Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example He worked with NeXT Computer and later on bought the Pixar in 1986. He returned to Apple in 1996 and purchased NeXT the same year. The company introduced products like iMac, iPod, iPad, iTunes, iPhone, Mac OS and many others. Jobs was time and again criticized for his complete mastery towards persuasion and salesmanship. He made keynote speeches and defied the odds (Siegler, 2011). Eventually he resigned in 2011 from Apple Inc. as the CEO but remained as a pivotal Chairman on the company’s board. This was the reason why Apple’s shares dropped around five percent in the after hour trading within the stock exchange. There was so much more that the naked eye could see when one thought of Steve Jobs. He was a born leader who showcased complete control over what he did, thought and showed to the world through the different tools, gadgets and devices. This is the reason why his death is mourned across the board for a number of reasons (Appleyard, 2009). Nearly the entire planet hailed him as an exceptional human being, who changed beliefs, stood up against the tough times no matter these concerned his own personal health domains and the ones he encountered at work. He was considered to be a very wealthy person who did not earn more than $1 million per year as CEO of Apple. He also held 5.426 million shares of Apple and another 138 million Disney shares. His net wealth is estimated at around $8.3 billion when the same was conducted in the year 2010, which made him America’s 42nd wealthiest individual. Steve Jobs was not known for his philanthropic acts in a public manner which is entirely opp osite to how Bill Gates showcases his philanthropic role (Kopun, 2011). However, Steve Jobs was known to have helped the poor and needy through private acts of charity. It was in the year 2003 when Jobs was diagnosed with cancer and in the following year (2004), he announced to the Apple employees that he was suffering from cancer in his pancreas. He died

Gantt Chart for Execution of House Construction Essay Example for Free

Gantt Chart for Execution of House Construction Essay The activity of house construction involves many stages which are spread over many months. The case study example taken for the preparation of Gantt chart is selected as it involves various stages and there are many people involved in different activities. These activities are interdependent on the performance of various work groups and can get delayed if not planned and executed timely. Thus I present a Gantt Chart that will assist and ensure effective working in order to obtain the end result as planned. Explanation of Gantt Chart (refer appendix) The overall activity has been planned for a time span of 9 months. The activities have been classified as follows Excavation (A) : This is the first stage where excavation for the house columns needs to be carried out. The lead time for this activity is one month. This is a process which is labor intensive and needs to be completed as per the architectural drawing. Other activities cannot be started before ensuring accuracy of the excavation work as the structure cannot be modified if desired at a later stage. Hence activity B , RCC cannot start before 100 % completion of activity A. In case during this phase it is realized that any delays could be caused in reaching the first milestone then additional workforce or earth moving equipment needs to be outsourced. RCC (B) (Reinforced Cement Concrete) : The lead time for this activity is three months. Once excavation is complete the next stage is of RCC which involves making columns and beams of the house. Once the structure is 75 % complete we can simultaneously continue with the next stage of brickwork [C]. The achievement of this milestone will not hamper activity C but due caution has to be exercised that the activity gets completed by the fourth month form the project starting date as it is the start of activity D and E. Brickwork (C) Along with brickwork the other activities Electrical (D) and Plumbing (E) also need to be commenced upon the completion of stage B and 50 % of stage C as the electrical pipes and fittings need to be covered inside the walls. Similarly toilets and kitchen requires plumbing to be done simultaneously. If the activity deviates from its planned lead time of two months then activity D, E and F will need to be carried out at an increased pace than its actual to cover up for the lag time. Electrical (D)and Plumbing (E) These stages can be executed simultaneously as they are not interdependent on each other . Once these are complete we can move on to the next stage. Plastering (F) After completion of electrical and plumbing work we can start with the internal plastering activity. However external plastering can be carried out when 50 % of stage D and E are complete. This is the third milestone. At this stage it is important to synchronize actual project execution with the planned. Tiling (G) Once plastering is 100 % complete then we can move on to Tiling Flooring work Painting (H) This is the final milestone to be executed after 100 % completion of activity G . Conclusion: Gantt chart gives a clear picture of the stages and helps in noticing any deviations and corrective steps can be implemented which in turn will not disrupt other schedules and help in achieving desired results in a cost effective and efficient manner. The case for buy Vs make is indeed a matter of individual capacities and judgment in the said example. By choosing to make as in the above case the maker gets freedom of choice and taste to suit his own needs. If activities are carried out with due diligence the project would be cost effective. Reference : Gantt Chart- Wikipedia, 19 October 2008, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gantt_chart

To Kill a Mocking Bird - Connections :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

To Kill a Mocking Bird - Connections The first relation to the real world is that people used the ‘N’ word frequently. They used this word to refer to Afro-Americans during the period when the book was written. People today still use it to refer to Afro-Americans. I think it is unfair that they are being called N@#$%&@ because it is a term that they really dislike. They would get very angry if they were referred to as such. Many characters in the story, such as Francis and Mrs. Dubbose, have used this term quite regularly. They considered Afro-Americans as inferior human beings. In today’s society, the description of black people as N@#$%&@ still exists, but it has been toned down considerably, compared to when the book was written. Next, many parents in Maycomb did not teach their kids moral values. This is evident because there were so many kids calling black people the ‘N’ word. Atticus strongly believed in teaching his kids moral values. Every time Scout or Jem had a problem, he sat them down and advised them what was the right thing to do. When he told Jem to help Mrs. Dubbose out and read to her, he refused. He did not know why Atticus was so serious about it. When he found out that she was addicted to morphine and his reading helped her to deal with it, he understood and respected Atticus. He dealt with Scout the same way. When she had a problem, he would sit her down and carefully explain to her what was the right thing to do. Today, many parents do not teach their kids moral values. This is evident because so much teen rebellion is occurring. Parents should try to teach wisdom to their kids as Atticus did. In my opinion, children think that their parents do not understand them enough. There needs to be more discussion between children and their parents. The concept of walking away from fights is addressed in the book, and can be related to real life today. Atticus was always advising Scout and Jem to control themselves and walk away from fights. He said it was better to fight with your head. Parents today always advise their children to walk away from fights. They always say, â€Å"Use words, not hands.† Jem and Scout listened to Atticus and tried their best to avoid getting into fights at school. However, Scout still got into some fights. Kids today also listen to their parents and try their best to avoid fights. Yet, they still end up fighting just as Scout did. Sometimes in life you are faced with an unexpected situation.

Factors That Influence Infant Development

From the moment of conception, there are so many factors and hazards expecting parents must consider ensuring a safe pregnancy and healthy baby. All of which are very important to growth and development. In this essay, I will focus in on the key points an expecting mother should pay close attention to during pregnancy, labor, and the birth of her baby. Caring for yourself and the life growing inside of an expecting mother is a wonderful experience and sometimes a challenge. From the moment a couple decides to have a baby is when they should begin thinking about their future offspring. Taking care of yourself first is key to having an optimally healthy body to house a developing baby. Eating healthy, exercising and refraining from drugs, smoking and alcohol is of the utmost importance. Some mothers who are trying to conceive also take the extra measure of taking prenatal vitamins. It is also a good idea for a couple to visit their doctor to make sure they are in good health and given the â€Å"green light† to begin to work toward conceiving. Making sure you are in good physical health prior to conception is important to lessen the chances of complications during pregnancy. Once the joyous day arrives and you learn that you are expecting, it is very important to see your doctor and have him verify the news. Then begins the task of finding an OBGYN to care for you and your baby throughout the pregnancy and deliver the child when the time comes. Regular, consistent prenatal care is by far the most important factor in insuring the healthiest, safest pregnancy and delivery one can have. Your doctor will see you every month in the beginning of the pregnancy and track your baby’s growth as well as your weight and overall health. During these visits it is important to talk openly with your doctor about any questions or concerns you are having. Your doctor will prescribe prenatal vitamins and run regular tests throughout the pregnancy. When the due date gets closer a mother visits her OBGYN more frequently to track her progress and prepare her for the impending birth. Preventative care while pregnant is important to the growing fetus as well as the expecting mother to monitor progress and deal with any complications that may arise, such as gestational diabetes. What I feel is the most obvious hazard and precaution an expecting mother must consider is refraining from unhealthy activities, such as consuming alcohol, smoking or drug use. These toxins often have major and detrimental effects on a developing baby. There are many birth defects and disorders directly connected to expectant mothers unhealthy lifestyles during pregnancy, for example â€Å"fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause deformities, mental retardation, learning disorders, vision difficulties and behavioral problems and are irreversible. †(www. mayoclinic. com) Drugs, smoking and alcohol all affect a baby that is in a critical time period of development and growth. An expecting mother must put the needs of her unborn child first. In this essay I have covered just a few important factors in the health and safety of a growing baby; but there are many, many more to consider. A couple planning to conceive must be aware of the hazards to their developing child and the precautions that must be heeded. Creating a new life is a wonderful, life changing experience. Every expecting parent should always do what is best for their child, from conception through the crucial first years of development on into adulthood.

Multinational Operations in China

Obtaining a big profit is a good sign of success of a company. But before you achieve this kind of accomplishment, one must know the important things that should be considered in doing a business. If a company wants to business in China, one must have a clear understanding of the locale or in particular China where you want to established it. . It is very important to understand and comprehend yourself with the culture of a country before investing capital in your business. China is one of the largest nations in the world and in fact the most populous country in the world; hence there is a wide range of diversity in culture, beliefs and behavior. The company must first understand it before undertaking operations in China. By doing so, one can established a greater possibility of surviving and even succeeding in the venture taken. The company must also know the local business practices before you do business in a particular area in China. China has most diverse cultural differences in the world and understanding its business culture is very vital. Since every country has different culture, what works with one country can not be appropriate for China. Becoming aware of how people think and their business practices can establish better and harmonious relationship with them. Organizational practices, activities and policies must be flexible and adaptable so that it can accustom easily with China’s practices. Having a representative office in union with a strong local private partner and which has access to all important information is very strategic and help to attain success. Setting up a joint venture is a good move for a company but one must ensure that they have selected the correct partner or else both companies will end up in failure. In the management part, Chinese expertise must be integrated or consulted in the decision making process. This will guaranteed that all aspect of China is considered before making a decision. There is a big need of establishing business relationships. Relationship or also known as Guanxi is an essential component in attaining success in China. Top level manager must know the importance of establishing and nurturing close relationship with their customer, supplier and their local counterparts. It is a great help in knowing the domestic market of China and also builds a strong bond that the company can use in need of assistance or in case of trouble. Company must also build a strong relationship with the China’s government officials. Government is the main factor in the economic movements. They play a vital role in ensuring economic stability and administering foreign investments. Approval, application, and authorization of the business can encountered fewer interruptions or delays if one has already established good relations with the regime. Company must know the financial system of China in doing business here. People’s Bank of China is the one responsible for the establishment and implementation of macroeconomic and fiscal policies. PBOC is also responsible for the regulation of currency circulation and domestic financial activities. Seniority is an important in China. Hence, one must be polite in conversing with older people.   Labor relations are also an important factor to secure business stability. The company must established good relations with their employees. They must look for their welfare. The company need human resources, without them company operations may be suspended and may eventually result to the closure of the company if not handled well. It is also important to recognize the preferential policies offered in China so one can be able to take advantage of it. These policies stimulate foreign investments. Industrial policies monitor foreign investment projects. They are classified as encouraged, permitted, restricted and prohibited. China has extremely promoted the subsequent measures to protect intellectual property rights. In fact China has decreed the Patent, Trademark and Copyright law in order to secure such rights. Works must be registered to the related authorities. In line with this, the government of China proclaimed several security measures to monitor the import publication and reproduction of recorded tapes, video tapes and the like. State Press and Publications Administration, must first grant an approval on the import goods and necessary permit papers must ne obtained. It is subjected to further examination of products. Violation of these security measures may result to subtraction of illegal income and closure of business and payment of fines. China has also required all enterprises to maintain books or accounts for all their business related activities. At the end of the year, they are required to pass an annual financial report. Thus, a company that wants a business in China should know this financial reporting and accounting policy. Tax is the main source of fiscal income of China. It plays an important role in strengthening the macro-economic regulation which is responsible for economic and social development. On the other hand, taxation policies are relatively important in every company. Tax contribute to the input cost of the company, thus it is needed to know the tax policy before doing production and market operations. Also, one can know which kind of business has lower or reduced tax and even exempted to pay such kind of charge. Given those kinds of considerations, tips and reminders on doing business in China, the company would surely make profit on it.   Based on the research employee welfare, labor relations are indeed important factors in establishing a business in China. Although the CEO does not believe on this and my only task as a researcher is to gather strategic information, I will still include those findings.   As a prudent researcher, it is important to include such information because it may affect the company; operations, activities and profit.   My task is to gather strategic information on business in China and these findings I assume is still part of my job. If I do not include such information on the research, this may create trouble for the company. My point is, it is safe to include it on the research since I just give it as an extra detail. The task is now on my CEO; whether he still wants to adopt his beliefs or these new finding. References Coble International. (1988-2008). Doing Business in China. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www.importexporthelp.com/doing-business-in-china.htm. Lee, Joseph. Analysis of the Failure and Success of Doing Business in China. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www.china-window.com/china_business/doing_ PKF: Accountants and Business Advisers. Doing Business in China. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www.pkf.com/jahia/webdav/site/pkf/users/emma Williams, De'Edra. (1998-2008). China. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/china.htm.

How I Failed at Promoting my Novel with Amazon Advertising

How I Failed at Promoting my Novel with Amazon Advertising How I Failed at Promoting my Novel with Amazon Advertising At Reedsy, we like to stay on top of new marketing opportunities for authors. We covered Product Hunt Books when they launched. Advertising on Amazon (via Amazon Marketing Services) is not â€Å"new†, however, it is still, largely, an untapped resource for authors. In this guest post, indie author Eliot Peper explains how he tried it out, and what the results were.Marketing is a fraught subject among novelists. It’s often seen as outside of our purview, and some look down on those who aggressively market their own work, seeing promotion as a corruption of the creative process. Historically, many authors outsourced their marketing to publishers along with other responsibilities like printing and distribution. But technology-driven changes within the industry are forcing authors to become ever more involved with marketing their books, whether because they’re self-publishing or because their publisher demands it.But novels are not a straight-forward product to promo te. I read about 50 books a year, and I don’t think I ever bought a novel because of a banner ad. Book PR firms have an abysmal track record. Most growth-hacking strategies borrowed from the tech industry simply don’t apply well to fiction. At the end of the day, there’s a single factor that determines a book’s financial success: word-of-mouth. Most often, we buy a book because a trusted friend recommended it.Some indie authors, like Andy Weir and Hugh Howey, have achieved blockbuster success without investing much direct effort into marketing. Others, like Mark Dawson and Nick Stephenson, have engineered semi-automated systems that introduce their stories to new readers and hopefully inspire additional word-of-mouth. My own activities fall somewhere in between these two extremes. When I’m writing and editing a book, it’s a purely artistic process. But once a book is published and out in the world, I look at it through a commercial lens just like any other product.As with other products, I’ve run a variety of marketing experiments for my books to see what works and what doesn’t. I serialized the first book in a trilogy and uploaded it to Medium and Wattpad; ran giveaways on Amazon that were promoted by Bookbub, Booksends, etc.; pitched journalists for coverage; partnered with publications; ran organic and paid social media campaigns; gave talks; published op-eds and guest posts; came on podcasts; and even created real websites and social media profiles for fictional characters and organizations from the books.So when I discovered that Amazon had created a new service to help authors and publishers promote their books, I decided to give it a shot.How Advertising works on AmazonAmazon Marketing Services (AMS) allows you to run campaigns that deliver ads to customers based either on their interests or on specific products they’re viewing. For example, you might target folks that love science fiction o r that are checking out the latest Stephen King bestseller. Amazon then displays the ads on specific product pages or on Kindle home screens.Depending on your settings, there are three main places where your ads may show up:In search results for a particular genre or interestEliot Peper (@eliotpeper) is a novelist and strategist based in Oakland, CA. He writes fast-paced, deeply-researched stories with diverse casts that explore the intersection of technology and society. His fourth novel, Cumulus, is a dark, gritty, standalone science fiction story set in a near-future Bay Area ravaged by economic inequality and persistent surveillance.

Make Fireballs You Can Hold in Your Hand

Make Fireballs You Can Hold in Your Hand Fire is made up of light and heated gases from combustion. You can control the temperature of fire by selecting a fuel that burns with a cool flame. If you pour the fuel onto a substance that wont burn, you can make a fireball that you can hold in your hand or juggle. Here are written instructions for making your own handheld fireballs. Materials Needed to Make Fireballs 2 x 5 strip of cotton cloth (like from a t-shirt)100% cotton threadNeedleNaphtha lighter fluid (e.g., Ronsonolâ„ ¢)Match or lighter How to Make a Handheld Fireball Thread the needle with cotton thread.Tightly roll the cotton strip into a ball.Pierce the ball with the needle and wrap the ball with the thread. End by running the needle through the ball one more time and break off the thread.Soak the ball with lighter fluid. Dont soak your hands.Dont ignite the fireball while you are holding it. Set the ball on a fire-proof surface. I used a frying pan from my kitchen.If you want to hold the fireball, my recommendation is to pick it up with tongs and carefully/slowly set it on your hand. That way youll be able to tell if you can take the heat or not. Once you gain some confidence, you can pick the fireball up using your fingers. Safety Additional Information Its best to use 100% cotton fabric and thread. If the fiber is synthetic (like nylon or polyester) it might burn or melt, with unpleasant consequences.The trick to this demonstration is the fuel. It needs to be naphtha or kerosene. I have had good luck with Ronsonolâ„ ¢ and Zippoâ„ ¢ (not the butane stuff... read your ingredient list). Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) works, but it burns a little hotter.Its pretty hard to blow the fireball out. You either need to blow hard or else suffocate the flame to extinguish it. You can set a saucepan lid over the fireball.The fireballs are reusable. Put them out when they run out of fuel or else the cotton will burn (you can tell this is happening when the ball starts to blacken and produce sooty smoke). If you get to the point where the cotton itself is burning, the fireball will be too hot to hold. Ideally, you want to extinguish the fireball before it consumes all of its fuel. Simply soak it in more lighter fluid and relight it to reuse it.Regarding holding these in your hand or doing tricks with them... the cone of the flame is hot, especially above the ball, however, the fuel burns at a relatively low temperature. The flashpoint of Ronsonolâ„ ¢ brand of naphtha is 6Â °C or 43Â ° F, with combustion mainly around 400Â °F. To put that in perspective, touching the fireball is a lot like touching a hot pizza right out of the oven (except without the sticky cheese part). Fireballs are great fun to make, but like all fire projects, use proper safety precautions and common sense. Dont get burned or set your house or yard on fire. This is a project which requires adult supervision. Disclaimer: Please be advised that the content provided by our website is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Fireworks and the chemicals contained within them are dangerous and should always be handled with care and used with common sense. By using this website you acknowledge that ThoughtCo., its parent About, Inc. (a/k/a Dotdash), and IAC/InterActive Corp. shall have no liability for any damages, injuries, or other legal matters caused by your use of fireworks or the knowledge or application of the information on this website. The providers of this content specifically do not condone using fireworks for disruptive, unsafe, illegal, or destructive purposes. You are responsible for following all applicable laws before using or applying the information provided on this website.

Sample Recommendation Letter for Graduate School

Sample Recommendation Letter for Graduate School Whether youre applying to business school, medical school, law school, or another program, most graduate school applicants are going to need two to three letters of recommendation that will be submitted to the admissions committee (along with your undergraduate transcripts, standardized test scores, essays, etc.) as part of the application process. Not every school requires letters of recommendation. You can often get by without one at some online schools and even brick-and-mortar schools that have more relaxed admission requirements. However, schools with highly competitive admissions processes (i.e. the ones that get a lot of applicants but dont have classroom space for everyone) use recommendation letters, in part, to determine whether or not you are a fit for their school. Why Graduate Schools Ask for Recommendations Graduate schools seek recommendations for the same reason employers require career references. They want to know what people who have seen your work and experienced your efforts firsthand have to say about you. Nearly every other resource you provide to a school is a first-person accounting. Your rà ©sumà © is your interpretation of your career achievements, your essay answers a question with your opinion or tells a story from your point of view, and your admissions interview includes questions that, again, are answered from your point of view. A recommendation letter, on the other hand, is all about someone elses perspective on you, your potential, and your accomplishments.   Most graduate schools encourage you to choose a reference who knows you well. This ensures that their letter of recommendation will actually have substance and wont simply be full of fluff or vague opinions about your work attitude and academic performance. Someone who knows you well will be able to provide well-informed opinions and concrete examples to back them up.   Sample Letter of Recommendation for Grad School This is a sample recommendation for a graduate school applicant was written by the applicants college dean, who was familiar with the applicants academic achievements. The letter is short but does an ample job of emphasizing things that would be important to a graduate school admissions committee, such as  GPA, work ethic, and leadership ability. Notice how the writer includes plenty of adjectives to describe the person being recommended. Theres also an example of how the subjects leadership capability has helped others. To Whom It May Concern: As the Dean of Stonewell College, I have had the pleasure of knowing Hannah Smith for the last four years. She has been a tremendous student and an asset to our school. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Hannah for your graduate program. I feel confident that she will continue to succeed in her studies. Hannah is a dedicated student and thus far, her grades have been exemplary. In class, she has proven to be a take-charge person who is able to successfully develop plans and implement them. Hannah has also assisted us in our admissions office. She has successfully demonstrated leadership ability by counseling new and prospective students. Her advice has been a great help to these students, many of whom have taken time to share their comments with me regarding her pleasant and encouraging attitude. It is for these reasons that I offer high recommendations for Hannah without reservation. Her drive and abilities will truly be an asset to your establishment. If you have any questions regarding this recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Roger Fleming Dean of Stonewell College As positive as this letter is, it would have been even stronger if the writer had provided additional specific examples of his students achievements, or had pointed to quantifiable results. For example, he could have included the numbers of students the subject had worked with or detailed specific instances in which she had helped others. Examples of any plans shed developed, how she implemented them, and what the outcome was once they were put to use would have been useful as well.  The more detailed the letter, the more likely it is to tip the admissions scale in your favor.

EUROPEAN UNION Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

EUROPEAN UNION - Research Paper Example ic debate regarding these two principal issues as well as related subject matter such as the European Union as an institutional system and political entity, the transformation of governance and the three aspects what are mentioned as preconditions for this transformation. Lastly, we endeavor to come up with a very rational assessment and analysis of the topics that we have chosen. The European Union has always been viewed as a positive development for Europe as well as the rest of the world. It has always been at the forefront in terms of governance, economic growth and progress, foreign relations, social development and the legal system. Decision-making is formulated by self-governing, supranational institutions or through the conduct of negotiations between member-nations. Some important institutions of the EU include the  European Commission, the  Council of the European Union, the  European Council, the  Court of Justice of the European Union, and the  European Central Bank. The  European Parliament  is elected every five years by  EU citizens. The White Paper on Governance formulated and adopted by the European Union through its executive body commonly known as the European Commission was aimed at setting up democratic forms of governance in five different levels, namely: European, Global, National, Regional and Local. This White Paper drafted suggestions that hoped to delineate more openly the position of EU institutions in world governance. Among their main concerns were deeper involvement, parameters in regulation and contributions that the Union can make to world governance. Through this document, the Commission looked forward to implement governance reforms under exiting treaties. In a recent development, leaders of the European Union led by EU President Herman Van Rompuy announced the espousal of milestone reforms that would promote economic governance in the 27-nation bloc with more stringent fiscal discipline and closer policy coordination. EU

Experience when work was criticized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experience when work was criticized - Essay Example The specific incident involved a creative story that I had written. The story was a work of fiction and it involved an experimental form of structure and language. My intention with the story was to attempt to develop new ways of advancing the story. In these regards, the structure of the story was greatly influenced by movies such as Memento and Inception, in that the narrative didn’t advance in a strictly straightforward way, but instead jumped throughout different time periods. In addition to the story implementing experimental story structure, at times it also implemented experimental language; in these regards the story was influenced by books, such as 1984 and a Clockwork Orange because these books also used invented words and different text. While I recognized that in implementing these methods, the story would potentially be made more difficult to read, I felt they were necessary to add a touch of originality and fresh perspective to my work. However, when I had a numb er of individuals read the story many reacted negatively indicating they did not like the experimental elements incorporated into the story. My reaction to the negative criticism of my story was complex. Initially I resented the criticism I received from these individuals and began to think that they didn’t appreciate what I was attempting to accomplish with my writing. I began to believe that if the people who criticized the story had spent more time trying to read it then they would have understood it to a greater extent.

Business Ethics (Case Analysis) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Ethics (Case Analysis) - Essay Example Brazil has been a place that Caterpillar has utilized to expand its operations and in 1993 the company consolidated its Brazilian operations in Piracicaba. Piracicaba was a town in dying need of industrial development in order to improve the supply of jobs available to the people. The region needed help and Catepillar became the perfect opportunity the people of Piracicaba needed. As Catepillar established itself in Piracicaba its arrival place it on the map as far as the town gaining international recognition. This indirectly helped the tourism industry and it eventually open the doors so that other companies began to move into Piracicaba. Caterpillar at first did not get too involved in the community. As the company starting building a networking within the community its level of involvement in social affairs at Piracicaba increase. Caterpillar since its arrival at Piracicaba improved the quality of life of the community by providing quality good paying jobs which helped many people in the region get out of poverty. Not only did the company pay a good salary, but the firm also provided many fringe benefits. The creation of a drug rehabilitation program to help employees with addiction is an example of the types of initiatives the company performed that goes beyond the norm. The employees are one of many stakeholder groups a company must considered when implementing corporate social responsibility strategies. Some of the other stakeholders that must be included within a CRS plan are the environment, suppliers, business partners, vendors, shareholders, lenders, and the community (Kotler, 2002). Despite the positive change that came once the company settled in the area many people the perception of many of the locals is that the company was simply not doing enough. Another thing was that the people felt that those Brazilians that gotten these good jobs were not grateful and were not doing anything to help the

Case study of Dr. Stephanie White Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study of Dr. Stephanie White - Essay Example (Kahler, 2000) In the case of reducing cost of $ 94,000 without compromising on the operation or quality care of the organization, one has to study previous year costs and their impact on overall performance of Uptown Clinic. As Uptown Clinic is a small organization depending on the services provided for the mental health patients so one can reduce the cost by reducing human resources for general operations within the organization. In Uptown Clinic, the assistant to administrator and one of two secretaries should be fired so Uptown Clinic can reduce cost of their salaries that is $ 56000. Further there is not much need of security for Uptown Clinic so cost of securities charges can be saved that is $ 12000. Uptown Clinic can easily reduce further cost of $ 14000 by smart purchasing and utilization of supplies. Further Uptown Clinic should hire a social worker of less profile than the present one for outpatient mental health treatments in order to reduce cost of $12000.

Complete Marketing Plan of New Invented Coffee Product, Marketing Essay

Complete Marketing Plan of New Invented Coffee Product, Marketing Competition - Essay Example In France, generally, coffee is taken as either black or with milk. There are no choices of almond, chocolate, hazelnut, etc... However, it is when Starbucks Coffee entered the market in 2004, that the French’s â€Å"coffee culture† slowly changed from roadside cafà ©s with white porcelain cups, to â€Å"on the go† coffee in white plastic cups. Also, small cafà ©s in Paris such as Columbus cafe has introduced the need of coffee in a person’s daily routine. It is especially among young people that drinking coffee has become something of a fad, and frequenting cafà ©s is something they fancy. Although it is the young professionals, and university students who enjoy drinking coffee, quite a number of the older members of the French community too, drinks coffee – however in the more traditional way of having it either black or with milk. AUP Coffee is a newly invented brand of coffee that is aimed at joining the competitive coffee market of France. It is developed as an instant, processed coffee product. Convenience is very much taken into consideration since everything today is fast-paced and considered â€Å"to go†. As humans, it is natural for us to try a thing or two that is new. If it’s good, we share the thought. If it’s bad, we still share the thought – plus a lot of criticism. France’s market of today is simply a â€Å"trial and error† type of market, meaning the consumers try a new product that looks promising, and the product’s reputation can take it from there. With the ever growing competition in the market, especially of food and beverages, products have become a fad – something like fashion, only the classics (simple and functional) lasts for decades or more. Being a small name in the industry, AUP Coffee will be competing with giants such as Starbucks, established locals such as Columbus Cafe (in Paris), and other coffee shops who, through the years, have e stablished their reputation as household names. Being a coffee

Case study of Dr. Stephanie White Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study of Dr. Stephanie White - Essay Example (Kahler, 2000) In the case of reducing cost of $ 94,000 without compromising on the operation or quality care of the organization, one has to study previous year costs and their impact on overall performance of Uptown Clinic. As Uptown Clinic is a small organization depending on the services provided for the mental health patients so one can reduce the cost by reducing human resources for general operations within the organization. In Uptown Clinic, the assistant to administrator and one of two secretaries should be fired so Uptown Clinic can reduce cost of their salaries that is $ 56000. Further there is not much need of security for Uptown Clinic so cost of securities charges can be saved that is $ 12000. Uptown Clinic can easily reduce further cost of $ 14000 by smart purchasing and utilization of supplies. Further Uptown Clinic should hire a social worker of less profile than the present one for outpatient mental health treatments in order to reduce cost of $12000.

Summary and analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary and analysis - Essay Example Even if they are to be refunded the amount when they are tested negative, still the pain of the expenses would be badly felt by the applicant as they are there in the first place asking for help because they need money to spend for their basic needs and not on some tests that require them precious time and nickels. The reason why this is being taken into consideration is that because it is not only in welfare application that drug tests are being required but in similar situations as well like the job training programs. On another note, the author also considers the fact that there are taxpayers arguing that every penny they pay should be used to help other people for their necessities and not drug dependence, he supports his argument by what statistics say about certain groups. For instance, he notes that if drug testing the welfare applicants were used as a checking tool for drug users, it has been documented that there is no significant difference between the number of drug users among welfare applicants and non-applicants. In fact, another study he mentioned supports that seventy percent of illegal drug users are from the employed group (Cohen). This means that those who really are seeking the government’s help are not the unemployed as it is implied by the policy on drug test implies. Getting back with the argument of taxpayers supporting the expenses of drug users, it is true that they may have all the right to make sure that the money they sweated for is used for good purposes and not for the vices of abusive citizens, it has to be considered also that drug testing applicants is not the answer to checking drug use. On the part of the government, there could be large amounts of money to be saved from not paying applicants who will test positive in their drug tests and this is one argument the author is trying to dig in the article. Considering

Plea Bargain Essay Example for Free

Plea Bargain Essay â€Å"The plea bargain was a prosecutorial tool used only episodically before the 19th century† (Dirk Olin, 2002) Plea bargaining has assumed a significant role in the criminal jurisprudence of the United States. A majority of criminal cases in the United States are settled through plea bargaining rather than a conducted jury trial. This paper details some of the basic details relating to plea bargaining in the American criminal judicial system. Background A plea bargain usually implies a deal offered by a prosecutor as an incentive for the defendant to plead guilty. Plea bargaining thus can be construed as pre-trial negotiations between the accused and the prosecution during the process of which the accused agrees to plead guilty in exchange for certain concessions in the sentence or charges as offered by the prosecution. There is no specific or perfect definition of ‘plea bargain’ has so far been evolved. According to Black’s Law Dictionary plea bargaining is â€Å"the process whereby the accused and the prosecutor in a criminal case work out a mutually satisfactory disposition of the case subject to court approval. It usually involves the defendants pleading guilty to a lesser offense or to only one or some of the counts of a multi-count indictment in return for a lighter sentence than that possible for the graver charge† However, in practice plea bargaining is often considered as the mutual acknowledgement of the strengths and weaknesses of the both the defense and prosecution sides in the midst of the tedious process of the trial of the cases and the potential outcome of the trials rather than a mutually satisfied arrangement. Plea bargaining may be attempted at any time; usually it occurs on a pre-trial stage; but in some cases may be undertaken during the conduct of the trial before the verdict is rendered. There is a possibility that plea bargain may be negotiated after a trial has resulted in a ‘hung jury’. Under such circumstance the parties may negotiate a plea bargain instead of going through the process of another trial. In some common law jurisdictions like England and Wales, Victoria, Australia plea bargaining is undertaken to such an extent that the prosecutors and defense can mutually agree that the defendant will plead guilty to certain of the charges and the prosecution drops the rest of the charges. (Legal Pundits) However no bargaining can take place in respect of the penalties that can be levied and the courts proceed to decide the appropriate penalty in such cases. Types of Plea Bargains If in the judicial system every case is allowed to go to trial the courts would find it difficult to try and decide on all the cases. Plea bargaining allows the prosecutor an opportunity to obtain guilty pleas in cases which otherwise would go to the stage of trial by the courts concerned. There are two areas in which plea bargain negotiations can be undertaken. They are:  · Charge Bargaining – in the case of ‘charge bargaining’ the defendant is allowed to ‘plead guilty for a lesser charge’ by the prosecutor. Alternatively the defendant may plead guilty of only some of the charges that have been filed against him. This type of plea bargaining is the most common type. Usually the prosecutor in consideration for a plea of guilty to the committing of a lesser charge will dismiss the higher charge. For example in return accepting guilty plea for ‘manslaughter’ the charges of a first degree murder may be dismissed with the approval of the court. Similarly a defendant who has been charged with the crime of ‘burglary’ may be allowed to plead guilty of ‘attempted burglary’ where the sentence may be less.  · Sentence Bargaining – this involves the agreement for pleading guilty for the charges stated in consideration of a lighter sentence. Under this process the prosecution is saved of the time and efforts to go through the process of trial and proving the case. It also provides the defendant to opt for a lighter sentence which would otherwise have been stronger if a trial is conducted and verdict given. Typically all the sentence bargains are to obtain the approval of the trial judges. This type of plea bargaining is being limited by many of the jurisdictions. Sentence bargaining usually happens in some of the high profile cases where the case is being followed effectively by the media and the prosecutor does not want any reduction of charges in the case. In addition to the above there can be another area of plea bargaining known as ‘Fact Bargaining’ – which is the least used process of negotiation with the defendant for admitting certain of the facts of the case. The defendant is given the concession that the prosecution will not bring certain other facts in to evidence if some of the other facts are confirmed by the defendant. This process saves the efforts of the prosecutor the need to prove certain facts in the course of trial. Process of Plea Bargaining There are three essential components which form the basis for making the plea bargains valid. They are; (i) a waiver of rights to the knowledge of all involved, (ii) the waiver should be a voluntary one arrived at using a process of negotiation and (iii) the presence of a factual basis which can support the charges to which the defendant has chosen to plead guilty. Plea bargaining takes place through telephonic conversations or is being attempted at the office of the prosecutor in the court room. Normally the judges do not take part in the process of plea bargaining. But in rare circumstances a judge becomes a party to the plea bargain process. Once the process of bargaining is completed it is placed on record by judge in the open court. At the time of placing the plea bargain on record it is necessary that the defendant is present in the court. It must be noted that the prosecutor is not given the authority to compel a court to accept the plea bargain agreement entered in to by the parties. The prosecutor can only recommend the acceptance of any plea bargain and it is for the court to decide on accepting the plea bargain arrived at. The court will go through the process of satisfying itself through available proofs that the abovementioned three essential elements of plea bargain are present. Only on satisfying about the presence of these elements the court will accept the plea bargain arrangement as recommended by the prosecution. Plea bargaining cannot be considered as a simple process that can be attempted in any case. â€Å"In effectively negotiating a criminal plea arrangement, the attorney must have the technical knowledge of every element of a crime or charge, an understanding of the actual or potential evidence that exists or could be developed, a technical knowledge of lesser included offenses versus separate counts or crimes, and a reasonable understanding of sentencing guidelines† Merits and Demerits of Plea Bargaining Despite the often pointed out criticisms there are certain distinct merits the process of plea bargaining has. It is often the case that more than 90 percent of the criminal cases are decided on the basis of negotiated pleas. This leaves only a meager percentage of the criminal cases going through the process of judicial trial. It provides the judges considerable saving in time in conducting the trials as the judges already hold overcrowded dockets. Further the judges with a view to avoid overcrowding of the prisons are always in favor of negotiated plea bargains. They are receptive to the ‘processing out’ of the criminals who are not likely to get much longer jail terms at the end of the trial. Similarly for the prosecutors since there caseload becomes lighter they can efficiently discharge their functions. The other important aspect of plea bargain is that the process assures a sure ‘conviction’ even the charges accepted are lesser than the originally stated ones. In some of the cases the prosecutors are made to spend considerable time and efforts in defending cases which finally the cases are lost as happened in the case of murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Plea bargaining enable the prosecutors to use the process to obtain damaging testimony against another defendant in the case. This ensures that the prosecutor is sure of at least one conviction even if for a lesser charge and the chances of booking the second defendant also against the testimony of the first defendant obtained through plea bargain. For the defendants plea bargaining provides the opportunity to bargain for a lighter sentence on reduced charges. If the defendant is represented by a private counsel appointed by him the defendant would be able to save considerable costs on conducting the trial. This also provides the opportunity for getting a record of lesser criminal offenses against him. There are certain drawbacks of the plea bargaining process; when the police are involved in the process it may amount to coercion. When the court is involved in the process it may be considered as impartiality on the part of the court. Involving the victim in the process may involve corruption and the rejection of the guilty plea by the accused may result in more hardship to him. (Soura Subha Ghosh) US Supreme Court Cases According to Article III Section 2 (3) of the Constitution of the United States â€Å"The trial of all crimes, except in Cases of impeachment, shall be by Jury† However it has not been held that it is unconstitutional to go through a process of plea bargaining to avoid the judicial trials. On the contrary there are a number of court decisions at the highest levels which have taken up the issue of ‘plea bargaining’ for serious discussion and ruling. The constitutional validity of plea bargaining was addressed by the US Supreme Court only when the process has become an integral part of the criminal judiciary. (eNotes.com) In the case of United States v Jackson (1968) the Court had raised a question on the validity of plea bargaining to the extent that whether the process has burdened the right of the defendant to go through a process of jury trial. In this case the issue was the consideration of a statute that imposed a death penalty only after a jury trial. In this case in order to avoid the death penalty the defendant continued to waive the trials and was eager to negotiate for plea bargaining for a reduction in sentence.   In this case the judge noted that the statue had needlessly encouraged guilty pleas. In the case of Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970) the Court had noted that the plea bargaining process had benefitted both the parties to the case and had thus defended the system. The Court made it known that the remark in the Jackson case was to stress the need for the guilty pleas to be intelligent and voluntary. In Santobello v New York, 404 U.S. 260 (1971) the Court observed that the plea bargaining is an essential component of the administration of justice and thus had justified the constitutional acceptability of the plea bargaining process. The Court added that [as long as it is] properly administered, [plea bargaining] is to be encouraged. North Carolina v Alford, 400 U.S. 25 (1970) can be cited as a landmark case relating to the sphere of plea bargaining. In this case Alford pleaded guilty to a second degree murder prior to trail in the wake of the fact that otherwise he would be sentenced to death penalty on a jury trial in the presence of strong evidences. He was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. Later on he appealed that his plea bargain was involuntary and was motivated by the fear of death penalty. The appeal court allowed the appeal and reversed his conviction. His argument was on the basis of that the plea bargain violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution which states that no person shall be compelled in a criminal case to witness against himself. However the Supreme Court held that a guilty plea representing a voluntary and intelligent choice considering the alternatives available to the defendant cannot be construed that the defendant was compelled (in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the constitution) to follow the guilty plea to avoid the possibility of death penalty. The Supreme Court ordered for the reversal of the appeal court decision and reinstated the sentence of Alford. The term ‘Alford Plea’ thus has come into usage to signify those cases where the defendant tenders a guilty plea and later on denies that he has not committed any crime. There is an express prohibition of ‘Alford Plea’ in certain states and some of the States allow a limited use of the plea. Breaking the Plea Bargain Deal A plea bargain is regarded as a contract between the prosecutor and the defendant and as such both the parties are obligated to perform their parts of the contract without fail. The prosecutor has the authority to revoke the plea bargain if the defendant does not carry out his part of the contract. On the other hand if the prosecutor breaks a deal with the defendant then the defendant has the right to claim for setting aside the plea. Alternatively the defendant may require the court to intervene and instruct the prosecutor to carryout the plea bargain. â€Å"This may happen if the prosecutor has agreed not to authorize additional criminal charges against the defendant in return for the guilty plea, yet subsequently files the charges† (Aaron Larson, 2000)

Zero Based Budgeting Emerged To Overcome The Limitations Of Incremental Budgets Accounting Essay

Zero Based Budgeting Emerged To Overcome The Limitations Of Incremental Budgets Accounting Essay Zero-based budgeting emerged to overcome the limitations of incremental budgets. This approach requires that all activities are justified and prioritized before decisions are taken relating to the amount of resources allocated to each activity. Besides adopting a zero-based approach zero-base budgeting also focuses on programmes or activities instead of functional departments based on line-items which is a feature of traditional budgeting. Programmes normally relate to various activities undertaken by municipal or government organizations. Zero-based budgeting works from the premise that projected expenditure for existing programmes should start from base zero, with each years budgets being compiled as if the programmes were being launched for the first time. The budgetees should present their requirements for appropriations in such a fashion that all funds can be allocated on the basis of cost-benefit or some similar kind of evaluative analysis. The cost-benefit approach is an attempt to ensure value of money, it question long-standing assumptions and serves as a toll for systematically examining and perhaps abandoning any unproductive projects. Thats why more and more non-profit making organizations, including Oxfam Hong Kong, consider using Zero-based budgeting as an approach to judge a best solution of the organizations. Background of Oxfam Hong Kong Oxfam Hong Kong is one of non-profit making organizations. It is an independent international development and humanitarian organization working against poverty and related injustice. It recognized that much poverty is caused by injustice and that poverty alleviation requires economic, social and structural change. It worked with people facing poverty and with partner organizations on development, humanitarian, policy advocacy and public education programmes. How zero-based budgeting could be used at Oxfam Hong Kong Most organizations, including Oxfam Hong Kong, may use incremental budgeting system for their budgetary process. However, this approach has a serious drawback. The budgetary process for coming year usually uses previous budget allocation as a basis of allocation. That may incurred increase or decrease in budget for the coming year based on the budget allocation. It is because the percentage of allocation is without full examination of this allocation basis. Incremental budgeting system assumes that the situation will continue in the same way. Zero-based budgeting could be used to remedy this serious drawback in incremental budgeting system. The best suitable activities in Zero-based budgeting To use zero-based budgeting as an approach, some activities are very suitable to use. For example: Limited resource of labours Oxfam Hong Kong is a non-profit making organization that it is always faced with limited resource of labours because major labours are volunteers that it often has not salaries. To organize an activity such as donation of poverty countries, it is a large project that it needs a lot of human resource. The allocation of resource is very important if the organization is faced with limited resource of labours. Zero-based budgeting can efficiently allocate resource of each department. Zero-based budgeting will define and evaluate decision packages of human resource and appropriate allocation by ranking of decision packages. Judgment of consignment or in-house Oxfam Hong Kong always creates a lot of activities about the donation of poverty countries. To encourage more donations, the organization always produces some souvenirs to donators. The souvenirs are also a part of cost that Oxfam Hong Kong will be considered to produce by consignment or in-house processing. It is because Oxfam Hong Kong would likely choose inexpensive method. It is very suitable to use zero-based budgeting to the identification. Although incremental budgeting system or activity-based budgeting can determine the cost of production by consignment or in-house processing, it only use department as a base which is less accurate than zero-based budgeting. It is because zero-based budgeting is based on activity which is more accurate than incremental budgeting system or activity-based budgeting. The advantages of Zero-based budgeting More and more non-profit organizations choose Zero-based budgeting rather than Incremental budgeting for their decision making because Zero-based budgeting has following advantages which Incremental budgeting is ignored. Inappropriate activities are not undertaken Traditional budgeting trends to extrapolate the past by adding a percentage increase to the current year. Zero-based budgeting avoids the deficiencies of incremental budgeting and represents a move towards the allocation of resources by need or benefit. Thus, unlike traditional budgeting the level of funding is not taken for granted. For example, when Oxfam Hong Kong has limited resource such as labour hour, the allocation of resources is being very important. Then Zero-based budgeting can help Oxfam Hong Kong to select the best solution of the allocation by ranking of decision packages. Finally, inappropriate solutions are not adopted. Enhance motivation The documentation of decision packages also leads to a deeper staff and management knowledge of all the operation and activities of the organization and can enhance communication, participation and therefore motivation. Oxfam Hong Kong can indirectly motivate the staff. It is because all departments especially management department in Oxfam Hong Kong need to communicate with other departments to make a consensus of the decision packages. Concerning value for money Zero-based budgeting focuses attention on outputs in relation to value for money. Through this value for money approach, inefficient and obsolete operations are identified so that wastage can be eliminated and a more efficient allocation of resources to activities and departments can be achieved. Therefore, Oxfam Hong Kong can indirectly reduce the cost of selection of decision because the wastage is reduced and the allocation of resource is being efficient. Problem of Zero-based budgeting Actually, no method is perfect. Zero-based budgeting also exists problems that Oxfam Hong Kong should be faced. More costly and time consuming The preparation of decision packages can generate a great volume of paperwork especially for a large project or activity and will require a considerable management skill. Therefore, Oxfam Hong Kong should be provided more training and education about concepts of application of Zero-based budgeting to the management department because Zero-based budgeting must be clearly understood by managers at various levels to be successfully implemented. The running cost is directly increased. Also, Zero-based budgeting will requires gathering, analysis and evaluation of large amounts of data that the management department faced with much workload and it is very time consuming. Problems of identifying ranking packages Subjective judgment and political pressure are unavoidable in ranking packages and allocation of resources and may create departmental conflicts. Different types and natures of activities across different departments, particularly with qualitative rather than quantitative benefits, may give rise to the problem of ranking. Oxfam Hong Kong is confused of the decision packages because it is difficult to define decision units and decision packages and sometimes subjective judgment is needed. Also, management may be exaggerated skews the results if it is unreliable. Then, the decision packages are became inaccurate. Relationship between management and staff deterioration The questioning attitude of zero-based budgeting is not always acceptable to staff or management because they may view it as a threat to their existing implied rights. For example, management department and accounting department have different ideas of decision packages. Each department does not agree with the other side ideas. The cooperation and motivation among the management and staff may deteriorate. Therefore, it may influence the relationship of each department in Oxfam Hong Kong. http://www.oxbridgewriters.com/essays/accounting/zero-based-budgeting.php http://www.finweb.com/financial-planning/pros-and-cons-of-zero-based-budgeting.html http://www1.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/fm_nov07_p48-53.pdf

Friendship Essay: My Best Friend -- friendship essay, my best friend

She doesn’t know this, but she changed my life. She was there for me when it seemed like no one else was. When most of my friends were dissolving around me and I just didn’t feel like I could do anything right, she was there, and she made everything seem okay. It didn’t matter that I was inevitably going to graduate with a GPA a tenth of a point lower than I wanted, or that my director told me that he was disappointed in me because I just didn’t seem focused lately, or that my other friends just weren’t talking to me anymore. It didn’t matter because she was there and she made me feel safe. She’s my best friend, and I love her and admire her for so many different reasons. It seems that, no matter the situation, she knows exactly what will brighten my mood, whether it’s an hour-long venting session, a frozen yogurt run or sitting around a fire making s’mores. She has the incredible ability to make me laugh even when it seems impossible, through sometimes impractical means, like throwing marshmallows across the room or telling goofy made-up stories that may or may not be relevant to t...

The exchange took only less than ten minutes

We do not have to be a college graduate to be knowledgeable about the world and its dealings, we just have to be street smart and keen. We do not have to be superman to possess the strengths that will be able to bring down a 20-foot building; we just have to believe that we hold the courage and the strength to deal with our daily tribulations. We do not have to be the president of the United States to have all the answers to our questions; we just have to keep on looking and never give up. We just have to feel alive.These things I learned when I became independent. It was a rather difficult time and I was about to give up, but then I realized I have to go through this. It was one Sunday morning and I had no classes, but I was feeling rather weak so I decided to go to the nearest clinic and get myself checked up on. It was a busy day there, perhaps because most people do not have to go to work on Sundays and get him or herself checked up by the physician.While waiting, I sat in the co rridor beside this elderly woman who reminded me of my grandmother. We had a small conversation and I must admit that I had difficulties in trying to converse because English is not my native tongue, but she probably tried to understand me, and I learned more things about life that I can possibly ever learn cramped up in my small space studying.The exchange took only less than ten minutes, for she was called in the doctor’s room already, but what she told me could have changed my whole perspective in life, and it has. She told me that she grew up not knowing what she wanted out of life, that she took her life for granted and that if she could turn back time to my age, she would live. She said that she never explored, that she was always sheltered, and that her parents always gave her what she wanted, not even asking why.She told me that she wants to cry and lecture every single adolescent that she sees because she can see how they are throwing their lives away, as if they cou ld live it back when they wanted to. I did not know whether to start an argument with her because of this, but I just let her talk. She told me that if she could have been more independent and had not spent every single penny that was given to her; she could have been much more satisfied.I looked at her keenly, and I noticed that she did not look shabby; in fact, she looked like someone who eats three times a day and can afford to be looked at in a clinic like this. Her last statement was the one that I would never forget.She asserted that it was not enough for us to just live, because what is the use of living when one does not feel alive. I believe that she meant that she was living her life, but she was living it aimlessly, with no direction. Perhaps it is because of the unending luxuries that were given to her that she took for granted.Alternatively, maybe it is because of her sheltered life that she cannot think of a purpose. Nevertheless, I understood what she meant by not fee ling alive. Sometimes, because I have been so busy doing my routine I have stopped feeling alive. I go to school, I attend to my work and my needs, I sleep, and I eat. I do nothing with passion, I just breathe.Yes, it was just a few fleeting exchanges of words, but I was able to see it in her eyes the regret of not living all those years, of not being curious enough to seek independence, of not trying to do things that one is passionate about. I want to change, I want to be spontaneous sometimes, I want to do something that I am passionate about.I want to excel in my studies; I want to do something that I thought I would never do in a thousand years. I want to be independent and challenge myself to achieve greatness in spite and despite of the obstacles that are being thrown in front of me. I do not just want to live; I want to feel alive. And all this was inspired by a few moments that I had with this old woman in the corrid

Dickenson’s Hard Times

As I analyze the first character that was presented in the book Hard times by Charles Dickens, Thomas Gradgrind is one of the central figures through whom the author weaves a web of intricately connected characters and plotlines. His character is used with most central feature of his monotone attitude and appearance that is mechanized. Mr. Gradrinds opening speech to a group of young students during the opening scene embodies his dryness and the hard fact that he crams into his student’s heads.Gradrind is best described as â€Å"square coat, square legs, square shoulders,† (Dickens, 1981) by the narrator which merely suggest Gradrind’s unrelenting rigidity. During the first few chapters, he expounds his philosophy of calculating his rational self interest. Human nature can be governed by complete rational rules according to his belief. He is also ready to weight and measure any parcel of human nature and be able to tell what it comes to. By this philosophy he was able to triumph financially and socially. His fortune as a hardware merchant which is a trade that deals in hard material reality.He also became a member of the Parliament and this position allows him to indulge his interest tabulating data about people from England. Though he is not a factory owner, he evinces the spirit of Industrial revolution as he treats people like machines that can be reduced to a number of principles of science. The narrator describes Gradrind ironically but he also undergo significant change in the novel which later catches the narrator’s sympathy. This is when Louisa confessed to him that something really important is missing in her life and that she is unhappy and disappointed with her marriage.This gave a realization to Gradrind that the education system that he has is not perfect. This is proven when he learned that Tom robbed the bank of Bounderby. and since he was faced by these failures, he admits to himself that â€Å"The ground on which I stand has ceased to be solid under my feet. † (Dickens, 1981)The dilemmas of his children made him feel and learn love, compassion and sorrow. He later became a humble man and making his facts and figures in greater connection with the virtues of faith, hope and charity.

IT Control

IT control is â€Å"A policy that provides a reasonable assurance that the information technology used by an organization operates as expected, that the data is reliable and the organization is in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.† It can be categorized into the management controls and application controls. Insufficient IT control means the organization fails to protect the information asset, which means the organization is more likely to suffer losses from the exploited threats. Log review is one of the IT control practice, it is the process of recording events that happened on the system, e.g. User login and Modification on files content. By monitoring system activity, it helps to detect any malicious activities that act against the system. For instance, if a company does not establish proper control: fail to create and review logs regularly, it fails to discover the malicious act of the staff: an IT staff tried to turn off / disable the system firewall without specific reason during business operating hours. This act allows all data packets to enter and exit the network unrestrictedly and put the system network at risk. Without the firewall protection, some malware includes computer viruses; worms and Trojan horses can easily spread across the network connection and infect all the computers that attached to the local area network. Therefore, data inside the system can be destroyed or stolen. Not only disrupting the business operation, the stolen data (include confidential information like customer banking account details) may also be released to an unauthorized party for conducting financial crimes – cause of data breach. The company may fine by the information commissioner's office as it violates the data protection rule and expose customer sensitive information. We can see that insufficient IT control makes organizations become more vulnerable to outsiders' attacks. Companies will find out that it is more difficult to retain customers due to their bad reputation and competitive disadvantages.

Admission Essay for Business School Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Admission for Business School - Essay Example I have chosen this Business School because it is a unique institution which provides students with practical skills so important in modern business. I find that Bentley has a unique leadership focus which allows to them to prepare really good managers (and all successful businesses have them) capable of having, or recognizing, good ideas and using them to make things happen in a new way: of translating ideas into useful, practicable and commercial products, services or systems. Modern business cannot exist without innovation and Bentley integrates new approaches of business into its curriculum. At Bentley, innovation draws together new ideas and their implementation, whereas creativity is the having of new ideas which, in an organization, are generated or spotted by individuals or teams. I am opining to enter Bentley because it encourages creativity in people (including oneself) by exploring some of the qualities and characteristics of creative thinkers and the activities/steps that can be undertaken to improve the processes involved. In innovation it must be remembered that creative thinking makes it possible and teamwork makes it happen. I am eager to improve my leadership skills and become an expert in this field. I see training and education as the main methods to improve myself and increase productivity. A number of those whose fundamental interests are in leadership effectiveness and training feel that progress would be facilitated by greater attention to underlying specific behavioral processes. I suppose that modern organizations need to go beyond traditional task and socio-emotional categories of behavior; this should be in the direction of identifying the basic building blocks of interactions. I am a hard-working student who spends much time working on my personal development and self-improvements. For a long period of time, I like basketball and travel: baseball

Commercial Reading Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commercial Reading Programs - Essay Example This essay considers general aspects of these programs, and the various ways they can be utilized in the 8th grade language arts curriculum. The Great Leaps reading program is a commercial reading program that is targeted to improve student fluency, phonics, and motivation. In terms of background elements, the program is recognized as being a research-based program that incorporates education theory and studies in the construction of its instructional methods. It’s indicated that the program has been adopted by a wide-variety of educational programs. Statistical research has also demonstrated that the program has been highly successful in aiding students in special education programs, including students with dyslexia. The program itself is designed to be an efficient means of advancing language arts comprehension. For instance, the student’s in the program spend only ten minutes per day working with the instructor and the materials. This allows for the program to be imp lemented as an after-school or augmented education program that doesn’t overly occupy the student’s time. The program contains a student manual and an instructor manual that are targeted for the learner’s age and reading deficiencies. ... One of the effective uses of the reading program would be for the in-class 8th grade special education language arts curriculum. In these regards, there are a variety of ways the program could be used in this educational context. One of the major ways the program could be implemented is through its incorporation into the main curriculum. In these regards, the program could be implemented to advance student phonics understanding by identifying sounds in isolation. Specific patterns are taught to students in a progressive learning process. Students then advance to the study of prefixes and suffixes. The theory behind this is that these elements allow the educator to imbue the student with critical thinking skills to decode words and phrases they are not familiar with. At a different stage of student education the instructor can incorporate sight phrases to advance student reading comprehension. In these regards, high frequency words are instructed to students. Through this mode of inst ruction the student learns to identify word meanings with these phrases as a means of improving reading efficiency. The final stage of instruction involves reading fluency. In this stage the instructor has the student read age appropriate stories while they listen for aspects of comprehension, fluency, and pronunciation. In the 8th grade special education language arts classroom dividing students into reading groups based on comprehension level could institute this program. The instructor could then implement a teaching assistant or work in rotation with the different groups. This way the students would receive instruction designed for their specific level of reading development in an efficient and effective way. Another prominent reading program is the Reading Blaster program. Whereas

New Zealand Film History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

New Zealand Film History - Essay Example New Zealand is a cultural melting-pot. Its national identity didn't come ready-made to be served in a silver platter but it is a fusion of many cultures that are varied and oftentimes contradictory to each other. All of this hodge-podge of cultures that was the outcome of intermingling and sometimes violent embroilment of diverse heritages for hundreds of years produced a unique national cultural identity that is one of its kind and which is so "quite unlike anywhere else in the world" (New Zealand Facts). This can never be truly understood and Ruth Harley's claim that "our culture is the well from which filmmakers draw their inspiration" will never be fathomed if we do not dissect the various cultures that make up this multi-cultural nation that is called New Zealand. And this has to start by tracing New Zealand's history and describing the cultures that these various people possess. Oral tradition of the Maoris claimed that a dark-skinned people called Morioris or moa hunters were the original inhabitants of New Zealand. Legend has it that these pre-Maori Polynesians (Australia, New Zealand Encyclopedia 1975, p.1013) came to the eastern North Island to hunt for moas, which were extinct wingless birds standing about 12 feet tall. Various literature failed to give us their kind of culture but only that they were assimilated into the Maori society. A Maori navigator named Kupe was the known discoverer of the land he called Aotearoa or Long White Cloud at about 950AD. Thereafter the Maoris came to settle the land National Identity 2 at about 1350 AD. They came in 8 outrigger canoes from either Society Islands or Tahiti and with their advent, they brought with them their own distinct culture. Although described as cannibalistic warriors, these tough, resourceful and handsome people were and are closely-knit who are "bound in families and subtribal communities" and have a deep "sense of closeness and homeyness" (Schafer 1998, p.11). The Maori society was already highly evolved at that time and was characterised by division of social classes i.e. chieftains, commoners and slaves. Yet despite this, they had remained family-oriented rather than individualistic (MacInnes 1964, p.109). They are also highly eloquent and witty with a predilection for debating. Maoris are also gifted with the talent for wood carving which is distinguished by intricate convolutions and feature pseudo-Oriental masks that are probably the finest in the world. What makes Maori culture so unique is that they always strive to achieve physical perfection through dancing and their

Strategic and competitive positioning of Lenovo Essay

Strategic and competitive positioning of Lenovo - Essay Example In relation to the study the company which has been selected is Lenovo group, a multinational IT firm with headquarters in Beijing, China and North Carolina, United States. Lenovo was established in 1984 as Legend and later renamed as Lenovo. The company is into developing, designing, manufacturing as well as selling personal computers, smartphones, tablet computers, servers, workstations, electronic devices, smart televisions, and management software. The company is known for its volume sales. Laptops and notebooks are Lenovo’s top selling products. Recent innovations in Lenovo’s ultrabooks and laptops have transformed the company into a major successful brand in the IT industry. The IT and computer industry is extremely competitive with few big players dominating the market. However, many new local brands are being launched serving niche customers and reducing overall market share for these bigger players. Three major companies, Lenovo, HP, and Dell dominate this comp uter market. While Lenovo leads the Chinese market, HP and Dell have captured major market share across other parts of the globe. Lenovo has been trying to develop its strategic positioning through innovation and differentiation. In 2003, Lenovo launched an application technology, enhancing overall positioning. Apart from that, through constant innovation, Lenovo computer has been able to maintain a leadership position in China for past eight years.

Piped distribution services question 1-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Piped distribution services question 1-4 - Essay Example Give different options. Evaluate their merits. The building in question is very tall and expansive. It shall in turn attract numerous clients. In this regard, the client and building requirements shall be effective air conditioning systems; properly installed boilers; backup power generation system; efficient and effective elevators and good refrigeration systems. The risks involved in terms of death and injuries inflicted as a result of fire breakout are huge. The project requires smoke detectors, an alarm system, a surveillance system, fire extinguishers and a medical response team. The company can choose to use the old technology that is readily available and is relatively cheap. This shall save on the costs. On the other hand, the company can also choose to employ the modern technology that is more advanced and sophisticated. This is very fast and effective for the huge building and numerous clients in question. 1.2) Evaluate alternative strategies for the provision of piped dist ribution services and fire protection and fire fighting services systems. Advise which system you consider the most suitable to the building. The company can choose to undertake the provision of all the services to the clients of the building. All the clients regardless of their social status or power receive the same services and pay the same amount to the company for these services. The company can also choose to provide all these services but in accordance to the desire and financial ability of each tenant. Every tenant upon renting a premise in the building specifies the kind of services he or she is willing to receive and able to pay for. Lastly, the company can opt not to offer any of these services. Each client upon renting a premise in the building finds his or her own means of getting these services. Of all these three strategies, the first one is the best. These services are basic. The risks involved if one tenant misses the services still affect the other clients the serv ices. It is thus important that the company offers the services for every tenant and in a common level of sophistication. 1.3) Establish design parameters, standards and legislative requirements. Give at least two approaches. Evaluate the approaches. The building shall require an A.C source of electricity. This is the main source of energy that shall power all appliances. Aluminum pipes shall be required for plumbing to deal with the high pumping pressure to the top floors. Before the commencement of the construction work, the government needs to approve of the design and location of the building. After the construction, the government shall also send inspectors to ascertain the suitability of the building for commercial use. These requirements can be viewed from the approach of cutting on costs, or the approach of cutting on accidents. In order top cut on costs, the company only has to conform to the minimum requirements of erecting the building. On the other hand, in order to cut on the risks of getting involved in accidents, the building needs sophisticated material. All the requirements should be approaching the maximum limits in the market. 1.4) Produce design specifications. Comment the different specifications. Discuss their relationship. The building needs

Campare Sonnet Essay Example for Free

Campare Sonnet Essay Shall I compare you to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:| You are more lovely and more constant:| Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,| Rough winds shake the beloved buds of May| And summers lease hath all too short a date: | And summer is far too short:| Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,| At times the sun is too hot,| And often is his gold complexion dimmd; | Or often goes behind the clouds;| And every fair from fair sometime declines,| And everything beautiful sometime will lose its beauty, By chance or natures changing course untrimmd;| By misfortune or by natures planned out course. But thy eternal summer shall not fade | But your youth shall not fade,| Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;| Nor will you lose the beauty that you possess;| Nor shall Death brag thou wanderst in his shade,| Nor will death claim you for his own,| When in eternal lines to time thou growest:| Because in my eternal verse you will live forever. | So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,| So long as there are people on this earth,| So long lives this and this gives life to thee. So long will this poem live on, making you immortal| My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun;| My mistresss eyes are nothing like the sun;| Coral is far more red than her lips red;| Coral is far more red than her lips;| If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; | If snow is white, then her breasts are a brownish gray;| If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. | If hairs are like wires, hers are black and not golden. I have seen roses damaskd, red and white,| I have seen damask roses, re d and white [streaked],| But no such roses see I in her cheeks; | But I do not see such colors in her cheeks;| And in some perfumes is there more delight | And some perfumes give more delight| Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. | Than the horrid breath of my mistress. | I love to hear her speak, yet well I know | I love to hear her speak, but I know| That music hath a far more pleasing sound;| That music has a more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go;| Ive never seen a goddess walk;| My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:| But I know that my mistress walks only on the ground. | And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare | And yet I think my love as rare| As any she belied with false compare. | As any woman who has been misrepresented by | The sonnet 18 is a Shakespeare’s early love poem which is about affection of a young man to his beloved. It starts with the genuine question, â€Å"shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? † The speaker is thinking about his lover’s beauty rather than putting her poem in a conventional love poem formula. Then, he points out her lover’s beauty was more beautiful and constant than a summer day; her beauty was eternal and would be preserved in the lines of this poem. However, Sonnet 130 is a more convincing love poem because it is more descriptive and realistic in depicting his lover which shows that his love is more sincere and everlasting. Sonnet 18 is about the feeling of perfection of his lover’s beauty while sonnet 130 is about the real appearances of her mistress. In sonnet 18 the speaker says, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:† Although summer is pleasant season, the speaker never talks about how his lover is like a summer day nor how she was more lovely. He did not give life to his lover because we can use this poem to mostly every woman in the world; he does not specifically describe his lover. In sonnet 130, the speaker explicit states what his mistress looks like. The speaker says, â€Å"My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun;/Coral is far more red than her lips red;/If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; /If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. It explicitly describes his lover in an honest way. Although love poems often use sun, snow and beautiful objects to praise the beauty of their subject, realistic love is not about an idealized sense of beauty. A person cannot love another one simply because they are physically beautiful. We think that the women with red lips, white skin and gold hair are beautiful, but does it mean the women that having â€Å"not so† red lips, brownish skin, and black hair are not beautiful? Beauty is subjective. When people love someone, they would define beauty by his/her st andard. By describing in detail of his lover’s appearance, the speaker of sonnet 130 really know his lover. Love is not only about the feeling of a warm sunny summer day, but know a person as a distinguish individual. Sonnet 130 make his lover feel special and superior because the speaker pay quite attention to her actual appearance, and honestly writes it down in a poem. It also gives her the sense of security because she knows he loves her for who she is and she does not need to pretend to be a perfect figure nor be an everlasting summer day. Sonnet 130 ses reality to prove the speakers love while sonnet 18 uses exaggeration. Sonnet 18 illustrates only the speaker’s love for his beloved’s beauty while in sonnet 130 illustrates more sincere love for her mistress even though she is not perfect. In sonnet 18, the speaker claim his lover was eternal by saying, â€Å"By chance or natures changing course untrimmd;/But thy eternal summer shall not fade /Nor lose possession o f that fair thou owest;/ Nor shall Death brag thou wanderst in his shade,† The speaker praise that her beauty stronger than the nature. Although the speaker values her beauty greatly and even believed her is beauty has the power to overturn the nature, it is only his wish and imagination that her beauty would not change. It will not be convincing to a woman since they consciously know that appearance will change. His lover will feel that the speaker only focuses on her beauty, but not anything else. In sonnet 130, the speaker states, â€Å"I love to hear her speak†. The speaker loves her thinking, her opinions and her intellects. The speaker values her thought which is not very common even in current society. Relationship is about equality and respect. Many men treat women as an object that has nothing inside. Even in sonnet 18, the speaker compares his lover as an eternal summer which also an object. Then, the speaker says, â€Å"I grant I never saw a goddess go;/My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:† . The speaker wants to compare his mistress with a goddess as many sonnets do, but he admits that he never saw one. It mocks that other poets are dishonest which compare their lover to a figure they never see. He emphasized the word â€Å"my mistress† which shows that he takes pride that this woman is his mistress as while as the ways his mistress is like. He shows that this poem is about her mistress but not anybody else, not even goddess can compare with his mistress. He cares only his mistress which makes her even superior to a goddess. He shows that although her mistress is not an immortal figure, but her mistress is special for him. Then, speaker of sonnet 130 transits his understanding of her mistress to his confession of love while in sonnet 18, the speaker transits his lover’s beauty to mortality. The speaker of sonnet 18 uses poetry to eternalize his lover while in sonnet 130, the speaker shows that his love for her is eternal. In the end of sonnet 18, the speaker says, â€Å"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, /So long lives this and this gives life to thee†. The life of the subject will be an endless summer, but only because the speaker has immortalized her in this poem, and only if people continue to read these verses. It makes the readers feel that the poem itself is greater than the subject. The poem builds up this subject with eternal beauty and the subject only lives in the poem. However, this poem is for a living woman, and she is not living by her beauty or by the poem. Every woman knows this poem cannot real give immorality to them because the readers do not even know who the subject is. Not only the woman reading this poem cannot relate herself to this poem, buy she also will feel the speaker’s love is unrealistic and superficial and will not last long. In contract, in sonnet 130, the speaker claims that â€Å"And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare†. His claim is convincing because in previous lines, he honestly depict his mistress and we expect he is honest when he says that he loves her. Furthermore, if his love for her is not because she is idealized beautiful since she is not, then he must love her because of her which we define as true love. His love would not fate with changing of appearance or time. His mistress would feel that she has the speaker’s heart forever. Sonnet 130 well proved the speaker’s love for her mistress; his love is about understanding and respect; his love is strong and everlasting. In contrast, sonnet 18 is more about the speaker’s passion to his lover’s beauty than his love for her as a whole individual. Many people say romantic love would last long. It is because that when people know each other well, their flaws would appear, and they are intolerance to these flaws. They would try everything to change each other to the way they want, but they most likely fail. Everyone is difference and not perfect, so when people love someone, they should acceptance their flaws.

Amazon.com is a multinational ecommerce company

Amazon.com is a multinational ecommerce company Amazon.com is a multinational Ecommerce company, which was founded by Jeff Bezos who is considered to be one of the worlds top innovative executives. Amazon.com started as an online bookstore and expanded with time to sell almost everything. The role of information system in this company is a leading role, because the company is an online retailer. The company started as an online store for books to rapidly expand to sell everything such us beauty items, auto parts, apparel, electronics and groceries. Amazon has started as an online book retailer and later on has grown to sell products such as VHS, DVD, Computer software, furniture, food, music CDs and toys. The company has also been able to launch websites in different countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan and Germany. By 2001 the market place of Amazon has been launched to enable Amazons customers to sell used books, DVDs and CDs Amazons logo shows an arrow that stretches from A to Z, which also forms a smile to indicate Amazons care for customers satisfaction. eBay on the other hand is one of Amazons rival online companies. Amazon.com has been an innovative company in its domain; therefore it attracted lots of competition from different companies. eBay as an example is a very strong competitor. It is the number one online auction website. It recruited more than 15000 employees. Just like Amazon, eBay provides customers with comprehensive web services such as: Search via keyword or phrase. Submit new items. Re-list items. Provides information about certain seller or bidder. eBay is considered to be the largest online trading company in the world. It was founded in 1995 to become one of the most popular online shopping sites in the world. It has over 100 million registered users internationally. It allows buyers and sellers from the around the word to facilitate sales of services and products and form a diverse international community. In order for users to be able to transfer money to sellers, eBay started up Pay Pal, which became the worlds largest online bank. Until 2005, eBay has enjoyed a decade of online auction monopoly. Right now it is challenged by google and it is no longer the worlds only online auction community. Information system: Amazon uses an information system (MIS) that focuses on the customer supplier relationship. It focuses on increasing intimacy between customers and suppliers. Amazon uses a sophisticated Information system and sophisticated techniques that allow Amazon to standardize the processes it uses in order to give customers high satisfying experiences. The website opens up with a search bar where customers can type down their desired item and then be able to sift through the data base where the item and similar items can be found. The customer once finding the desired item can give the option of ordering the item and buy it through credit card or gift vouchers that can be purchased through cashu. Once the item is shipped, the customer can receive it within few days up to few weeks depending on the destination required. Unlike its competitors, amazon.com does not ship items through warehouses owned by the company. Books for example are shipped directly from publishers; therefore, warehouses ar e not needed. These systems are managed by different technological applicants in order to help Amazons employees work with efficiency. Once a customer places an order, the management system would start working on reserving the item, schedule the shipment, make invoices and update the customers account and record. Amazon uses TPS (Transaction Processing Systems) in the process of the transaction done, as in once picking up the number of items needed the website calculates the total amount. It can also be seen in the preparation of invoices. DSS (Decision Support System) in Amazon can be seen in how Amazon presents its customers with the chance to choose items from a best selling list added to the home page. It is also implemented in a service provided by the website called â€Å"Look inside the book†. Customers are left with the choice to make a decision in buying a specific book or not by taking a look at random pages of the content of the book. It can also be seen in the typ e of shipment that is considered appropriate for the customer. ESS (Executive support system) is seen in the executives handling of queries and answering questions of customers. Amazon uses its own customized database called Amazon S3 (Amazon Simple Storage Service). It is predicted that with time, this system will take the place of Oracle databases because it is simple and less expensive. On the other hand, eBay uses Business 2 Business (B2B) information system. eBay works through a person 2 person process. Customers can search for items via eBay and then directly contact the seller by negotiating the price with other buyers. B2B can be seen through the way processes are made. Customers are in direct contact with buyers and the transaction and money transfer occurs through PayPal, which is an individual website by itself-though it is fully owned by eBay-. eBay has a massive oracle database that includes over 200 million registered users, two petabytes of data, ECRM: Amazon takes the privacy of its customers very seriously. It is true that it keeps a profile about its customers according to what they buy and what items they are interested in, but it does not sell information about its customers to other companies. It also verifies the price of the item ordered to ensure items are not mispriced. This is done to ensure the satisfaction of the customers. Amazon manages knowledge through allowing customers to be able to see pages of the books desired for purchase. On the other hand, customers cannot review a whole book nor can they print the pages. Customers are only allowed to review pictures of the reviewed pages and not the actual page. This method has been used by Amazon to prevent violation of copyrights as well as manage knowledge. E-CRM (E-Customer Relationship Management) can be easily seen on Amazon.coms webpage. Amazon uses E-CRM by suggesting items to the customers based on previous purchases. As an example, previously I have bought the Kindle reading device through Amazon.com. This picture shows recommended items other customers with similar purchases have bought. The second part also shows books that I might be interested in. Amazon.com. 2010. Todays Recommendations For You. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore?ie=UTF8ref_=pd_irl_gwsignIn=1. [Accessed 05 May 10]. Amazon has also provided its customers with special features. They are: Products and pricing information retrieval. Customer reviews. Wish lists retrieval. Performing simple and advanced searches. Updating Shopping carts. eBays reputation of being the biggest online auction house in the world has attracted hackers and fraudsters who find it easier to access illegal information about customers and their accounts. This led criminals to sell fraud and sell knock-off and fake items. eBay works hard on detecting fraud activities on its website and considers this as its core activity of its business in order to provide its customers with safety and security. eBay uses whois domain in order to provide its customers with the highest security system. wikipedia. 2010. WHOIS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whois. [Accessed 23 May 10] eBay uses whois to fight scam and phishing issues because of an epidemic scam that occurred few years back. The scammers used phishing emails that seemed to come from a trustworthy companies asking for customers financial information. With whois system, eBay was able to detect thousands of phishing attacks (1125 in 2005). Management challenges: Amazon has a competitive edge that shows its concern with its customers. This can be seen through making the shopping experience fun and easy for Amazons customers. Most of the online shopping standards were innovated by Amazon. One of the most obvious examples is the 1 click system, which allows returning customers to shop using one click instead of being forced to re-enter their information and payment method. Amazon.com has thought of a very intelligent idea to increase sales on the website. This has been done through inventing Kindle. Customers can purchase books for their kindle only through the website, and this can increase the sales of books sold on Amazon.com. eBay has a famous issue with â€Å"glitches† on its website. Many customers have been complaining about this issue for years. In 2009, the website had a whole day glitch and sellers suffered from losses. What these glitches do is that they disable search for items for a period of time. At some point, a glitch was responsible to delete an 11 years old account of a reliable user. Dan Goodin. 2007. The Register. [online] Available at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/12ebay_glitches/. [Accessed May 25th 10] Online/offline communication: It seems that Amazon.com takes it customers needs and satisfaction very seriously. Amazon controls all operations between customers and vendors. Customers order the required products through Amazon, while Amazon contacts the specific vendor for the product, the customer does not have a direct connection with the vendor. This type of communication is an online communication, because the customers whole transaction occurs through Amazon.com. Customers are not transferred to the vendors homepage. The transaction does not occur through the vendors homepage as well. The whole process is done fully via Amazon.com, even the final payments and delivery systems. Even though shipments are done through vendors, Amazon.com has given instructions that all packaging happens in a specific way. Hence, the Amazon.com packages and boxes. Shipments can also be tracked through Amazon instead of communicating with the vendor directly. This proves that Amazon.com uses in online communication service with its customers, because it controls all the transaction starting from giving the customer choices for a product and ending with the products delivery, exchange and refunding. eBay works as a broker between sellers and buyers. Buyers and bidders can place their orders via eBay. Sellers ship items to the highest bidder, which means that eBay does not control the process of shipment or money transaction. Money is transferred directly to the seller through PayPal. This means that eBay is not involved in the process, because sellers control the process starting from deciding the price of the product and ending with the shipping of the product. Knowledge Management: There are two types of knowledge management, the usual knowledge management and Customers knowledge management. Amazon uses Customers knowledge management, because it is more efficient and innovative. Managers in Amazon.com are aware of the fact that customers are more knowledgeable than the company can realize. Knowledge is a key to competitiveness. Knowledge is managed through Amazon by motivating customers to share their knowledge by providing products reviews, customers order histories, suggestions based on customers prior orders. Amazon allows knowledge to be exchanged through its customers rather than keeping it within the company. The knowledge does not get lost this way because the more customers the company has, the more knowledge it gains. eBay manages knowledge through providing managers with the playbook concept and providing eBay customers with Whois. Playbook concept is about knowing the steps needed for success. It allows managers to take the necessary steps that would allow eBay to grow as fast as the managers want. Playbook works in setting the suitable conditions of electronic trading in order to allow certain areas to flourish and grow. Playbook consists of hundreds of web pages that include information that are considered to be a collective of wisdom for all eBay managers worldwide. It consists of updated topics about online marketing and management categories. eBay has also provided its customers with free available Whois data base so they can check the legitimacy of websites that are forwarded to them that may be part of a phishing scam. This database provides them with information about websites, if the information is incorrect, then it means that this website is part of a phishing scam. This comes under both eCRM and knowledge management, because it is a service presented to the customers that allow them to identify scammers while at the same time it provides them with the knowledge about which website is secure and which website is a fraud. References: Junnarkar, Sandeep, (2010) eBay taps business-to-business boom, [Online] Available: http://news.cnet.com/2100-1017-238000.html [March 15th 2010] Keith Regan. 2003. ecommerce times. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/20603.html?wlc=1275082118. [Accessed 29 January 03] Schoenfeld, E, 2005. The World According to Ebay. Enterprise Information System, [online]. 13, 2-4. Available at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/01/01/8250238/index.htm [accessed 17th May 2010] wikipedia. 2010. WHOIS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whois. [Accessed 23 May 10] Dan Goodin. 2007. The Register. [online] Available at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/12ebay_glitches/. [Accessed May 25th 10] Gosnell, Denise. (2005) Professional Web APIs: Google ®, eBay ®, Amazon.com ®, MapPoint ®, FedEx ®, Indianapolis, Indiana:Wiley publication, inc. Shanahan, Francis. (2007) Amazon.com ® Mashups, Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publication, inc.