the business. Also British petroleum has used differentiation strategy as part of its business strategy by differentiating its products by creating and developing alternative energies to yield more proceeds for the business alongside and also incorporating marketing strategy by placing the business outlets in over 100 countries around the globe as a means of having an advantage of its rivals. 5.0 RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES OF BRITISH PETROLEUM The Value chain are the activities through which it develops competitive advantage through its production, sales and marketing, maintenance, through the use of administrative infrastructure, human resource management and research and development in which put together builds products and services(Johnson schools 2008). Primary activities; A Companys primary activities are the processes involved in producing or manufacturing a product or products(Richard lynch 2006). Bp is well known for its cost reduction strategy, sales and marketing strategy, research and development strategy which are alternative energys and exploration and production of oil and gas and renewable energys, its innovation strategy which are the primary activities of British petroleum. Research and development; After the major disaster British petroleum caused in the gulf of Mexico, and the ongoing debt it still has to pay, BP is still pushing further on its business by signing a deal with verenium for cellulosic ethanol technology which is a process of fermentation of biomass into ethanol which is one of British petroleum technology on bio fuel which is an alternative energy(C Net News 2010). Sales and Marketing; Despite the huge loss in the Gulf of Mexico crisis early this year and the damaged image of Bp, Bp is back in profit in relations to the increase in oil price which boosted its earnings in the exploration and production division to 1.3billion(BBC News by Peston Picks 2010). Bps exploration and development activities include production of natural gas and oil and drilling of wells to complete production and such activities take place in UK, USA, Canada, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway and many others while BPs refining and marketing section is involved in crude oil, petroleum products, petrochemical products and aluminium products by supplying these products to customers such as Amoco, Arco, Castrol brands and also producing alternative energies which are the primary activities of BP(Business Week 2010). TNK-BP produces natural gas in subsidiary areas in West Seberia and also in the core areas in West Seberia known as Nizhnevartovsk(TNK-BP2010). Bp s ells its products through powerful brands such as ARCO, Castrol, Amoco, Aral and BP in more than 250,000 filling stations all over the world, Bp is also the largest retailer in petroleum products in Germany and has about 2,700outlets there. Bp is also planning to build outlets in china which would be named Petro china and Sinopec(BP Investment and income2010). However BP has divested a number of its oil and natural gas properties which means selling off a part of its exploration and production infrastructure businesses and examples are BP sold four drilling rigs such as Magnolia, Merganser, Nansen, and Zia which produced a total of 15,000 barrels of oil per day which is as a result of exploring new energies in the vicinity and the cash from the sales all four drilling rig would be used to pay out of the violation charges of the gulf of Mxico oil spill(Guardian 2010). Supportive activities; supportive activities are activities that support the primary activities that makes it more efficient and effective such as procurement, infrastructure, Human Resource Management and technology development(Johnson. G Scholes. K 2002). Bp new strategy of low cost is divestment of its telecommunication technology section of the business to Telekom system in other to save cost and continue its efficiency. CONCLUSION This report shows how British Petroleum has achieved its competitive advantage through its business strategies b cutting cost, innovating new products such as renewable energies, efficiently working on research and development and also utilizing its sales and marketing strategies. In the past five years has aligned its business strategy to resources and capabilities their by giving it competitive advantage. Bp has also faced a lot of challenges relating to the oil spill in 2005-2006 but has also gradually gained its stands in the oil and gas industry. However there are recent challenges due to the recent explosion in the gulf of Mxico causing Bp to lose its licence to extract oil and facing a six month suspense due to the explosion. Bp should focus more safety measure and environmental issues by preparing for any further damages and also training workers in fields on how to quickly spot problems with oil rigs and quick solutions to the problems. Bp ; oil and gas exploration; what we do(2010) Retrieved [online] November 8 2010 http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9021489contentId=7039991 1.History of BP(2010); Our history. The bps story from first oil to tomorrows energies. BP 2010 retrieved [online] November 11 2010 http://www.bp.com/multipleimagesection.do?categoryId=2010123contentId=7059226 2.Bp New Millennium. 2000 and beyond. Looking ahead to new energies 2000 retrieved [online] November 11 2010 http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9014445contentId=7027526 3.Bp at a Glance 2010; about BP. 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