Feminist Reading of Hardy’s the Return of the Native Essay

Most of Hardy’s novels or better to say all of them are considered to be modern. In fact, one can notice so many features of modern novels in his fiction. By referring to Robert Schweik’s article (1994) pertaining to the idea that Hardy has influenced so many modern novelists such as D.H. Lawrence, one of the key critics of Hardy novels, chiefly in the notion of feminine and treatment of women which is one of the distinguishing features in his fiction. One can regard this type of treatment of women in Jude the Obscure, the sixth and the last of his major fictions, in a way that Sue, the heroine of the novel, is a liberated, unconventional and broadminded feminine who rebels against the conventions of the Victorian society. Although at the end Sue thrusts upon the social laws and ideologies, she is very much a modern type of woman or as Elaine Showalter stated the obvious in her division of the female literary tradition into three stages . Here the second stage is immensely relevant that is the stage of protest against the standards and the values and, a call for autonomy (Literature of their own, 13) Hardy established in his fiction. Moreover, by making a female character like Tess, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Hardy tries to criticize the Victorian society, the very strict one with that particular Victorian code and respectability which is a traditional type of dealing with women in the community in which the only way to protest is to commit suicide. While many critics have disagreed with the matter that Hardy treats with his heroines in a kind and tender way, Rosemarie Morgan gives us evidence regarding this idea: â€Å"While he [Hardy] was writing the Return of the Native†¦he was reading the works of a woman he greatly admired, whom he regarded as one of the â€Å"Immortals† of the literature, and who has happened to be highly unconventional—he was reading George Sand Mauprat and was taking notes.†(Morgan, 1988: 41) Hence, this statement tells us that Hardy’s favorite novelist was an openly and defiantly unconventional and liberated woman whose writings Hardy thinks highly of. Morgan also goes on with this idea and bestows on us a nice  statement from Sand’s novel which were Hardy’s notes: â€Å"Men imagine that a woman has no individual existence, and that she ought always to be absorbed in them: and yet they love no wo- man deeply unless she elevates herself, by her character above the weakness and inertia of her sex.† (Morgan, 1988: 41-42) Interestingly, the â€Å"existence† of such a female resulted in many heroines in novels of Hardy and those come after him. The Return of the Native is perhaps the strongest example of Hardy’s demonstration of struggle of women to establish their identities. In fact, it is the document of their attempts and battles against natural and social laws. The purpose of this paper also is to have a feminist reading through using the recurrent theme of individual as Eustacia versus society as patriarchal society with its own ideologies and conventions. By considering Wollstonecraft’s concept â€Å"women’s duty†, the idea that is mostly applicable to Victorian women and mostly the folk people of Hardy’s novels like what one sees in characters like Thomasin or Susan Nunsuch or Olly (what simply they call her â€Å"besom-maker†), his heroines like Eustacia are against this notion. In fact, there is a redefinition of that very concept in his fiction The novel demonstrates a restless passionate woman searching for fulfillment in the monotonous surroundings of Egdon Heath, where the inhabitants are steeped in the older traditional ways of life. Eustacia considered being a discontented and passionate dreamer who dismisses the opinions of society. She is mysterious by nature and has â€Å"Pagan eyes, full of nocturnal mysteries†¦..assuming that the souls of men and women are visible essences, you could fancy the color of Eustacia’s soul to be flame-like† (The Return of the Native: 51) Certainly, Eustacia has a reputation on Egdon Heath of witchcraft, as a person whose only desire is to use her beauty as a means of attracting the men. One can observe how the folk women hate her, that how they talk behind her or also there is almost no conversation between Eustacia and the other female characters throughout the novel. As evidence, there is a scene in the church, exactly the time of Wildeve and Thomasin marriage, â€Å"Susan had pricked Miss. Vye with a long stocking needle† (RN: 149), as a means of her hatred. But, just in opposite, whatever is thought by the folk people is not Hardy’s objective. He attempts to  criticize the narrow-mindedness of such people, their counterfeit superstitions particularly religious ones. Using Althusser’s â€Å"Ideology†, here, it is very much pertinent to the social laws, the church and what the â€Å"Fathers† are establishing. By reading closely the chapter called â€Å"Queen of Night†, the mysteries regarding Eustacia is unfolded. The common element in the chapter is the high spirited woman rebelling against the constructions of her pres cribed â€Å"woman’s lot† and seeking a life of wider personal freedom than customarily granted to women: â€Å"she had the passions and instincts which make a model goddess, that is, those which make not quite a model woman.† (RN: 55) Through studying the relationship between the men and the women in the novel, Eustacia and Wildeve and also Eustacia and Clym, any other mystery of such a woman will be resolved. First of all, the relationship between Eustacia and Wildeve is discussed. What is found in the character of Wildeve is that he is only a â€Å"womanizer†. What he does in the novel, is playing with women and mostly with Thomasin through procrastinating their marriage and preserving his affair with Eustacia. Oddly enough, only a letter being the reason to leave this woman and go for the marriage, however, later Wildeve returns to her all over again. Furthermore, the name he has chosen for his bar is also debatable which is â€Å"Quiet Woman Inn†. It symbolically presents the nature of a Victorian woman. As a matter of fact, not to go too far, Thomasin may be the main focus in this notion. She is â€Å"quiet lady-like little body† (RN: 19) as Susan calls her, also an obedient, devoted, pas sive one that later in the essay will be discussed more. The object of study of their relationship here is the matter of strength of Eustacia. Her nature proves that she is stronger than Wildeve, for she captivates and declines him in accordance with her tendency. She even threatens him to quit the legacy of passion she has presented upon him, â€Å"I had given you up, and resolved not to think of you anymore.† (RN: 52) thus, the belief that women are the â€Å"weaker sex† is eroded by Eustacia. In regard with the â€Å"power† and strength, also another interesting statement of Eustacia is bearable: â€Å"I determined you should come, and; you have come! I have shown my power. A mile and half hither, and a mile and back again to your home—three miles in the dark for me. Have I not shown my power?†(RN: 54) Moreover, in another important relationship in the novel between Eustacia and Clym, everything changes for  Eustacia. Clym has come from Paris, a city of ambitions for Eustacia, in fact, what she was r eally waiting for. But in an opposite way, an idealist and intellectual Clym is not very much interested in what her beloved thinks of. His core intention to return is just to improve his hometown, to educate them. He has forgotten that his hometown deals only with furze-cutting. Mrs. Yeobright tells him that â€Å"after all the trouble that has been taken to give a start, and when there is nothing to do but to keep straight on towards affluence, you say you will be a poor man’s schoolmaster. Your fancies will be your ruin† (RN 147), however, Clym is too idealistic to recognize that the rustics need material comfort before achieving spiritual contentment. It is intriguing that Clym is trying to uplift mankind rather than to recognize what has really happened to his own life or to Eustacia. It is obvious that he has only attracted to her physical beauty and just has thought of her as a helpmate for his idealistic job. Stave asserts that â€Å"Clym assumes marriage will relieve him of the distress of passion and will provide him a helpmate in his mission to educate the Egdon folk† (Stave, 1995: 60) . Or also in another scene he tells his mother that â€Å"she is excellently educated, and would make a good matron in a boarding-school.† (RN: 161-162). One can also say Clym defied and denied Eustacia’s desires in order to attain his personal ambitions. Oddly enough, the more she fights to avoid the hostility of the heath, the further it dominates her. She marries Clym to save her body and soul from hostile environment around her by leaving heath for Paris but, as it seems, she is quite unaware of the fact that in the patriarchal Victorian society, once a girl is married, she becomes the man’s estate, and is made to satisfy his desires. Actually, Eustacia’s hopes are shattered by her husband’s selfishness. Additionally, the main character foil in the novel is Thomasin, as Hardy calls her â€Å"a good heroine†. She is intriguingly defines herself â€Å"a practical woman, I don’t believe in hearts at all† (RN: 130). She symbolizes the ideal partner, an agreeable and devoted woman which is immensely in contrast to Eustacia. Thomasin, in the first eleven chapters of the book one, reveals her true purpose for marrying: it is not for love but for the family reputation she says: â€Å"But I don’t care personally if it never takes place,† she added with a little dignity; â€Å"no, I can live without you. It is aunt I think of.  She is so proud, and thinks so much of her family respecta- bility, that she will be cut down with mortification if this story should get abroad before— it is done.†(RN: 37) Hence, as it is said, she is a very idol of a Victorian woman who makes the men, like Wildeve, to tread the path of abusing the women as their own possession and property. In concluding what is said till now and by taking into account the most important female of the novel, one can say that from her first appearance till her tragic end, Eustacia is agonized because she does not consent to man’s desires and principles. Hardy desires her to commit suicide rather than be debased to living in a cottage with an indecisive idealist, and a blind man as Duffin observes â€Å"yields little allegiance to emotions† (Duffin, 1991: 201). Her tragic end is an indication of refusal to be an obedient, conventional and passive man. In fact, Hardy’s greater heroines are not static at all but are very much dynamic and just attempting to advance through the interaction of anything out the domestic world. Works Cited: Deen, L.W.1960. â€Å"Heroism and Pathos in The Return of the Native. †Nineteenth century Fiction,Vol.15,No.3,p.211. Duffin, H.1991. Thomas Hardy:A study of the Wessex Novels, The Poems, And The Dynasts, Anmol Publication, New Delhi. Hardy, T. 1995. The Return of the Native, Wordsworth Editions Limited, Hertfordshire. ———- . 1995. Jude the Obscure, Wordsworth Editions Limited, Hertfordshire Harvey, G. 2003. The complete critical guide to Thomas Hardy, Routledge,, London Millgate, M. 1971. Thomas Hardy: His Career as a Novelist, The Bodley Head, London and Sydney. Morgan,R.1988. Women and Sexuality in the Novels of Thomas Hardy,Routledge,London. ———-, 1992. Cancelled words: rediscovering Thomas Hardy, Routledge. London. Showalter, E. 1977. A literature of Their Own, University Press, Princeton. Schweik, R, 1994. â€Å"Modernity in Hardy’s Jude the Obscure† in Bloom’s Modern Critical Views: Thomas Hardy. Ed. Harold Bloom 2010. Infobase Publishing. Wolstonecraft, M: Vindication of the Rights of Women, Everyman Library, London.

Managing Capability

Outline the patterns of Amazon’s strategic evolution. Discuss Jeff Bezos’s role in this. Amazon. com is probably one of the most well-known on-line marketing hub nowadays. The primary strategy of the said online store is being directly connected with its customer. Since people who are using the internet are increasing, it is not hard to believe that Amazon. com found its niche in allowing online users to purchase products and services through their website. Amazon. com is also considered to be the starters in the utilization of Internet as a channel of business endeavors.Amazon. com was founded by its Chief Executive Officer named Jeff Bezos in the year 1994 (Barros et. al. 1). Bezos wants to open a store which is not akin to traditional retail stores. Basically, the good choice of purchasing platform is the Internet wherein many people are using. In Amazon. Com, the selling of books was being developed because of the unlimited amount of book titles and it is easy to de velop search methods and retrieval functions and systems. There are various advantages of an online store just like Amazon. com.These advantages include direct customer advantages and cost advantages. For direct customer advantages, there are many factors which contributed to the strategic evolution of Amazon. com. First, the business of Amazon is available for about twenty four hours paer day and seven days a week. This makes the online selling convenient for purchasers or buyers and advantageous for the company itself. Second, there is a virtual unlimited shelf space for the books which makes it easy to store book products and convenience for customers. The bulk of the books stored in amazon.com stores is four times larger compared to traditional book stores. In connection, the third strategy is that it is easy for customers to access search engines and retrieval systems developed by Amazon. com in finding books to buy which provides convenience and comfort for busy customers. In other words, search job is made easier due to the search scheme developed by Amazon. com. Fourth, Amazon. com also develop a scheme which includes a value-added content wherein experts provide books reviews and title recommendations which could help the customers decide on what to book to buy.And lastly, the company also exploited the advantages of sales and distribution of books in relation to global accessiblity worldwide. With respect to cost advantages in relation to the strategic evolution of Amazon. com, there are also factors that affects its fame in the online business industry. First, Amazon. com has a centralized and largely automated operations which made the business easier to manage. The supply chain is not complicated compared to traditional business models.And second, it cannot be denied that in online business, there is no need to prepare high investments and it is also not expensive in terms of real assets. Moreover, business analysts provided various reasons why th e company will continue to grow in the coming years. First, Amazon. com was able to develop itself as the leading online book seller in the Internet. The company also developed a brand extension plan which allows it to sell not only books but also CDs and videotapes.Besides, books ansd music sales has increased tremendously and predicted to increase more in the coming years. Amazon. com also tapped the most visited sites in the Internet which includes Excite, Geocities, AOL, Netscape, and Yahoo (Barros et. al. 1). And lastly, Amazon. com has built a database containing customer's information and patterns of purchasing their products in order to maximize sales. Bibliography Barros, L. et. al. (2009). Value of E-Commerce. [Internet]. Web. Mit. Edu. Available from: [Accessed 19 May].

Case study Of Fairview Distribution Centre

Supply Chain and Logistics Management forms one of the most integral parts of any business organization whereby the company manages its resources and sees to it that all the resources are utilized effectively and the organization incurs the minimum amount of cost. In the given report, such a case relating to the Fairview School Board has been presented (Christopher, 2016).   The company presently holds a distribution center whereby it distributes all the stationery to the different organizations from one center. This has led to extremely high costs for the company and hence, it has been advised to give away the distribution centre and manage on its own. The given case explores all available ideas and then roots for one of them. At the distribution center, an area of 30000 square foot was used which has to purposes. Various school`s inventories were kept at the warehouse for the supply given to the schools. This stock included office supplies, papers and other stationery items. Such a large stock was kept in order to see to it that the bulk purchases could be made which would lead to decreased costs and also balance the lead time in case of deliveries (Islam et al., 2013). The inventory levels fluctuated to a great extent throughout the year. At the warehouse, various equipment of the board house was also kept which consisted of special teaching supplies and could be loaned by the various schools on different time period basis (Wang et al., 2016). The delivery system of the board was also taken care of by the authorities in the distribution centre which comprised of an interdepartmental mail, supplies and other educational services. The deliveries were made to various schools and offices as and when required . According to Jim Knox, that the board had forecasted certain deficits and thus, certain adjustments had to be made to various units in order to overcome the deficit problem. He suggested that along with giving away early retirement to various staffs and cuts, the distribution centre could be done away with (Mangan, Lalwani & Lalwani, 2016). The schools should be allowed to handle their own supplies and the center could be sold away along with selling the vehicles owned. The reason why closing the distribution centre was taken in as a more attractive than cutting down other program budgets was because the schools could manage their supplies on their own. According to him salaries of around $500000 would be saved if the distribution centre was given away. Along with the same rent could also be saved. The alternative option to the given scenarios cold is as follows: The distribution centre is a huge warehouse where all the equipment fit in adequately. Hence, due to this the area of the distribution centre could be reduced considerably and the entire excess inventory could somehow be reduced by keeping lower levels of stock (Stadtler, 2015).When the case comes up of the discounts which would be received then, the purchase of stocks can be made at once but the delivery can be made later. Adding to this, the staff could work on rotational basis and the teachers could also contribute some of their help in order to manage the supplies. Various other adjustments could be made which would help in altering the problem of the budget and even not hamper the distribution system aspect. The most suitable scenario in the given situation would be taking up the alternative path. This given path would follow the `avoidance of wastage idea` an idea similar to that of the Kaizen Distribution, where all unnecessary costs and wastes would be avoided in order to see to it that the distribution centre does not incur the huge amount of costs that it is incurring at the moment (Jacobs, Chase & Lummus, 2014). The alternative plan has been elaborated in detail: In terms of ethicality, the stakeholder’s need also needs to be considered while any particular decision is being made. When the distribution centre would have been given away, it would have caused inconvenience to various stakeholders. These stakeholders include various stakeholders like teachers, staff, the personnel working at the centre, and the maintenance staff. The staff has been working in the distribution centre since a very long time and therefore, it is extremely important that the people who are working there are also considered before any rash decision is made. Hence, it can be clearly stated that the benefits of following this idea is much more than the costs which are incurred. This also serves to be a middle path and helps in removal of any consequences for the board as well as the stakeholders involved in the board Therefore, it can be stated that there were two clear alternatives available to the company which was giving away the distribution board or keeping it. The third was an additional alternative which would have helped the board to reduce certain costs. All the ideas were well explained and then the case for an alternative idea was built which was reducing excess wastage and keeping the distribution center but decreasing it in size and operations. The reduced operations will not only help in saving the costs but also help in saving the interests of the various stakeholders involved. Christopher, M. (2016).  Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK. Coyle, J. J., Langley, C. J., Novack, R. A., & Gibson, B. (2016).  Supply chain management: a logistics perspective. Nelson Education. Islam, D. M. Z., Meier, J. F., Aditjandra, P. T., Zunder, T. H., & Pace, G. (2013). Logistics and supply chain management.  Research in Transportation Economics,  41(1), 3-16. Jacobs, F. R., Chase, R. B., & Lummus, R. R. (2014).  Operations and supply chain management  (pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Mentzer, J. T., DeWitt, W., Keebler, J. S., Min, S., Nix, N. W., Smith, C. D., & Zacharia, Z. G. (2013). Defining supply chain management.  Journal of Business logistics,  22(2), 1-25. Mangan, J., Lalwani, C., & Lalwani, C. L. (2016).  Global logistics and supply chain management. John Wiley & Sons. Rushton, A., Croucher, P., & Baker, P. (2014).  The handbook of logistics and distribution management: Understanding the supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers. Stadtler, H. (2015). Supply chain management: An overview. In  Supply chain management and advanced planning  (pp. 3-28). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Simchi-Levi, D., Simchi-Levi, E., & Kaminsky, P. (2016).  Designing and managing the supply chain: Concepts, strategies, and cases. New York: McGraw-Hill. Wang, G., Gunasekaran, A., Ngai, E. W., & Papadopoulos, T. (2016). Big data analytics in logistics and supply chain management: Certain investigations for research and applications.  International Journal of Production Economics,  176, 98-110.

Pay For Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pay For Play - Essay Example I have chosen to write about this topic as I have seen college athletes undergoing much sacrifice and bring money but they are not paid in return. Second reason I chose this topic is because I have been a football player in college and I understand what it means to work to get money for extra spending. So I believe that college athletes should be paid has they put lot effort in bringing advantage to college. (Thesis) College athletes have developed into uncrowned and undefined athletic heroes who strive and struggle to bring a well -defined fame and earn an overly demarcated reputation for the institute, which has been over the years counted as their performing duty that calls for no justification to be paid financially. However, I strongly believe that the regulations regarding payment of college athletes be changed because these players bring in too much money and put in too much work for them to not be earning a paycheck. Major sports played at college-Sports have been an integral part of college education and it has always encouraged and inspired students to be more active and contribute to the college heritage. The colleges hold sport events on a regular basis and it has been a way to explore the talent and skill of students from a different dimension. Sports have united and inspired young men to be able and fit to become a professional sportsman. The major sports played at college and university level are football, basketball, baseball and softball. The history of sports at college and university can be traced back to couple of centuries History of college sports-The history of college sports is thought to be originated around 1850s and since then it has been evolved to become a major mission in educational campuses across America. It has been regarded as the perfect physical activity and the desire of the young men. The competitive spirit and vigor which consisted in college sports hiked the mental and physical pleasure of the students. The college autho rities elaborately planned sports activities which motivated the students immensely and sports event on college and national level became a prestigious venture and money making phenomena for college authorities. On the other hand, the students athletes remained thrilled about being college’s selected people and representatives of college on state level. Moreover, the media kept the young athletes in the lime light and the scholarship provided by colleges to them stood as a bonus. Recruitment of college athletes -Recruiting is a significant phase in college sports. The recruitment process is headed by college coach and large amount of power is vested with him in selecting the college athletes. It has been experienced that the selection procedure of athletes many a times is subjected to bias and discriminations. For the recruitment procedure, the athletes are required to do rigorous practice and this take lot of energy and time of the students which ruined their academics. The most important point in consideration is that these institutes that have been developed to nurture, maintain and enhance the intellectual minds at the professional level and speed up the purpose of taming the existing skills into more sophisticated commercial and other practical uses, when they employ physical strengths of the same youth alongside to the above mentioned rational goals, how could they be ignorant of giving the youth the required motivation to grow in athletics? (ESPN Colleeg Sports, 2013)However, when it comes to payment

Terrorism and Nations Security Concerns Assignment - 207

Terrorism and Nations Security Concerns - Assignment Example Summary - According to Jerrold M. Post, religious terrorism has taken center stage in the 21st century with extremist terrorist organizations such as Aum Shinrikyo and al-Qaeda making headlines. Religious terrorism is an extremist ideology where the terror groups hide under the guise of religious factions, especially Islam, to instill fear in innocent civilians through violence. Such terrorists spread their propaganda based on radical religious ideologies. Hezbollah has been running an anti-Israel sentiment for quite a long time and the terrorist organization has thrived because of strong support from the Iranian government. The terrorist organization has extensively used the media to run its campaign. 1 As an Islamic resistant movement, the Hamas has terrorized the Middle East, particularly Palestine, under the leadership of Sheik Ahman Yassin. Although many negotiations have taken place between Hamas and the Palestinian government, the terrorist organization has stuck to its ideolo gy has rarely had it renounced the absolutist ambitions that it undertakes through suicide bombings.2 In a bid to unearth the inner workings of terrorist organizations, Bruce Hoffman assessed the Middle East terrorism and made a number of astonishing findings. By the year 2005, various terrorist groups, with al-Qaeda taking the lead, had struck in 25 countries, including Israel, Kenya, and the United Kingdom. The number of suicide terrorist attacks stood at 350 by the same years. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has seized most of Sri Lankan provinces while al-Qaeda continued to terrorize the Middle East and beyond. Terrorism has evolved over the years to the use of suicide bombers, who have been heavily radicalized into believing that through self-sacrifice they receive greater heavenly rewards and in the process, liberate their victims.  

Analyze and discuss the article The Case for Contamination by Kwame Essay

Analyze and discuss the article The Case for Contamination by Kwame Anthony Appiah (from a religious perspective) - Essay Example In this regard, I believe it is important to understand the differences between religious and cultural beliefs, rather than to quickly gloss them over in favor of a unitarian belief that ignores the actual teachings of the religions themselves. For example, by learning the specific characteristics of Islam - submission, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, etc. – and understanding them historically as they relate to the development of unique schools of thought, ritual, and practice, we can understand the religion in a way that truly appreciates it as a cultural value system. What may appear as uniting in post-modern society can result in a further weakening of religion. This can be viewed as a modernization of religious belief, but it also illustrates the way that secular values can dilute and destroy religious diversity by posing all ideas in a supermarket of choices where all philosophies are packaged and sold equally, to anybody, but nobody really cares what is on the inside of the box. Thus, this essay will review the position of Kwame Anthony Appiah in the NYT article â€Å"The Case for Contamination,† analyzing the author’s call for multicultural unity, while searching for ways that this process can lead to greater understanding of religious diversity and uniqueness, rather than a dilution of religious belief into a secular paradigm dominated by the values of the marketplace. â€Å"In the past couple of years, Unesco's members have spent a great deal of time trying to hammer out a convention on the ‘protection and promotion’ of cultural diversity. (It was finally approved at the Unesco General Conference in October 2005.) The drafters worried that ‘the processes of globalization. . .represent a challenge for cultural diversity, namely in view of risks of imbalances between rich and poor countries.’ The fear is that the values and images of Western mass culture, like some invasive weed, are threatening to choke out t he world's native flora.† (Appiah, 2006) Appiah defines the position that he is reacting to as related to the UNESCO goal of the protection and promotion of cultural diversity. Appiah chides UNESCO, as if there really is no threat to indigenous culture, as if we were really not losing our cultural diversity globally in a manner similar to and driven by the same modern economic forces that has caused us to lose our natural biodiversity. The protection of endangered species and biodiversity is an extension and continuation of the protection of cultural diversity through multiculturalism. These two are joined in activism and in sharing a philosophical foundation. What Appiah posits as his ideal in contrast to traditional values is Cosmopolitanism, and in doing so I am afraid that he elevates the superficial aspects of the modern economic and social system to an undeserved place as an ideal. Traditional religious belief systems contain feudal, primitive, and even pre-historic aspe cts of our cultural heritage, with Buddhist teachings, the Vedas, and the Bible going back to the earliest days of recorded

Proposed preliminary research design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposed preliminary research design - Essay Example Therefore, defining the scope of romance that will be studied is the first task of the study. In creating a study that examines romance and the way in which it is constructed within social relationships that have a sexual component, creating a methodology that allows for subjective considerations will be necessary in order to develop research. In creating a study that is called The Anatomy of Romance, a built in metaphor will guide the way in which the study is constructed. In creating the concept, providing a bone structure, an internal ‘metabolism’, a pumping heart, the brain, the sex organs, and eventually the flesh that creates a living, breathing organism that is the romantic life of a couple will provide a basis for a framework and a foundation on which to build the study in context. According to Shank (2006), framing a topic within a metaphor allows for the research to present a new way of looking at the topic (p. 124). By starting with this foundation, the study can use a multitude of references in order to build a well structured One approach toward this study might be to see the work through ethnography. However, in order to do that, broad strokes of intention about the context of romance within the culture would then diminish the actual perceptions of romance. Romance seems to be an individual creation that is birthed between two people. Although there are generalities that infiltrate a culture, such as the American traditions of flowers, candy, and jewelry, romance is far more interesting beneath the surface of ethnographic generalizations - which admittedly would be far deeper than the example - but would attempt to represent a culture, rather than the concept itself as an entity of a relationship. Defining romance by its cultural adaptations rather than by the singularity in which it exists between two people is too broad a scope in which to examine

Transformational Leadership in Organizations Essay

Transformational Leadership in Organizations - Essay Example The term ‘leadership’ can be defined in various ways it can be stated as a mechanism through which all the team members are guided to achieve a common goal or a tool that enables all the members of an organization to work together and is supported by the leader as and when required. There are various forms of leadership and the appropriate leadership style that is adopted by an organization depends on a particular situation and nature of the team members. Transformational leadership is a form of leadership that facilitates job performance, morale and motivation of all the team members. This form of leadership enhances the followers to include their identity to the project and inspires more of collectivism in the organization so that every member feels being valued for their contribution towards the organization. Transformational leader becomes a role model for all the followers that makes them interested and also inspires them to work towards the common objectives of the organization. The leader adopting this kind of leadership style imposes challenges on the followers so that they can take more of ownership towards the job they perform, analyzes well the weaknesses and strengths of the team members and aligns the tasks to be executed by the followers in such a way that it enhances the overall work performance of the team members. Organizational leaders are the ones that shape and define work and contribute towards innovative practices in the organization. Individual leadership is one of the most important determinants of organizational innovation.

Trends in Business Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Trends in Business Leadership - Essay Example Changes in the work environment lead to new leadership styles whereby leaders change their styles to remain effective. Such changes include improvement in key processes, streamlining functions and restructuring for effectiveness. For an organization to sustain relevance in business, strategists must be put in place to improve the organization’s ability to read and respond to changing trends in the market environment. They should be able to identify challenges in time and respond promptly by improving structures that boost business flexibility and adaptability. Adaptability reduces rigidity of the leaders and enables them to commit to current and future changes. Therefore, they should view change as inevitable and essential part of organization success. The goal of such changes is adapt, regenerate and survive (McLean, 2006). This paper discusses five main trends in business leadership, the reasons for emerging trends and strategies to cope with these trends. Reasons for Trends in Leadership Most leaders lack competencies in strategic thinking, leading change, ability to inspire, techniques to create a vision and involve others in it. They also lack the ability to understand the organizational set up and proper functioning of systems. Most business organizations contain a large number of interacting processes and structures that are difficult to manage. This has forced many organizations to adopt strategies geared towards improving performance and attaining as well as maintaining competitive advantage. Effective leadership is the most significant of the strategies, thus most leaders are pressured by high performance expectation resulting to the emergence of new trends. Information systems in many organizations are indecipherable and complicated making the interactions between different organs of an organization difficult. Interactions in these organizations are non linear complicated implying that minute changes in leadership leads to pronounced, dispropo rtionate effects at all departments. This has led to communication trends and the need for effective leadership trends. Increased globalization has increased the urge to lead across cultures. The transformation from traditional organizational strategies has allowed room for flexibility and expansion enabling businesses to explore international markets. Most local markets are also facing stiff competition from local firms therefore creating a need for most organizations to explore international markets. Most organizations are favoring global-oriented who are able to formulate effective strategies that promote international business. Technology trends are caused by information overload, lack of interconnectedness between organization systems and business communities. Most of the new technologies also disrupt the professional practices. Organizations are thus edged towards effective leadership skills that are technologically sound to steer management towards technological advancement. The main trends in business leadership are: Focus on Human Resource Current market research indicates that most organizations consider human resource as the most eminent asset in corporate growth. Emerging trends predict that human resource will be the most

Compare and contrast leadership and management styles. How does your Essay

Compare and contrast leadership and management styles. How does your answer help create an ethical environment - Essay Example As a function of such a definition, the reader can and should understand the management style as more of a nuts and bolts approach that tends to be somewhat formulaic and rigid whereas leadership engenders the unique ability to mold and integrate with changes as a means of seeking the best path. It is further important to understand that such a level of approach does not specify one or the other must be engaged upon. As such, it is possible and desirable for an individual to accomplish both of these styles of oversight in order to be an effective vehicle for change within a given institution. Although not all individuals can fulfill the requirements of each of these categories, the individual that does is able to see from both perspectives and seek to direct the firm/group/ or entity in the most appropriate way. With regards to ethics, the leadership and management styles play an integral role in determining the priorities of the given individual. One could even argue that ethics violations only spring from management styles if and when the management style is engrained within the company’s culture. This is due to the fact that management styles are almost always formulaic and required attributes that the individual most ascribe to in order to meet the standards of the organization or group he/she is representing to the employees. Conversely, leadership styles fall prey much more easily to ethical violations due to the fact that these are almost always more innately tied to the ability of the individual to incorporate what they heave learned from past experience, as well as their own personality into the change mechanism they are attempting to integrate with. In order to create an ethical environment, it is incumbent upon the culture and oversight mechanisms of the firm to seek to in still a strong level of ethics into the management styles that they engender with the leadership. In such a way, ethical decision making and

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Example for Free

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay WP is a refrigeration case company and their goal is to create value for its customers. They are dedicated to lead the industry towards sustainability by providing energy efficiency and sustainability of their operation as well as the product they provide to their customers. WP vision is to use their knowledge and resources to improve the current economic conditions. They began in New Jersey searching for a solution to a problem. They have a mission to provide industry –leading solutions that can help their customers stay competitive in their market. WP has an amazing time-line since they opened in 1887. In 1977, WP opened up the Engineered Systems division in Georgia. Through acquisitions since 2009, they now have eight locations and plan to acquire more companies in the future. This paper will indicate what type of market structure WP competes and why the market structure was decided upon. It will also show how the market structure differentiates from any other alternatives. WP manufacturer refrigeration and specialty cases based on their customers want and needs. They also cater to the aftermarket sector in order to provide fresh ideas and parts in order to serve their customers better. WP has increased their market shares by creating innovative products that cannot be found at any other competitor. They listen to their customers and utilize their knowledge and resources to manufacturer exquisite cases for the retail grocer. It is important to WP that their customers know how they are an intricate part of their business. Maintaining the leader in the industry by providing innovative products continue to attract more grocery store owners to their business. With the increase in exposure, creates higher sales, which, will lead to overall increase in profits margins. A supply chain group (STARS) was developed to create alliance partnerships between the customers, suppliers, and various departments at WP. The STARS group has years of success in increasing the supplier and customer alliances. WP has a monopolistic competition market structure. Monopolistic competition is  sellers of a product sell similar profiles but makes it somewhat different and take less emphasis on the price. The various companies decide on their own pricing structure of the product there are selling and the output of that product. The price is based on the current market and the cost to product the product. There can be many producers of the product because no one company has total control over the market place. There are few barriers to entry. Some include capital, as there is the need to have capital order to start up the business. In addition, there is inelastic demand, which means their strategy to penetrate the market by selling at a lower price than their competitors sell. Finally, another barrier to entry is economy of scale, which is the increase in efficiency of production as the number of cases being produced increases. Advance technology can affect the cost advantages as they can reverse as quickly as technology changes. Competitive strategy is how a business competes in the market that they are in. WP competitive strategy includes product differentiation, control cost, technology, and maintain market shares. WP differentiates between their products versus their competitors because they provide outstanding quality cases built with quality-inspected parts. They also provide outstanding field service support to their customers, which enable WP to charge a higher price in order for them to maximize their profits. Another competitive strategy is controlling cost. By controlling the cost, WP is able to minimize their loss. They control their cost by creating alliance partnerships with their suppliers with agreements set into place so that cost stay consistent. Pricing is not able to increase unless if reaches an agreed upon threshold, then and only then are the suppliers allowed changing their price annually. This allows WP to maximize their cost by keeping the cost down and not passing along price increa ses to their customers as material cost increase. In a bad economy is become even hard to maintain market shares. WP motto is to â€Å"never say no to our customers†. They never let a customer go. In order to keep the customer happy, WP provides a four to six week lead-time to their customers compared to the industry standard of eight weeks. Custom color matching makes WP a specialty center in which a customer can see a color and describe it to them in order to have that same exact look in their stores. Technology changes every day. In order  to keep up with the growing technology, WP has a large marketing team and IT department. They are constantly researching trends and what drives consumers to shop in the grocery stores. Fresh foods and lighting are a few triggers to a consumers loyalty to a store so WP developed a website to market their products to be more energy efficient and provide cases that will keep the freshness in. The website show the various types of cases available and the total fan color charts to pick from. Internet is today’s way of communicating and customers do not want to take time to pick up the phone. They want to research on-line first to see if what is offered a potential product for their store. It is the only way to touch the customer interest the fastest. WP also participates in yearly shows to allow hands on changes to technology and trends in the market place. WP might want to consider branding as additional strategies in their organization in order to maximize their profits before their product hits the road; there are quality inspections and testing done. To ensure that they stay number one in market position as well as staying in a competitive market, WP should put their name on all cases. This will put their name out in the market. Branding of their product needs to large enough for anyone to see that WP manufactured this case and that they care about moving into the future with energy efficient product. If needs to differentiate between them and their competitors so that there is no mistaken identity of the manufacturer contact information. References Merriam-Webster (2014) Monopolistic Competition. Retrieved on February 1, 2014 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monopolistic%20competitionConsumer

Study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module

Study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. Seizure is a neurological disorder characterised by unprovoked electrical discharges that disrupt the nervous system and can cause abnormalities such as abnormal blood levels of calcium, magnesium, glucose which can trigger one or more seizure conditions that irritate the brain. (Christensen and Vestergaard, 2007) Most people with seizure lead outwardly normal lives. Approximately 80% can be aided by modern therapies, and some may take months or years between each seizure attack. However, this condition can affect daily life of people with seizure, their family and their friends. People with seizures who ignore treatment have, a shorter life expectancy and increased risk of cognitive impairment. People with seizure have an higher risk of poor self -esteem, depression and suicide tendency. These problems may by a reaction that may result in cruelty and avoidance by other people. (http\www.nih.gov) Based on the total projected population of India, the estimated number of people with seizure would be 5.5 million. Based on a single study on the incidence of seizure, the number of new cases of seizure in each year would be close to half a million (Epilepsy status 2009) .The average incidence rate was higher than many developed countries, but lower than the developing countries. (Shankar Saha, and Shyamal Das, 2008) Seizure becomes a medical emergency, when seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes or when a person has many seizures and does not wake up between them. Good healthy habits may help to control seizure such as good sleep habits, stress reduction, proper exercise, good nutrition, regular intake of medicine etc. (Rubin and Kornblau, 2009) NEED FOR THE STUDY Many people with seizure also live with ever present fear of getting another attack. The risk of seizure acts as a barrier for their independence; In USA people with seizure or other handicaps cannot be denied employment or access to many educational, recreational or other activities due to their seizure. However one survey in India showed that about 56% of people with seizure finish high school education and only 15% finish college education. These rates are found lower than those of the general population. These numbers indicate that some important barriers still exist for people with seizure. The risk of seizures becomes a barrier for peoples recreational choices; sports is a positive factor in life which is best for the person to participate. Women with seizure are often concerned about whether they can become pregnant and have a healthy child. This is usually a possible situation. Probably 90% women with seizure have the chance of bearing a normal healthy baby and the risk of birth defects is only associated with pregnancy and delivery. The researcher personally felt that seizure episodes are common and often recurrent if the patient does not maintain good health habits. The knowledge level regarding safety measures on management of seizure is essential for people. So the researcher got interested to prepare a Self Instructional Module regarding promotion of safety measures among patients with seizure. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module (SIM) on knowledge regarding promotion of safety measures among patients with seizure and primary care givers in selected Hospitals at Salem. OBJECTIVES To develop and validate Self Instructional Module regarding promotion of safety measures for patients with seizure and primary care givers. To assess the knowledge score on Safety measures regarding seizure management before and after exposed to SIM among patients with seizure and primary care givers. To find out the association between pre-test level of knowledge with selected demographic variables (Age in years, Educational status) RESEARCH HYPOTHESES: (Level of significance p H1: The mean post-test knowledge score after exposed to SIM will be higher than the mean pre-test knowledge score among patients with seizure. H2: The mean post-test knowledge score after exposed to SIM will be higher than mean pre-test knowledge score among primary care givers of patients with seizure. H3: There will be significant association between the pre-test knowledge level on promotion of safety measures among seizure patients with their selected demographic variables. H3(a): There will be significant association between the pre-test knowledge level on promotion of safety measures among seizure patients with their age. H3(b): There will be significant association between the pre-test knowledge level on promotion of safety measures among seizure patients with their educational status. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 1. Effectiveness: In this study Effectiveness refers to the significant difference in mean pre test and post test knowledge score regarding promotion of safety measures on management of seizure among the samples. a). Knowledge of patients with seizure : In this study , it refers to the level of information which is known by the patients with seizure regarding promotion of safety measures which includes drug regimen; marriage and pregnancy ; relaxation therapy and safety measures on management of seizure which will be assessed by using a structured questionnaire, with Multiple choice questions . The scores will be interpreted as below 50% Inadequate knowledge; 50% 75% moderate knowledge and above 75% adequate knowledge. b). Knowledge of primary care givers of patients with seizure: In this study; it refers to the level of information regarding promotion of safety measures which includes care of patient during and after seizure by the primary care giver which is assessed by structured questionnaire that contains multiple choice questions. The scores will be interpreted as below 50% Inadequate knowledge; 50% 75% moderate knowledge; above 75% adequate knowledge. 2. Primary Caregiver: In this study; it refers to a person who is being with the patient and giving care before, during and after a seizure attack. 3. Self Instructional Module: Section-1: For patients with seizure: In this study; it refers to a self explanatory guide regarding the promotion of safety measures on management of seizure. It gives information regarding meaning of seizure, its causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, complications, and management of seizure. Section 2: For primary care givers of patients with seizure: In this study; it refers to set of guidelines regarding promotion on care of patients with seizure for the primary care givers. It gives information regarding the care of patient during after seizure. 4. Patients with Seizure: In this study, it refers to individuals who are diagnosed as patients with seizure for the past one year and who attend the out- patient department for regular treatment in selected Hospitals at Salem. 5. Safety Measures on Management of Seizure: In this study it refers to the information regarding safety measures on drug regimen; relaxation therapy; care during and after seizure which should be followed by the patient to avoid physical as well as mental harm. 6. Demographic Variables: a) Age in years: In this study the age group from 20 to 60 years was included. b) Gender: It refers to the sex of the patient with seizure and primary care giver (male and female). c) Educational status: In this study primary school to post graduate level were included. d) Family member in health profession: In this study; it refers to the individual in the family who is working as doctor, nurse, physiotherapist or other health personnel. ASSUMPTION The knowledge on seizure and care during seizure is essential for people to lead a healthy life and to promote psychosocial well being. The improved knowledge will help in preventing the further attack of seizure. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION Formal permission will be obtained from the concern authority from the Neuro Hospital OPD where the study is conducted. Written informed consent will be obtained from the samples after explaining the usefulness of study. DELIMITATIONS Sample size is delimited to 30 patients on regular treatment and their primary care givers who attend OPD. Patients with seizure who are accompanied by primary care giver. Study is delimited to those who will be available for post test. SUMMARY This chapter dealt with the introduction, need for the study; statement of the problem; objectives; hypotheses; operational definitions; assumption; ethical consideration and delimitations.

Relationship Between Facebook Usage and Social Capital

Relationship Between Facebook Usage and Social Capital 1. Introduction The purpose of this research is to investigate the recent phenomenon known as social networks, and in particular the social networks associated with the World Wide Web and their impact on the social welfare (also known as social capital) of people. This topic is of particular interest to the researcher because of the increasing importance and span of the online social network sites. Thus understanding how they impact society in general. The scope of the research will be The Facebook – the biggest at this time online social network. The reason for the topic is the increase of the website in our lives and the many disputations whether it has positive or negative impact on its users. Therefore adequate research regarding key concepts and connections between The Facebook and social capital would benefit anyone who is interested in online social networks and their influence over societies. Before continuing with the research it is important to introduce key concepts and definitions which is to make easier for the reader to understand the matters at hand. 1.1 Key Definitions A  social network  is a  social structure  made up of individuals (or organizations) called nodes, which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of  interdependency, such as  friendship,  kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike,  sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or  prestige. As in almost everything in present days, the internet influences the social networks. A good example of that is the created in 2004 online social network: The Facebook. By 2007 it was reported to have more than 21 million registered members generating 1.6 billion page views each day (Needham Company, 2007). The site is closely incorporated into the everyday media practices of its users: Ordinary users spend about 20 minutes a day on the site, and two-thirds of users log in at least once a day (Cassidy, 2006; Needham Company, 2007). 1.2 Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between the use of Facebook, and the development and preservation of social capital – both bonding and bridging. Its objective is to determine whether online social networks and in particular The facebook have positive or negative impact on societies. 1.3 Key Research Questions Is Facebook positively connected with individuals who perceive bridging social capital? Will Facebook intensity be positively associated with people who perceive bonding social capital? Is Facebook helping people with face to face communication difficulties? Facebook Survey Pie Chart The remainder of the research is organized as follows: Section 2 reviews conceptual development and theories of the research questions. Section 3 reviews the research methods and how they address the questions and how the data will be collected. Section 4 shows the research plan vie diagram, displaying the different activities involved in producing the actual work and how they will happen in time. Section 5 concludes the research proposal by highlighting the importance of the research questions and their connection with the different theories. Section 6 is the bibliography and reference used for the research. 2. Literature Review Previous research suggests that Facebook users engage in searching for people with whom they have an offline connection more than they browse for complete strangers to meet (Lampe, Ellison, Steinfield, 2006). Much of the early research on online communities supposed that individuals using these systems would be linking with others outside their pre-existing social group or location, liberating them to form communities around mutual interests, as opposed to shared geography (Garton, Guila Haythornthaite, Dimitrova, Salaff, Wellman 1996). A benchmark of this early research is the assumption that when online and offline social networks overlapped, the directionality was  online to offline—online connections resulted in face-to-face meetings. For example Parks and Floyd (1996) report, that one-third of their respondents later met their online correspondents offline. As they mark, These findings imply that relationships that begin online rarely stay there. Much of the existing academic research on Facebook has focused on identity presentation and privacy (e.g., Gross Acquisti, 2005; Stutzman, 2006). Looking at the amount of data Facebook users present about themselves, the fairly open nature of the information, and the lack of privacy controls enacted by the users, Gross and Acquisti (2005) argue that users may be putting themselves at exposure both offline (e.g., stalking) and online (e.g., identify theft). Other recent Facebook study examines student perceptions of instructor presence and self-disclosure (Hewitt Forte, 2006; Mazer, Murphy, Simonds, 2007), sequential patterns of use (Golder, Wilkinson, Huberman, 2007), and the relationship between profile structure and friendship communication (Lampe, Ellison, Steinfield, 2007). Putnam (2000) distinguishes between bridging and bonding social capital. The former is linked to what network researchers refer to as weak ties, which are loose connections between persons who may provide useful information or fresh perspectives for one another but on average not emotional support (Granovetter, 1982). On the other hand, bonding social capital is found between individuals in tightly-knit, emotionally close relationships, such as family and close friends. Social capital generally refers to the assets accumulated through the relationships between people (Coleman, 1988). Social capital is a flexible term with a range of definitions in numerous fields (Adler Kwon, 2002), conceived of as both a cause and an effect (Resnick, 2001; Williams, 2006). Bourdieu and Wacquant (1992) define social capital as the sum of the resources, actual or virtual, that accrue to an individual or a group by virtue of possessing a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition (p. 14). The assets from these relationships can fluctuate in form and function based on the relationships themselves. Social capital has been related to a diversity of positive social outcomes, such as better public health, lower crime rates, and more resourceful financial markets (Adler Kwon, 2002). According to numerous instruments of social capital, this important resource has been deteriorating in the U.S. for the past several years (Putnam, 2000). When social capital declines, a community experiences augmented social disorder, reduced involvement in public activities, and potentially more mistrust among society members. Greater social capital increases commitment to a community and the ability to organize collective actions, among other benefits. Social capital may also be used for harmful purposes, but in general it is seen as a positive effect of interaction among participants in a social network (Helliwell Putnam, 2004). The Internet has been linked both to increases and decreases in social capital. Nie (2001), for instance, argued that Internet use detracts from face-to-face time with others, which might weaken an individuals social capital. However, this viewpoint has received strong criticism (Bargh McKenna, 2004). Furthermore, a number of researchers have claimed that online connections may add to or replace in-person interactions, mitigating any loss from time spent online (Wellman, Haase, Witte, Hampton, 2001). In fact, studies of physical (e.g., geographical) communities supported by online networks, such as the Blacksburg Electronic Village, have found out that computer-mediated interactions have had constructive effects on community relations, involvement, and social capital (Hampton Wellman, 2003; Kavanaugh, Carroll, Rosson, Zin, Reese, 2005). Lately, researchers have emphasized the significance of Online-based linkages for the formation of weak ties, which provide the foundations of bridging social capital. Donath and boyd (2004) theorize that SNSs (Social Network Services) could to a great extent add to the weak ties one could form and maintain, because the technology is well-suited to maintaining such ties inexpensively and effortlessly. Based on the earlier work, one could suggest the following assumption: Concentration of Facebook use should be positively connected with individuals perceived bridging social capital.    It is obvious that the Internet facilitates new connections, in that it provides people with another way to connect with others who share their interests or relationship goals (Ellison, Heino, Gibbs, 2006; Horrigan, 2002; Parks Floyd, 1996). These new connections may cause an increase in social capital; for example, a 2006 Pew Internet study analysed that online users are more likely to have a larger network of close ties than non-Internet users, and that Internet users are more likely than non-users to obtain help from core network members (Boase, Horrigan, Wellman, Rainie, 2006). Williams (2006) argues that even though researchers have examined possible downfalls of social capital in offline communities due to greater Internet use, they have not effectively explored online gains that could compensate for this. For that reason it could be proposed a second assumption on the relationship between Facebook use and close ties: Concentration of Facebook use should be positively related with individuals perceived bonding social capital. 3. Methodology The ontology of this research is such as: although Facebook is virtual and without material component, one can view and describe it as a real object, because it can be used, felt and its existence proved. Second is the epistemology, for which the objective perspective is used, because Facebook is seen as separate entity from the individual user. The environment is constant, thus the result is that the individual`s profile is what changes according to the virtual surrounding. This perspective makes it easier for marketers to analyse the user behaviour and give firms the opportunity to efficiently advertise and sell their products for maximizing profits. To provide evidence that the research findings are indeed correct, the positivist assumption will be used, because it is better and more accurate way of describing the topic, giving exact data for the research. An example of bad secondary date is the following pie chart: http://media.brainz.org/uploads/2009/02/facebook.png For the purpose of the research a comparison of the terms primary and secondary data is needed, so one can see why the author of the research chooses the second. Primary data is collected to be up to date and topic specific. This in no doubt leads to better and more accurate results. The big downfall of this method is its time consuming nature and the fact it is really expensive. On the other hand Secondary data is identified by Saunders et al (2003) as data previously collected, stored or published. The big plus of secondary data is that it is already published, analysed, structured and is reviewed by other professors and academics, who already evaluated it. There are two types of secondary data identified by Saunders et al (2003). These are qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data is usually analyses and text-like definitions whereas quantitative data is usually related to statistics and numbers. A good source of quantitative secondary data is census, housing, social security as well as electoral statistics and other related databases. It is exactly this type of data, that would be best to use in this research as it is easier, cheaper and less time consuming to obtain, while relatively reliable and least, but not last, by using secondary data it is easier to avoid privacy problems with the people the information was gathered from. As every method, secondary data has its disadvantages, which in this case are that the data may be collected for a different from the researcher`s aim and thus it can be distorted. The access to some secondary data sources can be costly and difficult. Furthermore it is proved that one has no real control over the quality and reliability of the secondary data at all. (Saunders, M. Et al. 2003) For that reason when collecting the secondary data it is vital to measure its validity and whether it meets the researcher`s needs. There is always bias in the data, so it is important to find as many sources as possible to minim ise the bias. (Saunders, M. Et al. 2003). For this exact research the secondary data will be collected from analysed written surveys, questionnaires, telephone surveys, observation focus groups and existing records. Each of those has their own pros and cons in terms of how much qualitative data can be extracted out of them. It is clear that written surveys with determined scales will give more pure numbers and thus make the descriptive statistics analysis easier. On the other hand processing telephone surveys and observation focus groups would be harder and more time consuming. But as stated above one need as much data sources as possible to fully analyse and give reliable and non biased answer on a topic as large as the impact of the largest online social network – Facebook on its users. 4. Research plan: Step one: writing the proposition Step two: make a research on the possible resources available and making a list of the most useful sources. Step three: Following the proposition methods, mine the needed quantitative data from the resources. Step four: Analyse and process the raw quantitative mined data via descriptive statistics analysis and the qualitative data analysis. Step five: Summaries the data found from the previous steps and based on it start writing the actual dissertation. Step six: Review the Reference and bibliography carefully and write it. Step seven: Give the semi-finished dissertation to the advisor for ideas of improvement. Step eight: Improve and polish the dissertation and then wrap it up for submission.http://thomaslarock.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/datamining.jpg http://www.42u.com/images/data-center-resources.jpghttp://howtowriteathesis.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/writingabook.jpg http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/classic-motoring/Flex3401VRGCarPolisher.jpg -1 -2- -3-http://www.whole-person-counseling.com/Images/bookstack.gifhttp://onetick.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/innovation_1.jpg?w=640 http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-11-17-2Advisor.GIF -4--5- -6- -7- -8- 5. Conclusion With the data that could be gathered using the models described above, one will have a more in-depth, reliable and useful information about the actual benefits and drawbacks Facebook gives in terms of social and bonding capital. It will be seen whether the theories suggesting Facebook helps people with face communication difficulties are indeed true. In general, conducting this research will provide data that is important for understanding the ever-growing online social networks and how to cultivate them to bring maximum benefits, not only for socializing, but for businesses, education, helping people overcome socializing problems and improving our lives in general.http://www.neurosoftware.ro/programming-blog/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/521f7_facebook_like_button.jpg

Pros and Cons of Attending College Essay example -- essays research pa

Is College Worth It? In Life today a college education is no longer an option or privilege, but rather it is a necessity. We are raised to believe that a person needs higher education in order to succeed in life. There is a saying, â€Å"if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.† You may ask is college necessary? There are people out in the real world that have never set a foot on a college campus before and they are doing better than others that have their master’s degree. There are many views from both sides that have a good argument. The main reason people go to college is because they were always told you will have a better life if you go to college. Kids are pressured to feel that the have to go to college because, â€Å"it is the right thing to do.† Students may have different ideas on what he or she want to do with their life, but because their mentors and parents know what is best for them they might end up doing something they may not want to do. Going to college makes you appear more socially prestige. Some people go to college only for the title, others go f...

The Governments Integrity :: Ethical Integrity Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government’s Integrity According to Webster’s dictionary a militia is â€Å"all able-bodied male citizens between 18 and 45 years old who are not already members of regular armed forces.† If only it was that simple. Individual fear of government corruption has lead to a wide spread militia movement. This movement has been going on ever since the early 80’s and is growing stronger today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning there were only two major militia groups: The Order, and the Posse Comitatus. â€Å"The Order was the most violent and notorious domestic terrorist group of the 80’s† (www.nizkor.org/web...1/paranoia-as-patriotism/the-order.htlml). Founded in 1983 by Robert Mathews, it was one of the first racists militia groups. It gathered it’s members from the National Alliance, Aryan Nation, and other Klan splinter groups. Mathews felt that it was his duty in life to lead a revolution against government and all non-white citizens of the U.S. During the first year of existence, the Order stole close to $26,000 in order to launch a counterfeiting operation. In total, the Order stole over four-million dollars from banks and armored trucks. Mathews and his followers were more than just thieves, they were also one of the first domestic terrorist groups. Members of the Order carried out strategic bombings and planned assassinations. Two people that were targeted were Walter West and Alan Berg. Walters was a members of the Order accused of â€Å"talking to much.† In May of 1994, Walters was driven into to the woods by other members of the Order who shot and buried him. The second target, Alan Berg, was a Jewish talk-radio host. The Order tried to scare him off the air, but their threats did little to Berg. After several heated conversation Bergs was shot and killed in front of his house. The Order continued with their reign of terror by robbing a Brink’s armored vehicle escaping with approximately four million dollars. All of this would have gone without incident but Mathews carelessly left a pistol at the scene of Berg’s murder. The FBI later traced it back to the Order. At the same time, Thomas Martinez was arrested for trying to use a counterfeit bill. Martinez made a plea with authorities and exposed the Order. In total, twenty-two members arrested, fined, and some of the members were given life sentences. R. Mathews being the solider he is died in a shootout with law enforcement. In December 1984, the life of the Order had come to an end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the time of the Order’s reign, the Posse Comitatus was also in action.

Joel-Peter Witkin :: essays research papers

A partir des annà ©es 1970 qui marquent la fin de l’à ¢ge d’or du photojournalisme, de nombreux photographes, qu’ils soient autodidactes ou qu’ils aient bà ©nà ©ficià © d’une formation spà ©cialisà ©e, examinent, assimilent et s’imprà ¨gnent tellement des recherches et des rà ©ussites de leurs prà ©dà ©cesseurs qu’ils les incorporent d’une faà §on ou d’une autre dans leur propre crà ©ation. Joel-Peter Witkin, qui a visità © les musà ©es depuis son adolescence et qui a à ©tudià © l’histoire de la photographie à   l’Università © du Nouveau-Mexique, est certainement l’une des figures les plus emblà ©matiques de ces gà ©nà ©rations d’aprà ¨s la Deuxià ¨me Guerre mondiale qui reconnaissent leurs hà ©ritages et leurs filiations. Certes, il est nà © en 1939, mais depuis qu’il rà ©alise les tableaux photographiques qui lui ont dà ©jà   assurà © une renommà ©e inte rnationale, il se rà ©fà ¨re rà ©gulià ¨rement aux peintres (Archimboldo, Rubens, Goya, Và ©lasquez, Courbet, etc.) et aux photographes (Mayer et Pierson, Fenton, Marey, Weegee, Horst, Man Ray, etc.) dont il apprà ©cie la contribution à   l’histoire de l’art. Comme ses pairs, il sait que l’art ne naà ®t pas de rien et qu’il se nourrit autant des idà ©es et des formes qu’il a dà ©jà   engendrà ©es, que des composantes de la socià ©tà ©, religieuses, politiques, à ©conomiques, sociales, techniques et autres. De mà ªme qu’il intà ¨gre dans son travail photographique, sans tricher, ses propres aspirations, sa propre quà ªte, Witkin assume ses sources d’inspiration et il rend rà ©gulià ¨rement hommage à   ceux qui participent, tant spirituellement que plastiquement, à   la genà ¨se de ses Å“uvres. L’exposition Joel-Peter Witkin, disciple et maà ®tre à ©claire le dialogue continu que le dà ©miurge entretient depuis vingt ans avec l’histoire de la photographie. A la fois poussà © par ses pulsions et impressionnà © par le â€Å"pouvoir du rà ©el† que la photographie peut reproduire, Witkin se sert de rà ©fà ©rences, à ©tablit des connivences, rà ©gà ©nà ¨re des Å“uvres qu’il affectionne et quelquefois, au prix d’une mue, les prolonge. Elles l’aident à   donner à   ses visions la force impà ©rieuse qu’elles requià ¨rent. Il trouve dans le patrimoine photographique des racines, des ferments, des repà ¨res, des suggestions qui alimentent son rapport au rà ©el et son rapport à   l’art. L’exposition permet d’apprà ©cier vingt-six Å“uvres de Witkin qu’il a lui-mà ªme mises en regard de photographies d’auteurs tels que Lewis Carroll, Fred Holland Day, Diane Arbus et Brassaà ¯.

How Cleanliness Can Influence Life of Kazi Zawad Badruddoza

Whereas the cleanliness is relate well to the aspects in our life. There is some reason why cleanliness is important to our life. Cleanliness influences our health, controlling our mood and then keeps the relationship with our friends. The clothes and the pants which we wear must be clean so that no more germs that can affect allergy like irritation. The food and the drink which we consume must be clean from microbes to prevent risk of illness like stomach ache, diarrhoea and many more.Then, the objects around us it should be clean from dust so we not experience the respiration illness. With kept our cleanliness so that our life must be healthy. Another reason we must watch cleanliness because the cleanliness can controlling our mood. Cleanliness makes us feel fresh and comfortable. A clean room makes us feel freshness because all of the objects are clean and free of dust so that the air is fresh. Its floor is clean so there are no bacteria or microbes and we can do the activities wi thout worried about hygiene problem.Cleanliness can be regarded as personal or environmental. These habits ensure that a person would stay fit and healthy for a long time so you will not be force to use those anti aging treatments or some sort of surgery. These habits help us in developing an ideal and healthy life style which makes our lives even more delightful and joyous. Lesser effort would result in more success if a person has healthy mind and a healthy mind can only exist in a healthyCleanliness is one of the good qualities. It is a part of our civilization. A man of dirty habits is far from civilization. So, with the progress of civilization man cleans himself more and more. He cleans his body. He cleans his mind and heart. He cleans all his action and manners. He cleans his soul. This will lead him to the highest form of civilization. But on the cleanliness of body, depend all other cleanings. Hence, cleanliness is considered so important.

Essay on the the Secret Book Essay

According to recent studies, self-help books – non-fiction books that offer advice for behavior modification and make explicit promises for positive change – have doubled as a percentage of all book titles since the 1970s. The increasing popularity of self-help books is an indicator of the modern society’s quest to maximize personal happiness through a process of self-discovery. Self-help books are a response to a real and genuine hunger for psychological understanding and self-improvement and are part of the larger market of advice media. Readers buy self-help books seeking self-control – both as a good-faith attempt to increase their self-control and to elicit a temporary sensation that, in fact, the first step toward self-control has already been taken. And of recent years, one of the increasing self-help or spirituality books involve the teachings of New Age-ism. The New Age is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks â€Å"Universal Truth† and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of Occultism, astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature. New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism. New Age spirituality has led to a wide array of literature on the subject and an active niche market: books, music, crafts, and services in alternative medicine are available at New Age stores, fairs, and festivals. And one of the most phenomenal publishing successes in the self-help/New Age teachings is a book called The Secret. ABOUT THE SECRET Product Details The English-language 6. 9 x 5. 7 x 0. 9 inches hardcover book is fairly lightweight at 198 pages. It was first published in November 28, 2006 by Atria Books in Australia. In the United States of America, the book is published by Beyond Words and in United Kingdom by Simon & Schuster UK. Product Description Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you’ll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life — money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You’ll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that’s within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers — men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible. Content of The Secret 1. Foreword 2. Acknowledgements 3. The Secret Revealed 4. The Secret Made Simple 5. How to Use The Secret 6. Powerful Processes 7. The Secret to Money 8. The Secret to Relationships 9. The Secret to Health 10. The Secret to the World 11. The Secret to You 12. The Secret to Life 13. Biographies The Secret Revealed The first thing you need to know is that The Secret isn’t really a secret. The secret is actually â€Å"The Law of Attraction† that asserts what you think creates what you feel, and these feelings flow from your body as magnetic energy waves over vast distances, which then cause the universe around you to vibrate at the same energy level as your feelings. The idea dates back nearly 3,000 years to early Hindu teachings that â€Å"like attracts like. † The law of attraction, which the author Rhonda Byrne says is the most powerful law in the universe, states that people experience the logical manifestations of their predominant thoughts, feelings, and words. This gives people direct control over their lives. A person’s thoughts (whether conscious or unconscious) and feelings bring about corresponding positive or negative manifestations. Positive thoughts bring about positive manifestations while negative thoughts bring about negative manifestations. The theory is very simple. Because it is an absolute law, the law of attraction will always respond to your thoughts no matter what they are. Thus your thoughts become things. You are the most powerful power in the universe simply because whatever you think about will come to be. You shape the world that exists around you. You shape your own life and destiny through the power of your mind. To quote some of the teachings in this book are â€Å"Thoughts are sending out that magnetic signal that is drawing the parallel back to you. †Thus there is no such thing as accident or coincidence; it is you, the individual, who brings misery on yourself because of your toxic thinking. But the good news, if you can alter your thoughts, and therefore your feelings, you can actually cause the universe around you to vibrate at a positive energy level and the desires of your heart will come to be realized! All you have to do is Ask — Believe — Receive. You just have to visualize what you want, feel good about it, and then ask the universe — and whatever you can imagine can be yours. It is like having the universe as your catalogue and you flip through it and go, ‘Well I’d like to have this experience and I’d like to have that product and I’d like to have a person like that’ †¦ It is you just placing your order with the universe. The law of attraction was the power, the author argues, behind geniuses such as Plato, Newton, Beethoven and Einstein. In this book too, she has also gotten quotes, experiences and support from the who’s who of the self-help industry, including John Gray, author of â€Å"Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,† and Jack Canfield, who wrote â€Å"Chicken Soup for the Soul. â€Å"Jack Canfield, provides an excellent example of the ask-believe-receive system where he tells us that he visualized earning $100,000 (even writing the desired amount on a bill worth far less and tacking it to the ceiling above his bed) and focused his mental energy only on the goal of attaining the money. He tells us that he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get the money — he simply focused on believing that he would get the money, somehow. But how? For four weeks he had no breakthrough ideas but then, one day in the shower, he remembered that he had written a book and, if it was published (particularly if he sold 400,000 copies and he made a quarter on each) he just might achieve his financial goals. Of course the book was published, and the results were only a few thousand dollars shy of 100,000 dollars. And this is just one of the many testimonials in this book called The Secret. The Story Behind The Secret It is not a secret now that The Secret is a publishing phenomenon of recent years especially for in the non-fiction & self-help category. This small book, with a parchment-brown cover engraved with the image of a red wax seal, debuted in 2006 and since then it has sold over four million copies worldwide and has been translated to 38 different languages. The Secret began as a DVD which came out end of 2004. Rhonda Byrne was a television producer in Australia in 2004 when the death of her father led her to discover ‘the secret’, which is her term for what is commonly known as the law of attraction. Her discovery was mainly caused by the 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles. Wattles’s book struck such a chord with Byrne that she plunged into a crash course in Western, Eastern, ancient and modern thought, devouring hundreds of books and articles in just two and a half weeks. Inspired, she flew to the States in July 2005 and began lining up people to interview; the film was finished six months later and she began trying to find an Australian network to air it. The top-rated Nine Network was intrigued by her proposal, but the finished film struck Len Downs, the program manager, as just â€Å"a whole range of talking heads giving their basis of the secret of life. † It eventually ran in Australia just a few weeks ago, and, says Downs, it didn’t do all that well. But armed with the law of attraction, Byrne was confident things would work out. A Web company situated just blocks away from her office in Melbourne had a technology for distributing streaming video over the Internet. In March 2006, her site (http://thesecret. tv) began selling downloads and DVDs, one of which found its way to Cynthia Black, president of the New Age-oriented publishing house Beyond Words saw its potential and by late November the book was in the stores and the rest as they say, is history. PURCHASING THE SECRET The Secret books are available at all major bookstores, online bookstore and through its official website. It is usually placed in the Health, Mind & Body -> Self Help category or Religion & Spirituality -> New Age category. At most of these major bookstores, The Secret books are placed most prominently on the shelves. Due to it being constantly on worldwide bestseller lists for non-fiction books thus the title is prominently displayed in the bookstores should the bookstore have a bestsellers display section. Its average retails price for cash & carry stores are $23. 95 in the United States; ? 12. 00 in United Kingdom; and MYR79. 90 in Malaysia. While its average retail price for online purchases are $14. 00 and ? 12. 00 in United States and United Kingdom respectively. PROMOTING THE SECRET After the phenomenal success of the The Secret DVD, it made sense for it to be turned into a book and what better way for the marketers to embark on promoting the book than playing up the hype of the movie and using the popular internet marketing tool such as the viral video site YouTube. The book was marketed with an online viral video campaign focusing on wealth enhancement. The short video clips showed testimonials from readers of the book and practitioners of â€Å"the secret† claiming that the technique brought them wealth, cured sickness, and brought about a general life-change. The video clips do not disclose what â€Å"the secret† is, where it originated from or how it can be practiced, but rather pointed viewers to the website for both the book and film. Thus hooking the viewers and made them all the more intrigue by the claims made by the author in the book. As for packaging and promotional material, the book also played into the consumers’ senses by trying to showcase that â€Å"the secret† originates from the cosmos. The cover prominently displayed a parchment-brown cover engraved with the image of a red wax seal (see Appendix 1) to indicate it is somewhat a book from the olden days and in the inside pages, the background design are a field of stars, and various shots of the universe thus adding mystique to the claims and the practice. However, the most savvy and most probably the ultimate gambit of the book is to call it ‘The Secret. To quote Mr Donavin Bennes, a buyer who specializes in metaphysics for Borders Books, â€Å"We all want to be in on a secret. But to present it as the secret, that was brilliant. † Thus the name evoke a sense of intrigue to readers who are looking for something magical or perhaps easier tool for them to understand and to fully live their lives. Another smart marketing move made by the publisher was to have it endorsed by well-known and highly popular worldwide celebrities. The book got its first break in the US when Ellen DeGeneres featured it on her show. And when Oprah Winfrey decided to run a show on it, although it was already a big success, the sales ballooned up much more. Oprah Winfrey first featured it on Feb. 8 2007 and according to Nielsen BookScan, the book had sold 18,000 copies the week before. During the week of the show, sales rocketed to 101,000 and when the show did a follow-up on Feb. 16 2007, the sales that week reached 190,000. With the success of the book, the publishers decided to create more spin-off titles, which they call The Secret tools. There are now The Secret to Teen Power (see Appendix 2), The Secret Daily Teachings (see Appendix 3) and The Secret Gratitude Book (see Appendix 4). Not only that, at its official website there are also ‘gifts’ for the readers such as visualization tools, The Secret memory game, wallpapers, ebook and blank checks (see Appendix 5) which goes hand-in-hand with the teachings of the book. THE SECRET S. W. O. T ANALYSIS Strengths 1. The intriguing title. As elaborated above, the title play a major role in inciting readers’ interest in the book. 2. The cover design. Alongside its intriguing title, the odd-shaped book with its olden-days personification invoke a sense of mystery that is definitely eye-catching and surely pique a person’s interest while browsing the shelves at a bookstore. 3. The content is an easy read with its simple language and peppered with inspiring testimonials from many men & women who has experienced the use of the secret plus personal experience & quotations from the the who’s who of the self-help industry. 4. The savvy marketing ideas of the publishers that has created the hype that constantly raise awareness of the book. 5. Endorsement by high-profile & influential personalities that are recognized world-wide certainly helped boosted its sale internationally. 6. Constant high-placing in best-selling charts, most probably due to the savvy marketing ideas of the publisher and as the  long-term effect of the celebrity associated to the book especially Oprah Winfrey. Weaknesses 1. The selling price in Malaysia of RM79. 90 is definitely a setback to potential buyers as the price is rather steep for many people especially for books in the self-help category. 2. The book is not available in paperback form thus some book buyers are not keen on buying hardback cover books due to its steeper price or its slightly heavy weight. 3. The content is not something that is unique and there are many similar teachings that one can get in many other books thus it does lack a little originality. 4. As typical with many New Age teachings, the content of the book has garnered much criticism which try to debunked the book’s teaching as merely hype, mumbo-jumbo or just plain illogical. 5. The book has to complete with many other form of self-help books available that are cheaper, more accessible and from much more renowned authors (Paulo Coelho, Eckhart Tolle, Anthony Robbins) Opportunities 1. Publishers could promote to younger readers especially The Secret for Teens book first and therefore will garner their interest in the main book The Secret. 2. Use the The Secret movie to lure potential readers as there are those who would like to have to book in hand as a way to look back or do revision which is harder to do with the dvd. 3. Offer a cheaper paperback form, thus the book is able to be sold at a cheaper price and therefore garner many more readers. Threats 1. With the easy access to internet, potential readers might decide to check out what the book is about online and thus stumbling on the many critics that the book has garnered. This in turn can make them believe the critics before actually reading the book, thus will result in loss of sales. 2. Like many other things in life, people are apt to stumble upon a new idea for a book or a belief that could help the world, thus there will be brand new books in the future that will probably come with a much more savvy marketing approach and thus will affect the interest of the people about The Secret! THE SECRET CONCLUSION The Secret is a phenomenon and it is likely to become one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. Venture into your local bookstore or look around you while waiting at an airport, and you’re bound to see people reading it and absorbing it. They will not just be people who consult astrologers and who listen to Tony Robbins tapes, but normal, average people like the ones who live next door to you. There are almost 1400 reviews of the book printed at Amazon with an average rating of 3. 5 out of 5. The breakdown of those scores is interesting: fifty-two percent of them are 5-star, thirteen percent are 4-star and twenty-one percent are 1-star. This means that the majority of people, the great majority even, believe in at least some aspects of the book’s premise and teaching. They believe in the law of attraction. The one problem that The Secret poses is that it simplifies and speculates way too much and there are a quite a significant level of moral defects, the lack of scientific backing, and the various philosophical shortcomings, how is it that a significant number of people still believe there’s something to The Law of Attraction? Part of the reason must certainly be the powerful testimonials coming from celebrity figures such as Oprah Winfrey, a woman who attributes her success to her mighty powers of attraction. Of course, that’s a long way from the simple model of Ask-Believe-Receive. In most people’s lives, positive thought leads to success only through the transforming medium of action. But as the author Rhonda said in an interview, she just wants to bring happiness to everybody. That’s the reason it all began. And to her credit, she does bring happiness to many people worldwide and surely there is nothing, in principle, wrong with thinking about what makes you happy.

Balance Sheet and Customer Segments Essay

Exhibit 16 of the document showed DLJdirect’s income statement from 1994-1999 (in millions). Exhibit 17 showed DLJdirect key financial and operating performance. The revenue increased steadily from 1994 to 1997. The revenue increase $50 million in 1998 which is equivalent to 43% increase. In 1999 the revenue increased about $44 million. The income was stable prior to 1997 when the company experienced a loss and able to recovered the next year in 1998. In 1999, the company reached the highest income because of the huge commission increase in that year. Overall, the company is making good progress over the years with steady increment of commissions, total trades, average daily trades, total accounts and total customer assets. Does DLJdirect have the financial capability to address new segments, e.g. to do more advertising to attract new kinds of customers? DLJdirect does have the financial capability to address new segments in the market and increase advertising to attract new customers. However when compared to its competitors, they are spending more money on customer acquisition. For example, E*Trade customer acquisition budget was projected to be $300 million in 1999. That’s 50% less than DLJdirect’s total cost and expenses in 1999. For now, the company should build a steady and reliable reputation in the market before spending more money on advertising alone. Identify the ways DLJdirect’s trading service is differentiated from competitors Tiered services for accounts with high asset balances and speed of execution are the two ways DLJdirect differentiates itself from competitors. Customers with asset balance in excess of $100,000 are provided with access to DLJ research and greater access to DLK-manages IPOs. For customers who have more in $1 million or more assets, DLJdirect reduced certain fees, provided a personal service team, and offered more trading time. Exhibit 14 below shows the DLJdirect advantage in speed of execution. According to the stats, DLJdirect provide the fastest transaction speed and availability of each brokerage’s home page during business hours. The speed of transaction is at least 0.3 seconds ahead of it competitors. The company also leads the availability with 99.4%. What are the needs of each of the four customer segments? Which needs are well-matched to DLJdirect’s capabilities? Retirement by the Book (RBB), Portfolio Cruise Control (PCC), Aggressively Affluent (AA) and Get Rich Fast (GRF) are the four customer segments of DLJdirect’s market. RBBs are mass-market investors who tolerate moderate levels of risk and they require reliable trade execution, user-friendly interfaces, and a variety of financial offerings. This segment has a high assets and stability. PCCs averaged total assets in excess of $350,000 but they did not trade very frequently. AAs are the largest internet investor segment with high net worth individuals who averaged over $300,000 in asset and traded more than ten times a year. GRFs are young individuals who made frequent minute to minute basis small trades. They value speed of transaction which is suitable for online traders. AA and GRF segments probably are well-matched to DLJdirect’s capabilities. DLJd irect targeted self-directed online investors who on average have a higher account balances than other investors. AAs customers are aggressive more likely to buy large blocks of stock, trade on margin and own a diverse range of financial investments. Many of them were customers of DLJdirect competitors who seek a move to a higher end online broker. Meanwhile, GRF preferred to not pay for services but they traded more frequently than any other segments. Rank the customer segments according to the profit potential in serving them GRF segment is the most valuable segment as they traded frequently on a daily basis. This enables the company to gain profit quickly in short space of time. AA segment is the second highest because they traded quite frequently and paid food amount for services and information. RBB is the next segment because of its good standing in asset balance and brought interest in. PCC would be the last segment. Although they have an excess amount of average balances, they do not prefer to trade online which makes them has the least profit potential. Should DLJdirect target the Get Rich Fast (day trader) segment? Why? Since this segment traded more frequently than others, they value DLJdirect fast and reliable service that the company could offer. DLJdirect could provide the services that GRF segment sought which are low fees, transaction confidence and site performance. The company could attempt to target this segment but they should not spend a huge amount of money for this customer acquisition. Based on exhibit 10 in the document, it showed that the size of this market segment is reducing as the years go by. When compared to high-end customers, the company needs to assign a higher discount rate to this segment because they swing the health of the stock market. Another problem is that this segment consists of less affluent traders. Therefore, it is advisable for them not to go into this market because the company could not build a long-term profitability in this segment. In your opinion, are there other customer segments that DLJdirect should target? Why? In my opinion, DLJdirect should not target other customer segments besides AA and GRF. The reason is because the company has been doing well in AA segment which is proven by the company good financial standing. With AA segment is projected to dominate the market in the future, the company should continue focusing their customer acquisition in this market. By doing this, the company could steadily build a reputation and acquire a long-term profitability in this segment.