Corruption in Law Enforcement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corruption in Law Enforcement - Research Paper Example Rather, a synchronized policy framework is needed most. The present paper is aimed at focusing on the various aspects of corruption in the sphere of law enforcement and policing. The paper has three parts: Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion. Discussion Corruption in law enforcement is a very serious problem because it is a kind of evil that can render the whole public administration system of a country defunct. When law enforcement officials began to indulge in accepting bribes in the form of prostitutes, money, luxury items, etc. and help the criminals to escape the reach of law, a process of pervasive social and administrative deterioration sets in. Local notorious elements like the smugglers, mafia, sex racketeers, etc. may become so powerful that they begin to challenge the rule of law, disobey the authority of the state, and start their own system of organized crime. â€Å"Police agencies are constantly striving to improve recruitment, application, and training procedures and to identify those individuals best suited to fulfill the roles of the police officer. It is therefore imperative to understand the nuances of officers’ perceptions of corruption to disseminate the most complete information as possible.† (Jenks et al, 2012, p. ... Law enforcement is an area that is typically looked after by the government. Government acquires the necessary funds to finance the law enforcement departments from public sector and other sources of revenues. Sometimes, this money falls shorter than the expectations of the employees in the law enforcement department. The problem may arise due to poor economic conditions, financial mismanagement, or negligence at the ministry level. The cumulative effect of these factors is that the public allocation process that is aimed at financing the various departments gets impaired and various government bodies, including the law enforcing authorities may experience fund crunch. Consequently, the wages of the law enforcement officials are not adjusted as per the increased costs of living and maintaining status. This leads to corrupt activities including bribery and espionage. (Benson, 1988) One form of corruption is abuse of authority. â€Å"Abuse of authority was defined as having three type s; physical abuse (i.e. excessive force and brutality), psychological abuse (i.e. harassment), and legal abuse (i.e. violating citizens’ rights). Corruption may also be conceptually divided according to whether it serves selfish or altruistic interests.† (Jenks et al, 2012, p. 7) Hence, when law enforcement officials start acting under the influence of some political agenda or anarchist attitude, the situation becomes even more complicated because then the immediate reason behind the corrupt activities is not simple and common greed. In such a scenario, a crisis situation becomes inevitable and according to the experts like Barker (2011, p. 1), â€Å"police ethics† can restrain the officers in such situations. Police ethics advocate a systematic dedication to

Modern Art Essay Example for Free

Modern Art Essay The Post-Industrial Era in which we live in now is characterized by the extraordinary rate in development of technology. In sixty years we have managed to completely redesign every aspect of our lives in a way in which we allow technology to do most of the work. Whether we like it or not technology will keep evolving, and as it evolves it will impact aspects of society differently. The evolution of technology has had a very negative impact on artistic values in society and in aesthetics. In his essay â€Å"The Art of Collecting Lightbulbs,† Kimmelman exposes characteristics and qualities contained in art making. As Richard Restak explains in his essay â€Å"Attention Deficit: The Brain syndrome of Our Era,† Technology serves not only as an ally but also as a distraction from our daily activities. As a distraction it also serves as an escape from peoples daily routines, a place formerly occupied by art. Technology also facilitates the process of critical thinking and inhibits creative imagination, this turns out to be gravely detrimental to artistic development. As Technology distracts more people it will take away from the small group of people who are actually passionate about art. Technology now provides an escape from reality to those who need it. This niche was formerly occupied by art. Before Post-Industrial times people would rely on art to release their thoughts, whether it was on a canvas or a sheet of music. Modernly it is much easier to watch TV, play video games, or browse the web, than to set up a canvas to paint. The ease that technology brings with it makes our brains lazy. More often than not we chose to do those activities, which require less energy. This generally wouldn’t be a problem if the issue was choosing the elevator over the stairs, but when it begins influencing the activities we chose to do as a pastime, energy/thought intensive activities, such as art, will suffer. As stated by Restak, â€Å" In our contemporary society speed is the standard applied to almost everything that we do.†(339) This turns out to be very true when analyzed using a quote by David Shenk used by Restak. â€Å" We often feel life going by much faster than we wish, as we are carried forward from meeting to meeting, call to call, errand to errand. We have less time to ourselves and we are expected to improve our performance and output year after year.†(337) With this type of pressure we are not to blame for wanting to take the easy way out, but technology is. As we find lest time for ourselves, we find less time to release our, already hindered, creative thoughts in the form of art. Undoubtedly, if the dentist from Kimmelman’s essay lived in today’s world he would not have half of the time he had in his days to collect light bulbs. That is because I took an extraordinary deal of dedication, and most importantly, attention for him to collect over 75,000 light bulbs (217). Before it affects the time that we actually have to conduct artistic activities, technology already thwarts our ability to think creatively. As Restak quotes â€Å"The clutter, noise, and constant barrage of information that surround us daily contribute to the hectic pace of our modern lives, in which it is often difficult simply to remain mindful in the moment† (336). Being flooded with imagery, sound and text messages, our brain has to divide its attention to respond to all of these simultaneously. â€Å"Our brain literally changes its organization and functioning to accommodate the abundance of stimulation forced on it by the modern world† (Restak 332). So that even if we do have time for art our mind is divided and not able to think creatively. Hugh Alfred Hicks shares a story with Michael Kimmelman in which he was in Paris at a metro station and spotted a tungsten light bulb from the 1920s and took it for his collection (Kimmelman 217). It would be much more difficult for him to spot the same light bulb in a metro station in Paris today, as he would be bombarded by images, live changing screens with times, and advertising. His thoughts about his collection would likely the last thoughts in his mind. Creative thinking is on a downhill spiral. With the Internet we don’t have to wonder about anything anymore. Long gone are the days where we would have to imagine what the Great Wall of China looks like. We no longer have to yearn for answers with passion and fulfill a newly carved void in our minds; all we have to do now is Google images: â€Å"Great Wall of China.† This instant gratification (although convenient) overwhelms our ability to imagine. Our brains are lazy and after years of instantly answering our own questions, we become unable to create pictures in our head. This turns out to be harmful to creating art, as the first ingredient for art making is creativity. Not only is creative thinking decreasing due to technology, so is the actual population of artists. Not modern artists (as in graphic designers etc.) but classical artists. Technology provides us a virtual reality in which classical art is not involved. Although this is seen by most as the evolution of art, it is actually the demise of classical art. The wonderment of impressionist or French realist art has become a rarity. In the modern world we have not time or enough attention span to concentrate on such elaborate pieces. This is partly due to a phenomenon described by Restak, â€Å"The most widespread consequential speed-up of our time is the onrush in images- the speed at which they zip through the world, the speed at which they give way to more of the same, the tempo at which they move†(339). This seemingly never ending onrush of imagery takes away from our ability to sit still and analyze one single image. Since we are accustomed to quick changes in images and visual stimuli, we lack the patience to appreciate classical art pieces. A quote used by Restak of Blaise Pascal provides a good illustration of why this art is on the decline. â€Å"Most of the evils in life arise from a man’s being unable to sit still in a room†(334). As if we weren’t already disperse with all the technology that we carry around, being worried about our texts and tweets, our thoughts are also dispersed, this allows only for quick less elaborate imagery to get through to us. Since our brains are lazy and take the path of least resistance, most classical forms of Art cannot fill that niche. There are very few people left who can actually appreciate 40 minute long Mozart concertos. The radio now plays 4 minute longs songs and actually speeds them up so that they are shorter. Restak explains that our lack of attention has actually become somewhat normal. â€Å"Many personality characteristics we formerly labeled as dysfunctional, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness and easy distractibility, are now almost norm†(335). In a world where these attributes are norm there is no room for overly detailed portraits or grand escalating music pieces. Our brains are rewired for instant gratification, a gratification seldom found in classical art. As technology helps our society advance to create a more highly efficient less wasteful machine, we can expect leisurely activities to suffer, mainly art. Technology makes it so that we are in more than two places at once whether we like it or not. This creates a split of thoughts in our brains. We try but are unable to, process two tasks at once. Our brains are pushed to jump back and forth between two or more different sections, which handle different parts of our thought process. While all of this is going on, the last thought in our brains is art. As we devote more and more time to our gadgets and videogames, we devote less time to creating and appreciating art.

The Madness Of Playing :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites If a lone, unkempt, person, standing on a soapbox were to say that he should become the Prime Minister, he would have been diagnosed by a passing psychiatrist as suffering from this or that mental disturbance. But were the same psychiatrist to frequent the same spot and see a crowd of millions saluting the same lonely, shabby figure - what would have his diagnosis been? Surely, different (perhaps of a more political hue). It seems that one thing setting social games apart from madness is quantitative: the amount of the participants involved. Madness is a one-person game, and even mass mental disturbances are limited in scope. Moreover, it has long been demonstrated (for instance, by Karen Horney) that the definition of certain mental disorders is highly dependent upon the context of the prevailing culture. Mental disturbances (including psychoses) are time-dependent and locus-dependent. Religious behaviour and romantic behaviour could be easily construed as psychopathologies when examined out of their social, cultural, historical and political contexts. Historical figures as diverse as Nietzsche (philosophy), Van Gogh (art), Hitler (politics) and Herzl (political visionary) made this smooth phase transition from the lunatic fringes to centre stage. They succeeded to attract, convince and influence a critical human mass, which provided for this transition. They appeared on history's stage (or were placed there posthumously) at the right time and in the right place. The biblical prophets and Jesus are similar examples though of a more severe disorder. Hitler and Herzl possibly suffered from personality disorders - the biblical prophets were, almost certainly, psychotic. We play games because they are reversible and their outcomes are reversible. No game-player expects his involvement, or his particular moves to make a lasting impression on history, fellow humans, a territory, or a business entity. This, indeed, is the major taxonomic difference: the same class of actions can be classified as "game" when it does not intend to exert a lasting (that is, irreversible) influence on the environment. When such intention is evident - the very same actions qualify as something completely different. Games, therefore, are only mildly associated with memory. They are intended to be forgotten, eroded by time and entropy, by quantum events in our brains and macro-events in physical reality. Games - as opposed to absolutely all other human activities - are entropic. Negentropy - the act of reducing entropy and increasing order - is present in a game, only to be reversed later.

I’m Not Scared Essay Essay

Fear is one of the most incapacitating and destructive emotions I’m Not Scared demonstrates. As well as the human potential to do evil things in life for self-gain. Ammaniti shows us this through characters in the text that commit cruel and violent acts. He also shows us that not all men can be cruel and selfish, through the character of Michele, who shows bravery, compassion and goodness. From the very beginning of the novel we are alerted to the fact that humans can be very cruel, yet equally as gallant and kind. In the start we are introduced to a cruel rumour from Skull, about a fierce old man known as Melichetti, who feed his own dog to his savage pigs. When he is confronted about this from Barbara, he laughs at the idea and replies saying that he loved his dog and would never do such a thing, and is astonished as to why someone would make up such lies about him. Barbara says that Skull had told them this and Melichetti scolds him saying that he should never tell lies, an d the truth only. Thus showing that there is good in some humans. Although not all of them. After these events Skull hatches a plan to get back at Barbara for embarrassing him. He proposes that they have a race to the top of a hill, knowing that Barbara will lose and have to do the forfeit so he can extract his revenge, being the harsh human that he is. Human’s immense capacity for cruelty is highlighted by the appalling conditions that Filippo is kept in. He chained in a dark prison hole and is barely fed enough to stay alive. He is treated like a prisoner of war. His skin is pale and dirty, and so thin that you could see the outline of his bones. Yet Ammaniti tempers these descriptions with humour in order to soften the blow and Michele relieves his suffering. Michele’s determination to help Fillipo in his plight and his success in revealing his pain that becomes the focus of the tale. He performs acts of kindness towards Fillipo, bringing him food and water, and letting him out of the hole to embrace the outside world. There is no doubt that humans are capable of extreme violence as demonstrates by the response to Luisa Carducci’s appeal and through characters such as Sergio, Skull and Felice, yet we also get the sense that they are not so much evil, but human through Ammaniti’s portrayal of them. Some of these acts of violence or portrayed through the actions of Skull and his potential for cruelty to others and animals. An example of this is when he says â€Å"wring its neck, then put a stick up its arse†, also when the entire town of Acqua Traverse is silent watching  Michele, except for Togo who is barking. Skull then proceeds to boot Togo away. Yet although Skull is ruthless and cruel, the kids have the power to overcome him. For instance when Skull makes Barbara do the forfeit, the kids do not like this idea and Michele stands up and takes the forfeit. They are also strongly motivated by self-gain and are also capable of horrible betrayal in order to gain something for t hemselves. The people of Acqua Traverse are easily motivated by money. They had kidnapped a child just for personal gain. They were prepared to betray their own beliefs and morals. For example when Luisa Carducci had sent an appeal to the kidnappers, she pleaded that they do not hurt her son and asked them what it would feel like if any of them had their own child taken away from them. Papa, who cared for his children a lot and loved them, betrayed his own beliefs that night, responding that they should cut off both of Filippo’s ears. Yet they are also capable of fierce love, extreme loyalty and forgiveness. An instance of this is Teresa’s protectiveness over Michele after Felice’s attack on him. Upon finding out that Felice had hurt her son, she launched herself at him in a raging fit of fury to protect her son. After seeing Felice on his mother Michele, also protective of his mother, jumps at Felice. Loyalty is also portrayed in the story through some characters. One of which is Michele, who made a promise to Filippo that he would always come back and save him. And he did under any circumstances, no matter how bad the consequences may have been. Also, it is Papa, who at first was with the idea of keeping Filippo hostage, yet later he proposed the idea to let the boy go. Ammaniti creates a world that emphasises people’s capacity for evil and self-gain and uses his power to tell us how he became a man that learns loyalty and trust are far more valuable than money or objects through events and experiences he comes into contact with. His knowledge and understanding form the base of his moral decisions and guide him to help the innocent boy, Filippo, escape from the villainous adults of Acqua Traverse.

Craft-Oriented Objects Essay

We encounter many craft- oriented objects day to day. I do not think I really thought about how objects were made and their value in life until I received this assignment. As I was thinking about all of the things that are craft- oriented, I especially thought about things at work and my home. I actually work at a dress shop and I’ve thought about how those dresses were made. Every dress company has a location where they make their dresses, like China. Each dress is handmade and takes many hours and hard work to make. I believe this is an art of craft and has high value in a woman’s world. I also own many dresses of my own from going to prom and participating in various pageants. The next time I am wearing one of these delicate dresses I am going to take a minute to think about the hard work and long hours that it took to make my dress just for me. Another one of the many craft-oriented objects that I see and use every day is my home. My home is one of the most important places to me and it has several qualities that make it unique to me. It is amazing to think about all the hard work and the time that went in to building my house. Although my house has many craft-oriented objects in it, my house as a whole is a huge craft-oriented object in my everyday life.

Motorcycles Project Management

Motorcycles Project Management Abstract New projects are rolled out everyday in various organisations. However, only a few projects are completed successfully. This is due to the fact that most companies fail to plan ahead and are hence unable to cope with the unforeseen challenges.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Motorcycles Project Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper will focus on the crucial elements that JJ motorcycles should address as the company moves to the production of touring class motorcycles. Among the issues that are likely to fail, this project include leadership style, risk control and lack of resources. Introduction Every organisation comes up with new projects due to its strong desire to accomplish its goals. JJ motorcycles has been very successful in the production of low fuel consumption motors. The company has actually identified an untapped opportunity in the market, and that is why the new project has bee n proposed. Projects are meant to make a positive contribution towards the achievement of company’s goals. This implies that there would be no need of introducing a new range of motorcycles if there is no benefit to be experienced at the completion of the project. Planning is very important in project management. JJ motorcycles, in particular, has carried out thorough research to identify the target market for its new range of motorcycles. Since the project at hand entails the addition of a new inventory product in the company’s stock, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive research to understand the needs of the market. Ideal Project Organisation Style The most ideal type of project organisation for JJ’s project is strategic planning. This approach suits the plan because it will be completed within the next 5 years and hence it is not a short term goal. In this style of project management, the manager delegated by JJ motorcycles should assess the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s abilities and weaknesses. It is the best way of successfully planning ahead. The production of touring class calls for the improvement of the company’s output. This means that more manpower has to be brought on board because the current number of employees cannot cope with the sudden increase of the workload. Moreover, it is recommended for the project to be executed gradually. This approach will give JJ motorcycles ample time to measure the results obtained after the introduction of motorcycles.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though it is stipulated that engines within the range of 500 cubic centimetres will generate approximately between $50,000 and $100,000, there is a need to validate this speculation. Besides that, it is necessary to empower the current employees on a continuous basis. New processes might be introduced and may only be assigne d to employees who have the relevant skills and experiences (Dennis 2007). It is therefore recommended that the project be implemented as a pilot one. This means that the existing line of production will be maintained. Balancing Short and Long Term Needs In every project, there are short and long term needs. Nonetheless, JJ motorcycles must come up with a strategy of creating a balance between these needs. Short term needs may sound irrelevant, but they are very crucial. Though they may be overlooked, they are important because they keep the company afloat. If short-term goals are not achieved within the specified time, they are very likely to impact negatively on the achievement of long term goals. Moreover, these two needs are dependent on each other. The best approach would be to prioritise these needs. Short-term needs should come first because they probably do not require a lot of input in terms of resources. Alternatively, the company can assign priorities to these needs based on the availability of relevant resources. This implies that the company should evaluate its strengths in terms of skills and time in determining what should come the first and what should be the last. At the moment, it is maintaining the current production of motorcycles which engine capacity does not exceed 1100 cubic centimetres. It is important to produce this line of production because it is the one that helped in building the company’s name as a reputable brand. It will make it easier to introduce the new product into the market, due to the fact that the company already has a market share that needs to be maintained lest it is taken over by JJ’s competitors. On the other hand, long term needs should also be met partially because they hold the key to JJ’s future.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Motorcycles Project Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Resources Needed By Project Man ager A manager cannot oversee the execution of a project without resources. The resources vary depending on the project probably based on the tasks that need to be carried out. A budget is therefore very crucial to a project manager. Budgeting is salient because the project manager must set some money aside to be used in purchasing the needed materials (Harold 2013). In this case, JJ motorcycles must double its current budget because the engines that have more than 1100 cubic centimetres will cost more in terms of the materials that will be used. Though the budget allocation for this particular project has been computed based on the current cost of resources including labour and materials, it should be exceeded to a certain amount to remain relevant despite any changes in the market. Commodity prices are subject to change, and there is therefore a risk in having a fixed budget. This outcome may bring the project to a halt because the company’s executives would have to go back to the drawing board for the sake of adjusting the project’s budget. Even though JJ has already had equipment that is used in the manufacture of its low capacity engines, there is need to acquire additional equipment. From the look of things, the company is interested in increasing its output. For output to go up, the inputs have to be increased. Besides that, a project cannot be executed without a workforce (Timothy 2011). These are the people who implement the tasks that are contained in the project. In other words, a project entails a series of tasks that the project manager cannot accomplish on his/her own and hence must delegate to other people. Different tasks require different skills, and the company must therefore ensure that there is sufficient labour at its disposal. It is very important to consider the availability of effective communication channels. This argument is far fetched because the project will be executed by various teams whose activities need to be coo rdinated. Though the different teams have different mandates, they have a common goal towards the completion of the project.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A lapse in any team may be experienced in the entire project, and that is why, there should be reliable communication channels so that each team can express its concerns. Moreover, the new range of motorcycles will go through the testing phase. JJ should avail a communication terminal that customers can use to express their experiences with the new model of motorcycles. This information should be used by JJ Company to identify what they can do to improve the performance of these new motorcycles. Democratic Project Leadership Style Leadership plays a major role in project management. Since JJ’s project is long term, the best leadership style would be democratic style. In this style of leadership, the project manager cannot make decisions without taking into account views of everyone involved in the project. Decisions made by the project manager will affect all the employees in their various workstations, and that is why they should be consulted. This implies that everyone is a llowed to give their opinion before key decisions are made. The approach is highly recommended for long term projects. This is due to the fact that there is bound to be major flaws when decisions are made without consulting the teams that will be executing the said decisions. The benefit of this style is that it makes employees in their various teams feel appreciated and hence assume ownership of the project. Such employees do not need to be followed around because they know what is expected from them. Additionally, during brainstorming sessions, the company will get a wide array of ideas due to distinct abilities and experiences that are possessed by the company’s employees. Risk Mitigation Strategies Risks are everywhere, and so projects are not an exemption. However, there are three strategies that JJ motorcycles can employ to minimise the occurrence of risks in its activities. The first approach entails carrying demonstrations of finished motorcycles to potential clients. Clients drawn from the company’s clients’ base can be requested to take test rides before the motorcycles are brought into the show room. That way, the risk of dysfunctional engines will be avoided. At the end of evaluation phase, customers will report any mechanical and technical faults early enough. When risks are not mitigated, a project becomes useless due to wastage of company resources and time. The first alternative entails teams that are involved in the project to carry out joint inspections of their tasks. Though each team has different roles, it is recommended that they evaluate all their tasks together. The reason behind this argument is that one team may overlook some faults due to the fact that the area affected was handled by another team. For instance, the team that handled body work must carry joint inspections with the teams that worked on wheels, engine and lights to ensure that all the components function as per the specifications and design of the motorcycles. Besides that, this approach helps in enhancing the team’s harmony because they have to converge at some point. The last alternative revolves around the testing of deliverables as they are finished. In this approach, a dedicated quality assurance team should be mandated to test each motorcycle that is ready for use. This will help in avoiding the distribution of faulty motorbikes into the market. Conclusion Effectiveness in managing a project depends on how well the various activities are coordinated. While the project manager may have all the necessary skills and experience, JJ motorcycles must accord him/her the necessary support in terms of budget, manpower, equipment and time. In addition to that, needs must be classified into short- and long-term. It is important to create a balance between the two categories. Since projects are prone to risks, mitigation plans must be laid out before the commencement of the project to ensure that their occurrence has been mi nimised. References Dennis, L. (2007).Project Management. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing Ltd. Harold, R. K. (2013).Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Timothy, K. (2011).Contemporary Project Management. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

The Disease Fibromyalgia

The Disease Fibromyalgia Free Online Research Papers Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by extensive pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as tiredness and multiple tender points (places on your body where slight pressure causes pain). Fibromyalgia occurs in about two percent of the population in the United States. Women are much more probable to develop the disorder than men, and the risk of fibromyalgia increases with age. Fibromyalgia symptoms often begin after a physical or emotional trauma, but in many cases there appears to be no originating event. Although increased sensitivity to pain is the main symptom of fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia syndrome and other types of chronic pain diseases form a family of corresponding syndromes. Therefore, even though the most common symptoms are pain and fatigue in muscles and tendons, often it is noticed that those suffering from fibromyalgia will have other associated conditions and symptoms. It is because of these corresponding symptoms that fibromyalgia came to be considered as a syndrome rather than a disease. The signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia are: chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms, muscle tightness, weakness in the limbs, leg cramps, moderate or severe fatigue, insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep, stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position too long, difficulty remembering and concentrating, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, constipation, tension or migraine headaches, jaw and facial tenderness, sensitivity to odors or bright lights, feeling anxious or depressed, numbness in the face and extremities, increase in urinary urgency or frequency, reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise, a feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet, painful menstrual periods, and dizziness. Fibromyalgia symptoms may increase depending on the time of day. The mornings, late afternoons, and evenings tend to be the worst times. From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. tends to be the best time. They may also get worse with fatigue, tension, inactivity, changes in the weather, cold or drafty conditions, overexertion, hormonal variations (just before menopause), stress, depression, or other emotional factors. There are three main ways to treat fibromyalgia. The first is pain management. There are a number of pharmacological treatments available for fibromyalgia. The first medication approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was Lyrica, the second was Cymbalta, and the third was Savella. Physicians may also treat the symptoms of fibromyalgia with non-narcotic pain relievers, such as Tramadol, or low doses of anti-depressants or benzodiazepines. Lidocaine injections into the patient’s tender points also work well on localized areas of pain. An important aspect of pain management is a regular program of gentle exercise and stretching which helps maintain muscle tone and reduces pain and stiffness. Sleep management is also effective in relieving symptoms of fibromyalgia. Improved sleep can be obtained by implementing a healthy sleep regimen. This includes going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, making sure the sleep environment is appropriate for sleep; avoiding caffeine, sugar and alcohol before bed; doing some type of light exercise during the day; avoiding eating immediately before bedtime; and practicing relaxation exercises as you fall asleep. The third form of treatment for fibromyalgia is psychological support. Learning to live with a chronic illness often challenges an individual emotionally. The fibromyalgia patient needs to develop a program that provides emotional support and increases communication with family and friends. Many communities throughout the United States have organized fibromyalgia support groups. Counseling sessions with a trained professional may help to improve communication and understanding about the illness and help to build healthier relationships within the patient’s family. In addition to these three forms of treatment, there are other treatments that might be effective. These treatments may include: physical therapy, therapeutic massage, myofascial release therapy, water therapy, light aerobics, acupressure, application of heat or cold, acupuncture, yoga, relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, aromatherapy, cognitive therapy, biofeedback, herbs, nutritional supplements, and osteopathic or chiropractic manipulation. Fibromyalgia can be mild or disabling and the emotional toll can be extensive. People with fibromyalgia experience greater psychological distress and a greater impact on quality of life than those with other conditions, such as chronic low back pain. About half of all patients have difficulty with routine daily activities, or are unable to perform them. An estimated 30-40% of patients with fibromyalgia have had to quit work or change jobs. Patients with fibromyalgia are more likely to lose jobs, possessions, and support from friends and family than are people suffering from other conditions that cause fatigue. Some studies show that fibromyalgia symptoms remain stable over the long term, while others report a better outlook, with 25-35% of patients reporting improvement in pain symptoms over time. Studies suggest that regular exercise improves the outlook. Those with a significant life crisis, or who are on disability, have a poorer outcome, as determined by improvements in the patients’ ability to work, their own feelings about their condition, pain sensation, and levels of disturbed sleep, fatigue and depression. Although the disease is life-long, it does not get worse and is not fatal. Research Papers on The Disease FibromyalgiaPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)The Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsCapital PunishmentThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThree Concepts of PsychodynamicGenetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Spring and AutumnInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

5 Marketing Techniques That Will Increase Your Traffic

5 Marketing Techniques That Will Increase Your Traffic We’re all familiar with the product upsell. You’re paying for your coffee and the clerk asks if you’d like a bagel to go with it. Or, you’re trying to check out online and the website keeps offering you new deals to consider. These are upselling and cross selling techniques. When done right, they work. When done poorly, they annoy the heck out of people who just want to give you their money so they can go on their merry way. You don’t want to annoy people who are trying to give you money. What if you applied some of these same marketing techniques to your content? Could you get more traffic, more readership, more leads? And, more importantly, could you help your readers more than you are now? 5 Offbeat Marketing Techniques That Will Increase Your Traffic The Difference Between The Two Upselling is not the same as cross selling. What is  cross  selling? Cross selling has to do with related products. It’s selling a customer something that they might be interested in based on what they’re already buying. Amazon does a great job with cross selling, letting you know what products customers typically purchase with the item you’re looking at. Getting a new external hard drive? You might be interested in this USB cord. Buying a new TV? You might be interested in a sound bar. What is upselling? Upselling is when you aren’t so much interested in selling a customer a product related to the one they intend to buy, but instead want to sell them a higher-end version of it. Purchasing Samsonite luggage? Why not consider Louis Vuitton. The motivation and method behind these sales approaches are quite different. How do you use  them? When you cross sell, you hone in on what the customer needs, and offer additional products or services because you think they could be a help. Upselling is less about what the customer needs and more about painting a rosy picture of how the more expensive item has more value for them. Cross selling is helpful. Upselling relies more on the narrative. Both meet a kind of need, the former being a real need and the latter being a felt need. Neither will work if all you do is list features during the sale. It’s additional value (cross selling) vs. higher value (upselling). It’s lateral (cross selling) vs. vertical (upselling). How To Apply Upselling And Cross Selling Techniques To Your #ContentMarketingPutting It To Work In Your Content Let’s say that your readers are your customers (because they are). Getting new customers costs much more than keeping the ones you already have, even though most of us get caught up in focusing on getting new ones. According to the book Marketing Metrics (hat tip: GrooveHQ), selling to a new customer carries a probability of 5–20%. Selling to an existing customer sits at 60–70%. Upselling and cross selling take an existing customer and extract more value from them. These techniques  also make for a happier customer, particularly if you’re really hitting their needs and providing help. 5 #MarketingTechniques make for a happier customer, especially if you are hitting their needs.#1. Be A Good Listener These two marketing techniques rely heavily on listening to your customer. You’ve heard the recommendation to pay attention to what’s being said to customer support to get ideas on content to create. You should also use what you’re learning there to spot where upselling and cross selling might work. The key here is not to listen so that you can sell, but to listen to see if you have a solution to offer. When an upsell or cross sell is done correctly, you make a profit, yes, but more importantly, you create a deeper relationship with the customer. #2. Be Specific With Your Offer A good in-post call to action (CTA) is one that makes sense and taps into the likely needs of the reader. Offering a free laundry detergent sample pack in the middle of a post about marketing makes no sense. On this blog, we like to offer related ebooks and worksheets that go along with the content for those readers who want something to print out and use offline. Upselling and cross selling must make sense for the specific customer and situation. It cannot be a blanket approach. For example, when you are buying a candy bar at a Big Box store and the clerk at the register sees a prompt on his computer and asks, in monotone, if you’d like to apply for a store credit card and save 10%. 10%. On a candy bar. Or when you are trying to check out of an online store and you have to go through page after page of â€Å"add this! do you want this?! get this!† and none of the offers have anything to do with what you want to buy. Upselling and cross selling work best on an individual level, or an audience-specific level. Unrelated and nonsensical attempts at upselling and cross selling numb your customer to ever buying. #3. Sell Benefits, Not Features People buy things to solve problems. That’s it. Granted, they might buy things that â€Å"solve† a problem in a roundabout or seemingly unrelated way (e.g. buying expensive clothes because of a self esteem issue, or shopping because of boredom), but the gist of it is that we spend money because there is a problem that needs solving. Features might solve problems, but they need to be translated into benefits in order for customers to see what problems they solve. Neil Patel uses GoDaddy as an example (and boy, does that company like to do the upsell) of mistaking features as the selling point. From the QuickSprout blog. â€Å"How To Upsell Your Customers† Patel points out that GoDaddy tends to sell based on features without really explaining why these features are a benefit. The customer isn’t clearly told why these might be useful. Take a look at your CTAs at the end of your blog posts and email. Are you selling the benefits or the features? Do you tell your readers why they should do something, or just telling them to do it? #4. Use Social Proof Social proof can be helpful for upselling and cross selling. Think of how Amazon lists what other shoppers who looked at a product also bought. Or the small â€Å"#1 Seller† flag on products that are sometimes more expensive. Knowing that other people went for the upsell and the cross sell convinces people it’s probably safe to do so, too. And nothing upsells like seeing a more expensive product getting five stars when the cheaper version you were looking at has only three. Consider testimonials and star rating systems for your content, products, and services. They do some of the upselling for you, if you simply make them visible at a crucial moment and location. #5. Create Content Bundles Apps such as Uberflip and Storify (or even our very own #CoChat summary blog posts) indicate that readers like to see content bundled into one place. That’s great news if you’re looking to upsell and cross sell. Creating a bundle of products makes the upselling and cross selling much easier, because your customer can easily see that they are getting added value. Bundles are particularly good for cross selling. Why not pull together several products that are related and show the customer that they can get the bundle for less than they’d get all three separately? Copyblogger talks about pulling together content bundles out of your digital content, suggesting several possible approaches: Find similar content product types. For example, put together a collection of your best ebooks, or your most helpful worksheets. Bundle them into one download. Find similar content topic types. Offer an ebook/webinar/download on the same topic. Make an â€Å"Everything You Need To Get Started Blogging† bundle. Connect with other content creators. Bundle your content, products, or services with someone else’s content, products, or services. It’s good buzz for both of you, and a good way to find an audience with who you choose to partner with. Add services to your bundles. Consider adding a service, such as consulting or an audit, along with your content bundle. â€Å"Get our ebook on landing page copy, and a free copy audit of one landing page.† Bundling your content is part of repurposing it. You give a second life to the individual pieces of content you already created.

Review Poster Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Review Poster - Essay Example 1) Headline plus Logo: The poster starts with a headline followed by a picture of Chinese flag and then Logo on right. It was aimed to give readers at-a-glance understanding of theme or what the poster is all about. Giving logo was aimed to highlight the brand whilst forcing brand-conscious people to read through. The idea was put in place referring to other posters. 2) Introduction: Under introduction, I have tried to highlight Toyota’s distinct manufacturing philosophy and state-of-the-art technology that it has recently introduced in China. Secondly, comparing Toyota with GM, I have tried to shed light on Toyota’s progression pace all over the world. Toyota’s latest brands especially the hybrid car gives enough evidence of unmatched technology that Toyota possesses. The content was organized based on the philosophy that describes three main things that could get a human brain to click ON – i.e. Significance, Involvement and Intrigue, origination and its successful business journey – i.e. where they were, where they are & where they want to be. Information has been organized in a way that gives firm’s step-by-step development periods. 4) Toyota’s success factors in China: Having in mind the human psyche of first concentrating on visuals, colors, graphics, etc., success factors have been placed in centre with multi-color arrow signs, showing beautiful car images with a caption underneath and putting key highlights in red boxes. Failure factors show Toyota’s weakness in parts’ automation. 5) Toyota’s strategy in China: This part is intended to underline the strategies adopted by Toyota in China. The information, which was organized in chronological order, basically reveals Toyota’s success story in China. I understand development of my skills had started far before beginning of creation of the poster. Creating a poster was not only an art but was carrying multiple objectives along. The core of this activity was to gauge a

Consumer and industry trends in the pub industry Essay

Consumer and industry trends in the pub industry - Essay Example strongly about that." Ted Tuppen, chief executive of Enterprise Inns, which owns more than 8,000 tenanted pubs, has advocated for separate smoking rooms in pubs. He pointed out that the huge numbers of rural pubs provide a great service for their local community by providing a bit of food and a bit of booze. He said the proportion of liquor-led pubs likely to qualify for the exemption was higher in less affluent parts of the country, suggesting the bill would lead to a widening in the health gap between rich and poor regions of England. A second exemption for 20,000 private members' clubs only emphasized the disparity between rich and poor pub goers. Only Punch Taverns which has 8,000 pubs operates as non-food pubs, catering to smokers. Most pub group's profits from cigarette machines are negligible, though the proportion of pub-goers who smoke is estimated to be 45% to 50% which is twice the national average.Within the UK market, key regional and smaller local breweries are in fact enjoying volume and value growth of two per cent. This is the finding of a recent report commissioned by some of the UK's leading regional breweries; Everards, Marstons, Adnams, Greene King, Wells & Youngs, Fullers and Caledonian. After a decade of British pubs being turned into trendy, continental style bars, consumers are seeking out the more traditional pub where they can order a real pint of English ale. A number of factors and initiatives from the breweries are contributing to the return of the 'pie and a pint' type of pub experience. As well as providing smoking solutions or shelters, licensees and breweries have endeavoured to make their pubs places where more people will want to go to spend their leisure time. These include post ban re-decoration and refurbishment, 'deep... Consumer and industry trends in the pub industry Within the UK market, key regional and smaller local breweries are in fact enjoying volume and value growth of two per cent. This is the finding of a recent report commissioned by some of the UK's leading regional breweries; Everards, Marstons, Adnams, Greene King, Wells & Youngs, Fullers and Caledonian. After a decade of British pubs being turned into trendy, continental-style bars, consumers are seeking out the more traditional pub where they can order a real pint of English ale. A number of factors and initiatives from the breweries are contributing to the return of the 'pie and a pint' type of pub experience. As well as providing smoking solutions or shelters, licensees and breweries have endeavoured to make their pubs places where more people will want to go to spend their leisure time. These include post ban re-decoration and refurbishment, 'deep cleaning' of the pub's soft furnishings, improving and upgrading menus and provision of coffee and tea at the bar. The smoke-free lif e style has brought several groups of people back to the pub. For example with the 35+ age group, are now returning to the pub to enjoy food and drink in a clean, fresh and healthier environment. The pub can have a set theme every month which should be shown in the website, decoration, signage and clothing of the pub staff. During holidays, the pub can put up the appropriate decorations around the venue. The monthly special features can also be related to the set themes.

Politics and Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Politics and Economics - Research Paper Example Man is always changing – from his physical traits to his values and cultures. He changes even his way of life in order to cope with his ever changing environment. Because of the changes in his environment, economic resources have become scarce. This is the main reason for us to economize (McConnell & Brue, 2005). We need to make economic choices every day of our life – from choosing our food to eat, deciding what and where to buy our clothes and how much fuel should be filled in our car. And in every decision that we make, we has to forgo an alternative and incur a cost. In our decision makings, we need to consider the prices we have to pay. Prices in the economy may affect individuals’ buying behaviors and decisions. Prices of goods imported to the U.S. may affect the individuals’ decision making. Principles of economics can explain the behaviors of both sellers and consumers towards price changes. We, as consumers, tend to buy more when prices are lower and buy less or even delay buying when prices are high. However, the reported drop in the prices of imported goods could also be attributed to the increase in goods imported to the United States.

The Impact on the Home Economics Movement Assignment

The Impact on the Home Economics Movement - Assignment Example Beecher wrote one of the first texts in home economics, namely, A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1841) and The Domestic Receipt Book (1846). Her definition of essential household knowledge included maintenance of good health. Booker Taliaferro Washington was an African American educator of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He had a major influence on the black public affairs till his death in 1915. In 1881 he founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, making it the best supported black educational institution in the U.S by 1900. He cemented his influence by his famous autobiography, Up From Slavery (1901), his celebrated dinner at Whitehouse, found the National Negro Business League and as the chief black advisor of presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Juliet Corson was a pioneer in cookery education. She was born in 1841 and died in 1897. Corson set up the first fully equipped cooking school in the US in 1975. She did this in the belief that every woman should be able to understand how to manage a kitchen whether she did her cooking. She wrote numerous books on cooking. Her first was, The Cooking Manual of Practical Directions for Economical Everyday Cookery. Known as one of the founders of the science of Home Economics, Maria was the founder of Bethel Public Library. She was born in Massachusetts in 1843. She was orphaned early and started cooking in homes and career. She published her first book in 1872, named The Appledore Cook Book. She published camp cookery in 1878. Sarah Rorer, fondly known as Sallie was born in 1849 in Pennsylvania. Over the course of her life, she worked as an editor, magazine columnist, and cookbook author. Her work has a focus on food and the body, especially the malnourished. She is best known for her collections: Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book. Isabel Bevier became part of the domestic science  movement but was committed to its goals and philosophy.

Foensic Accounting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Foensic Accounting - Research Paper Example Litigation support and expert witness are the part of forensic accounting. Forensic accounting is carried out by the forensic accountants. The following are the 5 skills that are needed for a forensic accountant to be proficient in his work: 1) Good decision maker: The forensic accountant seeks for evidence for the suspicion of fraud that is surfaced through an allegation or complaint. Thus they have to be strong in taking decisions in order to judge whether the allegation or the complaints are true or not. They have to do the preliminary investigation of the fraud or the complaint so they have to gather all the information about the fraud and thus at last make a decision. The decision should not be biased. They should possess the ability to audit the financial statements regularly with proficiencies and investigate those situations that can lead to severe fraud. The financial statements that are prepared by the chartered accountants or the accountants of any company are examined min utely by them so that no fraudulent statement is made to the management that can later lead to problems for both of them (Hyman, 2001). 2) Proficient with the investigation rules and procedures: They are experienced accountants, auditors or the investigators of the financial and legal documents. Thus they are quite proficient with the rules and regulations of the investigation and assist the lawyers and the legal team in their work. They have proficiency in the latest accounting standards and the procedures that are used in the Financial Reporting Systems. They are assigned to give recommendations that will make the internal controls strong and efficient for the working of any business. As an investigator they should seek for evidences that can be provided in the court of law and they should have the ability to investigate the tips of fraud and allegations. They should possess the quality to sort, compare and analyze the data that are to be investigated. They should keep good relati on with the prosecuting and investigating agencies that are involved in the case (Hyman, 2001). 3) Can make efficient judgment: They are hired to look into the fraudulent activities within the company. They should possess the quality of making any right judgment on behalf of the company. They should not make any biased judgment as that can lead to their termination if proved guilty. It can also create problem for the accountants who are responsible for the financial reporting. They work closely as law enforcement teams with the lawyers. During any investigation they often act as expert witnesses in the trials at courts. Thus they have to make the right statement in the court so that the company as well as the people concerned with the investigation does not feel deceive (Hyman, 2001). 4) Excellent knowledge about the State and the Federal laws: They should have an understanding about the different monetary units that are used internationally for the different types of foreign accoun ts so that they can make an evaluation when needed. They also play the role of attorney so they must have good knowledge about the recent Federal and State laws and regulations so that they can approve or disapprove severe fraud (Hyman, 2001). 5) Good communicator: They should also possess good communication skills so that they are understandable to every individual who do not have any knowledge of accounting standa

The Impact on the Home Economics Movement Assignment

The Impact on the Home Economics Movement - Assignment Example Beecher wrote one of the first texts in home economics, namely, A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1841) and The Domestic Receipt Book (1846). Her definition of essential household knowledge included maintenance of good health. Booker Taliaferro Washington was an African American educator of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He had a major influence on the black public affairs till his death in 1915. In 1881 he founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, making it the best supported black educational institution in the U.S by 1900. He cemented his influence by his famous autobiography, Up From Slavery (1901), his celebrated dinner at Whitehouse, found the National Negro Business League and as the chief black advisor of presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Juliet Corson was a pioneer in cookery education. She was born in 1841 and died in 1897. Corson set up the first fully equipped cooking school in the US in 1975. She did this in the belief that every woman should be able to understand how to manage a kitchen whether she did her cooking. She wrote numerous books on cooking. Her first was, The Cooking Manual of Practical Directions for Economical Everyday Cookery. Known as one of the founders of the science of Home Economics, Maria was the founder of Bethel Public Library. She was born in Massachusetts in 1843. She was orphaned early and started cooking in homes and career. She published her first book in 1872, named The Appledore Cook Book. She published camp cookery in 1878. Sarah Rorer, fondly known as Sallie was born in 1849 in Pennsylvania. Over the course of her life, she worked as an editor, magazine columnist, and cookbook author. Her work has a focus on food and the body, especially the malnourished. She is best known for her collections: Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book. Isabel Bevier became part of the domestic science  movement but was committed to its goals and philosophy.

To What Extent is BP Guilty of Greenwashing Literature review

To What Extent is BP Guilty of Greenwashing - Literature review Example The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines 'greenwashing' as "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image." It is argued that the presence of the word in the dictionary indicates the growing trend of this phenomenon among corporations. The trend of 'greenwashing' seems to be on the rise as oil companies, known to reap heavily from degradation of the soil, pollution of the air and global warming, realize that they have to re-present themselves as partners towards global climate solutions, manufacturers of automobiles, jets and airplanes realise they can launder their image even as they promote their products and companies in all industries realize the importance of presenting their activities and products as climate-friendly, to make socially conscious investors and consumers more comfortable with buying their products. In most cases, the 'green' propaganda is also aimed at achieving an unfair advantage over competitors (BP's Rebranding,2005). Deen (2002) reports that the wave of 'greenwashing' began more than a decade and a half back, in 1990, when on 'Earth Day millions of people across the world gathered to protest the declining health of the planet. This made it glaringly clear to the several multinational corporations that the average human had started to take interest in the wellbeing of his environment. British Petroleum (BP)... The company also owns 23 refineries and 32 chemical manufacturing plants around the world (BP's Rebranding, 2005). In mid-2000, BP launched one of the most expensive public relations and advertising campaign in recent times, representing the company as an environmental-friendly one and introducing a new slogan 'Beyond Petroleum'. In line with the campaign, the chief of the company was quoted as saying; "The time to consider the policy dimensions of climate change is not when the link between greenhouse gases and climate change is conclusively proven, but when the possibility cannot be discounted and is taken seriously by the society of which we are part. We in BP have reached that point". During the course of the campaign, BP touted itself as the global leader in producing the cleanest burning fossil fuel, the first company to introduce cleaner burning fuels to many of the world's most polluted cities and the largest producer of solar energy in the world (BP's Rebranding, 2005). Â  

Commercial company Essay Example for Free

Commercial company Essay Select a major industrial or commercial company based in the United States and listed on one of the major stock exchanges in the United States. Each student should select a different company. Avoid selecting an insurance company or a bank, because the financial ratios for these financial businesses are different. Write a seven-to-eight-page double-spaced paper answering and demonstrating with calculations and financial data the following questions. 1. What is the name of the company? What is the industry sector? Starbucks Corporation is in the Food and Beverage industry 2. What are the operating risks of the company? Economic conditions in the US and certain international markets could adversely affect Starbucks’ business and financial results. – as a retailer Starbucks is dependent upon the customer’s discretionary spending. Customers may have less money for discretionary purchases as a result of job losses, foreclosures, bankruptcies, increased fuel and energy costs, higher interest rates and taxes. Decreases in customer traffic will negatively impact financial performance. Starbucks may not be successful in implementing important strategic initiatives or effectively managing growth, which may have an adverse impact on our business and financial results. – there is no assurance that Starbucks will be able to implement strategic initiatives and achieve the results that are within management’s expectations. These initiatives are designed to create growth, improve operations and drive long-term shareholder value. Starbucks face intense competition in each of our channels and markets, which could lead to reduced profitability. Starbucks is highly dependent on the financial performance of the America’s operating segment – the Americas operating segment contributes 74% of the total net revenues in fiscal 2013. Starbucks is relying on the success in the European/ Middle East, China/Asia Pacific operating segments to achieve overall growth targets. Other international operations are also subject to additional inherent risk when conducting business abroad. Of which, include: Forex rate fluctuations. Changes or uncertainties in economic, legal, regulatory, social and political conditions in international markets. Restrictive actions of foreign or US governments affecting trade. Enforceability of intellectual and contract rights. Local laws Disruption in energy supplies. Delays in store opening beyond the control of management. Increases in the cost of high-quality Arabica coffee beans or other commodities. Disruption in the supply chain, which will impact the ability to deliver Starbucks’ products. The loss if key personnel or difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel Adverse public or medical opinions about the health effects of consuming Starbucks’s products, as well as reports of incidents involving food-borne illnesses, food tampering or food contamination. Starbucks relies heavily on information technology in operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm Starbucks’ ability to effectively operate the business. Failure to comply with local laws and regulations. 3. What is the financial risk of the company (the debt to total capitalization ratio)? Market Cap: 56.69 BN Debt: 2.05BN Debt/total cap ratio = 0.036 (yahoo.com, 2014) 4. Does the company have any preferred stock? The company does not have preferred stock. 5. What is the capital structure of the company: short-term portion of long-term debt, long-term debt, preferred stock (if any), and market value of common stock issued and outstanding? short-term portion of long-term debt 357.7 Million Long-term debt 1,299 Million Preferred Stock 0 Market value of common stock 56.69 Billion 6. What is the company’s current actual beta? 0.95 7. What would the beta of this company be if it had no long-term debt in its capital structure? Unlevered Beta using Hamada equation = Beta /[1+(1-T) x (D/E)] Beta : 0.95 Marginal Tax Rate, T: 32.8% D/E: 0.036 Unlevered Beta = 0.96 / [1+(1 -0.328)*0.036] =0.937 8. What is the company’s current marginal tax rate? Income taxes for the fiscal year ended 2012 resulted in an effective tax rate of 32.8% compared to 31.1% for fiscal year 2011. (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2013) 9. What is the price earnings multiple of the company? Price to earnings ration. This ratio is used in conjunction with other metrics to give analyst and investors are quick initial impression of whether a company would make a good investment. (investopedia, 2014) Starbucks P/E ratio is 385.05 10. How has the company’s stock been performing in the last 5 years? Starbucks share price 282.32% in the last 5 yrs. 11. Would you invest in this company? Why or why not? I would invest in Starbucks. SBUX has the highest P/E ratio among its competitors. Their cost of debt is low compared to their cost of equity. That is why they are relying on debt for their expansion. Their dividends per share have been increasing yearly. 18. The last page of your paper should be a Bibliography of the sources you used to prepare this paper. Bibliography investopedia. (2011, feb). Cost of Equity. (investopedia) Retrieved septmeber 2014, from Investopedia: www.investopedia.com/terms/c/costofeqquity.asp investopedia. (2014). Definition of Prince Multiple. Retrieved from www.investopedia.com: www.investopedia.com/terms/p/princemultiles.asp Starbucks Coffee Company. (2013). Fiscal 2013 Annual Report. Investor Relations. Seattle: Starbucks Coffee Company. yahoo.com. (2014, september). Yahoo Finance. (Yahoo.com, Producer) Retrieved september 2014, from Yahoo finance: finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=SBUX+Key+Statistics

Le Corbusier: Five Points of Architecture

Le Corbusier: Five Points of Architecture Five Points of Architecture Le Corbusier is one of the most significant architects from the 20th century. He is known as one of the pioneers of modern architecture due to many of his ideas and ‘recipes’ within architecture. One of his most famous was ‘The Five Point of a New Architecture’   that he had explained in‘LEsprit Nouveau’  and the book ‘Vers une architecture’, which he had been developing throughout the 1920s. Le Corbusier’ development of this idea altered the architectural promenade in a new way, which was presented in 1926.[1] The five points are as follows: pilotis, the roof garden, free plan, free faà §ade, and the horizontal window. Le Corbusier used these points as a structural basis for most of his architecture up until the 1950’s, which are evident in many of his designs. The essay ‘Les Cinq points dune architecture nouvelle’ by Le Corbusier focuses on questions that are raised within architectural design, suggesting a foundation and arrangement in it. Similar texts for example the progress of ‘cellule’  and figures of the Maison Standardisee, do not have relation to the design process of the five points. The Modulor, which is the study of proportions of the human body scale that is used as a system to plan a number of Le Corbusier’s buildings, is another theoretical attempt, which did not achieve a proper relation to the design process and also the architectural search for form that personifies the five points. On the other hand, these ideas can be portrayed more freely as ‘merely theoretical ideas’.[2] One exception is the concept of the tracis regulateurs (regulating lines), which uses proportions of geometry in buildings. It predicted certain ideas behind the five points in a number of aspects. The first point is the piloti, which are columns or piers that elevate a structure off the ground. The fact that the structure is lifted provides many functional advantages. As the pilotis raise the building off the ground, it allows circulation beneath the house, which frees the building site, and allows a driveway, parking space, or a garden to be placed beneath the house. The pilotis provides many advantages, and also new constructional possibilities. The artistic moments as well as the extended usefulness are the results of those ‘recherches assidues’ and those ‘acquis de laboratoire’[3]. The same area is also gained on the flat roof. This area is known as the next point, which is the roof garden. This is to balance the green area that was already used by the building and substituted it onto the roof, which is then used for domestic purposes. Free plan is the next point, which means the floor space can be arranged freely without the concern for supportin g walls into rooms. Replacing interior load-bearing columns from walls dividing the space, and moving the structure of the building to the exterior is a way to achieve this. Le Corbusier designed an open floor structure called the Dom-ino house in which the model removed load-bearing wall and the supporting beams for the ceiling. This invention was most unexpected at time; it was a ‘forecast of the potentialities of reinforced concrete, of mass-production, of human scale, of the modern factory.’[4] The frame did not depend on the floor plans of the house, giving the architect freedom when designing the interior. Free faà §ade is another point. It is the ability of designing the faà §ade freely as the walls are non-supporting, which is the result of the free plan. The next point is the horizontal window. This allows the faà §ade to be cut along its entire length. By doing so it allows maximum illumination, better ventilation and also gives views of the surrounding yar d, which is evident in the Villa Savoye. The five points were demonstrated in many of Le Corbusiers architecture throughout his career. One of first designs that Le Corbusier attempted to include the points in was the Maisons Citrohan. The house was developed through different versions. Numerous elements of the houses design turned out to be essential factors, which make up Le Corbusiers style. Certain characteristics of the Maison Citrohan can be detected in most of the villas in the 1920’s.[5] Maison Citrohan introduced the ‘five points of new architecture’. The house was elevated by pilotis allowing free circulation on the ground, and also consisted of a reinforced-concrete frame structure, which was achieved from the Dom-ino’s constructional system. The open space created by the pilotis and the flat roof increases the small area that already exists. It also had a roof garden/terrace. Le Corbusier voiced himself on the subject of the Maison Citrohan in the first volume of the ‘Oevre compl dte’: â€Å"Stuttgart, cest Ioccasion enfin!. Le Corbusier did not talk of individual objects or designs; he talked about the constant development of an idea stretched over many cases.[6] Le Corbusier studied the essential philosophies of Egyptian, Hindu, Byzantine, and Greek architecture in ‘Vers une architecture’, which is a collection of essays that supports study of the concept of modern architecture.[7] Egyptian and Greek architecture were particularly important for Le Corbusiers application of the five points. From Egyptian architecture, Le Corbusier acquired the idea of symmetry and repetition. In addition, Le Corbusier obtained the notion of movement and contraries from Greek architecture. The lesson of regular repetition from Egyptian architecture, as mentioned above, provided the idea of using repetition in vertical supports that Le Corbusier would later apply to his architecture as a constant scale, a rhythm, a restful cadence. Le Corbusiers design theories were put in practice to a certain level within a number of his designs such as the Maison Cook, the Villa Stein, and also at the Villa Savoye. In these buildings ‘the regular grid of columns served as a foil to the organic shapes of the curved walls and stairs, which together combined to organize a pleasant architectural promenade with asymmetrically balanced views’ according to the lessons of Greek architecture. [8] Similar to the Citrohan House, the Villa Stein had a roof, which became a terrace garden; regularly spaced structural piers, which allowed freely curved interior partitions, and also horizontal windows that extended across facades. The Maison Cook was a terrace house. The upper floors of the house were supported by concrete piloti, and the ground floor consisted of a open plan which had a parking space, entry, and a terrace. The roof was also used as a garden terrace. Le Corbusier wanted to show that the partitions of the rooms on each floor were independent of structural supports, thus the partitions were curved.[9] The Villa Savoye follows the five points best strictly, and can be considered as a built plan of Le Corbusier’s five points. The exterior maintains the idea of symmetry as all four elevations are really similar, which consist of horizontal windows and openings running the width of the faà §ade at the second floor level, supported by regularly spaced pilotis.[10] Within the points, the free plan is the most important in the design, where the large wall curves freely between the pilotis on the ground floor, which reflects the idea of the ‘free plan’ the strongest. As much as the five points have contributed to the development of modern architecture greatly, some points such as the horizontal windows are not necessary in terms of the designing of good architecture. Also the idea of the roof garden has been criticised over the years for leaking, it also would be considered very strange in domestic houses in countries such as the UK, as they use the more traditional pitched roof as it seems more homely. Furthermore, Le Corbusier abandoned the idea of the piloti shortly after some point; his later work does not strictly follow the points. Le Corbusier’s ‘Five Points in Architecture’ manifesto, as explained above, has had great influence on modern architecture. This is evident in The Villa Savoye, which summed up the five points, which turned out to be a masterpiece of the 20th century design and one of the greatest works by Le Corbusier. The five points have allowed a wide variety of ideas and possibilities within designing arc hitecture even to this day such as the use of free faà §ade in Zaha Hadid’s Performing Arts Center in Hague (2010).   Ã‚   [1] Le Corbusier, Choisy, and French Hellenism: The Search for a New Architecture by Richard A. Etlin. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 69, No. 2 (Jun., 1987), p.275 [2] Les Cinq Points dune Architecture Nouvelle by Werner Oechslin trans. Wilfried Wang. Assemblage, No. 4 (Oct., 1987), p.84 [3] Les Cinq Points dune Architecture Nouvelle by Werner Oechslin trans. Wilfried Wang. Assemblage, No. 4 (Oct., 1987), p.93 [4] Five Points of Architecture; the Promenade Architecturale, mimesis (copying), p.43 [5] Key Houses of the Twentieth Century:Plans, Sections and Elevations, Laurence King Publishing, 2006 , p.56 [6] Les Cinq Points dune Architecture Nouvelle by Werner Oechslin trans. Wilfried Wang. Assemblage, No. 4 (Oct., 1987), p.84 [7] Le Corbusier, Choisy, and French Hellenism: The Search for a New Architecture by Richard A.Etlin. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 69, No. 2 (Jun., 1987), p.275 [8] Le Corbusier, Choisy, and French Hellenism: The Search for a New Architecture by Richard A. Etlin. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 69, No. 2 (Jun., 1987), p.276 [9] A World History of Architecture by Marian Moffett, Michael W. Fazio, Lawrence Wodehouse, 2003 edition, p.509 [10] Design and Analysis by Bernard Leupen, 1997, p.51 What is white space? What is white space? What is white space? White space, also recognized by most as negative space, is the unmarked space between graphics, texts, and margins. To be precise, it is basically all spaces that possess absent of contents. Sandy Wheeler argued that, most people do not understand the role of white space and often consider them simply as ‘blank space.However, in my opinion, this perception is incorrect. Even though white space does not hold contents in the way that a photograph or text holds meaning, it essentially serves to carry meaning through context to both image and text. It is an important element of design which allows the objects in it to even exist. In addition, it may even make or break the effective transmission of image and text. As designers, we are trained to often use white space where it is appropriate in our designs. This is not limited to only graphic design, but also extends to other types of design such as web, product, interior, architecture, and many others. First of all, let us explore the use of white space in graphic design. White space can be categorized into 2 categories, the ‘macro white space which represents the space between major elements in a composition, and ‘micro white space which represent the space between smaller elements, several of which include those between list items, between a caption and an image, or between words and letters and the rest of the small spaces. White space is also often used to build a balanced and harmonious layout. The white space other than can be categorized into macro and micro white space, both marco and micro white space can also be divided into active and passive white space. The active white space is space which is left empty intentionally. Also, it serves to lead a reader from one element to another. As for passive white space, it is the white space that does not appear to be intentional. In other words, most passive white space is â€Å"unintentional† which means it is just the unconsidered space or left over space present within a composition.In my opinion, all white space in a good design, whether active or passive, should be planned out by the designer from the very first. If a designer only planned on the macro white space used and let the rest of the white space unconsidered, it will be just considered as poor design. Passive white space creates breathing room and balance and its role cannot be underm ined. A web design aims to allow visitors to subconsciously develop an impression and predict where the navigation and content areas will be as they navigate from page to page. A well-designed webpage includes active white space as an intentional page element that visually separates the navigation, content, header and footer. Lacking of which can result in the website appearing cluttered, and visitors might feel that the information they are looking for would be difficult to find and thus head to other websites. Micro white spaces often help improve legibility. Many people disregard the importance of the micro space and always feel that the small little spaces will not make much difference in design. In some cases, white space can be very limited and a lot of information has to be fitted into a page, for example newspaper, yellow pages and etc. When a lot of information is crammed together, the layout will eventually to be appearing messy and hard to read. This is when we, the designers come in to find ways to solve this problem. One good example is ‘The Economist newspaper, which has been redesigned as the owner of the company realized that their newspaper design was too heavy and the contents are too difficult to read. This is an important issue as the design and legibility of the newspaper affected the sales of the newspaper. The company hired Erik Spiekermann, a German designer and typographer to search for a solution. In newspaper design, information is often dense and many times, it is difficult to add in additional whitespace because of the content requirements. Spiekermanns solution to this was to use a lighter typeface for their body content with plenty of whitespace surrounding the characters. Spiekermann redesigned the typeface by adding more whitespace to the individual characters while retaining the quirkiness of the original Economist typeface. He proceeded to set the type slightly smaller and using leading. All these small changes added up to create more micro white space to the design, r esulting in the content being more legible. The overall feeling of the newspaper was lighter, while the amount of content remained the same.Spiekermanns successful redesign for ‘The Economist proves that the space between the â€Å"itsy-bitsy† stuff can have a big impact on the effectiveness of a design. This concept could essentially be applied to designs for other magazines, yellow pages, the web and other medium that require a substantial amount of texts. Shown below is the redesign of typeface from ‘The Economist by Spiekermann, illustrating how such small changes could make a big difference. The images below show two typical spreads, one before the redesign, when ‘The Economist was printed in black and white with bits of red, and another article after the redesign which has went on to full color. In addition, white space also plays an important role in brand positioning. On the surface of paper, white space is â€Å"that of chosen not to print†. From the perspective of economy and conservation, white space should then be at a minimum, and logically all space should then be used up and not come to a waste. In this case, white space is used for purely semiotic values. It is insisted then, that the image of what is presented is more crucial than what the paper that could save. In countries such as Japan, some printing jobs are very costly as they would still charge for the printing plates, separations, paper, and four-or-more color presses even to print white space.Therefore, average brands that have a limited budget would try to fully maximize the whole paper by including as much contents as possible. On the other hand, some designers utilize white space to create a feeling of luxury and elegance to upscale brands. With the sensitive use of typography and image, generous white space is seen over several luxury market products. Extensive white space is used in marketing material to sell to the target audiences the idea that the products are of the highest quality and extravagant value. Images below show the examples of white space used in some luxurious brands. Essentially, it all boils to which target audiences are designers after. There are indeed exceptions of which white space may not be necessary in design. For example, in direct-mail products, designs need to be appeared down-market to work. By adding white space to it, the design would appear to inherit an undesirably upscale quality, which may not appeal to the targeted mass audience in the community.Below is an example of direct mail versus luxury brand design. The contents shown above are the same, including the text information and image. However, the two designs stand at opposite ends of the brand spectrum. Such comparison illustrates how less white space portrays a cheaper image, while more white space portrays a more luxurious image. The discussion of white space is not simply restricted to the contemporary. In my opinion, the significance and role of white space has change and evolved over time. According to Ken Kelman, in older days, white space was not considered to play a too important role.However, I believe that designs in the past do utilize white space, such as to emphasize a particular content or object. However, a distinct difference between the use of white space between the past and modern days design would be that older designs tend to cram contents together. Even though compositions and macro white space within designs are considered, micro white space is often less regarded or even neglected. The posters below show examples of older days designs when an entire page is often filled up with text and image. The typefaces used in such posters are often big and bulky compared to modern day designs where white spaces hold more importance. Often, large crammed texts with little white space in between are often spotted in vintage design. I believe that in todays world with improvement in technologies, better designs have emerged as we designers are able to create even spaces between each lines of text. We are also able to experiment and play around with composition within design with ease, compared to the past when such hardware did not exist. With this, we could create design that look more professional and clean. Over the time, with the good use of white space by designers, more and more people start to appreciate and realized about the importance of white space in design. Therefore, more of better design pieces are born and white spaces are used more often by designers nowadays compared to the past. Examples of vintage design Example of modern design Not every posters of the past disregard the concept of white space. One such example is the poster below, which was considered to be a success in terms of delivery of its message content. This was partly due to the effective and unique design elements employed which were rarely seen in its counterparts during that period. Using short and straight forward text, with ample of white space around the contents, the importance of the contents stood out and its message was effectively emphasized. Another cause for the change of the signification of white space over time in my opinion is influenced by the changes in human lifestyles. According to a survey by Austin Mott Anastacia, people nowadays are getting busier, more stressful and impatient than ever before. Only 30 percent among 20 000 adults have enough sleep most days and the rest are too busy doing more â€Å"important† stuffs such as working, studies, playing games and so on.In my opinion, because of the busy lifestyle, people would not be willing to spend more time on anything else than what they want to do, not to mention spending too much time on an advertisement. Therefore, designers nowadays tend to use more white space and less content for that purpose. Taking a billboard advertisement for example, a simple, creative and straight forward advertisement is always more successful than the advertisement with a lot of contents as readers would need more time to read and too much contents make the advertisement appear messy. Most readers have busy lifestyle; they would only be willing to spend a limited amount of time on that advertisement. Moreover, billboards are mostly placed along road or highways which made the readers who are travelling in cars have much less time for it. The billboard advertisements would need to convey messages across to readers in a few seconds. Comparing to olden days where most people have more time to spare, they would have a higher chance to spend time on advertisements that are packed with contents. Below are two examples of advertisements for the purpose mentioned above. Another change of signification of white space over time in my opinion is that olden days design put in as much details to minimize as much white space as possible to represent luxury where modern days designers tend to use as much space for that purpose. Focusing on interior and product design as references, olden days tend to put in a lot of details and minimize white space in their design. Regardless of any country and culture, their olden days designs tend to share this same character. To support my point, shown below are the examples of olden days interior design from a few different cultural background such as Europe,   Modern designs In my opinion, olden days folks appreciate details and craftsmanship very much because with the lack of building and engraving technology and machine exist in the olden days, to have a piece of furniture engraved in detail, it needed a lot of effort, time and labour. Only rich people in the olden days could afford that craftsmanship. In another word, it represents status and luxury. As the saying goes ‘less is more. Such wisdom cannot be more emphasized in the concept of white space. Increasingly, white space is being regarded and recognized as part an important design element, and also a design technique. Once you know how to design and manipulate the space surrounding your content, youll be able to amazing feats such as giving your readers a head start in your design, position products more precisely, and last but not least, perhaps even begin to see your own design content in a new light.

The Signalman by Dickens and The Withered Arm by Hardy :: Signalman dickens Withered Hardy Essays

â€Å"The Signalman† by Dickens and â€Å"The Withered Arm† by Hardy The story of "The Signalman" opens with the words â€Å"Halloa! Below there†, this short, but effective line is very significant to the plot of the story. A questioning atmosphere is already created, as it is not clear to the reader as to who is speaking, or whom the anonymous figure is being shouted at? The opening paragraph of the "The Signalman" is unexplained, leaving the readers questioning. For example when the Narrator is shouting from above, the Signalman behaves strangely as he looks round to face the tunnel, whereas a normal person would look upwards in response to this. Dickens portrayal of the â€Å"black tunnel† that has a â€Å"barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air† to it creates a mood of anticipation. Moreover, the words expressed are so effective that the reader immediately gets an apparent image of the tunnel and feels more involved in the story. It also raises the question as to why the Signalman looked down there, and this maintains the curiosity. The mood becomes more intense and penetrating as Charles Dickens’s explanations give the impression that one or both of the characters might be spectres. The reason being, that the Narrator considers the Signalman as having something â€Å"remarkable in his manner†, and how he cannot say for his â€Å"life what.† On the other hand, the signalman appears to be afraid of the Narrator, as his reactions to the Narrator calling down suggests that he regards him to be the spectre. The â€Å"dark† setting deep in the trench, which admits â€Å"so little sunlight†, and where the â€Å"on coming rush† of the train causes â€Å"vague vibration† and â€Å"violent pulsation† in the â€Å"earth and air† sets the mood for the supernatural occurrences. This haunts the readers as the narrator feels he has â€Å"left the natural world.† Furthermore, the surroundings and atmosphere of the â€Å"lonesome post† which the Signalman occupies appears very mysterious, especially the â€Å"black tunnel.† The opening scene which is set in the â€Å"cold†, â€Å"damp† and â€Å"lonely† railway cutting near the end of a â€Å"tunnel† is described well, as being â€Å"Extremely deep and unusually precipitous† and â€Å"solitary and â€Å"dismal.† There is particular emphasis on the loneliness of the place; it seems like a location isolated from the real world, making the reader pity the Signalman as he spends many â€Å"lonely hours† there. Yet is also generates the eerie idea of the place being perfect, again for supernatural happenings. In comparison to the "The Signalman", "The Withered Arm" also has a questioning mood at the opening of the story. At the start, Rhoda is described as â€Å"A thin fading women of thirty that milked somewhat apart

Exploring Strategy

Abstract This essay examines the state of the Hi-Fi sector utilizing the PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces. This assessment illustrated that with factors depending heavily on technology there is a real opportunity in the Hi-Fi sector. Any researcher exploring this question will find value in this report. 1 Introduction This essay examines the Hi-Fi sector utilizing the PESTEL and Porters’ Five Forces models in order to assess the current market environment. Identifying the primary opportunities and threats that are present in the field will create a capacity for anticipation and adaptation that can add significant value to any business strategy. Beginning with a PESTEL analysis followed by distinct opportunities, threats and key drivers for change, this essay illustrates the state of the Hi-Fi industry. Following this segment with a relevant Porter’s Five Forces evaluation including overall industry attractiveness will further enhance the illustration of economic viability in the industry. 2 PESTEL Analysis This section utilizes the PESTEL model to evaluate market conditions.2.1 PESTELYuksel (2012) defines the PESTEL as an integrated analysis including the elements of political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environment and legal in order to determine a sectors capacity.2.1.1 PoliticalPolitically, the Hi-Fi sector is supported in their effort to produce a superior product for a diverse international market (Jansson and Waxel, 2011). Politics influence the modern Hi Fi market to continually innovate and build, reflecting the Hi-Fi industry need for continuous technological input. Regulations and taxation play a direct role in how well the Hi Fi industry international trade statutes have the potential to promote positive development (Jansson et al, 2011). Companies including the advanced manufacturing firm Linn contribute a substantial amount in taxes and international revenue to their nations coffers, enhancing the political need to protect them (The Economist, 2014). Companys including Richer Sounds maintain 100 per cent UK operations, using this support as a means of positive branding (Sounds, 2014). The Telegraph (2010) article lays out the attractive tax cuts that the Chinese government utilizes to entice the emerging Hi Fi companies to set up operation there. With each tax rate adjustment companies including Acramm Quad and NAD among others will seek out tax havens that allow them to retain revenue (Telegraph, 2010). Decisions by the UK regulatory body, including the decision to take the nation digital has a great deal of influence on the continued development of the UK Hi Fi industry (Kessler, 2014). With figures illustrating that only one in 20 have receivers capable of this new transmission as well as only 40 per cent of new vehicles are equipped with the technology, there is a considerable gap to be addressed before implementation (Kessler, 2014).2.1.2. EconomicEconomic factors in for Hi-Fi firms have the potential to substantially assist nation s in their economic recovery efforts (The Economist, 2014). This factor impacts the Hi Fi industry with through direct acknowledgement and support of technological advances (Macintosh, 2010). Lacking this opportunity for growth stagnates the market directly influencing production and development.. International statistics demonstrate a slow 1% growth rate in the industry over the past year (Euromonitor.com. 2014). Yet, long term country reports indicate a steady pattern of growth (Euromonitor.com, 2014). The Hi Fi industry has begun to focus on the high end products including Acram’s newest cinema receiver citing the argument that features are more important than fidelity (End, 2014). The economy can create issues for the industry by failing to provide consumers with the funding to buy products. Linn, another UK Hi Fi brand has used this same philosophy to become a leader in the audiophile streaming music hardware area, a very rapidly developing area (End, 2014). Yet, there i s a real potential for a lack of innovation that fails to produce useful products. Further establishing this trend is Naim’s offering of hi resolution music products that appeal to the very high end market including the Nait 5si and the SuperNait 2 (End, 2014). However, the economic conditions can hinder the opportunity for these offerings to take hold.2.1.3. Socio-cultureThe very nature of the spread of technology is a benefit for the Hi-Fi industry (Andy, 1997; Macintosh, 2010; The Economist, 2014). Yet, if there is a perception of negativity surrounding any company or product, there is the opportunity for a diminished reach. With each new auditory advance, the Hi-Fi sector has an opportunity to utilize their technology to enhance that offering (May, Mason and Pinch, 2001). Yet, conversely, any misstep in the innovation process can set the entire effort back. The continuous advance in technology aids in producing new employment opportunities which enhances the entire system (Pratt, 1997). There is a strong desire on the part of the consumer and manufacturers to create the very best auditory offering (The Economist, 2014). This element of complementary competition enhances the potential in the Hi-Fi industry, yet increases the price consumers feel at the retailer. As company’s including Acram, Linn and Naim compete to produce high end offerings, the entire range of development opportunities benefits (End, 2014). This adoption of hi tech equipment has an associated ripple impact on stores that sell these products, increasing their technology capacity (End, 2014). As new products emerge, the stores upgrade in order to implement the product, thereby changing the entire culture surrounding the offering.2.1.4 TechnologicalThere has been a historical shift from a Hi Fi industry based on individual components to a modern real market based on emerging technology (Sounds, 2014). This factor directly impacts the Hi Fi industries capacity to produce useable products. With the advances technology has created including the inclusion of LCD television, audiophile and multi room Hi Fi progress there is a perception of increasing value in the industry. The increase in complexity alongside reduction in size and integrateable capacity make Hi-Fi products critical components for many new technologies (The Economist, 2014; Macintosh, 2010). This is a clear indication of the support that each of these areas offers the Hi-Fi sector. Online advances including internet offerings have the potential to increase the utilization of the Hi-Fi product, thereby increasing the markets intrinsic value (Macintosh, 2010). Today’s leaders in the industry including Rob Follis cite the fact that modern Hi Fi offerings are better than ever before (End, 2014). This fact includes the recognition that as technology continues to turn from individual components to integrated technology, the Hi Fi sector will continue innovate in order to remain relevant.2.1.5 EnvironmentalMod ern production concerns can have an impact on the manufacturing of any Hi-Fi product (The Economist, 2014). These concerns can significantly slow development and production of any product line. With aspects including pollution during production there is the potential for this aspect to create detrimental operating conditions. This contention supports the argument that a strategy that incorporates these elements benefits the entire effort (Jansson et al, 2011).2.1.6 LegalMultinational and international legalities have an opportunity to impact the Hi-Fi development and production capacity (Jannsson et al, 2011). As laws change as nations jockey for position and revenue causing a collateral impact for the companies involved. Competition between industry rivals can be fierce, requiring a strong a consistent legal awareness (The Economist, 2014).2.2 Opportunities and ThreatsThere is a real opportunity to capitalize on emerging technologies in order to expand the Hi-Fi industry capacity ( The Economist, 2014). Yet, there is a threat of poorly designed products that diminish trade. Real time examples including continued development of the IPod and Ipad based technology, tablets and personal computers integration lead the way for considerable opportunities in the industry (Macintosh, 2010). The economic factors support the argument of growing opportunities in the field of home audio and visual serve to drive the consideration of potential revenue gain in the market (The Economist, 2014). Companies such as Linn and Acram have a unique opportunity to harness emerging technology in order to reach the high end clientele (End, 2014). Conversely, the PESTLE confirms the threat that any overextension in an effort to remain competitive can diminish production and development potential (Jannsson et al, 2011). Advances in the field of medicine provide ample opportunity for the Hi Fi industry to benefit from auditory related sales as well as building real brand awareness (The Economist, 2014). Elements of the Hi-Fi industry touch on the developing technology surrounding Wi-Fi and the internet, providing further opportunity for the industry to gain market share (Jannsson et al, 2011). Yet, the need for technology can slow a development process, diminishing a company’s revenue potential. An opportunity in the Hi-Fi industry rests in the field of cell phone and portable communication (The Economist, 2014). The PESTLE demonstrates that national and international variances in regulations can become a substantial detriment for the Hi Fi industry (Moodysson and Jonsson, 2007). There is a real threat for established companies including Acram, Quad and Warfeldale among others to move to China in order to take advantage of the lower tax brackets (Telegraph.co.uk, 2010). Yet, each emerging market and technological advance is an opportunity for the Hi-Fi industry to further integrate (Macintosh, 2010). A balanced consideration must take place in order to successfully implement strategy.2.3 Key drivers for changeLeading the key drivers for the Hi-Fi industry is the need for advances in production, marketing and development (Macintosh, 2010; The Economist, 2014; Jannsson et al, 2011). Every new change at each level will have a direct impact on the consumer and the industry. The second driver remains the political environment on where these companies choose to develop their products (Telegraph.co. uk, 2010). Lacking a positive environment, the capacity for the Hi Fi industry to operate will be further driven by the rate of revenue available in the market (End, 2014). These drivers will determine marketing efforts and production levels for every company in the market. 3 Porter’s Five Forces Analysis3.1 Porters Five ForcesHuggins and Izushi (2011) define the Porter’s Five Forces model as efficient manner of market assessment including the element s of new entrants, substitution, bargaining power and competitive rivalry.3.1.1 Threat of new entrantsThe growth potential of the Hi-Fi industry makes the threat of new entrants substantial (The Economist, 2014). There is a clear opportunity for increased brand awareness accompanied by the potential to add a substantial revenue stream to any company’s income. With companies including Linn and Acram focussing on the high end market, there is recognition of value that will be emulated by others (End, 2014). These elements are consistent with the needs of many competitors in other areas of the technology market such as computers, tablets and personal electronics (The Economist, 2014). The Hi-Fi industry is highly attractive to evolving and developing entities as well as established compan ies (Jannsson et al, 2011). Established companies can easily expand and advertise, while new entrants can progressively build and promote themselves. This area is of high concern due to the rate of new entrants.3.1.2 Threat of Substitute productsThe Hi-Fi sector is dependent on technology, the availability of copies, or similarities in products is high (Jannsson et al, 2011). With emerging nations, such as China, offering substantial potential for competition this is a significant concern for any Hi-Fi strategy. Expanding on this same threat of substitution is the fact that some nations allow for copies of a successful product based on their own design (Jannsson et al, 2011). Regulation s and their enforcement have the potential to play a key role in reducing or increasing the substitutions for any Hi-Fi product on the market. With companies recognizing that products including the Xbox and Playstation among others, can take on the role of other instruments, the threat rises (End, 2014). Developing and competing products make this a category of high impact.3.1.2 Bargaining power of customersThe consumer centred nature of the Hi-Fi industry makes it highly dependent on the perception and application of their products (Jannsson et al, 2011). Any faulty offering or substandard item will directly impact the company’s bottom line (The Economist, 2014). Modern consumers demand an integrateable produce that has the latest technology at the lowest prices, making their overall bargaining power substantial. There is a need to remain on the edge in the mind of the consumer in order to continually expand brand loyalty (Macintosh, 2010). Acram and Linn’s current move into the upper end market has been favourably received by the consumers, driving their position in the market higher helping to advance their market share considerably (End, 2014). Yet, any failure would provide amply incentive for these same consumers to seek another brand (The Economist, 2014). Restin g on the correct anticipation of needs this is an area of moderate to high priority.3.1.3 Bargaining power of suppliersThe high number of competitors alongside the proliferation of technology diminishes the bargaining power of suppliers (The Economist, 2014). If one company is not willing or able to make a product, there are several others that will (Moodysson et al, 2007). However, the more advanced technology that the company possesses, the more likely that that effort will be successful in the market (Jannsson et al, 2011). Yet, in the case of specific technology there is the real opportunity to have a strong bargaining strategy based on the knowledge the company has (Jannsson et al, 2011). If one company does not possess a certain technology, their associated bargaining position will suffer. Linn, noting the potential available in the market, spent liberally to develop the audiophile music download label that propels their current sales strategy (End, 2014). This example has bee n emulated by companies such as Naim, which hope to become a prominent member of the market (End, 2014). With many suppliers available, there is a low to moderate priority in this segment.3.1.4 Intensity of competitive rivalryThe potential for revenue and sustainability make the Hi-Fi sector highly competitive (Jannsson et al, 2011; The Economist, 2014). This rivalry consists of companies including Linn, Acram and Niam, often accounting for the majority of the market share, provides a dynamic illustration of the desire of each company to provide the very best Hi Fi product (End, 2014). There is competition at every level of production, development and marketing in order to make the most of the emerging product (Macintosh, 2010). However, this intensity of competition allows for a consistent series of technological advances which is a clear benefit to consumers and manufacturers (The Economist, 2014). With each advance the opportunity to become a market leader will lead to an intense effort to be the first producer. The competitive environment makes this element very high concern for the Hi Fi industry.3.2 Industry AttractivenessThere is a real opportunity to gain both brand awareness and consumer loyalty with a quality Hi-Fi offering, making the market attractive (The Economist, 2014). The long term consumer trend of sustainable spending is a further indication of positive long term market potential (Euromonitor, 2014). Yet, the fact that this is a well-known fact encourages other manufacturers to maintain a position in the market, making competition fierce (Moodysson et al, 2007)). Each of these factors supports an illustration of a growing market that offers both a ripe opportunity for success and an equally dismal chance for failure. Naim and Linn both demonstrate a high degree of value in the area of Hi Fi industry innovation which in turn increases the overall attractiveness of the market (End, 2014). This is a moderate factor in overall industry making the circumstances acceptable for continued expansion. 4 Conclusion Both the PESTEL and the Porter’s Five Forces evaluations have illustrated the potential for both sustained revenue gain as well as increased brand awareness. This is a supporting argument for a strategy including the Hi-Fi sector. However, the very competitive nature alongside the nuances of technological innovation provides ample potential for loss. With factors depending heavily on technology there is a genuine opportunity for gain to be considered in the Hi-Fi sector. 5 References David, F. R. 1999. Strategic management: Concepts and cases. Prentice Hall. Euromonitor.com. 2014. Home audio and cinema market research, industry trends. [online] Available at: http://www.euromonitor.com/home-audio-and-cinema [Accessed: 2 Mar 2014]. End, B. 2014. British hi-fi companies seek sanctuary at audio’s new high end. [online] Available at: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/audio/hi-fi-radio/british-hi-fi-companies-seek-sanctuary-at-audio-s-new-high-end-1166158 [Accessed: 6 Mar 2014]. Huggins, R. and Izushi, H. 2011. Competition, competitive advantage, and clusters. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jansson, J. and Waxell, A. 2011. Quality and regional competitiveness. Environment and Planning-Part A, 43 (9), p. 2237. 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