Nigeria Oil Crisis Essay

Fariha Ahsan, period 5 This article displays a vivid picture for us about the conditions in Nigeria due to the oil reserves. Though Nigeria contained the potential to strive and become a wealthy oil nation, leaving the cocoon of poverty encompassing Africa- it became trapped in a lot of corrupt dealings. Today, the Niger Delta in Nigeria has caught the attention of world wide humanitarian and environmental activists. The article states how in the past, the corrupt government ruling Nigeria was funded by Western governments and large oil corporations. Together, the group have benefited from the fossil fuels that are in abundant supply in the delta region. However, the mines are not the only things that are in this area, there are people of the Niger Delta who have been harshly affected for decades due to this illegal mining. The Ogoni, Ijaw and other minority groups of the Niger Delta have been stripped away of their environment and basic human rights. Their non-violent protests have been ignored and harshly cracked down by the money-hungry government. For example, during one non violent protest, Shell paid several community members to break off the protesting group. The Human Rights Watch has sided with the people of the delta, as it is clearly visible how the oil mining has ruined the area. The oil corporations have destroyed the chances of neighboring communities and minorities to form. Money to control the environmental pollution has been insufficient, causing extremely- harsh living condition with scarce drinking water, and abundance of malnourishment and disease. The oil mining has destroyed the land of the Nigerian Delta as well as the homes of many living there. After the delta started receiving world wide attention some change has begun to start, but the previous government has left behind much chaos. It is reported that in the last decade, the military took control of the region’s people, burned homes and killed masses of civilians. The present government has attempted on being more democratic and open, so change is still underway.

Plato vs. St. Augustine of Hippo Essay

Our world has developed and flourished by the thoughts and contributions of many leaders. Among those leaders were Saint Augustine and Pluto. For many historians, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Augustine’s The City of God, are historical pieces that point out what had happened during ancient times. These pieces are significant because they shed some light on different thoughts and beliefs of people. Even though these works do not have similar world views, they attempt to show guidance to human life and to their beliefs. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, he teaches a world view with an example of a cave filled with darkness that people inside should get out by finding the truth and seeing the light. On the other hand, in Augustine’s The City of God, a Christian author, perceived this world as a place where the heavens and the earth coexist. Even though they both showed some similarities on the concept of dualism, these two philosophers had quite different principles and foundational beliefs. Augustine lived in the time around the fourth century. He was born in Tagaste, a Roman province in northern Africa. During his life time, the Roman Empire was on the verge of weakening and later collapsed for good. And according to Brian Levack, one of the main reason for the collapse of the once great empire was due to invasion from many sides in addition to the â€Å"unwise decisions, weak leadership, and Military Failure† in the empire (Levack 190). During this time, Constantine (AD 272-337) strived to Christianize the Roman Empire and thus Christianity was spreading all over the empire; however, there were debates and disagreements in the doctrine of Christianity and thus there existed splits among Christians that gave rise to the division in the Roman Empire. It was during this time the idea of Monasticism and Donatism flourished. Greek and Roman philosophical thoughts existed in the fourth century. The origin of the philosophy is traced back to the classical age of Greece. At that time, many thoughts emanated from different philosophers, each with their own views. However, as many would agree, Plato (ca.429-327  B.C.E) was the most prominent philosophers in the realm of ancient philosophy. He was influenced by the scientific thoughts of people that existed long before him. Since Plato was a student of Socrates, his teachings and beliefs have paved a way for Plato which in turn influenced Aristotle. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, clearly explains his philosophical thoughts and understanding. Basically, this work is a dialogue between Socrates, his mentor, and Glaucon (Plato’s brother). The work paints a picture of prisoners tightly chained in a cave in an attempt to describe the nature of justice –one of the â€Å"absolute forms.† Above these prisoners is a fire that casts a shadow of objects that pass through the way between the fire and them. He describes that for the prisoners that are unable to see anything but only the shadows casted by the objects on the wall of the cave. Plato further explains that if any one among the prisoners is set free and is forced to look up to the light, he will be suffer from its glitter on his eyes till he adjusts to it. If told that what he used to observe in the caves was an illusion, he will not be well convinced and would rather choose to go back to the cave where he will claim what he sees in the cave is a reality . However, if he is forced to stay in the world above, he will see the reality, the objects themselves: â€Å"And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves.† After having a thorough understanding of the reality in the above world, if he returned back to the cave, his vision will be filled with darkness and requires time to adjust. And even if he does, he, along with his ideas and believes will not be accepted among other prisoners. As mentioned above the works and contributions of these philosophical thoughts and ideologies had shaped influential people in the world of Christianity and among them was Augustine. In his early days, his parents sent him to Carthage for his rhetorical education. During his stay, he was struck by the search for truth. And this quest led him to the probe in to the Manichaeism ideology which was widely spread at the time. However, after discovering that the ideology could not bring the solutions what he was longing for, he become interested in neo-Platonic ideas while he was in Milan. This interest of his compelled him to become a Neo-Platonist (Gonzalez 210). During the time of Augustine, Christianity was spreading through the Roman Empire before the time of its downfall. Also, divisions occurred in the Empire after the death of Constantine, who is credited for his attempt to unify the churches in the Empire. Levack mentions that the Huns, Alaric and Vandals played great role that contributed for the collapse of the once great empire in the year A.D 410(191). In addition to this, many sources point out many reasons for downfall of the Empire, but most of them point their fingers at the transformation of the Empire to Christianity. According to historians, Polytheist claims that Christians were more interested to serve God than the Empire and have a sense of forgiveness towards enemies. Therefore both polytheist and pagans stressed that the Christian God failed to protect the Empire. In an attempt to prove Christianity was not a threat, and also to clear the misconception about the allegation that the Church profoundly contributed to the Roman collapse, Augustine wrote The City of God. Basically, the work mainly revolves around two cities: The Earthly city and the Heavenly city. The earthly city is a typical example of a place, presumably inhabited by pagans and polytheist and is found on earth. On the contrary, the heavenly city sojourns on earth. He makes a comparison between the two. He says that both are formed by two loves: â€Å"the earthly by the love of self† and that of the heavenly by the love of God. While the earthly city pleasures from the glorification of itself and its men, the heavenly counterpart pleasures in the glorification of God. The earthly operates on its own; that is, with the power, wisdom and rule of men while the heavenly is fully dependent on God. Augustine criticizes men of the earthly city for excessive pride in their own wis dom and for unthinkable representations of the image of God they made to worship, and this men that he is referring to are neo-Platonists. Augustine explains the two opposing aspects that exist in the city: peace and Conflict. He mentions that the earthly city is characterized by arguments, wars, and quarrels. Although victories over such aspects exist, he claims that it is either â€Å"life destroying† or â€Å"short-lived.† On the contrary, he points out that the heavenly city is characterized by the existence of everlasting victory and â€Å"never-ending† peace. He sets a clear demarcation between different aspects of both the heavenly and earthly cities. He explains the necessity to live by faith so as to escape the distraction of  that surrounds to deceive families. During his time, since the idea of monasticism and pilgrimage was well known, he encourages that families practice these idea to their advantage to gain heavenly blessings and everlasting peace, and lessen the burdens of the body, a prominent goals of all human beings that live in both cities. However, he contends that their appro aches are totally different: the earthly city has its own set of rules designed by the will and desires of men. Also, the earthly city has ideologies and principles set forth by philosophers, such as polytheists, who Augustine thinks are foolish for their earthly wisdom and understanding of the truth, and yet deceived themselves would also deceive the inhabitants of the earthly city: â€Å"the earthly city has had some philosophers whose doctrine is condemned by the divine teaching, and who, being deceived†¦supposed that many gods must be invited to take part in the interest in human affairs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  furthermore he explains that there would always a discord between both cities, and everlasting peace on earth could be attained through the unity in worshiping one God. Augustine’s City of God was one of his influence works that left positive marks on the thoughts and beliefs of many generations after him. According to Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew in Living at the Crossroads, he played a vital role in influencing the thoughts of many that provided structures for med ieval culture. But still they point out that this work of his is a combination of elements of Scripture and neo-Platonism (77). This shades some light on how he was deeply influenced by Greek and Roman Philosophical thoughts prevalent during his time. Besides, Goheen and Bartholomew argue that Augustine’s deep immersion in neo-platonic thoughts had an adverse effect on the development of western culture (77). This is evident in most of his works that â€Å"bore a [n]eo-Platonic stamp† (Gonzalez 212). Finally, if it was not for Augustine’s works, the Christianity that we have today might be different. It was through his work that became an influential theologian that paved the way for both medieval and modern Christianity: Walsh and Middleton label him as â€Å"the father of middle ages† (111). Although some say that his immersion in neo-platonic thoughts had negative consequences, Gonzalez points out that he was the most quoted theologian in the Middle Ages and thus â€Å"became one of the great doctors of the Roman Catholic Church† (216). It cannot be denied that his biblical world view has some stains of platonic philosophical  views; however, some of these thoughts have some similarity to th e bible. For instance, Plato assumed that there is a supernatural power which he labels as the â€Å"One† which is the reason for the existence of everything. Besides, he point out that there is another world beyond human existence –a world which he calls the â€Å"above world,† which exists at a higher level beyond the existence of humans. This assumption is akin to that of what the bible states as the Heavens. Thus, although Augustine’s works, thoughts and world views are deeply influenced be Greek and Roman Philosophies, he is still the â€Å"favorite theologian† and the most prominent figures for his significant contributions profoundly contributed to the realm of Christianity. As a Christian, I was surprised to discover that how these works are still influential in our world today. Furthermore, these works will broaden the minds of Christians in terms of the history of Christianity and its doctrine. Finally I contend that these historical pieces will gi ve a slight sense of the theological and philosophical world views and broadens ones understanding. Works Cited Augustine. â€Å"The City of God-excerpts on the Two Cities†, Medieval Sourcebook, July 1998. Stephen, Cooper. Augustine for Armchair Theologians, 2002. Print. Plato. â€Å"The Allegory of the cave†, The History Guide, May 2004. Goheen, Michael W., and Craig G. Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2008. Print. Gonalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Peabody: Prince Press, 2007. Print. Levack, Brian, Edward Muir, Meredith Veldman, and Michael Mass. The West. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2007. Print. Walsh, Brian J., and Richard Middleton. The Transforming Vision. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1984. Print.

Choose one of the specifeic food u like, make an argument, and write Essay

Choose one of the specifeic food u like, make an argument, and write about it - Essay Example In that context, it may sound strange, but canned and frozen foods and vegetables are a veritable source of nutrition, which satisfy a range of consumer choices and expectations. Though canned and frozen foods and vegetables happen to be processed foods, yet the good thing is that they provide people with the much needed nutrition, in a safe, convenient and cost effective manner, while complying with the environmental norms and criteria. The one amazing thing about canned and frozen foods and vegetables is that they have a high nutrition value and content (Belasco 57). It is a fact that fresh foods like fruits and vegetables do lose much nutrition during transit to the stores. In contrast, the canned and frozen foods and vegetables are processed when the food items are still fresh and thereby have a high nutrition value. The processing of fruits and vegetables resorts to an array of traditional activities like peeling and cutting and the subsequent boiling or freezing of the available fresh foods. Thereby, once the fresh fruits and vegetables are canned or frozen, their nutrition potential gets preserved and remains intact for a long period of time. The consumers can consume these canned and frozen foods while benefiting from their high nutrition value. Going by the hectic schedules and scarcity of time that the contemporary consumers have to contend with, canned and frozen foods and vegetables are indeed convenient and save on time (Belasco 70). Canned and frozen foods do save on time in the sense that they are cut, peeled and cooked in advance, and can thereby be readily consumed without resorting to any elaborate processing or cooking procedure. The same cannot be said of the fresh foods, vegetables and fruits. Besides, canned and frozen foods and vegetables are also convenient as they allow the consumers an

Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Writing - Essay Example However, Hou Hsai-hsien has used the concept of the red balloon in the context of modern day Paris. Hou Hsai-hsien’s film seems to underline the change in the perception of childhood since the 1950s. The little boy Pascal (The Red Balloon) and Simon (Flight of the Red Balloon) live two different types of life set apart by the time to which they belong. Their childhood too seems to be suffering from the whims of the adult world. The red balloon that connects both the films and gives the feel of continuity is the only representation of a child’s free spirit and imagination. Albert Lamorisse in his film The Red Balloon portrays childhood as a fairytale world where a child’s dream comes true. The big and bright red balloon brings variation in the otherwise monotonous life of Pascal. Lamorisse seems to stress upon the fact that childhood often gets lost in the attempt of making children live under strict routine. Pascal breaks free from the mechanical life with getting the balloon. He tries to shield it and protect it from the violence of nature and the human world. It seems as though he is trying to keep his imagination away from the clutches of harsh reality and live in his own imaginative world. The red balloon which stands for a child’s fantasy and boundless imagination follows Pascal everywhere. This sense of dependence and attachment that they bear for each other indicates the child’s love for his own imaginative world. But finally reality takes over as the older boys out of jealousy and the pleasure of bullying him steal his re d balloon and pelt stones at it. The conclusion of the film is made unique and full of optimism as Lamorisse does not project the death of a child’s imagination but by setting Pascal on a flight with the colorful balloons triggers childhood fancy. Hou Hsai-hsien’s Flight of the Red Balloon treats the red balloon as the icon of childhood

Diet Pills versus Exercise Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Diet Pills versus Exercise - Research Paper Example ResearchDietPills.com (2012) listed the top three diet pills to be # 1 Apidexin, # 2 Phenphedrine, and # 3 7-DFBX. The criteria for ranking was based on safety, effectiveness as fat burner, effectiveness as appetite suppressant, overall effectiveness, value, availability of guarantee, success rate, and the price. Apidexin was reported to be effective because it actually brought about weight loss by increasing the body’s metabolism or the ability to burn calories. It contains an ingredient known as African Mango. The scientific name is Irvingia Gabonensis. Natives of Africa actually used it as medicine before a university discovered its ability to raise metabolism and eventually result in weight loss. Apidexin also contains Cissus Quadrangularis, a substance from one of the grape family members. To help the person using that diet pill, its role is to lower down the level of stress while metabolism is raised. Such an ingredient is also capable of healing broken bones and tissues damaged. Without it, high stress level can trigger the natural storage of excess energy as fat. Another substance found in Apidexin is an herb that will suppress appetite while it also stimulates metabolism. Finally, there is caffeine anhydrous added to facilitate the absorption of multiple ingredients. One testimony (Donna) said that Apidexin can quickly lower the weight by 9 lbs. in 4 days. Another (Linzee) claimed to have lost 25 lbs. in 2 months. A third (Darleen) reported her use of Apidexin for 7 months and lost 58 lbs..These testimonies are available in the website of apidexin.com. Phenphedrine, as the # 2 diet pill, boasts of having the strength of 10,000 chocolate bars. It contains caffeine and malic acid which increase energy level and mental alertness. Chocamine was added. This comes from a Colombian coco plant and serves as antioxidants. Then it also contains Razberri-K, an ingredient meant to prevent the retention of fat. It also prevents weight gain as a result. Ginge r root was likewise included for the protection and even improvement of the heart and gallbladder. Yohimbine, which is an aphrodisiac or stimulant, comes from the so called Indian Snakeroot. So far, all the foregoing ingredients are from natural sources. But chemical components were added as well. These are: Phenylethylamine, known as a love drug, is for the purpose of giving a feeling of satisfaction, contentment, or even pleasure. Evodiamine was included because studies proved that it does burn fat and regulates the temperature of the body. Sclareolide supports the effect of Evodiamine by breaking down body fat. HOPS, the NPY (neuropeptide-Y) inhibitor acts on the brain to relax the body, to relieve pain and stress, and to lower the feeling of anxiety. Because the chemicals are derived from natural sources, advertisements say that Phenphedrine is 100% natural. Only 18 year old people are allowed to take Phenphedrine. Those sensitive to caffeine or stimulants should not take the dr ug. In the list of top 3, this diet pill was least safe and rated only 77% safe while Apidexin has been rated 99% safe. The producers of this drug claim that a person will lose 14 lbs. in 7 days. Their confidence is backed by a money back guarantee if that much weight loss is not attained. What makes it work? First of all, 7-DFBX contains 100% natural antioxidants. There are 35 ingredients on the label of that diet pill product. Its

Environmental Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Environmental Ethics - Essay Example ( McCann, 2003). Today, many feminist supports that our environment is apparently a feminist issue. This philosophy has been really popular and many relate the ethics of the environment to feminism and have their contradictions over the patriarchal issue and the biases as well as the dominance that comes in hand with the situation. One needs to understand in depth the basis of this philosophy. "A feminist uses gender analysis as the starting point; gender is the lens through which the initial description and analysis occur." (Warren, 2000) Similarly like feminism many forms of ecofeminism prevail. Ecofeminism is basically a name given to various feminist practices and philosophical ideas. These various approaches not only represent feminism but also how different forces of nature play and how they can overcome environmental concerns. Some examples of different perspective are: liberal, Marxist, black etc. Therefore various environmental philosophical positions that accepts feminine issues and support feminism are generally referred to as ecofeminist positions. "Views which uncritically embrace unified or one stance views of feminine sides of gender dichotomies are not feminist; they are better understood as ecofeminine than ecofeminist. They are, in fact, dangerous views from a genuinely feminist perspective." (Darion, 1999) The question here arises that what does one perceive about ecofeminism? What makes this philosophy so concrete that it stands as a complete concept which deals with its theoretical support or the political movement? Although there are significant differences between ecofeminism and feminism from which it has actually rooted, but all ecofeminist agree about certain things which are prominent in feminism. For instance, there is always a significant link between the dominant forces of nature and women, which is essential to understand three things that is feminism, philosophy of the environment and environmentalism. The

Musical Jersey Boys Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Musical Jersey Boys - Assignment Example The performance had its share of light and dark moments, where if on the one side these boys manage to carve out a space for themselves as astute and talented performers, yet, they are unable to get rid of the dark shadow of the mafia linkage and poverty that defined their urban background. The play encapsulates the life and times of the group, packaging and presenting it as a nostalgic remembrance of something moving and enrapturing. The show happened to be crisply fast paced, punctuated by more than ample moments of urban humor and laughter, which indeed imparted a tinge of lightness to an otherwise moving plot having its share of dark and grim moments. They much liberal exploitation of music made the play a much lighter and invigorating experience and the fast pace combined with a comparatively lighter tonality added to its overall appeal. The play allowed for an assemblage of perspectives, as it is narrated from the point of view of varied members of the Four Seasons group. This multiplicity of viewpoints is immaculately used in the play to weave the story of the ascendance of a group of four boys born and brought up amidst urban squalor and crime to the dizzying heights of fame, as they moved the hearts of millions of fans and music lovers. The struggle of these four boys justified by the success they achieved is movingly presented to the accompaniment of soundtracks from Frankie Valli and his band the Four Seasons. The hits like â€Å"Big Boys don’t cry†, ‘Dawn† and â€Å"Walk like a Man† imbued the theatre with a stimulating and palpitating sense of harmony, showcasing the golden hits that made these boys a rage amongst the music lovers of all ages and times. All the actors did do a remarkable job, bringing an emphatic and earnest charm to all the four characters that signified their appeal and immense following. One also does need to praise the musical abilities of most of the

The U-Build-It Hardware Company Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

The U-Build-It Hardware Company - Term Paper Example In fact, the use of the Internet has become as frequent as fax machines and business cards in business marketing. The majority of businesses are well aware of the fact that the internet is a very helpful tool for better serving customers and reaching into the large number of people quickly and easily, thus they are adopting this technology to modernize their business environments. Seeing a large number of advantages and opportunities brought by the Internet to the business world, the business of U-Build-It has also decided to renovate its business setting through a modern Internet supported environment. Basically, U-Build-It deals in providing hardware related material and accessories. Up till now, they have been running and managing their business using traditional business approach as they have five stores/branches where people go and shop for their desired products. In other words, up till now U-Build-It has been using a traditional business process to carry out their business act ivities. But with the passage of time and advancement of information technology, the business has started feeling the need for a more up-to-date system. The business idea is built around making use of the Internet to provide its customers with the modern facilities for shopping and order self customized products. For this purpose, the management of U-Build-It Corporation has decided to implement an e-business solution. This e-business solution will allow U-Build-It’s customers to shop online and place orders via using the company’s web site. The implementation of this modern system will help U-Build-It modernize its business structure. It will be a dynamic web site which will be based on a front end and a back end. The front-end will be a web site. The customers will be able to view this web site using a link. They will be able to search the desired products and place orders online. All the information will be stored in the back-end database, which will be used by the staff members to process these orders. This presentation outlines a detailed system implementation plan for U-Build-It with a detailed analysis of various aspects associated with this transition. This presentation covers some of the important aspects of this implementation. In this scenario, we will discuss the system requirements and we will divide this plan into different phases and each phase will be discussed in

The topic can be proposed by the writer Assignment - 5

The topic can be proposed by the writer - Assignment Example Teenagers and young adults indulge in poor eating habits that have adverse long-term effects on healthy living. I believe that I am solely responsible for my lifestyle habits. I take responsibility for taking care of my health by embracing a healthy living. I tend to implement such a change by exercising and eating healthy foods. Whetten and Cameron, (2011), convincingly argue that the first step for ensuring a successful implementation process is to establish a climate of positivity. It begins with acceptance. I aim to build on the thought that I will overcome poor lifestyle habits through dedicating most of my free time towards body fitness and healthy living. After establishing a climate of positivity, I will assess myself to ensure that I will honor all the steps towards realizing the change. The primary aspect of creating readiness is to benchmark best practices. Among the best practices to be implemented will be; Additionally, I will institute symbolic events that will signify the initiation of the implementation process. Such events will include visiting a fitness expert and a nutritionist to know more about body fitness and healthy eating habits respectively. Creating readiness will also involve creating a new language that will identify me as part of the individuals embracing healthy living standards. At this step, I will ensure that I have a mentor to inspire me through the entire process. This may involve having someone to look up to, to serve as a benchmark for my success. Effective management of a healthy living standard would involve visualizing the whole process and attaching the end result to the positive change. For example, I appreciate that healthy living is attributable to embracing good eating habits and body fitness. Actions speak louder than words. Therefore, commitment is necessary to ensure that the implementation of the change is tied

Dance, Girl, Dance Essay Example for Free

Dance, Girl, Dance Essay Dance, Girl, Dance is a film from the Classical Hollywood period that presents a complicated reading when viewed through a feminist lens. The 1940 film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the most notable female directors and the only prominent woman in Hollywood at that time. Arzner presents her audience with an array of female characters, the main characters being Judy O’brien and Bubbles/Tiger Lily White. Judy is a dedicated dancer, honing her talents as a ballerina. Bubbles, on the other hand, uses her looks and sexuality to land jobs as a burlesque dancer. Dance, Girl, Dance reveals these characters’ experience in a dance troupe with several other girls. When the troupe disbands, Bubbles comes to offer Judy a humiliating job as her stooge. As tensions rise, the two eventually come to blows, quite literally, when both fall for the same man, Jimmy Harris. Through their relationship with each other and with men, a dynamic is defined that gives insight into the power of the male gaze and sexual politics, not only in the film but also in society at large in the context of 1930s America. This can be seen in the analysis of a particular scene near the beginning of the film. Judy and one of her roommates, Sally, are preparing for bed after their performance at the nightclub in the opening scene. Bubbles, their third roommate, arrives at home after a disappointing outing with Jimmy. This scene specifically highlights the contrast between the personalities of Judy and Bubbles, and speaks to the many ways female characters are coded based on their sexuality and appearance. The analysis of the scene begins at the moment Bubbles enters the room. She comes into the frame through the doorway in a medium shot. It is important to note her costume, as it speaks to her character. She is wearing makeup, jewelry, a fox fur stole around her shoulders and a feathered hat. One may get the impression that she is trying to look as glamorous or ostentatious as possible on her limited budget. At this point, Bubbles has already been partly established as a brash woman who does not shy away from her ability to attract men. This can be contrasted with Judy’s costume during this scene, modest button-up pajamas. The scene continues as Bubbles enters the tiny apartment. She turns on the light, when Judy whispers that Sally is asleep from off camera. Bubbles leaves the light on, looks down at Sally in the bed, and proceeds to loudly close the door while muttering â€Å"So, what? † As she delivers her dialogue, the camera follows her as she walks to her bed, panning over to include Judy in a two shot. One key element in this simple interaction is the difference of attitude toward female solidarity between Bubbles and Judy. Judy obviously cares to not disturb Sally, while Bubbles seems disappointed and only concerned with her own problems at this point. Then, the camera cuts to a close shot of Sally lying in bed, smiling and clearly awake. She then closes her eyes and continues to try and sleep, rendering her unimportant to the rest of the scene. The next cut brings us back to a long, two shot of Bubbles and Judy as they discuss what happened to Bubbles that evening. Bubbles is explaining how she had gone out with Jimmy, but he suddenly left her at the bar after giving her a little stuffed bull. In this shot, Bubbles is in the foreground, a little closer to the camera than Judy, making her appear slightly larger. This could be interpreted as signifying her social dominance over Judy, and the fact that she â€Å"stole† Jimmy from Judy earlier that evening. Bubbles dismissively tosses the bull onto a chair in front of Judy. Judy picks it up, stating â€Å"It’s cute. † Bubbles tells her that she can have it. The audience is clearly meant to get the impression that the token of the night has no significance to Bubbles, and she is merely disappointed that she could not add Jimmy to her list of men to dote on her occasionally. The camera stays stationary as Bubble walks to the background of the shot and sits on her bed. Judy gently places the bull back on the chair, already showing signs of her eventual fetishization of the bull and Jimmy. Then, she continues to bend and stretch her legs, as Bubbles pouts behind her. It is interesting to point out that as Judy resumes her exercises, she has gained the â€Å"high ground† of the shot. The reminder of her status as a dancer, a more artful and talented dancer than Bubbles, means she is the larger, more significant character in the frame now. The focus has moved from Bubbles proficiency as a female spectacle, completely at home under the male gaze, to Judy’s proficiency as a ballerina, with no real concern for superficial male attention. Then, this is reinforced when there is a cut to a medium shot of Bubbles, looking at Judy. The camera follows Bubbles line of sight and there is a quick cut to a medium shot of Judy, then it reverses back to the shot of Bubbles on her bed, shaking her head. She says, â€Å"I’ll say one thing for you, Pavlova. You’ve certainly got ambition, even if it’s dumb. As she says this, Judy’s foot briefly enters from the side of the frame as she kicks her leg. Once again, Bubbles is coded as having no passion for her craft as a dancer, seeing it as a means to an end of attracting men and/or making money, while Judy genuinely loves to dance. One way of reading the film is through the suggestion that Judy’s ballet is high art, while Bubbles’ burlesque is low art. In the world of the Dance, Girl, Dance, women utilizing their sexuality for physical and financial gratification given by men is deemed less valuable than artistic expression. What follows is a short series of counter shots between the two, as Bubbles ponders how she will get back to New York, going through her list of male suitors to find a solution to her dilemma. On a surface level, this shows that Bubbles needs men to get where she is going, whether it is for a trip to New York or a trip to stardom as they buy tickets to her shows later in the film. The scene comes to a close as Bubbles decides on Sam, the traveling salesman that is â€Å"sweet on her. As this line is delivered, there is a quick cut to Judy whipping her head around to look back at Bubbles. Judy has an expression on her face that is hard to describe, but it gets across the fact that her reality is very different from that of Bubbles’. Judy goes on to ask if there will be room for Sally, as the camera tracks Bubbles while she walks to the bathroom. As the camera stops tracking, it stops in a medium shot of Bubbles as she eventually replies, â€Å"†¦ All right, she can go, b ut don’t blame me. That guy’s got more arms than an octopus. † There is a cut to a close shot of Sally in bed with a wide-eyed, nervous expression as she quickly lifts up her head and plops back down. Like Judy, her reality is very different from the reality of the dynamic Bubbles, and the possibility of encountering a man from that reality seems to frighten her. After the last cut of the scene, it ends on a medium shot of Judy picking up the stuffed bull once again and smiling at it fondly. This emphasizes the fact Judy is not asexual and clearly is developing feelings for Jimmy. Although, Judy seems to have a more deep, emotional connection to Jimmy than Bubbles has for her various men. Judy only became interested in Jimmy after he helped the girls at the nightclub and talked with her earlier in the film. Her interest is not based solely on what he can provide to her. The differences in costume, behavior and motivation between Bubbles and Judy are relevant to a larger scope of the film involving sex and gender politics. For all of the above reasons found in the formal elements of the film’s visual and narrative composition, Bubbles is coded as superficial, purely physical and vapid. On the other hand, Judy is given much more value and depth. While Bubbles goes on to find success by exploiting her good looks, Judy is the winner in the end, when she lands her position in the ballet company and achieves her dreams. In this way, the film is sending a message that female self-worth is not derived from male approval or reaffirming of beauty, but from accomplishment of what are considered to be more substantial goals.

Swot Analysis Of The Garden Company Limited

Swot Analysis Of The Garden Company Limited Garden supplies thousands of food products to todays retail and catering markets, with many of their products internationally awarded. As one of the largest bakery production corporations in Hong Kong, they are well equipped with state-of-the-art large-scale equipment. Their technology, quality, output and market development have long reached International Standards. Gardens wide assortments of products, high sales volume and extensive market penetration have long been broadly recognized. To further cope with rising market demand, they continue to inject large sums of investment into product research and development as well as upgrading their technology and production hardware. The various production procedures are completed with the most sophisticated equipment in their factory. Computer automation is integrated in all the processes from production to packaging, fully manifesting the remarkable results brought about by scientific management. Furthermore, their principal factory in Sham Tseng with a total area of 70,000 square meters carries out the production lines for bread, cakes, biscuits, candies etc. Unlike most firms in Hong Kong, Garden was a pro-China company and had been supplying bread to Chinese army during World War II. The firm closed its operations during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945. The company expanded with the growth of Hong Kong before and after World War II and benefited from the influx of immigrants from Mainland China. In the 1980s and 1990s, Garden products were shipped overseas to Chinese communities around the world. Besides their major business in Hong Kong, Garden has also been actively taping into the Mainland China market since the 1980s. Factories had been set up in Dong Guan and Yang Zhou to introduce the advanced technology into the food manufacturing industry of the Mainland. Achieving the ISO9001 certification in 1997 was a milestone in their history. It demonstrates that Garden, with its world-class corporate management and modern operation system, is a globally acclaimed food manufacturer. Today, the company remains a privately owned family (Cheung family) business with several joint ventures with mainland Chinese firms. It is one of the few Hong Kong firms with manufacturing operations still in Hong Kong. All Garden products are made of the finest ingredients selected from all around the world, for example their barley is from Australia, flour from the United States, milk and butter from New Zealand, just to name a few. Their long-standing experience, fully-automated technology and packing equipment together with careful quality control guarantee that every product of theirs can meet strict quality testing and safety standards in many countries. With the past 80 years of excellence, Garden has successfully established itself as a distinguished brand supported and favored by many consumers around the world. Their products currently reach many major Chinese communities in as far as Europe and America. Today they are actively developing overseas markets in order to offer their quality foods to consumers in different corners of the world. With more than eight decades of experience in food production, the Garden Companys determination in offering quality products and services and its innovative spirit are as strong as ever. Looking ahead, they will continue with their commitment to producing nutritious and quality food with the pursuit of perfection. QIE, which stands for Quality, innovation, Efficiency, serves as Gardens corporate mission with the objectives to lead their staff to pursuit of superb quality, continuous innovation and achieve efficiency enhancement. It is through the implementation of QIE that the recognition and reputation of their brand have been greatly elevated. To realize their goal of QIE, the Company puts LTC Learn, Think, and Communicate into practice with all their working together to continuously improve the manufacturing of quality products, developing new technologies and new product values so as to satisfy the ever-heightening needs of consumers. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis Strengths: Garden has a global brand, it is a strong brand, strengths including brand recognition, brand quality, economies of scale, strong distribution network, strong distribution chain, supply chain, strong international operations, online growth, good reputation, reputation management, market share leadership, effective marketing strategy, experienced personnel, strong management team, effective communication, extensive customer base, loyal customers, cost advantage, asset leverage, competitive pricing, original and unique products, high research and development, advanced equipments, innovation, etc. Apart from all these company strengths, they are famous in Hong Kong. I believe that all households in Hong Kong consume their products, one or the other on a regular basis. They are considered second to none in the bakery industry. Weaknesses: Due to Gardens huge range of products, coupled with a substantial global retail network, bad communication is unavoidable, it happens from time to time. Furthermore, they experience diseconomies to scale, at times over leveraged financial position, and weak corporate governing practice. Since Gardens range of products is for the public in general, many of their competitors go to the upper end market, for example to high class customers such as hotels and delis, and leave Garden in the lower end market for many years. Opportunities: Garden basically has a healthy financial position. They did some acquisitions, merger and takeovers on a small scale basis. They also tie up with international events to capitalize on synergy opportunities for growth of the operation. They continuously look for new markets; expand in Asia, expand into online shopping; decrease its taxation through donations to charity organizations. In the era of emergence of international middle class, and change in consumer lifestyles, they are constantly changing their products to expand their customer base, and their service lines like new products such as drinks and snacks, and new service such as mail order. Threats: Although Garden has a lion share in the bakery industry, they have many competitors in the high end sector. With Hong Kong returning its sovereignty to Mainland China, Garden is facing many financially strong competitors from the Mainland. There are new competitors from the Mainland entering into this relatively small market. As far as their foreign business is concerned, foreign exchange rate changes affect its imports/exports strategies. The volatility in fuel costs, rising costs of business, pricing pressures, potentially slowing global economy, changes in demographics, change in consumer lifestyles, changing to cheaper technology, substitute products, changing consumer patterns, growing power of customers to set the price etc. are possible threats Garden has been facing during the past few years. Porters Five Forces analysis Competitive Rivalry within an industry: Since multi-market competition exists, rivalry between competitors in the industry is extremely intense. Companies in the industry have started new businesses to increase the level of competition with one another and compete heavily for geographic markets. There is no clear dominant market share player in the industry. Though the industry currently has relatively high growth, much of the business is cyclical, which leads to intensified competition in economic downturns. High fixed costs also contribute to intense competition. More recently, the continued growth of online shopping, mail orders, combined with increasing awareness of door to door logistics arrangements have been giving Garden headaches and they have been streamlining their services in this competitive environment. A few remarks are listed below to introduce some of Gardens international and local rivalries. Sara Lee Corporation Sara Lee Corporation is a global consumer products company with food, beverage, and household and body care lines of business. With powerful brands, such as Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Senseo and its namesake, Sara Lee, the company has leading positions in numerous categories in the more than 180 markets in which it competes. In Hong Kong, Garden has two main competitors in its frozen and fresh breads. For frozen breads, it major rivalries are Maxims, Sara Lee. For fresh breads, Garden is facing numerous small size competitors, in particular in the western style restaurants which bake on an everyday basis for its afternoon tea customers. Competitive Rivalry is a strong force in the bakery industry because the competitors use price cuts to compete, there is a low cost product range and there is ease in switching brands, and the companies in this industry can diversify and acquire other companies for strategic growth and for synergy purposes. Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants into this industry is relatively low because of the scale required to make companies in the industry competitive. Capital demands to fund all of the assets required in the industry are extraordinarily large, making competition from entrepreneurs or small companies very difficult at this level of market competitiveness. Economies of scale are necessary for the business to be profitable and because of the intensity of rivalry, customers are difficult to attract. While the basic service of shipping goods would be relatively easy for new entrants to imitate, the competitors in the industry have created value and high switching costs for their customers through proprietary technologies. Threat of New Entrants is a weak force in this industry. Each company currently in the industry has strong brand images, leaving a harder job for new companies. The capital expenditures to start a bakery company are large, and the companies currently are achieving economies of scale by going global. Any smaller company will not be able to achieve these right away, not allowing them to compete on prices. Another factor threatening potential entrants is trade tariffs and international regulations. Most companies currently in the industry have already established relations with foreign countries. New companies will have to prove themselves to foreign companies, suppliers, and customers. Threat of Substitute Products: The threat of substitutes is currently high for the industry, but major technological or governmental foods regulations could change that. As mentioned above, although Garden has a lion share in the bakery industry, they have many competitors in the high end sector, for example Maxims, Saint Honore, Tai Pan Bakery etc. Garden is also facing many financially strong competitors from the Mainland. The latter produce substitute products such as dumplings, dim sums to suit the changing consumers taste. This is one of the many reasons why Garden has been continuously modifying the ingredients and packaging of their products during the past few years. Threat of Substitute Products is a strong force in this industry. There are plenty of substitute products in the market. Bakery retail outlets such as Maxims, Saint Honore, Tai Pan Bakery etc are conveniently located in all the 18 zones. One can literally find either one of them in almost every main street in Hong Kong. These competitors also offer very competitive prices which make potential consumers lose their brand loyalty and easy to switch to another brand. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers bargaining power is fairly low in the industry, but different suppliers have slightly different pricing strategies to fight for their survival. Competitors are also on the same footing with suppliers, as they are all subject to the same prices, although they may have hedged differently. Labour is a major factor of production in the industry and differences between companies regarding labour contracts subjects them to varying degrees of supplier power. Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the firm can be a source of power over the firm, when there are few substitutes. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or, e.g., charge excessively high prices for unique resources. This is a strong force if the suppliers serve different industries with their raw materials. If a supplier only has accounts or the majority of their accounts with different companies, they will not be able to control prices and supplies. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Customers in the industry initially have power, but once they commit to a bakery, their bargaining power decreases significantly. New customers can easily shop around for price or level of service in the beginning, but once they have chosen a bakery and buy their product, they are usually loyal to them. Customers are likely to become loyal to a certain provider because of long-standing relationships or personal interaction with the company. This is a moderate force in this industry because competition keeps prices similar among the companies. The only difference is degree in loyalty. Also, the buyers of the services in this industry are reactionary. They do not know the technology before it happens. They become dependent on the technology, service and speed offered by the companies in this industry and will pay for it. SCOR (Supply-Chain Operations Reference) Model Planning activities: Gardens target customers are the public in general, whether they be as young as 2 years old, to as old as 99, they could be Gardens customers. Their pricing strategy is value for money. Their marketing slogan has been nutrition you need every day with the highest quality. These planning activities have proved to be most successful and made Garden the leading supplier in the bakery industry, in particular in the breads, biscuits and cakes sectors. Sourcing activities: According to the reading materials I searched and found, Garden has been purchasing all the baking ingredients directly themselves. However, they do outsource through logistic companies in their delivery activities. Locally, they need to deliver their fresh breads every early morning to hundreds of retail outlets. They also need to deliver fresh buns to all McDonalds franchisees. Furthermore they also deliver a range of fancy breads to airline caterers, hotels and restaurants. Internationally, they outsource transportation companies as well as freight forwarders for special orders such as wedding and birthday cakes. Internally, they outsource information technologies, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, foods testing etc. just to name a few. Make or production activities: Gardens upstream suppliers are worldwide. These included but not limited to flour, sugar, milk, cocoa, vanilla, wheat, soda powder, etc. again just to name a few. Countries included but not limited to (in alphabetical order) Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Bread Production Gardens bread production lines operate on a 24-hour basis, of which one is the first fully-automated line for hamburger buns in Asia. Apart from the retail market, they provide a huge volume of wholesale goods, which include bread, pastry and frozen dough products to major fast food chains, restaurants, hotels and airline catering services in Hong Kong. With their far-ranging businesses, they are committed to providing consumers with better choices with continuous innovations. Biscuit production Garden possesses diverse expertise, equipment and automated production lines to produce a wide variety of biscuits including wafers, cookies, sandwich biscuits, saltine, crackers and assorted biscuit gift packs to meet market demands. Cake production Their wide range of cakes has long been famous for its high quality and great taste. To cope with market demand, Garden produces cake products with highly efficient production lines, of which one is fully computerized for producing mini-cakes. With a wholehearted contribution from over 1,200 employees, Garden has established itself as the most reputable manufacturer in the local industry. Order processing information systems All market interactions, from the understanding of aggregate demand to the fulfillment of each order are not done wholly by Garden internally themselves. Some logistics are being outsourced, in particular for the overseas markets in Northern and Latin America, Australia, Europe, and Canada. Garden normally receives their orders through phone, fax and e-mail or e-order. Its IT department uploads orders to the printing invoice system. Automatically, these invoices pass to its distribution department for delivery. After deliveries, these invoices will be, again automatically, sent to its accounting department. The latter department then issues credit notes to the appropriate customers. Currently they are still using the information systems designed by IBM. Quality Control foremen in Garden are made responsible to ensure that expiry date, and appearances are properly done, and presentable. All delivery vans must have the correct temperatures for the different kinds of products. Delivery activities: Different transportation teams are required for different products. Fresh breads, frozen breads, biscuits are being delivered by the China and Hong Kong transport teams. Fresh bread team has about 60 vehicles to deliver 4,000 orders per day. These trucks are recognizable easily on the streets. Frozen breads and biscuits teams have about 20 vehicles to deliver 400 orders per day. Three trailers are being outsourced for the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets. As mentioned above, Garden does outsource through logistic companies in their delivery activities. Locally, they need to deliver their fresh breads every early morning to hundreds of retail outlets. They also need to deliver fresh buns to all McDonalds franchisees; deliver a range of fancy breads to airline caterers, hotels and restaurants. Internationally, they outsource transportation companies as well as freight forwarders for special orders such as wedding and birthday cakes. Not only that Garden wants to manufacture the best products, they also want to provide their best delivery service. Return activities: Garden guarantees its products are fresh and proper. They promise their retailers that they will replace any damaged or rotten items, that is if that happens. Garden has agreed with their retailers that they will pick up any expired items on their shelves. Assess how well the organization implements the supply chain management As mentioned right at the beginning of this report, Gardens major upstream suppliers are from the US, Canada, and Australia whereas their three biggest downstream suppliers in Hong Kong are supermarkets Wellcome, ParknShop and Mcdonalds. As far as this report is concerned, I would focus in the downstream supply chains; and before I go into how well Garden implements the supply chain management, I would like to introduce Gardens major downstream supply chains Wellcome, ParknShop and Mcdonalds. Wellcome Wellcome is Hong Kongs longest-established supermarket chain, they have an overall staff of 5,000 in more than 240 stores and serves more than 14 million customers every month. ParknShop ParknShop is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong (the other is Wellcome Supermarket). ParknShop operates more than 260 outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China. ParknShop has more than 200 stores and 9,000 employees in Hong Kong. Mcdonalds McDonalds Corporation is one of the worlds largest chains of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. Most of their breads in Hong Kong are supplied by Garden. Although Garden does supply their products to airlines catering companies, hotels and restaurants, as well as supply chains such as 7 Eleven, Circle K and etc., I am not going to introduce these supply chains on a one on one basis. Basically these supply chains are owned by substantial and listed companies with well-trained management teams. Top management, as well as middle management personnel at Garden have very good business relationships with their supply chains. They have properly done legal contracts specifying all the details in supplies and payments. I have not been able to find any past news regarding any communication breakdowns between Garden and its supply chains. I have neither been able to find any past law suits about Garden suing any of its supply chains for non-payments, nor any company suing Garden for not delivering its responsibilities although there have been rumors that Garden has been finding it more and more difficult to get their payments on time during the past few years. Based on these findings, I believe Garden has been successful in its supply chains management activities. Suggest solutions/ways to improve the organization business; especially by improvements on supply chain management of the organization Supply Chain Management (SCM) is not created to suit for every company. It can succeed only with top management commitment and managers loyalty in executing those management strategies. Gardens management teams need to spend time in evaluating whether new SCM, inclusive of international networks, is suitable to be implemented into their company and how it could be successful. Garden bread has long history in Hong Kong that the fundamental target market should be the mass public served as the stable diet. With the increasing awareness of healthy eating, the variety of healthy consciousness products have been promoted like multi-grained, whole wheat, high calcium low fat breads. It is the general social trend and also serves as one of the marketing strategies that focus on the targeted middle-class, office-ladies and health consciousness customers. The relative advantage of Garden obviously is its long history and well-developed manufacturing factories, well-connected distribution channels, competitive retailing price and, of course, the well-known and long established brand name. On the other hand, these relative advantages might contribute some shortcomings in terms of the flexibility of market positioning and variety of products in response to the ever-changing and ever-increasing market force. Personally I am disappointed with Gardens decade-long use of coconut oil as an ingredient for their biscuits production. According to certain food magazines, too much consumption in coconut oil is bad for our health. Although all the reading material I found have been saying good things about Garden, nevertheless Garden is not a listed company, it is a privately owned company. They do not have to disclose any of their operation details to the public. Particularly, they do not have to disclose their financial position apart from to the Inland Revenue. My perception of Garden is that it is a very old style traditional company. Its top management includes family members of the founder. It is purely family business. Its image is not catching up with the young generation. Their product range is also conservative. It does not give any modern flare to attract those expats from the west. They focus on Asians so far, that means there is a huge expats market for them to develop. Garden reminds me of the Green, Yellow and White Arrow brands chewing gum company. The latter company has been too conservative and has not been innovative to catch up with the new entrants. Hence, Green White Arrow chewing gums have been losing market share. Until today, they have not been able to gain back what has been lost. The image of Garden should shift to focus more clearly on each market segment. For instance, Garden should develop a Gourmet production line which emphasis on the finest ingredients, the innovative design, for example in its packaging, and its advertisements. They could consider making more choice of breads, land cakes similar to those recipes from Italy and France, or from Europe at large. In order to shave off the old stable diet image, instead, the building up of the delicate and professional crafted food and to state that not only the five stars hotels can produce but Garden can also make and even better. The efforts to make sure managers do well in the SCM program and not treat it as another flavor-of-the-month include but not limited to the followings. Firstly, Garden has to ensure that the companys SCM strategies are specifically designed. Secondly, the SCM program need to meet their customers demands and reduces the companys costs. Thirdly, the management team must buy-in the program. Also, all the benefits included from the program such as customer responsiveness, more consistent on-time delivery; shorter order fulfillment lead times; reduced inventory costs; lower cost of purchased items; higher product quality; faster product innovation and etc. must be clearly explained to all the concerned managers so that they know the importance of the program. Garden must ensure that the staff concerned understand the objectives of the program, for example to better utilize the company resources and yet with higher product quality. Finally, if managers do well in implementing and executin g the program, the company should consider giving them incentive such as bonus or additional rewards other than their normal compensation. This will give them more motivation to continue to run the program. Garden has to do detailed surveys and researches to find out what are the products that their customers demand. They should listen to the voice of their customers. Their views and suggestions could in turn help the company to produce specifically the range of products the customers need. The company could also utilize their findings for meetings and discussions with their suppliers, both upstream and downstream and production managers to reduce the order processing time and inventories. The company would also be able to produce higher quality products with lower prices and less order processing time. In this way, the company would be more responsive to both their customers and suppliers. By doing the above, the company would be able to expand its market share from other competitors. Further possible improvements can be capitalized in the advances in technological and informational environment. These improvements have major implications for all industries, particularly logistics. If used effectively such advances may be a key source of competitive advantage. The technology listed below may become a competitive edge advantage for Garden in the future. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) not ready to implement? Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. It works like a barcode, but instead of having to be passed in front of a scanner for recognition, tiny transponders (known as tags or chips) send out radio signals. Each tag is small, robust and unique so any one item can be tracked individually throughout the supply chain. Logistics and transportation are major areas of implementation for RFID technology. For example, yard management, shipping and freight and distribution centers are some areas where RFID tracking technology is used. Transportation companies around the world value RFID technology due to its impact on the business value and efficiency. The new technology is currently seen as too expensive to put on individuals products, but large companies already use it to track shipping items. RFID trials have met with mixed customer reactions. As with many such technical advances the effects can be both positive and negative. RFID technology is currently unsophisticated and largely applied to logistical operations. Training of staff and informing all internal stakeholders as to how RFID technology works and can benefit the company, stating the impact on customers so that companies are able to improve their operations. Global Positioning System (GPS) The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth which has an unobstructed view of four or more GPS satellites. GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation for aviation, ground, and maritime operations. Installing GPS systems for delivery vehicles can increase the efficiency and effectiveness in delivering products. Even though transportation companies offer tracking and insurance services to their customers, there are still chances that the customers packages might be lost or stolen. Imagine a GPS chip attached to the delivery packages; it can then be tracked anytime. Adding this technology can boost the customers confidence about Garden. Conclusion Gardens supply chains are owned by substantial and listed companies with well-trained management teams. Garden has very good business relationships with their supply chains. Garden has been successful in its SCM activities. For further improvements, Garden should keep themselves abreast of the current important trends being developed in the business arena, for example electronic commerce has been widely used. Experienced users reveal that e-business reduces costs and time. It creates less conflict between suppliers and consumers. Garden must realize that very few industries are protected geographically; competition is getting more and more fierce. Gardens determination to change as the contents mentioned-above is critical for its advancement. With Gardens top management teams commitment, together with managers efforts, I believe that Gardens staff is more willingly to change and Garden has a good chance of success in improving its current SCM program. During the process of finding reading material for this exercise and thereafter digesting the material, I became more familiar with what supply chain management is. I will be interested in searching material for other type of companies when time permits.

Avoiding the Unavoidable Essay -- Comparative, Poe, Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are often thought to have different themes in their writing, but in reality, they have extremely similar themes. In Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," one theme is incredibly prominent. Death is unavoidable, and when one tries to escape death, one will always find it hiding around another corner. Death can be evaded by hiding behind a barrier or attempting to conquer it, but one will always fail and have a limited time before it catches up. Hiding behind a barrier, be it physical or emotional, has always been the first line of defense in evading death. In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," Widow Wycherly, Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Medbourne, and Mr. Gascoigne hide from their old age and impending death by drinking the water from the Fountain of Youth: "Age, with its miserable train of cares and sorrows and diseases, was remembered only as the trouble of a dream, from which they had joyously awoke" (Hawthorne 9). The four comrades all took refuge in a corner of their minds, and saw each other in their own distorted reality. They bury themselves ever more deeper in this alternate dimension of youth. " 'We are younger- but we are still too old! Quick- give us more!' " (Hawthorne 7). Once presented with another defense against impending death, they do all they can to include it in their arsenal. In "The Masque of the Red Death", Prince Prospero shares the same feeling of invincibility. He locks himself and his comrades in his castellated abbey, in hopes that the Red Death will not reach them: "When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, a... ...ince Prospero take himself out, he condemned all those that were locked away with him: "And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall" (Poe 7). All one-thousand of his subjects that he had kept with him in his abbey were subjected to the same punishment. While both the four friends and Prince Prospero had different initial outcomes after their first failed attempt to avoid death, they share a common final outcome. Whether one looks at the evidence presented about avoiding death by hiding behind barriers, or by attempting to conquer death, one can clearly see that evading death is impossible, and will always lead to failure. No matter how hard one tries, one cannot escape death. Before attempting to escape death, one should ponder about how gifted one is to receive one lifetime.

king mike :: essays research papers

Chapter 1 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Four purposes of writing are to: inform, persuade, express oneself, and to entertain. To inform may be to further educate the reader on a topic of intrest such as taking care of pets. Trying to sway a reader on a topic such as wheather abortion is moral or not is an example of persuasive writing. Self expression is apearent in poetry along with personal essays. And any child who has ever been read to can tell you how entertaining writing can be. 2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When writting a paper the audience is the most important thing to think about. You want to make sure the peice you are writting is not only entertaining to them so they will read it but also they can understand what you are trying to express. A third gradder would not be able to even comprehend, never mind enjoy a paper on quantum physics, nor would a physisist find much joy in reading See Spot Run . It is the audience that would be dictating what a good paper is and if they dont understand it they would most likely not like the paper. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the audience’s educational level, age social class, and economical status? You don’t want to write on a topic that the audience will not or can not relate to whatsoever such as a 10 year old may not comprehend the stress of the great depression, they most likely just want to read to enjoy themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why will the audience read the writing? Is it to gain information, or be entertained, or maybe to try to understand a veiw on an issue that is presented. There neesd to be a purpose to all writing. If your audience wants to be informed then allow them to learn by providing details and well presented information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How will the audience respond? If you have a hostile (opposing audience) then try to make your comments less agressive and follow them up with details and evidence to support your main themes. Having a neutral audience then you want to provide an effectively presented arument to persuade them to beleive in your veiws.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How much do they know about the topic? This will allow you to judge wheather you are saying too much or too little in your writting. If they have little to no knollage of the topic then be sure to explain things in great detail.

An Education Film Essay Essay

Analyse how conflict (either internal or external) was used in a film you have studied to help us better understand a main character. â€Å"Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be.† An Education directed by Lone Scherfig is a film about coming of age and discovering whom we are. The film is set in the early 1960’s a time ruled by moral code and strong feminist rules. Jenny is the main character who is 16 and aspiring to read English at Oxford. She soon meets playboy David, who seduces her and they fall in love. This relationship lets Jenny see into a whole new world of thrilling and current things. This creates a big internal conflict for Jenny who now must decide what she wants to do with her life. She has three pathways she can choose from, and the characters of Helen, Mrs. Stubbs and Jenny’s mother Marjorie model all of these paths. She must decide if she wants to live an exciting life but is filled with fraud and larceny. She can also living a boring life of teacher marking ‘pony essays’ but also one that has had the purpose of an education and is fulfilling in numerous ways. Jenny can also become a housewife though like her mother Marjorie, this is the most common paths for women in the 1960’s and is a tedious and unfulfilling lifestyle. Jenny is internally conflicted between all three of these paths, because whichever one she picks will determine the rest of her life. Very early on in the film we are introduced to the character of Helen, she is an affluent person and lives an abundant life style of which many people in the 1960’s would be jealous. She has the privilege of lavish clothes, attending fabulous concerts, going to art auctions, eating in Michelin star restaurants and traveling the world. This is the life Jenny wants to live. Jenny is able to access this life style through David; he opens her up to all sorts of new possibilities. When we first meet Helen at the concert in Saint James Square we can tell the Jenny is in awe of Helen. Jenny strokes Helens velvety fur cape, admiring the fine piece of clothing. Jenny asks Helen â€Å"it is beautiful, where did it come from?† Helen being very wealthy probably has many coats and beautiful clothes like this and so simply replies â€Å"oh South Ken somewhere.† The area Helen is talking about is South Kensington and is one of the wealthiest areas of London. This is the kind of area that Jenny wouldn’t have been able to afford anything from so when Helen suggests to her that they should go shopping together there and that David can pay, Jenny is a little taken back because something so luxurious and exorbitant shouldn’t come so easily. Jenny realises that this life can become possible if she sticks with David. There is no need for her to attend Oxford to have a fun and fulfilling life. With David she can live Helen’s life, where she can go to France; her escape in life â€Å" I want to be French. She wouldn’t have to deal with her parents, school and Oxford. With David she is not confined in her life, she can do whatever she wants. Jenny must make a decision as to whether she wants to stay with David and to continue living this exciting lifestyle or to continue on the path of life she had originally planned out for her life in Oxford and one of an Education. Jenny must remember that â€Å"when life’s path is steep to keep your mind open† Jenny is focused on David in the movie because she thinks it is what she wants. We must all keep be level minded when we are making decisions, Lone Scherfig has alerted this too the audience that these choices we make are important and they will leave a mark on us forever. Mrs. Stubbs is a very influential person in Jenny’s life. Mrs. Stubbs life could foreshadow one that Jenny might live if she gets an education at Oxford. Mrs. Stubbs is Jenny’s English teacher, and she studied at Cambridge. Cambridge is a very prestigious school, which is very similar to Oxford. Both schools hold high reputation and only the elite and highly respected can attend these two schools. Judging from the lifestyles of the female role models around her, Jenny’s future can be narrowed down to two options; housewife or a secretary if she doesn’t get an education. In order to avoid those to paths in life, Jenny’s caring but overly concerned parents Jack and Marjorie and Mrs. Stubbs forcefully suggest an education at Oxford. In order to market herself as a valuable candidate, Jenny must ace English, Latin, French (hence the title), and show cultural breadth (her â€Å"hobby† is the cello). Yet, if all goes according to plan, Jenny will meet a similarly cultured wealthy man and will no longer need to do any of those things. The irony, of course, is that an Oxford education is simply a means of making the bait more alluring. Jenny comes to this realisation early into Scherfig’s film and asks the question â€Å"Why must I attend Oxford when I could easily take a shortcut and reach the same inevitable conclusion by attending the school of life? I’d have a lot more fun.† David is a shortcut past Oxford and is also a lot more entertaining and fun. Jenny must open her mind up to the possibilities that Oxford and an education can grant her. She must again keep her mind open; sometimes the path that is not as clear is often the better choice. As the viewer we want Jenny to go to Oxford and we can see how her decision will make a last imprint on her. We want her to attend and it makes us reflect on all those important decisions we have all had to make in our lives. In order to market herself as a valuable candidate, Jenny must ace English, Latin, French (hence the title), and show cultural breadth (her â€Å"hobby† is the cello). Yet, if all goes according to plan, Jenny will meet a similarly cultured wealthy man and will no longer need to do any of those things. The irony, of course, is that an Oxford education is simply a means of making the bait more alluring. Jenny comes to this realisation early into Scherfig’s film and asks the question â€Å"Why must I attend Oxford when I could easily take a shortcut and reach the same inevitable conclusion by attending the school of life? I’d have a lot more fun.† David is a shortcut past Oxford and is also a lot more entertaining and fun. Jenny must open her mind up to the possibilities that Oxford and an education can grant her. She must again keep her mind open; sometimes the path that is not as clear is often the better choice. As the viewer we want Jenny to go to Oxford and we can see how her decision will make a last imprint on her. We want her to attend and it makes us reflect on all those important decisions we have all had to make in our lives. In order to market herself as a valuable candidate, Jenny must ace English, Latin, French (hence the title), and show cultural breadth (her â€Å"hobby† is the cello). Yet, if all goes according to plan, Jenny will meet a similarly cultured wealthy man and will no longer need to do any of those things. The irony, of course, is that an Oxford education is simply a means of making the bait more alluring. Jenny comes to this realisation early into Scherfig’s film and asks the question â€Å"Why must I attend Oxford when I could easily take a shortcut and reach the same inevitable conclusion by attending the school of life? I’d have a lot more fun.† David is a shortcut past Oxford and is also a lot more entertaining and fun. Jenny must open her mind up to the possibilities that Oxford and an education can grant her. She must again keep her mind open; sometimes the path that is not as clear is often the better choice. As the viewer we want Jenny to go to Oxford and we can see how her decision will make a last imprint on her. We want her to attend and it makes us reflect on all those important decisions we have all had to make in our lives. The final route Jenny can take is one of the most common paths young women in the 1960’s take and that is to become a housewife and mother. This path requires no education apart from how to cook, clean and sew. These three things are all taught at school along with dancing and posture. These are all qualities a good housewife needs to make their husband look first class and not themselves. In the very opening scenes of the movie we see a montage of shots that exhibit the young girls in the 1960’s learning these qualities. This opening scene illustrates to the audience the traditional expectations of young women. This kind of education the women are getting is to set them up to be wives, to be like Marjorie. Jenny however is different to the other girls. Her education will not stop her hopefully but instead it will continue on at Oxford. One of the most important scenes shown in the movie is when Jenny comes home after being out for the night with David for the first tim e. When we see Marjorie in this shot we can see her through the kitchen door trying to clean a casserole dish. Marjorie is completely framed inside her world. By marrying Jack it has trapped inside this world, there is no fun parties or lavish concerts, instead she is a housewife, â€Å"and I can’t get this casserole dish clean. We had hot-pot tonight, and it’s all burnt round†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jenny is confused though as â€Å"its twenty-five to twelve. We finish tea at seven.† Jenny soon realises that this is a life you get trapped in, and once you enter into it there isn’t any escape. Jenny is different from the other girls at school she is smart. She will not become a housewife and we can see how fantastic it is to stand out and be different. With this comes choice though resulting in hard decisions. Jenny is forced to make one and as the viewer Lone Scherfig has positioned us to see how all the choices we make in our lives will and can affect us. Jenny is forced to make a difficult decision, and she is conflicted between what she wants to do in life. At this stage in her life she can has to choose between becoming her mother, Helen or Mrs. Stubbs. With decisions comes conflict and Jenny is internally conflicted with all of these options. Lone Scherfig has effectively made the audience look back on all of the decisions we have had to make in our lives and how they have shaped us into who we are today. Our paths should lead us all to a goal and desire. We can only know this when â€Å"if you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.†

Compare and Contrast: New England and the Mid Atlantic

Compare and Contrast: New England and the Mid Atlantic Colonists began arriving in the Americas in the early 1600’s. Some were seeking wealth and opportunity in the New World, others fleeing from persecution in their native country. Two distinct regions of the 13 British colonies were New England and the Mid Atlantic and though the two areas were governed by the British, in some ways they were quite different. Though they share similar backgrounds, the New England and Mid Atlantic regions differed in the structure of their economy, their tolerance of religions, and the structure of their self-government.The North American colonies were all rich with resources; as part of the mercantilist system, raw materials were what the colonists sold to England for profit. Each region had their own specific contribution to this system; colonists in the Mid Atlantic region grew crops such as wheat, rye and flax. The climate and soil of the Mid Atlantic region was well suited for the cultiva tion of grains, and the Mid Atlantic colonies became known as the â€Å"bread basket colonies†. By contrast, the New England region experienced long, cold winters and had rocky soil unsuitable for an economy based on farming.The New England region mainly traded furs, timber, and fish. Religion was a very important aspect of colonial life; many people came to America in search of religious freedom. The New England colonies were predominantly Puritan, and the Puritans wanted everyone to worship as they did. In order to ensure the Puritan way of worship was practiced, punishments were given to those who did not oblige. There was greater religious diversity in the Mid Atlantic region, including Quakers, Catholics, and Protestants.The Mid Atlantic colonies were the most diverse in America, and such an assortment made the dominance of one religion difficult. Finally, the colonial regions all had forms of self-government as they sought to assert local control. In the different regio ns, the priority of the colonies was very important in the formation of the governments. In the New England colonies, strict democratic law was practiced. Only men in good standing with the church were allowed to voice their opinions at the town hall meetings which decided laws.By contrast, in the Mid Atlantic colonies landowning men were represented, and political power was in the hands of the wealthy. The colonies of North America have similar origins and purposes, but are quite different in many ways. The New England and Mid Atlantic regions of colonial America were similar because of their role to England, the importance of religion and the fact that they were self-governing, but were different because of the resources found in each region, religious tolerance, and how one received the right to take part in politics.

Plot V Style – Therese Raquin

Though literature, like all art forms, is subjective, people never hesitate to critique it as if their word were final. Book critics usually prefer novels which cleverly encompass all aspects of literature. This includes plot and style, but also an array of other aspects. However, if one were to prioritize, would style and language trump plot? It all depends on themes. For example, Emile Zola, while writing Therese Raquin which focuses on human behavior in a psychological novel, might put emphasis on plot to get his point across. But if his language is faulty, his style ambiguous; then will the reader truly understand Zola’s intentions? Style in a novel is the author’s technique, such as his diction or syntax. However, because the version of the book being investigated is a translation, we mustn’t look too far into diction. But style also sets the tone of the chapter, paragraph, and the entire novel. Therese Raquin may have a killer plot, but can the reader really understand the novel if they cannot identify the tone? From the very beginning, we can identify the tone as bleak and depressive, when Zola is describing Rue Du Pont Neuf at the very first page, and writes â€Å"This arcade is some thirty paces long and no more than two wide; it is paved with yellowish flagstones, worn, uneven, permanently exuding an acrid-smelling damp, and is covered by a right-angled glass roof black with grime. † One can immediately identify the morbid tone in this passage. If Zola were to write â€Å"the arcade is long and narrow, with flagstones and a rather dirty glass roof† no type of tone could be interpreted, or if it could, it would be one far from that of which Zola intended. Similarly, toward the end of the book on page 166, when Madame Raquin, paralysed and weak, attempts to denounce Laurent and Therese’s actions to the guests, Zola described the lovers’ reaction: â€Å"Therese could not speak; she, like Laurent, had followed the paralytic woman’s extreme efforts and was now staring at her hand, chalk white in the harsh lamplight, an avenging hand that was about to speak. The two murderers waited, holding their breath. † The description of the hand and words like â€Å"harsh† and â€Å"avenging† describe this fearful tone of the situation. To understand Therese’s emotions at that time, the tone proves to be very important. Authors like Zola write in the way that they do for very specific reasons. Maybe plot is more important simply because modern readers don’t care for style: They want what happens here and now, which satisfies them enough. But for the more exploratory reader, style is to be valued just as much, as they will be looking to fully understand the text and come out of it with their own interpretation of said work. Style in this particular novel conveys the tone to the reader, which is essential to understanding Zola’s criticism of human nature. The plot in Therese Raquin is of Therese’s monotonous and suffocating life, which gets flipped and turned upside down by the arrival of Laurent. The plot of the story is a very thin veil for Zola’s intentions. However, this plot fits very specifically to his intentions. This is of course to be expected, but when judging the importance of plot, we must decide how important the plot of this book is to get Zola’s message across. As stated in the preface to the second edition, Zola states that â€Å"In Therese Raquin my aim has been to study temperaments, not characters. That is the whole point of the book. I have chosen people completely dominated by their nerves and blood, without free will, drawn into each other action of their lives by the inexorable laws of their physical nature. † Zola intended to focus on the four humors, and associating them to the four main characters. He states that his objective â€Å"has been first and foremost a scientific one. † His study of these four characters involves setting them problems, as if they were animals. Therefore, based on Zola’s own words, one must come to the conclusion that the plot is as important as anything. He claims nothing that Therese and Laurent did was of their own free will. In fact, they were needs, consequences or a simple organic disorder. As Zola puts it, â€Å"Therese and Laurent are human animals, nothing more. † This plot was written very intently with the purpose of communicating Zola’s â€Å"experiment† to the world. Anything else he writes is an extra, as the plot is the main focal point in this novel, as it is a study of the four temperaments. When considering Therese Raquin, one must come to the conclusion that without this exact plot, Zola’s study does not arrive at the same result. The plot is absolutely essential, but that is because his book is more than just a novel. Modern literature is more focused on providing entertainment for the reader. This novel, and many like it, is a study into human nature, which uses this plot as a means of communicating it. This does not completely disregard any contribution from the style. It is still a very important factor in the novel, and all literary works. Despite this, based on Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin, the conclusion is that plot is more valued than style.

Online Marketplace

WHAT IS ONLINE MARKETPLACE? The online payment marketplace is experiencing an explosion of innovative ideas, plans, and announcements, which one commentator has likened to a â€Å"goat rodeo†, a chaotic situation in which powerful players with different agendas compete with one another for public acceptance, and above all, huge potential revenues. Others liken the payment marketplace to a battle among the four platform titans Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon.Each of these titans have their own versions of a future payment system that challenges the other players. And let’s not forget PayPal, the reigning power in alternative online payment, or the credit card companies who process over 70% of online payments, or the telecommunication wireless carriers Verizon and AT&T who make it all happen. All of these players are also competing for a share of the online payment stream. They all want to help us spend money, for a fee.The continuing double-digit growth of e-commerce is certainly one factor driving market participants, but a more important factors is the emergence of the mobile platform of smartphone and tablets that opens the door for new firms to enter the online payment marketplace based on newer technologies and control of the mobile platform itself. WHAT IS PayPal ? PayPal is a global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders.PayPal is an acquirer, performing payment processing for online vendors, auction sites, and other commercial users, for which it charges a fee. It may also charge a fee for receiving money, proportional to the amount received. The fees depend on the currency used, the payment option used, the country of the sender, the country of the recipient, the amount sent and the recipient's account type. In addition, eBay purchases made by credit card t hrough PayPal may incur extra fees if the buyer and seller use different currencies HOW TO BUY The easiest way to remember your credit card number is not having to.Remembering 16 digits isn’t easy and typing them in to pay for something isn’t always secure. Now you don’t need to do either. 1 Sign up for free, and add a bank account or a debit/credit card. 2 Speed through checkout at millions of online stores. Just look for the PayPal button. 3 Stay protected from checkout to delivery with our Buyer Protection. Figure 1. 1 show Ebay the example of website use PayPal. Figure 1. 2 show Hop-shop-go example for PayPal. PAYMENT METHODS Choose how you want to pay. Set up your payment methods quickly and easily. 1 Confirm your email address.This helps protect you if someone tries to register a PayPal account using your email address 2 You can add multiple credit/debit cards and have the flexibility to set one as your default payment source 3 You have the option to withd raw any payments received to your bank account. Simply add a bank account to facilitate it. Add a card You can add a credit or debit card to your PayPal account to make payments instantly. To add a card, 1. Log in and click  Profile. 2. Select  Add or Edit Card for payments. 3. Click  Add card  or  Add another card  and follow the prompts.Top-up my PayPal account You can use PayPal to make payments online card-free. Simply top-up your PayPal balance from your bank account. * 1. Log in and click  Top-up. 2. Select Top-up via RHB bank* account. Withdraw funds to a bank account When you receive payments, you can keep the money in your PayPal account for future purchases or add a bank to withdraw it to your bank account. To withdraw your funds, 1. Log in and click  Withdraw. 2. Select  Withdraw funds to your bank. 3. Enter the amount and follow the prompts. TYPES ONLINE PAYMENT Google Checkout ) Wallet One wallet for online and in-store shopping * Buy online with your phone or computer Make purchases at thousands of online shops by signing in to your Google Account. * Buy in-store with the mobile app Tap your phone to pay and redeem offers, using NFC (near-field communication). NFC payments are currently only available in the United States. * Manage your account Sign in to manage your payment information and view your transaction history. 2) Checkout Increase online sales using Google Wallet New! Google Checkout is now Google Wallet for buyers.Google Wallet is a fast, secure checkout process that helps increase sales by bringing you more customers and allowing them to buy from you quickly and easily with a single account, online or in-store. Sell worldwide. Attract buyers in over 140 countries to purchase your goods and services online using their Google Wallet. Convert more sales. A fast, convenient checkout process helps Google users convert more than shoppers who have not used Google before. Protect yourself from fraud. The Payment Guarantee P olicy protects 98% of orders on average – when an order is guaranteed, you get paid even if it results in a chargebackAMAZON Figure 1. 3 show Amazon website Amazon Services works with businesses of all sizes to provide products and solutions backed by the power of Amazon. For example, your business can reach millions of Amazon shoppers by selling on the Amazon Marketplace and then leverage Amazon's fulfillment services to manage shipping and provide trusted customer service. Or, if your business already has a website, you can advertise your products to Amazon. com shoppers to drive qualified traffic to your website, and then improve conversion by making it easy for them to buy on your site with their Amazon account through Amazon Payments.If you need a website, or would like to upgrade your current website, Amazon Webstore makes it easy to build a branded eCommerce website. Whether you'd like to Sell on Amazon. com or make your own website more successful, Amazon Services has solutions to help you build your business successfully online. Increase your business capabilities. Get on board with Amazon. If taking your business to the next level includes selling online, or improving your internet-based business, getting to know Amazon Services could make all the difference in your success.Imagine having Amazon, with its world-class technologies, as an ally in meeting your business goals. Think how much simpler things could be if you could leverage the power of Amazon tools and services for your business. Reach Customers Amazon Services offers two solutions that give you access to tens of millions of Amazon customers. You can sell your products directly on Amazon, or reach Amazon customers through our site display advertisements. Sell on the Amazon Marketplace By joining  Amazon Marketplace, you give customers a familiar, trustworthy shopping experience even as you avoid the time and costs of developing a standalone website.Use the Amazon Marketplace soluti on to help make your business what you dream it could be. Advertise on Amazon Get your products in front of millions of Amazon customers with  Amazon Product Ads  or display ads fromAmazon Media Group. With Product Ads, you get placement in targeted locations across our detail pages, search and browse options, the buy box, and tower ads. With display ads, your marketing messages can reach just the right audience in the numbers and channels where you want to be seen. Build a website with Webstore Build your eCommerce site on Amazon Webstore and put the security and scalability of Amazon's cloud behind your site.Robust site design and inventory management tools, plus easy integration with the other Amazon Services products, make Amazon Webstore the right eCommerce platform for businesses of all sizes. List your products on the Amazon Marketplace When you list and sell your products on Amazon, you can quickly take advantage of the same robust and reliable Amazon site infrastructure , including the many seller features and functionality we have worked hard to build. No matter how many products you list, you're eligible to use Amazon's world-class seller technologies. CASE STUDY QUESTIONS ) What is the value proposition that PayPal offers consumers ? How about merchants ? Do any of the competing proposals match the benefits of PayPal ? ANSWER a. PayPal offers consumers How to buy The easiest way to remember your credit card number is not having to. Remembering 16 digits isn’t easy and typing them in to pay for something isn’t always secure. Now you don’t need to do either. * Sign up for free, and add a bank account or a debit/credit card. * Speed through checkout at millions of online stores. Just look for the PayPal button. * Stay protected from checkout to delivery with our Buyer Protection.Buying is free It's free to use PayPal for online purchases in Malaysia. It's the PayPal sellers who are charged a small fee for each transaction. Your eligible purchases are protected Your eligible purchases are protected wherever you shop and pay with PayPal – at no cost to you. Just in case your item didn't arrive or is significantly different from how it was described, we can help you get a full refund. More ways to pay online You can store your bank details and credit/debit cards more safely with PayPal and choose your preferred way to pay the next time you shop.And you can even do it on your mobile. Accepted Worldwide Shop anytime, anywhere from millions of online stores that accept PayPal. b. PayPal offers merchants Solutions for business We have a wide range of solutions for your business. Sell globally and get paid quickly. Looking to sell occasionally on eBay or through your blog? PayPal helps you get paid faster. Fees at 3. 4% + RM2. 00 MYR With our simple and transparent pricing, you'll never be surprised by hidden fees when you receive commercial domestic payments for goods and services at 3. 4% + RM2. 00 MYR. Keeping every seller saferOur industry-leading anti-fraud technology and a team of specialists help to keep you more secure. We provide all sellers with a convenient process for responding to buyer disputes. c. PayPal Competitor Google Checkout is quite similar to PayPal, but it has grown to only 7% of the alternative payment market. Google Checkout a) Wallet * One wallet for online and in-store shopping * Buy online with your phone or computer Make purchases at thousands of online shops by signing in to your Google Account. * Buy in-store with the mobile app Tap your phone to pay and redeem offers, using NFC (near-field communication).NFC payments are currently only available in the United States. * Manage your account Sign in to manage your payment information and view your transaction history. b) Checkout * Increase online sales using Google Wallet * New! Google Checkout is now Google Wallet for buyers. Google Wallet is a fast, secure checkout process that helps increase sales by bringing you more customers and allowing them to buy from you quickly and easily with a single account, online or in-store. * Sell worldwide. Attract buyers in over 140 countries to purchase your goods and services online using their Google Wallet. Convert more sales. A fast, convenient checkout process helps Google users convert more than shoppers who have not used Google before. * Protect yourself from fraud. The Payment Guarantee Policy protects 98% of orders on average – when an order is guaranteed, you get paid even if it results in a chargeback 2) Why would the telecommunications carriers like AT&T and Verizon want to move into the payment business? What chance do they have to compete against Google? What’s their advantage?. ANSWER i)Why would the telecommunications carriers like AT&T and Verizon want to move in to the payments business?The reason why the telecommunications carriers like AT&T and Verizon want to move into the payment business is because of the h uge potential of revenues and another factors is the emergence of the mobile platform of smartphones & tablets that opens the door for new firms to enter the online payments marketplace based on newer technologies and control of the mobile platform itself ii)What chance do they have to compete against Google? Their percentage of chance that they probably have to compete against Google is 30%-70%,from our opinion. Google system is much familiar to the user than AT&T and Verizon.Google also one of four platform titans and already get the public acceptance. Yet, they still have the chance to compete against Google because Google is much familiar with search engines system. iii) What’s their advantage? AT&T and Verizon advantage is that they are from mobile telecommunications (phone company) which is give them the advantage to get public acceptance that in many parts of the world, the phone company is widely used as a payment system, after they announced a mobile phone-based paym ent system called Isi. Unlike Google, AT&T and Verizon is more to payment that makes by smartphone.So, it is their advantage to make step in Electronic payment market. 3) The smartphone giants Apple and Google control the operating systems and technological features of the devices. Google exercises this control not by actually making the devices but licensing its Android system and demanding device makers include certain features. Which of these smartphones firms has the greatest chance of successfully developing a Web-wide wireless payment service? Why? ANSWER Apple advantages is, like Google has already developed an online payment system to support salles ath the iTunes Store.Unlike Google Checkout and PayPal, Apple has not to date developed an online merchant payment system that could be used across the Web. Some analysis believe Apple is considering the idea of extending its existing iTunes payment system to third-party vendors selling digital goods on the Internet. iPhone users can already use their iTunes account to buy some third-party virtual and subscription goods. Apple’s iTunes Store, which could serve as the mobile digital wallet used to store payment information on a consumer’s payment-enabled device,generated net sales of music, software (apps) and content of about $5 billion in 2010.There are approximately 225 milliom iTunes users worldwide with credit card accounts at iTunes. Apple disadvantages is, Apple does not have a presence in the online merchant payment process, a critical weakness. Four instance, you can use PayPal and Google Checkout at thousands of online retailers, but there is no similar Apple digital wallet that can be used across the Web. It only works at the iTunes Store. This may be a case where Apple’s penchants for building walled gardens of hardware and software like the iPhone and iTunes Store has limited its future growth.Google already made its first foray into the merchant payment market with Google C heckout in 2007. Google Checkout is quite similar to PayPal, but it has grown to only 7% of the alternative payment market. Google Checkout stores a user’s financial information, including credit card information, and then presents this information to merchants when the user checks out. Google advantages is, the customer does not have to fill out forms or reveal credit information to online merchants, but instead clicks on a Google Checkout icon on the merchant’s site, and payment is made through Google’s site.As with PayPal, the user stores value on the Google Checkout site in the form of a verified credit card, or a bank account, and the merchant does not have access to the customers credit card information. Google firms has the greatest chance of successfully developing a Web-wide wireless payment service because, the customer does not have to fill out forms or reveal credit information to online merchants, but instead clicks on a Google Checkout icon on the merchant’s site, and payment is made through Google’s site.As with PayPal, the user stores value on the Google Checkout site in the form of a verified credit card, or a bank account, and the merchant does not have access to the customers credit card information. QUESTION 4) What strategies would you recommend that PayPal pursue in order to maintain its dominant position over the next five years? . ANSWER Strategies to maintain PayPal dominant position over next 5 years Intro : Scott Thompson , president of PayPal outlined a strategy to expand PayPal globally, strengthening its dominant position over the next five years. Here the strategies. 1.Increase penetration on eBay – Projected growth on eBay is a function of seller coverage and consumer preference. A one-percent share increase within eBay results in $17 million in incremental revenue for PayPal. While market share in No America is 79%, it is only 41% Internationally so there is still plenty of room to grow on eBay. And new PayPal users on eBay (growing at a rate of 3 million new accounts per quarter) use PayPal across the Internet 2. Grow share in merchants services – PayPal helps merchants to sell more online – those that enable PayPal Express Checkout experience up to a 14% increase in sales.Today, eBay has approximately a 5% share of global merchant services, as much as 9% if you include eBay volume. PayPal has specific strategies for each segment of the market: sole proprietors, small/medium business, and large merchants. Consumers are increasingly global, and increasingly security conscious. They prefer to use PayPal when they shop online. Note the significant growth among SMEs and large businesses. Merchants have discovered the value of payment choice in encouraging incremental sales and higher transaction values, particularly via Bill Me Later.PayPal anticipates that it will achieve 14% merchant services market share in No America by 2011. International market sh are is estimated to be 5-6% by 2011, citing PayPal’s â€Å"unmatched facility for cross border transactions. † PayPal’s global e-commerce market share is projected to be 12-14% (on and off eBay) by 2011. 3. Adjacent payment markers The third element of PayPal’s growth strategy is expansion outside e-commerce. Thompson estimated the non-retail marketplace online as $1 Trillion. He specifically noted mobile, social networks, and non-profits (government opportunities were cited by Donahoe earlier).PayPal has demonstrated early leadership in mobile payments, experimenting with solutions in lots of mobile segments until there is industry consensus where consumers will go. Although non-profits were positioned as an adjacent opportunity, there are over 100,000 non-profits currently using PayPal. We’ve watched as PayPal has customized its services for non-profits with special on-boarding process, special features, and special pricing. Will this be the appr oach used for other verticals? Not unlike Amazon, PayPal fosters a close relationship with developers that are creating applications for use online and on the go via mobile devices.The PayPal global Internet payments network can be used to exchange value not just on eBay and within e-commerce but beyond. Thompson acknowledged that opening up the developer network while maintaining a secure environment is challenging and that’s why none of the other payment platforms out there has done it [While Amazon has done this, and done it for payments, PayPal does not consider Amazon to be a global payments platform]. PayPal’s global reach, closed loop network, and risk management/anti-fraud capabilities uniquely position it to â€Å"accelerate innovation on the web† with â€Å"PayPal as the engine in the middle. CONCLUSION The online payment marketplace is experiencing an explosion of innovative ideas, plans, and announcements, which one commentator has likened to a â₠¬Å"goat rodeo†, a chaotic situation in which powerful players with different agendas compete with one another for public acceptance, and above all, huge potential revenues. Others liken the payment marketplace to a battle among the four platform titans Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Each of these titans have their own versions of a future payment system that challenges the other players. And let’s not forget PayPal, the reigning power in alternative