Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example What remains after establishment of the firm is managing the enterprise into a successful firm. 2. Application of technology in modern businesses cannot be underestimated. Most business processes are heavily dependent on modern technology. For instance, computer technology has made it possible for entrepreneurs to analyse market conditions, formulate market models, and integrate the various business concepts into practice. Therefore, technology is an overwhelmingly important tool for creativity and innovativeness in that great ideas can be tried and put into practice using technology. It is also important to note that successful entrepreneurs are flexible to fiscal changes in the market. Business in the modern world has become increasingly competitive and dynamic thereby demanding high degree of business flexibility. Competition may change business conditions and fiscal policies as well and therefore, successful entrepreneurs need to be well equipped to anticipate and prepare for these changes. Otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain viable business enterprises without a clear understanding of prevailing and even future market

Summer Assignment Essay Example for Free

Summer Assignment Essay IB AP European History Summer Assignment Prerequisite for the AP European History class After doing research on Medieval Europe, address the following questions in essay format. Your research can come through books, the internet and Gateway’s databases (Gale) that you would find under Electronic Resources on our webpage. Cite where you’re getting your information from. The response for each set of questions should be 300 words in length and should be hand written. Essays will be turned in on the first day of school. Late papers will not be accepted. Your grade will be based upon completion of the assignment, thorough answer to each question asked and your ability to follow directions. Your responses must be hand written in blue or black ink. 1. What were the causes and effects of the Black Death for Europe? Include in your discussion how the Black Death spread. 2. What were the causes and effects of the Hundred Years War for England and France? Include Joan of Arc in your discussion. 3. What were the causes and effects of the Great Schism on the Catholic Church and Europe? Include conciliarism in your discussion. 4. What were Dante’s, Petrarch’s, Boccaccio’s and Chaucer’s contributions to Medieval Europe’s literature? Include in your discussion their works and the effects on society. 5. How did the Holy Roman Empire contrast with the English and French monarchies in Medieval Europe? Include in your discussion Edward III, Charles V and the Great Council. 6. How was Italy fragmented in the 14th Century? Include in your discussion the republics, kingdom, duchy and Papal States that constituted Italy in the 1300s.

Maths Statistics Coursework :: Papers

Maths Statistics Coursework Aim: In this investigation I am trying to investigate how readable 3 newspapers and if there target audience buys them. What am I going to do? To do this I am going to get 3 national newspapers, a tabloid, a broadsheet, and an in-between, and find out how readable they really are. My choice of newspapers will be: The Sun -------------- Tabloid The Times ----------- Broadsheet The Daily Mail ----- In-between How am I going to do it? To do it I have decided that the best way would be to get 5 of the same news stories on the same day in the 3 papers, and take the first 100 words of each article to see how many letters are in each word. The reason I have chosen to see how many letters are in each word is because generally small words are easier to read. Prediction: I predict that in The sun the words will be very short, hence easier to read. The Times will have the longest words, and The Daily Mail will have words that are in-between in length. The reason I have made these predictions is because I believe that The Sun is aimed at less intelligent people who like gossip were as The Times is aimed at people who are in high profile jobs, or are just more intelligent people in general. The Daily mail is more of a larger group as it has both tabloid and broadsheet qualities such as gossip and serious news all the way through. Articles Chosen to use Monday 3rd February: 1: Taxpayers may foot bill for EU students' fees. 2: Train drivers threaten strike over equal pay. 3: Race abuse officers suspended. 4: Archbishop backs Tories on detention of refugees. 5: Grandchildren cash in on legacies their parents don't need. Results: [IMAGE] [IMAGE] The Shaded areas are to show the 3 highest frequencies of letters in words for each article.

Student: Human Resources

Hitek 1 Title: JOB DESCRIPTIONS AT HITEK & DOWNSIZING: ANATHEMA TO CORPORATE LOYALTY Institution: Grantham University Instructor: Barbara Davis Student: Franessa Wilson Date: March 26, 2013 Hitek 2 Case Study: Job Descriptions at Hitek Based on what you know about high-tech companies, what are some likely strategic objectives for HITEK? Given these what should be the objectives of HITEK’s HR department? Do you think these are the objectives that guide the behaviors of Rains? Explain. A strategic objective is one that an organization must achieve to make its strategy succeed.Strategic objectives for Hitek are continued industry issues and supply chain challenges of prices, short product lifestyles, mass customization, globalization and strategic market planning. Strategic objectives provide direction for an organization, and strategic objectives provide a way to measure the organization’s progress toward realizing the ideas listed in the mission statement. For instance, if an organization has the idea that it will provide perfect customer service, then a strategic objective for the organization would be to score at the top level on customer service satisfaction.Strategic human resource objectives are goals aligned with the organizations goals. It’s the managerial process requiring human resource policies and practices to be linked with the strategic objectives of the organization. The human resources objectives at Hitek, supports organizational goals; such as profitabilities, business regulations, ethics and principles. Yes, I believe these are the objectives that guide the behaviors of Rains. Isabel Rains is the vice president of human resources and she rules the department with iron fist.Iron fist according to Wikipedia means with strict authority. Hitek 3 Jobs change frequently at HITEK. What approach to job analysis makes the most sense in such a fast changing environment? Customized? Standardized? Task-focused? Competency modeling? Eval uate the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative approaches and make recommendations to Hill about how to proceed. A job analysis sits at the heart of all human resource practices making it a critical component of management activity in every organization.Emphasis should be placed on a strategic approach to job analysis, present a strategic job analysis framework and discuss implications for the organization. A job analysis is necessary for the successful functioning of an organization. Job analysis is focused on the collection of work related information for the job as it currently exists or existed in the past. The need for change often is unpredictable, thus tends to be reactive. The successful management of change is crucial to an organization in order to survive, and succeed in the present highly competitive, and continuously evolving business environment.The environment of an organization consists of the conditions circumstances and influences that affect the organizationà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability to achieve its objectives. The external and internal environment of an organization are both composed of five elements; which are physical, technological, social, political, and economical. The external environment influences how human resource functions will be performed. The internal environment influences both of human resource policies and procedures, as well as the individuals who make up the workforce of the organization or business.External environment has a significant impact on HR policies and practices. It helps to determine the values, attitudes, and behavior that employees bring to the job. Internal environment is also Hitek 4 known as organizational climate. The elements of the internal environment technological, physical, social, political, and economical effect and are affected by the policies, procedures, and employment conditions that managers oversee. The human resource department plays a more active role in influencing change in an organization or business.Organizational effectiveness is critical to success in any economy. Change management is defined as the process of continually renewing an organizations direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever changing needs of the internal and external customers or consumers. According to Burnes 2005, change is an ever present feature of organizational life, both at an operational and a strategic level. In order to achieve increased and sustainable business results, organizations need to execute strategy and engage employees.To create organizational effectiveness, business leaders need to focus on aligning and engaging their people, the people management systems, and the structure and capabilities (including organizational culture) to the strategy it results in higher financial performance, higher customer satisfaction, and higher employee retention. An organization that can sustain such alignment will achieve increased business results. Effective implementation of strate gy is a key driver of financial performance. Organizations that fail to fully engage their workforce in the business strategy will fail to produce reliable, sustainable business results.The link between employee engagement factors and successful strategy execution is vital (Burnes, 2005). Hill could use a SWOT analysis for the strengths and weaknesses of an alternative approach. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A SWOT analysis can offer helpful perspectives at any stage of an effort. Explore possibilities for new efforts or solutions to problems. Make decisions about the best path for the firm’s initiative. Identifying the opportunities for success in context of threats to success can clarify directions and Hitek 5 choices.Determine where change is possible. If the organization is at a juncture or turning point, an inventory of their strengths and weaknesses can reveal priorities as well as possibilities. Adjust and refine plans mid-course. A new opportunity might open wider avenues, while a new threat could close a path that once existed. The purpose of performing a SWOT is to reveal positive forces that work together and potential problems that need to be addressed or at least recognized. Before conducting a SWOT analysis, Hill should decide what format or layout he will use to communicate the issues.Strengths are resources that an organization possesses and the capabilities that an organization has developed. Weaknesses are resources and capabilities that are lacking or deficient in an organization; thus preventing an organization or business from developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Is the new job description (case exhibit 4) better than the old one (case exhibit 3)? Why or why not? Consider the perspective of employees as well as the perspective of the person supervising this job, Does your answer change depending on the way the job description is being used?The new job description is better than the old job description because it is more detailed. The skills needed are listed, how much education the applicant should have, and how much relevant experience is required. The supervision received is listed, therefore the applicant knows that he or she will be working under close supervision of a technical superior or manager, but no supervisory duties or experience is required. No, my answer does not change. Hitek 6 Case Study: Downsizing- Anathema to Corporate Loyalty Why is Daniels sensitive to DSI’s recruitment efforts?At Defense Systems Incorporated, Daniels feels that DSI’s layoffs or terminations are poor alternatives to dealing with a turbulent environment. The major problem as Daniels sees it is to preserve as many jobs as possible until business picks up. To terminate the new hires would irreparably harm DSI’s future recruitment efforts. Although terminations would improve the balance sheet in the short run, Daniels worried about the impact of such a move on corporate loyalty, a fragile and rare commodity at other major firms that have had to cut their white collar workforce ( Jackson et al; 2009, p. 226).A great possibility for downsizing to be an unsuccessful firm's strategy and therefore to decrease the corporate reputation, it is important before making the decision about downsizing to reconsider the necessity of such a decision. Downsizing has become a critical issue around the world. Downsizing and mass lay-offs are happening not only on US companies but also organizations in the entire industrial world. The number of organizations and jobs affected by downsizing has been staggering. In theory, downsizing is presumed to have positive outcome for an organization. In many situations, downsizing did accomplish what management had intended.However, there are many critiques on the manager views where unintended and negative consequences of downsizing resulted. It is important to point out that downsizing can be approached from at le ast three different perspectives: a global or industry level, a micro or individual level, and an organization or strategy level (Burnes, 2005). From a global or industrial point of view, discussions of downsizing, including mergers and acquisitions, ventures, and market strategies. From a micro or individual point of view, discussions of downsizing focus on individual stress levels associated.Hitek 7 What are some potential problems for the current class of engineers recruited at DSI? DSI does not rely on subcontractors to produce parts needed in its assembly operation, and the new employees will only receive ten hours per year of training, and most of the training will be obtained during orientation. Underutilizing these talented recruits for a long time would certainly lead to major dissatisfaction (Jackson et al; 2009, p. 226). How could the use of temporaries, student interns, or subcontractors potentially help DSI? They could bring a fresh perspective to the company.Interns of ten come in to jobs unafraid to question how things work or why jobs are performed a certain way which can help bosses discover smarter ways to do those tasks. Their perspective as newbies is valuable, especially when it comes to identifying and even solving problems that go unnoticed by full-time employees. They are at ease with the social media. Interns tend to understand social media in a way many business owners and bosses cannot, simply because young people live and breathe networks like Facebook. To them, networking on online channels is not another time-consuming task, but rather part of the day.They are productive in nature. While many full-time workers toil in jobs that lack benchmarks, most interns have a start and end date. Because of that, interns tend to be more productive. Unless you count the rare promotion or job change, some employees work in what feels like an endless cycle, which can lead to career burnout. They are courteous. New employees can be shy, but since i nterns are trying to make a good impression in a short period of time, they’re often more friendly than their paid counterparts. Interns recognize that every hallway passing could be a future opportunity.They are trying to impress. An internship Hitek 8 serves as a trial period for both sides. The intern may also be looking to set the groundwork for a recommendation or a full-time position down the road. That means they’re likely to put in a significant amount of effort to make sure you’re happy with their work. They provide free advertising via word of mouth. These young workers are excited, and if you impress them, they’ll want to tell the world about their experience with your company. They’ll spread the good word to their peers about the job, which can help recruitment efforts. They are fast learners.Young minds are like sponges, absorbing information quickly. Young workers also tend to be good at multi-tasking. The time it takes to train an in tern to perform a task is often a fraction of what it takes to train a full-time employee. Evaluate Daniels’s alternatives for reducing DSI’s labor surplus. What do you recommend? Why? Several older employees have accumulated several weeks of unused vacation time. Daniels wondered if employees could be encouraged to take unpaid leaves of absence. He also thought that early retirement incentives could be offered to make room for some of the bright young engineers (Jackson et al; 2009, p. 27). Unpaid leave is time off from work which is provided without pay. When an employee takes or is given unpaid leave, he or she retains a position in a company, and many retain benefits as well, but the employee receives no salary or wages. There are a number of reasons to take or institute this type of leave, and it is an option which is available from many companies. A company may require employees to take unpaid leave, or a furlough. This is done as a cost cutting measure, with the company preferring to force employees to take time off instead of eliminating positions at the company.This tactic is designed to retain Hitek 9 employees during periods of economic hardship, and while it may be onerous to employees, many people prefer unpaid leave to uncertain layoffs. Hitek 10 Works Cited 1. Burnes, R. (2005). Organizational Change Management: A Critical Review. Journal of Change Management Vol. 5(4): 369-380. Retrieved on March 24, 2013 from http://www. ncbi. nlm. org 2. Jackson, S. , Schuler, R. ; Werner, S. (2009). Managing Human Resources, 10th edition, pgs. 184-187, and 226-227.

Dramaturgy and Social Interaction Essay

Josiah Platt Soc 210 1. What is Goffman’s principle of â€Å"impression management†, in your own words? Why is it often called the dramaturgy model of social interaction? (Look at chapter 5! ) Goffman’s principle of impression management means that we always try to give that good impression of ourselves, even if that means lying to do it. It’s often called the dramaturgy model of social interaction because people put a facade on depending on the person they’re with. For example, my brother was born here, while most of my family was born in New York. When we go up to New York, my little brother Zach has the biggest New York accent you have ever heard in your life. 2. How is technology changing social interaction? Has it changed the interactions you have with family and friends, how? Are there more distractions that interfere with your social interactions? (Make sure to reread and incorporate concepts from pages 120-124 â€Å"interaction in cyberspace† in your answer. ) I believe that technology has changed face to face interaction. It’s a lot different talking to someone face to face than it is to message them on Facebook. My Dad always talks to me about this. He doesn’t have a Facebook; in fact he doesn’t know how to turn on a computer. A lot of my friends have smartphones, and when there is an awkward moment in public, it’s straight to twitter, Facebook, texting, or some new app. I don’t have a smartphone or texting, so I either endure the pain of the awkward moment, or I act like I’m texting someone. Online social interaction does do some good though. I have a brother in law who is a loner, but I can talk to him on Facebook. There are more distractions that interfere with social interactions in my life, though they usually don’t come from me. As I said earlier, I may pretend that I have the ability to shut the world out via my phone, but I really can’t. 3. Do you see these new forms of social interaction as positive, negative, or both? Explain. As I said in the second question, I see these new forms of social interaction as both positive and negative. There are moments when I wish I could get on my smartphone that I don’t have and I could play words with friends or jump on twitter when an awkward moment arises, but I usually try to live through that gap. Some people live on their phones though. I have a friend who is always doing something new on his phone. Instead of asking someone where to eat, he can shake his phone and it’ll act as a slot machine and magically come up with a place. Interaction in cyberspace has eliminated a lot of social interaction, which can’t be good. There is a flipside, though. I really do have a brother in law who as our society would say, is socially awkward. He often would come over and not say a word. There are times that I go babysit for their family and it’s just us in the living room and you could hear a pin drop. He added me to a fantasy football league a couple of years ago and now we have something in common to talk about. We still haven’t found much common ground but when all else fails, we just talk about sports. 4. How do you respond to the argument that these new technologies produce more alienated people, instead of bringing them together? By alienated, I mean withdrawn or emotionally disconnected from normal society) I think that the argument of more alienated people from society is right. Even talking on the phone is becoming old and outdated. I can’t text, so I’m always talking to my friends on the phone. I have friends who tell me that I’m the only person they talk on the phone with. Everyone else gets a text. I actually had a conversation with one of my best friends for 39 minutes two weeks ago. I was so proud of myself. There is a fear of awkward moments in our society and we will do whatever it takes to avoid that moment. Right now that means eliminating social interaction with strangers. 5. Look at the social networking site (i. e. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn) of a friend, co-worker, or your own, and apply Goffman’s dramaturgy/impression management theory of social interaction. After writing down an overall review of elements that you see on the page (even the use of cultural elements such as a subculture, dress, language use, norms), discuss the impression this person giving off. How might their/your friends interpret that impression? How might a potential employer interpret that impression? This profile uses the new timeline layout. There is a picture of an MLS soccer game from a good seat as his banner picture. For his little profile picture, there’s a picture of him with two of his friends at an N. C. State football game. He has his job listed underneath his profile picture along with his birthdate, where he was born, and the college he goes to. He is closing in on 1000 friends, so I’d say he’s a popular guy. A lot of his posts are about sports. He stays out late I can see since he checked in on four square at waffle house at 3:00 AM. He posts a lot of song lyrics on his page as well. He doesn’t curse on Facebook, which is good if an employee looked at his page. He usually dresses in a t-shirt and jeans. He’s giving off this impression that he’s always in a good mood and watches a lot of sports. I think an employer wouldn’t mind at all if he looked at his profile (unless he’s a duke fan).

Historical Art Periods A Critical Evaluation of Baroque and Rococo Artistic Styles

Historical Art Periods A Critical Evaluation of Baroque and Rococo Artistic Styles It is of fundamental importance that the essential elements and characteristics of art periods be understood especially after the noteworthy realization that these periods marked or were caused by important social conditions and events in historical context.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Historical Art Periods: A Critical Evaluation of Baroque and Rococo Artistic Styles specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There exists numerous art periods in the history of civilization, with some evolving as a continuation of earlier art periods while others evolved as a response to preceding art periods (Minor, 1999). It is the purpose of this essay to compare two such art periods, namely Baroque and Rococo, with a view of establishing their characteristics, social triggers and the relationship between the two. Although no major contemporary books on the baroque artistic style and period has been released in the recent past, it still remains an important era in the historical calendar of art. Conceived in Italy in the late 16th century, the style was adopted by other European countries such as France, Germany, and Spain, culminating to its replacement by a subsequent art period in early 18th Century (Laurie, 2001). Baroque covers a broad spectrum of styles and artists. According to Minor (1999), Baroque art period was characterized by intrinsic artistic consistency, grandeur, and distinctiveness. It is imperative to note that the demands for new forms of art in 1600 led to what is now identified as the Baroque. As such, the Baroque artistic style and period was a reaction to previous artistic styles, specifically the Mannerist art of the 16th century, which appealed to the witty and intellectual qualities only (Laurie, 2001). Unlike its predecessor, the application of Baroque artistic style turned deliberately to an intuitive appeal designed for the senses. According to Laurie (2001), although Baroque artistic styles bears the characteristics of simplicity, sensuous richness, and obviousness on the outside, it is powerful, direct, awe inspiring, resplendent, and dramatic within. The art and architecture of this particular period echo an often peculiar style characterized by ornamental decorations and flamboyant concepts especially in churches and palaces. During the Baroque era, the aesthetic ideal penetrated practically all facets of the European way of life – from architecture to music, furniture designs and fashion (Laurie, 2001).Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Baroque artistic works generate a sentiment of movement, energy and tension. According to Palmisano (n.d.), the arts present strong contrasts of both light and silhouette, with an immeasurable amount of space being clearly manifest. In addition, Baroque art is characterized by passionate spirituality and realism. Paint ers during this art period used monochromatic color to draw paintings with an infinite distance to represent eternity. The Baroque period of art was initiated by a multiplicity of social conditions, namely â€Å"†¦the Protestant Reformation, the rise of the Mercantile System, absolutism or imperialism in government and advances in science (Palmisano, n.d., para. 1). The Baroque art faded out in late 1700 as it progressed into a more delicate Rococo artistic style. The superseding of Baroque by Rococo art began in France in the late 1720’s, particularly for interior decorations, paintings, and other forms of decorative arts (Laurie, 2001). Rococo period is thought to be one of the shortest in the history of art periods as it faded away in the late 1750’s, giving way to the neoclassic style. The short lifespan not withstanding, Rococo is broadly recognized a key period in the development of European art. This art style was particularly spread by French artists and imprinted publications, and readily found acceptance in catholic-dominated regions in countries such as Germany and Austria. The Rococo art period is characterized by many artistic styles and forms. Generally, â€Å"Rococo art and architecture are characterized by very ornate, fanciful themes and a light air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith, 2010, para. 1).it is also characterized by the use seashells, fussy detail, whimsical scrolls, complex compositions, playfulness and certain superficiality to generate a flowing artistic design. This particular style utilizes pastel colors to generate a light but decorative complexion. In addition, the Rococo artwork and style is characterized by shell-like shapes on a variety of architectural and artistic designs ranging from hotel suites to ballrooms and typical side tables (Laurie, 2001). Rococo art is known to incorporate the symbolic nature of plants, animals, and other related themes in its design. The social conditions prevalent in France during the 1720s, namely the rise of the middle class, deep consciousness for fashion, and the sudden death of Louis XIV initiated the Rococo art period There exist several similarities and differences between the two artworks. First, it is worth noting that Rococo art period came as a reaction to the Baroque art rather than a continuation of the former period. Other art historians view Rococo art as the degeneration of Baroque artistic period (Laurie, 2001).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Historical Art Periods: A Critical Evaluation of Baroque and Rococo Artistic Styles specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Both artistic styles attempted to express some form of authority or power, with Baroque art being used by the aristocracy to express imperialist orientations while Rococo was used by the French aristocracy and elite as a fashion statement. According to Marquit (2006), both styles were also characterized with elaborate design , more color and more feelings than preceding styles. There are, however, broad differences in the two art styles. First, while Baroque art works were both heavy and ornate, Rococo’s artistic designs were characteristically ornate, fanciful and light (Smith, 2010). Rococo art was known to utilize pastels and other elements to make the artworks extremely light and lacy while Baroque art employed dark, heavy colors. Second, Rococo art refers to capricious rounded lines that countered the heavy, straight lines prevalent during the Baroque period. Third, the Baroque art is much more religiously oriented than Rococo art owing to the social conditions prevalent during its initiation. Forth, â€Å"†¦Rococo art was on a whole more frivolous and optimistic than Baroque art† (Marquit, 2006, p. 2). Lastly, the Baroque artistic style was mainly focused in Europe while rococo art easily blend with other exotic artistic styles prevalent during the period. It is imperative to no te that social, political, economic and artistic factors informs the decision on whether to continue with a particular art period or deviate from it. The Baroque period evolved because of the existing social conditions especially in the Catholic Church and the Italian aristocracy. The church felt particularly threatened by advances in science that often contradicted its teachings. As Such, Baroque art was used by the church to reach out to the unintelligent masses in the hope of convincing them about Christianity (Laurie, 2001). But there was need to deviate from this form of art when attempts to convince the masses on Christianity were no longer tenable. There exists numerous works of art for each of the historical art period discussed above. For instance, Giovanni Bernini, undoubtedly the most outstanding sculptor of the Baroque era, came up with the famous sculpture known as the Ecstasy of St. Teresa (Marquit, 2006; Economic Expert.com, n.d.). His sculpted art pieces combined bot h the physical and the spiritual. This piece portrayed a religious theme as a direct result of both the inquisition and the Catholic Church spirited attempt to maintain its immense influence in the face of rapidly increasing scientific advances that seemed to contradict some of the teachings offered by the church.Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Jean-Antoine Watteau was perhaps the most prolific painters of the Rococo art period. His ‘fete galante’ painting, depicting delightfully dressed young individuals idling away their free time in a wonderful, idealistic, pastoral setting attracted many in the French aristocracy (Laurie, 2001). The relationship that exists between the two pieces of art discussed above is that of appeal to a certain group or class of people. The later piece of artwork follows in the footsteps of its predecessor in attempting to communicate the feelings and statuses of the French aristocracy. It should be remembered that the Ecstasy of St Teresa sculpture attempted to reach out to the uneducated masses during the reformation period (Laurie, 2001). As such, the relationship present is that of trying to communicate certain ideas, concepts, and world views as demanded by the existing social conditions. The Rococo art period had great historical significance although it was characterized by a v ery short tenure in the calendar of art periods. Rococo architecture, decorations, and designs are still used today, thousands of years after it was supplanted by neoclassic art period (Laurie, 2001). The physically lighthearted furniture, decorations and use of pastels that evolved during this particular art period changed the course of art in ways that had not been previously witnessed (Minor, 1999). Although Rococo art was received with skepticism in Britain due to the fact that it was largely French, it found its way into other civilizations where it was uniquely used or blended with other forms of art to produce masterpieces that were and still are major centers of attraction. In Germany, the Rococo designed Sanssouci Palace built in 1747 still remains a major attraction for tourists (Laurie, 2001). All in all, it can now be revealed that Baroque and Rococo are two distinct art styles even though former scholars believed that the latter was a refinement of the former. While the re exist several similarities as discussed in this essay, the themes and general perceptions of Rococo art style seems to insinuate that it is, indeed, independent of Baroque art (Marquit, 2006). However, both periods of art are important milestones in historical context since through them; art has been able to evolve to its present day state. Reference List Economic Expert.com. (n.d.). Baroque. Web. Laurie, S.A. (2001). A History of Modern Art. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Marquit, J. (2006). Style differences between Baroque and Rococo art. Web. Minor, V.H. (1999). Baroque and Rococo: Art and Culture, 1st Ed. Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0810941082 Palmisano, B (n.d.). The Baroque period of art. Web. Smith, S.E. (2010). What is Rococo Art? WiseGeek. Web.

Environmental Challenges Essay Example

Environmental Challenges Essay Example Environmental Challenges Paper Environmental Challenges Paper Tenochtitlan was a city in which the Gods of his polytheistic civilization told them they must settle. Tenochtitlan is an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. This created environmental challenges for the Aztecs. The Aztecs had to build a large civilization with this island that had limited space. These people needed a lot Of room to farm, but there was very minimal space to do this. If there was not a lot of farmland, it would lead to a limited supply of food. There was also a limited amount of freshwater. Freshwater was necessary because the Aztecs needed clean, fresh water to drink. Since Tenochtitlan was an island in the middle of a lake, there was only so much water in which they could actually drink because half of the lake contained salt water. Limited trade and travel made it difficult to get off the island and be in contact with other people. Aztec civilization was also in need of people for human sacrifices. They did not want to kill their own people so they needed to find a way to get off the island and out of Lake Texcoco. The Aztec civilization overcame its environmental challenges. Since their civilization was on Tenochtitlan, an island, in Lake Texcoco, there was limited ravel and trade. To overcome this challenge, Aztecs built canals and causeways. A causeway is simply a road that is built over water and wet land. This allowed the people to get off Tenochtitlan and onto regular land where they could now travel to different places and trade their goods with other tribes. To eliminate the little amount of food in Tenochtitlan, farmers planted crops like maize in the lakes bottom. These plants were called Chinampas. A Chinampa is created when dirt is piled in rafts and anchored to the bottom of a lake. Chinampas are commonly referred to as floating gardens. ople would be conquered by the Aztecs which caused the Aztecs to obtain more land and food for their people. So they would have as much freshwater as possible, the Aztecs built dykes to divide the lakes freshwater and salt water. Aqueducts were also built to transport freshwater into the city. An aqueduct is a man-made channel that is used to transfer water. Lastly, the Aztecs would take other tribes prisoner. They did this because they needed people for human sacrifices. Human sacrifice occurs when a civilization kills people because of that civilizations religious beliefs. The Incas faced many environmental challenges due to the fact that they lived in the Andes Mountains. The Andes Mountains were very steep. Some of the mountain ranges did not have great soil and they could not plant their crops. For the crops they did have in the areas with good soil, it was very difficult to get the water needed to them. The mountainous land in which messengers had to cross made it difficult for the Inca. They had to cross over the mountains, deserts, and water. The messengers had enough trouble already since they have to run the whole way until they can stop. They would stop at the next station and pass the message on to the next person, similar to a relay. These messages needed to be delivered because if a person living in Cuzco, the Inca capital, needed to send a message to someone in the northern part of the empire, in modern day Ecuador, there would be no way to communicate. The Andes Mountains were not smooth and flat therefore, it was hard to transport goods. The Inca needed to find a way to transport their things, like potatoes and maize, which was easier than carrying everything a little bit at a time. The Inca civilization overcame its environmental challenges. Since some of the Andes Mountains had good soil for farming, the Inca used terrace farming. Terrace farming is when you cut flat steps into the side of hills or mountains to grow crops. This type of farming gave the people flat farming area so they could plant their crops. The most common crop to the Inca was the potato. It was hard to bring the water to the Incas crops since they were located on the mountainsides. Irrigation systems had to be built so the crops could grow. The Incas grew so much food that there was a surplus of food nd everyone in the civilization was able to eat. Communication was very hard during this civilization. Messengers had to run across the Andes, cross water, and cross deserts. To make this easier for them, women would tie rope bridges together and when they were finished and stable, they would be able to cross over these geographic features quickly and easily. The messages the messengers carried was known as a quipu. A quipu is a device that was used for recording information and consisted Of various threads and knots. The knots were tied in different ways. The number and position of knots as well as the color of each thread represented information about commercial goods and resources. Lastly, it had been difficult to transport all of the Incas goods. They would use llamas to help them with this. Since the llamas lived in the Andes, they could manage to walk on the steep and jagged mountains. The Incas would place things on the llamas back and it would then be brought wherever it needed to go. Two civilizations that overcame their environmental challenges are the Aztecs and Lake Texcoco and the Incas and the Andes Mountains. Civilizations ave often been provided with geographic problems that they have to overcome. An environmental challenge is a problem many civilizations face because the environment creates difficulties for their people. Environmental challenges may cause extreme difficulties at first, but after a civilization develops over time, they can find a way to overcome these obstacles. A civilization may develop in the middle of a lake, but roads can be built to overcome this. When a civilization develops in a mountain range, farmers can make steps in the mountains and use its soil to provide food for its entire population.

Biography of the Great Newspaper Publisher Joseph Pulitzer

Biography of the Great Newspaper Publisher Joseph Pulitzer Joseph Pulitzer was one of the most influential figures in the American journalism in the late 19th century. A Hungarian immigrant who learned the newspaper business in the Midwest following the Civil War, he purchased the failing New York World and transformed it into one of the leading papers in the country. In a century known for raucous journalism which included the introduction of the penny press, Pulitzer became known, along with William Randolph Hearst, as a purveyor of yellow journalism. He had a keen sense of what the public wanted, and sponsoring events like the around-the-world trip of intrepid female reporter Nellie Bly made his newspaper extraordinarily popular. Though Pulitzers own newspaper was often criticized, the most prestigious award in American journalism, the Pulitzer Prize, is named for him. Early Life Joseph Pulitzer was born April 10, 1847, the son of a prosperous grain dealer in Hungary. After his fathers death, the family faced grave financial problems, and Joseph chose to emigrate to America. Arriving in America in 1864, at the height of the Civil War, Pulitzer enlisted in the Union cavalry. At the end of the war, Pulitzer left the Army and was among the many jobless veterans. He survived by taking a variety of menial jobs until he found a job as a reporter at a German-language newspaper published in St. Louis, Missouri, by Carl Schurz, a noted German exile. By 1869 Pulitzer had proven himself to be highly industrious and he was thriving in St. Louis. He became a member of the bar (though his law practice was not successful), and an American citizen. He became very interested in politics and ran successfully for the Missouri state legislature. Pulitzer bought a newspaper, the St. Louis Post in 1872. He made it profitable, and in 1878 he purchased the failed St. Louis Dispatch, which he merged with the Post. The combined St. Louis Post Dispatch became profitable enough to encourage Pulitzer to expand to a much larger market. Pulitzers Arrival In New York City In 1883 Pulitzer traveled to New York City and purchased the troubled New York World from Jay Gould, a notorious robber baron. Gould had been losing money on the newspaper and was happy to be rid of it. Pulitzer was soon turning the World around and making it profitable. He sensed what the public wanted, and directed the editors to concentrate on human interest stories, lurid tales of big city crime, and scandals. Under Pulitzer’s direction, the World established itself as the newspaper of the common people  and it generally supported the rights of workers. In the late 1880s, Pulitzer employed the adventurous female reporter Nellie Bly. In a triumph of reporting and promotion, Bly circled the globe in 72 days, with the World documenting every step of her startling journey. The Circulation Wars During the era of yellow journalism, in the 1890s, Pulitzer found himself engaged in a circulation war with rival publisher William Randolph Hearst, whose New York Journal proved to be a formidable challenger to the World. After battling with Hearst, Pulitzer tended to draw back from sensationalism and began advocating for more responsible journalism. However, he tended to defend sensationalist coverage by asserting that it was important to catch the public’s attention in order to make them aware of important issues. Pulitzer had a long history of health problems, and his failing eyesight led him to be surrounded by a number of employees who helped him function. He also suffered from a nervous ailment which was exaggerated by sound, so he tried to stay, as much as possible, in soundproof rooms. His eccentricities became legendary. In 1911, while visiting Charleston, South Carolina aboard his yacht, Pulitzer died. He left a bequest to found a journalism school at Columbia University, and the Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious award in journalism, was named in his honor.

Reflective account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective account - Essay Example He had been admitted a week earlier due to shortness in breath, pain in the upper back, and had been generally unwell. I carried on with dressing the wound on his leg and followed the required procedure. The right procedure has to be followed so as to reduce or minimise the risk of infection from harmful micro-organisms. It was during the redressing that I realised the patient was in pain. Upon asking if he felt any discomfort, he confirmed my suspicions. Upon further enquiry, he said that he did not want to make any fuss. I later did what was best for him. I gave him some morphine that would have to be taken orally. Thought Having done the procedure before, I thought that it would be easy and fast. The thoughts I had were directed to the patient. I believed he was in some kind of discomfort due to lack of a pain relief drug. This made me want to find out if my fears would be confirmed. As he confirmed them, it did not feel right and upon further query, he said the reason he did not say anything was to avoid making a fuss. The introduction of morphine into his system enabled me to continue dressing the wound. This was after thirty minutes since it was the right amount of time required for the pain relief drug to kick in. After that, he ascertained that he no longer felt the pain. He was therefore, very appreciative. Feeling After finding out the suffering the man was going through, especially after a week full of pain, I felt sympathy for him. The fact that he was willing to take the pain while I was dressing him told me a lot about the man he was. It was hard to imagine why he would not tell me about the pain. After giving him the morphine and relieving him of the pain, I felt relieved. I felt that I had let him down and I owed him the professional courtesy of relieving him of the pain that he felt throughout the procedure. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed me when I learnt of his cancer at the beginning of our meeting. Professional courtesy is the most important thing in any occupation (Draper & Tennenhouse 2011). Evaluation Things went on smoothly and perfectly after the introduction of the pain relieving drug. He confirmed to me while dressing his wound later that he could no longer feel the pain he was earlier on subjected to. I had my professional judgement to thank for that piece of thinking. I could not go against my ethics as a nurse to ignore the pain he felt. Furthermore, it was my job as a nurse to relieve any discomfort that a patient faces. It was important for both our sakes to have the introduction of the pain relief drug. Analysis Using hospital guidelines and protocol, I realised that it was my job to do what I did. This by having the patient confide in me, and the steps I took to help him out. It is the nurse’s duty to know of the right protocols and hospital guidelines to follow in such cases. This is for the sake of the patient, the nurse involved, and the hospital the patient is being kept in. In the eve nt that they do not realize this, the hospital runs the risk of getting a bad reputation for not taking their patients feelings into account while in their sick state (D’Antonio 2010). Reframe If I find myself in a position similar to the one I was in, I would ensure that I make it easier to help a patient in need. I will be quick at it too. I would do that by confirming with the patient well before hand to

Education Pendulum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Education Pendulum - Assignment Example From the report it is clear that education has been going back and forth over years, and this is because we have been trying to improve the education style. The pendulum swing occurs due to the reason that, whenever we are trying to improve education, hence we set some procedures but unfortunately we left the objectives pending. The suspension of the predetermined goals are like rolling the ball up the hill and later living it rolling back before we get the ball at the apex of the hill. This trend of leaving the ball to roll back to the bottom of the hill has been going on in the education system. Hence, the education system has been swing just like the pendulum ball. As the study highlights around 40 years ago, most parts of the world preferred the use of television as a learning tool. Most education movies were introduced; hence everyone was swing from teacher system to television learning system. Television was viewed as means of taking students globally to watch the realistic shows such as; kissing Queen Isabella goodbye. Moreover, the television was more efficient compared to the certified teacher because it was simple to replay what the students had not understood. The television was not emotional as compared to teacher hence it was friendly and fair to students. Educational pendulum exists due to the vicious cycles in the society. The society undergoes long-term cycles. Vicious cycles in the society undergo changes which eventually go back to the initial starting point. Same as the education system cycles exist bringing about the education pendulum.

Restoring the Force of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restoring the Force of Life - Essay Example In this respect Magesa admits that to remediate various afflictions means to have a person mature in this area of expertise (Magesa 194). It is vital to have it with a leader of the tribe or within the larger community. In dealing with affliction, there should be much attention to the accuracy and focus so that to evade the hardships. The next step is to pray. Prayer lets various mystical forces to come into the life of a person with the goal of the release. However, African prayer is a bit different from that usually practiced in Christian churches. It is a manifestation of the unity as every member get involved into it. Mutuality is at stake: â€Å"Not to express oneself completely in prayer is dangerous, moreover, because it implies a further breach of trust between the visible and invisible worlds† (Magesa 197). Hence, the need for sacrifices and offerings is crucial to please the invisible powers and attract the mercy of spirits to the community instead. To have an idea of how African people evade the affliction through the curative medicine, there should a clear understanding of this medicine itself (Magesa 210). In this respect a special attention is grabbed to sà ©ances and dreams as the main sources for identifying the reason for the affliction. Each tribe has its spiritual advisor serving as a medium between two worlds (visible and invisible). In this case Magesa strictly notes that â€Å"their â€Å"spiritual† gifts render them capable of diagnosing what kind of spirit of â€Å"force substance† is causing what kind of affliction to the individual, the family, or the society† (214). Due to such persons the revelation comes easily. Furthermore, when talking about the force of life, it is necessary to have an idea of the methods of divination and reconciliation so as to keep the tribe and all its members in safety. Different objects are taken to perform the ritual of divination. Moreover it is

Resource,learning and talent mgt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Resource,learning and talent mgt - Essay Example Graphic models, data and regression statistics support studies on leadership. Barker (2001) finds that management and leadership are two diverse topics. The statement by Barker shows that leadership and management cannot be used in an interchangeable manner because of their diverse nature. The differences between management and leadership show that it is difficult for an individual to become a good leader and manager at the same time. Organizations offer platforms for learning and developing effective management and leadership practices. An individual has the capabilities of navigating the two positions with the right knowledge and experience (Darr, 2011, p. 4). Leaders identify possible areas that require change and pursue them. These changes are facilitated by organizational theories of action that enable employees and followers to map their actions. Leadership begins with an individual’s choice to pursue and begin the process of change. Organizations, groups and teams requi re effective managers and leaders who can successfully run operations. Leaders and managers influence their employee’s job satisfaction and the operations of a learning organization. This means that leaders influence people’s actions and their abilities to map their actions in order to align with expected outcomes. ... e, Bill Gates assumes the state of both a leader and a manager though the two fields have different definitions, skill sets and behavioral consistency that contribute to effective leadership and management (Lesinski 2009 p. 45). For example, he motivates the workers by setting the vision of the organization, but also participates in providing operational guidelines as evident in the launch of various products within the company (Su-Chao, and Ming – Shing 2007 p. 156). Differences between Leadership and Management Leadership involves acting on possibilities that can influence an organization. This means that leaders see possibilities, describe the possibilities and plan to pursue the possibilities (Lain & Judy 2001 p. 21). For example, Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic has assumed the role of a leader by providing a vision that contributes to the growth of the company. This has improved his standing in the society because he seems to understand the needs of the company bey ond the management, and administrative roles (Carter 2013 p. 2). Conversely, management occurs as the act of coordinating efforts of people in order to accomplish objectives and goals. For example, the Manager at Bank of America seems to focus on goals stipulated by the administrative entities as well as the vision of stakeholders. He rarely acts on his own since the organization works as a system. Leadership begins with an individual who is willing to act as an agent of change. The main role of a leader is to envision a future and become an agent of change for the achievement of the future. Leadership starts with an individual’s choice to begin the processes of change. According to Dessler (2004), leadership, â€Å"is one person influencing another to willingly work towards a predetermined

The Atomic Attack on Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Atomic Attack on Japan - Essay Example After Germany's surrender in May 1945, the U.S. and its allies were able to concentrate their efforts on forcing Japan to surrender. With the fall of the Marianas Islands in July 1944, it had become apparent to military leaders on all sides that the fall of Japan was a foregone conclusion (Long). The increased capability of B29 bombers to strike Japan opened Japan's cities and industry to severe attacks. Coupled with a Naval blockade that crippled Japan's ability to gain the resources to wage war, it was only a question of when the surrender would occur. By June 1945, General Curtis LeMay estimated that U.S. airstrikes would have no Japanese targets left by October 1945 (Long). As early as June 1945, the U.S. had intercepted cables from the Japanese to the Russians seeking aid in an offer to surrender (Lewis). With Japan weakening, the Potsdam Declaration of July 1945 called for Japan's unconditional surrender. The harsh rhetoric of the declaration, aimed at the Japanese, indicated that Emperor Hirohito would be deposed and treated as a war criminal. Due to the Japanese religious belief that the emperor was a God, the Proclamation was unacceptable even to the Japanese peace movement. While Japan attempted to negotiate surrender through Russia, the U.S. held fast demanding the complete dismantling of the Japanese authority. The fate of the emperor, and the unwillingness of the U.S. to have Russia broker the deal, were the main points impeding a calculated surrender. Leading scientists as well as military leaders of this period overwhelmingly opposed using the new dreadful weapon. Most found its use against a civilian population repugnant. Many of them suggested a demonstration to the Japanese of its awesome capabilities in an effort to persuade them into surrender. Most agreed that a demonstration would be less than effective and a waste of a bomb. Truman writes in his private diary of July 25, 1945, that he has ordered the bomb dropped on a purely military target and spare civilians, women, and children (Truman Diary). It was clear by his diary entry that he understood the ramifications of the bomb's destructive capability. Truman had quipped that the Japanese would fight to their last dying man and an invasion would cost a million American lives. These were anecdotal estimates and had no military basis. In fact, in the days before the bomb was dropped, Japan was trying to secure an acceptable surrender that would maintain the Emperor's fate. Yet, in the face of scientific opposition and military skepticism, Truman stuck to the order to drop the bombs and struck Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A second strike hit Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. When the bomb was dropped, the American public shared Truman's enthusiasm laced with a hint of the gloom that rose over the horizon. The perception is still prevalent today that the bomb prevented an invasion and saved American lives (Hogan, 146).Estimates are that 170,000 Japanese were killed instantly from the bomb and the ensuing radiation (Anhalt). Most were civilians. Still, the Japanese Cabinet refused to surrender due to their belief in the emperor as a God. As

Football in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Football in America - Essay Example This means that soccer is in fifth place in popularity according to the American sports fans preferences. There could be a nationalistic reason behind this negative perception of soccer in the United States. 3.- Americans don't like games that can end up in draws and this is a cultural factor. The big 3 major team sports (basketball, baseball and American football) suffered different rules changes in the twentieth century to make them more popular. 4.- Sports fans from the United States would like to see a change of rules in soccer, but this could be controversial for the rest of the world. It wouldn't be soccer if only the Americans make a change of the rules; it would be a different game for the rest of the world. 1.- The most obvious marketing factor is the barriers to entry into the market. The four top team sports cover most of the space, and the space is limited. There cannot be too many sports in the consumer's minds. Too many options are not good from the marketing point of view. 2.- But the barriers to entry can also be explained as another kind of limit. It has to do with the motivation about watching soccer. It is about enjoying the game itself. It is about satisfying the needs of watching an easy game with easy rules. But basketball fills these needs already for the American sports fans as basketball and soccer are similar in several relevant ways as Mandelbaum pointed out in his article. 3.- Another reason related to this similarity is that basketball is a strong substitute. It has deep roots in the American sports fans. Its roots are very difficult to change through marketing efforts. It would cost a lot of money to advertise soccer in new ways to make it more appealing to the American audience. 4.- A change of the rules is needed in order to make soccer popular in the United States but this solution is very controversial even from the marketing point of view. We think that both reasons get combined together to make soccer a loser in the American market. Both cultural (or nationalistic) and marketing reasons play their role in making Americans indifferent towards the most popular game in the world. Mandelbaum states the following about the similarities between basketball and soccer: "Spectators see the same thing in the two games: episodes of spontaneous coordination, with players devising and implementing schemes for scoring. They see, that is, acts of creation. If architecture is, as is sometimes said, music set in concrete, then football and basketball may be said to be creativity embodied in team sports. () Football and basketball are therefore the team sports that most vividly evoke a common human fantasy: to leave the ground and fly through the air. () Their marked similarities, however, also mean that the two sports duplicate each other. They provide the same satisfactions. For spectators they are, in a sense, alternatives. North Americans don't need football because they already get what it has to offer from basketball."

The Atomic Attack on Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Atomic Attack on Japan - Essay Example After Germany's surrender in May 1945, the U.S. and its allies were able to concentrate their efforts on forcing Japan to surrender. With the fall of the Marianas Islands in July 1944, it had become apparent to military leaders on all sides that the fall of Japan was a foregone conclusion (Long). The increased capability of B29 bombers to strike Japan opened Japan's cities and industry to severe attacks. Coupled with a Naval blockade that crippled Japan's ability to gain the resources to wage war, it was only a question of when the surrender would occur. By June 1945, General Curtis LeMay estimated that U.S. airstrikes would have no Japanese targets left by October 1945 (Long). As early as June 1945, the U.S. had intercepted cables from the Japanese to the Russians seeking aid in an offer to surrender (Lewis). With Japan weakening, the Potsdam Declaration of July 1945 called for Japan's unconditional surrender. The harsh rhetoric of the declaration, aimed at the Japanese, indicated that Emperor Hirohito would be deposed and treated as a war criminal. Due to the Japanese religious belief that the emperor was a God, the Proclamation was unacceptable even to the Japanese peace movement. While Japan attempted to negotiate surrender through Russia, the U.S. held fast demanding the complete dismantling of the Japanese authority. The fate of the emperor, and the unwillingness of the U.S. to have Russia broker the deal, were the main points impeding a calculated surrender. Leading scientists as well as military leaders of this period overwhelmingly opposed using the new dreadful weapon. Most found its use against a civilian population repugnant. Many of them suggested a demonstration to the Japanese of its awesome capabilities in an effort to persuade them into surrender. Most agreed that a demonstration would be less than effective and a waste of a bomb. Truman writes in his private diary of July 25, 1945, that he has ordered the bomb dropped on a purely military target and spare civilians, women, and children (Truman Diary). It was clear by his diary entry that he understood the ramifications of the bomb's destructive capability. Truman had quipped that the Japanese would fight to their last dying man and an invasion would cost a million American lives. These were anecdotal estimates and had no military basis. In fact, in the days before the bomb was dropped, Japan was trying to secure an acceptable surrender that would maintain the Emperor's fate. Yet, in the face of scientific opposition and military skepticism, Truman stuck to the order to drop the bombs and struck Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A second strike hit Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. When the bomb was dropped, the American public shared Truman's enthusiasm laced with a hint of the gloom that rose over the horizon. The perception is still prevalent today that the bomb prevented an invasion and saved American lives (Hogan, 146).Estimates are that 170,000 Japanese were killed instantly from the bomb and the ensuing radiation (Anhalt). Most were civilians. Still, the Japanese Cabinet refused to surrender due to their belief in the emperor as a God. As

Managerial cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managerial cost - Essay Example Under Average cost method, an average cost is calculated for all units, and this average cost is assigned to all the units remaining in ending inventory and cost of sales for units sold. 'To determine average cost, divide the total number of units available for sale into the total purchase cost for the period of time under examination.'(James o Gill, Moria Chatton, page 46)2 For a company using periodic inventory system, the method is referred to weighted average; and where a perpetual inventory system is in use, this method is called moving average method. As costs are averaged out before applying to ending inventory, the material costs under inflation is not very near to market prices but a lower than that because of the effect of earlier purchases in averaging out. LIFO means last in first out and under this method the prices at which merchandise was most recently purchased are used to determine the amounts charged to cost of goods sold. LIFO assumes that 'goods are all the same and interchangeable.'(Peter J Eisen, page 322)3 Ending inventory is valued using the prices associated with the units acquired the earliest. As a result, cost of goods sold computed under LIFO most closely approximate current cost. During inflation LIFO will result in lowest value for ending inventory and highest amount of goods sold and the lowest amount gross profits and net income. The person requesting the goods p

Narrative Technique of Sula Essay Example for Free

Narrative Technique of Sula Essay Although Sula is arranged in chronological order, it does not construct a linear story with the causes of each new plot event clearly visible in the preceding chapter. Instead, Sula uses juxtaposition, the technique through which collages are put together. The effects of a collage on the viewer depend on unusual combinations of pictures, or on unusual arrangements such as overlapping. The pictures of a collage dont fit smoothly together, yet they create a unified effect. The pictures of Sulas collage are separate events or character sketches. Together, they show the friendship of Nel and Sula as part of the many complicated, overlapping relationships that make up the Bottom. Morrison presents the novel from the perspective of an omniscient narrator one who knows all the characters thoughts and feelings. An omniscient narrator usually puts the reader in the position of someone viewing a conventional portrait or landscape rather than a collage. (In such situations, the viewer can perceive the unity of the whole work with only a glance.) To create the collage-like effect of Sula, the omniscient narrator never reveals the thoughts of all the characters at one time. Instead, from chapter to chapter, she chooses a different point-of-view character, so that a different persons consciousness and experience dominate a particular incident or section. In addition, the narrator sometimes moves beyond the consciousness of single, individual characters, to reveal what groups in the community think and feel. On the rare occasions when it agrees unanimously, she presents the united communitys view. As in The Bluest Eye and Jazz, the community has such a direct impact o n individuals that it amounts to a character. In narrative technique for Sula, Morrison draws on a specifically modernist usage of juxtaposition. Modernism, discussed in Chapter 3, was the dominant literary movement during the first half of the twentieth century. Writers of this period abandoned the unifying, omniscient narrator of earlier literature to make literature more like life, in which each of us has to make our own sense of the world. Rather than passively receiving a smooth, connected story from an authoritative narrator, the reader is forced to piece together a coherent plot and meaning from more separated pieces of  information. Modernists experimented with many literary genres. For example, T. S. Eliot created his influential poem The Wasteland by juxtaposing quotations from other literary works and songs, interspersed with fragmentary narratives of original stories. Fiction uses an analogous technique of juxtaposition. Each successive chapter of William Faulkner novel As I Lay Dying, for instance, drops the reader into a different characters consciousness without the direction or help of an omniscient narrator. To figure out the plot, the reader must work through the perceptions of characters who range from a seven-year-old boy to a madman. The abrupt, disturbing shifts from one consciousness to another are an intended part of the readers experience. As with all literary techniques, juxtaposition is used to communicate particular themes. In Cane, a work that defies our usual definitions of literary genres, Jean Toomer juxtaposed poetry and brief prose sketches. In this way, Cane establishes its thematic contrast of rural black culture in the South and urban black culture of the North. Morrison, who wrote her masters thesis on two modernists, Faulkner and Virginia Woolf, uses juxtaposition as a structuring device in Sula. Though relatively short for a novel, Sula has an unusually large number of chapters, eleven. This division into small pieces creates an intended choppiness, the uncomfortable sense of frequently stopping and starting. The content of the chapters accentuates this choppy rhythm. Almost every chapter shifts the focus from the story of the preceding chapter by changing the point-of-view character or introducing sudden, shocking events and delaying discussion of the characters motives until later. In 1921, for example, Eva douses her son Plum with kerosene and burns him to death. Although the reader knows that Plum has become a heroin addict, Evas reasoning is not revealed. When Hannah, naturally assuming that Eva doesnt know of Plums danger, tells her that Plum is burning, the chapter ends with Evas almost nonchalant Is? My baby? Burning? (48). Not until midway through the next chapter, 1923, does Hannahs questioning allow the reader to understand Evas motivation. Juxtaposition thus heightens the readers sense of incompleteness. Instead of providing quick resolution, juxtaposition  introduces new and equally disturbing events. Paradoxically, when an occasional chapter does contain a single story apparently complete in itself, it too contributes to the novels overall choppy rhythm. In a novel using a simple, chronological mode of narration, each succeeding chapter would pick up where the last one left off, with the main characters now involved in a different incident, but in some clear way affected by their previous experience. In Sula, however, some characters figure prominently in one chapter and then fade entirely into the background. The first chapter centers on Shadrack, and although he appears twice more and has considerable psychic importance to Sula and symbolic importance to the novel, he is not an important actor again. In similar fashion, Helene Wright is the controlling presence of the third chapter, 1920, but barely appears in the rest of the book. These shifts are more unsettling than if Shadrack and Helene were ancestors of the other characters, generations removed, because the reader would then expect them to disappear. Their initial prominence and later shadowy presence contribute to the readers feeling of disruption. The choppy narration of Sula expresses one of its major themes, the fragmentation of both individuals and the community. Sula. New York: Knopf, 1973. Rpt. New York: Penguin, 1982

Beauty and The Color Purple :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not† -Ralph Waldo Emerson As stated by Emerson, beauty cannot be found unless carried within one’s self first. In the novel by Alice Walker, â€Å"The Color Purple†, Celie finds out that beauty is not real unless it is first found within, so that that beauty felt can reflect for others to see. [Celie went through traumatic struggles before she ever felt beautiful starting with the treatment of influential men in her life. Although she felt more connection with women in her life, her early encounters with Shug greatly accounted for her self worth at the time. However, Celie could not be beautiful to others unless she found beauty within herself, for herself.]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the majority of the novel, Celie was never told she was or could be beautiful by men, she was told how much of nothing she was to them. Beauty was something Celie learned was for women who enjoyed having sex, something for women who had confidence, which was something she could never feel for herself. She was constantly mis treated and told what to do by men like her father and Albert. The book opens with her being raped by her father. He tells her to tell nobody but God, and she begins to be scared of saying â€Å"no† to men, she feels she needs to take the abuse, Celie would â€Å"be wood† because wood does not feel pain. Her father dominates and makes Celie feel like she was bad, like she did something to deserve this. She felt she was worth little because she should allow her father to do thing like this to her. She felt controlled, dominated and therefore subordinate to men. Her self worth had gone from little down to nothing, and she was to ld by her father how ugly she was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not only had her father told her she was ugly, Shug Avery also took it into her own hands when attempting to make Celie feel ugly. Celie began to feel even worse when she first met Shug Avery, and the excitement she had to see Shug, was ruined as a dark shadow hovered over Celie, making her feel more ugly than she had ever thought. Shug Avery was spoken about by Albert like some kind of Goddess. She was the epitome of beauty for Celie because Albert had spoken about her so fondly.

Characters and Themes in Richard Wrights Black Boy Essays -- Wright B

Characters and Themes in Black Boy The novel, Black Boy is Richard Wright's autobiographical account of his life beginning with his earliest memories and ending with his departure for the North at age nineteen. In Black Boy, Wright tells of an unsettled family life that takes him from Natchez, Mississippi, to Memphis, Tennessee, back to Jackson, Mississippi, then to Arkansas, back again to Mississippi, and finally to Memphis once more, where he prepares for his eventual migration to Chicago. Most critics agree that Black Boy is a highly selective account, more selective than the term "record" in its subtitle suggests. At the time Wright wrote Black Boy, he was already an accomplished author of fiction. He had published a collection of short stories called Uncle Tom's Children and the highly successful novel Native Son. Wright chose carefully the experiences he includes in Black Boy, the ones he highlights, and the tone in which he writes about them. Many readers even think that he invents some of the incidents. Most agree, however, that Wright crafts his autobiography for the precise impact he wants. Of course, the central character of Black Boy is young Richard Wright. To distinguish between this young character and the author looking back on him many years later and even occasionally inventing incidents about him, this guide follows the standard practice of referring to the former as "Richard" and the latter as "Wright." Wright presents Richard&... ...ight had originally wanted the book to describe his life in Chicago as well, but his publisher decided only to accept the Southern portion. As a result, the book becomes in part an indictment of the South and of its oppressiveness toward blacks.

Business and Internet

What is the internet? The Internet is a worldwide collection of computer networks, cooperating with each other to exchange data using a common software standard. Through telephone wires and satellite links, Internet users can share information in a variety of forms. How does it work?Internet allows users to: connect easily through ordinary personal computers and local phone numbers, exchange electronic mail (E-mail) with friends and colleagues with accounts on the Internet, post information for others to access, and update it frequently, access multimedia information that includes sound, photographic images and even video, and access diverse perspectives from around the world. How does it provide business value? People search the Internet with some questions or concern in mind. That is the importance behind all the keywords being placed on your website through traditional Search Engine Optimization.However, once the person has found one of your pages on the search engine, what unique value does your website offer to prospective clients / customers? Websites allow for easy access anytime to your companies information. Explain how the domain name and IP addressing system work. If you've ever used the Internet, it's a good bet that you've used the domain even without realizing it. DNS is a protocol within the set of standards for how computers exchange data on the Internet and on many private networks. Its basic job is to turn a user-friendly domain name that computers use to identify each other on the network.It's like your computer's GPS for the Internet. Computers and other network devices on the Internet use an IP address to route your request to the site you're trying to reach. This is similar to dialing a phone number to connect to the person you're trying to call. List and describe the principal internet services. Internet services consist of communication, news, weather conditions, shopping and entertainment. You can do faxing, calling, surfing, browsing a nd marketing in internet and even crimes, etc. List and describe alternative ways of locating information on the web.Search engines- The search engines are the first place everyone heads to and they have become household names. Subject Directories If you have a specific piece of information you are looking for and it fits neatly into a particular category this is a good place to start. These sites include libraries, academic institutions, research facilities and usually include the ‘best of the best' as well as peer-reviewed publications for business and academics. Directories have even been created by both Google and Yahoo. Social NetworkingSocial Networking is the latest craze on the Internet and includes online communities of people who share certain interests, activities, etc. While many of them are just about connecting to other people, some can be used to glean new information from the web. Services such as StumbleUpon will give you recommendations on websites that might be of interest to you based on a set of interests and keywords. Other services like LinkedIn focus on connecting people in business but also give you a resource where you can ask for the opinions of others or to be pointed in the right direction. Social BookmarkingSocial Bookmarking sites like Reddit, Delicious and Digg all allow users to bookmark or share links of interest. They all contain categories and notifications so you needn't go searching, the information can even be brought to you to save time. All three have ways for users to increase (and possibly decrease) the popularity or relevant importance of some links that are dropped into the services. Not all links bookmarked at these sites will be useful but many could be interesting, informative or something you might use later. The peer-review means that others find the links useful and help them float to the top so to be more easily found.

Mechanistic Versus Organic Structures

Mechanistic versus Organic Structures a. Mechanistic Structure is appropriate for organizations focusing on a cost- minimization strategy through tight control, extensive division of labor, high formalization and centralization. The information network is limited and employees rarely participate in decision making process. b. Organic Structure is decentralized and has low complexity and formalization. It has an extensive information system, and employees rarely participate in decision making. It tends to be flexible and adaptive. c. Structure in function of the organization’s fundamental strategy. ) Innovation Strategy focuses on developing important new product or services. An organic structure provides the flexibility for this strategy. 2) Cost-minimization Strategy imposes tight controls over expenses and reduces product prices. The mechanistic structure is appropriate. 3) Imitation strategies are not adopted by true innovators but rather by organizations that move into new markets after smaller competitors have demonstrated the potential for success. Limitation best suited to a structure that combines mechanistic and organic. d. Structure is also a function of 1) Size.Larger organizations tend to be mechanistic because greater formalization is needed. Strategies also change as sizes changes. Growing organizations often expand activities within their industry. 2) Technology. An organic structure may be best for coping with non-routine technology because formalization is low. 3) Environment. In general, the more stable the environment, the more mechanistic the organization. A mechanistic structure is appropriate when the environment has little capacity for growth. Dynamic environments require an organic structure because of their unpredictability.Moreover, a complex environment also requires the flexibility and adaptability of an organic structure. a) The environment has three key dimensions: i) Capacity is the degree of growth an environment can suppo rt. ii) Volatility concerns the relative instability in the environment. iii) Complexity is the amount of heterogeneity and concentration in the environment. Thus, an industry with few very large firms is homogeneous and concentrated. b) Uncertainty not a specific environmental factor. The foregoing factors determine the level of uncertainty present in the environment. 11.According to Henry Mintzberg, an organization has five components. Depending on which is in control, one of five different structure involve. a. The five organizational components include the 1) Operating core- workers who perform the basic tasks related to production 2) Strategic apex- top managers 3) Middle line- managers who connect the core to the apex 4) Technostructure- analyst who achieve a certain standardization 5) Support staff- indirect support services b. The five structures include the following: 1) Simple structure (apex) has low complexity and formality and authority is centralized.Its small size and simplicity usually precludes significant inefficiency in use of resources. 2) Machine bureaucracy (technostructure) is a complex, formal and centralized organization that performs highly routine tasks, groups’ activities into functional departments, has relationships. 3) Professional bureaucracy (operating core) is a complex and formal but centralized organization in which highly trained specialist have great autonomy. 4) Divisional structure (middle line) is essentially a self-contained organization.It is characterized by substantial duplication of functions compared with more centralized structures. 5) Adhocracy (support staff) has low complexity, formality and centralization. Vertical differentiation is low and horizontal differentiation is high. 12. Centralization and Decentralization a) Centralization concerns the centralization of authority in an organization and the degree and levels at which it occurs. b) Decentralization is a philosophy of organizing and managing. C areful selection of which decisions to push down the hierarchy and which to hold at the top is required.The degree of decentralization will be greater if 1) More decision are made lower in the management hierarchy. 2) Some important decisions are made lower in the management hierarchy. 3) More functions are affected by decisions made at lower levels. 4) Fewer approvals are required before implementation of a decision. c) Centralization and decentralization are relative terms. Absolute centralization or decentralization is impossible. d) The degree of centralization or decentralization depends upon the situation. 1) Information. Decisions cannot be decentralized to those who do not have necessary information. ) Ability. Decisions cannot be decentralized to people who do not have training, experience, knowledge or ability to make decisions. 3) Timeliness. The organization should decentralize decisions requiring a quick response to those near the action. 4) Degree of coordination. The organization cannot decentralize below the level at which coordination must be maintained. 5) Significance of decision. Decisions cannot be centralized to lower levels if they are of critical importance to the organization. 6) Morale. The organization should decentralize, when possible, for the positive influence on morale.

Marketing Analysis of Li-Ning

LI-NING limited company was found in 1980. At the beginning of its establishment, it cooperated with Olympic team of China to push the development of sports goods. At the same time, LI-NING spared no effort to sponsor all kinds of matches. In 1995, it became the leading sports brand of China. Through exploration over 20 years, it gradually becomes a famous international sports brand representing China. In this report, it makes a marketing plan for the next three years according to detailed analyse of internal and external environment of LI-NING, which is based on the model of Benchmarking, Product Lifecycle and PESTEL. At the same time, it finds the key issues of LI-NING facing through news. Afterwards, according to the key issues, build the feasible objectives. And then it detailed recommend target market segment, positioning and marketing mix and critical factors for LI-NING limited company. Introduction Li-Ning Company Limited is one of the leading sports brand enterprises in the PRC, possessing brand marketing, research and development, design, manufacturing, distribution and retail capabilities. In addition, the mission of the company is that through sports to inspire people the desire and power to make breakthroughs. The vision is to be a world’s leading brand in the sports goods industry. At the same time, Breakthrough is the core values of LI-NING (LI-NING, 2010). There are a great number of products in LI-NING. However, Shoes of LI-NING is the aim of research in the report. Audit and analysis A marketing audit is a comprehensive systematic, periodic evaluation of a company’s marketing capabilities. The audit examines the goals, policies, and strategies of the marketing function. Marketing audits are performed on a regular basis by an unbiased, independent company and are used to improve a company’s overall marketing performance or to establish new marketing plans. An effective audit include these six points, they are marketing environment audit; marketing strategy audit; marketing organisation audit; marketing systems audit; marketing productivity audit and the marketing functions audit. (Kotler, et al, 2009) Audit is divided into two parts to analyse including internal and external analysis. Firstly, internal analysis onsists of two important points: the performance and determinates of strategic options. And two models will be adopted to make internal analysis, which are benchmarking process and product life cycle. In the performance, it is financial and marketing measures of past and current performance. Benchmarking process Researching and looking for the best practices in leading companies, it could compare with own enterprise, so that improving t o catch up the leading enterprise to enter and create a virtuous cycle of good performance. The key is learning from the best enterprise in the industry. In addition, through the study, the firm could rethink and improve the practices of business management, and then it could create their own best practice. Benchmarking focuses on practical experience and emphasis on specific links, interfaces and processes. (Kotler, et al, 2009) LI-NING regards NIKE and ADIDAS as its main competitors. At the same time, LI-NING is the leading sports brand in PRC. Actually, the product of LI-NING has advantage in the respect of sale, source and price. If it keeps remaining the advantage, it will have a good market share. If it loses the price advantage, although the advantage of brand and development of products still exist, the market share of LI-NING shoes will be decrease. At present, the main gap between LI-NING shoes and NIKE shoes is brand value. As for LI-NING, it is important to improve the value of shoes brand, so that it has the chance to increase market share, even catch up with NIKE and ADIDAS. Advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking Benchmarking is an effective management tool because it overcomes ‘paradigm blindness’. It gives firms a new method, idea and tool to improve their effectiveness. The major limitation is that it remains inadequateness to measure the whole effectiveness of such metrics. Product life cycle The product life cycle is defined as the period that starting with initial product design, such as research and development, and ending with the withdrawal of the products from the marketplace. It is a series of stages, including introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. This sequence is known as the product life cycle and is associated with changes in the marketing situation, thus impacting the marketing strategy and the marketing mix. LI-NING shoes are currently in the growth stage. On the one hand, LI-NING always wants to catch up with the sales of NIKE shoes in china. LI-NING continually research and develop new technologic shoes for young people interested in sport. At the moment, the demand of their new technological shoes is increasing. On the other hand, LI-NING is well known for providing sports products in china and lots of people like to purchase their shoes. Advantages of disadvantages of Product Life cycle Product Life cycle is an applicable method for the internal analysis. It is convenient for marketing manager to apply different marketing mix strategy based on the different stages. In addition, it is easy to observe due to the two variables, which are time and sales. There are 3 key points to describe the limitation of product life cycle. Firstly, there are no clear classification criteria of starting and ending point. Secondly, not all of product cycle curve is standard s-type; also there are many special product life cycle curves. Thirdly, the decline of product does not mean that it cannot regenerate. If it improved through appropriate ways, it could recreate a new product life cycle. External analysis It is determinants of strategic options refer to past and current strategies, strategic problems, organisational capabilities and constraints, financial resources and constraints, strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, micro environment and macro environment are the key factors to analyse. Customers and competitors usually are considered as the micro environment factors. Any company cannot serve every customer in markets, only through effective market segmentation and then choose their own target market, so that companies can get market shares. Based on a few of professional marketing research, the customer of LI-NING shoes actually is higher than their excepted. The core customer is 14- 45. However, as for sports industry, the ideal age should be young people from 14-25 years old. However, because of the influence force of brand, budget of spread, market position and price strategy, the enterprise of sports products often focus on the second and third city. However, in the primary city, they cannot catch up with the international enterprise. So, LI-NING counts NIKE and ADIDAS as its main competitors. In the new competition time, LI-NING developed hi-technology and youthful products to compete with NIKE and ADIDAS. For instance, LI-NING developed the new technology called ‘gong’ as if the some shoes of NIKE put air in shoes, which is used in shoes to improve the bounce of people. PESTEL PESTEL is the main method to analyze the macro-environment, consisting of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal. Political Johnson (2008) indicates that political is about business activities of organisation and the potential impact by political power, relevant policies laws and regulation. As for LI-NING, there is a stable political environment, and the main market in domestic which is supported by nation. On the other aspect, the policy will not change rules for controlling the organisation or collecting more tax, this helps LI-NING to compete with mighty foreign sports brand to occupy the market share of nation. Economic Johnson (2008) suggest that it is the economic structure of external organisation, industry distribution, resources situation, the level of economic development and the trend of economy in the future. China's increasing quickly economy is obviously known by people in the whole world. In 2010, the GDP is ?3405. 07 billion, which increased by 9. 1%. Based on the exchange rate of the end of year 2010, it is approximate 4986. 8 billion dollar which is rank of number three in the world. Therefore, the level of customer purchasing capacity enhance continually. Social Johnson (2008) suggests that it is about cultural change, expectations, demographics and family change. For the company of LI-NING, firstly, the language barrier does not seem an actual problem for foreign products in market. Secondly, because of the increase continually GDP of PRC, customer have consumption capacity to purchase ideal shoes. Technology Johnson (2008) indicate that technology include new technology of product, new design, new material, development trend and application prospects. As for LI-NING, the first is that the technology can reduce the cost of products and services, and increase the quality. Secondly, the improved technology can make it more convenient for customers to purchase products. For instance, customer can purchase product and pay money through internet bank. Thirdly, changing the way of sale by improving technology, LI-NING can sell shoes in network shop. Finally, technology improves a new way for LI-NING to communicate with customers. For example, customer can communicate with the company on the internet. Environment Johnson (2008) indicates that it is about an activities, product or services of organisation that can interact with the environment factors. As for LI-NING, it is the most famous brand in sports industry in PRC. However, it has a big gap to the world famous brand. Regarding as the leading enterprise in China, it has some influences on the other sports firms. On the other aspect, to produce LI-NING shoes is not dangerous for environment and it can be cyclic utilization. Legal Johnson (2008) indicates that it is the laws, regulations and judicial status of external organisation and the legal awareness of integrated system consisting of citizens. As for LI-NING, it has registered trade mark. Also it is not against law for the organisation to produce or to sell shoes. Advantages and disadvantages of PESTEL PESTLE can effectively analyse the macro-environment of LI-NING. As for the disadvantages of PESTEL, there is a rapid change in society and the effect of analysis will not last for a long time. In addition, PESTEL only refers to the external environment and sometime it needs to be considered in connect with other factors such as the organisation itself, competitors and the industry that it is operating. Key issues There are 5 key issues faced by LI-NING are below: 1) American marketing research organization, sporting goods intelligent (SGI), the beginning of January 2008 had shown the rank of market value for the whole world sporting goods companies. LI-NING beyond the Asics of Japan in the comprehensive world sporting goods companies. Arranging after NIKE, ADIDAS and PUMA, it is number four. The market value of NIKE is 32. 039 billion dollar, ADIDAS is 15. 364 billion dollar, puma is 6. 4 billion dollar and LI-NING is 3. 86 billion dollar. However, there is a big distance to catch up NIKE and ADIDAS. (bin 2008) 2) There is a wide gap between LI-NING and NIKE or ADIDAS. The days of sales of inventory of NIKE are 84 days, and ADIDAS is 64 days, but LI-NING is 161 days. It means the inventory of LI-NING occupied a large capital, which influence the cash flow and Return on Capital Employed. (song 2010) 3) The shoes of LI-NING are not professional in the aspect of sports shoes as NIKE and ADIDAS. The professional shoes of LI-NING remain keeping the level of the protection for athletes in competition. (song 2010) 4) Compared with the advertisement star of NIKE and ADIDAS, the spreading strategy of LI-NING cannot attract the eyes of customer. Because of the lack of super star, the popularity of LI-NING is lower than the other two competitors. ) Both of the two companies NIKE and ADIDAS have developed over 40 years, and the popularity of shoes is considerable bigger than shoes of LI-NING. Therefore, LI-NING could lost a number of customer who is aim to purchase the famous brand shoes. (CTEI 2009) Objectives The objective is the starting point of the marketing plan. The objectives can find after analysis the environment of market. In addition, the objecti ves should use SMART criteria. The SMART criteria are consisted of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Specific means that the objective should state exactly what is to be obtained. For example, it might set an objective of getting ten hundreds new customers. Measurable means that an objective should be capable of measurement, so that it can be determined whether it has been obtained. Achievable means that the objectives should be realistic given circumstances in which it is set and the resources available to the business. Relevant means that objective should be relevant to the people responsible for achieving them. Time bound means that objectives should be set a deadline. To set up marketing objectives, there are two parts of objectives including marketing and financial. Doyle (2006) indicates that in the marketing goals that the marketing plan should have a clear sales goal. The primary market objectives are sales and share. In the financial goals, profits, return on investment and cash flow should be the primary financial objectives. For the LI-NING limited company, there are six objectives. Financial objectives: 1) Earn an annual rate of return on investment of 20% during the next three years after taxes. Compared with the data of year 2009, it should increase a little from 18% in 2009 to 20% during the next three years. 2) Achieve average net profits of ?23. million in China over the next three years period. Because the profits in 2009 is ?15. 6 million and the new series of professional sports shoes for target customers will coming in China market, and then the net profits will increase 50% at ?23. 4 million in the next year. 3) Achieve average cash flow of ?37. 9 million in China over the next three years period. Because of there will be a good sales in future, the inventory will reduce. Therefore, the cash flow will increase 40% to ?37. 9 million. Marketing objectives: 1) Increase the market share from 17% to 20% or 22% in china during the next three years. Due to the arrival of new sports series, it will attract a number of attentions from young person. Therefore, the market share will increase 3% to 5%. 2) Increase customer awareness of the professional sports shoes of LI-NING brand from 15% to 30% over the next three years period. The information of professional sports shoes could deliver to young customers interested in through all kinds of advertisement. Therefore, it will attract a large number of customers’ attention. Target market segments Market segmentation Before deciding the target market segment, it should make market segmentation. Doyle (2006) indicates that a market is divided into different homogeneous groups of consumers. They have different benefits wants, the amount they are able or willing to pay, the media they see and the quantities they buy. A market segment is a customer group with one or more characteristics that cause them to demand similar product. In most markets the need of for segmented offering is obvious because a single product will not meet all the customers. Segmentation has two variable types: needs and profilers. Customer needs are the basic criteria for segmentation of market. As for profilers, these are descriptive, measurable customer characteristics such as geographic location, nationality, age and income. Doyle (2006) states that ‘consumer and industrial markets generally differ in their sets of need and profiler variables’. Commonly, consumer market segmentation is divided by four main parts, Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic and Behavioural. Organisational market segmentation could consist of seven parts. They are industry of end user, organisational type, size of organisation, geographic location, application, usage and purchasing organisation. In addition, the strategy of choosing target market segment is important, and it has three ways to choose. 1) Undifferentiated marketing It means that enterprise regard the whole market as own target market. Stern (2006) indicates that enterprise ignores actual or potential differences among segments, and targets one offer to the whole market. 2) Differentiated marketing The strategy of differentiated marketing is divided the whole market into a number of different market. According to the different market, it develops different product considers the different marketing strategy to meet the needs of different customer. ) Focused marketing Stern (2006) indicates that firm does not aim to compete in the majority of the market, but rather specialises in one segment, or a small parts of segments. Therefore, the firm can exert the advantage in the minority market and improve the occupancy of market. Choosing target market segment However, the most important point is to choose target marke t segments. There are five factors govern the attractiveness of the segment, including segment size, segment growth, profitability of the segment, current and potential competition and capabilities of the business. LI-NING is a leading sports brand enterprises in the PRC, and their shoes product should have a right direction. There are three key points to describe the target market of LI-NING, including brand positioning, target market and target customer group. The selection of LI-NING target market: Brand positioning: young, fashion and professional sports shoes. The reason is that the market consumption capacity of young people has enhanced and people have the tendency to buy high-end products. Target market: relatively quite wealthy city. The reason is that LI-NING as a leading brand of sports industry is quite expensive for low income group. Because of LI-NING is aim to produce good quality and functional shoes, the cost could higher than normal shoes. Therefore, it is suitable for relatively quite wealthy city to purchase. Target customer group: 14-35 years old, athlete, young person, people who love sports. And the most of middle-end market and the less of high-end and low-end market and The reason is that the shoes of LI-NING are quite suitable for young person and athlete. Additionally, it has the function to protect foot when people putted on shoes. On the other respect, according to produce some high quality to improve the image of product, for instances the product suitable to play golf. On the other hand, to produce the low-end product, it is aim to reduce the interference from the other low-end brand. However, the core market is the middle-end market. In the market, it can follow the original brand, which is aim at ages around 24 to 35 years old that they have quite good income and consumption capacity, and also they are the main customers of LI-NING. Market positioning To make a market positioning, it should choose a strategy to position it and apply a suitable tool to analyse. Firstly, market positioning has been shown how a business can offer superior value by strategies that add value or reduce costs. Marketing positioning also called product positioning, which is according to the position of the existing product of competitors in the market segment to create a new product which is different with competitors’ to give customer different feeling, so that the product possess the capacity to compete. Doyle and Stern, 2006) On the other hand, before making market positioning, it should analyse the situation of market, and then to choose an appropriate tool to find the answer of market positioning. There are two tools to analyse it, including perceptual mapping and the pane mapping. Compared with pane mapping, the perceptual mapping is quite usual in normal analysis. It is a visualization statement of customer for products or brand perception and preference. The aim is to attempt to deliver the view of customer or potential customer using a clear and visual map. The chart has shown the information about LI-NING, NIKE and PUMA. Both of NIKE and PUMA have high quality. And then, the shoes of LI-NING have the gap to them in the quality. On the other hand, compared with NIKE and PUMA, LI-NING has the advantage of price. LI-NING can apply the price advantage to expand stores in the most of city, so that people who have low income and cannot afford to buy the product of NIKE and PUMA could purchase the shoes of LI-NING which is also a famous sports brand in the world. In addition, according to a new positioning in market, LI-NING has another advantage, which is possessed the approximate function and fashion design to attract more customers of young person. Meanwhile, to choose an appropriate strategy to position product, it is possible to beat competitors. Therefore, the strategy of market positioning is a kind of strategy of competition, which means that according to the characteristic of product and the awareness of customer for product determine the competition relationship between own product and competitors’. There are three ways for enterprises to position market. * Avoiding powerful enterprises positioning It means that avoiding powerful enterprises to find a place which is belong to self. The advantage is avoiding the directly competition with powerful firm, and build an own image in customer’s mind. Because of the way of position has a quite low risk, and has a high success rate. Usually, it is adopt by the most firms. * Competitive positioning The aim of the way is to compete with powerful competitors, so that it can achieve a great market advantage once beat powerful competitors. However, there is high risk for firm. * Repositioning It is to change characterise of product, and then changed the image in customers’ mind. The aim is for target customer having a new understanding for the new image of product. Wilson and Gilligan 2005) LI-NING should adopt the way of repositioning. The reason is that from 2006 to 2007, LI-NING has researched the main customer group, and it has big gap between actual customer group and target customer group. The age of actual customer group is around 35 to 40, so that a number of young person feel that LI-NING is inferior t o international brands on the cool and fashion. It is unsustainable for LI-NING in the future. To catch up the new objectives which love and focus by a great number of young person, LI-NING should adopt the way to change the old image in customer’s mind. At the same time, according to change the technology and design of shoes, it is possible loved by more and more young person. Marketing mix Marketing mix is the sort of marketing decisions, which management makes to apply its positioning strategy and reach its objectives. There are four parts in marketing mix including product, price, promotion, and place. Product decisions include product variety, product performance, product features, product design, packaging, sizes and brand name. Price consists of discounts, allowances, geographical pricing, payment terms and credit terms. As for promotion, it includes sales force, public relations, customer promotion, advertising, trade promotion and direct marketing. Place refer to distribution selection, density of distribution and dealer support. (Doyle ;Stern, 2006) Product As for LI-NING, it is facing a strong challenge from NIKE and ADIDAS in the future. To keep the shoes of specialization, technological innovation is the key point. LI-NING should keep researching and developing the shoes which is good for young person more professional and fashion. The price should suits the level of young person and lowers than NIKE and ADIDAS, so that a number of customers choose the shoes of LI-NING. According to the value principal, even though the price of LI-NING shoes is lower than the other competitors such as NIKE and ADIDAS, the degree of satisfaction and comfort is quite high. Promotion There are three key points. Firstly, to find the suitable sports match to sponsor, it attracts a large number of attentions for LI-NING shoes. Secondly, it should make an accurate advertisement positioning. ‘Make the change’ is the slogan of LI-NING. The aim is to give customers an impression that they could change everything when they putted on shoes of LI-NING. Finally, it should choose a suitable media to spread advertisement such as TV, newspaper, internet and broadcast. Place The place should distribute with two methods including traditional and new distribution. In traditional distribution LI-NING has its own stores where consumers could purchase it. Also LI-NING could use intermediaries to sell its shoes. On the other hand, in the new distribution it could sell shoes on the internet through the online store. Critical factors Critical factors refer to the detailed implement and control of marketing plan for companies. It helps companies to achieve expected objectives. Firstly, marketing implementation is a strategy, which means that it is the process from marketing plan to action and task. Also, it make sure the task is been completed. For the other point, marketing control is a working system to make sure firms run according to expected objectives. (Kotler, 2000) As for LI-NING, there are five critical factors in the implement and control of marketing plan. ) The strength and direction of advertisement. Advertisement is a method of promotion. Efficient implementation of advertisement can increase the popularity of LI-NING shoes, and then a large number of customers will concentrate on it. 2) The quantity and quality of raw materials. Possessing enough raw materials can help the firm to produce enough shoes to meet the needs of customers. Additionally, because of high quality of raw mater ials, LI-NING can produce the high quality shoes. 3) The depth of researching and developing technology. Technology is a key point for LI-NING to positioning. Developing the professional sports shoes through deeply researching on technology can help LI-NING to reach objectives smoothly. 4) The grasp of the professional sports technology knowledge for dealers and salesmen. It increases the impression of LI-NING for customer. Because dealers and salesmen can detailed describe the functions of shoes to increase the impression of LI-NING shoes which is the product of high technology. 5) The monitoring level of manager. For instance, in the process of marketing implementation, the effective monitoring on each step from manager can help LI-NING to immediately find the existing problems and solve them. Recommendation The shoes of LI-NING are in the growth stage of the Product Lifecycle, there are many methods can keep it increasing. A few suggestions mentioned below to help LI-NING. 1)The direction of advertisement should aim at target customer group. Since the customers between 15 and 29 years old are quite like watching basketball and football matches in china, LI-NING should sponsor these matches to attract the attention of young customers. 2)The LI-NING shoes are the marketing leader in the sports brand in china. Therefore, it should try and introduce new series products to take more market share. The brand loyal customers will also buy the new series products to try. 3)LI-NING should offer a sale of bundle on selling shoes. For instance, on the purchase of a pair of shoes, the price of accessory such as stocks and shoelace is discounted or is a presentation. 4)Product differentiation of LI-NING shoes is a key factor. The LI-NING shoes have different series for different situation to wear. Therefore, it should to describe the different shoes on advertisement, websites, and retailer, helping customers to choose the right one for them. )As for the shoes of ultralight series, it is positioned as racing shoes. However, there is a same type product existing called marathon. Therefore, it is better to change the ultralight to the kind of performance training that could be a new product and will be concerned. 6) Allow customers to try shoes is another way for LI-NING to effectively sell shoes. When new shoes arrival in store, it should allow customers to try the shoes within 60 days. If they not satisfy the shoes, customers can send back their shoes. 7)Enhance training salesmen. They should improve politeness and professional knowledge to communicate with customers better. Conclusion. In a word, this report adopts relevant models to analyse the internal environment and external environment of LI-NING. It finds the key issues through news. Based on the analysis of key issues, the feasible objectives are drawn up for the company. In addition, the marketing management action suggests are given to reach the objectives. The marketing management action includes target market segment, positioning and marketing mix and critical factors in implementation and control. Finally, there are some recommendations given to LI-NING shoes. ;