Political Participation Essay

There are three most important components of politics namely- political party, interest groups, and social movements. . An organization or group of people working together to gain political power is called political party. People which have common motive or interest , get together for influencing political process is called interest group. â€Å"An informal network of activists who seek to transform the values of the society is called social movement . †(An introduction to political science edited by RAND DYCK page 337). Considering the importance of political participation in the political arena although these components are imperfect but they still have a lot of role to be played in the political arena . â€Å"Political parties are one of the fundamental elements in contemporary liberal democracies. The place that they occupy is itself a consequence of the very concept of democracy, founded upon the pluralism of interests, the unanimous rejection of single party system, and political competition in choosing of the leaders and policies. But over and above that fundamental and crucial choice, western political parties appear to be playing an increasingly important role as consequence of functions that they assume in the life of liberal political societies. It is fair to say, without exaggeration, that the political parties control the political process from the raising of political consciousness to the elaboration of policies and their implementation. Admittedly, the political parties are by no means the only agents involved ( not only is the party system pluralistic ,but the parties themselves hold no monopoly over the exercise of some of their functions), and their role, furthermore, varies from one country to another. But they are usually the essential agents in political life. † (government and politics in western Europe by YVES MENY page 79) â€Å"Like political parties , interest groups play a vital role in making public opinion heard in government. In the united states it is comparatively simple to organize a group whose purpose is to influence government . moreover , there are so many groups that already exist that finding one sympathetic to one’s goal is not difficult. The political process is also open to communication from organized groups as well as from individuals. Even groups advocating controversial positions will usually find someone in government willing to hear them out. Interest groups operate in many different ways. Some organizations seek to mobilize public pressure on government through techniques such as letter writing campaigns or public demonstrations. Others work more directly with government officials ,lobbying for appointment of judges and administrators and supporting certain court cases are common interest group tactics . † (politics a handbook for students by ROBERT WEISSBERG PAGE 79) Like political parties and interest groups, social movements also play an important role in political arena . social movements help in putting pressure on the government for changing some values and norms for the society. Social movement is form of rebel against the government for changing some laws or norms of the society. There are various ways of doing social movement even except doing violence for example non-cooperating with the government , doing fasts and gathering on roads and protesting against the government . social movement is one of the way for citizens to express their views to government , to participate in political system and to influence the policies of the government. â€Å"Interest groups and social movements are sometimes also called nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This term is particularly common in the fields of international relations and development, but NGOs are also active in domestic politics. Such organizations are part of neither the state nor international organizations such as united nation . in addition to targeting states and trying to change domestic policies, they aim to influence international organizations such as UN and world trade organization . (WTO) â€Å" ( STUDYING POLITICS EDITED BY RAND DYCK WRITER- MIRIAM SMITH PAGE 338 ). Examples showing role of political parties In India , political parties has a significant role to be played in political arena for political stability and political efficiency. India is a multiparty system containing six national political parties namely- nationalist congress party , Indian national congress, bharatiya janta party, communist party of India, bahujan samaj party, communist party of india(Marxist). There are also different state parties in India. One of them that I know about is SHIROMANI AKALIDAL . SHIROMANI AKALIDAL is currently ruling party of punjab . This party has played an important role in development of punjab as a state. They have made many budgets get passed from the central government for the development of the state. In Anandpur sahib shiromani akalidal party passed a budget to make VIRASAT –E-KHALSA. This is one of the great sikh museum showing all the sikh history. This sikh history museum is also known as khalsa heritage. shiromani akalidal is also passing bills for giving subsidies to set up industries . shiromani akalidal is also helping farmers by providing subsidies and pesticides and fertilizers at cheaper rates. It is also passing bills for developing roads and building big multi complexes. This party has consecutively won the election twice as they are doing the good job in developing the state. This party is playing an important role in developing the state. This is what the role of the political party is and it has great importance in developing the state through participation in political arena . political parties are helpful in almost all types of governments to develop the state except in the cases of dictatorship, authoritarian regime and totalitarian regime. Examples showing role of interest group In india, business group can also be the example of interest group. All the businesses have same interest or motive so they get together to influence political process of the government. Interest group is type of pressure group which puts pressure on the government for achieving their motive. Business groups have the same motive one is to increase the profit and other is to lessen the government requirements to proceed in the business. They always put pressure on the government to reduce the taxes so as to increase their profit. They also put pressure on government to pass the annual budget more in favour of development of business organizations . They also force the government to pass the laws for not allowing the foreign companies to settle in their country so as to decrease competition and hence earn higher profits. There are many other pressure groups which are influencing the government through their participation in political arena like student organization , linguistic groups, professional groups , peasants organization and media. All these are influencing political processes of government through participation in political arena and achieving their motives. This political participation by pressure groups is forcing government to make the rules or laws in which all the groups are satisfied and hence proper laws by the government for its citizens. Examples showing role of social movements It is a movement that strives to change political or social values of the society. There are many social movements which have influenced the political working of the government and hence changed the social value of the society. one of the movement made by Gandhi before the independence of india by gathering people of CHAMPARAN was DALIT movement . DALITS are those people who were traditionally considered untouchables. In this movement Gandhi want the upliftment of rights of peasants who were considered untouchables by the society so for bringing equality in the people he lived in dalits houses for almost more than one and half month. He also wrote the letter to the legislature for making some laws which uplift socio-economic status of the dalits. These social movements thus help in changing the social values of the society which are detrimental for the society and hence transforming the society and making it a best society to live in where there is equality and all norms and laws which are good for the society and its individuals. conclusion Considering the importance of political participation in political arena, it can be concluded that role of political parties , interest groups and social movements has not been overstated and they play an important role in the politics of the government and in improving the society. Political parties help in development of the state through making bills pass from the central government for all the purposes like construction of national highways and for subsidies to different groups and thus play an important role in development of the state through political participation. Interest group also play an important role in political life of government through political influence in the political processes of the government . Interest groups influence political processes for achieving their motives and this does not allow the government to overuse its powers . Hence it plays an Important role through political participation in political arena. social movements also play an important role in the political arena as they help in transforming the social values of the society which are not good for the society. In the nutshell , it can be concluded that political parties , interest groups and social movements all these have significant role to be played in political arena.

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Amazon.Com Case Studies

Kannan Submission Date: 07. March. 2009 [pic] TABLE OF CONTENTS ChapterTitlePage 1. 0Executive Summary 2. 0Problem Statement1 3. 0Analysis of Causes 3. 1 Amazon’s Debt 2-3 3. 2 Competition3-4 3. 3 Expansion4-6 4. 0Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions 4. 1 Reduce expenditure in inventories and better management7 in supply chain 4. Presenting a competitive edge to competitors7 4. 3 Expansionto Asia8 5. Recommended Solutions 5. 1 Technology Integration and RD9 5. 2 Strategic Cost Analysis9 5. 3 Differentiation9 5. 4 Inventory10 5. 5 Visionary Informative10-11 5. 6 Keep customers in the loop on everything11 5. 7 Shipping Delivery11 5. 8 Expansion to Asia Region11-12 5. 9 Word-of mouth advertisement12 6. 0 Expand the product lines13 6. 0Appendices14-16 7. 0References17 Executive Summary The study comprises of Amazon. om which started its history by selling books and now one of the online market leaders globally not only for books but products from various categories. Compa ny started with a mission to be Earth’s most customer centric company. In order to become the largest and convenience online store for all, there are major problems or threat being faced by Amazon. com in succeeding its mission. The major problems are Amazon facing high amount of debt, it’s less initiative in not expanding to other developed countries, and also competition from other online retailers and one tough opponent is Barnes Nobles. Many plans of actions can be taken and some of it is; Amazon. com should decrease long–term debt by increasing expenditure on research and development, increasing word-to-mouth advertisement and good customer service. Amazon. com should also expand the five most common languages in Asian region. Focus marketing strategies on customer feedback to find out what Asian customers tend to buy and willing to spend on. Strategize new plan on improving sites to be informative and attractive as much as possible so Amazon. com should also adapt to the best technology where it can sustain as a strong innovator in ever increasing retailer market. Amazon. com also must strive to give customers the best service in shipping and delivery as it’s an important aspect in online business to out beat its entire competitors on this online industry. Problem Statement The main problem faced by Amazon. com now being an online retailer can be divided to three in overall. Amazon. com is in confronting huge debt behind their successful screen. Amazon. com is lack of expansion to other regions or Asia which be said as another big market for a huge online bookseller as Amazon. com. Another problem is the competition being faced by them with one of the tough opponent as BarnesNobles. Analysis of the Problem Amazon. com’s in Debt 3. 1 Amazon’s Debt One of major causes of Amazon’s huge debt is its large expenditure. In order to keep its advantageous position, Amazon has no choice but to continue to spend astronomical amounts of money on sales marketing, research development and general administrative costs. (Table 1 Table 2) â€Å"One misstep, and its love affair withy investors and sources of capital could be over. (Kimberly Weisul, 1999) †¢ Competitors Although Amazon won the battle soon after entering the online cd and music market, there are some competitions in other product lines that may be too immensely strong to beat. For example, in March of 1999, Amazon introduced an auction service. After a few months effort, its auction business performed slightly, indicating how difficult it is to challenge the giant’s eBay and Y ahoo! Auctions. |Auction Sites |27-Sep-99 |Multiplier needed to equal eBay listings | |Amazon Auctions |4. 0% |15. 3 | |eBay |73. 60% |   | |Yahoo! Auctions |21. 60% |3. 4 | Source: Auction Web sites and C. E Unterberg Towbin †¢ Consumer Behavior Amazon. com is widely regarded as having one of the best management team of any internet company. However, there are some outside forces that are not easy to manipulate. Security; as the number of Internet crimes increases, customers are becoming aware of the possible danger involved in the process of on-line shopping. This security problem may not be difficult to improve since security technology is innovated quickly, but to convince customer of this is not as easy ? Etailers vs. retailers Another factor is hard to manage customer purchasing habits. Most consumers still prefer the capability of seeing a product before buying it. Additionally, the number of people buying personal computers and that of the Internet population will dir ectly affect Amazon’s sale. . 2 Competition †¢ Michael Porter’s Model ? Supplier ; Amazon started to build its own distribution centers in different locations and moving the products directly form the factory rather than from other distributors such that Amazon can lower its marginal costs. (Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999) ? Consumers ; Amazon. com continues to spend a lot of money in advertisement to reach customers as well as to increase customer awareness of eCommerce in general and brand name in particular. (Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999) ? Substitutes; The Substitute of eCommerce, the traditional retailers, is still more attractive than the Etailers. For example, we as consumers more than likely would rather go to the bookstore and browse through a book before we buy it. (Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999 ) 3. 3 Expansion †¢ Lack of Spanish website version (Latino and Hispanic Americans are the fastest-growing online ethnic group) †¢ Amazon. com is very less popular or it can said there are people without knowing the existence of Amazon. om †¢ Website is not more expanded with more languages options where currently there are options only for Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France and China (www. amazon. com) Competition with Barnes Nobles Amazon. com Weakness ? Difficulties of handling large number of customers ? Limited operating history ? Security awareness ? Low margins in the sector ? Risk of introduction of wrong new categories which could damage company’s bran d ? Company’s offered free shipping might affect future financial outcome ? Certain products (high volume/weight) have high shipping costs which could confront with local offline retailers Threats ? eBay, Barnes Nobles, and Wal-Mart ? Population segment not targeted to on-line sales due to their lack of internet access ? Weak economic performance of Germany and France in the last year ? Competition will increase due to the low barriers to entry in the market: offline companies are coming online ? Heavy investments in Partnerships (Dustin Nadeau Donatas Sumyla. April 2006) Barnes and Nobles and Amazon. com are competing, but both stores and other online stores recognize what works and are studying one another – often duplicating one another’s business strategies. This has resulted in them having more similarities than differences and it helps the consumers find similarities across the Web such as; †¢ When a description of an item is given, Amazon and Barnes and Nobles both place the shopping cart option prominently displayed to the upper, right portion of the screen. This makes it very efficient and useable for the viewer and they do not have to search around the page for this button. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢ In pricing, both Amazon. com and Barnesandnobles. com display the average price or their items above their own discounted rates so that the users feel as though they are saving money. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢ Both sites are â€Å"Flexible†, there is an option of buying things at a later date and placing them in the shopping cart temporarily. This option is called the wish list and it is displayed just beneath the â€Å"Add to Cart† button. Users can access this saved information and acce ss it on their next visit. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢ Both sites offer â€Å"Security† that provides safe shopping, privacy and efficiency by requiring customers to join as members at a certain point during a transaction. Membership is free and requires an email address, full name, home address and phone number. It allowing customers to maintain an order status and helps provide a history of what they bought. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢   Both sites are very â€Å"Scalable†, allowing for a huge selection of items to be added to the product catalog or taken away. A Field size is accommodated in the database. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) 4. 0 Alternative Solutions 4. 1 Reduce expenditure in inventories and better management in supply chain ? Use increased income to pay down long-term debt ? Keep operating costs low (efficiencies of scales) ? Increase expenditure on Research Development arena ? Strategic cost analysis ( WOU , MIS notes) ? Determining Differentiation ( WOU , MIS notes) 4. 2 Presenting a competitive edge to competitors †¢ Create more expertise in marketing and more product launches compared to competitors; †¢ Do a more through research on the customers needs and come up with something new that has its own brand and establishes as only Amazon. om could have the product. (Sujan Sarkar. April 23, 2007) †¢ A new Strategy on only books should be brought up in order to outcome one tough opponent as Barnes Nobles. For example, Amazon. com’s booth’s can be set up in country sides where there is no access for Internet and give knowledge to country people that there also business through online. This is because; giving more exposure and awareness to people might be a business opportunit y as well. †¢ Product review information; Customers would have n a clear description, synopsis and other customer’s review on the book as it gives a clear rating of the book and there won’t be any sort of disappointments for them after purchase. 4. 3 Expansion to Asia †¢ Create different website versions based on the five most common language in Asian region †¢ Focus marketing strategies on customer feedback to find out what Asian customers tend to buy. †¢ Word of mouth advertisement (Onder Savas Devrim Dirik. January 9, 2003) †¢ Continue expanding its product lines 5. 0 Recommended Solution Implementation 5. Technology Integration and RD Amazon. com should increase expenditure in the research and development arena. We believe that Amazon should prepare itself for additional telecommunications implementations such as high speed internet and network security. These types of implementation, though representative of considerable RD costs, are pro bably most significant factors that etailers must prepare for near future. As users, connections increase in speed, any delays on the part of the etailer they are connecting to will become obvious and less tolerable. Amazon can stay ahead of the pack by preparing a unique and comfortable interface for the users. 5. 2 Strategic Cost Analysis Amazon. com should also use Strategic cost analysis process where identify the firm’s value chain, diagnose the key elements that drive the costs of each value activity, identify competitors value chains, develop a strategy to lower relative costs by controlling cost drivers, ensure that any cost reduction does not erode differentiation in service and test the cost reductions if its sustainable in the end of the analysis. . 3 Differentiation They should also consider by costs by determining Differentiation where the process goes as determine who the real buyer is, identify buyer’s value chain and put in rank order the buyer’s reason to purchase, asses the current potential sources of diffentiation, identify the cost of these resources, design a value chain to maximize value relative costs, test for sustainiablity and reduce costs in activi ties that do not affect the chosen forms of differentiation. 5. Inventory; There are programs built to be extremely user-friendly, and most offer great support along the way of usage for online businesses to maintain the book database. Amazon should invest in software to best highlight and maintain the data on the site and importantly back up systems. Keep inventory accurate and up to date; This is also an important aspect that Amazon can out beat its competitors with as this is first step towards building a long-term relationship with that customer. Inventory of the books stock-out and sold out will be kept up to date on the site. 5. 5 Visionary Informative A picture is worth a thousand words; Uploading pictures by decreasing explanations or descriptions could attract customer’s attraction and curiosity in exploring the book. Somehow it boosts up sales compared to other online booksellers who give attention in words. Product Review Information; In case of books, editorial reviews are provided by the company and it applies for all books. Customers can also rate each other’s review. A rating is placed against each review so that customers can decide whether to read or not based on that. Most online booksellers do not include this but they display the customer’s satisfaction on the delivery service provided by them which is less important to boost up sales. People out there want to pay you for your books; Amazon should use own merchant service account or a service offered by a listing site, make sure that customers can buy books quickly and painlessly with a credit card while you have them on the brink of finalizing said purchase. Don’t judge a book by its cover; First impressions are lasting impressions. When a customer receives the book they’ve ordered, make sure the first thing they see is a product and package that you are proud to have supplied by using use clean, new boxes without writing (or envelopes for low-cost paperbacks) for shipments. Customers will be expecting an excellent service but if its vice versa then they are chances for them to switch to other online retailers. 5. 6 Keep customers in the loop on everything; Amazon should update the status of order to customers on the order made and also keep them in loop by e-mail the listing service directly with questions about their orders and keep updating the latest events and new stocks of books through emails. 5. 7 Shipping Delivery Follow-up; After shipping out an item to the customer, Amazon should send them an e-mail a day or two after expecting that they’ll receive their package, asking them if they’ve received it and are satisfied, and reminding them that there customer rep are there to help should they have any questions about their order. This is also a great time to remind them that you have similar items in stock or to offer them a coupon towards future purchases. 5. 8 Expansion to Asia Region Amazon should strive to expand its expertise to Asia region as well as high potentials are there which huge population. Education is becoming one important aspect in Asia and lack of important reference books are always a problem in many parts of Asia. It should diversify its marketing capability in Asia too to capture the market. Amazon is very less popular in Asia regions. Amazon. om should take Asia to consider for its business expansion. Amazon could also diversify its marketing and research ability to expand mostly to the developed countries of other territory. In order to grow big and always sustain in the market and competition, Amazon should takes this sort of steps to expand. International Sites; Amazon. com has got an added advantage of international sites on Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France and China. All about what the customers have to do to browse the site with their language is by clicking to their national site. For example, if you clink Japan, immediately the whole website will change its descriptions and instructions into Japanese language. This is not at all applicable for a customer in Malaysia or any other regions of Asia. It should expand and add more languages options in its site to accumulate its customers. Giving customers what they want is also one strategy not all online business can do but if this can be proven in Amazon’s case then it have all the potential to be the one. 5. 9 Word-of mouth advertisement Amazon also should increase its word-of mouth advertisement. This might seem odd for an industry leader to rely upon such a quaint tactics as this, but we truly believe that in the world of Internet this is a powerful tool. We are quick to visit sites that our friends identify as being fabulous, and Amazon might capitalize on this by rewarding its customers who can reel in a new prospects. 6. 0 Expand the product lines Amazon should expand its product lines. Given’s Amazon’s vision and its unique position in the etailer industry, the cost associated with entering new markets is significantly lower than that of its competitors. There is no reasons to let this advantage slip away unused. Conclusion In order to stay focus on business Amazon. com has various ways and strategies that can be implemented with proper organizations communication networks. Financial reports should be reviewed annually and quarterly if necessary to come up with decisions whether to boost up sales or to maintain on a certain criteria for the wellness of business. Amazon. com also should have a frequent customer feedback program where they could exchange view on the services and products most desired to be acquired online by customers. Top level management meetings should be initiated to assure goals are achieved. A proper corrective action should be determined after the first year if annual objectives weren’t accomplished. However there are difficulties and competitions to overcome, and how companies attack these difficulties will separate the winners form the losers. Appendix |AMAZON. COM, INC. HISTORICAL INCOME STATEMENTS | |(in millions, except per share data)(quarterly information unaudited) | |Amazon. com Investor Relations | | | | | | | |Calendar Years Ended – December 31, | | |2008 |2007 |2006 |2005 |2004 |2003 |2002 | |Media |   | $ 5,350 | $ 4,630 | $ 3,582 | $ 3,046 | $ 2,589 | $ | | | | | | | | |2,270 | |Other |   | 448 | 326 | 263 | 222 | 130 | | | | | | | | | |110 | |International |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Media |   | 5,734 | 4,612 | 3,485 | 2,885 | 2,513 | | | | | | | | | |1,780 | |Other |   | 94| 57| 20| | | | | | | | | |8 |2 |- | |Consolidated |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Media |   | 11,084 | 9,242 | 7,067 | 5,931 | 5,102 | | | | | | | | | |4,050 | |Other |   | 542 | 383 | 283 | 230 | 132 | | | | | | | | | |110 | Table 2- Source; www. amazon. com (Investors Relations) |Total U. S. Home, Work and University Locations, Unique Visitors (000) | |Source: comScore Media Metrix | |Rank |Property |Unique Visitors |Rank |Property |Unique Visitors | | | |(000) | | |  (000) | |   |Total Internet : Total Audience |191,863 |   |   |   | |1 |Google Sites |151,010 |26 |Target Corporation |28,628 | |2 |Yahoo! Sites |146,131 |27 |Time Warner – Excluding AOL |27,209 | |3 |Microsoft Sites |125,568 |28 |Weatherbug Property |26,944 | |4 |AOL LLC |108,441 |29 |Bank of America |26,322 | |5 |Fox Interactive Media |90,510 |30 |United Online, Inc |26,048 | |6 |Ask Network |74,742 |31 |Gorilla Nation |25,585 | |7 |eBay |72,160 |32 |ATT, Inc. 25,574 | |8 |Amazon Sites |64,768 |33 |Answers. com Sites |25,563 | |9 |Wikipedia Foundation Sites |62,737 |34 |Demand Media |25,447 | |10 |FACEBOOK. COM |57,232 |35 |CareerBuilder LLC |24,750 | |11 |Glam Media |55,293 |36 |Everyday Health |24,717 | |12 |Turner Network |54,877 |37 |Shopzilla. com Sites |24,097 | |13 |Apple Inc. 54,194 |38 |Photobucket. com LLC |23,928 | |14 |CBS Corporation |53,539 |39 |WordPress |23,730 | |15 |New York Times Digital |49,110 |40 |Real. com Network |23,359 | |16 |Viacom Digital |46,510 |41 |Expedia Inc |22,703 | |17 |Weather Channel, The |40,056 |42 |JPMorgan Chase Property |22,399 | |18 |craigslist, inc. 39,437 |43 |Monst er Worldwide |22,244 | |19 |ATT Interactive Network |38,184 |44 |Gannett Sites |21,829 | |20 |Adobe Sites |35,315 |45 |WorldNow – ABC Owned Sites |21,586 | |21 |Comcast Corporation |33,940 |46 |WebMD Health |21,185 | |22 |Wal-Mart |33,513 |47 |iVillage. com: The Womens Network |21,002 | |23 |Superpages. com Network |32,558 |48 |NBC Universal |20,974 | |24 |Verizon Communications Corporation |32,412 |49 |WhitePages |19,351 | |25 |Disney Online |30,345 |50 |ESPN |19,266 | Table 3; Media Matrix; http://www. comscore. com References 1] Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999 http://www. rhsmith. umd. du/faculty/jbailey/ents630/amazon. pdf 2] Dustin Nadeau Donatas Sumyla. April 2006- Amazon. Com Inc 2004. (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 3] Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001 – E-Transaction: Shopping Carts Comparison (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 4] Paul Larson. February 14, Amazon. com – Motley Fool Research, Stock Report http://www. fool. com/search/index. aspx? go=1site=USMFq=am azon. com (Accessed Feb 16, 2009) 5] Onder Savas Devrim Dirik. January 9, 2003 – Informat? on Management (Accessed Feb 16, 2009) 6] Strategic Analysis of Amazon. com (Accessed Feb 19, 2009) 7] www. wikinvest. com/wiki/E-Commerce, (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 8] www. ikinvest. com/stock/Amazon. com_(AMZN), (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 9] www. wikinvest. com/stock/Barnes_%26_Noble_(BKS), (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 10] Sujan Sarkar. April 23, 2007 – Amazon vs. Barnes Noble: www. santarosa. edu/~ssarkar/cs66sp07/fprj/abn. htm (Accessed Feb 16, 2009) 11] Table 1- Source; www. amazon. com (Investors Relations) (Accessed Feb 17, 2009) 12] Table 2- Source; www. amazon. com (Investors Relations) (Accessed Feb 17, 2009) 13] Table 3; Media Matrix; http://www. comscore. com (Accessed Feb 17, 2009) ———————– AMAZON Supplier New Entrance Substitute Consumers Amazon.Com Case Studies Kannan Submission Date: 07. March. 2009 [pic] TABLE OF CONTENTS ChapterTitlePage 1. 0Executive Summary 2. 0Problem Statement1 3. 0Analysis of Causes 3. 1 Amazon’s Debt 2-3 3. 2 Competition3-4 3. 3 Expansion4-6 4. 0Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions 4. 1 Reduce expenditure in inventories and better management7 in supply chain 4. Presenting a competitive edge to competitors7 4. 3 Expansionto Asia8 5. Recommended Solutions 5. 1 Technology Integration and RD9 5. 2 Strategic Cost Analysis9 5. 3 Differentiation9 5. 4 Inventory10 5. 5 Visionary Informative10-11 5. 6 Keep customers in the loop on everything11 5. 7 Shipping Delivery11 5. 8 Expansion to Asia Region11-12 5. 9 Word-of mouth advertisement12 6. 0 Expand the product lines13 6. 0Appendices14-16 7. 0References17 Executive Summary The study comprises of Amazon. om which started its history by selling books and now one of the online market leaders globally not only for books but products from various categories. Compa ny started with a mission to be Earth’s most customer centric company. In order to become the largest and convenience online store for all, there are major problems or threat being faced by Amazon. com in succeeding its mission. The major problems are Amazon facing high amount of debt, it’s less initiative in not expanding to other developed countries, and also competition from other online retailers and one tough opponent is Barnes Nobles. Many plans of actions can be taken and some of it is; Amazon. com should decrease long–term debt by increasing expenditure on research and development, increasing word-to-mouth advertisement and good customer service. Amazon. com should also expand the five most common languages in Asian region. Focus marketing strategies on customer feedback to find out what Asian customers tend to buy and willing to spend on. Strategize new plan on improving sites to be informative and attractive as much as possible so Amazon. com should also adapt to the best technology where it can sustain as a strong innovator in ever increasing retailer market. Amazon. com also must strive to give customers the best service in shipping and delivery as it’s an important aspect in online business to out beat its entire competitors on this online industry. Problem Statement The main problem faced by Amazon. com now being an online retailer can be divided to three in overall. Amazon. com is in confronting huge debt behind their successful screen. Amazon. com is lack of expansion to other regions or Asia which be said as another big market for a huge online bookseller as Amazon. com. Another problem is the competition being faced by them with one of the tough opponent as BarnesNobles. Analysis of the Problem Amazon. com’s in Debt 3. 1 Amazon’s Debt One of major causes of Amazon’s huge debt is its large expenditure. In order to keep its advantageous position, Amazon has no choice but to continue to spend astronomical amounts of money on sales marketing, research development and general administrative costs. (Table 1 Table 2) â€Å"One misstep, and its love affair withy investors and sources of capital could be over. (Kimberly Weisul, 1999) †¢ Competitors Although Amazon won the battle soon after entering the online cd and music market, there are some competitions in other product lines that may be too immensely strong to beat. For example, in March of 1999, Amazon introduced an auction service. After a few months effort, its auction business performed slightly, indicating how difficult it is to challenge the giant’s eBay and Y ahoo! Auctions. |Auction Sites |27-Sep-99 |Multiplier needed to equal eBay listings | |Amazon Auctions |4. 0% |15. 3 | |eBay |73. 60% |   | |Yahoo! Auctions |21. 60% |3. 4 | Source: Auction Web sites and C. E Unterberg Towbin †¢ Consumer Behavior Amazon. com is widely regarded as having one of the best management team of any internet company. However, there are some outside forces that are not easy to manipulate. Security; as the number of Internet crimes increases, customers are becoming aware of the possible danger involved in the process of on-line shopping. This security problem may not be difficult to improve since security technology is innovated quickly, but to convince customer of this is not as easy ? Etailers vs. retailers Another factor is hard to manage customer purchasing habits. Most consumers still prefer the capability of seeing a product before buying it. Additionally, the number of people buying personal computers and that of the Internet population will dir ectly affect Amazon’s sale. . 2 Competition †¢ Michael Porter’s Model ? Supplier ; Amazon started to build its own distribution centers in different locations and moving the products directly form the factory rather than from other distributors such that Amazon can lower its marginal costs. (Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999) ? Consumers ; Amazon. com continues to spend a lot of money in advertisement to reach customers as well as to increase customer awareness of eCommerce in general and brand name in particular. (Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999) ? Substitutes; The Substitute of eCommerce, the traditional retailers, is still more attractive than the Etailers. For example, we as consumers more than likely would rather go to the bookstore and browse through a book before we buy it. (Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999 ) 3. 3 Expansion †¢ Lack of Spanish website version (Latino and Hispanic Americans are the fastest-growing online ethnic group) †¢ Amazon. com is very less popular or it can said there are people without knowing the existence of Amazon. om †¢ Website is not more expanded with more languages options where currently there are options only for Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France and China (www. amazon. com) Competition with Barnes Nobles Amazon. com Weakness ? Difficulties of handling large number of customers ? Limited operating history ? Security awareness ? Low margins in the sector ? Risk of introduction of wrong new categories which could damage company’s bran d ? Company’s offered free shipping might affect future financial outcome ? Certain products (high volume/weight) have high shipping costs which could confront with local offline retailers Threats ? eBay, Barnes Nobles, and Wal-Mart ? Population segment not targeted to on-line sales due to their lack of internet access ? Weak economic performance of Germany and France in the last year ? Competition will increase due to the low barriers to entry in the market: offline companies are coming online ? Heavy investments in Partnerships (Dustin Nadeau Donatas Sumyla. April 2006) Barnes and Nobles and Amazon. com are competing, but both stores and other online stores recognize what works and are studying one another – often duplicating one another’s business strategies. This has resulted in them having more similarities than differences and it helps the consumers find similarities across the Web such as; †¢ When a description of an item is given, Amazon and Barnes and Nobles both place the shopping cart option prominently displayed to the upper, right portion of the screen. This makes it very efficient and useable for the viewer and they do not have to search around the page for this button. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢ In pricing, both Amazon. com and Barnesandnobles. com display the average price or their items above their own discounted rates so that the users feel as though they are saving money. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢ Both sites are â€Å"Flexible†, there is an option of buying things at a later date and placing them in the shopping cart temporarily. This option is called the wish list and it is displayed just beneath the â€Å"Add to Cart† button. Users can access this saved information and acce ss it on their next visit. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢ Both sites offer â€Å"Security† that provides safe shopping, privacy and efficiency by requiring customers to join as members at a certain point during a transaction. Membership is free and requires an email address, full name, home address and phone number. It allowing customers to maintain an order status and helps provide a history of what they bought. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) †¢   Both sites are very â€Å"Scalable†, allowing for a huge selection of items to be added to the product catalog or taken away. A Field size is accommodated in the database. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) 4. 0 Alternative Solutions 4. 1 Reduce expenditure in inventories and better management in supply chain ? Use increased income to pay down long-term debt ? Keep operating costs low (efficiencies of scales) ? Increase expenditure on Research Development arena ? Strategic cost analysis ( WOU , MIS notes) ? Determining Differentiation ( WOU , MIS notes) 4. 2 Presenting a competitive edge to competitors †¢ Create more expertise in marketing and more product launches compared to competitors; †¢ Do a more through research on the customers needs and come up with something new that has its own brand and establishes as only Amazon. om could have the product. (Sujan Sarkar. April 23, 2007) †¢ A new Strategy on only books should be brought up in order to outcome one tough opponent as Barnes Nobles. For example, Amazon. com’s booth’s can be set up in country sides where there is no access for Internet and give knowledge to country people that there also business through online. This is because; giving more exposure and awareness to people might be a business opportunit y as well. †¢ Product review information; Customers would have n a clear description, synopsis and other customer’s review on the book as it gives a clear rating of the book and there won’t be any sort of disappointments for them after purchase. 4. 3 Expansion to Asia †¢ Create different website versions based on the five most common language in Asian region †¢ Focus marketing strategies on customer feedback to find out what Asian customers tend to buy. †¢ Word of mouth advertisement (Onder Savas Devrim Dirik. January 9, 2003) †¢ Continue expanding its product lines 5. 0 Recommended Solution Implementation 5. Technology Integration and RD Amazon. com should increase expenditure in the research and development arena. We believe that Amazon should prepare itself for additional telecommunications implementations such as high speed internet and network security. These types of implementation, though representative of considerable RD costs, are pro bably most significant factors that etailers must prepare for near future. As users, connections increase in speed, any delays on the part of the etailer they are connecting to will become obvious and less tolerable. Amazon can stay ahead of the pack by preparing a unique and comfortable interface for the users. 5. 2 Strategic Cost Analysis Amazon. com should also use Strategic cost analysis process where identify the firm’s value chain, diagnose the key elements that drive the costs of each value activity, identify competitors value chains, develop a strategy to lower relative costs by controlling cost drivers, ensure that any cost reduction does not erode differentiation in service and test the cost reductions if its sustainable in the end of the analysis. . 3 Differentiation They should also consider by costs by determining Differentiation where the process goes as determine who the real buyer is, identify buyer’s value chain and put in rank order the buyer’s reason to purchase, asses the current potential sources of diffentiation, identify the cost of these resources, design a value chain to maximize value relative costs, test for sustainiablity and reduce costs in activi ties that do not affect the chosen forms of differentiation. 5. Inventory; There are programs built to be extremely user-friendly, and most offer great support along the way of usage for online businesses to maintain the book database. Amazon should invest in software to best highlight and maintain the data on the site and importantly back up systems. Keep inventory accurate and up to date; This is also an important aspect that Amazon can out beat its competitors with as this is first step towards building a long-term relationship with that customer. Inventory of the books stock-out and sold out will be kept up to date on the site. 5. 5 Visionary Informative A picture is worth a thousand words; Uploading pictures by decreasing explanations or descriptions could attract customer’s attraction and curiosity in exploring the book. Somehow it boosts up sales compared to other online booksellers who give attention in words. Product Review Information; In case of books, editorial reviews are provided by the company and it applies for all books. Customers can also rate each other’s review. A rating is placed against each review so that customers can decide whether to read or not based on that. Most online booksellers do not include this but they display the customer’s satisfaction on the delivery service provided by them which is less important to boost up sales. People out there want to pay you for your books; Amazon should use own merchant service account or a service offered by a listing site, make sure that customers can buy books quickly and painlessly with a credit card while you have them on the brink of finalizing said purchase. Don’t judge a book by its cover; First impressions are lasting impressions. When a customer receives the book they’ve ordered, make sure the first thing they see is a product and package that you are proud to have supplied by using use clean, new boxes without writing (or envelopes for low-cost paperbacks) for shipments. Customers will be expecting an excellent service but if its vice versa then they are chances for them to switch to other online retailers. 5. 6 Keep customers in the loop on everything; Amazon should update the status of order to customers on the order made and also keep them in loop by e-mail the listing service directly with questions about their orders and keep updating the latest events and new stocks of books through emails. 5. 7 Shipping Delivery Follow-up; After shipping out an item to the customer, Amazon should send them an e-mail a day or two after expecting that they’ll receive their package, asking them if they’ve received it and are satisfied, and reminding them that there customer rep are there to help should they have any questions about their order. This is also a great time to remind them that you have similar items in stock or to offer them a coupon towards future purchases. 5. 8 Expansion to Asia Region Amazon should strive to expand its expertise to Asia region as well as high potentials are there which huge population. Education is becoming one important aspect in Asia and lack of important reference books are always a problem in many parts of Asia. It should diversify its marketing capability in Asia too to capture the market. Amazon is very less popular in Asia regions. Amazon. om should take Asia to consider for its business expansion. Amazon could also diversify its marketing and research ability to expand mostly to the developed countries of other territory. In order to grow big and always sustain in the market and competition, Amazon should takes this sort of steps to expand. International Sites; Amazon. com has got an added advantage of international sites on Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France and China. All about what the customers have to do to browse the site with their language is by clicking to their national site. For example, if you clink Japan, immediately the whole website will change its descriptions and instructions into Japanese language. This is not at all applicable for a customer in Malaysia or any other regions of Asia. It should expand and add more languages options in its site to accumulate its customers. Giving customers what they want is also one strategy not all online business can do but if this can be proven in Amazon’s case then it have all the potential to be the one. 5. 9 Word-of mouth advertisement Amazon also should increase its word-of mouth advertisement. This might seem odd for an industry leader to rely upon such a quaint tactics as this, but we truly believe that in the world of Internet this is a powerful tool. We are quick to visit sites that our friends identify as being fabulous, and Amazon might capitalize on this by rewarding its customers who can reel in a new prospects. 6. 0 Expand the product lines Amazon should expand its product lines. Given’s Amazon’s vision and its unique position in the etailer industry, the cost associated with entering new markets is significantly lower than that of its competitors. There is no reasons to let this advantage slip away unused. Conclusion In order to stay focus on business Amazon. com has various ways and strategies that can be implemented with proper organizations communication networks. Financial reports should be reviewed annually and quarterly if necessary to come up with decisions whether to boost up sales or to maintain on a certain criteria for the wellness of business. Amazon. com also should have a frequent customer feedback program where they could exchange view on the services and products most desired to be acquired online by customers. Top level management meetings should be initiated to assure goals are achieved. A proper corrective action should be determined after the first year if annual objectives weren’t accomplished. However there are difficulties and competitions to overcome, and how companies attack these difficulties will separate the winners form the losers. Appendix |AMAZON. COM, INC. HISTORICAL INCOME STATEMENTS | |(in millions, except per share data)(quarterly information unaudited) | |Amazon. com Investor Relations | | | | | | | |Calendar Years Ended – December 31, | | |2008 |2007 |2006 |2005 |2004 |2003 |2002 | |Media |   | $ 5,350 | $ 4,630 | $ 3,582 | $ 3,046 | $ 2,589 | $ | | | | | | | | |2,270 | |Other |   | 448 | 326 | 263 | 222 | 130 | | | | | | | | | |110 | |International |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Media |   | 5,734 | 4,612 | 3,485 | 2,885 | 2,513 | | | | | | | | | |1,780 | |Other |   | 94| 57| 20| | | | | | | | | |8 |2 |- | |Consolidated |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Media |   | 11,084 | 9,242 | 7,067 | 5,931 | 5,102 | | | | | | | | | |4,050 | |Other |   | 542 | 383 | 283 | 230 | 132 | | | | | | | | | |110 | Table 2- Source; www. amazon. com (Investors Relations) |Total U. S. Home, Work and University Locations, Unique Visitors (000) | |Source: comScore Media Metrix | |Rank |Property |Unique Visitors |Rank |Property |Unique Visitors | | | |(000) | | |  (000) | |   |Total Internet : Total Audience |191,863 |   |   |   | |1 |Google Sites |151,010 |26 |Target Corporation |28,628 | |2 |Yahoo! Sites |146,131 |27 |Time Warner – Excluding AOL |27,209 | |3 |Microsoft Sites |125,568 |28 |Weatherbug Property |26,944 | |4 |AOL LLC |108,441 |29 |Bank of America |26,322 | |5 |Fox Interactive Media |90,510 |30 |United Online, Inc |26,048 | |6 |Ask Network |74,742 |31 |Gorilla Nation |25,585 | |7 |eBay |72,160 |32 |ATT, Inc. 25,574 | |8 |Amazon Sites |64,768 |33 |Answers. com Sites |25,563 | |9 |Wikipedia Foundation Sites |62,737 |34 |Demand Media |25,447 | |10 |FACEBOOK. COM |57,232 |35 |CareerBuilder LLC |24,750 | |11 |Glam Media |55,293 |36 |Everyday Health |24,717 | |12 |Turner Network |54,877 |37 |Shopzilla. com Sites |24,097 | |13 |Apple Inc. 54,194 |38 |Photobucket. com LLC |23,928 | |14 |CBS Corporation |53,539 |39 |WordPress |23,730 | |15 |New York Times Digital |49,110 |40 |Real. com Network |23,359 | |16 |Viacom Digital |46,510 |41 |Expedia Inc |22,703 | |17 |Weather Channel, The |40,056 |42 |JPMorgan Chase Property |22,399 | |18 |craigslist, inc. 39,437 |43 |Monst er Worldwide |22,244 | |19 |ATT Interactive Network |38,184 |44 |Gannett Sites |21,829 | |20 |Adobe Sites |35,315 |45 |WorldNow – ABC Owned Sites |21,586 | |21 |Comcast Corporation |33,940 |46 |WebMD Health |21,185 | |22 |Wal-Mart |33,513 |47 |iVillage. com: The Womens Network |21,002 | |23 |Superpages. com Network |32,558 |48 |NBC Universal |20,974 | |24 |Verizon Communications Corporation |32,412 |49 |WhitePages |19,351 | |25 |Disney Online |30,345 |50 |ESPN |19,266 | Table 3; Media Matrix; http://www. comscore. com References 1] Chao Janice C. Rice, Brandi S. Dec 8, 1999 http://www. rhsmith. umd. du/faculty/jbailey/ents630/amazon. pdf 2] Dustin Nadeau Donatas Sumyla. April 2006- Amazon. Com Inc 2004. (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 3] Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001 – E-Transaction: Shopping Carts Comparison (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 4] Paul Larson. February 14, Amazon. com – Motley Fool Research, Stock Report http://www. fool. com/search/index. aspx? go=1site=USMFq=am azon. com (Accessed Feb 16, 2009) 5] Onder Savas Devrim Dirik. January 9, 2003 – Informat? on Management (Accessed Feb 16, 2009) 6] Strategic Analysis of Amazon. com (Accessed Feb 19, 2009) 7] www. wikinvest. com/wiki/E-Commerce, (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 8] www. ikinvest. com/stock/Amazon. com_(AMZN), (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 9] www. wikinvest. com/stock/Barnes_%26_Noble_(BKS), (Accessed Feb 20, 2009) 10] Sujan Sarkar. April 23, 2007 – Amazon vs. Barnes Noble: www. santarosa. edu/~ssarkar/cs66sp07/fprj/abn. htm (Accessed Feb 16, 2009) 11] Table 1- Source; www. amazon. com (Investors Relations) (Accessed Feb 17, 2009) 12] Table 2- Source; www. amazon. com (Investors Relations) (Accessed Feb 17, 2009) 13] Table 3; Media Matrix; http://www. comscore. com (Accessed Feb 17, 2009) ———————– AMAZON Supplier New Entrance Substitute Consumers

Many organizations develop strategic plans Assignment

Many organizations develop strategic plans - Assignment Example Since then, this system has been effectively utilized for the purpose of translating an organization’s active business strategies along with its broad mission. In addition, the balanced scorecard has also been used in a few of the most critical drivers that drives the future performance of an organization i.e. business processes, capabilities along with resources. These aspects have been fruitful in ascertaining a greater set of outcomes such as meeting the interests of the consumers along with the development and prosperity of organizations. All these facets of balanced scorecard can prove to be beneficial as it authenticates that the numerous private, public along with not-for-profit organizations have accepted and utilized this particular method. It has also been regarded as a part of their overall strategic management approach. Based on this factor, the authenticity along with the wide applicability of the balanced scorecard in relation to the execution of strategy can be determined. It has also been studied that this particular tool is utilized in order to reduce a lot of operational barriers in a highly professional manner (Claude, 2008). In addition, it has also been learnt that the balanced scorecard can be utilized in a very strategic manner as well. ... Over the years, balanced scorecard has provided great aid to numerous organizations along with suppliers for designing and implementing various strategies. All these factors combined together have been responsible for overcoming the vision barrier to a very large extent. In this regard, Kaplan was able to define the increasing rate of barriers that seem to put the operational capacities of various organizations at stake. In this similar regard, he has also explained that through sustained organizational efforts along with optimum utilization of this particular scorecard, a large number of organizational barriers could be averted. In a different context, Norton, Kaplan and others have delivered weightage on the fact that in order to achieve all round success in an organization, the scorecard needs to be utilized in a tricky manner. They explained that in order to create organizational success, clarity in the communication strategy is needed to be maintained at all levels. This results in the formation of effective strategies as well (Claude, 2008; Niven, 2010). Section 2: A. Critique of the Division’s Use of the Balanced Scorecard The balanced scorecard highlighted upon the most important aspects such as increase undergraduate student retention and engagement, develop students as ethical leaders and agents of positive change among others. All these aspect combined together have proved the authenticity of the balanced scorecard. Other aspects such as increased retention and graduation rates for targeted populations and decreased violations of community standards among others validate the division’s use of the Balanced Scorecard.

Possible Impacts of NEOs with Earth Research Paper

Possible Impacts of NEOs with Earth - Research Paper Example When deciding the potential danger an NEO can ensue, the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, or simply the Torino scale, is consulted, which measures and categorizes the impact hazards that are associated with near-Earth objects. The Torino scale ranges from zero to ten, with zero is that there is no likelihood of a collision, though it also applies to smaller objects that burn up within the Earth’s atmosphere, and ten meaning that a collision is most certainly going to happen, â€Å"threatening the future of civilization as we know it.†3 The Torino scale is also split up into five colored zones: white, meaning no hazard, which consists of the zero level; green, normal, which consists of level one; yellow, meriting attention by astronomers, which consists of levels two, three and four; orange, threatening, consisting of levels five, six and seven; and red, certain collisions, which consists of levels eight through ten. Each color and number reveals certain levels of danger and damage in regard to each NEO that is discovered. The Torino scale allows astronomers to understand and keep an eye on certain NEOs that they believe could collide with the Earth, as well as brushing aside the ones that stand no chance of a collision. A meteorite hitting Earth’s atmosphere is a very common occurrence, though these are usually small enough to burn up within the atmosphere. Many of them that do make it past the atmosphere is tiny, often pebble-sized, by the time that they land on Earth’s surface. There are thousands that do not even make it to pebble-sized but end up as bits of dust. This in itself shows that an NEO impacting the Earth is very plausible, as it happens often with smaller, almost unnoticeable objects. It has been estimated that approximately 37,000-78,000 tons of mass of material fall to Earth on a yearly basis.4  There is sufficient proof that larger NEOs have collided with the Earth in past centuries, such as the asteroid that presumedl y wiped out the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Another larger NEO that has collided with the Earth is the meteorite that formed Meteorite Crater in Arizona over 50,000 years ago.

Mehmed the Conqueror Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

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Human Resource Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

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International Organizations - Thesis Example To support the thesis, the following format will be implemented: Realism. Under this theory, A, B, C and so on does exist. They have properties of F-ness, G-ness, and H-ness. Such factors are different from the person’s individual beliefs, cultures, wants, needs, caprices, etc. According to Woods, Global politics must come to the rescue of Africa. The country’s poverty situation has brought the political leaders and international organizations to help alleviate the Africa’s famine situation. Neo-institutionalism. It focuses on describing the social theory of developing a sociological view of institutions. They way they react and affect society. This explains why so many businesses have similar organizational structures. Institutions operate within an environment composed of other institutions (institutional environment). In layman’s terms. Peer pressure affects the decisions of other organizations. Thus, organizations try to survive by establishing legitim acy in the world. Such organizations influence how a person behaves through rules, norms, and standards. According to Woods, The world bank is struggling to fund IDA (788) where the U.S. cut funding on IDA. Likewise, the HIPC situation indicated the United States Congress is funding its debt relief in 2000. Constructivism (ideas), theory that states knowledge is based on mental activity. Learners have to be active organisms seeking meaning. The learners are individuals or groups seeking for meaning. Here, individuals create their own reality.

Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing - Essay Example The researcher states that the children and the old man illustrated on the picture were maybe on vocation before the cows joined them. The cows, one big and the other small maybe its calf splashes water to a great length along the river meaning they have just joined the children. One child sees to touching the big cow with his/her left hand while the other enjoying as depicted by facial expression. The old man behind the cows is maybe waiving or raising his left hand a coincidence with the child touching the cow with the left hand. This picture was taken along the river or water pond. There seems good relationship between the two animals and the children; one child is touching the cow as the other enjoys the event. This leads to speculation that the animals come from the same family with the children or the old man behind the cows owns them as well as the children. The presence of the boys and the cows in the river depicts different cultures in the world. Although people inherit vari ant cultures they have been integrating with different animals both kept domestically or aesthetic. Intact the boys taking â€Å"shower† with the cows along the river with a grown-up man looking at the happening depict complete societal inheritance. The picture represents the striking contrast between the intense light of sun reflection or camera flash light and sky darkness. This invites several interpretations of the image. The two children topless one touching the cow while the other enjoy depicts meditation of innocence. The topless children one on bluish shorts and the other on creamy short beside blackish cows inform of an old man represent extinction of innocence and dawn of reality. Although there is certainty of really what the children are doing with the cows and what the old man is doing or saying the children are so close to the cows and seems to be doing something sinister or off-limits. Despite this, the children seem to enjoy the company of the animals.

Hamilton VS. Jefferson Essay Example for Free

Hamilton VS. Jefferson Essay Both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson have different views about the future of America, but they both and intensions to better America by 1794. Hamilton believed in the government getting stronger with the rise of large corporations that can help provided jobs. Jefferson wanted to weaken the central government, and empower the states governments. Which view was more realistic and created a more secure system? With the Hamilton and Jefferson conflict, this helped raise political parties to decide what is good for the United States of America. Each view needed the other to create a government that would be strong enough to protect itself from its people and from external strife. During the reconstruction era, both Jefferson and Hamilton had different vision and outcomes for the future of our people. Hamilton believes in a strong central government, believed that the common people often acted foolishly and most of all wanted to balance the economy by establishing a national bank. He wanted to see the rise of strong and large corporations and businesses flourish through the success of American’s trade, financing, and agriculture. Hamilton’s saw the future of America as, bringing corporations up and increasing manufactures and trade, can help maintain internal taxes and help pay off war debt. In the article, Wealth and Success, â€Å"Hamilton’s Argues for the Constitutionality of the National Bank, he explains why the Bank of the United States is helpful for America. ‘Concerning the constitutionality of the bill for establishing a national bank, proceeds, according to the order of the president, to submit the reasons which have induced him to entertain and different opinion’ (Wealth and Success).† This eventually helped us understand more on how running a nations country and Hamilton favored giving government aid for trade, finance and manufacturing which was just like the British system. By trying to strengthen the union Hamilton increased the number of federal employees and then treated individual liberties and rights, such as freedom of speech, as being restricted to some. Thinking about more power in the government creates the people to go against him. Jefferson protested Hamilton’s proposal and made it seem unconstitutional. Thomas Jefferson known as the third president of the United States wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson had deep faith in common people and was given power from the U.S. constitution and planed the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson wanted more for the people and favored a weak central government and wanted more individual state power. Individual liberties must be protected by laws and didn’t support giving the government aid, like Hamilton did. While Hamilton created a New York life and was impulsive and wanted the best for himself and never listened to the people. Jefferson was less passionate about the competition between governments and wanted to eliminate internal taxes and pay off all the national debt. He believes that people should not depend on their government and a citizenry dependent on the government couldn’t become independent. Having a democratic government reduced the number of federal employees and helped distribute special privileges to the common people. Through out these different perspectives that Jefferson and Hamilton both shared, America went through hell getting things back on track. Hamilton had showed and helped noticed that Americans have been in debt for industrial development and wished to repay off debt. But this is only able to happen if you have faith and courage for the common people to help do so. He never gave the citizens a chance and created a strong government to take over. Jefferson realized that people were still being controlled when America is a free country by the government and Jefferson stood back to support the states rights. Everyone is known to be treated equally and have his or her own equal rights. Liberty and happiness comes from each individual man and among men the government is functioned through the happiness of men. Reference: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/america7_brief/content/multimedia/ch07/research_01c.htm http://www.studentoffortune.com/question/91067/Visions-of-Alexander-Hamilton-and-Thomas-Jefferson http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/america7_brief/content/multimedia/ch07/research_01.htm

Identity and Belonging Essay Example for Free

Identity and Belonging Essay Feedback is considered by many education experts to be one of the most important elements of assessment for student learning as well as being a crucial influence on student learning (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). Feedback, when applied effectively, can result in an increase in learner satisfaction and persistence as well as contributing to students taking on and applying more productive learning strategies. Feedback is a powerful strategy for teachers of all subjects and grade levels to use and has been endorsed worldwide. Feedback can be defined as the information provided by an agent, for example; a teacher or parent, regarding aspects of ones performance or understanding (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). However, when feedback is provided to students inappropriately it can lead to negative effects. This is why, as teachers, we need to have a full understanding of what constitutes effective quality feedback as well as developing an understanding of how to apply feedback in an appropriate manner for our students as differentiated learners (Clark, 2012). Feedback is consistent with the Assessment for learning strategy which focuses assessment on in-course improvement-orientated interactions between instructors and learners rather than end-of-course testing and examinations (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). Assessment for learning acknowledges that individual students learn in idiosyncratic ways and is designed to give information to teachers on how to modify and differentiate teaching and learning activities as well as giving teachers an idea of how best to provide effective feedback to their students (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). There are a few guidelines in which teachers can follow to help improve the quality of their feedback to their students to increase learner satisfaction and persistence as well as catering for differentiated learning, these guidelines include timing, amount, mode, audience (James-Ward, Fisher, Frey Lapp, 2013) and also allowing students to provide one another with feedback (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). The timing in which teachers provide their students with feedback is important as feedback needs to come while students are still mindful of the topic, assignment or performance in question (James-Ward, Fisher, Frey Lapp, 2013). Feedback needs to be provided while students are still thinking of their learning goal as a learning goal, meaning; something they are still striving for and not something they have already done (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). It is extremely important to provide students with effective feedback whilst they are still working on reaching their learning target, as mentioned earlier this will influence student learning. It is extremely important for teachers to know the audience in which they are providing feedback to in order for the feedback to be most effective for student learning (James-Ward, Fisher, Frey Lapp, 2013). This is based on the fact that no student is the same and feedback needs to accommodate for differentiated learners (Clark, 2012). Once a teacher understands his or her students individual learning they can then apply feedback in a way that is best addressed to the student about the specifics of the individuals work in terms the student can understand. Mode is also extremely important in providing effective feedback as it also supports differentiated learning. Mode stands for the different ways in which feedback can be delivered as it can be given in many modalities (James-Ward, Fisher, Frey Lapp, 2013). Some sorts of assessment lend themselves better to written feedback, some to oral feedback and others are better in demonstrations, and teachers can decide with their knowledge of how best to provide each individual student with feedback based on how they learn and understand best, whether it is written, spoken or demonstrated, in order for the feedback to be most effective in reaching each students learning needs (Clark, 2012). Also recently there has been an increasing agreement that students are a legitimate source of feedback as peer and self-assessment practices encourage students to identify learning objectives and helps them to understand the criteria used to judge their work aiming to reach the goal of increasing self-regulation (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). As timeliness can play a real issue in the effectiveness and quality of feedback from teachers, using students as a source of feedback can legitimately reduce this problem (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). As there are many different ways in which a teacher can go about providing feedback on set learning tasks to their students whether it is orally, written or demonstrated, the ways in which to construct effective feedback varies depending on the student (James-Ward, Fisher, Frey Lapp, 2013). Ultimately it is the teachers understanding of feedback and the knowing of how each individual student learns best that influences the type and quality of feedback they provide (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012). Effective feedback will help increase student evaluation of their own learning progress and will help reach the Assessment for learning goal of developing self-regulating learners (Brown, Harris Harnett, 2012).

Impact of Shale Gas Extraction on Business

Impact of Shale Gas Extraction on Business Research Question and Research Methodology This study was commissioned by Stolthaven Terminals (ST) to explore the potential economic impact of US shale gas extraction on ST’s business development strategy. The business development team’s preliminary assessment of the impact of US shale gas on ST’s business demonstrates a possibility for US LPG exports to fill unmet global LPG demand, primarily in Asia. This paper generates a strategic approach to selecting an optimal location for a new Stolthaven LPG terminal. Stolthaven Terminals offers storage for petroleum, chemical products, and gas. The implications of any innovative commercial production process, such as commercial shale gas extraction, should be evaluated carefully. Currently, the company is not active in the LPG storage segment. One of the ST’s objectives is to actively enter the LPG storage market, which is highly influenced by the US shale gas production. Shale gas extraction is presumed to be the main catalyst for LPG production and the development of related technologies. The LPG market transformation is believed to be facilitated by the growing US exports of shale NGL-derived LPG, the wider Panama Canal opening in 2015 and a significant LPG shipping capacity increase by 2015. This chapter frames the methodology that will answer the research question: Which investment opportunities does the impact of the US shale gas extraction upon the global LPG market bring to an independent storage operator’s (in application to Stolthaven Terminals) business development? The studied problem can be defined as a managerial optimization problem. The current business should be optimised to reflect the reality of industry developments under the US shale extraction influence. The methodology modifies Chopra and Meindl’s (2013) theoretical framework for network design decisions into a structured strategy for LPG network design and LPG storage capacity location so that it can be applied to the studied problem and in order to develop a recommendation for Stolthaven Terminals on the optimal location of a new LPG terminal in 2015. The supply chain related managerial decision making principles are established by Chopra and Meindl. They derive several factors that influence an optimised decision making process; strategic factors, technological factors, macroeconomics factors, and political factors (Chopra and Meindl, 2013). This chapter will establish the relevant methodology and introduce the research sub-questions. Methodology Management science and the academic world agree on four phases that determine a location for independent storage. Chopra and Meindl describe these phases and a strategic decision making process for a facility location. Phase one contains strategy and requires determination upon development and growth strategy, adequate competition evaluation, and capital constraints. Phase two requires a regional demand analysis, identification of risks and competitors, evaluation of local policy and tax environments, identification of possible trade restrictions. Phase number three implies selection of potential sites for a facility, and phase four is a final location choice that is based on aggregated and analysed information of previous phases. It is understood that a decision of such a nature is predicated by an executive decision to evaluate the feasibility of the investment. Such an executive decision, with a high degree of likelihood, is triggered by a market balance shift or a market transfor mation. In my case, the US shale development is a trigger that facilitated LPG market changes and attracted attention to possible imbalances. If I apply Chopra and Meindl’s (2013) framework to Stolthaven Terminal’s intention to enter the LPG storage market, then the first phase revolves around the strategy considerations with a goal to identify and understand the strategy for the entry. The company is willing to enter the market and the financial decision is assumed to be positive if an investment decision is developed. To establish objectives and define strategy, an initial market analysis and evaluation of potential changes in the market is carried out to fulfil phase one of the framework. Chapter 3 determines the strategic approach and conclusion of the initial market assessment while Chapter 4 analyses the strategic implications and develops a specific areas of applications for the strategy. The third chapter will access the LPG market dynamics in order to narrow the broad market activities down to a specific area that potentially contains business opportunities Stolthaven Terminals and is relevant for the established framework. It concludes with identification of the most opportunistic LPG market segment and answers the first sub-question: From a chemical storage operator’s perspective, in which area of the LPG market will the US-shale impact be the most evident for a chemical storage operating company? Further, the fourth chapter will finalise the phase one and concludes on strategic action that is relevant to Stolthaven Terminals in the identified LPG market segment to answer the sub-question 2: What is the impact of the shale-driven growth of low-cost LPG exports from the US on the global petrochemical industry and which strategic implications for Stolthaven Terminals can be derived from it? The second phase brings consideration of the configuration of the regional facility location (Chopra and Meindl, 2013). Here, fulfilling the strategic implications, the product flows are modelled in order to identify the regions where the exported from the US product optimally emerges in future. Next, within the fifth chapter, the 2015 forecasting network optimisation model is constructed to answer the sub-question 3: How will the US LPG exports be optimally allocated to the LPG demand nations in 2015? Next, when the optimal regions of interest are identified, the transformed 2015 LPG market structure is applied to relevant locations within each optimal region so that an unmet storage demand is geographically sited. The third phase contains an assessment of the existing business environment, which includes competition activity assessment, customers, and potential joint venture opportunities evaluation. This phase also includes analysis of the qualitative variables of decision making, such as geographical location, proximity to major distribution centres, hinterland connectivity, and areal demand localisation. Chapter 5 concludes phase two of the framework with a network optimization model for the product, which identifies specific regions for the third phase analysis. Chapter 6 focuses on the third phase of the market entry site selection process. Chapter 6 answers the sub-question 4: In which specific optimal locations within each optimal nation will the unmet demand for LPG feedstock storage emerge? Next, the fourth phase challenges the selected specific location to assess costs, estimate planning and scheduling, and establish pricing policy. Upon the completion of the last phase, an educated investment decision and financial decision could be made and the further strategic course of action could be established. I stop at phase three with a concluding list of potentially attractive locations for an LPG terminal location. A significant number of assumptions and lack of reliable data lead to a necessity to explore the impact of these uncertainties upon the outcomes of the research. Chapter 7 introduces the qualitative sensitivity analysis of the research uncertainties and assumptions as well as evaluates the reliability of the outcomes of economic evaluations. The sensitivity analysis also investigates the potential impact of implemented forecasting assumptions upon the results of the quantitative model.

Alternatives to Capitalism Explored in Thomas Mores Utopia :: More Utopia Essays

Alternatives to Capitalism Explored in Thomas More's Utopia      Ã‚   Thomas More's use of dialogue in "Utopia" is not only practical but masterly layed out as well. The text itself is divided into two parts. The first , called "Book One",   describes the English society of the fifteenth century with such perfection that it shows many complex sides of the interpretted structure with such clarity and form that the reader is given the freedom for interpretation as well. This flexibility   clearly illustrates More's request for discussion and point of view from this reader. In one concise, artistic paragraph, More clearly illustrates his proposition of the problems people possess within a capitalist society and the fault of the structure itself; clearly showing More's point of view for "Book One". If More attempted to get anything across to the people of England it was this:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Take a barren year of failed harvests, when many thousands of men have been carried off by hunger. If at the end of the famine the barns of the rich were searched. I dare say positively enough grain would be found in them to have saved the lives of all those who died from starvation and disease, if it had been divided equally among them. Nobody really need have suffered from a bad harvest at all. So easily might men get the necessities of life if that cursed money, which is supposed to provide access to them, were not in fact the chief barrier to our getting what we need to live. Even the rich, I'm sure, understand this. They must know that it's better to have enough of what we really need than an abundance of superfluities, much better to escape from our many present troubles than to be burdened with great masses of wealth. And in fact I have no doubt that every man's perception of where his true interest lies, along with with the authority of Christ our Saviour..... would long ago have brought the whole world to adopt Utopian laws, if it were not for one single monster, the prime plague and begetter of all others---I mean pride. (More, pg.83) For one to fully realize the significance of this virtueous paragraph they first must remember the time period it was written; more so now that we are in the

In Support of Parenting Education Essay -- Child Development

In an perfect world, every child would be wanted and loved, and all parents would have the capacity and the desire to raise children who are healthy, mentally and physically strong, and displaying high moral integrity. Sadly, this is not the case. Some parents are, unfortunately, not much interested in what happens with their children. Other parents are not pleased with what is happening in the home with their children but do not know what to do to create effective change. Still other parents are unaware that there is another way, a better way, of parenting. Parent education could help in all of these scenarios. The literature demonstrates that parenting interventions improve the quality of the relationship parents have with the children as well as improving child social behavior (Scott, O’Connor, Furth, Mathias, Price, and Doolan 2010). Programs have been particularly effective when delivered to motivated, ethnic majority parents, but there has been little study of programs that serve as interventions aimed at preventing a wide range of poor outcomes associated with antisocial behavior, such as involvement in risky lifestyles, low school attainment, and a lack of satisfactory friendships (Scott et al.). There are, of course, problems associated with delivery of parenting programs; the greatest challenge is getting parents to participate when there is no mandate that they do so. Skilled personnel may be another issue; urban areas may have sufficient counselors and educators, but rural areas may not. A third issue is cost, although, as pointed out by Scott et al., â€Å"programs can i n theory be justified since in the long run they should reduce the high cost of antisocial behavior arising from increased use of services, higher levels ... ... Perspective.† Professional School Counseling 14.3 (2011): 242-249. Brannon, Diana. â€Å"Character Education—a Joint Responsibility.† Education Digest 73.8 (2008): 56- 60. Parker, David C., Nelson, Jennifer S., and Burns, Matthew K. â€Å"Comparison of Correlates of Classroom behavior problems in schools with and without a school-wide character education program. Psychology in the Schools 47.8 (2010): 817-827.. Reinberg, S. (2010). U.S. kids using media almost 8 hours a day. HealthDay News January 20, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday /635134.html Scott, Stephen; O’Connor, Thomas G.; Futh, Annabel; Mathias, Carla; Price, Jenny; and Doolan, Moira. â€Å"Impact of a Parenting Program in a High-Risk, Multi-Ethnic Community: the PALS Trial.† Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry 51.12 (2010): 1331-1341.

Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael - Horrifying :: Quinn Ishmael Essays

Ishmael: Horrifying Among the people of your culture, which want to destroy the world? Which want to destroy it? As far as I know, no one specifically wants to destroy the world. And yet you do destroy it, each of you. Each of you contribute daily to the destruction of the world. This truth was stated by a gorilla named Ishmael who, through his experiences of being taken from the jungle, placed in a zoo in the 1930's, put in a menagerie, and bought by a private owner named Mr. Sokolow, had all the time in a world to think about the world around him. Daniel Quinn writes about the horrifying realities of our culture in a book called Ishmael, by stepping outside of the world as we know it and describing what he sees through a talking gorilla. Behind the bars of his cage, he was able to take a look at our culture as an outsider, to see things that we never could. This sagacious, passive, and extremely patient primate wanted to share this knowledge to others so as to stop man from destroying the world. So, he placed an ad in the paper and caught the attention of an eager student, the narrator, who was willing to save the world. Desperately confused, this everyday writer tries to step out of his culture and experience a whole new world. Day after day, this half ton gorilla, Ishmael, opens the narrators eyes and teaches him "how things came to be." He starts out by dividing man into two different cultures. He calls the people of our culture takers and the people of all other cultures leavers. Each culture has a story. In Ishmael's teachings, a story is a scenario interrelating man, the world, and the gods. This story is enacted by the people in a culture. In other words, people in a culture live as to make the story a reality. The first story Ishmael tells is that of the takers. Every story is based on a premise. The taker premise is that the world was made for man. If the world is made for man, then it belongs to him, and man can do what ever he pleases with it. It's our environment, our seas, our solar system, etc. The world is a support system for man. It is only a machine designed to produce and sustain human life.

Leadership in the Public Policy Making Process Essay

Leadership is a momentous role to have when it comes to how an agency handles actions and policies. Effective leaders can increase organizational efficiency, provide greater direction for employees, help members of an organization realize their potential, and improve organizational culture (Cropf, 2008, p233). It is possible for a leader to be low down in the organizational framework as well as at the top. An organization must determine what is needed for its leaders to be effective and what requirements will address those needs. Leadership is needed in a number of areas in public service: (1) developing a clear vision for the organization, (2) working across multiple constituencies, (3) recognizing social and ethical values, (4) creating vibrant organizational networks, (5) enhancing organizational performance, and (6) maintaining democratic values (Cropf, 2008, p 234). Leaders is recognized a need to have certain values, encourages and help build an environment where teamwork is normal, motivates and inspires others, has a vision, helps to motivate to work toward the vision, and has a lasting change. Executives who exhibit leadership qualities beyond their assigned status exercise influence through both positional authority and personal authority (Cropf, 2008, p237). Leaders have the qualities that it takes to build the correct team. A leader may not have all the needed skills to accomplish a task but by building relationships, the right person would be motivated to assist with the completion of the vision. Public Policy and Leadership Public policy transformational leaders who exhibit charisma would be a great talent. These leaders help to motivate others to their way of thinking. They can have a vision but through relationships, they tend to enthuse followers with a commitment that can be extraordinary. It is through this type of motivation that difficult or visions that are not thought to be possible are accomplished. President John F. Kennedy was a charismatic transformational leader. When he gave his Inaugural Address, he offered the memorable injunction: â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country† (Beschloss, 2009). As a leader, he challenged an entire country to see and realize his vision. That is a great establishment of objectives and priorities of public policy. President John F. Kennedy made sure his team was aware of a clearly defined vision or purpose for the country. At a time when government and nonprofits aim to â€Å"work better and cost less,† understanding the many ways in which leadership works is a necessary tool for effective administration (Cropf, 2008 p 233). Public policy may not get a leader with all the desired qualifications like military experience or foreign policy. True leaders would not need to have this experience to be an effective leader because they would have the skills to motivate those who do and that would allow for a leader without this experience. The Current U. S. President Barrack Obama has not served in the military but was elected President in time of War. This is credence to his charisma and ability to get people to follow and support his vision. Conclusion  When you are looking at public policy and its leaders, it could be the president of the United States or the manager of the local Department of Motor Vehicles or even a librarian. It is how the person has a vision, sees the vision, relates and motivates other to believe in the vision that determines the leaders. It is different than being a manager but public policy is an area where vision is key and the ability to see that vision to the completion is a must. Leaders not only see what is best for them but what is best for organizations, countries, or constituents.