Business Kodak and Fujifilm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Business Kodak and Fujifilm - Essay Example According to the study in 1976, the company had 90% market share in USA. But during the late 1990s the company started to struggle financially as the sales of photographic film declined. After that the company was able to earn in 2007 by selling digital cameras. In January 2012, Kodak filed for protection against in the District Court of United States. Kodak had sold many of its business and patents to various companies. Fujifilm Holdings Corporation which is generally known as Fujifilm and it is a Japanese company specialized in imaging and photography. It has it’s headquarter in Tokyo, Japan. The core businesses of Fujifilm are production, sale and servicing of color film, development, digital cameras, color paper, equipments for photo finishing, equipments for graphic arts, equipments for medical imaging, printers, optical devices and flat panel displays. Fujifilm was founded in 1934 as a manufacturer of photographic film. It has expanded to be a leader in various fields of business. During the 1940s Fuji photo entered into the market segment of lenses, optical glasses and equipments. This essay declares that in 1962, the company has launched Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd along with another UK based company Rank Xerox. In the 21st century, with the rapid pace of digital technology in the photography segment the company had transformed its business structures in to digital technology. Although the company was founded many years later than Eastman Kodak Company but Fujifilm was able to transform its business very quickly from film to digital technology. The diversification strategy of Fujifilm was also successful while Kodak failed on that.  

Summary and Response in the Face of Imperialism Essay Example for Free

Summary and Response in the Face of Imperialism Essay In the subtitle â€Å"Orthodoxy as ‘Objectivity† of â€Å"Thinking About Empire† Michael Parenti argues that all opinions are not of the same value, and the more entrenched the orthodox view becomes, the more irrelevant evidence will be. Firstly, the functions of the heterodox view is to contest the prevailing orthodoxy, to broaden the boundaries of debate, to wake people up and unearth suppressed data. However, the function of orthodox is just the opposite. As we all know, people’s self-protection will be motivated by meeting something they never think about or even never met before. They will fall back when they are in this kind of situation. Secondly, some inflammatory topics like the legitimacy of the 2004 presidential election in the United State, Shangri-La image of Tibet before the Chinese invasion and so on raise issues. They break the traditional ideas, deny rational discourse and make an assertion. This process creates the dominant paradigms. However, whether they will be created all depends on their intellectual reputation or even their careers. In the subtitle â€Å"The Myth of Innocent Empires† of the article Michael Parenti argues that empires seem to be innocent unintentional accretions sometimes, however, they actually are not innocent, absent-minded, accidental accretions. Empires have been welcomed and glorified by people by being given empires laudatory names. They are seen as innocent without plans and reasons occasionally like the example of the United State invaded Iraq. Nevertheless, empires are not innocent, because rulers would like to plunder other lands and people by using them such as the British aggression of India and the Americans armed intervention against Iraq. I agree with Michael Parenti’s idea which is â€Å"When the orthodox view becomes so entrenched, evidence becomes irrelevant†. He use one sentence for a paragraph independently, which I think is very important. I think in this way. The orthodox view have been existed for a while, and people always think it’s right, and never question it. When it faces challenges, people’s first reaction is challenges are wrong even there are some evidence. Believe it or not, some ideological cognition and perspectives about something have already been existed in our mind. Before we judge it, we have already had a answer, unless something we never know. When it comes to whether empires are innocent. I also agree with him. Empires are not innocent. There are a lot aggressions cause by empires in history. They took lives from innocent people, destroy the nature, and so on. Although empires once make people get together, makes them apart as well.

Porters Five Forces Analysis of Dell

Porters Five Forces Analysis of Dell Introduction Dell is a computer hardware firm that offers â€Å"a broad range of product categories, including mobility products, desktop PCs, software and peripherals, servers and networking, services, and storage† (Annual Report 2008). 61 percent of these products are PCs. Dells business strategy focuses on direct relationships with customers, improving competitiveness by reducing overall costs, and reaching more customers worldwide through new distribution partners (Annual Report 2009). According to Gartner, Dell holds 3rd largest global personal computers (PC) market share of 12.8 percent in the 3rd Quarter of 2009. The PC industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with a 6.6% growth in 2008, reaching a value of US$203.7 billion (Data monitor 2009). The competition in the industry is moderate (see figure 3). Factors contributing this statement will be explained using Porters Five Forces. Supplier Power There is a strong supplier power. Component parts of a PC are relatively homogenous and standardized in nature, with fragmented suppliers (Sun Microsystems, NVIDIA, Hynix, etc), and they do not focus on product differentiation. PC manufacturers have many substitutes to choose from. However, there is a concentrated amount of supplier in terms of CPU and Operating Systems (OS) software. Intel dominates the manufacturing of processors (CPU), with 80.6 percent market share in the processor market, while AMD only has 11.5 percent (theinquirer.net September 2009). Intel has a strong brand which could be a significant bargaining chip with PC producers. Similarly, Microsoft dominates the operating system market (90% market share). The industrys reliance on these two major suppliers inevitably triggers PC manufacturers to establish good relationships with these corporations, while some attempt to diversify its risks by increasing the number of AMD and other OS ran PCs. Dells launch of the Ide aStorm website (see Financial Times) to find out customers preference for Linus operated PCs was a strategic attempt to begin diversifying its risks. Buyer Power There is a moderately-strong buyer power. Although buyers are fragmented (many, different), there is a significantly low expected switching cost given that the product specifications are relatively homogenous. With that, it leads to a low product satisfaction-loyalty relationship (Matos, Henrique, Rosa, 2009), thus although customers first satisfying experiences with the one PC does not assure the relevant PC manufacturer their repurchase intentions. There is certain degree of product differentiation nonetheless, in terms of style and design, and high brand awareness might create a certain level of brand loyalty, but most buyers are more interested in quality, product specifications and costs. There are some exceptions of course; Apple computers which use Macintosh operating system (OS) have high switching costs due to the vast differences between Microsoft and Macintosh OS. In this case, Dell should compete in terms of lowering production costs, and increase brand loyalty not throu gh product specifications but servicing quality. E-commerce which eliminates retail costs (see Kumar Craig, 2007), and on-site servicing are good strategic methods Dell has focused on and should continue. Barriers to Entry Barrier to entry is moderately-strong. Existing industrial players have strong brands and hold many patent rights. To enter the market, entrants are required to invest on RD or the purchase of patent rights, which is often expensive. Existing industrial players are large and possess high internal economies of scale. Dell and HP have various departments specializing in different aspects; marketing, product innovation, servicing, etc. They are able to distribute their fixed costs, as well as managerial costs to a larger output, giving them significant cost advantages. Existing bulk purchase agreements have already been established with key suppliers, such as Microsofts agreement with Dell to install its OS in production factories. Potential entrants will face challenges in gaining supplier confidence in both production as well as credit issues. Threats of Substitutes There is a moderately-weak threat of substitution given that the functionality of a PC is irreplaceable. Other electronic gadgets are often complementary to that of PC. For example, an mp3 player or a camera requires plug-ins with a computer to do file transfers. However, threats lies among the youth customers who are more attracted to the next generation game consoles such as Wii, PS3 or Xbox. Although the threats of substitutes are moderately-weak in general, targeting the youth market is crucial for long term profits as customer loyalty would be established at an early stage. Dells acquisition of Alienware, a high-performance gaming PC manufacturer, in 2006 (NY times) was indeed a strategic move. More focus should be placed in expanding Alienwares brand value equivalent to that of Dell. Degree of Rivalry The degree of rivalry is moderate. In the past, â€Å"Michael [Dell] has been absolutely brilliant at getting the industry to compete on his best basis for competition-price, delivery, and the ability to configure to order. But now the others can differentiate in ways that matter to the customers† (Kirkpatrick, 2000). Such differentiation includes establishing a brand identity among customers, personalizing customers respective PCs in terms of specifications, colors and designs, and the ability to innovate at a rapid pace to achieve short term competitive advantage (Lawless Anderson, 1996) since an innovative new product tends to face low competition at the point of introduction before it is imitated (Roberts, 1999). Coupled with a high Concentration Ration of 57%, it decreases the level of rivalry. However, the homogeneity of the CPU from Intel and its monopolized Microsoft OS (except Macintosh) creates low switching costs for customers, which increases the cross price-elast icity of demand of the products, thus increasing rivalry. Still, the relatively strong growth, in addition to the successful introduction of the Netbook, means that firms could expand without the expense of its competitors. It is bad news to Dell as it specializes in production efficiency, not so much in product innovation. Its organizational culture might not be ready for a switch to innovative-led production. Outsourcing its RD department might provide a new solution to the firm, while developing its own simultaneously. Financial Times 29 October 2009: Technology How laptops took over the world. Expected switching cost: The customers estimate of the personal loss or sacrifice in time, effort and money associated with the customer changing to another service provider. (Hellier, Geursen, Carr, Rickard, 2003). It involves both financially and psychologically. (Dick Basu, 1994) High brand awareness: Interbrands 2009 Best Global Brands Ranking, IBM (2nd), HP (11th), Apple (20th), Dell (35th). Interbrands 2009 Best Global Brands Ranking, IBM (2nd), HP (11th), Apple (20th), Dell (35th). Dell has worldwide portfolio of 2,253 patents, HP has 32,000 patents, (Taken from Dell 2009 and HP 2008 Annual Reports) and Acer has a patent value of US $692,000, Lenovo has US $5,199,000. (Acer 2008 and Lenovo 2009 Annual Report) New York Times March 23, 2006: Dell to buy Alienware, a maker of high-end PCs for Gamers.

Internet Security Essay -- Essays Papers

Internet Security INTRODUCTION Many people today are familiar with the Internet and its use. A large number of its users however, are not aware of the security problems they face when using the Internet. Most users feel they are anonymous when on-line, yet in actuality they are not. There are some very easy ways to protect the user from future problems. The Internet has brought many advantages to its users but has also created some major problems. Most people believe that they are anonymous when they are using the Internet. Because of this thinking, they are not careful with what they do and where they go when on the "net." Security is a major issue with the Internet because the general public now has access to it. When only the government and higher education had access, there was no worry about credit card numbers and other types of important data being taken. There are many advantages the Internet brings to its users, but there are also many problems with the Internet security, especially when dealing with pers onal security, business security, and the government involvement to protect the users. THE INTERNET The Internet is a new, barely regulated frontier, and there are many reasons to be concerned with security. The same features that make the Internet so appealing such as interactivity, versatile communication, and customizability also make it an ideal way for someone to keep a careful watch on the user without them being aware of it (Lemmons 1). It may not seem like it, but it is completely possible to build a personal profile on someone just by tracking them in cyberspace. Every action a person does while logged onto the Internet is recorded somewhere (Boyan, Codel, and Parekh 3). An individual's personal security is the major issue surrounding the Internet. If a person cannot be secure and have privacy on the Internet, the whole system will fail. According to the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), any web site can find out whose server and the location of the server a person used to get on the Internet, whether his computer is Windows or DOS based, and also the Internet browser that was used. This is the only information that can be taken legally. However, it can safely be assumed that in some cases much more data is actually taken (1). These are just a few of the many ways for people to find out the identity of an individu... ... to the FBI (Rothfeder, "November 1996 Feature" 4). CONCLUSION Security for the Internet is improving, it is just that the usage of the Internet is growing much faster. Security is a key issue for every user of the Internet and should be addressed before a person ever logs on to the "net". At best, all users should have passwords to protect themselves, and businesses need to put up firewalls at all points of entry. These are low cost security measures, which should not be over looked in a possible multi-billion dollar industry. BIBLIOGRAPHY Boyan, Justin and Eddie Codel and Sameer Parekh. Center for Democracy and Technology Web Page. Http://www.13x.com/cgi-bin/cdt/snoop.pl accessed January 26, 1997: 1-4. Heim, Judy. "Here's How." PC World Online January 1998: 1-3. Lemmons, Phil. "Up Front." PC World Online February 1998: 1-2. Methvin, David W. "Safety on the Net." Windows Magazine Online : 1-9. 1995 Feature PC World Online November 1-3. Pepper, Jon. "Better Safe Than Sorry." PC World Online October 1996: 1-2 Rothfeder, Jeffrey. "February 1997 Special Report." PC World Online : 1-6 Rothfeder, Jeffrey. "November 1996 Features." PC World Online: 1--6

Edgar Allan Poe and his Romanticism Essay

According to Thompson (1970), â€Å"romanticism is a far-reaching but crucial modern period applied to the philosophical shift within Western mind-set to human and art creativity that conquered much of the American culture during the initial part of the 19th century, and that has fashioned most ensuing progress in literature, even those against it† (Thompson, 1970, p. 31). Romanticism illustrates strong, intense and wondrous deal of emotions which demonstrate an attraction for nature, mankind and supernatural that fuels extreme consequences on human minds while classical and neo-classical exemplify a serene type of art that flaunts tranquility in every detail of its artistic idea. Values taken from people’s view about life is the great source of audience excitement that manifest a freedom form of expressing emotional intensity. Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most well-known romantic writers, is commonly remembered as a gothic, romantic and melancholic writer yet a well made, dynamic, and graceful person. Declining the ordered consistency of the Enlightenment as impersonal, mechanical, and artificial, Poe eventually turned to the emotional truthfulness of personal understanding and to the boundlessness of personality ambition and imagination. More and more independent of the deteriorating system of aristocratic benefaction, Poe viewed his self as a â€Å"free spirit† conveying creative truths; some aficionados glorified the artist as a mastermind or diviner. When Poe’s foster father passed away, he received nothing. He started writing the Southern Literary Messenger and soon after, he edited Gentleman’s Magazine for William Burton, then his first detective story, â€Å"Murders in the Rue Morgue† was featured in Graham’s Magazine. Then he went out of Graham’s; he struggled from hopelessness followed by alcoholism. His well-known poem â€Å"The Raven† in 1845 appeared in Evening Mirror with enormous commendation, but paid little for it. Thompson (1970) noted that â€Å"Poe was stimulated by the romantic way of life – the yearning to be free of principle and dictatorship, and the new highlighting on the rights as well as solemnity of a human being. Just as the persistence on formal, rational, and conservative subject matter that had characterized neoclassicism was actually upturned, the totalitarian regimes that had persuaded and even sustained neo-classicism in the arts were unavoidably subjected to accepted insurrections† (Thompson, 1970, p. 33). Social and political causes turned out to be dominant themes in romanticism throughout the Western world, manufacturing many fundamental human documents that are still momentous. Poe was an excellent French academic. Thus far, with his superiorities, Poe was not a character or even a favorite in his school. Poe was determined, unpredictable, tending to be authoritative; though of liberal inclinations, not gradually kind, or good-natured. Poe’s expressively breathtaking tales probing pits of human mind earned him prominence throughout his existence and subsequent to his death. His verve was disfigured by catastrophe and within his works we can distinguish his enigmatically fervent emotional responses – a beleaguered and at times irrational fascination with fatality and sadism and general admiration for what is beautiful yet heartbreaking inscrutabilities of our life. His arts of short story and poems include â€Å"Philosophy of Composition† and â€Å"Poetic Principal†. There are many anthologies about his works that were published and a lot of them were motivations for popular TV and movie adaptations counting â€Å"The Black Cat†, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, and even â€Å"The Raven†. Nature was also fundamental to such sentiments was a concentration essential to Poe’s romanticism – the concern with nature as well as natural surroundings. Enchantment in well-preserved scenery and in the guiltless life of countryside dwellers in all probability is conceivably first recognizable as a literary theme in Poe’s masterpieces. His works are frequently cited as a determining power on later English romantic poetries and other works of art and on the nature convention represented in English literature, art and music. Frequently combined with this sentiment for rural life is a widespread romantic misery – wisdom that transformation is looming and that a lifestyle is being endangered. In the strength of new freedom, Edgar Allan Poe expanded his fantasy horizons chronologically and spatially. His anthologies of old English ballads are considered influential works; all his masterpieces exerted a noteworthy influence on the structure and substance of Gothic form fused with the gloomy and produced a keenness for graveyards, ruins, and supernatural as major themes. The Fall of the House of Usher establishes Gothic features that involves heart-pounding, gruesome and suspenseful scenes. Poe wants to influence the spectators’ mental capacity and he is more confident to prove that human mind is far more prevalent than physical strength and power. Character in the short story was given a psychological wrecking experience that drives paranoia and fear. Poe believes that when a person was attacked by his own apprehension and anxiety then he will be most likely resort into self and fatal-destruction. Furthermore, the female characters in most of Poe’s works frequently meet an inopportune death. In Ligeia, Ligeia passed away because her spouse qualms that she has cleverness. Poe’s speaker calls Ligeia as a mysterious, conceivably beyond understanding, whose existence recalls a sequence of multifaceted analogies. Reasonably, Poe is not recognized for his comedy, although in fact, he wrote comedies and satires. The Angel of the Odd is one of his entertaining stories; it gave new perceptions on the event of freak catastrophes, or about bad lucks a person could have. All throughout, Poe’s images of the house and the lifeless objects inside give a supernatural ambiance to the story. By means of giving lifeless objects almost realistic characteristics, he is providing his works a supernatural feature. Work Cited Thompson, G. R. (1970). Poe and French Romanticism in Poe Studies / Dark Romanticism. Washington State University.

League of Legends an online multiplayer 5v5 team b Essays

League of Legends an online multiplayer 5v5 team b Essays League of Legends an online multiplayer 5v5 team based game. Insane amount of strategy and teamwork is needed to be successful. Pro teams have this plus more, however how there team is made up is important. The process of building a league of legends team has many factors and many steps to take to make it successful and useful to actually go far in the league. There are a few simple ways to build a League of Legends team. Building a team is all about synergy and getting a group of people who like working together, can communicate with one another, and can play well together. The entire idea behind a League of Legends team is the idea that you can do your job and be able to rely on your teammates to do the same. "You can not assume that a team can be made up of from five solo queue players who do well on their own." (Flores 1) Firstly finding members for a team can be very difficult at times. Players are hard to successfully determine as potential team players and you can only certain of this player if you first allow them to play games with you and the team. Elo a person's win loss ratio and how they are climbing the ladder are important. The ladder is a set of tiers each season other players compete to achieve a higher rank. For example A gold 3 player is better than a silver 2 player. Each tier the skill level climbs and makes the ladder even tougher. So you want your team mate to have a high elo. After filling your roster it's time for to determine whom the team leader is going to be. The team leader is the most important part of a team. He is the one who will make the calls to go for objectives. If you can't maintain control of your team it is very difficult to get things done. As a leader you need to make sure your team respects you enough to listen to your calls when they are made even if the call being made is good or not. If they don't respect you they won't listen to you, which brings up the point that you have to earn respect through your actions and should not assume that they will listen to you automatically. After you have built your team you need to practice to develop a team bond and to know each others play styles. "Practices should consist of strict time management. Get what needs to be done, done. There are many things you can do in practices to help better the team inevitably" (Soren Bjerg) Some of the things you can do to help you practice is: Analyze repl ays of livestream footage from last practice. Live streaming helps a lot because you can see what went wrong last game and fix it for the next game. Your teammates need to be forced to play characters they have never played. Work on staying together and communicating on objectives, talking and being able to communicate well is essential for a successful team. Preparing for tournaments is a big deal. By knowing the other teams like playing, you can begin to prepare by banning those champions during your ranked games to get used to the other champions that may be played. Once your team has practiced a lot and you feel ready to enter the league you need to get sponsors. Sponsors help pay for expenses that a beginning team will not be able to cover. Such as covering plane cost, food, hotels/homes and new equipment. Sponsors are a big part of any team, they are investing in you to do good and to have their name put out there. Finally you have the money to enter the league. Now it's time for do or die. The competition is rough you begin by starting a split playing 2 games a week with 12 other teams. Each split is 12 weeks long and the top 6 teams will compete in the tournament to when that specific split. Splits are separated into Spring, Summer, Fall and then a big tournament which is

Death Of A Salesmen essays

Death Of A Salesmen essays Miller, Arthur. Death of A Salesman. New York: The Penguin Group, 1976. Death of a Salesman is a play/book by Arthur Miller. Its about a man named Willy Loman. He has been traveling salesman for the Wagner Company for 34 years. Willy has some problems. As he got old he stopped selling as much as he use to when he was younger. Willy has trouble paying the bills and had to borrow money from his neighbor. He was a caring, yet a confused man, always arguing or forgetting something. Death of a Salesman takes place in New York. Willy Loman has a wife named Linda, and two sons named Biff and Happy. Willy Loman came back home after having left for New England one day. He is a traveling salesman for the Wagner Company. His wife Linda is at home, and he tells her how he hasnt been able to keep his mind on driving. He starts daydreaming, and his car just swerves off to the side of the road. He asks about their son Biff, who hasnt been home in over 14 years. He is visiting in New York, and is staying with them. Willy starts daydreaming about when Biff was a senior in high school, and was in a big football game. People were coming from all over to offer him scholarships. But something happened that year, because Biff was never able to find himself. Now that Biff is in New York, him and his brother Happy are trying to think of a job that Biff could get in New York. They decide that he could ask Mr. Oliver, a man Biff used to work for. He wants to ask him fo r a loan of ten thousand dollars, so that Biff can start his own business. When they tell their father about their plans, Willy is ecstatic. He thinks they could conquer the world. He reminds them that the most important thing in life is to be well liked and to have personal attractiveness. Willy is so happy that his two sons are going to have a business together, that he decides to go ask his boss, Howard Wagner, for a job in New York. Howard tells ...

What would you consider the most decisive or influential forces to bring down apartheid in South Africa Essays

What would you consider the most decisive or influential forces to bring down apartheid in South Africa Essays What would you consider the most decisive or influential forces to bring down apartheid in South Africa Essay What would you consider the most decisive or influential forces to bring down apartheid in South Africa Essay Essay Topic: History The dark days of Apartheid finally came to an end in 1990 when the â€Å"Father† of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was released from prison. In many ways it can be argued that the abolishment of apartheid is attributed to Mandela and in part this is true. However, the factors which led to the downfall of the repressive Apartheid regime are not as simple as assigning it to one sole determinant, but a combination and culmination of varying factors. The main influential forces herein discussed can be classed into 3 categories. Firstly, internal pressure from the black protest and its political parties; secondly, the international isolation which enforced economic sanctions and sporting boycotts; and finally, the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union as the cold war relaxed (US Department of State, 2001). As such this essay will briefly outline these main influences which brought down Apartheid and assess which played the most profound part in its demise. The oppressive actions of the government inflicted on the black community were well known before the 1960’s. However, the most prolific years in the anti-apartheid movements occurred after this time in the form of internal resistance from small and isolated groups (Louw, 2004). These groups were unable to join forces due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of the widespread nature of the regimes actions and the fading belief in their freedom, which thus dulled the effect of anti-apartheid movements. The bans issued upon the ANC and other large scale political parties along with their leaders further reinforced the isolation of groups and lack of coordinated â€Å"struggle† (Callinicos, 1994). In an effort to overcome the limitations of this isolated resistance and boost black resistance actions, black consciousness became one of the defining movements. Spearheaded by Steve Biko, this grassroots effort was forged from the political vacuum left from the bans imposed on the large political groups such as the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan African Congress (PAC) (Clark Worger, 2004). Biko intended for this political conscious movement to help black citizens celebrate their â€Å"blackness† and take pride in their blackness as it was an important phase in their own personal liberation (Clark Worger, 2004). In an ideological manner, the movement aimed to help the black community move away from their perception of themselves as second class citizens. Other prominent leaders of the time included Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo. Walter Sisulu was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress. He was an active member of the ANC and travelled around the world gaining support for the apartheid struggle. Oliver Tambo was also a member of the ANC and worked alongside Sisulu trying to gain political power against apartheid as well as organising protests and riots to convince the South African Government to change (Louw, 2004). These three men as well as many other activists inspired the black communities to take a stand against the biased laws. They inspired and motivated protests such as the Soweto riots, the Vaal Triangle uprising, the Sharpeville Massacre and many other demonstrations (Callinicos, 1994). In undertaking these demonstrations, they fuelled Oliver Tambo’s notion of making Apartheid ungovernable. With so many prolific leaders and large-scale anti-apartheid political groups in action within the country, it begs the question as to why the apartheid regime did not collapse at least a decade earlier than it did. One of the reasons is attributed to the fact that there was a lack of centralised and combined ideology and action despite the rise of black violence and belief in their cause. Disagreements existed between the ANC and their ally the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) (Callinicos, 1994). The UDF came into existence in 1983 and was an important political party as it was multi-racial (Louw, 2004). Its aims were to unite all non-white resistance groups, and have a stable future under the Freedom Charter it shared with the ANC. Its leaders were people like Archbishop Tutu, Albertina Sisulu, and Winnie Mandela. The IFP on the other hand, run by Mangosuthu Buthelezi advocated the use of nonviolence (Callinicos, 1994) and as such were constantly at odds with the ANC which opened Umkhonto we Sizwe, the specific armed forces aspect of the party (South Africa History Online, 1991). The South African police and other supporters of apartheid relished this internal fighting of the resistance groups as it made the black community appear as if they were not ready to rule the country. Supporters of apartheid stated that the blacks were too violent and not willing to accept other peoples views, which is needed if everyone is to live freely in a democratic society. Despite the disagreements which allowed apartheid to continue, the combined effort of large scale demonstrations undertaken by these anti-apartheid groups would serve as a catalyst for international support for the black cause and condemnation against the South African government The decline in power of the Soviet Union as a result of the decay of the Cold War played an integral part in dismantling the apartheid regime. The lack of international exposure and outcry regarding apartheid was largely based upon the need of the western world, namely the U. S for capitalistic gain. As such the relationship between the Cold War and the downfall of Apartheid was the fact that apartheid was only allowed to continue due to the Cold War (US Department of State, 2001). America viewed South Africa as the stronghold of economic wealth and strength within Africa and as such did not want to jeopardize its control over the trade and shipping routes, with it falling under Soviet communist rule. Thus successful international involvement and support in dismantling apartheid was not achieved until the decline of the Soviet Union. The decline of Soviet power also coincided and likely affected the rapid trend of other African nations move toward a democratic and self-determining society. The Western countries no longer feared the influence of Communism on developing African governments and therefore a period of decolonisation within Africa occurred. The fact that countries surrounding South Africa were becoming independent was a poignant factor as it helped make the South African government more vulnerable. By 1980, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi and Zambia had all become independent and were now hostile towards South Africa and its oppressive measures against the black community (Clark Worger, 2004). This breakdown in alliance between South Africa and its neighbouring countries meant that South Africa was no longer able to dictate and retain its economic strangle hold on the other nations. In addition the goods such as gold, diamonds and other minerals, which South Africa supplied to the rest of the world were instead produced by the neighbouring independent nations (Clark Worger, 2004). This meant that the international countries were still able to receive the majority of the products which they usually would have received while still able to enact economic sanctions upon the apartheid regime. International intervention was received at the earliest known date in 1962 by the United Nations which invoked trading boycotts with the intent of trying to get the government to reverse the policy of Apartheid. This was the first step that the international countries took to try and make an end of Apartheid. However trading boycotts proved to be ineffective with the country’s wealth of diamond and gold. The boycotts initiated by the UN in 1962 were in response to the massacre in Sharpeville which occurred in 1960 (BBC World Service, 2014). The importance of this event within the context of the demise of apartheid isn’t the death and injured toll but rather the marking of a turning point in the South African history. The event canon balled the apartheid regime onto centre stage on an international level and became the beginning of the country’s increasing isolation from the international community. South Africa was also facing anti-apartheid governments in other nations. The Swedish government, who were strongly opposed to apartheid, supported and donated money to groups within South Africa against apartheid. The British Anti-Apartheid Movement however, instead of donating money, demonstrated their disapproval through sanctions on the sporting competitions between Britain and South Africa (Keech, Houlihan, 1999). They banned South Africa from the 1964 Olympics and stopped cricket and rugby matches between the nations. Investment was another potent casualty suffered as a result of the economic sanction. Many western businesses notably Coca-Cola, began to pull out from the South African markets as they became hesitant on the amount of their profits. Foreign banks such as the Barclays Bank based in South Africa declined to extend loans and began to pull out of the country, heavily affecting the economy (Hirsch, 1989). The trade embargoes also greatly affected the economy as South Africa was not getting any of the vital supplies which they needed and the excess products which they made were going to waste as their primary consumers (western countries) refused to buy these products. Therefore, South African companies had no money with which to pay their workers causing an increase of black unemployment and poverty and a decrease in white incomes as well as a raise in their taxes. Consequently, protests began in South Africa. The financial crisis in 1985 was a direct cause of these imposed sanctions (Hirsch, 1989). The crisis initiated the drop of the Rand and sent the government to declare a state of emergency (Hirsch, 1989). Such an increase in international condemnation and internal demonstrations created an anarchic society thereby forcing the population to believe that it was time for change in South Africa. As evidenced above, the importance of international support and intervention cannot be understated. The boycotts and economic sanctions imposed against the apartheid regime can be seen to be more of an influential force that finally triggered wholesale changes to occur within the country. Yet the most decisive factor behind the fall of apartheid was the opposition within the country from black movements. Their protest and other demonstrations, which at times ended with hundreds dead and thousands more injured, drastically eroded the regime and created doubts within the white faction about their system. Intrinsically the efforts by anti-apartheid groups within the country was a double-edged sword that forced the western world to take notice and intervene.

Causality by Hume and Kant Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causality by Hume and Kant - Term Paper Example However, if the objects being discussed are appearances, it is safe to say that the regular conjunctions can be improved by combining it with common validity and necessity. This is, so that is perceived as a law, used in appearances, with the objective of potential experience that demands standard and hence necessarily legitimate rules. Considering that the concept of causality is constrained in its relation to experience, Kant required an argument to justify why the universal rules of connection are needed to actualize experience (Ariew & Watkins, 2009, 821). Kant could not contend that these rules are required for the understanding of any one object of appearance. As he (correctly) argued, better than Hume, the causal theory is strictly constraining and not in any way constitutive. As he argued in the prolegomena, he has no understanding of such a link of objects in themselves, how they can function as causes, and he can just conceptualize such attributes in appearances as such. In this context, Hume’s causality argument that one cannot see the power in one object is accurate, even if the object is basically an appearance. Consequently, Kant’s argument’s burden lies in his identifying some aspect of experience that demands that its objects adhere to universal rules linking them with each other (Ariew & Watkins, 2009, 828). Hume surely reasoned that experience is feasible even if objects are simply constantly related but not necessarily linked.

Toys R Us Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Toys R Us Company - Research Paper Example The Toys â€Å"R† Us firm went public during 1978 and started to branch out its products (Brohan, par 3). In the 1980’s Toys â€Å"R† Us stretched out into global markets as well as expanded its brand line to encompass children’s clothing. In the 1990’s, Toys â€Å"R† Us further grew into the baby product marketplace with Babies â€Å"R† Us (Lombardi, par 4). Additionally, Toys â€Å"R† Us assimilated the renowned New York toy store FAO Schwarz together with its online websites during 2009. Items from this New York high-end shop are now in Toys â€Å"R† Us stores too (Brohan, par 4). Toys â€Å"R† Us Inc. runs more than eight hundred and seventy five Babies â€Å"R† Us and Toys â€Å"R† Us shops within the U.S., more than six hundred and twenty five worldwide stores as well as over one hundred and forty licensed shops within 35 nations as well as its jurisdictions. Toys â€Å"R† Us board of dir ectors is comprised of nine members with Gerald Storch as the Chairman as well as the Chief Executive officer (Brohan, par 6). In an ever developing online retailing marketplace, Toys â€Å"R† Us has also developed itself as a virtual retailer. Toys â€Å"R† Us operates many online retail websites. Babiesrus.com and toysrus.com have various international websites and are among the highly visited websites for clients looking for kids’ products (Lombardi, par 5). ... During 2012 Toys â€Å"R† Us sales of toys went down by a percentage of 3.5 to 20.47 billion dollars within the U.S, the global major toy market, rendering to a research company NPD Group. Previously, Toys â€Å"R† Us articulated that its same-stores sales within the US had gone down by 4.5% within the 9 weeks from 28th October to 29th December, a crucial time for toys’ sales (Brohan, par 8). Toys â€Å"R† Us total sales of toys went down by 4.7% in that period. Toys â€Å"R† Us Inc. has not stated toys’ sales results for its current fiscal year. During the year that concluded during 2012, January, same-store sales went down at home as well as within the global business, whereas total sales rocketed from 45 million dollars to 13.9 billion dollars (Lombardi, par). From this analysis, the Toys â€Å"R† Us Inc. is feasible to venture into emerging markets such as India. Despite the toy sales drop, Toys â€Å"R† Us total sales incre ment shows that the company can afford to venture new markets or emerging markets, which can boost its toy sales and generate more returns for the company (Brohan, par 5). India’s economic development was grounded upon socialist-inspired policies following the independence. It encompassed state-ownership of numerous sectors, regulations as well as red tape that was referred to as ‘License Raj’ in addition to safeguarding from the global markets. India’s political economy has rapidly transmuted with the economy’s liberalization during the 1990s (Maps of India, par 1). India has currently moved into a market-based structure and it is the global second speediest growing quintessential economy following China. India documented the highest gross domestic product rate of 9 percent in 2007. India’s growth has currently reached 7.5

Goals and Objectives of the Department of Homeland Security Essay

Goals and Objectives of the Department of Homeland Security - Essay Example The department is lead by Secretary Jeh Johnson who was given the leadership position during the period of 2013 and is recognized as the fourth individual to hold the position (Design, 2014). He has profound amount of experience in providing services in relation to securing the nation and enforcing the laws as well as practicing as a private attorney. He had previously held key positions to defend the nations. He was even employed as the Air Force department’s general counsel as well as assistant to the attorney of US for the southern district of the region of New York. There are seven assistant secretaries for the department including the assistant secretary of policy, foreign affairs, strategic management, and private sector. The main secretary is Alan Bersin who has been employed as an acting secretary for the office of policy making (Design, 2014). There are a total of 17 different directorates, offices as well as agencies that are a portion of the DHS. These include UCIS which serves the purpose of assisting those who want to migrate to the United States (Dhs.gov, 2014). CBP was created with the purpose of ensuring that terrorist as well as their warheads remained outside the soil of the United States. USCG was created to ensure the protection of the maritime region and practices of the United States (Dhs.gov, 2014). FEMA was created with the purpose of helping in improving the ability of the nation from protecting itself from any form of hazard. FLETC was created to train and develop the professionals of the law enforcement arena. ICE was created to ensure that the laws and regulations of the nations that were created regarding the border were being followed (Dhs.gov, 2014).

Water Pollution in Orlando Florida Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Water Pollution in Orlando Florida - Coursework Example Orlando has failed to control water pollution to the extent that the federal government had to intervene. Orlando has many water catchment areas but there have been recent concerns over the level of effluents that are finding their way into the lakes and rivers. For instance, Lake Lawne was put on alert after a residential sanitary system blocked leading to sewage overflow that ended up into the lake. Although there were intervention measures, the lake was already polluted. Indeed a lake alert was issued and public warned not to use the water until the issue was resolved. Lake Okeechobee has been in the public limelight for uncontrolled pollution. Effluents from large farms and ranches find its way into the lake thereby causing water pollution. These are just some of the examples. However, the water pollution through improper effluent management seems to be escalating. The primary causes of water pollution stemming from the failure the of effluent management by waste management depar tments and most importantly failure of industries and farming sector to manage their waste. This is a case of lack of human values and environmental ethics. For instance, ranches and dairy firms should observe environmental ethics and take precautionary measures to ensure that their effluents do not end up in the water catchment areas. They should all respect human values and observe environmental ethics even when it means cutting down their profits to do so. This way Orlando will be an environmentally conscious city.

Terra Firms ITSM Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Terra Firms ITSM Process - Essay Example The warranty associated with file sharing includes an ability to deliver files containing important information safely without compromising the integrity of the information contained in the file. File sharing should be fit for use to guarantee warranty. The file sharing system should appeal to all the stakeholders sharing the files. Site, which falls under video conferencing category has the utility of providing a venue in which video conferencing is held. It has the utility of providing a mechanism in which different stakeholders can communicate between field offices in U.S, Europe and other places to the headquarters. The warranty expected is primarily the potentiality of the site to offer efficient web conferencing via ISDN. Field office help desk, which falls under PC support, seeks to provide localized customer care service and only call the head office for higher-level support. Utility expected is for the field office help desk to offer efficient customer service support without fail. As a warranty, the field office help desk should work seamlessly at all times and should be able to address a variety of issues presented by the customers. The testing lab falls under Software engineering. The primary utility includes providing efficient and effective testing mechanisms for production processes, manufacturing, as well as information management systems. The expected warranty includes providing up to date testing standards, authentic, and reliable set of measurement standards over a long period. Production control should satisfy the utility of ensuring all factors of production follow stipulated standards while it offers a warranty of quality and optimal production at all times.

Time Value of Money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time Value of Money - Essay Example It is based on the simple premise that â€Å"A penny in hand today is worth more than a penny in hand tomorrow†. This is on the basis of assumption that the money in hand today can be invested in various investment options which will increase the amount. Moreover, there is also an opportunity cost that is associated with the cash that is received later. This is the cost of the best foregone opportunity that could have been taken with the cash available (Econedlink.org, 2011). Cash received later can’t be used for any investment options present at the current time frame. The concept finds significant applications in the area of capital budgeting, lease versus buy decisions, accounts receivable analysis, financing arrangements, mergers and pension funding (Ross et.al., 2007, pg. 60). The concept of time value of money is used in every financial decision. This is done through two types of calculation. One includes calculating the present value of the cash that will be rece ived at a later stage while the other calculates the future value of the cash that is received now. One very important concept related to the time value of money is the Net Present Value (NPV). It is the sum of the present value of all the cash inflows minus the present value of its costs (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010, pg. 183). Net present finds usage in evaluating if the proposed projects shall be taken or not. If the net present value of the total project cash flows is negative, it should not be taken. The concept of the time value of money also finds application in evaluating the present value of various investment options such as bonds and stocks and identifying the best option to invest. 2. The formula for calculation of future value assuming that compound interest is given is: r is the rate of interest and n is the time period (Bierman & Smidt, 2003, pf. 17). a.) Present Value = $15,000 n = 5 years r = 7% b.) Present Value = $19,500 n = 3 years r = 4% c.) Present Value =$ 29,900 n = 7 years r = 2% d.) Present Value = $14,200 n = 10 years r = 0.9% 3. The formula for the calculation of present value for a given future value assuming application of compound rate of interest is: r is the rate of interest and n is the time period. a.) Future Value = $17,500 r = 4% n = 3 years b.) Future Value = $41,000 r = 5% n = 5 years c.) Future Value = $120,000 r = 12% n = 2 years d.) Future Value = $790,000 r = 1% n = 8 years 4. Let us assuming that we are getting the payment at the beginning of the years. The cash flow timeline looks like: Calculating the present value of the three future payments at the interest rate, r of 4% where, Present Value (Yi) is the present value of the cash received in year i The total present value is Thus the present value of the stream of annual payments is $519,497. 5. Let us assuming that we are getting the payment at the beginning of the years. The same is deposited into a bank account at the same time. The cash flow for the bank account w ill be: 6. Calculating the future value of the three payments at the end of third year at an interest rate of r = 2%, we get where Future Value (Yi) is the future value at the end of three years for the cash deposited in the bank account in year i. The total Future value at the end of three years is Thus, we can see that the amount in the bank account at the end of three years is $374,592 Conclusion We studied the importance of the concept of time value of money and calculated the same for different scenarios. The analysis enables us to

Water Pollution in Orlando Florida Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Water Pollution in Orlando Florida - Coursework Example Orlando has failed to control water pollution to the extent that the federal government had to intervene. Orlando has many water catchment areas but there have been recent concerns over the level of effluents that are finding their way into the lakes and rivers. For instance, Lake Lawne was put on alert after a residential sanitary system blocked leading to sewage overflow that ended up into the lake. Although there were intervention measures, the lake was already polluted. Indeed a lake alert was issued and public warned not to use the water until the issue was resolved. Lake Okeechobee has been in the public limelight for uncontrolled pollution. Effluents from large farms and ranches find its way into the lake thereby causing water pollution. These are just some of the examples. However, the water pollution through improper effluent management seems to be escalating. The primary causes of water pollution stemming from the failure the of effluent management by waste management depar tments and most importantly failure of industries and farming sector to manage their waste. This is a case of lack of human values and environmental ethics. For instance, ranches and dairy firms should observe environmental ethics and take precautionary measures to ensure that their effluents do not end up in the water catchment areas. They should all respect human values and observe environmental ethics even when it means cutting down their profits to do so. This way Orlando will be an environmentally conscious city.

Time Value of Money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time Value of Money - Essay Example It is based on the simple premise that â€Å"A penny in hand today is worth more than a penny in hand tomorrow†. This is on the basis of assumption that the money in hand today can be invested in various investment options which will increase the amount. Moreover, there is also an opportunity cost that is associated with the cash that is received later. This is the cost of the best foregone opportunity that could have been taken with the cash available (Econedlink.org, 2011). Cash received later can’t be used for any investment options present at the current time frame. The concept finds significant applications in the area of capital budgeting, lease versus buy decisions, accounts receivable analysis, financing arrangements, mergers and pension funding (Ross et.al., 2007, pg. 60). The concept of time value of money is used in every financial decision. This is done through two types of calculation. One includes calculating the present value of the cash that will be rece ived at a later stage while the other calculates the future value of the cash that is received now. One very important concept related to the time value of money is the Net Present Value (NPV). It is the sum of the present value of all the cash inflows minus the present value of its costs (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010, pg. 183). Net present finds usage in evaluating if the proposed projects shall be taken or not. If the net present value of the total project cash flows is negative, it should not be taken. The concept of the time value of money also finds application in evaluating the present value of various investment options such as bonds and stocks and identifying the best option to invest. 2. The formula for calculation of future value assuming that compound interest is given is: r is the rate of interest and n is the time period (Bierman & Smidt, 2003, pf. 17). a.) Present Value = $15,000 n = 5 years r = 7% b.) Present Value = $19,500 n = 3 years r = 4% c.) Present Value =$ 29,900 n = 7 years r = 2% d.) Present Value = $14,200 n = 10 years r = 0.9% 3. The formula for the calculation of present value for a given future value assuming application of compound rate of interest is: r is the rate of interest and n is the time period. a.) Future Value = $17,500 r = 4% n = 3 years b.) Future Value = $41,000 r = 5% n = 5 years c.) Future Value = $120,000 r = 12% n = 2 years d.) Future Value = $790,000 r = 1% n = 8 years 4. Let us assuming that we are getting the payment at the beginning of the years. The cash flow timeline looks like: Calculating the present value of the three future payments at the interest rate, r of 4% where, Present Value (Yi) is the present value of the cash received in year i The total present value is Thus the present value of the stream of annual payments is $519,497. 5. Let us assuming that we are getting the payment at the beginning of the years. The same is deposited into a bank account at the same time. The cash flow for the bank account w ill be: 6. Calculating the future value of the three payments at the end of third year at an interest rate of r = 2%, we get where Future Value (Yi) is the future value at the end of three years for the cash deposited in the bank account in year i. The total Future value at the end of three years is Thus, we can see that the amount in the bank account at the end of three years is $374,592 Conclusion We studied the importance of the concept of time value of money and calculated the same for different scenarios. The analysis enables us to

Marketing and Soft Drink Concentrate Essay Example for Free

Marketing and Soft Drink Concentrate Essay The brand Rasna is owned by Pioma Industries that introduced the concept of Soft Drink Concentrate (SDC), a segment that had been created and nurtured by the company in the Indian beverages Market. The brand was originally launched by the name of ‘Jaffe’ in 1976 and marketed with the help of Voltas, but was renamed to ‘Rasna’ in 1979. When the product did not do as well as it was expected, in 1983, the advertising was handed over to an advertising agency named Mudra Communications Ltd. Pioma Industries Limited is perhaps not a familiar name for the average Indian consumer. But Pioma’s brand Rasna is very well known. In fact, the name Rasna is almost a generic name for soft drink concentrates in Indian beverages market. Rasna’s extremely popular advertisements with the tagline â€Å"I love you Rasna† had become an integral part of the Indian advertising folklore. In March, 2002, Pioma announced a radical overhauling of its strategies for the Rasna Brand. This development was rather unexpected, as the brand had been lying dormant since long. Rasna is the market leader in the 250 Crore Indian soft drink concentrate industry. The SDC industry is miniscule compared to the 5000 crore carbonated soft drink industry (CSD). The powdered soft drink concentrate industry is worth around 90 crore. During the ‘80s, Soft Drink Concentrate (SDC) was not a known concept. For the consumers, Soft Drinks were just the aerated drinks which could be purchased in bottles and were usually consumed outdoors. Rasna came, and changed the whole mind set. COMPETITORS IN THE MARKET As the pioneers in Concentrated Soft Drink Industry in India, Rasna, never had to face any threatening from any of its competitors, be it a global player or a small local company. Powder concentrate occupy 85% of the total soft drinks concentrate market. Here, in this study, we are considering both Powder and Syrup CSD as competition for the Brand Rasna. Following are some of the competitors who tried to make their mark in the 250 Crore Indian soft drink concentrate industry: 1. Tang- Kraft Foods. 2. Sunfill- Coca Cola. 3. Fanta Fun Times- Coca Cola. 4. Sugarfree D’lite- Zydus Cadila. 5. Kissan Mr Fruit- Hindustan Unilever. The journey of a brand is not always easy. The market is very dynamic and a brand needs to keep a track of the changes in the market. Rasna had to face such challenges too. But it is the resurrection this brand has shown, through strategic marketing, in all instances that makes it stand out and lead the market. MARKET SHARE Rasna has always been recognised at large for Brand and Company. It ranks No. 1 in the beverages category as â€Å"Most Trusted Brand of India†. It is listed among the top 15 brands in the country. It was awarded as the most preferred brand in the SDC category at the FMCG Most Preferred Awards 2003 and 2004 and Consumer World Award 2004. It has pioneered not only with its strong marketing strategies but also with its proper scaled distribution chain. Rasna has always concentrated on its marketing and brand building and has achieved an expertise in flavour technology. Its efficient management in production and market environments has harnessed to bring to the global consumers, technologically superior products in fruits, vegetables, beverages and confectioneries and to stand as the leader in processed food industry. Rasna has adequate and in-depth knowledge and information on Market sizes and behaviours, Growth prospects, Project Viabilities, Government Policies, Finances etc.and access to more, enabling the company to respond fast to any proposal with suitable recommendation. It believes that there is a huge and emerging market for Rasna’s kind of product range, all over the world. Rasna is capable of managing global sized manufacturing set-ups working on the most advanced technologies to cater to the huge markets, locally and globally. Rasna has managed to dominate the colossal SDC market because of its massive International operations. One of Rasna’s biggest strength is its marketing and sales set-up, through which millions of customers worldwide is experiencing the flavour of satisfaction. It provides a strong and pro-active marketing support to its distributors and importers around the world- just so that their products stand out and apart on the shelves. Timely delivery schedules of its products anywhere in the world are what have helped them to reach a strong position in the global market. Rasna has its offices in the following countries: * USA and Canada * UK and Europe * Saudi Arabia * Russia * Fiji This strong chain of distribution to large number of countries within a stipulated period of time has helped the brand gain a reputation in the market. It has also helped Rasna in creating enormous business relations all over the globe. The countries which imports Rasna products globally are as under: In recent years, the brand has had to face off challenges, though not from its direct competitors. International soft drink giants like Coca-Cola (Sunfill) and Kraft Foods (Tang) have introduced competitor products in the market. PepsiCo India too is gearing to launch a glucose-based ready-to-drink beverage under the Lehar brand that will be sold at price point of Rs. 5 for a 200 ml stock-keeping unit. All of them have deep marketing pockets and standard products to lure customers away from Rasna. Even the profile of Rasna’s target audience is changing. Kids today are a lot more aware, and their parents don’t mind buying more expensive ready-to-drink products, which the MNCs have. But, true to its entrepreneurial spirit, Rasna is not about to give any ground to its rivals. Though some analysts feel that Rasna has been slow to react to the competition, Piruz Khambatta, Chairman, Rasna, still dismisses the challenge saying â€Å"water is our only competition. † According to the 2010 data, Rasna leads the SDC market. The market shares of Rasna and all the competitors are as follows: * Rasna- 97. 2 % * Coca-Cola’s Sunfill 2% * Sugarfree D’lite- 0. 2% * Kissan Mr Fruit- 0. 1% and * Tang- 0. 5%. COMPARTIVE STUDY ON 4 Ps SCALE The Marketing Mix: Here in this study of the Brand Rasna, we are comparing the brand with its competitors available in the market on the scale of the 4 Ps. The 4 Ps of the marketing mix are: 1. Product. 2. Price. 3. Promotion. 4. Place. Product Line of Rasna: Rasna began with 9 flavours in 1982, and added the 10th in the year 1987. The company was revamped in the year 2002. * In 2002, Rasna changed its look and came up with a new logo. * The tagline of the company was also changed and with a new tagline â€Å"Relish a Gain†, Rasna has tried a deep penetration in the rural and semi-urban market. The recent product line of Rasna is as follows: Name| Pack Size| Flavour| Price ()| Rasna Frootfun| 32 glasses| Orange, Mango, Lemon, Pinaple| 35| Rasna Frootfun| 12 glasses| Orange, Mango, Lemon| 10| Rasna Freshfun| 32 glasses| Shahi Gulab, Keshar Elaichi, Kool Khus, Cola Cola| 35| Rasna Freshfun| 12 glasses| Shahi Gulab, Cola Cola| 10| Rasna 1 ka 2| 2 glasses| Orange, Mango, Lemon| 1|. Rasna FrootPlus Jar| 500 grams| Orange, Mango, Lemon| 85| Rasna FrootPlus Pouch| 750 grams| Orange, Mango, Lemon| 105| Rasna FrootPlus Pouch| 500 grams| Orange, Mango, Lemon| 75| Packing Details: The operating product line of Rasna consists several sku. The company follows different pack size on carton basis. These pack sizes may vary depending on local market demand. The following table will give a general idea of the pack sizes. Sr. No. | Product| Units per Carton| 1| Rasna Instant Drink (powder beverages)| | | Laminate Pouch Packings| | A| 3 gm pouch pack| 50*60|. B| Single Serve pouch pack (12 gm pouch-orange)| 10*12*6| C| 25 gm single serve sachet| 12*2*12| D| 250 gn refill packs| 36| E| 500 gm refill packs| 24| F| 750 gm standby refill packs| 15| G| 1 kg standby refill pack| 15| H| Litro packs 1 ltr| 12*10| | Glass Jar Packings| | A| 250 gm glass jar| 40| B| 500 gm glass jar| 20| C| 750 gm sleek glass jar| 15| | Plastic jar packing 1 kg| 15| | OTS tin Packing| | | 900 gm tin| 15| | 1. 5 kg tin| 6| | 2. 5 kg tin| 6| 2| Litro Pack Instant Drink| | | Pouch suitable to make 1 litre| 12*10| 3| Gofrut Instant Drink (5gm pouch)| 72*10| 4| Shakeup Instant Drink| |. | 25 gm single serve pack | 24*30| | 150 gm standby pouch| 108| 5| Rasna Lite 250 gm jar | 15| 6| Rasna Soft Drink Concentrate| | | 32 glass pack| 200| 7| Rasna Single Serve Iced Tea 9 gm | 14*24*20| Whereas Rasna has so many different varieties of drinks (flavours) and in so many different sized packets its competitors are lacking behind in both flavours and availability of different quantity packs. The Price of Rasna: Accessing all socio-economic class: Rasna’s sole goal has been always to make profit with the volume sale. The pricing strategy has always been the key of Rasna’s success. It targeted the mass rather than the class. * Rasna has always made its products in such a way that it can be accessible to all socio-economic classes. * Its volume sale starts at as low as 1 popular in the name of 1 ka 2. * The added sugar product Rasna Frootplus starts from 2 and goes up to 105 for the family pack. * The box pack has a starting price of 10 which can make 12 glasses of drink and is known popularly as 10 ka 12. * The family box pack is available at 35 which is enough for 32 glasses of water. * Rasna has some skus which are very interesting for regular use. The air tight jar has different pack size with price range starting from Rs. 75. The company is constantly focussing on the rural market of India. So, accurate pricing is very important for the company’s growth. For Rasna, accurate pricing has been the key growth driver. They understood that the Indian market is highly segmented. And making products targeting each segment has helped a lot. Whereas pricing has been the key growth factor for Rasna, the competitors have not been able to enjoy that benefit of pricing. Only Tang is available at a sachet of 2 which is again meant for making 1 glass of drink. Likewise, the other competitors cannot even come close to the pricing strategy of Rasna. Promotion: Adding an Emotional Touch: Rasna has from its inception relied heavily on advertisement. The famous mass media campaign, â€Å"I love you Rasna† was one of India’s longest running TV ad. * The promotion of Rasna always highlighted a strong connection with its customers through brand association. * Rasna has always created a brand value by emotionally attaching the customer to their brand. * Focus of the promotion is always to promote the quality of Rasna. * Rasna spends a lot on Research on the target audience, and promotes there products accordingly. * Rasna has used child characters in their advertising campaigns, and through them the company emphasised on the quality of products which was an effective way of promotion. * Rasna has done a great deal to understand the pain of summer and to deliver a product which will ease the pain. This kind of unique and innovative marketing ideas and campaigns made Rasna the monopoly in the Soft Drink Concentrate industry till the time the competitors entered the market. Even now, no brand has been able to beat the promotional campaigns of Rasna. Going by the set standards of Rasna, we can say that the competitors have spent very less time and money understanding the Indian market and the promotional activities that works in the India. Place: Distribution Channel of Rasna: The distribution channel of Rasna follows 3 to 5 tier architecture. It follows the Super-Sub concept of distribution. The steps are as follows: 1. First the product produced in a factory which is strategically located to minimise the transportation cost. 2. The packed product is sent to various company depots across the country to distribute and meet the respective market demand. 3. From the company depot, the product is delivered to the different super stockists according to their previously placed order. 4. Then the goods are sent to the sub stockists or in some cases to the wholesale store. 5. The secondary sale from the super stockist or the sub stockist is ensured by the constant monitoring by the company personal. Rasna follows different distribution channel model according to local market demand. But for every model the end goal of the company is to deliver a quality product to the end user. With a distribution channel consisting of 35 depots across the country and 1. 8 million retail outlets Rasna is bound to be the leader. Among the competitors the only one that has a good and competitive network of distribution is Sunfill by Coca Cola, but still they are not able to compete as availability with retailers is not as widespread as Rasna. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The competitive advantages of Rasna are listed below: * Being the Pioneer in the market Rasna is well known and very much trusted in the Indian market. * Being in the market for a long time, Rasna knows the Indian taste the best. * Having 7 state of the art production units across the country, the production is never disturbed for any reason. * Because of the widespread distribution network, it is more close to the public. * The marketing strategies used by the company are of superior standard. * Last but not the least, the pricing of the product, which is so low that it is affordable by the lowest segment of the pyramid also. The competitive advantages of Tang are: * Being one of the largest brands of the world, Tang has the sustainability even if it is hit at the beginning. * Tang is available in variety of flavours based on local consumer’s preference. * Tang is fortified with vitamins and minerals. * It is available as powdered and ready to drink bottles. * The powdered Tang is available at low cost. The Competitive advantages of Sunfill are: * Being a brand owned by Coca Cola, the distribution cost is cheaper, so can offer the product at a low and competitive price. * The taste is superior compared to other competitive brands. * Setting up of a production unit close to the target customer segment will help in better marketing. * The company can spend substantial amount on advertising and promotion. The Competitive advantages of Sugarfree D’lite are: * It is a brand owned by a medical company, so people have trust in the product. * It contains no sugar, so it is healthier. * Has medicinal advantages. * Helps in controlling blood sugar level, at the same time gives the pleasures of a soft drink. The Competitive advantages of Kissan Mr.fruit are: * It is there in the market for a long time, so knows the customer taste and preferences. * Tastier than many of the competitor products. * Supply chain is quite strong as it’s a product owned by Hindustan Unilever. SUGGESTIONS FOR GAINING UPPER MARKET SHARE As we conclude the study on the No. 1 Soft Drink Concentrate in India, Rasna, I have the following suggestions to make so that the company can gain more market share and continue to be the leader of the industry: Product- In terms of product, the following can be done: 1. Try to minimise waste in production, so that the cost of production comes down further. 2. Venture into new products, like ready to drink bottled drinks. 3. Try producing sugar free products so that even a diabetic patient can enjoy the drinks. 4. Health drinks and energy drinks is another field where the company can venture into. 5. Backward integration is another option that can be suggested to minimise the cost of production. Price- the Company can be more price effective and in turn can gain more market share if, 1. More products are offered in the lower price category. 2. Price be reduced for the larger quantity cartons or bottles. 3. New and introductory products are sold for lesser price so that people are interested in trying the new things. Promotion- In terms of promotion, the company can follow the following suggestions: 1. Use newer and cheaper modes of advertisement, like the social networking sites. 2. Spend more on Banners, posters, Hoardings. 3. Stop the use of sportspersons and celebrities, as the same doesn’t have a long standing effect on the general public. 4. Remove the time lag between the promotion and the availability of new products in the market. Place- Place plays a vital role in the success of a company or a brand. The following are my recommendations for improving the market share: 1. Go to the newer potential places which have not been tapped earlier. 2. The untimely dispatch of goods from the depot to the super stockist needs to be taken care of as it may lead to cancellation of order bookings. 3. Unavailability of goods at certain periods needs to be taken care of with a proper distribution control. 4. Promotional events along with the distribution of brochures, stickers and leaflets should be done through sub-stockists and retailers which will help in increasing the brand value. References: During the preparation of this project, help and references has been taken from many web sites and blogs and articles. They are mentioned here: -Rasna Pvt Ltd. Official site. -Wikipedia-the free encyclopaedia -Puneet Tandon Blogs -Economic Times -Times of India Articles -4psbusinessand marketing. com.

The Future of British Sign Language

The Future of British Sign Language The future of British sign language: Towards one variety or a variety of languages. When discussing the future of British Sign Language we must first define sign language and British Sign Language (BSL). Sign language is a visually based language that uses signs to represent specific words or phrases. There are numerous different types and varieties of sign language based around the world, some are rudimentary while others are have developed into advanced languages. British Sign Language is the most developed and widely used form of sign language used in Britain. It is estimated that 50, 000 people within the UK use BSL. BSL is the natural language of signs that has developed in Britain over centuries. It is the language used by the British Deaf community. (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 13). Similar to spoken and written languages BSL has grown and evolved since its inception, but unlike many spoken or written languages is not universal. BSL users are restricted to communicating within Britain, or with other signers familiar with BSL, as BSL does not extend beyond Britain’s borders, even to other English speaking populations. Indeed BSL, American Sign Language (ASL), Irish Sign Language (ISL), have all developed different signs for different words and have different structures, thus, someone signing with ASL will not be able to communicate clearly with someone signing with BSL. In addition to variations from country to country, there are dialect variations within each form of sign language. BSL, like spoken language, has evolved through the needs of its users in spontaneous and natural ways. There are wide regional differences in some signs numbers and colours are notoriously variable, however most signs are the same. Many of the variations stem from the schools Deaf people attended; new signs are being coined, and more established signs changing with time and use. Hearing learners may find this a problem in the early stages, but it doesn’t present a problem to native signers. Variations are largely in the vocabulary of signs the words of the language; the grammatical structures that hold it together and give meaning, vary very little. Language has a life of its own, and most attempts to interfere or control it tend to fail. (DeafSign.Com, 2000) Admittedly, it is the nature of language to grow and change, and many dialects and variations have emerged within Standard English. But while dialects in Standard English sometimes lead to confusion if two speakers of different dialects communicate, these differences seldom make it impossible for English speakers, or writers, to communicate with one another. Where as, without a universal form of sign language it makes it difficult for the signing population to communicate with people signing with different variations. This mutual unintelligibly within variations and dialects of sign language leads to deaf populations being not only removed from hearing populations, but also from one another. Because deaf communities tend to be smaller and more contained than other minorities within the hearing community the differences that emerge in sign language are more defined. Where as dialects in spoken English tend to emerge in areas or social communities, there are many more factors that influence dialects in sign language. Sutton-Spence Woll (2004, p. 13) explain that a signer’s age, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and locale can all effect the way in which they sign. This leads to many different variations within one variety of sign language alone. Thus, even a concerted effort to unify sign language, whether it be the unification of BSL from the current number of dialects and variations within BSL, to a uniform use of the language, or an even greater attempt to unify the varieties within countries, or even worldwide will be an extremely difficult task. There are so many external forces on the development of sign language that it is difficult to control its use and development. The age at which a person learns to sign and whom they learn it from effects the way in which they sign. This is especially notable when comparing the differences between the children of deaf and hearing parents. Exposure to sign language at an early age is different to the children of deaf parents and the children of hearing parents. Those born to deaf parents are more likely to have had early exposure to a fluent model of adult BSL. Those born to hearing parents often†¦ only begin to learn BSL when they start school†¦. Research comparing adult signers from deaf and hearing families has shown that their signing differs significantly. (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 23-24). One of the reasons that signing in BSL differs so dramatically from one person to another is that BSL is a complex, fully developed language, which is extremely different from Standard English. BSL has it’s own grammar, syntax, lexicon, and has many other unique features. BSL evolved naturally, as all languages do. It uses both manual and non-manual components – handshapes and movements, facial expression, and shoulder movement. BSL is structured in a completely different way to English, and like any language it has its own grammar. Linguists generally agree that BSL is a topic comment language. For example, the question in English ‘What is your name?’ becomes the sequence ‘Your name what?’ in BSL. (RNID 2004, p. 4). Anyone already fluent in Standard English, or any other language, that wishes to learn BSL must learn a completely new language structure and way of communicating to be able to sign in BSL. Like with Standard English there is a dictionary and many other texts to assist BSL users. The British Deaf Association’s Dictionary of British Sign Language (1992) is 1084 pages long and includes both pictures of each sign in the language, as well as, English word definitions. Yet people wishing to learn BSL cannot do so from text book alone as there are many features of BSL which must be seen or described to understand, such as, nods of the head, shoulder shrugs, facial expressions and lip patterns. â€Å"There are many mouth patterns that convey grammatical and phonological information in BSL.† (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 81). In addition, to knowing the intricacies of each sign, as well as, the structure and vocabulary of BSL, signers must also become familiar with other unique features of BSL. Features include the ability to express metaphors, poetry and humour using signs. Signers must also become familiar with BSL idioms, euphemisms, expletives / insults, as with any language BSL contains exceptions to the language rules and certain taboo words, such as, â€Å"ORAL-SIGNER† (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 245). This insult, which is unique to the signing community, reveals the effect of the divide between different varieties and dialects of sign language on the signing community and signing individuals’ opinions of other signers.   Furthermore, because signing languages are completely visual and do not have a written component, like Standard English, this forces people who wish to communicate through both BSL, or other forms of sign language, and also written English to learn two completely different languages. While BSL is currently the most commonly used variety of sign language in Britain, with the internet and email becoming more dominant communication tools by the day. Younger users of sign language may start to tend towards a variety of sign language that incorporates Standard English into its overall format. Currently there are a number of varieties of sign language used in Britain that use Standard English sentence construction and grammar, but these varieties have long been second to BSL. While the reason for the construction of BSL is quite simple and logical, this does not make the language any easier to use. BSL uses signs that often encompass a few words or a phrase, while the grammar and sentence structure work to create shortened sentences. All of these features serve to shorten BSL sentences, and are necessary to ensure timely communication, as it takes longer to form signs than to speak words. There are a number of other forms of sign language and signing used in Britain, these include Cued Speech, the Paget-Gorman Sign System (PGSS), Signed English, Sign Supported English (SSE), and Fingerspelling. All of these visual languages are largely dependent on Standard English. Some users of sign language use BSL in conjunction with these other forms, while others may choose to stick with one variety. Sign Supported English (SSE) is probably the most popular alternate variety of sign language currently used in Britian. This variety of sign language uses BSL vocabulary and Standard English sentence structure and grammar. â€Å"In Sign Supported English (SSE), the key words of a sentence are signed while the person speaks.† (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 14). SSE is an advanced variation of Signed English, which uses BSL to sign all of the words in a sentence, using Standard English sentence structure and grammar. There are problems with the use of Signed English. It is very slow, and a message takes longer in Signed English than in either BSL or [Standard] English. This means that spoken English accompanying Signed English becomes unnaturally slow, and many English speakers let speech take over and drop some signs. Many BSL signers using Signed English insert features of BSL grammar so that the grammar is not ‘pure English’ any more. (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 16). Just as SSE and Signed English depend on Standard English so too does the Paget-Gorman Sign System (PGSS). But whereas SSE and Signed English use BSL signs and incorporate Standard English form, PGSS uses â€Å"signs [that] do not come from any sign language, but have been created to represent English words and English grammar† (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 14). Because of its focus on Standard English PGSS is easy for native English speakers to learn, but it is not a language used by the deaf community. Similarly, cued speech, which is a system that does not use signs at all, rather â€Å"hand cues are made near the mouth to identify different speech sounds.† (Sutton-Spence Woll 2004, p. 13). Cued speech is a verbally dominated form of visual language and is thus not commonly used within the deaf community. One of the most basic and widely used forms of signing if fingerspelling, which has one sign for every letter of the alphabet and requires users to spell out the letters in a word or sentence. Fingerspelling is not a language in itself but is often incorporated into sign languages. Most commonly fingerspelling is used to spell words for which there is no sign, such as, names of people or places. Alternately, fingerspelling can be used to draw attention to a word in a sentence or phrase. Although fingerspelling may be the most simple and basic form of signing, it fails to be universal because different countries have different signs for each letter in the fingerspelling alphabet, making it impossible for signers from different countries to understand the words that are being spelt. Edward Finegan (2004, p. 19-20) identifies three modes of linguistic communication in Language: Its Structure Use. He defines these as speaking, writing and signing, yet signing at this point is not a fully developed universal mode of communication as a result of the restrictions the different varieties of sign language put upon their users. Because sign languages have developed and evolved naturally within the relatively small communities within which they are used around they have developed independently and created mutually exclusive varieties. There have been attempts in the past to create or nominate one universal sign language, but up until this point no one variety of sign language has succeeded in dominating the international signing community. In Britain because BSL is the official language of the deaf community, with approximately 50, 000 people within the UK using BSL, it will continue to be the dominant sign language in Britain. Although, with the rise of internet technology and written electronic communication the younger signing community may start to tend towards a Standard English based form of sign language, such as, SSP. The use of SSP would enable signers to communicate in the same language in person and in writing, rather than communicating with BSL sign language in person and Standard English in writing. The current dominance of British Sign Language can be attributed to the same factor which has led to the formation of the so many different varieties of sign language, in Britain and around the world, because signing communities tend to be quite small and isolated from one another, adult signers pass on the language they are familiar with ti younger signers. As a result, younger signers may not be aware of other sign languages available to them. But with the influence email, and the rise of written communication as a result, younger singers will beging to seek out a variety of sign language that incorporates the Standard English conventions they will become more familiar with as they become more familiar with writing. Indeed this may simply lead to the transformation of the current BSL variety into a variety of sign language, which incorporates rather than excludes Standard English conventions. Alternately, the language we currently know as BSL could be replaced by another variety of sign language, such as Sign Supported English (SSE), or another variety altogether. In a world dominated by travel and technology signing communities, both within Britain and around the world, need a language through which they can successfully, and clearly, communicate with one another. The first step towards universal communication between signing communities is to ensure that the sign languages used are simple for hearing people to learn, and that there is as little variation (and as a result confusion) within the varieties. By encouraging hearing people to learn sign language the signing community would broaden the language base and thus provide stability to the language. And although it is difficult to control the growth and evolution of any language, by adopting a sign language which follows Standard English conventions, the language would have to adhere to Standard English and thus evolve with it, creating a more universal and less confusing language. By adopting or creating a sign language based on Standard English, the variations of that sign language would tend be restricted to the variations of Standard English. The evolution of language is a gradual process, therefore the future of British Sign Language will most likely see the continuation of BSL as the dominant language, with the growth of a Standard English based language. The two languages will coincide for a period before the modern Standard English based language gains control. BIBLIOGRAPHY BRITISH DEAF ASSOCIATION, Brien, D. (ed.), 1992. Dictionary of British Sign Language. London: Faber and Faber. CRYSTAL, D., 2003. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language. 2nd edition. Cambridge:   Cambridge University Press. (p. 222-227) DEAFSIGN.COM, 2000. Is British Sign Language standardised? [online]. Available from: http://www.deafsign.com/ds/index.cfm?scn=articlearticleID=6 [Accessed 25 June 2005] FINEGAN, E., 2004. Language: Its Structure and Use. 4th ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth. RNID, April 2004. Introducing British Sign Language. London: RNID SUTTON-SPENCE, R., WOLL, B., 2004. The Linguistics of British Sign Language: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Irrigating Crops With Seawater :: Freshwater Essays

Brown J. Jed, Glenn Edward P., and O’Leary James W. 1998. Irrigating Crops with Seawater. Scientific American. Irrigating Crops with Seawater'; talks about the global problem of finding enough water and land for the world’s population to survive. An estimated 494.2 million acres of cropland is needed just to feed the tropics and subtropics for the next 30 years. However, only close to 200 million acres are available. Therefore, new sources of water and land are needed to grow crops. The writers of this article have been testing the prospect of using seawater in agriculture. This seawater agriculture is when salt-tolerant crops are grown using ocean water for irrigation. Desert areas take up 43% of the surface of the earth and this new agriculture technique can be done in deserts. Hugo Boyko and Elisabeth Boyko first used seawater agriculture after World War II. Many different crops have been tested such as barley and the date palm. The writers of this article however have been testing halophytes, which, is a salt-tolerant plant that can be used for food, forage and oilseed crops. They f irst gathered several hundred halophytes and began testing these plants in the desert of Puerto Peà ±asco. They irrigated the plants daily by flooding the fields with seawater from the Gulf of California. The best halophytes produced roughly the yield of alfalfa using freshwater irrigation. In order to show that these halophytes could replace other crops for use they tested to see if the crops could feed livestock. The halophytes have protein and carbohydrates but they contain too much salt. This limits the amount an animal can eat and dilutes the nutritional value. Therefore, the authors decided to use the halophytes as part of a mixed diet for the livestock. The animals’ meat taste was not affected, but the animals eating the halophyte-mixed diet drank more water and produced 10 percent less meat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This new agriculture method has many advantages too. First, it is cheaper to pump the seawater than to pump freshwater. In addition, seawater irrigation does not require any special equipment. The same fields have been irrigated for 10 years with no water buildup or salts in the root zone. Finally, installing the seawater irrigation will not disrupt the ecosystems as much because they are installed on barren or almost barren areas. There are also some disadvantages to irrigating crops with seawater. First, a large quantity of high-salt drainage water that will contain unused fertilizer will be discharged back into the sea.

Comparing the Act of Creation in Grendel and Frankenstein Essay

The Act of Creation in Grendel and Frankenstein   Ã‚   Man has always been driven to create. We constantly shape the world around us by inventing stories of heroes and monsters, by crafting complex but passionate ideals about good and evil. Some relish in the power that this manipulation of reality wields; others are more innocent in that they are simply yielding to a universal longing for something in which to believe.    In both John Gardner's Grendel and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, creation is a central theme. Victor Frankenstein is inexplicably driven to make a creature like himself, though he doesn't have any external reason for doing so. The monster himself enacts a kind of creation; he seeks to understand the truth of human nature by reading man's works, but also indulges in his own stories and fantasies of a life lived among friends. Shelley explores to some extent the morality of such creation (at least on the part of Victor Frankenstein), but Gardner is more interested in what the act of creation reveals about the nature of existence.    In Grendel, nearly all of the characters are driven to shape the world to their ideas. Hrothgar spends his life crafting a government. Grendel's mother is described as loving her son "not for myself, my holy specialness, but for my son-ness, my displacement of air as visible proof of her power (138)." Both Grendel and the Shaper constantly seek the ability to reshape reality with words. While they have differing motives, all of these acts of creation give power and significance to the creator. As Baby Grendel desperately convinces himself, it is the act of observing and commenting on what is outside that makes one real: "I understood that, finally ... ...endel would undoubtedly un-create if he really had that power. He understands too late. His death is as necessary as the death of a tree in winter; a new morning lies in wait for the Danes, as it does for all men in the circle of living and dying.    Works Cited and Consulted    Boyd, Stephen. York Notes on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Longman York Press, 1992.    Gardner, John. Grendel. Vintage Books, 1989.    Patterson, Arthur Paul. A Frankenstein Study. http://www.watershed.winnipeg.mb.ca/Frankenstein.html    Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992      Strehle, Susan. "John Gardner's Novels: Affirmation and the Alien." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. 218 -219.

Earning a College Degree Essay

Earning a college degree has always been a very important goal of mine. My children are getting older and in a few short years will start looking into college themselves. It became more important for me now than ever to make my dream, my goal, a reality. There were many factors that came into play when I decided that this was the right time in my life to return to school. Being a non-traditional student, cost, flexibility, and accreditation were among the most important factors for me when choosing an online university. As my research into finding the right university continued, I found that Western Governors University had much more to offer their students than just an education. The financial aspect of returning to school was probably my biggest concern. I wanted to earn a degree, but didn’t want to be left with a hefty student loan payment at the end. Many of the online University’s that I looked into were â€Å"for profit† schools. Being inexperienced and new to this research I didn’t realize that there was such thing as a â€Å"non for profit† online University until I stumbled upon WGU. With affordable tuition, I knew that my dream could soon become reality. My children and husband are my number one priorities. They always have been, always will be. My time spent with them is precious and something that I would not give up for anything. The flexibility in classes and coursework that WGU offers has given me the perfect balance to be both a mother and a student. Since WGU is a competency based school, this allows me to spend less time on the material that I already know and concentrate more on the subjects that I am not as familiar with. Accreditation was another important factor for me. I didn’t want to spend the next 3 to 4 years going to school, spending countless hours reading and studying, only to find out that future employers would not take my degree seriously. Finding out that WGU is highly respected among businesses made my decision that much easier. There have been a few unexpected surprises along my journey thus far, with WellConnect being one of them. I never realized how much an online university could care about the health and wellbeing of their students. WGU also has some great mentors who not only offer encouragement, but push you to do the best and be the best that you can be. From my first inquiry of Western Governors University to now, I can say that, without a doubt, I made the right decision. I have finally found an online university who is just as committed to my success as I am. I would encourage anyone thinking about  returning to school as a non-traditional student to look no further than Western Governors University. With their low-cost tuition, flexibility, and accreditation to their amazing and caring mentors and their competency based program, WGU is definitely a perfect fit.