Two friends

Present, has been efurbished quite a lot but this place still retains the characteristics of the cross- cultural Vietnamese – French The Hanoi Opera House is an architectural work is incomparable with the price outstanding value of history, culture, architecture and art. Can see the Opera House as an integral part of urban and architectural capital, contributing to the establishment of our country faces today in the cultural field. For over 100 years old and works in Hanoi Opera House exists as a symbol of architectural space, cultural and political capital 1,000 years old.Long Bi ©n Bridge Long Bien Bridge is the first steel bridge across the Red River in Hanoi, a length of 1862 built by the French. At that time, Long Bien Bridge is the largest bridge in Indochina and is one of four huge bridges in the world. But do not take pride that the long term, such a tool is built primarily by the purpose of colonization, the bridge soon to bear the buckling his war wounds. Old bridg e is an important transportation hub, became the meeting place between urban and rural, one the banks still appear the floral field bowls, one side of ife with urbanization.Today, trains, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians are still crossing the bridge. Some parts of the bridge is intact, but most have been repaired Dy tne damage. But tne or10ge Is stlll tnere as a slgnlTlcant evlaence 0T war ana history. After more than a century of existence, the Long Bien Bridge has a familiar image for many, many generations and became a cultural icon, the history of Hanoi. For Hanoi, almost everyone kept a memory of this bridge Temple of Literature Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a monument rich diversity and contains many recious human values of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general.Covering an area of 54,331 square meters, including: Lake Van, the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam and park Glam. The value of history and culture of the Temple of Literature was confirmed during thousands of years. Quoc Tu Giam is where the examinations held important national stature and train talented people for the country and 82 preserved in Temple of Literature. It depicts of the traditional hospitality of the people It is also the encouragement and rged the next generation of today and tomorrow is always to preserve and retain traditional hospitality of the people.Many times repairing the Temple of Literature 9 March 2010, UNESCO officially recognized 82 steles at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Glam, the legacy of the material world. It is also a lot of domestic and foreign delegations have been visiting the Temple of Literature. With the ancient architecture and the unique human values, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a hyphen history of Hanoi's past and present, contributing to enrich the cultural treasure of the nation.

Irish Immigrants and Their Struggles

Irish Immigrants and Their Struggles Shelby Stauble ETH/125 3/21/10 Twyler Earl The Irish people left Ireland and immigrated to America to enjoy a better life, get away from the poverty and starvation that they were faced with in Ireland due to the potato famine. They face all kinds of discrimination and were forced to take the worst types of jobs, but they never gave up and kept fighting for their freedom. The Irish were brave, courageous, and hardworking and made it possible for all Irish to live happy and free lives in America. The Irish immigrated to the United States starting in 1820, more came after 1820 due to the potato famine which started in 1845, rotting of the potato crops caused thousands of deaths due to starvation. The Irish were forced to leave their country because they had no money nor did they have any way to eat. Between 1820 and 1880 3. 5 million Irish immigrated to the United States to ease their suffering and in hope of a brighter future. (Immigration,  n. d. ). A lot of the Irish who set out for America in hopes of a better life knew that immigrating to America would not be a completely joyous occasion. The Irish left Ireland to get away from the poverty, disease, and oppression and knew they would never set eyes on Ireland again. The ships the Irish were placed on to come to America were known as coffin ships because of their terrible conditions due to the overcrowding of the ships. Once the Irish arrived to America they were greeted with large men who took the Irish’s bags and forced them to live in tenement houses where they were charged outrageous fees to stay. The Irish were noted as the lowest group of people in America during the 1950’s. (Kinsellas,  1996). The Irish were treated poorly because Americans viewed them as bad influences for neighborhoods; they were forced to live in shacks and could not find jobs because most work places did not want the Irish working at their establishments. According to  Kinsellas  (1996),  the Chicago post wrote â€Å"The Irish fill our prisons, our poor houses†¦ Scratch a convict or a pauper, and the chances are that you tickle the skin of an Irish Catholic. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in this country. †(para. 4). Although the Irish were put down by Americans they never gave up and continued to press on. They were discriminated against but stuck together which helped them survive in America. The Irish face all types of discrimination; for example, environmental justice issues, meaning they were placed in terrible environments, such as the shacks they lived in and the boats they were brought to America on. They faced redlining, meaning they were denied certain job position and were forced to pay a large amount of money for housing. They double jeopardy because they were Irish and catholic, the Americans saw this as two good reasons to treat the Irish poorly. The Irish faced institutional discrimination they were not given the same jobs and or opportunities that the average American was given because the American people felt as though the Irish were a terrible group of people. The Irish were given the worst jobs America had to offer and only because those jobs were the only ones offered to them. They faced class ceiling discrimination because the Irish were unable to move on to better positions at their place of work. The Irish were given the most terrible jobs and even though the American people thought the Irish were good workers they were still unable to move up in their jobs. I chose the Irish people for both assignments but I feel that I do identify with the Irish culture in many ways. I never have had to deal with the major discrimination they faced and I must thank my ancestors for that because if it were not for all of their courage and strength I would not be able to enjoy the life I have today. I am a very hard worker just like my ancestors were and I am proud to be able to say my ancestors worked hard for me to be able to continue living in America. The Irish were hated by many but eventually gained the respect of the Americans by proving they were hard workers and would never give up on being accepted. The Irish never let the discrimination they face get them down; they stuck together and did what they had to do to survive. It may have been a long road but the Irish were eventually accepted because of their hard work ethics and good attitudes. References Kinsellas. (1996). Irish Immigrants in America during the 19th century. Retrieved from http://www. kinsella. org/history/histira. htm Immigration. (n. d. ). Immigration The Journey To America. Retrieved from http://library. thinkquest. org/20619/Irish. html

Microeconomics and the Laws of Supply and Demand Simulation Essay

Based on Webpedia (2014), microeconomics is the interaction and behavior of individual components within an economic system. About the flip side, yet, he claims that macroeconomics examines the market as an aggregate. While microeconomics has a slim viewpoint of the market, macroeconomics examines the market from a wide standpoint. In the University of Phoenix simulation (n.d), for instance, Atlantis metropolis is a little and pleasant town with sufficient infrastructure, rendering it acceptable to custom. This is often considered as the macroeconomic view of the town because the investigation covers a wide spectrum. The simulation more signifies that there exists a low-traffic and hardly any pollution and low-crime rate. This confirms a more narrow outlook of the metropolis, looking at individual elements of the city which makes it conducive living environment. Acceptable infrastructure can be a generalized notion making it a macroeconomic view of the town. The reference of the parks and home narrows down the area into two sublets of infrastructure, in other words, home and recreational services. A change to the right of the supply curve would suggest that there’s been a subsequent rise in the offer of 2-bedroom flats. This was due to a growth in demand impacted by the truth that a brand new firm, Lintech, moved to the town, and there was consequently a population increase along with a subsequent boost in demand of 2-bedroom flats. The entry of new residents had an in earnings, which produced them favor detached houses. Goodlife went farther and converted 400 flats from their 3200 into condos. Equilibrium is the level where the demand and provide curve fulfill in the center. The equilibrium value was initially at $1050 , along with the amount provided was 2000 flat units. A change to the proper in the demand curve, occasioned by means of a growth in populace from Lintech, raises the cost of the models supply staying persistent. W hen it comes to decision making, it’ll be wise for the provider to raise the supply. Yet, change in the tastes of the customers occasioned by means of a rise in income amounts meant demand would fall. A  reduction in need of the 2-bedroom flats on account of modify in tastes lead into a drop in supply, and thus, the demand and also the offer curves would switch to the left. The shift in provide were more compared to the shift in-demand, for instance, it might imply that there will be a deficit in the equilibrium rental fee significance that supply is going to be lower than what’s needed. Meaning, the business will need to offer fewer flat units compared to the potential client is prepared to invest to them. The rental rate would need to increase therefore the amount needed reduces until there exists a decrease in deficit. This technique goes on until a brand new equilibrium point is achieved. These forces are at the mercy of different variables to the side of both consumer and provider. For instance, a growth in demand will likely be at the mercy of not only cost, but additionally taste and tastes, the income degree of the customer marketplace and also the size of the marketplace. Growth of supply can be impacted by several other variables for example cost of associated items, dimension of populace and others. In the telephone sector, for instance, the desire is principally geared by pricing, but other variables should be placed into play. Why really would one consider purchasing an iPhone when it’s deemed really pricey? It really is just since the Apple telephone organization has arch out a market in supplying outstanding quality telephones which are user-friendly. Hence it is imperative to think about the marketplace tendencies to ensure one’s merchandises are almost always useful. Microeconomics, as mentioned before, deals and intermingles together with the individual models of the market. In the real-estate business, microeconomics will take a look in the many living conditions of distinct portions of the town and ascertain who dwells there. Microeconomics might assess the person facets which could change an industry, for instance, growth in income, populace designs and client preferences in real-estate. An rich place may have fewer lodging components directly proportionate to the few who make high wages, and not as wealthy places could have more folks because of the exceptionally affordable housing components. Equilibrium in essence will be a culmination of cost and amount ascertained in the micro-level. Price elasticity of demand stems from customer’s responsiveness or sensitivity to changes in price (Colander, n.d, ). In the simulation, a rise in cost caused a reduction in the need of flats. The simulation  advocated the purchase price ought to be optimized to attain maximum gains, while in exactly the same time making sure the pricing would be advantageous to the client. That is the stage of equilibrium. Costs above this level would result in excess and costs beneath would cause a deficit. The simulation continues to be powerful in establishing the potency of the powers of demand and supply. In the simulation, a rise in cost caused a reduction in the need of flats. The simulation advocated the purchase price ought to be optimized to attain maximum gains, while in exactly the same time making sure the pricing would be advantageous to the client. That is the stage of equilibrium. Costs above this level would result in excess and costs beneath would cause a deficit. The simulation continues to be powerful in establishing the potency of the powers of demand and supply. References Colander, D. C. (n.d). Microeconomics ninth edition (9th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND. (2014). In Webpedia. Retrieved from http://www.amosweb.com/cgi-bin/awb_nav.pl?s=wpd&c=dsp&k=price+elasticity+of+demand University of Phoenix. (n.d). Applying Supply and Demand Concepts [Multimedia]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, ECO365 website.

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

Bartonella henselae - Research Paper Example B. Henselae comes from the rickettsiaceae family and has been identified as a gram negative bacterium. The Gimemez staining procedure has served to be the most appropriate method. It is a bacilliform bacterium which has a curved shape along with a length of up to 2 microns and a diameter of up to 0.6 microns. The bacterium possesses the capability of growth outside cells. An interesting characteristic is that the pathologies resulting from the bacterium result mainly in the seasons of autumn and winter. This is believed to occur due to the breeding season of the cats and owing to the fact that cats are kept inside the house during the cold seasons. This raises the suseptibility of the bacterium to infect the human beings. The severities of the pathological conditions that affect the individuals differ according to the immune status of the patient (Acha et al 2003; Feigin 2004; McCue et al 2007). This paper will serve to analyze the prevalence of the bacterium accompanied with the dis eases that result due to the bacterium. Furthermore, it will highlight the diagnostic techniques that assist in identifying the bacterium along with the appropriate treatment modalities for the pathologies. Body: The epidemiological patterns for B. Henselae are not known for all the diseases. But, Cat Scratch Disease which is the most common pathology occurring due to B. Henselae occurs throughout the world and there is no predisposition for selective geographic areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, there are 24000 people who contract the disease every year. 2000 people need to be admitted in the hospital because of the problem. The disease affects the younger age groups more mostly due to the increased contact with the cats. The cats become infected with the bacterium owing to bites by fleas and ticks. It has been analyzed that locations with greater fleas tend to show more cases of cat scratch disease owing to the higher infectivi ty of cats. Furthermore, it is also seen that a few dogs may also become infected with the bacterium (Fiegin 2004; Yanoff et al 2008). The bacterium infects the human beings owing to contact with the cats. This has been demonstrated to be true in 90 percent of cases. This may occur due to being bitten by the cat or by being scratched or licked by the cat (McCue 2007). The cat scratch disease that results due to this mainly comprises of pathologies of the lymph nodes associated with raised temperature and lethargy. The first sign is the formation of a papule. The incubation period of the disease is 3 to 5 days. This pathology results mainly in patients who have a competent immune system. The disease is not very severe but in some cases it may extend to infect other organs owing to the systemic spread of bacterium. The disease may present with serious problems including enlargement of the spleen, inflammation of the liver as well as pneumonia (McCue et al 2007; Wilson et al 2002; Yano ff et al 2008). Bacillary angiomatosis is another pathological condition which results due to the bacterium B. Henselae in which there is the formation of vascular lesions on the skin, lymph nodes, brain and the bones. These lesions consist of bacteria and this pathological state mainly develops in the patients who suffer from AIDS. This is owing to their low immune competency. If the bacterium enters the circulation, the patients present with

Has the National Literacy Hour Affected Childrens Desire to Read for Essay

Has the National Literacy Hour Affected Childrens Desire to Read for Pleasure - Essay Example This result of this paper will provide ample information to the teachers and educational policy makers regarding the effective facilitation of the national literacy hour program. This will make them reevaluate the current scenario in their respective schools and see if they are still providing efficient and effective learning undertaking to the primary school students. This paper will also prove beneficial to all other aspiring teachers. With the information presented in his study, aspiring teachers will be enlightened as to the proper ways of handling and/or managing the primary classes and in following with the national literacy hour program. They will be given enough idea on which effective ways to use on various classroom situations. They will acquire valuable techniques on how to maintain the best possible educational outcome for the students. Lastly, this research study will surely be beneficial to other interested researchers. If the topic will be on educational outcomes and/or educational system, this paper is a good starting point or basis to conducting their own research undertaking related to the national literacy hour program. More so, the said national literacy hour program would require extra time in the school curriculum. Thus there is a need for more time resources to facilitate the required learning for the pupils. Extra hand may also be required because for the proper handling and management of group discussions of the pupils.,

Government should be responsible for the unemployed in the uk. To what Essay

Government should be responsible for the unemployed in the uk. To what extent do you agree with this statement - Essay Example Major aim of this essay is to address the initiatives that are taken by British Government in order to reduce the growing unemployment rate. The first reason is British Government has utilized taxes that are collected from the common people in order to create employment opportunities for job seekers in public sectors. In addition to this, the British government has introduced government welfare expenditure programme in the year 2012 to provide income benefits to common people by utilising the tax amount. British government announced 16 percent of government spending in the year 2011 to create employment opportunities for job seekers (Heyes, 2011, p.6). Government has made significant investments in several benefit areas, such as state pension, disability living allowance, income support for job losers, rent rebate, allowances of job seekers and pension credit for old people. Government has ensured these expenditures by utilizing collected public tax amount. In the financial year 2011-12, the British government has made huge investment to pay employment benefits to unemployed people during the era of post economic recessi on. It is true that public service pension cost has risen effectively in last 10 years (HM Treasury, 2013, p.16). Moreover, British government has invested in several public service development programmes, such as introduction of public schools, hospitals and other institutions. Expenditure behind these initiations can come under other uncategorized expenditure. It enables huge number of job seekers to find employment opportunities in these public sectors. First of all, these developments used to help the common people to stabilize their social life. On the other hand, development process of these public services generally generates significant employment opportunities for the common people (Hall, 2003, p.21). Government generally utilises this tax amount in the development of public

Google's Strategic and Human Resource Management and Planning in a Essay

Google's Strategic and Human Resource Management and Planning in a Global Environment - Essay Example It is important for leaders in the 21st century to have the knowledge of how to treat employees so that they can be able to realize the organizational goals together and faster. Strategic human resource management aims at helping leaders’ to use their human capital effectively as they make decisions daily and plan for employment programs. Many companies have sought cheap labor from different countries but the strategy seems to fail in achieving the goals of the organization thus has called for the need to come up with the global ways of practicing the human resource strategies. The Google management is yet to meet more challenges in the current century. It is important for it to be flexible, easily adapt to changes and appreciate team work with its employees. Today, very many people are looking for working environments where they can exercise their skills and knowledge but not where they can only follow instructions and not grow in their careers. For this purpose the global human resource planning has been brought forward in the Google Company to help the management to know how they can adopt to changes to avoid the future challenges it is yet to fac e (Goodman, chapter 4 ). The business world is becoming more global than before thus there is need for the organizations to ensure that the human resource strategies meet the global requirements of the labor market. Google is an international company and it has international labor. Thus the management faces a lot of changes especially in their organizational culture. Organizational culture can be defined as the specific beliefs and values of an organization. Google like any other organization has a way of doing things and it faces the challenges of changing its culture due to technological changes and other changes such as people being more aware of their rights. When an organization is rigid thus keeps its culture without changing it to cope with the current changes, then that

Ethics and Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics and Corporate governance - Essay Example   Ã‚   Matthew Lee, the Lehman’s Holding Incorporated Senior Vice President, was discontent with the accounting practices of the company, and wrote a letter (later made public) to the company; expressing concerns about the senior managers were violating the internal code of ethics, by misleading investors and regulators about the true value of the company assets, according to Corkery (2008).   Ã‚   In another incident, David Einkorn of the hedge fund Green light Capital Inc., reported that Lehman Brothers’ action of writing up the value of KSK Energy Ventura (a power plant in India) from $400m to $600m during the 1st Quarter of 2008, was an unethical accounting practice, according to Corkery (2008). Lehman reacted by saying it was in anticipation of profits to be made.   Ã‚   The Sarbanes –Oxley Act, with all its preventative provisions were introduced from 2001, according to the Economist (2010), but despite this, Lehman was removing assets from its balance sheets, convincing accounting firms (including Ernest &Young) to approve unethical maneuvers, and holding assts like KSK Energy Ventures at inflated values against market prices according to the Economist (2010).   Ã‚   Lehman   leaders showed blatant disregard for interest of the public, dishonesty ,as well as   very high levels of egoism on September 10, 2008, when Ian Lowitz, the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, told investors that the liquidity of the company remained strong at $42b. However, according to the Economist (2010), a day earlier an internal document had revealed that Lehman had low ability to monetize almost 46% of its assets.   Ã‚   The level of abuse of their fiduciary responsibility was extremely high, as according to Valukas, its liquidity pool was designed to allow it to survive at least 12 months of stressed financial situations, but it only had cash and

Sociol Pedagogy and the Public Intellectual Essay - 1

Sociol Pedagogy and the Public Intellectual - Essay Example This was an issue was brought up by the rapid rural urban migration in those years. The immigration led to increased population that put a lot of pressure on the existing resource such water and sanitation, housing, and office-space among others. Hence, Industrialism, urbanization, and the simple upsurge in the figures involved convoluted all human relationships. This further led to the breakdown of the inbred structures of social control. However, progressive reform measures were quickly put in place to solve some of these problems, but the equally created new ones. As such, social organizations such as, the family, church, and other community organizations had to adjust excruciatingly, and not always effectively, to the ever-changing needs of their constituents. One of the constituent that was greatly affected was in the education sector. Some of its practitioners decipher social pedagogy as ‘community education’ and have constantly defined it around three key pillars/traditions. Accordingly, the first tradition is The Continental tradition; that reflects on the nature of man which acts on the notion that individuals can fully develop only if they are part of that society. This institution of social pedagogy emphasizes upon social integration and socialization. The second tradition is Social conditions and social problems ‘the American tradition’. Further, in this element of the tradition the focus is on working with individuals, casework in addition to providing care. Unlike in the others, this tradition has more interest in and minimizes the impact of social disparities. Lastly, the pedagogy tradition of social pedagogy has its origins in the work of educational thinkers and philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and John Dewey. Moreover, Paulo Freire has in the recent past been outspoken and advancing theories aimed at helping people to structure their

DQWeek 5 technology essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DQWeek 5 technology - Essay Example In fact, it is expected that this technology will become more persistent in every business as well as personal lives. At the present, the implementation of biometric authentication technology can be seen all around our lives for example at homes where normally an active biometric authentication sensor is used. When children return home and make use of the biometric sensor after playing in the mud and dirt whole day. In this scenario, this sensor can detect the dirt in hidden areas of the body to suggest much better wash. In the future, the use of biometric authentication sensor can be expected for car system where a family hoping to go anywhere. In this scenario, children will not be able to ignite the car without parents’ authentication to start the car (Reid, 2003; Kaschte, 2005). There might be some disadvantages of this technology but its advantages are so important and people want to benefit from them that the disadvantages will be more and more reduced in the future. In short, it can be said that the applications of biometric authentication technology will increase to a greater extent in the future. In fact, this technology will be supported among a variety of equipment by the some enhancement of the technologies and the decrease in the prices for software and hardware. In the future, it is expected that the biometric authentication will be used in various other areas of life such as ATMs, PDAs, access to Personal Computers and mobile phones, access to cars and buildings, DRM systems and many more we cannot even imagine (Kaschte, 2005; Bhattacharyya et al., 2009). From the above discussion it has been clear that the future of biometric authentication technology is bright but a number of security attacks on biometric authentication technology would also be increased in the future. It is possible that in future new and more sophisticated techniques emerge for breaking in biometric authentication systems. It is expected that in the future there will e merge a number of techniques that can be used to evade this technology (Waqas, 2009; Riha & Matyas, 2000). Moreover, some researches show that biometric systems are not ideal for security and as a result sometimes serious issues and errors can occur. In fact, with this technology it is possible that an authorized individual can be rejected by the system or that a non-authorized individual can be able to get authentication into the system. In the future, a variety of vulnerability techniques can be generated for biometric authenticated systems that can include fraud by incorporating some fooling and fraudulent methods (Waqas, 2009; Riha & Matyas, 2000).. Furthermore, another major issue with biometric authentication system is lack of support for platforms and systems. In fact, this kind of support is extremely limited and current standards are not properly followed. In this scenario, there can emerge a number of security attacks. In addition, it can lead to a great deal drastic situa tion where an attacker can smash the overall security of the system (Waqas, 2009; Riha & Matyas, 2000). DQ2: Sec Products Find a commercial or shareware product related to this weeks topic, describe how it works, and discuss its security. This section presents an overview of the telecom system security. For telecom system security the protection of telecommunications applications and systems is a significant scenario for numerous causes.

Final Film Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final Film Critique - Research Paper Example They, however, manage to escape from the camp eventually and are separated in the process. The incident influences their lives forever. Stephen loses his legs in the ordeal and Nick disappears through his indulgence in Russian roulette parlors living recklessly after the ordeal. Mike, however, returns home changed. This is evident in the scene where he refuses the killing of a deer during a hunt. He becomes reacquainted with Nick’s former lover Linda and finds solace in their association (Athitakis, 2004). The movie is a gripping tale of triumph over misfortune with life lessons interwoven in the plot that depicts the power of the human spirit. Storytelling The movie is based on the events during the Vietnam, and the storytelling revolves around the lives of three friends during this period. The storytelling has mixed effects, which are caused mainly by conflicting styles. This is evident in the film where the first fifteen minutes of the film, the scenes depicted for the audi ence involve a jovial atmosphere of the wedding party of Stephen where people are seen exchanging pleasantries and joking while drinking beers. None of the shots during the scene is done in close up, and no character is focused. The movie gives the impression that the audience is eavesdropping on the conversation of the characters that mainly centers on how their lives will change with their participation in the war. This scene appears to be formal and documentary like. It is, however, interrupted by an irrelevant exposition by Steve’s mother to the priest, who laments her son’s marriage and the decision to participate in the war. Though this scene lasts less than a minute, it lingers longer than the screen time due to its inappropriateness. The movie, however, overshadows this glitch mainly due to the fact it is well written. The metaphors used in the film are also complex and can easily lose the audience. Though the story telling is exceptional, it faces the problem of conflicting styles that make scripting of the movie obvious. Acting The movie producing team was able to obtain the services of a number of leading acting celebrities in Hollywood. Through the casting of Robert de Nero, Meryl Streep and John Cazales among others, the expectations for the acting in the film were high. The cast did not disappoint either with audiences who enjoyed top acting from the cast. Robert de Nero plays the part of the protagonist who is a war hero during the war brilliantly, which was a significant episode in American history. The actor is especially commended for his part where he is reunited with the character Michael in the climax of the film. The other supporting actors were also commendable in their respective roles that enabled the coming together of the film. Their roles supported the protagonist brilliantly creating emotion that characterizes the genre of war films. The cast clearly brings out the scenario that was experienced during the Vietnam War even though some of the information portrayed did not happen (Athitakis, 2004). They facilitated the reenacting of what soldiers underwent actors elicit emotions from the audience with their moving performances in the film. Cinematography Shooting of the pictures occurred in actual locations in different regions, as opposed to round stages that are commonly employed in some Hollywood films. Shooting of the film took a period of 6

Economical and religious repression Essay Example for Free

Economical and religious repression Essay Illustrate from Blakes songs the ways the poet shows that the people of his time were alienated from their natural selves and from society by political, economical and religious repression A major target of Blakes in the conquest to correct the unnatural state of society was that of religion and the Church. Blake was an unconventional Christian. Although clearly religious, as seen in poems such as The Lamb and Night, he abhorred the concept of organised religion and believed it to be an extremely damaging institution which was more concerned with the oppression of the lower classes and the continuance of the unequal status quo than with true religion. Blake believed the moral codes that were extolled by the Church were significantly damaging to society, making innocent concepts deviant and causing bitter unhappiness. In The Garden of Love, Blake conveys his feelings on the repressive qualities of religion. This poem is the basis for Blakes theory on repressive religion, using The Garden of Love as a basis for the damaging effects of religious bans, Blake then goes onto portray how the effects change with different experiences such as love and sex. In the poem, the speaker returns to The Garden of Love where he used to play (which seems to refer to the innocent discovery of sexuality by children) and finds that it has been transformed. Where once children used to play on the green there are now priests in black gowns, and gravestones where there used to be flowers. The speaker has become aware of Church law and its oppressive bans, Blake emphasises the influence of the religious morals by use of metrical technique. The power of Thou shalt not paralyses the poem, with three successive stresses halting the regularly anapaestic rhythm. In the same way that Thou shalt not stops the flow of the poem, the construction of the Chapel stops the innocent play of children. In the design which accompanies the poem children are seen praying over the graves of Joys Desires, which were murdered by the Church. Blake further expands his theory on how repressive religion alienates people of his day from their natural selves in his two poems on sexual intercourse, The Blossom and The Sick Rose. The Blossom is a celebration of what Blake would call completely natural sex, being free from morals and repressive religion it is a wonderful and joyous occasion, so full of emotion that it makes the robin sob with joy. The Blossom is full of positive language, such as happy, merry and pretty and contains a simple and bouncing rhythm that conveys the naturalness of the act and how positive such sex is. The Sick Rose on the other hand portrays sexual intercourse at its most depraved and shameful. The poem is a vision of sex under the influence of repressive religious morals and restricting social conventions; it portrays sexual intercourse under the influence of repressive religious morals. The poem utilises a complicated and lumpy rhythm, with a mix of anapaestic and iambic feet and a disturbing first line which is difficult to scan, the world of Experience is clearly evoked through Blakes metrical technique. The poems imagery of an invisible worm flying at night in a howling storm is full of darkness, violence and depravity. The Rose hides (implied by found out) her sexual pleasure, her bed of crimson joy, which reveals the hypocrisy of female pleasure in this depraved form of sex; the Rose has sexual desire but hides it from the invisible worm. In the final two lines Blake sums up his point of the poem, that this kind of sexual intercourse, this dark secret love, Does thy life destroy. Through his portrayal of love and sex in the Songs, Blake shows the damaging effects of religious repression. Repressive religious morals and laws have led to the body becoming detached from the soul, and sex, which the Church associates with the body, has become a seedy and deviant act. In these poems, Blake has shown that the Church has alienated people from their natural selves. In My Pretty Rose Tree, Blake reveals his beliefs on the unnatural constraints of marriage. Blake repudiated any kind of binding contracts or morals, which might constrain the natural self from its freedom and marriage fell firmly within his sights. As far as Blake was concerned, marriage was a dead institution (as revealed by the marriage hearse of London) and an unnatural social prison which severely damaged peoples natural selves. In the poem, a flower was offered to the speaker, a metaphor for an extra-marital affair, by a woman which the speaker finds attractive (Such a flower as May never bore). However, the unnatural constraints of marriage cause the speaker to unhappily, suggested by the slowing of the rhythm with a double stress in And I passed the sweet flower oer, turn down the offer and return to his wife, his Pretty Rose tree. The artificial boundaries of marriage have led to the speaker giving up the chance of being happy with his sweet flower and to being trapped with his jealous Rose tree whose thorns are his only delight. Blake suggests that without the constraints of marriage that the speaker would have been free to follow his heart, rather than conforming to an artificial law and becoming unhappy. In London, Blake further expresses his attitude towards marriage. In the poem, marriage is presented as a hearse, a vessel for carrying the dead, though with their bodies (their sexual selves) being dead in a loveless and institutionalised marriage which extols the virtues of the soul over the deviant and depraved body. Blake blames the unnatural state of love in society on the Churchs separation of body and soul. The separation has forced the soul to be encapsulated in marriage and the body to be forced to become deviant and turn to youthful Harlots. Sexual pleasure has only two options, either a loveless marriage or buying pleasure from seedy and diseased prostitutes. Marriage, in Blakes eyes, has made all sexual pleasure the kind found in The Sick Rose, depraved and hidden, whereas in a world free from the unnatural constraints alienating people from themselves, people would be able to enjoy the pleasure found in The Blossom.

Impact of Gunpowder

Impact of Gunpowder A Technology That Marked Major Progress Milestones in History GUNPOWDER INTTRODUCTION Technology is a group of learning committed to making instruments, handling activities and extricating of materials. Everyone have their own way of understanding the meaning of technology or in another word innovation. People use innovation to develop their capacities, and that makes humans as the most vital piece of any mechanical framework. Innovation can allude to techniques running from as basic as dialect and stone devices to the complex hereditary building and data innovation that has risen since the 1980s. These advances invigorated social orders to embrace better approaches for living and administration, and in addition better approaches for understanding their reality. One of that innovation completely changed the world was gunpowder. Gunpowder, also known as black powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive which was invented in china by a Chinese alchemist mistakenly. It is a blend of sulphur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpetre). The carbon from the charcoal in addition to oxygen shapes carbon dioxide and vitality. The response would be moderate, similar to a wood fire, with the exception of the oxidizing operator. Carbon in a fire must draw oxygen from the air. Saltpetre gives additional oxygen. Potassium nitrate, sulphur, and carbon respond together to shape nitrogen and carbon dioxide gasses and potassium sulphide. The expanding gases, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, gives the propelling action. Gunpowder tends to create a considerable measure of smoke, which can hinder vision on a front line or lessen the visibility of firecrackers. Changing the proportion of the component influences the rate at which the explosive consumes and the measure of smoke that is delivered. (ThoughtCo, 2017) As per legend, during the Tang dynasty (9th century) this Chinese chemist was searching for a formula to make the remedy of life, or the mythical potion for immortality. Despite the fact that it was an accident, when they found the powder was exceptionally combustible, or consumed effectively, they chose to call it fire pharmaceutical. Not long after the disclosure, the Chinese weaponized the substance, or made weapons out of it, and during the time they would make numerous weapons utilizing gunpowder, including rockets, bombs, flamethrowers, and land mines before making guns and firearms. The most established weapon that utilizations explosive goes back to a bronze handheld gun made in north-eastern China in 1288. (Nathans Design Dissertation, 2017) Even though the earliest record of written formula for gun powder appeared in Song dynasty (11th century) this is listed as one of the four great invention in Chinese history. In any case, once the Chinese made sense of that it had dangerous capacities, they squandered no time in fusing it into their military. The Chinese could make a jump in military innovation and went from the standard sword and bows and arrows to a military with mines and flamethrowers. With the disclosure of gunpowder came the innovation of the fire arrow, an arrow with gunpowder on its tip, in the year 989. Roughly 11 years after the fire arrow, in 1000, the Chinese designed the flame thrower. The utilization of weapons be that as it may, did not rise in China until the mid-fourteenth Century. The military development that happened inside China in view of the black powder permitted China to have a more grounded and more propelled military, prompting a general more secure nation. (AP World History 2012-2013, 201 7) After the Mongols attacked China in the mid-13th Century, they proceeded with their conquests into India. In 1221, when the Mongols attacked India, they carried with them the information of gunpowder from China. By the 18th century, the Indians were able to make Mysorean rockets; the main iron cast rockets to be utilized by any military on the planet. But the secret of the gunpowder didnt stop spreading to the Middle East. From India, the gunpowder spread to the Middle East in the vicinity of 1240 and 1280. The last place to reach gunpowder was Eastern Europe. Like in India and the Middle East, it was brought into the area in view of the Mongol attacks. In any case, a portion of the learning of gunpowder was likewise transmitted to Europe through the Silk Road. At the point when the Europeans exchanged with the Middle East, the learning of gunpowder was carried into Europe alongside the exchange of merchandise. After getting the knowledge of gunpowder European chemists was interested in searching other alternative methods to improve the qualities of chemical contains. As a result of that European chemists made corned explosive. Corned black powder contained an indistinguishable chemicals from typical explosive however the refining procedure included blending the explosive into a wet substance and after that drying the blend. A German monk, Berthold Schwarz, is credited with developing the principal European gun in 1353. Guns which had been originated in China or the Middle East were enh anced by Europeans. Propelled European metal work strategies permitted European metalsmiths to make more long lasting and sturdy rifles; they likewise figured out how to compute the measure of drive of the gas in the load of the weapon. This learning help make weapons that shot more noteworthy separations. Europeans were all the while enhancing black powder a century after the Chinese had imagined the primary weapon. The European progressions of black powder would achieve China by a Portuguese ship in 1520. The Portuguese presented the gun, enhanced rifles and other European headways to the Chinese. Many years after the development of black powder the Europeans had given back the substance to its starting point and explosives voyage through Asia had turned up at ground zero. The Movement of Gunpowder from the East toward the West (AP World History 2012-2013, 2017) If someone asks what were the precursor circumstances that acted as the motivation for the technology the answer is the overwhelming need of power. The advancement of gunpowder was vital in fighting first for its mental impacts, as the Chinese utilized flying fire (explosive arrow) against their Mongol foes. At the point when the innovation relocated toward the West, notwithstanding, its genuine esteem was in its capacity to control fatal attack weapons and in the end put precise capability in the hands of common troopers. Prior to the innovation of the gun, attack weapons were huge, unwieldy and hard to build. Gunpowder as a fuel expanded the force accessible for anticipating rockets toward adversary emplacements, both expanding the harm these weapons could bring about and expanding their exactness also. Whats more, designers called sappers could burrow under adversary fortresses and pack their passages with gunpowder, bringing out stronghold dividers with unstable power. The scalin g down of gun into guns gave a comparative damaging capacity to normal fighters on the ground, permitting them a considerably more noteworthy successful range than they had with their past bows and crossbows. Guns likewise required less preparing than longbows, and the fast shots could even puncture the plate protective layer worn by knights of the time. At last, gunpowder required an entire revaluation of the specialty of fighting, and nations that were ease back to embrace the new innovation paid the cost on the combat zone. Other than military gunpowder were used in civil engineering and mining in early 15th century. The records of using gunpowder in mins come from Hungry in 1627. After that the technology was introduced to Britain by Germans in 1638. Other than mining gunpowder were used in the construction in canals and tunnels. The first gunpowder is not utilized today with the exception of in firecrackers and sparklers or as a boosting fuel for rocket launching. Like how it was for the most part utilized hundreds of years prior. It has been supplanted by a prevalent synthetic compound and utilized for the most part in slugs. A great deal more propelled mixes are utilized for explosives. One could state that the first gunpowder was the beginning stage for these current mixes. The most recent uses of gunpowder was Afghanistan war in 2001 which killed over 2000 and 22000 wounded, Korean war 1950-1953 which killed over 1800000 and 220000 wounded and world war 2 (1939-1945). Explosive has influenced todays general public by taking a great many lives and damaging a huge number of others. Gunpowder has additionally destroyed the lives of numerous families and companions of the casualties of contention. If this innovation didnt exist then there was a chance of preventing the wars and saving number of lives that co uldnt even count. On the opposite side of the gunpowder has likewise been utilized to make firecrackers which have conveyed extraordinary happiness to the world. If this technology has taken away the invention that found based on gunpowder wouldnt be able to reach to the mankind or use it for the present manufacturing processes. In spite of the fact that gunpowder and its present day subsidiaries do in any case have some significant uses today, all ammunition utilized as a part of firearms all through the world is stacked with smokeless powder. Even though the gunpowder was the main known explosive compound until the mid-19th century, present day there are other alternative ways that are in use and still in process. As an example the American navy has been already tested 30-kilowatt LaWS system at sea aboard the amphibious transport and hoping to deploy varieties of the laser weapon framework in the armada by 2020. (Nationaldefensemagazine.org, 2017) Other than laser weapon the alternative weapon system that still in progress is portable versions of rail guns. Besides the rail guns there might be a chance of producing projectile weapons which are electromagnetically accelerated or energy that transferred electronically to the projectile. (Cooney, 2017) When these technologies are known to the society in the future the gunpowder will be forgotten from the usage and the memory. Even though that happens there is a saying that old is gold. Anyone cant predict what will happen in the future. Reference List AP World History 2012-2013. (2017). Movement of Gunpowder from East to West. [Online] Available at: http://apworldhistory2012-2013.weebly.com/movement-of-gunpowder-from-east-to-west.html [Accessed 27 Mar. 2017]. Cooney, M. (2017). More railguns and lasers, less gunpowder the Navys future high-tech weaponry. [Online] Network World. Available at: http://www.networkworld.com/article/2880535/security0/more-railguns-and-lasers-less-gunpowder-the-navy-s-future-high-tech-weaponry.html [Accessed 17 Mar. 2017]. Jeannielin.com. (2017). Gunpowder Chronicles Behind the Scenes | Jeannie Lin. [online] Available at: http://www.jeannielin.com/gunpowder-chronicles/ [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017]. Monkeytree.org. (2017). Gunpowder in Europe. [Online] Available at: http://www.monkeytree.org/silkroad/gunpowder/europe.html [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017]. Nathans Design Dissertation. (2017). Chapter One Inventions. [Online] Available at: https://nathanman.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/chapter-one/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Nationaldefensemagazine.org. (2017). Energy Weapons: The Next Gunpowder?. [Online] Available at: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2013/June/Pages/EnergyWeaponsTheNextGunpowder.aspx [Accessed 25 Mar. 2017]. ThoughtCo. (2017). Learn How Gunpowder Works. [Online] Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/gunpowder-facts-and-history-607754 [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017].

Tesco Plc: Business and Financial Performance Analysis

Tesco Plc: Business and Financial Performance Analysis This Research and Analysis Project report concentrated on the Business and Financial performance of Tesco Plc over a three year period from 2008 to 2010. The analysis report throws more lights on the operational and financial performance of Tesco Plc by having regard to its business strategy. One of its major rivals in the industry which is J. Sainsburys Plc has been used as a benchmark in order to compare Tesco plc performance. REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS TOPIC This topic was selected because there has been much and extreme competition in the retail supermarket industry in recent times. With most of these businesses having to compete for their share of the market. Most them are thinking and aiming of becoming a market leader one. But at the heat of this competition is the issue of survival and going concern which is at the centre of every these retail businesses since failure to consider them could result to total collapse of their entire operations. To this end I decided to investigate Tesco which is one of the UKs most successful and also one of the worlds biggest retail supermarkets to find out how it has operated so far and to see the level of it business and financial success over the last three year period. REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS ORGANISATION Tesco plc was chosen because it has become one of the worlds biggest retail supermarkets in recent times. Considering the size of its market share compare to most of its major competitors, the company has grown so rapidly thereby increasing in profitability. Therefore I wanted to find out whether or not the profitability levels have come as a result of its rapid and consistent growth, since growth and profitability do not always move hand in hand. I also wanted to know more about the companys strategy which has seen it expand so quickly and rapidly than its rivals do. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT The main aims and objectives of this project are to analyse the business and financial performance of Tesco plc. It should be noted that most companies are not managed and directed by their owners (shareholders) but rather appoint Directors and entrust in their hands with stewardship of their investments. Therefore it is appropriate for these Directors to account to these owners the stewardship of those investments entrusted in their care. Shareholders and stakeholders of every company including Tesco plc will like to know whether or not their investments and interest are been managed properly since this will help them decide whether to sell off their shares or keep them and even invest more. Stakeholders alike may also want to know the companys performance, progress and its success in order to take an informed decisions. The project will find out whether Tesco plcs shareholders are properly rewarded for their investments and risks they have taken or not. And also to ascertain how satisfactory Tesco plc stakeholders are. To achieve this, ratio analysis was employed to analyse the companys last three years financial statements (2008, 2009, 2010) and this was compared with the rivals three results in order to obtain objectivity and fairness. There was also a consideration regarding the going concern status of the business as it is central to the companys long term survival. As a consequence, tools such as SWOT and 5 Forces analysis were considered to assess its non financial information in order to establish Tesco plcs current competitive position in the market, any strengths and weaknesses they have as well as opportunities and threats they are faced with. RESEARCH QUESTIONS As part of this project the following research question were generated in order to respond to them in the analysis: Has the shareholders investment managed properly? How well have Tesco plc shareholders are been rewarded for risks taken? Have stakeholders interest been kept satisfied? Is the companys current business strategy sustainable? What is the companys long term survival strategy? Will the company be able to continue to enjoy rapid increase and expansion? 2. INFORMATION GATHERING Sources and their reasons Tesco Plcs 2008, 2009, 2010 Annual reports These individual annual reports provided me with detailed and adequate information which I used for analysing the business and financial performance of the company. The annual reports were very useful in calculating and analysing since they were the most current results. J. Sainsburys Plc Annual Reports for 2008, 2009, 2010 Like the Tesco Plc annual reports, these ones from J. Sainsburys Plc also assisted me in analysing the business and financial performance of the company and again the most recent financial reports. The Chairmen and the Chief Executives statements from both companies These were useful in that they provided me with the companies operational highlights which helped my analysis to reflect those highlights Quarterly Reports on their trading activates There were vital information that I gathered from these quarterly reports as well, which aided my analysis. Unaudited interim company financial Reports Even though these reports were unaudited and may not provide much positive signs, however they supplied me with trends on these companies operations to establish its performance and also to see if there was the need for issuance of profit warning. News papers Information gathered from the news paper publications included experts opinions, comments and suggestions which could affect the share price of the company on the market. And as such was useful to the shareholders and potential shareholders. Expert Reports These were other independent expert views gathered apart from the news papers which throw much more lights on the future and potential prospects of the company by showing trends, projections, forecast, diagnosis, etc. Libraries Continuous visit to libraries such as the Woolwich library, British library, white chapel, etc. These libraries gave me the chance to have access to the data bases of all the listed companies information. Books and journals Most of the ACCA text books such as Paper F2, F7, P3, ACCA students magazines, Financial accounting books, etc were all useful in this exercise in getting a deeper understanding of the financial analysis. 2.2 Method used in information gathering The secondary data were gathered and used for the conduct of this report which was collected through the following means: Libraries Libraries attendance was used to collect data from sources such as articles, News papers, Textbooks, journals, magazines, CD ROM, etc. Search engines (Websites) Websites that were considered important were visited to collect data including that of Tesco Plc website, J. Sainsburys Plc and others. They are (www.tesco.com), (www.j-sainsbury.co.uk), http://www.emeraldinsight.com, http://www.ssrn.com, http://search.ebscohost.com, etc. Request Letter A formal written letter was sent to both the secretaries of Tesco Plc and J. Sainsburys Plc to request a copy of their 2008, 2009, 2010 annual reports which helped in the analysis. Marketlineinfo.com/ Datamonitor.com Specialised information were sort from these sources to help analyse the non- financial information such as SWOT AND 5 Forces analyses techniques. Financial Analysis Made Easy (FAME) This source gave me financial information including Tesco Plc and J. Sainsburys Plc and contained ratios analysis for companies. There was also non- financial information such as the employees numbers, structure of company ownership, issues relating to corporate governance. Accounting techniques used The under-listed techniques were used for the conduct of this research in order to arrive at a reasonable and an objective conclusions which helped to give recommendations Profitability ratios Liquidity ratios Efficiency and solvency Investor ratios/ Stock market ratios As part of the conduct of this research these financial ratios were computed in understanding of the company performance in answering the research questions mentioned in 1.5 above were. They included: Revenue Growth ratio: this showed the movement of growth in revenue for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010 for both Tesco Plc and J. Sainsbury Plc. Profitability and returns ratios: These ratios indicated well Tesco Plc has superiority in terms of Profit generation for the three years as oppose to its rival J. Sainsbury Plc. Working capital ratios: these ratios are pointers of short-term financial standing of both companies. The idea was to establish these companies ability to remain in business by been able to finance its short term debts with short term sources of finance without having to result to the use of long term finance (fixed assets). Efficiency ratios like the profit per employee and turnover per employee were all considered. This was able to show how efficient Primark has been managed in relation to its workers. Investor ratios: the investor ratios measured how well have the shareholders been adequately rewarded for the risk taken. And also these ratios could assist potential shareholders to take any informed decision (s). 3. ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION 3.1 OVERVIEW OF TESCO PLC Tesco is one of the largest food retailers in the world, operating around 2,318 stores and employing over 326,000 people. As well as operating in the UK, it has stores in the rest of Europe and Asia. It also provides online services through its subsidiary, Tesco.com. The UK is the companys largest market operating under four banners: Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. Tesco sells approximately 40,000 food products in its superstores, as well as clothing and other non-food lines. The companys own-label products are at three levels, value, normal and finest. Tesco Plc own brand accounts for approximately 50% of sales. As well as convenience produce, many stores have gas stations. The company has become one of Britains largest petrol independent retailers. Other retailing services offered in the UK include Tesco Personal Finance and Tesco.com. Tesco Personal Finance is a joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland. It has over 3.4 million customers, and provides various financial p roducts and services. The company has operations in the rest of Europe, including the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Tescos Republic of Ireland business operates in the region of 82 stores, and around 60 stores in the Hungarian market. Tescos Polish operations include former HIT operated stores. It operates around 66 hypermarkets and supermarkets in this country. In the Czech Republic and Slovakian markets, Tesco operates 22 and 23 hypermarkets respectively. Tesco also operates stores in Asia, including Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. The company operates 64 stores in Thailand and 28 stores in the South Korean Market, while in the Taiwanese and Malaysian markets it has three stores in each nation. www.datamonitor.com 3.2 OVERVIEW OF J. SAINSBURYS PLC J. Sainsbury plc operates a total of 890 stores comprising 547 supermarkets and 343 convenience stores. It jointly owns Sainsburys Bank with Lloyds Banking Group and has two property joint ventures with Land Securities Group PLC and The British Land Company PLC. The Group also holds 294 freehold and long leasehold stores. It employs approximately 150,000 staff. The companys stores offer a range of food, and complementary non-food products and services primarily under the Sainsburys brand. It also provides an Internet-based home delivery shopping service. In addition, it provides insurance, credit cards, savings products, and loans. The Sainsburys brand is built upon a heritage of providing customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. Quality and fair prices go hand-in-hand with a responsible approach to business. Sainsburys stores have a particular emphasis on fresh food and strive to innovate continuously and improve products in line with their customer needs (http://www.j-sa insbury.co.uk). Its businesses are organized into three operating segments: Retailing (Supermarkets and Convenience); Financial services (Sainsburys Bank joint venture), and Property investment (British Land joint venture and Land Securities joint venture) (http://uk.reuters.com). Companies Strategy 3.2.1 Tesco Plc business strategy Tesco Plc has a well-established and steady strategy for growth that has assisted in strengthening its core activities in the UK and its further expansion in to new markets (abroad). The basis for the strategy is to widen the scale of it operations to enable it deliver well-built sustainable long-term growth by way of pursuing the customer into large growing markets at home. By that it offers customers with products including financial services, telecoms and non-food and new markets abroad, originally in Central Europe and Asia, and  more lately  in the US. The companys 1997 diversification strategy lunched has successful become its foundation in recent times. The company has become market leader in most of the markets that saw the creation and development of their new businesses out the UK for the last twelve years since these businesses are highly competitive and profitable. Tesco plc strategy has shown a massive progress consistently. The strategy has five essential rudiments which reflect on the companys four conventional areas of concentration and the business long-term commitments regarding the society as well as the environment. The objectives of the Tesco Plc strategy focus on: To become a successful global retailer To develop its core business in the UK To become as strong in non-food as in food. To build up retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and Tesco.com To put the community at the heart of what it does (http://www.tescoplc.com) 3.2.2 J. Sainsburys Plc business strategy J. Sainsburys Plc strategy focuses on five main areas which are underpinned by the companys strong heritage and brand which consistently sets it apart from its main rivals. One of such strategies is great quality products at fair prices the company with its consistent innovation provides its customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food that are also sourced with integrity. With over 19 million customers been served every week and increase in market indicate how successful the strategy has been. The companys second strategy is on the acceleration of the growth of its complementary non-food and services through its philosophy of quality and value, and to offer a broader shopping experience for consumers. The company opened 51 convenient stores during 2009/10 as part of its strategy of reaching as many customers as possible with it brand. I also expanded its groceries online business to reach almost 90% households with non food products lunched in July 2009 making 8,000 products now available nationwide. J. Sainsbury Plc plan to open 75 to 100 more in convenient stores in 2010/11. Since operational flexibility can be improved by property/ assets ownership and even further exploitation of potential development opportunities, J. Sainsbury Plc increased the value of it freehold property portfolio to  £9.8 billion (http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk) In a highly competitive marketplace in which all UK retailers are fighting to sustain their sales against a slowdown in consumer spending, Primark is doing remarkably well. The UK high streets and malls are packed with no-frills fashion retailers. That means that Primark has plenty of competitors all aiming at the same type of customers. It is not easy to sell cheap fashion. Well-established rivals such as BHS and Matalan are struggling, while results at Primark are booming. The market segment targeted by Primark is the fashion conscious under-35s with the slogan Look good pay less. It offers fashionable clothes at very competitive prices (for example, jeans for  £4) and reasonable quality: in other words, a value for money strategy. In competitive strategy terms, Primark is a pursuing a classic focus cost leadership strategy. The American management professor Michael Porter of Harvard University developed a well-known approach to the competitive strategy of firms. He argued that companies could achieve a higher rate of profit (or at least potential profit) in one of two ways: they could either provide a product or service that is identical to that provided by rival companies, but at a lower cost than rival firms, or they could provide a product or service that is differentiated from that of rival firms such that customers would be prepared to pay more for their product than for a rival firms product. (R. M Grant (2005)). The first approach would mean that the firm has a  cost advantage over rival firms, allowing it to pursue a Cost Leadership strategy; the second approach would mean that they had a  differentiation  advantage, allowing it to pursue a Differentiation strategy. Firms selling a no-frills product are usually attempting a cost leadership strategy, such as Easyjet (UK) or SouthWest (USA) airlines. The focus part of Primarks strategy is the specific customer segment it focuses on i.e. that of the under-35s. It is not attempting to sell to everybody. It has selected a particular customer segment, just as the 18-30 holiday company has selected a clear market segment based on age group within the leisure industry. In the last three years Primark has got a lot of things right. Some of its strongest successful competitors are BHS, TK Maxx and George at ASDA. However, although all three are in the value segment and therefore have similar market positioning, the other three have different strategies to that of Primark. TK Maxx sells heavily-discounted prestige brands and George at Asda has created its own private-label brand mostly at out-of town stores. Primark is a high street retailer which has a family of brands and focuses much more on buying, logistics and supply chain management rather than branding. In its pursuit of ever-lower costs, teams of buyers in UK and Ireland travel internationally both to identify fashion trends and to seek out the most competitive suppliers. The company uses computerised customs clearance (speed to market) and dedicated warehousing and distribution facilities, such as the giant warehouse owned and run by the logistics company TNT but dedicated solely to Primark stock distribution. This one warehouse is centrally located for the whole UK market, near a junction of the M1 motorway and it houses 50% of Primarks UK stock, receiving 30 lorry loads each day. (This warehouse was destroyed by fire in November 2005). Computerised warehousing and distribution systems are linked to computerised daily sales and stock information (rapid restocking of fast-selling items) by size and colour for each item in every store to optimise turnover. (www.open2.net) THE PEST ANALYSIS James and Akharaserani (1988) indicated that external phenomena have impact on internal ones. By PEST, attention is paid to Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) factors which could influence positively or negatively on the growth or otherwise of the organisation. The discussion below throws more light on these external issues of the organisation. (P)olitical According to Lancaster et al (2002 p. 55) The political environment is the starting point from which many other macro-environment forces originate. Tesco operates in a variety of political environments; the head office being in the UK. The UK has a functional democracy with elections and multi-party political system. The USA has a similar democratic setup. The political factors in both countries are stable and promote the growth of private enterprise. Most of the European markets are situated in Eastern part and the markets are Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia and Turkey. The political factors here are not as stable as UK or USA. Asia is the largest market outside of the UK. It has presence in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China, and Japan. Of these Japan is quite stable. The most political problems are from Thailand where there is opposition from local businesses and so Tesco faces the biggest problems here. (E)conomic The UK and the US are both rich countries even though faced with a recession at present. The East European markets are much poorer in comparison, but Lancaster et al (2002) indicate that there is a massive improvement in the economic environment of the Far East with the likes of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and China. To prevail in the economic condition of the Far East, Tesco has lowered its prices which are welcomed by the local population there. (S)ocial The social structure in USA and UK are quite akin where shopping in supermarkets has existed for a long time. But for the Asian countries, the concept is relatively new. Turkey and Malaysia are both Muslim countries; hence their religious laws have to be taken into consideration by Tesco. (T)echnological Assessing todays technology, Headrick (2009) says, it has brought the world to a stunning advancement. It is in the light of this that Lancaster et al (2002) establish that technology is a very important tool which has a huge impact on the marketing firm. By technology, Japan, US, UK and Malaysia have similar facilities. South Korea is also strong in this regard. Thailand might be the least technologically advanced of the markets. This is also the case with the East European markets. China has technical capability, but is mainly limited to its cities. But it can be said that the level of technology needed by Tesco in all these markets are available and hence not much obstacles in this area are anticipated. THE VALUE CHAIN The concept of value chain has been widely and intensively spoken about by astute authors. The concept was propounded by Michael Porter. Explaining the value chain concept, Porter (1985) describes it as, A general framework for thinking strategically about the activities involved in any business and assessing their relative cost and role in differentiation. Writing on the same concept, Longbottom (2006) intimated that information dissemination across the value chain has increasingly become indispensable to organisations which want to stay in competition. To support Longbottoms assertion, Dekker (2003) expressed that the importance of the value chain cannot be over-emphasised as it grants the organisation an opportunity to achieve the maximum. According to Porter (1985) the value chain has two major parts, namely; Primary and Support activities. He says the Primary activities are those directly linked with production. They are: Inbound logistics, Operations, Outbound logistics, Marketing and Sales and Service. The Support or the Secondary activities he identified as: Procurement, Human Resources Management, Technology Development and the Firms Infrastructure. Below is a demonstration of how Tesco applies the value chain in its activities. 4.1 Primary Activities: Inbound logistics Tesco gets its materials from the suppliers who are mostly the producers and stores them in its depot. Operations Those that need to be turned into finished products are processed as such Outbound logistics Tesco has trucks of different types which supply the various stores. Marketing and Sales Tesco has various means of marketing its products which include the application of the promotional mix producing to meet the needs of the customer Service Tesco has a track record of providing an outstanding service to customers, especially after sales. This is to find out the impression of the customer after the usage of the product. 4.2 Support Activities: Procurement Tesco has been getting in touch with its suppliers without middlemen, hence minimising procurement cost in its purchases. Human Resources Management Tesco employs people who have the expertise and the commitment to serve the company with all the loyalty. Mention could be made of Terry who committed his business acumen to Tesco for fourteen years as Chief Executive Officer. Technology Development This is an area Tesco cannot be beaten to it, as it has created a formidable e-commerce for its activities through Tesco.com The Firms Infrastructure In terms of infrastructure, Tesco has high class modern facilities for its stores and spacious parking places in most of its stores. INFORMATION SYSTEM/IT AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE TOOL FOR TESCO Speaking on the advent of technology, Goessi (2008) expressed that Technology has taken the business environment by storm. Throwing more light on that, Headrick (2009) intimated that due to technology, there has been an excessive threat to the business environement. Gone are the days when every single activity that was done in organisations was manual. In recent years, automation has taken business to another level and those organisations wishing to stay and aspire ought to follow suit. The points discussed below would afford Tesco, the opportunity to gain competitive advantage. Strategic Differentiation According to Hitt et al (2009) a good IS would afford the organisation to strategically differentiate itself to be competitively ahead. In line with this, Tesco differentiates itself and gain competitive advantage by offering special services like club cards to the customer. Integration of Supply and Distribution Tesco could apply IS as a tool to assess and track inventory. By that the supply chain could be monitored with minor problems detected before they become major ones. Communication The Information System being practised in the organisation would determine how expeditious information would be disseminated. A communication system which is automated in nature would minimise cost and improve the image of Tesco as an organisation. Quick Decision Making Information System paves way for important information to be delivered at the right time. Any manager who wants to make a quick decision in the current business dispensation should find IS as an indispensable tool. This will provide the manager to do a quick assessment on a bordering issue and find a solution. CONCLUSION Tesco as an organisation has made a tremendous impact on the business landscape. Even though it had gone through rough times and still faces some competition which is inevitable in contemporary business circles, Tesco has become a household name. With its performance in both the local and the international scenes, couple with the vast technological incorporation, the sky could still be its limit as Goessi (2008) expressed, Many businesses today are still realizing the power their technology possesses, but once strategic knowledge is realised, the potential is endless.

Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West :: Rebecca West

Times of war and peace: Sequels and phobias in The Return of the Soldier of Rebecca West. Rebecca West (1892-1983) was a prolific writer who tried every literary genre; journalism, literary critique, the short story and the novel. Her first novel The Return of the Soldier published in 1918 spans half a century of creative output culminated in 1966 with her last novel The Birds Fall Down. However, all her narrative is easily identifiable because of her unmistakable style, the structure of her novels, the topics she chooses and the coherence of her ideas about mankind and society. Subsequently, all her novels are psychological, historical and social documents depicting human behavior in a precise historical and social context. West synthesizes what she observes rooting her ideas in British literary tradition. Her keen critical eye is both penetrating and enlightening, for example, when in The Return of the Soldier, Margaret Grey appears poorly dressed daring to invade the Baldry mansion with her mud covered boots, while Jenny, the narrator, expresses crude feelings of resentment towards Margaret and her social group. The latter is represented: ‘... as the rich hate the poor, as insect things that will struggle out of the crannies which are their decent home, and introduce ugliness to the light of day’ (West, 1918, rpt.1984: 32)1. West’s literary reputation was revived in the 1980s with the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Her Black Lamb and Grey Falcon; A Journey through Yugoslavia (1941) brought her wide critical attention because this novel was the last of her efforts to understand the pre-war situation. Furthermore, it was central to West’s next book, The Meaning of Treason (1947), where she concentrated on the psychological characteristics of traitors and she wondered what caused these people to do what they did—for West, war fosters deception and betrayal. The final example of West’s interest in treason is her novel The Birds Fall Down (1966) which concludes with the deaths of both the traitor and the friend he betrayed and in The Return of the Soldier, a study of the sequels of war in human mind, the protagonist is betrayed by his family. In the aforementioned novel, West employs what at the time was an original device, amnesia from war trauma or ‘shell shock’ as well as an unusual perspective on war—that of those who waited at home. West tries to explore the reactions of three women to a returning soldier who, though married, remembers only an earlier love for another woman. In spite of its obvious literary quality, The Return of the Soldier proved to be a novel severely punished by critics.

Never To Forget Essay -- essays research papers

Never To Forget-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The meaning of the title â€Å"Never To Forget† is very significant to the story of the Holocaust. The title simply means to forget what we know would not be human. It is very important that we never forget the Five Million Jews that lost their homes, property, freedom, dignity, and finally, their lives. We must always remember what happened to the Jews. Every time someone thinks of saying or doing something to a fellow human being we must remember the Holocaust. We must never forget to insure this will never happen again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book â€Å"Never To Forget† is Milton Meltzer’s true story of the Holocaust. It tells the story of when over Five Million Jewish peoples were massacred. The book has no characters. It only tells the straightforward account of the Jewish Holocaust. Meltzer writes the story of the Holocaust from an interesting viewpoint. Because he is a young 15 year old American Jew, watching the events of the war from afar, he brings a passion to the delivery of the historical information that makes it more engaging and powerful. The organization of the book into units according to chronology makes it easy to read as a whole, or a reader can use it to research a particular aspect of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first unit is entitled â€Å"History of Hatred.† It describes the horrible conditions Jews had to endure prior to Hitler’s Holocaust. Meltzer explains how Jews were enslaved by ...

African American and Personal Essay Essay

|For freshman applicants only. This personal essay is a very important part of your application. It assists the University in | |knowing you as an individual, independent of test scores and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics | |below. Your personal essay should be no longer than 250 words per question for a total of 500 words for both personal essays in | |the space provided below. The best personal essay is not necessarily the longest. The essay will be requested if it is not the | |appropriate length. | |What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the university community? | |Describe an activity, interest, experience, or achievement in your life (this could be a book, a movie, or an activity or | |experience at work, home, or school) that has been particularly meaningful for you. | |How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are? | 1. When I think of what I can contribute to the university to community, I begin to look at what the university is all about. Florida A M University is all about warmth and acceptance. It’s all about driving students from all walks of life to perform to the best of their capabilities. There all about welcoming African American students and encouraging them to pursue greater heights. My only wish is that I will be given a chance to contribute even in the smallest of way, in helping the university keep its reputation and the prestige it deserves. Doing so is not an impossible task for I believe that simply being myself will be a contribution itself. I honestly believe that I am strong enough to face the multiple challenges that will come along the way as I pursue my studies. Moreover, I believe that being an African American; I can contribute to the cultural diversity of the university. FAMU is known for preserving and uplifting the cultural and historical heritage of the African Americans. Furthermore, the school is known to encourage African Americans to pursue their studies and become competitive in the world. I firmly believe that with my willingness to learn and to succeed, can contribute to the cause. In my little way, I can set an example to my fellow African Americans on how to actively pursue and work towards one’s goals. My belief that education is vital in achieving success is parallel with that of the university and somehow, in my everyday dealings with other students, I can help strengthen such belief. My contribution to the university community may not be grand . However through my constant strives for success I will be able to prove how valuable the education that FAMU provides can be. 2. Something that has been particularly meaningful to me is the passing of my little sister Laura in the spring on April 2, 2011. She was 11 years old, she died n a car accident on her way home with our neighbors, the tire blew out and the car flipped over 6 times killing her and 6 others. My sister was an â€Å"A† student, took all honors classes and never troubled anyone, she was a happy hearted person, loved to be around people. She looked up to me and wanted to be just like me, for instance she liked cheerleading, color guard, band, and track. those are some of the sports I participate in now and now that she is gone I look up to her and I want to Graduate High school and get into College for my Parents, myself and for her because she would of been so proud of me to see that day I walk that stage in remembrance of her I will do anything it takes to fulfill her dreams and mines, its what she would have wanted.

Cause and extent of sleep deprivation

Emotional issues such as anxiety and depression can often lead to sleep deprivation or in worse cases, insomnia. Studies suggest that sleep loss may have an effect on the cardiovascular, endocrine, Immune, and nervous systems. The scope of employee assistance program needed The Intermediate EPA is able to identify and manage the causes of sleep deprivation that affects workplace performance. The workplace Is therefore an ideal setting in reaching a large group of individuals with potential mental health problems, emotional or other impairing issues.An overview of a program that could be Implemented A program that can be implemented referring to Sleep Deprivation is a lunch-time information session. The session would only last half an hour, and would cover the causes of sleep deprivation and how it affects the work place. We would talk about different ways to combat sleep deprivation so that employees now have broader knowledge of the issue and can easily work their way to fixing the issue. These sessions would be held once every three months to help keep the employees awareness levels up. Sources needed to implement and maintain this program would be computers/ laptops; to conduct research on the topic of sleep deprivation, and to compose slide presentations as well as typing up/print fact sheets for employees to keep and take mom with them. Books can also be used to research the history of sleep deprivation so the key speaker is able to answer any difficult questions asked by employees. Personnel needed to develop the program The overall personnel required to attend would be all employees, however the program would also be compulsory.The organizations manager and health and safety committee leader would be conducting research on the topic of sleep deprivation and organizing a presentation room for it to be held in A Key speaker would be the person that addresses all employees and presents all the information o them, also answering any questions or issues that may be raised. The key speaker would be chosen by the manager but someone of importance and is responsible, preferably a team leader within the organization.Administrative structure and support needed to evaluate and monitor implementation and progress of the program Cost factors involved in developing and implementing the program List of Expenditures for developing and maintaining the lunch time information session: – Promotional materials (flyers to be given out to employees) – Extra wages for the key beakers, manager and health & safety leader – Productivity loss due to employee participation in program Approaches to promote the program to employees and build participation Emails session.There would also be a flyer regarding the EPA on the organizations intentioned. Failure to attend and participate would have consequences such as having to clean the staff room lunch area for a couple of days etc Potential benefits to the organization of successful implementa tion of the program. The key benefits of this program would be that all employees are more aware of the issue (sleep deprivation).Since ways to combat sleep deprivation would be covered as well as take home information flyers, certain employees who do suffer from this now have more information. They wouldn't have had to conduct their own research or spend their own money to help fix this issue, therefore are more likely to help themselves. If employees are sleeping better they tend to have more energy, are more focused and will work better. This would increase productivity, as well as employees taking less sick days resulting in less absenteeism and Presentments also.

Inquiries and serious case Essay

Serious case reviews are summoned when a child or a vulnerable adult is seriously injured and there is a suspicion that abuse or neglect has played a role in the outcome. When an incident occurs, a number of investigations are triggered to establish what has happened and who is to blame. In these situations serious case review and inquiries are undertaken in addition to the other investigations. According to Williams (Sarah, 2012), the purpose of serious case reviews is as follows To identify what the lessons are and how they will be acted on to improve practise. Improve local interagency working Review procedures and make recommendations for improvements Of all the procedures and stages of appointment of staff the most crucial factor is safety. It might sound weird but an error in this aspect might have wild consequences. Safer recruitment practice should include those persons who may not have direct contact with children, but because of their presence and familiarity in certain settings will still be seen as safe and trustworthy. The principles of safer recruitment should be included in the terms of any contract drawn up between the organisation and contractors or agencies that provide services for children and young people for whom the organisation is responsible. The organisation should monitor compliance with the contract, which should also include a requirement that the provider will not sub-contract to any personnel who have not been part of a safer recruitment process. Staff has to be kept informed about child protection responsibilities and procedures through induction, briefings and awareness training. There may be other adults in the school who rarely work unsupervised, more usually working alongside members of the school staff. However the supervisor will ensure they are aware of the school’s policy and the identity of the Child Protection Officer. Any member of staff, volunteer or visitor to the school who receives a disclosure of abuse, an allegation or suspects that abuse may have occurred must report it immediately. In Dubai and the United Arab Emirates there is currently no infrastructure of Educational Safeguarding and/or Social Care Services. Following cases which caused concern in the Emirati community, Sheikh Mohammed, the Ruler of Dubai, supported the drafting of a Federal law on child protection â€Å"to ensure a secure and stable future for children in the  U.A.E.† In April 2012, it was reported that Dubai had  "embraced a new policy to protect children against all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect and offer support and care for those in need.† The policy â€Å"aims to provide protection to Emirati and expatriate children under the age 18 who live permanently or temporarily in Dubai. In November 2012, the UAE Cabinet approved â€Å"Wadeema’s Law† to â€Å"protect children in the UAE.The law includes creating special units that intervene when children are at risk and stresses that all children have rights regardless of religion and nationality.† In conclusion, serious case reviews make an important contribution to understanding what happens in circumstances of significant harm. Their effectiveness can be improved and there are examples of promising approaches using the findings of serious case reviews to bring about improvements in safeguarding practice. However, achieving such improvements requires Local Safeguarding Children Boards to develop a much stronger learning culture within which serious case reviews are but one important source of knowledge for improving safeguarding practice. References Dubaicollege. (2012). Child protection policy. Available: http://www.dubaicollege.org/media/policies/Child%20Protection%20Policy.pdf. Last accessed 03rd May 2014. Willams, rutter, gary (2012). Promoting Individual and Organisational Learning in Social Work. london: SAGE publications. p99-102.

Business information system Essay

1. What might have happened to Apple if its top executives had not supported investment in iPads? If the top executives had not supported investment in pads, the new product will be known by less people. Without investment in iPad, people will not receive the information of new technology. 2. Why would it be unethical for Apple to sell its iTunes customer information to other businesses? The customer’s information is about personal privacy, any company can’t sell customer’s information without their permit. 3. Evaluate the effects on Apple’s business if it failed to secure its customer information and all of it was accidentally posted to an anonymous website. The customers will not trust apple again, and they will not leave personal information on iTunes. This will influence Apple that people will not use apple store for purchasing. If the security problem let customer’s credit card information been stolen, Apple will response for that. 1 Do you agree or disagree that Apple’s iTunes, iPhone applications and iPad applications give the company a competitive advantage? Be sure to justify your answer. Yes, I agree with that. One of the main factors that brought Apple back from near oblivion was its ability to produce, market, and sell IT products such as the iPod, iPhone, and customer developed applications. If Apple’s top executives did not have the foresight to view the MP3 players as a competitive advantage, then chances are the company would not have made a strong comeback in the highly competitive electronics market. People who got iPhone, iPad, they will go to Apple’s store to download and buy the application. Other company can only develop application to Apple; they can’t sell or provide their application to customer directly. This is a big advantage for Apple. 2 Why are data, information, business intelligence and knowledge important to Apple? Give an example of each type in relation to the iPad. Data are raw facts that describe the characteristics of an event or object. Before the information age, managers manually collected and analysed data, a time-consuming and complicated task without which they would have little insight into how to run their business. Lacking data, managers often found themselves making business decisions about how many products to make, how much material to order, or how many employees to hire based on intuition or gut feelings. In the information age, successful managers compile, analyse, and comprehend massive amounts of data daily, which helps them make more successful business decisions. Examples include: Sales date, Quantity sold, Cost, Sales price, Total profit, Shipping address, Customer address, Wireless type, Memory amount, Colour. Information is data converted into a meaningful and useful context. Having the right information at the right moment in time can be worth a fortune. Having the wrong information at the right moment; or the right information at the wrong moment can be disastrous. The truth about information is that its value is only as good as the people who use it. People using the same information can make different decisions depending on how they interpret or analyse the information. Thus information has value only insofar as the people using it do as well. Business intelligence (BI) is information collected from multiple sources such as suppliers, customers, competitors, partners, and industries that analyses patterns, trends, and relationships for strategic decision making. BI manipulates multiple variables and in some cases even hundreds of variables including suc h items as interest rates, weather conditions, and even gas prices. For instance, BI can predict inventory requirements for a business for the week before the Super Bowl if, say, the home team is playing, average temperature is above 80 degrees, and the stock market is performing well. This is BI at its finest, incorporating all types of internal and external variables to anticipate business performance. Knowledge includes the skills, experience, and expertise, coupled with information and intelligence that creates a person’s intellectual resources. Knowledge workers are individuals valued for their ability to interpret and  analyse information. Today’s workers are commonly referred to as knowledge workers and they use BI along with personal experience to make decisions based on both information and intuition, a valuable resource for any company. 3 Analyze Apple using Porter’s Five Force model. Apple’s buyer power was low when it first introduced the iPod since it was first to market with the product. Now, there are many competitors to Apple’s iPod and its buyer power is increasing since customers can choose from many different manufacturers of MP3 players. Apple’s supplier power was high and now it is decreasing since buyers have many choices of whom to buy from. Apple can use environmental scanning, or the acquisition and analysis of events and trends in the environment external to an organization, to analyse rivalry. Apple can use environmental scanning to analyse everything from competitor strategies to understanding new and shifting market trends to determining the strategic placement of Apple stores. Without watching its environment and understanding what its competitors are doing and where the market is headed, Apple will have a difficult time setting its strategic direction, as Steve Jobs determined when he thought he had missed the MP3 bandwago n. 4 Which of the three generic strategies is Apple following? Apple follows a focused strategy. 5 Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its introduction of the iPhone? Apple decreased the power of its buyers and increased its own supplier power by introducing the iPhone. Since the iPhone was the first to market with an internet access, data storage, MP3 player, etc., its buyers had no power and no choice but to purchase the product from Apple. Unfortunately, Apple could not create an entry barrier and soon many other companies began offering integrated cell phones, which increased buyer power and reduced supplier power. 6 Which of Porter’s Five Forces did Apple address through its customer-developed applications? Apple decreased the power of its buyers and increased its own supplier power by introducing customer developed applications. Since the iPhone was the first to market with an internet access, data storage, MP3 player, which could all accept customer developed applications, its buyers had no power and no choice but to purchase the product and the applications from Apple. Unfortunately, Apple could not create an entry barrier and there are more and more companies offering customer developed applications such as Google and its Android operating system.