Ray Bradburys Science-fiction Novel Fahrenheit 451 Has Literary Eleme

Ray Bradbury's science-fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 has literary elements that strengthen its interpretation. The theme of this novel is the significance of a person's independent thought. The literary movement of this piece of literature is Romanticism. Through the use of Guy Montag, an emotionally distressed individual who realizes the importance of independent thinking, Fahrenheit 451's theme and literary movement are better understood. The theme of Fahrenheit 451 is the importance of an individual's independent thought and the individual's creative ability. Guy Montag never thought about what he did because he was told what he did was appropriate for society, and also he is happy with his role in society. He felt like that until he met Clarisse McClellan, a 17 year-old girl that society calls a mental case because she questions society. She ?teaches? Montag about the past when society did not fear the firemen. When he talked to the his colleagues they laugh at him because they believe what their handbook says. ?The only action these characters take is to maintain their status quo-the way things are. In contrast, Clarisse, Montag and Faber are individuals who wonder about their world and, in the case of Montag and Faber, are able to make attempts to change things? (Telgen 145).He had been taking the books at some of the midnight runs he had, but never really wanted to find out what is written in them until after he found out that Clarisse died. A person that helped Montag expand his creativity was Professor Faber. He was a man that Montag remembered he had met when he needed someone else's guidance to do the right thing for himself. Professor Faber tells Montag about how society has depended on technology for many things and that Shah 2 technology threatened the development of the mind. ?In Bradbury's novel, education's emphasis on technology leads to a culture where people understand how things are done but never bother to wonder why things are done? (Levy 1314). This type of education does not encourage the persons with unique abilities to look into depth and find a reason for why things are done. ?School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored. Life is immediate, the job counts, pleasure lies about after work. Why learn anything, save pressing buttons, pulling switches, fitting nuts and bolts (Bradbury 55-6). This is the quote that Captain Beatty, Montag's boss, said to Montag when Montag was not sure about being a fireman. Novels have many aspects that influence the author in determining the type of plot they should include. The literary movement of Fahrenheit 451 is Romanticism. It has six different characteristics: 1) emphasizes individualism, spontaneity, and freedom from rules; 2) shows a solitary life, not a life in society; 3) shows a belief that imagination is superior to reason; 4) reflects a devotion to beauty; 5) shows a love and worship of nature and fascination with the past, especially with myths and the supernatural; 6) shows a passionate love of country (Donnell 2). Montag emphasizes disposition, whimsical tendency, and salvation from regulations by changing his belief about community after being a fireman for 12 years. ?Bradbury has been called a romantic, and his romanticism often surfaces in the themes he investigates: the conflict between human vitality and spiritless mechanism, between the creative individual and the conforming group,...? (Paradowski 356). Clarisse McClellan and her family showed a life not within the standards of society and also they are people that remain alone and not associate with society. We had some false alarms on the McClellans, when they lived in Chicago. Never found a book. Uncle had mixed records; antisocial. The girl? She was a time Shah 3 bomb. The family had been feeding her subconscious, I'm sure, from what I saw of her school record. She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why. (Bradbury 60) What Captain Beatty said about the McClellans proves they were considered outcasts. Professor Faber shows the confidence that imagination is greater to understanding. This was proven by the quote, ?The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us? (83). This means that the only things that is needed is the information provided in books that help explain the items that are not explained by the reason. The plot and theme are captured more thoroughly through the use of distinct characters and their points of

GDP a good measure of social Well-being Essays

GDP a good measure of social Well-being Essays GDP a good measure of social Well-being Essay GDP a good measure of social Well-being Essay In order to examine economic growth or analyze the wealth of a country, it is necessary to have a way to measure the size of an economy such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Economists usually measure the size of an economy by the amount of stuff it produces. This makes sense in a lot of ways, mainly because an economys output in a given period of time is equal to the economys income, and the economys level of income is one of the main determinants of its standard of living and societal welfare. GDP is the most closely watched economic statistic because is it thought to e the best single measure of a social well-being. The definition of GDP is composed of four parts. Firstly, we have to take into consideration the market value of the products. Froyen (2009) states that in order to gain the market value of the product we have to times the number of products produced the market by the prices they are traded at. For example, each unit of product A is 5$ and product B is 2$ so the market value of 20 product A and 40 product B is 5$x20+2$x40=180$ Secondly, GDP is calculated using the values of the final goods and services and therefore does not take intermediate goods into ccount. A final good or service is the product brought by the user at its end stage whereas an intermediate good could have gone into the production of a final good. For instance, bread is a final product that it brought by the consumer but flour could have been brought by the producers of the bread in order to make the bread. Another factors that makes up GDP is that the product has to be made within the confidences of country which is basically summed up by the D in GDP. For example, if a Viet Nam retailer manufacturers his products in Viet Nam then it becomes part of VN GDP but if it is produced and sourced from China then it does not. Finally, GDP as measured in a given time period as mentioned earlier which is usually annually or quarterly. GDP can be measured in two ways the expenditure approach which is the total spent on goods and services or the income approach which is the money earned by producing goods and services. This is called the circular flow model of expenditure and income. : Source: N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Macroeconomics _ Chapter 10_ Page 197 Another point worth mentioning is social well-being, a state of affairs where the basic eeds of the populace are met. This is a society where income levels are high enough to cover basic wants, where there is no poverty, where unemployment is insignificant, where there is easy access to social, medical, and educational services, and where everyone is treated with dignity and consideration. Many attempts have been made to quantify social well-being. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country is commonly defined as the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year. The fact that it is measured regularly and quite onsistently in practically all countries of the world allows a direct comparison of the standard of living in individual countries. The frequent measuring also makes it possible to quickly recognize changing trends. So that GDP can tell us how the country is doing in general, especially when GDPs are compared between countries. A higher GDP will probably infer that the country is doing better than a country with a lower GDP. It can use to determine whether an economy is growing faster or slower than in the previously measured period and to compare it with other economies in the world. For example, a higher GDP will probably infer that the country is doing better than a country with a lower GDP. As we have seen, GDP measures both the economys total income and the economys total expenditure on goods and services. Because the production of goods and services indicates that people are working, earning money, and making a living, an increasing GDP shows an increased economic activity, meaning more funds for social programs, and more income that people have to increase their own standard of living. It means that the higher the GDP, the better the economy and, therefore, the better the quality of life. Nevertheless, the catch is that the high GDP may be from the extremely large profits of a few rich firms, while everyone else is living pretty badly. Therefore, its still better to use GDP per capita as a form of comparison. GDP per capita is when they divide the total GDP by the number of people in that country. A rise in GDP per capita will also translate into a rise of productivity. The reason for that is the more you produce, the more you sell. It gives you an idea of what the people are engaged in. GDP per capita can be used as an indicator of standard of living as well. One can conclude that having a higher GDP per capita will be interpreted as having a higher standard of living. GDP per person seems a natural measure of the social well-being of the average individual. However, as a measure of the standard of living in a country, GDP has its limitations and shortcomings. Because of the imperfect of GDP, the first Human Development Report introduced a new way of measuring development by combining indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment and income into a composite human development index, the Human Development Index. The breakthrough for the HDI as the creation of a single statistic which was to serve as a frame of reference for both social and economic development. But throughout its time in use, the HDI has been criticized for a number of reasons. Although the HDI is a constant measure but it never can take out a whole picture of human development. Some of the questions to be posed to the HDI index is: this is the measurement of the standard of living of standards or measure the level of living? Or it measures the quality of life? There are only three dimensional edges are measured in the HDI: health, academic and living tandard. In addition to this, it has a profound distinction of HDI between countries and regions in the world. For example, some countries have the same HDI but theirs income level are quite difference. GDP is not, though, a perfect measure of social well-being. Some things that contribute toa good life are left out of GDP. But its still a good measure. Although it doesnt say much about the individuals well-being, education, health, , it does help economists understand how the country is doing. If a country has a thriving GDP then they are sure to be wealthy and with wealth comes etter tech medicine and opportunities to the citizens of the nation. While GDP may not indicate the quality of life of any one person, it is quite obvious that countries with a higher GDP than others have much better quality of life across the board. GDP growth can indicate a strengthening economy, more Jobs, and as a result, more income for individuals. If each person is making a significant amount of money in relation to where they live and cost of living then in theory they should lead a better standard of living. They would not have the financial burden which causes so much tress in todays world. For instance, G. Gregory Mankiw examined international datal: Country Real GDP per person (2007) Life Expectancy Adult Literacy (% of population) Internet Usage (% of population) United States $45. 592 79 years 63% Germany 34. 401 45 Japan 33. 632 67 Russia 14. 690 15 Mexico 14. 104 76 93 18 Brazil 9. 567 72 19 China 5. 383 73 9 Indonesia 3. 843 71 92 7 India 2. 753 3 Pakistan 2. 496 54 Nigeria 1. 969 4 Bangladesh 1 . 241 0. 3 Source: Human Development Report 2009, United Nations. Date on real GDP, life expectancy, and literacy are for 2007. Dara on internet use is for 2005.

Conventional Letter Salutations in English

Conventional Letter Salutations in English Conventional Letter Salutations in English Conventional Letter Salutations in English By Maeve Maddox A reader asks if a letter salutation can include more than one honorific. For example: Dear President Dr. Turner The short answer is, â€Å"not in English.†    The conventional letter salutations in English are these Dear Mr. Adams Dear Mr. and Mrs. Adams Dear Ms. Adams Dear Margaret Adams Dear Harry  (if you know the person well) Dear Dr. Adams Dear Dr. and Mrs. Adams When the name is unknown to the sender, the following are common salutations: To Whom It May Concern Dear Finance Officer Dear Editor Dear Sir or Madam The conventional English honorific for a man is  Mr. For a woman, even if her marital status is known, the preferred form is  Ms. For a medical doctor or a person with a PhD, the appropriate honorific is  Dr.    Note: British usage does not put a period after these abbreviations.    If the sender knows the recipient’s name but not the sex, a gender-neutral solution is to use the first and last name: Dear Cory Simpson Other languages have other conventions, including the practice of using more than one honorific. For example, in German, when addressing a professional like a doctor or a lawyer, a writer may use two honorifics: Sehr  geehrte  Frau  Rechtsanwltin  Fischer. (literally, â€Å"Very honored Madame Lawyer†)    Sehr  geehrter  Herr  Doktor  Strauss  (literally, â€Å"Very honored Mr. Doctor Strauss†) Foreign letter-writing conventions tend to creep into English in the context of foreign affairs. For example, I found the following usage on sites written in English: Dear President Dr.  Jakaya  Kikwete- Open letter to the president of Tanzania, published on the Greenpeace site.    Dear President Dr. Fischer- open letter to the president of Austria, published on the Human Rights Watch site. Such usage is not idiomatic in English. The writer must choose one title: Dear President Kikwete or Dear Dr. Kikwete Dear President Fischer, or Dear Dr. Fischer It’s up to the sender to decide which title is more desirable in the context. Related posts: How to Format a US Business Letter Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. â€Å"Dear Sir† and Other Business Conventions Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Talking55 Boxing IdiomsStarting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

Cathedral by Raymond Carver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Cathedral by Raymond Carver - Essay Example Narrator seems uncomfortable and disturbed with Robert because he is blind. He feels that he is superior compared with the blind man. The narrator’s opinion and attitude towards blind man is largely contributed by his perception of blind men from movies. He feels that it is strange for Robert not to wear dark glasses yet his eyes looked weird. Narrator is so much disturbed by the fact that Robert cannot perfectly use his eyes to see instead of concentrating on the Robert’s understanding and ability to clearly think and feel things deeply (Carver 186-190). 2. The narrator is unable to describe cathedral perhaps because he is not religious and therefore cathedrals are meaningless to him. Inability to describe cathedral shows that the narrator lacks insight and self-awareness thus leading him to a journey to self-realization as he realizes the limitations of his outlook. Although the narrator can literally see things, he does not pay much attention to what he does with his eyes. He does not understand what being blind entails particularly due to the fact that Robert understands what cathedral looks like even without visual knowledge. 3. The blind man tells the writer to close his eyes while closing his eyes so that he can deeply understand and concentrate what he is doing by having a true sight with the real meaning lying within vision. Robert hopes to teach the narrator a way of looking inward to gain deeper understanding of himself and to see excellent reality. He realizes the depth in genuineness that disturbs the narrator by quietly listening to him while he struggles to describe cathedral. The narrator seems to enjoy the experience of closing his eyes while drawing cathedral. The newfound knowledge and understanding makes him believe that the experience was a very important aspect in his journey to self-realization. Narrator feels that his inner eyes that are based on his mind but not literal

How does online shoppers' behaviour differ from traditional shoppers Essay

How does online shoppers' behaviour differ from traditional shoppers (see full queation attch on folder) - Essay Example This essay examines the various factors that influence the differences between traditional shoppers and online shoppers, namely, price awareness or sensitivity, size preference, brand perception or loyalty, economic and non-economic motivations, information availability, impulsiveness, and the buying process. Contents Page Section Title Page Number I. Introduction 5 1.1. Problem Statement 6 1.2 Research Rationale 6 II. Review of Related Literature 7 2.1.Differences between Traditional Shoppers and Online Shoppers 7 2.2. The Buying Process 8 2.3. Impulse Buying 9 2.4. Information Availability and Search Costs 10 2.5. Non-Economic Motives 15 2.6. Economic Motives 19 2.7. Brand Loyalty and Size Preference 21 2.8. Price Awareness/Consideration 23 III. Conclusions 24 I. Introduction In reaction to the rapidly changing and enlarging online business activities, scholarly studies on electronic commerce, or e-commerce, is increasing dramatically, as well. A wide range of research topics has b een studied by scholars from a variety of disciplines. Digital technology has generated new ideas and led to major transformations in people’s communication, interaction, and behaviour. The concept of ‘e-commerce’ mainly denotes the process of information exchange and transactions between commercial entities and consumers (Kim et al., 2002). E-commerce provides retailers new ways of reaching consumers and penetrating markets previously inaccessible. A particular area of research on e-commerce is the difference between consumers’ behaviour online and in traditional shopping contexts. In spite of the dramatic increase of online businesses and well documented rivalry between traditional and online stores, there is a surprising lack of empirical research on behavioural differences between online shoppers and traditional shoppers. According to Close (2012), research subjects on this field are primarily interested in identifying disparities in shoppers’ p urchase behaviour and decision-making processes, and providing interpretations of the discovered behavioural differences. 1.1. Problem Statement Traditional shopping and online shopping have numerous differences, as well as similarities. Online shopping could offer interactive activities, convenience, and expediency, and the traditional or, also referred to as brick-and-mortar, shopping could offer customers actual experience with products and/or services and a more relaxing shopping environment (Hoyer & MacInnis, 2008). Both online and traditional stores are exerting considerable efforts enhancing their services. This essay investigates how online shoppers’ behaviour differs from traditional shoppers. In order to provide a comprehensive analysis of the issue, this essay examines the various factors that influence the differences between traditional shoppers and online shoppers, namely, price awareness or sensitivity, size preference, brand perception or loyalty, economic and non-economic motivations, information availability, impulsiveness, and the buying process. 1.2. Research Rationale This investigation is carried out due to the continuous expansion of e-commerce, which, consequently, influences consumer behaviour. It is important to understand the behavioural differences between traditional shoppers and online shoppers, especially for marketers and entrepreneurs, because such differences are indicative of the strengths and weaknesses of each shopping medium. II.

Two Treatises of Government Essay Example for Free

Two Treatises of Government Essay In chapter V of The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke, he begins by explaining that God has given earth to all man in â€Å"common†. Meaning everyone equally owns all of the earth and its fruits. How can we humans, fairly distribute this land? What gives one man the right to a deer over every other person on earth? Labor, Locke states â€Å"The labor that was mine removing them out of that common state they were in, hath fixed my property in them†(13). This meaning that once you put work and physical labor into some sort of land or animal, it is then yours to own out of the common land. For example, a man sees a deer on the side of the road and uses his weapon to kill it. He has used his recourses and skill to take that deer out of the common and made it his property. The same can be said for land. You work on the land and use it to grow crops. Therefore, the crops are yours. Locke follows up this view he has by saying you can only take so much, because then you will be taking for spoils. â€Å"Nothing was made by god for man to spoil and destroy. † (Locke 14) I believe this is the part we as habitants of this earth have disregarded. In today’s world, we constantly spoil land and recourses. For a little money, we are willing to ruin habitats to the point of extinction or complete eradication. I feel as if Locke wrote this as a warning, stating, yes you may own all land that you labor on but do not spoil it. What makes us as humans ignore this? Greed is a very powerful thing and if we allow man to own all land in which he works in, what is to stop him from abusing it to receive riches? There wouldn’t be a need to spoil the land for riches, if gold didn’t have such a high value in society. Locke is very much aware that the balance can be broke fairly easy. At the end of section 50 he states â€Å"But since gold and silver, being little useful to the life of man in proportion to food, raiment, and carriage, has its value only from the consent of men, whereof labor yet makes, in great part, the measure, it is plain, that men have agreed to a disproportionate and unequal possession of the earth, they having, by a tacit and voluntary consent, found out, a way how a man may fairly possess more land than he himself can use the product of, by receiving in exchange for the over plus gold and silver, which may be hoarded up without injury to any one; these metals not spoiling or decaying in the hands of the possessor† (23). After stating what he believes is the best way to distribute land, this is his way of warning us how easily this balance can be broken. He means to show everything he explained doesn’t matter because we have allowed value to be given to something, which cannot feed man and does not spoil in the hands of man. Therefore, unbalancing nature and allowing certain men in power to posses a disproportionate amount of this earth only because they own more gold and silver. By us as a society agreeing blindly to give gold such high value, we have changed the ways of life from wanting to obtain cattle, land, and natural goods. To in turn only chasing gold and silver (money). This only hurts the earth that has been given to all men in common by God. It allows men with wealth and power to spoil lands and destroy habitats only because they choose to obtain absurd amounts of gold to let decay and spoil in their hands. Take for example all the animals, which go extinct by allowing certain men with enough money to go out with multimillion-dollar machines and completely wipe out forests. Which is as Locke states given to all men in common. So what is Locke’s purpose in making us realize this? Its feels like a warning, letting you see the way earth should really be distributed and then by explaining how gold has ruined that. It plants a thought in your head that makes one wonder if we truly are equal and if the earth truly does belong to us all in common. It seems like land it’s only owned by those who have been successful in obtaining gold in one form or another. Even if it means spoiling the land that belongs to all humans in common, not to just them. I believe Locke was way ahead of his time. He is predicting how the world is in a society where gold and silver are the important possession. The combination of the way Locke believes land should be distributed, and the value we have agreed to give gold in society. Locke states â€Å"Right and convenience went together; for as a man had a right to all he could employ his labor upon, so he had no temptation to labor for more than he could make use of†(23). Here at the end of Chapter V is where Locke believes if we as men only take what we need to survive it would be highly convenient and the distribution of land would work out perfectly. We all know in the world we live in today that will never happen. Man will take as much as he desires till the land is too spoiled to take anymore. These two separate views on property that we as a society have agreed to live under only hurt us further. The combination of them is what causes a heavily unequal society. That is why we see some men own enormous amounts of land and property, while others don’t even have a box to sleep in. Bibliography Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2002. Print.

College Sports - Todays Athletes are Privileged Perverts, Rapists, Thie

College Athletes - Privileged Perverts, Rapists, Thieves, Frauds, and Liars    In America today athletic events play an important role in the reflective perception and financial standing of any given community. It is for this reason that the individuals involved in these events are also of significance to the community. Due to the esteemed and very influential role placed on athletes they are often times given privileges that would not normally be given to them if they were not athletes. These privileges are given in order to recruit the athletes, and once recruited to maintain their status on the team so that, in turn, the team's status is not adversely affected. To understand the importance of the role of an athlete one must first examine the role of the athletic event in which the athlete participates and the level of importance placed on this event. Many communities see the local college athletic teams as a reflection of their society. It is therefore important to the community members that their team represents them in the best way possible. Due to American society being of a competitive nature, the basis on which democracy is built, the way a team's representation is judged is by its level of play. If a team is successful in its competitive meetings with other teams it asserts itself into a superior position over those teams. This in turn creates a sense of pride in the community because the team that represents them has beaten the teams that represent other communities. This develops a greater fan base and more support than if a team was to lose "because people aren't going to come watch a losing team" (qtd. in Suggs A42). This support is important to the team because this is where the team receives the majority o... ...ic ability and performance is based primarily on the athletes that participate in the athletic programs. In order to recruit and retain the best athletes for their college athletic programs coaches and colleges alike have made many exceptions and broken many rules. The preferential treatment of athletes is just one of the areas where these exceptions have been made. No matter the area where the exceptions are made these variances from the societal norm are brought about by the high demands and expectations placed on athletic teams to represent their community through success in competitive endeavors. Again, a team's level of success determines its level of community support and therefore determines its survival due to its need to be self-sufficient. Unfortunately the exceptions made and privileges given are often at the expense of the average student, the non-athlete.

Elements of Small Business Environment

THE ELEMENT OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Entrepreneurship Individual Assignment THE ELEMENT OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Entrepreneurship Individual Assignment NGUYEN THAI HA B0074 – BA505 ETR401   |   LECTURER: MR. NGHIAHT NGUYEN THAI HA B0074 – BA505 ETR401   |   LECTURER: MR. NGHIAHT CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION of ENVIRONMENT II. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT III. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 1. Task Environment 2. General Environment IV. CONCLUSION V. PREFERENCES I. INTRODUCTIONIn order to start up or become effective, each new and current companies have to use a number of elements within the environment to gauge the path by which they ought to steer. So what is environment? â€Å"Environment is the sum total of forces outside of the entrepreneur and the firm† According to BRIE, the entrepreneur have to create a â€Å"Boundary within the environment, setting firm apart from the rest of the environment†. The Resources, says, knowledge, money are gathered from the environment. It is also at the core of Exchange because Exchange is the firm/entrepreneur dealing with the atmosphere – buying, selling, trading, etc. Similar article: KFC Macro EnvironmentIn short, a firm’s operation activities always involves with environment or environmental factors. It’s divided into 2 elements: Internal and External Environment. The Task & the General Environment are subset of External Environment. II. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT In accordance with the definition of Internal environment in the text book, â€Å"Internal environment are the people & groups within the boundary of firm, including the owners, managers, employees, and board members of the firm†. Understanding the Internal context is essential to confirm that the risk assessment approach meets the needs of the firm and of its owner.It is the environment in which the firm operates to achieve its objectives and which can be influenced by the firm to manage risk. The internal context is considered having more factors than just all members involved * Internal stakeholders: owners, managers, etc. * The policies, vision, mission and strategic plan in place to achieve them Vision and mission are vitally important to a business because of the direction, guidance and purposes, even inspiration they give to both employees and entrepreneurs. * Perceptions, value and culture Culture factor inside the firm can make or break the business.At best, the corporate culture can be a competitive advantage; at worst, it can be a significant drag on business results. â€Å"Companies with an adaptive culture that is aligned to their business goals routinely outperform their competitors. Some studies report the difference at 200% or more†. Mostly, it is the owner, entrepreneur who shape business culture. The leaders who are able to shape their culture â€Å"have a strong understanding that creating thriving, high-performance culture aligned with their company’s mission, vision and values is vital strategy for success†.HP (Hewlett Packard) coped with some problems few years ago and was forced to change its culture. Eac h staff has to point out their own personal and professional objectives for a year and are encouraged, supported to meet the goals. After the change, HP no longer loss in productivity despite shorter working time and increase in staff retention rate. * The capabilities in term of resources & knowledge: people, physical assets, technologies, etc. * Standards and reference models in system, enterprise, software engineering * Structures: governance, roles, etc.III. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT A business has to interact to what happen outside internal environment to fulfill Exchange in BRIE model. It is External environment surrounding the business operations and the internal environment of business. External environment may include Task Environment which can be called Micro Environment and General Environment or Macro Environment. 1. Task Environment – Micro Environment a. Element of Task Environment The microenvironment is made from components that are close to the company and directl y impact the business.For examples: * Publics group â€Å"can have an  actual or potential interest in or impact on an  organization’s ability to achieve its objectives†. Publics can  be: * Media publics: carry news, features, and editorial opinion * Local publics: neighborhood residents and community organizations. †¦ * Customers: Company must study its customer markets closely since each market  has its own special characteristics. Customers can be B2C, B2B or B2G * Suppliers: Provide the resources or input needed for the business to produce goods and services that play key roles in â€Å"value delivery system† for customers.Suppliers can leave huge impact on business due to supply shortage or the bargaining power of suppliers * Competitors: A company has to face with wide range of competitors and secures its strategic competitive advantages over competitors by technologies or selling point of the products or wipes out the marketplace. †¦.. W almart case will serve as an example. â€Å"Walmart’s Micro environment would be very much focused on immediate local issues, local public. It would consider how to recruit, retain and extend products and services to customers.Walmart should pay close attention to the actions and reactions of direct competitors: local markets, etc. Walmart would build and nurture close relationships with key suppliers for pricing factors and time of delivery. † b. Porter five forces Task environment elements also appear in Porter five forces which is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development. It derives five important forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore, the attractiveness of a market. 5 typical factors have direct impact on the business. . General Environment – Macro Environment The General Environment can be described by PESTEL model. It refers to all forces that are part of society, affect business and micro environment. * P olitical factors include: * Government’s stability * Social policies: welfare, etc. * Trade regulation: EU & WTO, etc. * The Government set the laws, regulations and policies that can promote or limit the individuals and organizations in a society * Economic factors: * Economic growth * Unemployment rate * Interest rate†¦ Economic factor can effect purchasing power and spending patterns. â€Å"Element like interest rates affect a firm’s cost of capital and therefore a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the export and import goods in an economy. † * Social factors: * Demographics Demographics studies population patterns: sizes, age, sex, occupation, ethnicity, etc. Those patterns are investigated for companies to change various strategies to adapt to these social trends, such as recruiting staff or design suitable products for each segmentLet take an example of age changing structure in US: * Generation Y: born 1980 – 1995 -> technology wise, optimistic, confident, sociable, flexible and changing in its fashion, style consciousness   * Generation Z: born after 1995 -> life with internet, phones,†¦ communicate through social media rather than personally meeting * Technological factors: R&D, automation, etc. This factor can affect cost, quality and lead to innovation of a business. * Environmental – Eco factors: Climate, energy consumption, waste disposal, etc.Awareness of the potential impacts of climate change affects how companies operate and the products/services they offer. There is a strong connection between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. Business should build environmental sustainable strategies for a life-long span. * Legal factors: Antitrust law, consumer law, employment law, etc. Legal factors can shape the way companies operate and interact with employees, customers, etc. IV. CONCLUSION In summary, elements from environment have undeniable vital impacts on the business.Therefo re, entrepreneur should be prepared carefully with full analyzed information from those elements to help their business be able to survive and develop. V. REFERENCE Jerome A. Katz, Richard P. Green II. Ed. 2011. Entrepreneurial Small Business. 3rd Edition. China: The McGraw Hill. Jerome A. Katz, Richard P. Green II. 2011. The element of the small business environment. China: The McGraw Hill. Ch. 2. Figure 1. Jerome A. Katz, Richard P. Green II, 2011. Four elements needed to get your business started. Entrepreneurial Small Business Figure 2. Jerome A. Katz, Richard P. Green II, 2011.The organization’s environment. Entrepreneurial Small Business Figure 3. The planning context environmental scan. Available at: http://www. publicsafety. gc. ca/prg/em/emp/emp-2010-11-eng. aspx [accessed on 20 March 2012] Figure 5. Michael Porter’s 5 forces model. Available at: http://business-fundas. com/2011/michael-porters-5-forces-model/ [accessed on 20 March 2012] Figure 6: Pestel analy sis. Available at: http://pmmagsmartech. blogspot. com/2011/10/pestel-analysis. html [accessed on 20 March 2012] Culture Shaping [e-journal]. Available at: http://www. senndelaney. com/cultureshaping. tml [access on 20 March 2012] Company culture [e-journal]. Available at: http://management. about. com/cs/generalmanagement/a/companyculture. htm [access on 20 March 2012] Emergency Management Planning Guide 2010-2011 [e-journal]. Available at: http://www. publicsafety. gc. ca/prg/em/emp/emp-2010-11-eng. aspx [access on 20 March 2012] Marketing Micro and Macro Environment [e-journal]. Available at: http://www. scribd. com/doc/22543929/Marketing-Micro-and-Macro-Environment [access on 20 March 2012] Porter five forces analysis [e-journal]. Available at: http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Porter_five_forces_analysis [access on 20 March 2012] Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z [e-journal]. Available at: http://suite101. com/article/veterans-baby-boomers-gen-x-gen-y-and-gen-z-a185353 [a ccess on 20 March 2012] What is PESTEL framework? [e-journal]. Available at: http://www. businessmate. org/Article. php? ArtikelId=16 [access on 20 March 2012] PEST analysis [e-journal]. Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/PEST_analysis [access on 20 March 2012] Market environment [e-journal]. Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Market_environment [access on 20 March 2012]

Retail Information System Essay

1. What are the benefits of 7-Eleven’s Retail Information System? 1) Increase sales opportunities and gain profits i) Retail Information System can amass information about customer demand, pricing, and interest in new products, such as Diet Pepsi, Zero Coke, Slurpee. Analysis of the data shows which items are selling well in which stores, which items customers are most interested in, seasonal demand for items and which items are most profitable to sell in the first place. Then, 7-Eleven can depend on the above data to order the exact quantities of products & get the maximum of profit. ii) Insights gleaned from the data also help 7-Eleven develop new products such as its fresh-food offerings that attract new customers and increase transaction size. For examples, now some 7-Eleven have the fast food counter to sell the fast food like fish ball, dumplings. It is very popular and meets the needs of the market. 2) Reduce excess inventory Through the Retail Information System, management uses this information to identify sales trend, improve product assortment, eliminate slow-moving products from inventory, and increase same-store sales by stocking products that are high in demand. It can avoid the excess inventory and save the inventory cost includes the expensive rental expenses. 3) Easy to control the inventory Retail Information System provides store managers with information on daily, weekly, and monthly sales of each item to help them determine which items to order the exact quantities they need for their stores. Managers use this information plus their on-the-spot knowledge of the neighborhood to make final order decision. Further, 7-Eleven’s orders for fresh food items are aggregated at 7-Eleven headquarters and transmitted to fresh food suppliers and bakeries for preparation and delivery the next day. It reduces the product spoilage and save the unnecessary costs. 4) Increase the competitiveness of the market 7-Eleven uses the information that they can get the respond to the needs of the customers. By tracking and analyzing its data, it knows its customers as intimately as it did when store owners talked to each customer face-to-face. Understand the customers’ need then increase the sales thus increase the competitiveness of the market. 2. Which of the strategies does the Retail Information System support? Retail Information System supports the strategies of Strengthening customer and supplier intimacy. 7-Eleven through the system to analyze the data shows which items are selling well in which stores, which items customers are most interested in, seasonal demand for items and which items are most profitable to sell in the first place. These information can give it to suppliers then they can determine to import which products from the wholesale, which season import which items, which items would import more to get most profitable. Further, these data can also give it to supplier to develop new products such as its fresh-food offerings that attract new customers. Moreover, the system consolidates these orders and transmits them to suppliers for preparation and delivery the next day of food & drink. It can reduce the transportation costs. Through making transactions in general easier and more user friendly for both customers and suppliers, the intimacy of the firm and customer/supplier will increase. This offers great incentive for both customer and supplier to continue doing business with 7-Eleven. Use information systems to develop strong ties and loyalty with customers and suppliers. It also discovers unsuspected problems, detect unrealized potential, and create a dynamic synergy with customers. They often merge their operations with those of their customers. In the integration of their operations, suppliers become more than merely useful. To tighten long-term relationship and create brand loyalty with customers and suppliers, including increasing switching costs. In conclusion, Strengthening customer and supplier intimacy lead to win-win situation.

Locke, Hobbes, Machiavelli Essay Essays

Locke, Hobbes, Machiavelli Essay Essays Locke, Hobbes, Machiavelli Essay Essay Locke, Hobbes, Machiavelli Essay Essay Nicolo Machiavelli, John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes are philosophers that have changed and influenced the lives of many people. Their specific interpretations of each of their beliefs on the best methods to run a successful government, and their evaluations of a human beings’ natural state are key to developing a more desirable government. In the film, Lord of the Flies, directed by Harry Hook, many key ideas of all three philosophers are present. John Locke’s beliefs are portrayed throughout the film, Lord of the Flies. Locke specifically states that â€Å"all men are naturally in†¦a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature†, thus suggesting that all men are neither good nor evil and that one learns one or the other as one grows (Locke 445). He goes on to say that this â€Å"state of nature† must always have â€Å"a law of nature to govern it† (Locke 446). The state of nature of human beings is a recurring theme and example in the film. When the abandoned boys first appear in the film, natural law and the state of nature are already present as the boys begin to come together and choose a leader. At the beginning of the film, the boys start off with a clean slate and as the film progresses they slowly learn and become either good or evil. Thomas Hobbes believed that â€Å"during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war†¦as if of every man, against every man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hobbes). In Lord of the Flies, the belief that men are inherently evil is portrayed quite clearly as the boys begin to perform evil and savage-like acts. The boys believe that there is a monster that inhabits the island that they must hunt down before it gets them. This central belief is the root of their evil, as they begin to act like savages, only caring about hunting down the beast, and not thinking or caring about anything else. As their savagery progresses, the boys eventually end up killing Simon, but think only twice about it, passing it by and forgetting it quite easily. Director, Harry Hook, portrays that without a strong government telling them what to do, the boys have almost completely forgotten who they are and believe that they can do anything they want, including even killing those who annoy them. Nicolo Machiavelli conceived that leaders who are â€Å"feared† rather than â€Å"loved† are the most effective of them all (Machiavelli 1). The character, Jack, establishes himself as someone to be feared and followed early on in the film. Jack punishes those who fail to act according to his rules and procedures thus exuding a position of power and authority over the other boys. Jack can be portrayed as Machiavelli’s ideal leader who â€Å"so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal† does not mind â€Å"the reproach of cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those who, through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise† (Machiavelli 1). John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Nicolo Machiavelli all had specific perceptions on the ideal and perfect government system or leader. These three philosophical interpretations of government and human nature present themselves neatly in the film, Lord of the Flies. Though in the film the boys do become savages and result to even killing each other, at the end of the film they are discovered by other humans and stop in their tracks, realizing their mistakes and inhumanity, thus giving the viewer hope that there may be hope for the human race.

An Analysis of Macy’s

An Analysis of Macys R.H. Macy such as tea bags, the Idaho baked potato, and colored bath towels that would get the attention of people forever. Macy’s also was the first retailer that would be the first to hold a New York City liquor license which would eventually increase their sales. By 1902 the store had become so large it relocated to Herald Square with over a million square feet, becoming the largest store in the world. On December 19, 1994, Federated Department Stores Inc. (now known as Macy’s Inc.) acquired R.H. Macy & Co., creating the world’s largest premier department store company (Macy’s Inc.). Before renaming as Macy’s Inc., Federated Department Stores had 400 stores and over 157 specialty stores throughout 37 states. Macy’s is known for their Thanksgiving Day Parade that began back in 1924 as the Christmas Parade. Celebrating its 75th birthday in 2001, the tradition has long lived for 84 years and has millions of viewers. R.H. Macy and Co., took out newspaper ads that would promise â€Å"a surprise New York will never forget† and to this day the parade is a piece of America (New York City Vacations). Macy’s is now currently known worldwide as one of the largest retailers selling men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, accessories, shoes, and beauty. It also operates www.macy.com, an online website you can also purchase merchandise from. The company operates over 800 department stores and furniture stores across 45 states including the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s (Macy’s Inc.). Its corporate offices are located in Cincinnati and New York. The red star that’s with the company name was adopted as Mr. Hussey’s representing a symbol of success. Macy’s Shares are traded under the symbol â€Å"M† on the New York Stock Exchange. According to Wikinvest, the stock price as of March 23, 2010 was 21.83 a share. Macy’s corporate vision reflects the â€Å"Spirit of America† in a sense that the past aspects that made our nation the way it is today are the same aspects that has shaped Macy’s in becoming such a valued industry. A belief in the promise of the future with the energy and determination to get us there. A belief that our heritage mirrors the optimism, inclusion and integrity that provide for both stability and growth. A belief that taking advantage of the right opportunities will continue to lead us to success in all that we do.

Rules, Rights and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Rules, Rights and Justice - Essay Example Parliament is normally influenced by public opinion and social changes into making laws through Acts of parliament. There are various origins of Acts of parliament, which are caused by the variations in public and social opinions. Consequently various Acts of parliament are enacted, laws established to ensure a peaceful cohabitation of the people with its environs. Most of these will be addressed in this paper to find out the numerous ways the public can affect establishment of laws. Origin of Acts of Parliament There are different origins of Acts of parliament in England and Wales. Some of these include; national emergency crisis, manifestos of parties, the law commission, royal commission and the private members bills. The party manifestos refer to those lists of reforms promised by political parties when there is a general election. They do guarantee they would implement if they are elected into parliament. In other terms, party manifestos are simply pre-election promises. The Act s of parliament may be obtained from the pre-election promises on which the elected government made to the public (Block 2, 2012; p. 93). Nationwide emergency, crisis or fresh developments which arise during the reign of a government might force the parliament to establish an Act to deal with the crisis. For instance, the Anti-Terrorism, crime and Security Act 2001 was brought up to respond to the latest circumstances concerning the terror attack on September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington. The main objective of the 2001 Act was to cut down on financing for the terror groups, ensuring the departments and agencies in the government had authority to gather and share important information needed to deal with terror threats. In addition, the 2001 Act had the aim of expanding police jurisdiction and accessibility to appropriate forces and pass on to UK’s anti-terror authority (Block 2, 2012; p. 95). The royal commissions at times submit their report to the parliament with rec ommendations for laws which may be assumed as part of the government lawmaking process. Royal Commissions are recommended committees enacted by the State even though officially selected by the Crown. The commission conducts an investigation for any subject the government might see fit to refer to. These are normally used for political issues that are not related to any party or for matters the government deems to be perceived as addressing in a non-party political manner (Block 2, 2012; p. 101). A recommendation from the law commission is also another source of Parliamentary Acts. The main aim of creating the law commission was to establish recommendations concerning any subject of the law that the commission might feel necessary to have reforms. Thus the commission is mandated with the accountability of keeping all the regulations under the review with the objective of reform and development. The work of the commission is wide-ranging in the sense that it proposes the changes to th e law inclusive of the necessary reforms. The private member bills are also another source of the Acts of parliament. This is a situation where the individual members of parliament are able to initiate their own laws otherwise known as the Private Member’s Bill. One good example of the successful private member’s Bill which was signed into legislation is the Marriage Act 1994. This was initiated by Gyles Brandreth, Chester’