The expression of human feelings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The expression of human feelings - Essay Example Without rejecting the role of violent films and readings in the development of aggressive behaviour, Jones notes that for children the involvement in - imaginary - violent activities is rather beneficial than catastrophic – under the terms highlighted in the particular article. The views of Jones on the potential benefits of violence for the psychology of children are presented to the public using a specific methodology: the extensive reference to the writer’s personal experiences – in various forms and dates, from his childhood up today – in regard to the issue under discussion. More specifically, in the beginning of the article, reference is made to the writer’s personal experiences in his childhood and emphasis is given on the fact that Marvel comics – especially Hulk – helped the writer to face his fears for socializing and taking initiatives. In the writer’s adulthood, Marvel comics, helped him to make an appropriate choice in terms of profession – and become a writer; moreover, it is noted that the reading of comics with violent scenes helped the writer’s son to overcome his fear for getting involved in risky games (such as the climbing of a tree). Furthermore, Jones refers to the views of Melanie Moore, a psychologist who has worked in the specific field; the writer also describes the findings of the research he made himself – having worked with children who faced behavioural problems. The methodology used by Jones regarding the presentation and the support of his views can be characterized as effective, having the advantage of the personal testimony on the issues involved. However, the writer does not refer to relevant findings of the literature – meaning the findings of the empirical research developed by researchers in regard to the specific issue – no reference is made to statistics or to the studies of academic researchers on the particular subject. Moreover, it could be argued that the interpretation of the findings of his research is influenced by his personal perceptions – especially his personal experiences, as described in the introductory paragraphs of his article. At this point, the credibility of the research of Jones could be doubted. In this context, it could be argued that Jones has not achieved to persuade the readers on the validity of the views promoted through his article – referring especially to the potential existence of benefits from offering to the children access to readings and scenes that promote violence. The above view is further analyzed below. At this point, the ideas promoted through the article of Jones should be criticized and evaluated. The use of violent readings (comics, books and so on) or of films/ games which include violent scenes as a tool for helping the natural aggression of children to be expressed should be re-considered. The findings of relevant research provided by Jones may lead to the assumption that such practice is effective for controlling the anger of children, however it is not guaranteed that the opposite results can be avoided. Moreover, each child has different perceptions on the notion of peace and violence – being influenced by the conditions in the family environment. The provision of access to the children to readings and games that refer to violent scenes could negatively

Critical Pedagogy Perspective of Education Essay

Critical Pedagogy Perspective of Education - Essay Example â€Å"Habits of thought, reading, writing, and speaking which go beneath surface meaning, first impressions, dominant myths, official pronouncements, traditional cliches, received wisdom, and mere opinions, to understand the deep meaning, root causes, social context, ideology, and personal consequences of any action, event, object, process, organization, experience, text, subject matter, policy, mass media, or discourse"(Wink 2011, p. 128). This is an implication that in critical pedagogy approach of schooling the learner is not mandated to conform to the conventional schooling system. The paper access the appropriateness of critical pedagogy of schooling and its key elements. Paulo Freire was the first person to describe critical pedagogy approach of schooling. His initial interest was to address adult literacy, â€Å"†¦Paulo Freire, writing originally within the specific context of promoting adult literacy within Latin American peasant communities, but whose work has taken o n an increasingly international interest and appeal in the past three decades†(Macrine 2009, p. 67). ... (1984, 1988) critical pedagogy approach of schooling is concerned with the relationship that should exist between, school and the socio- political aspects of living. In his explanation, Stanley (1992) indicates that Freire’s critical pedagogy is based on critical consciousness. Stanley (1992, p. 56) continues to deduce that according to Freire, â€Å"Freedom, for Freire, begins with the recognition of a system of oppressive relations, and one’s own place in that system. The task of Critical Pedagogy is to bring members of an oppressed group to a critical consciousness of their situation as a beginning point of their liberatory praxis.† This is an implication that the learner should be the centre of schooling not schooling being the centre of learning. Purmensky (2009, p. 96) states that, â€Å"Freire goes further than arguing that educators must constantly discover and rediscover ways to help the learner view knowledge as problematic.† Arguably, an implica tion that teachers should employ a learning approach that enables the learner to learn and unlearn. The idea behind critical pedagogy approach of education is attributed to neo-Marxian literature concerning Critical Theory. Critical theorist argued that the Frankfurt school, whose founder was Marxism, had underrated the significant role played by media and cultural influences in addressing issues pertaining capitalism (Malott 2010; Sleeter 1995). critical pedagogy generally refers to the effort that is need to work in an educational institution as well in other aspects of life such as the media and have the audacity to question any form of power inequality that results to groups as well as individuals abandoning what is meaningful and will value to their lives. To install such crucial virtues, learners’ in school

Politics and society in the late roman republic

Politics and society in the late roman republic Politics and Society in the Late Roman Republic â€Å"Augustus restoration of the res publica was all a sham, a facade behind which lurked monarchy.† Discuss The restoration of the res publica occurred in 27 BC when Gaius Octavius returned his powers to the senate and people of Rome. This restoration is a much debated topic in modern literature with particular emphasis placed on the word ‘restoration, as much of the res publica appears to have been changed, albeit behind a number of traditional institutions. A number of scholars support the above statement suggesting the res publica from this point onwards was a monarchy in all but name (Eck, Jones and Wiseman). This essay will however take the alternate view along with a number of contemporary scholars, most notably Millar, Segal and Severy; the idea that Augustus wished to restore the res publica, but also needed to react to the events of the period so as to defend the traditional values of the Roman people. Augustus did however slide towards monarchy during this period, but various authors offer differing dates at which the facade begins to occur. The first point to be discussed is that of Augustus and his links with the Roman military, which can be viewed at first in purely monarchical terms, this reading however can also imply a much more traditional approach towards republican values. The introduction of the Trojan games or Ludi Troiani for example is a return to a much older tradition based within the early sixth century BC (Virgil Aeneid V.596-601, Suet. Aug. 43.2, Severy 2003: 82-3, Taylor 1924: 161). This and the reintroduction of other public events such as the Secular games can be seen as a return to res publica in its earliest form and thus infers an attempt to restore it. Scholars such as Rostovtzeff however think of the Ludi Troiani as an attempt to convince the younger patrician generation that a singular leader would not harm their interests in terms of military glorification (Jones 1960: 16). The return of such military games also reinforced military discipline, reducing the chance of further civil wars and def ection in the next generation (Vel. Pat. 2.64). This does not however have to suggest an idea of Imperial rule; as disciplinewas an important part of the Roman military throughout its history (Goldsworthy 2003: 33). The major controversy surrounding the army is that of Augustus use of his extended family in the major military roles from the 10s BC onwards (Eck 2007: 80). This however is at least 10 years into the ‘new res publica, suggesting that this idea was reactionary rather than an early attempt to introduce monarchy. One event in particular could be linked to this; Cornelius Gallus in Egypt, the prefect placed here due to his friendship with Augustus was later accused of treachery and ended his life after disobeying the senate (Eck 2007: 60, Eck 1984: 131, Dio Cass. 53.23). This episode in the early stages of the res publica must have shaken both the senate and Augustus himself; primarily due to the fact that three legions were accessible in this province (Shotter 2007: 100, Strabo Geog. 17.12, Syme 1933: 25). The senate reformations are also a much discussed topic as a change in Augustus powers (Wiseman 1971: 10-12). The first, genuine reduction in the senate occurred in 29 BC and appears to have removed senators on a voluntary basis (Dio Cass. 52.42, Wiseman 1971: 10); allowing a majority of princeps italiae to remain. This group is viewed as Augustus powerbase in this period, featuring prominently in his elevation to Pontifex Maximus. The appointment however had previously been offered by the Roman people (RG 10, Suet. Aug. 31.1), suggesting that Augustus was respecting tradition by waiting for both the death of the previous Pontifex and approval from the senate. The next of the lectiones, 19 and 11 BC appear to have forced senators to leave, replacing them with Augustus own supporters (Eck 2007: 80, Wiseman 1971: 10-11, RG 8, Dio Cass. 54.13). This reformation appears to mark a turn towards monarchy, as Augustus gains the majority within the senate. Prior to this point Augustus had only used his auctoritas and financial advantages to keep the res publica stable (Eck 2007: 53-4, RG 34). The first settlement of 27BC is the point at which Augustus returned the republic to the senate and people of Rome (res publica restituta) by relinquishing his triumviral powers and abolishing any of the enactments not legally ratified by the senate during the triumvirate (RG 34, Ov. Fast. 1.589, Severy 2003: 45-6). Dio however argues that the caretakership given to Augustus at the senates suggestion was merely a front to the monarchical intentions of the princeps senatus (Dio Cass. 52.1, 53.11.4, Vitruvius preface, Hor. Odes 3.14.15, Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 14-15, Eck 2007: 52). As a source, Dio is not a contemporary, writing around 200 years later. This relates his thoughts to a period in which contemporaries such as Ovid and Velleius Paterculus were writing (Vell. Pat. 2.89, Ov. Fast. 1.589). Augustus retained his consulship until the second settlement of 23BC, meaning that Augustus was still in charge as a traditional magistrate minus the limitation of one consulship per 10 years (Jones 1960: 4-5). It was however during the first settlement that Augustus received control of a number of provinces including Spain, Gaul and Egypt; rather than the senate, due to the rebellious nature of these provinces as proven by later campaigns (Vel. Pat. 2.90, Suet. Aug. 21). The other provinces were returned to senatorial control using the old system of governorship. This would also suggest the reason for the large military presence in these areas. As well as this Augustus is stated to have returned the provinces of Gallia Narbonensis and Cyprus in 22BC (Brunt Moore 1988: 9). Other modern sources infer that the high numbers of legions in these areas were due to Augustus wish to maintain military supremacy (RG 16, Dio Cass. 55.25.1-3, Severy 2003: 85-7, Eck 2007: 51-2). This reduced the chances of further Civil wars by associating the military with one key group of people rather than the original rotational system prior to the Civil wars as by rooting the military to a set number of trusted i ndividuals the army itself was permanently tied to Rome itself rather than its generals. The title of Augustus itself, given by the senate in 27BC conveys much meaning about his relative power. The name is taken from August, associated with the sacred and auguries (Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 16, Ov. Fast. 1.596-616). This relationship gives Augustus an implicit link to the divine power of Rome and also suggests monarchical intentions. The name Augustus can also be seen as a legal title conferred upon him by the senate at the end of the triumvirate and the beginning of his guardianship of the state. Augustus and contemporary sources however do not refer to the name as an implication of power, but utilise it as a new image to that of Octavian; primarily due to its association with the triumvirate. This change of image is illustrated particularly after the first settlement, when Augustus melted down 80 silver statues of Octavian, then dedicated the value in golden tripods to Apollo (RG 24, Severy 2003: 59). This infers that that his image, previously that of a dictator was chan ged to the man who restored the res publica(Eck 1984: 136, Severy 2003: 47). Augustus also received a number of honours from the senate and people of Rome, the first of which is the corona civis (Severy 2003: 46, Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 17). This was a laurel of oak given to one who has saved the life of a roman citizen and is portrayed on a number of coins (RG 34,Mattingly 1923: 3.14, 18.6). It has also been used to represent the saving of Rome during history. Cicero for example is reputed to have received the same honour for his acts during the Catiline conspiracy (Moralee 2004:67). This honour is therefore defined within the traditions of the res publica (Severy 2003: 46), suggesting that the senate was restored to its former constitutional form. The corona civis however also implies a permanent debt to those who gave it (Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 17); in this case the senate and people of Rome, inferring that these groups will forever remain clients to Augustus. The second of the awards attributed to Augustus was that of a golden shield displaying the major virtues of courage, clemency, justice and piety which was awarded to Augustus as defender of the res publica (Hor. Odes 3.2-6, RG 34, Severy 2003: 46, Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 17, Yavetz 1984: 4-5). This suggests that the senate required Augustus to act in such a way as to control the army and subsequently the state. The riots in 22BC illustrate this as when Augustus denies the consulship the people fear for the state (Dio Cass. 54.1, Brunt Moore 1988: 44). These honours form part of Augustus image, primarily in that they respect the tradition of previous magistrates, as the honours are left outside of the domus. This infers a return to early divisions of public and private, portrayed by Augustus himself (Severy 2003: 47, Dio Cass. 53.16.4). The second settlement of 23BC is a further point at which Augustus appears to take control of the empire, and to some marks the maturity of the Imperial system (Severy 2003: 49, Shotter 2007: 100). This was however defined again with magisterial terms, suggesting a role above others in the senate, yet limited to a set number of 5 years (Severy 2003: 49). Augustus relinquished the consulship which he had held since 27 BC due to ‘universal consent (RG 34). He instead received the tribunitia potestas and imperium proconsulare maius. These powers gave Augustus the authority to manipulate but not control the senate, as the right to veto and call emergency senate meetings meant that the body was effectively under his control (Shotter 2007: 100, Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 14). This period appears to mark the beginning of the facade of singular rule. Complete control however is not gained until the title of pater patriae is acquired. The major turning point from res publica to facade appears to occur in the third settlement, a new notion attributed to 19, 18 and 11BC with the introduction of a number of laws (leges) that completely change republican ideals (Severy 2003: 50, 56). The laws relating to marriage named lex Julia de martinandins ordinibus, for example were designed to encourage reproduction amongst the orders particularly within the patrician order (Lintott 2010: 117). This led to a drastic cut in terms of senatorial potential for those of the next generation, instead needing to rely on the generosity of Augustus and later rulers to make up the required property allowance. The law also had another important aspect in that it caused a break from traditional patronage values as freedmen were forced to break their oaths of marital chastity to their patrons(Digest 37.14.6.4, 23.2.19, Severy 2003: 56). This law therefore decreased the nobles relationship between patron and client, whilst further increasing Augustus own association with the people (Shotter 2007: 100, Eck 2007: 51). Another law that greatly affected traditional republican values was that which regarded adultery, known as the lex Julia de adulteriis. This law reduced the power of the pater familias while increasing Augustus own, as prior to the introduction of this law issues regarding adultery were under the control of the pater familias (Severy 2003: 51, 56, Yavetz 1984: 13). The introduction of such laws infer that Augustus was tending towards monarchical rule, and by placing family within the legal status of Roman citizenship, completely changed the values of the res publica (Eck 1984: 131, Severy 2003: 52). This allowed the placing of himself as pater of all Romans; suggesting a monarchical threat to the original constitution of the res publica. The use of Augustus family from 24BC appears to indicate a change of direction towards monarchy. The first of the members, Marcellus was allowed to run for consulship in 24BC, Syme sees this as an attempt to establish an heir (Syme 1939: 342-3, Jones 1960: 6-7 Dio Cass. 53.31.1). Others however disagree, especially as contemporary sources cannot be certain of the apparent heir as a successor (Jones 1960: 6-7). This infers that none knew of Marcellus as heir, and some secondary sources appear to believe that the mention of Marcellus in the Aeneid (Virgil Aeneid 8.860-85, Dio Cass. 53.30.5-6) suggests his apparent role in Augustus life; mentioning him as a good Roman and with no mention of a formal relationship between the two characters. The Secular Games (Ludi Saeculares) however appear to contradict the idea of the establishment of a royal family, as the games although heavily linked to the idea of the family, have little mention of any of Augustus relatives (Severy 2003: 57, Beard, North Price 1998: 71-2, Suet. Aug. 91.2). This infers that Augustus did not wish to portray his family during the games for this reason; by 9BC however the family appears to have become heavily involved in political terms illustrated through the building of the ara pacis and their portrayal on the monument (Syme 1939: 389, Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 70-75). The Games themselves still suggest a return to the Res Publica as they are a traditional event held every 100-110 years to coincide with the complete renewal of the previous attending population (Beard, North Price 1998: 201-6). This infers that Augustus was attempting to keep important events associated with the original Res Publica but also gives the proceedings a new direction in com parison to that of the traditional through its increased association with the family unit (Wallace-Hadrill 1993: 70-1). To conclude Augustus did not begin with the sole intention of becoming a monarch, or creating a facade behind which he ruled. Augustus instead reacted to the events of the period; realising throughout his prolonged guardianship of the state that a single governmental position is required to maintain the Pax Romana. This was indeed achieved during his reign, but still within the definitions of the older constitution of the res publica. It was Tiberius, successor to Augustus that first officially began sole rule. The supposed sham of the restoration of the res publica is therefore similar to a constitutional shift; which had been occurring since the beginning of the government itself. If a point at which Augustus began to obviously affect the constitution needed to be chosen, it would be that of the law changes in of 19-11BC; as this radically affected the people and their associated rights rather than the senate alone. These law changes caused a complete shift in the roles of both Aug ustus and that of a traditional Roman father figure. On the surface this change in the pater potestas appears minimal, but in reality caused the downfall of some of the overlying ideas of the res publica in relation to the family unit, incorporating Augustus within every aspect of life.

Driving Under the Influence Essay -- Driving Safety, Drinking and Driv

Drunk driving is an issue that effects many people across our nation. People do not realize the affects alcohol can have on the body and mind that slow decision making while driving. This issue begins in the home. Children see their parents, or other adults figures, have a beer or a cocktail and get in the car. Thus, making it seem like it is acceptable to drink and drive. â€Å"One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime† (MADD). Driving under the influence is measured by a person’s blood alcohol level (BAC). BAC is determined by the concentration of alcohol in the bloodstream. Individual counties and states have their own legal level on blood alcohol percentages that they measure a person’s BAC to determine if they are intoxicated while behind the wheel. â€Å"Everywhere in the United States it is illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher† (DUI Foundation). Once an individual makes the decision to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol they are not only putting themselves at risk but the lives of other people on the road. After reviewing the Annual Report of the California DUI Management I was astonished to find that in 2008 there were a total of 214,811 DUI arrests (Annual Report). Of those 214,811 arrests I was sickened to find that 38,266 of the drivers were a second-offender (Annual Report). This means that these individuals have had one DUI arrest within the previous ten years. It is disheartening for me to discover that 26.4% of the reported 214,811 arrests are due to individuals who were second to fourth-offenders. California obviously has an issue with people who really do not give a second thought to getting behind the wheel of their cars after partaking ... ...† a week teaching kids the dangers of alcohol and drugs, is not the answer. Let us not just teach children to say, â€Å"NO!† to drugs and alcohol, but say â€Å"No!† to drinking and driving. I would much rather have my children and their friends saying â€Å"no† then making the choice to get behind the wheel under the influence and harm themselves or cause injury to others. Works Cited "DUI_2010_MIS_AR.pdf." California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). Web. 11 Dec. By. "MADD - Statistics." MADD - Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. By. MADD - Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Web. 11 Dec. 2010. DUI Foundation | Educate & Prevent. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. Century Council. "Learn the Facts." Www.centurycouncil.org. Web. Warner, Veronica. â€Å"Alcohol.† Questionnaire. Fresno, 2010.

Quiz 1

Question 1 5 out of 5 points | | | Entrepreneurs are commonly characterized as:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   risk takers and decision makers. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   risk takers and decision makers. | | | | | * Question 2 5 out of 5 points | | | The hard sell or aggressive persuasion designed to separate consumers from their cash emerged during the _____Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   production era| Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   production era| | | | | * Question 3 5 out of 5 points | | To be successful entrepreneurs must be comfortable risking their money and _____ to start and manage a business. Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   time| Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   time| | | | | * Question 4 5 out of 5 points | | | In 1995, a renegotiation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) took bold steps to lower tariffs and to reduce trade restrictions. A tariff is a:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   tax on imports. | Correct Answer:| à ‚  Ã‚   tax on imports. | | | | | *Question 5 5 out of 5 points | | The four major categories of factors of production are:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   natural resources, capital, human resources, and entrepreneurship. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   natural resources, capital, human resources, and entrepreneurship. | | | | | * Question 6 5 out of 5 points | | | In the relationship era, firms began to recognize that cultivating current customers is more profitable than constantly _____Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   seeking new customers. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   seeking new customers. | | | | * Question 7 5 out of 5 points | | | During the marketing era consumers found:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   more choices for goods and services. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   more choices for goods and services. | | | | | *Question 8 5 out of 5 points | | | As a factor of production, capital would include:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   machine s, tools, buildings, and technology. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   machines, tools, buildings, and technology. | | | | | * Question 9 5 out of 5 points | | Human resources include theAnswer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   physical, intellectual, and creative contributions of individuals working within an economy. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   physical, intellectual, and creative contributions of individuals working within an economy. | | | | | * Question 10 5 out of 5 points | | | _____ refers to the quality and quantity of products and goods available to a population at a given time. Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   Standard of living| Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   Standard of living| | | | | quiz 1

Meaning of Underworld in the Odyssey and Aeneid Essay

In both Odyssey and Aeneid the protagonists visit the Underworld and for both this is a turning point of their life and the turning point of the plot. For Odyssey the unusual travel marks his symbolic â€Å"cleansing† from blood he has shed at Troy and from anger of gods, making it possible for him to return to Ithaca. Before traveling to the Underworld Aeneas is an expellee, who strives â€Å"in vain against the seas and wind† (Aeneid, 5: 21). After the travel he is a father of the new glorious people. Both heroes receive new knowledge and rise to the higher level of personality. Visiting the world of the dead is important for Odyssey and Aeneas because it marks the choice of scenario for the future. For example, Aeneas’s fate as a leader of the newborn Roman people has been predetermined, yet to start walking this new way he has to go to the underworld. His father shows him many great souls who are to be reincarnated in future to become great Roman heroes, so future is predetermined not only by Aeneas’s effort, but by the spirit of those great heroes. In contrast, Odyssey enters the kingdom of the dead in search of his friend Tiresias whom he has to speak to in order to return to Ithaca. His travel is not so fateful for the people, but it is fateful for Odyssey himself. Aeneas is told to go to the Underworld in a dream by the spirit of his dead father. Odyssey also has a kind of dream on Circe’s island where he spends seven years thinking that only seven days have passed. But when Circe learns that Odyssey has no love for her, she nobly explains him that the only man who knows the way to Ithaca is Tiresias who can be found only in the afterworld. Odyssey is driven by â€Å"unhappy fate below the sunlight† (Odyssey 11:798-799), and his ultimate purpose is finding the way. He would perhaps never go to Hades, in case there was another way to Ithaca. He says that he â€Å"had to come down here to Hades’ home, to meet the he shade of Teiresias of Thebes, and hear his prophecy†. (Odyssey, 11: 199-201). In Hades he meets his mother of whom he did not know that she was dead. Her suicide and sorrowful events in Ithaca is a kind of punishment for Odyssey’s false pride. In contrast to Odyssey, Aeneas’s purpose is choosing the way. Meeting his father he symbolically passes through the golden gate to become a recognized ruler, and a tool of destiny that has chosen to make Aeneas’s people great. Homer describes the underworld as a dull place of suffering, where warriors who died in battle have to continue carrying their wounds. In fact, for Homer living after death is just a continuation of earthly vain. For example, when Odyssey meets Trojan heroes like Patroclus, they run away frightened, as if the struggle for Troy still went on. Odyssey’s dead friends the can only tell how they died and got to this dark kingdom. Homer has a gloomy idea of the underworld. Achilles says that he would rather be a living serf and a landless peasant than a King of the Dead. So Odyssey becomes aware of futility of war that sends heroes to this dark place. In contrast, Aeneas returns with the vision of the great future and he is now decisive to work hard for it. â€Å"Within the hero’s mind his joys renew’d† (Aeneid 5: 904) and so he eagerly sets sails for the new homeland.

HTC case analysis Essays

HTC case analysis Essays HTC case analysis Essay HTC case analysis Essay ETC designs and manufactures products as specified by third parties that are later on the process sold under a different name. All the specified products are highly innovative and advanced. Len fact ETC was one of the first carriers to launch a touchable screen phone (ETC Touch) In 2007, three weeks before the phone was flirt commercialism. After that, ETC released the next model, the Touch Diamond, that improve ETC Touch with a more solid Phones for wireless network operators. On the one hand the internet experience US Is a locked market where the two big operators ATT and Verizon sell phones with their own slim card,eliminative technology and customers switch phones according to the plan that suits them best (provided by their operator). On the other hand, the European Market is unlocked, and customers are more loyal to their phone brand TABLETS: ETC entered the Tablet fever in 2011 with the ETC Flyer, a 7 Inch android tablet which was not very successful. Later with a 10 inch 46 Streamer offered by ATT in exclusivity, but did not succeed either. It was a extremely competitive market. 2. VALUE ANALYSIS ETC focused most of its resources on taking a highly customized approach with mobile operators to set itself apart from other contract manufacturers. Phones were being customized according to the clients needs and then sold some times under a different brand. Egg. : the first Google Nexus. Moreover ETC helped mobile operators building a unique value proposition and optimized their services by manufacturing hones that looked like their own phones. Furthermore, ETC works with two SO systems, Android and Windows Phone In order to satisfy these two different customers segments. With Android policy to allow developers to modify and adapt their SO to individual needs, ETC was able to differentiate its android products from other manufacturers with ETC Sense; an Internally developed layer of software on top of Android that Included a superb LU as well as unique applications providing unique experiences for ETC users. 3. This great amount of personalization meant costs above average (compared to other manufacturers) since all products needed different marketing strategies and not a lot of pieces could be shared across other ETC products. ETC right now is switching to its original DOOM business leaving on the side the manufacturing for third parties, since the new CEO sees building brand image as the key to fight its competition and capture the real value of Innovation. This would allow the company to unify its marketing campaign efforts and save costs; they used to have the problem that their racketing efforts were so different across countries that a person seeing two 1 OFF brand. Some of the other issues that are being discussed is the SO strategy, because Windows does not allow that much personalization and they fear that Monika might get rights over it. Relating to planning, we agree on the fact that ETC should start focusing in one line of smartness with the same SO system which will allow the company to improve its brand image and start escalating in the top smartness of the market list.

Chinese Government essays

Chinese Government essays China is one of the largest countires in the world and the most populated. China is a communist country that holds many different beliefs and values then our own free country, the United States of America. This communist country is very restricted and government controlled. The United States focuses more on people control. Here we have choices, we vote and we have many freedoms. Our leaders are not intent on hiding everything from us. This is not to say that we have completely honest leaders, but in years past, I believe this to be shown more predominant. In the past the American government has not always been completely open with the general population, but it has never been as restricting as other countries in the world, including China. Recent years show more of an open government in the United States, especially with President Bill Clinton. Being a part of the trial for impeachment of Bill Clinton opened America up to see that our government is comprised of people too. It also showed us that they make mistakes and are not hiding behind their power to keep it a secret from the general population. More and more, the government is being open with the general public about terrorism and going to war. Since media became a big deal, it seems that we can know just about anything we need to know about our government. In contrast to this, China keeps many aspects of its government hidden from the general population. People in China do not have the same kind of inside information that we get from our media. Most people do not have access to the internet, and those who do, may not have full access. China has forever tried to shield their people from the idea of democracy and general human rights offered in many other countires, like the United States of America. Many of the policies implimented in China would never be accepted in the United States. Americans value their free choice too much to follow any laws compromising...

Why Vacation Can Make You a Better Worker

Why Vacation Can Make You a Better Worker The best and most dedicated workers are the ones who blaze through weekends chained to email and log countless hours during non-office hours, right? Not necessarily! A constant grind with no mental and physical breaks can often wear away at you, taking away from your productivity.  Longer hours don’t necessarily mean better work–especially if you’re overtired and overwhelmed. Enrich YourselfIn order to be a good employee, you need to be the best version of yourself. Allotted time for you to do nothing but rest and rejuvenate will amp up your energy. You’ll have the chance to spend quality time with loved ones, see new places, and hopefully even sleep in without setting an alarm clock. When you return to your workplace, you’ll be relaxed and ready to take on projects that might have previously seemed overwhelming.Enrich Your CompanyCompanies want well-rounded workers who are happy, energetic, and able to attack work with creativity. Managers know t hat when employees are happy and in good health, they take fewer sick days and give 100% of themselves on a daily basis. Vacation time is built into most contracts for a reason–you deserve a break from all the hard work you put in.If you’re allotted vacation time, you should take it–you and your company will both reap benefits from your time away.

Describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies used by the Essay - 4

Describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies used by the Government and Central Bank of China over the last two years - Essay Example Monetary policy involves regulating the money supply and interest rates by a central bank with the aim of controlling and stabilising the currency (He and Chen, 2014). Over the last two years, china’s macroeconomic policies aim at containing inflation to 4% eventually, to contain real estate by bringing prices of houses down, to maintain a decent growth rate of about 8 to 9% and to preserve the value of China’s foreign assets (He and Chen, 2014). This essay discusses the monetary and fiscal policy as used by the government and Central Bank of China. China has used a proactive fiscal policy over the last two years. A proactive fiscal policy is a moderately expansionary policy, which creates demand and triggers economic growth by growing domestic demand (Zhang, Fan and Haan, 2010). The policy has over the period aimed at ensuring the steady growth of China’s economy, making proper adjustments to its economic structure, promoting reforms and benefiting its people. That said, the policy continues to try to maintain balance between enhancing economic growth, keeping prices stable and protection against financial risks. Unfortunately, China’s economy risks being stalled. This was seen in 2014 where the annual GDP growth hit a low of 7.4% (see figure 1), the lowest rate since 1990 (Wei, 2015). However, as many economic policy enthusiasts believe, continued use of moderately expansionary policy will generate positive results on China’s economic growth in the midst of slow export growth. The expansionary policy is aimed at spending to generate income. Build-up of development and infrastructure needs and vast fiscal resources have made China channel immense spending into the economy. China has in recent years has relied on its large population to provide the required demand for their products to generate the required income. Government expenditure has, however, been seen to mainly lie in the areas of education, healthcare and other social expenditures (Jia,

Environmental issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Environmental issue - Essay Example These inventions have resulted to overexploitation of the environment leading it to degrade at a great speed, posing environmental discomfort. One of the most common issues of the environment include those which are related to climatic changes which are experienced by different people within their different environment. Climatic changes have contributed to unnecessary stress on the environment while people seek to establish themselves in their areas of residence. In view of this, governments have been forced to look for means and ways to minimise environmental degradation and in the USA and other developed nations this dates back to 1970 when environmental states were created (Pisupati, 2008 p12). In analysing the problem of the environment, there are several perspectives that can be used and in our case, we will use the administrative rationalism versus market based perspectives. When the economy is left to be controlled by the free forces of the market it is bound to collapse as wi th the great depression that lasted from 1929 to 1943, and with the market environmental degradation is bound to happen since environment is viewed as a common good hence the idea of â€Å"tragedy of the commons† come along (Robb, & Colorado General Assembly, 2009). Administrative rationalism

Business Operations and Human Resource Management Essay

Business Operations and Human Resource Management - Essay Example The decision of whether any specific condition is considered a disability is actually made case by case. Certain definite conditions are omitted as disabilities, such as visual impairment which can be corrected as well as substance abuse. ADA 1990 can be divided into five main titles: 1. Employment: Corporations must offer rational accommodations to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities in all facets of employment. Likely changes may include rearrangement of jobs, altering the design of workstations, or adjusting equipment. Employment features may comprise of the application procedure, appointment, earnings, assistances, and all other aspects of occupation. 2. Public Services: Public services, which comprise national and resident government instrumentalities, cannot deny facilities to people with incapacities participation in programs or activities which are used by people without disabilities. In accumulation to that, public transportation systems must be completely avai lable to persons with disabilities. 3. Public Accommodations: Original building and modifications must be available as well as reachable to persons with incapacities. For prevailing services, hurdles to services must be abolished if voluntarily attainable. Public accommodations may comprise of services such as restaurants, retail stores as well as grocery stores. 4. Telecommunications: Telecommunications corporations offering telephone service to the general public must have telephone transmit service to persons who use telecommunication plans for the deafened or comparable devices. 5. Miscellaneous: This comprises a provision elimination (1) forcing or intimidating or (2) reacting against the incapacitated or those trying to help people with disabilities in declaring their rights under the decree of ADA. (Lawton, 1990) The ADA Standards for accessible design relating to businesses apply to all profit-making conveniences. This actually means that buildings as well as facilities must follow the plans regardless of whether they are kept by government organizations or private industries. Some examples of government activities that must stand by these values include governments, transportation establishments, and many other agencies that are functional in a building or facility. Private productions that are essential to follow the ethics would include hotels, retailers as well as fast-food chains. The ADA Standards for accessible design have implications for all business organizations. However, the time of life and worth of a facility may define which standards relate. All new constructions must follow to the whole set of values. In addition to that, variations or add-ons to present buildings must also fulfil the lowest standards. However, if a business that has been selected operates in a facility deemed as "historic" by the Federal, State, a varied type of the criterions may apply to guarantee that the historic nature of the construction is not damaged due to AD A design changes. The ADA also specifies very precise principles for building construction. It outlines certain "available routes" that can be defined as tracks through which disabled people with or without wheelchairs can travel without meeting any blockades - and sets rules for their erection. Procedures for the creation of certain function-specific rooms like lavatories as well as dressing rooms are delivered. Stairs

Xipe Totec from Aztec culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Xipe Totec from Aztec culture - Research Paper Example Holistic religion remains the base for the Aztec culture. The Aztec worshiped a collection of gods each of which had a beneficial side and also a detrimental side to the community. The Aztec rulers were seen as intermediaries between the people and the gods. They were held with such high regard that upon their death they would be buried in magnificent tombs which were filled with offerings and gifts. The Aztec belief of life after death is one that is rather captivating. It was believed that after death the people were taken to the underworld which was characterized by sinister objects and sinister gods. It was characterized by the jaguar which was believed to be the god of the night. There are certain elements of the religion, which will be examined further for the purpose of getting more understanding. The Xipe Totec is in focus here. This is one of the many deities, which existed, in the religious life of the Aztec people. This particular deity was in relation to the aspects of li fe and death. The Aztec people believed that it was this particular deity that was responsible for giving the people of the community and the general humanity food. It is also of the essence to note that there are quite a number of things, which this particular deity is credited. An example in this case is that it was this deity that was the inventor of wars that existed in the world. It is also to be noted that the Aztec placed a lot of belief in some of the things that surrounded the religion of the community. ... An example in this case is that it was this deity that was the inventor of wars that existed in the world. It is also to be noted that the Aztec placed a lot of belief in some of the things that surrounded the religion of the community. An example in this case is to do with the skin, which covered the Xipe Totec. In this case, it is put that the skin was perceived to have some curative properties. For example, if a sick person touched it, he or she was believed to be cured in the process. There are also a lot of things which the people in the community could undertake for the purpose of appeasing this deity. An example here is in relation to human sacrifice, which was something that was rather prevalent in the community. One of the ways through the aspect of human sacrifice was realized in the community was through the arrow sacrifice. What happened here is that the person who was going to be sacrificed was shot with many arrows while his body was placed near the deity. This was so t hat his or her blood could spill on the ground near the Xipe Totec. The Aztec offered blood to the gods but not necessarily through death. What they did however, is engage in activities that brought pain to the body for example piercing themselves with sharp objects or mutilating their bodies. At important ceremonies the sacrificed victim’s heart was burned in order to nourish the gods. This was majorly through human sacrifice. Human sacrifice was considered important as it encourages fertility and demonstrated piety. The Aztec offered blood to the gods but not necessarily through death. What they did however, is engage in activities that brought pain to the body for example piercing themselves with sharp objects

Management Practice Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Practice - Coursework Example Gaurav Agrawal is having a master's degree in Microbiology and also he is Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Operation Management. General Manager joined this company when the economic condition of the company was not good. And the business is limited to United States only. Soon after joining General Manager called a meeting of its staff members and asked them to participate in suggestion schemes. These suggestion schemes are open to each & every employee of the organization. In the suggestion scheme, employees are invited to give their suggestion for improving the working condition of the organization. The employee who has given the best suggestion was rewarded by General Manager. These suggestion schemes are very helpful in improving the working environment of the organization. With the improvement with the suggestion scheme General Manager got the confidence of the staff members. Implementation of suggestion also helped in motivation of the employee in the organization. As the employees get motivated there is a sudden increase in the production yield. Also due to the motivation, all the production processes are completed in time. General Manager shares all the information to his staff members and also involves them in making a decision on a particul ar Project. If we see our future as a General Manager of the same organization then we need to understand & learn about the management skills from the existing General Manager. We need to know the "How General Manager is able to manage different kinds of situations". These all information can be found by discussing the different situations at different time interval with General Manager. Interview is the most common method for getting the information about a general manager. Interviewing General Manager: While interviewing General Manager it is necessary to draft the questionnaire before interview. The questionnaire helps you to ask the relevant question only. It helps in asking all the questions, so that no question will be left. The question should be prepared in such way, so that more & important information can be gathered. In the above case our objective is to get the following information related to General Manager: Personality and the manager's core values. Philosophy about work and management Leadership and mentoring of people Organizational Goals and objectives Social responsibility and company culture Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Diversity IT, Internet, and Globalization. 1) Questions Related to Manager's Personality and Core Value: ME: Sir, Please let me know about your background. What did you do before Erth Ophthalmic Inc. GM: I have been at Erth Ophthalmic Inc. from last 14 years. Before this I was the Assistant General Manager for Sema Technology Inc. in New York. I was responsible for expanding its business in other countries, looking after working environment of the company, sales, marketing and services. Prior to that I was the Quality Manager for Sai Visison Care Inc. and looked after all the quality issues and customer satisfaction. ME: Sir, Please let me know about main vision associated with the organization. GM: The Company needs to focus on their employee satisfaction and the customer satisfaction. These are two major areas which are of major concern in an organization. Employee's satisfaction increases productivity and therefore makes a direct impact on customer satisfac

Advertisement and marketing communication Essay

Advertisement and marketing communication - Essay Example The new economy has brought success to e-bay and other organizations that use technology to apply marketing concepts like customer focus, good value, quality service and efficient exchange mechanisms for satisfying customer needs and wants. Basically marketing deals with identifying and meeting human and social needs. One of the shortest definitions of marketing is "meeting needs profitably (Kotler, 2003). Whether the marketer is Procter & Gamble, which created crest white strips in response to people's desire for whiter teeth; or Monster.com, which developed an online resume databank so job-hunters and employers can find each other more efficiently; or CarMax which invented a new way to sell used cars because people want more certainly when buying such vehicles, all illustrate a drive to turn a private or social need into a profitable business opportunity. Companies must carefully monitor their customers and competitors, continuously improve their value offerings, carefully define t he target market and value proposition, and take a long term view to satisfy customers, stockholders, employees, suppliers and channel partners. Modern marketing calls for more than developing a good product, pricing it attractively, and making it accessible. Companies must also communicate with present and potential stakeholders as well as general public. For companies it is not important to communicate but rather what to say, to whom and how often. The marketing communication mix consists of advertising, sales promotion, public relations and publicity, personal selling and direct marketing (Kolter, 1997). Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, good or service by an identified sponsor. Ads are a cost effective way to disseminate message, whether to build brand preference. In developing an advertisement programme, marketing mangers start by identifying the target market and buyer motives. Then they make 5 critical decisions known as five M's i.e. Mission (objectives) Money, Message, Media & Measurement. An advertising objective is a specifics communication task and achievement level to the accomplished with a specific audience in a specific period. Advertising objectives can be classified according to whether their aim is to inform, persuade, remind or reinforce. The international charity recruiting business school playing the major role through providing students who are voluntarily help small business to grow in the developing market. We are required to show in the advertisement that it conveys goodwill and image of the organization. So this advertisement could be categorized as institutional advertisements, which advocates its act and show its pioneer work. To develop an effective advertisement one has to identify the target audience. Here we have an organization, which has some genuine motives. Our target audience is the people, who are young, willing to be the part of society and work for the betterment of the society, people and organizations. So seeing the target audience of the advertisement we selected red color, which, depicts vibrant, energetic and highly self-motivated nature of youth and this color attracts people immediately. Here picture is showing the two basic domain of people or society that is haves and have-nots. There is a path, which is very difficult, but it can take the people from the category of have-nots towards who have. In between the path there are lots of roadblocks and potholes, which makes journey very difficult but our business school graduates have the capacity to make the transition mu ch easier and he/she is right there to help voluntarily. Specifying the objective of the message plays a crucial role in deciding the nature. Simple and humorous massages which could be able to convey the message effectively will play the trick. It's an advertisement about voluntary service so it must contain some motivating message, which could easily attract

Management Practice Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Practice - Coursework Example Gaurav Agrawal is having a master's degree in Microbiology and also he is Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Operation Management. General Manager joined this company when the economic condition of the company was not good. And the business is limited to United States only. Soon after joining General Manager called a meeting of its staff members and asked them to participate in suggestion schemes. These suggestion schemes are open to each & every employee of the organization. In the suggestion scheme, employees are invited to give their suggestion for improving the working condition of the organization. The employee who has given the best suggestion was rewarded by General Manager. These suggestion schemes are very helpful in improving the working environment of the organization. With the improvement with the suggestion scheme General Manager got the confidence of the staff members. Implementation of suggestion also helped in motivation of the employee in the organization. As the employees get motivated there is a sudden increase in the production yield. Also due to the motivation, all the production processes are completed in time. General Manager shares all the information to his staff members and also involves them in making a decision on a particul ar Project. If we see our future as a General Manager of the same organization then we need to understand & learn about the management skills from the existing General Manager. We need to know the "How General Manager is able to manage different kinds of situations". These all information can be found by discussing the different situations at different time interval with General Manager. Interview is the most common method for getting the information about a general manager. Interviewing General Manager: While interviewing General Manager it is necessary to draft the questionnaire before interview. The questionnaire helps you to ask the relevant question only. It helps in asking all the questions, so that no question will be left. The question should be prepared in such way, so that more & important information can be gathered. In the above case our objective is to get the following information related to General Manager: Personality and the manager's core values. Philosophy about work and management Leadership and mentoring of people Organizational Goals and objectives Social responsibility and company culture Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Diversity IT, Internet, and Globalization. 1) Questions Related to Manager's Personality and Core Value: ME: Sir, Please let me know about your background. What did you do before Erth Ophthalmic Inc. GM: I have been at Erth Ophthalmic Inc. from last 14 years. Before this I was the Assistant General Manager for Sema Technology Inc. in New York. I was responsible for expanding its business in other countries, looking after working environment of the company, sales, marketing and services. Prior to that I was the Quality Manager for Sai Visison Care Inc. and looked after all the quality issues and customer satisfaction. ME: Sir, Please let me know about main vision associated with the organization. GM: The Company needs to focus on their employee satisfaction and the customer satisfaction. These are two major areas which are of major concern in an organization. Employee's satisfaction increases productivity and therefore makes a direct impact on customer satisfac

Structure and symbolism in The Lottery Essay Example for Free

Structure and symbolism in The Lottery Essay In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson relates an unusual story concerning an old ritual within the setting of a small American village. Reading for the first time, most readers will be tremendously shocked by the ending: with an idyllic village atmosphere settled down at the beginning part, the cruel and outrageous ending comes all too suddenly and out of expectation. However, a careful examination can reveal that the shock is not sudden at all; The Lottery actually fuses two stories and themes into one fictional vehicle: the overt, easily discovered story appears in the literal facts, producing an immediate, emotional impact; whereas in the second story which lies beneath the first, the authors careful structure and consistent symbolism work to develop gradually the shock and to present a profound theme: Man is not at the mercy of savagery; he is the victim of unexamined and unchanging traditions which he may easily change if he only realizes their implications. The symbolic overtones which develop in the second story can be sensed as early as the fourth word of the story when the date of June 27th alerts us to the season of summer solstice with all its overtones of ancient ritual (The ancient rituals were traditionally held in summer solstice so as to ask for harvest of autumn. ) Carefully the scene is set-The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of the full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The children newly freed from school play boisterously, rolling in the dust. But, ominously, Bobby Martin has already stuffed his pockets with stones and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix follow his example, eventually making a great pile of stones in the corner which they guard from the raids of other boys. Thus by the end of just two paragraphs, the author has carefully indicated the season, time of ancient ritual of sacrifice; and the stones, most ancient of sacrifice weapons. Then The men began to gather, talking of the planting and rain-the central issues of the ancient propitiatory rites, and tractors and taxes-those modern additions to the concerns of man. The men are quieter, more aware, and the patriarchal order, the oldest social group of man, is quickly evidenced as women join their husband and call their children to them. When Bobby Martin tries to leaves the group runs laughing to the stones, he is sharply rebuffed by his serious father, who knows that this is no game. All these descriptions clearly show that this is more than the surface idyllic small town life, the symbolic undercurrents prepare us to be drawn step by step towards the ultimate, where everything will fuse.

As A Leader Indra Nooyi Management Essay

As A Leader Indra Nooyi Management Essay India, located in the south Asia, is one of the most religiously diverse nations with a long history in the world. There are more than 80.4% of the people who are Hinduism. In Hinduism, the religion plays a central and definitive role in the life of people. And that is a typical Asian country, it represents the eastern wisdom. But have you ever imagined that what would happen to a person if such eastern wisdom came across the western culture? Here is a story about a 23 years old Indian woman who went to America to pursue her America Dream. As a traditional Hinduism, she should have gotten married when she was over 18, but she chose to go to university. She should have stayed in India and gotten married while she graduated, but she determined to go to America to pursue her dream. And today, 30 years later, that Indian woman becomes the CEO of the PepsiCo, one of the world largest soda and snacks companies; she is also named the third most powerful women in the world and the first most powerful women in the business world; what is more, she is also a good wife, a mother of two lovely daughters. And her mane is Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi. She is a successful example of Asian-American, of Hinduism, of women. In this paper, I will first give a brief introduction about her background and her career, and then I will analyze her outstanding leadership traits and leadership behaviors. And at last I will discuss a very interesting assumption that if she was working in hospitality industry, what would happen ¼Ã… ¸ 2. Snapshots of Indra K. Nooyi 2.1. Family It was 54 years ago that Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi (Oct. 28, 1955~) was born into a Tamil family in the Brahman community of Madras, a seaport in south Indian. Besides herself, there are five members within her early family, her grandfather, father, mother, and her elder sister and a little brother. Her family was part of Indians middle class; her grandfather used to be a district judge, her father is a bank official. Not like common Indian families that seldom send their girls to go to school, Nooyis family is much more open minded than the others, both Nooyi and her sister all received good educations. The interesting thing in Nooyis family is that father is the only role to gain money for the family while mother has the whole responsibility to bring up the two daughters. Nooyi once said on YANG LAN ONE ON ONE, my mother always wanted to be somebody, but she never had the opportunity, and she was even not allowed to enter the university because she had to get married. So she left her dreams to her daughters. Just like what Nooyi said, her mother allowed Nooyi to do whatever she wanted to do, and also trained her to speak on political and social subjects every day after dinner. All she did is just to make Nooyi understand that why not to get married, have a family, have a kid, while have a dream. And this helped Nooyi a lot not only for her career but also for her life. So what about her current family? Indra Nooyi now is an American citizen. She got married with Raj Nooyi, a management consultant, and has two daughters, one is 25 and the other is 15. The Nooyis now are living in Fairfax County, Connecticut. 2.2. Education Like a typical Tamil family in India, the whole families are Hinduism. Nooyi, a devout Hindu, attended Madras Christian College majoring in chemistry and graduated with a bachelors degree in1976. After that, she went to the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta to finish her two years master degree in business administration, majoring in finance and marketing. In 1978, after Indra Nooyi graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, she took her first job as a product manager with a Mettur Beardsell, a textile company. Sooner she changed her job and became the product manager of Johnson Johnson, a personal care products maker. While she was working in this Amercian-based company, she was attracted by the American management style, so she planned to apply for her second master degree in America. And she successfully applied for the admission of Yale University of Management with financial aid. Despite societal pressures that every Indian girl when she is over 18 should get married, Indra Nooyi who was already 23 persisted in her decision and finally got the permit from her parents. With the risk to be an unmarriageable commodity, she went alone to America to pursue her dream. 2.3. Career At the year 1980, Nooyi got her master degree of public and private management from Yale University, Nooyi started her career at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and she worked as a director of its international corporate strategy projects. And this is the beginning of her professional managers career. Then she left there to Motorola, an electronics maker in 1986, her outstanding talent and strategic-looking made her quickly become the vice president and director of corporate strategy and planning there in 1988. In 1990 Nooyi accepted the invitation from the Asea Brown Boveri, a power plant construction and related equipments maker. She worked as the senior vice president and director of corporate strategy and strategic marketing. After she joined ABB, she restructured the company and helped it find its direction in North America. And this made her being regarded as a shinning star in management by the year 1994. In 1994 both Jack Welch, the head of General Electric and Wayne Calloway, the CEO of PepsiCo offered her a job. Nooyi accepted Calloways invitation, and became the chef strategist of the PepsiCo. After Nooyi joined the PepsiCo, she helped the company finish its revolutionary reshape project. That is to divest its restaurant group in 1997, such as KFC and Pizza Hut in order to focus on two other product groups: soda and snacks. And then it purchased Tropicana juice producer in 1998, tow years later it acquired Quaker Oats, one of the biggest breakfast food company in America. And later, her negotiation skills and her favor in acquiring also helped the PepsiCo acquire SoBe, an edgy beverage maker. At last, the PepsiCo successfully turned into a much healthier and greener company. The ROI that PepsiCo posted in 2000 also showed that it not only covered the past restaurant part but also reached the highest point during the past 10 years. It was obvious that the PepsiCo started to go in the right direction after Nooyi arrived, so Nooyi was promoted to be the named president and CFO in 2001. After Nooyi became the named president and CFO, she speeded up the restructuring process and the development of international market. From 2001 to 2006, the PepsiCos annul revenue increased from $24 billion to $33 billion. And in 2006, the PepsiCos total market in America historically ran over the Coca-Colas. All of these achievements were all related to the Nooyis effort, so it was no surprise that Nooyi was named the fifth CEO on August 14, 2006. In 2007, Indra Nooyi became the fifth CEO and also the first female CEO in PepsiCo till now. And by the year 2009, Nooyi has been named three times the Americans top 50 women to watch by Wall Street Journal, the world top 100 most influential people according to the Time, and recently was named the third most powerful woman in the world in 2009 by the Forbes. 3. Leadership Traits As a leader, Indra Nooyi has the common leadership traits a good leader should have, such as energy, self-confidence, and sociability. But as a great leader and as a female leader of a company with 198,000 employees, she should have much more than that. So what is the difference? 3.1. Ethical Forward-Looking Efficient water and energy use has obvious paybacks, but what I need is more than that, I need a healthy consumer out there and a better environment around him. And the only way I can do that is sustainability. Indra Nooyi Forward-looking is one common leadership trait, it means a person has a strong vision of the future, or we can say that a person who can help the company make more money in the future has such leadership trait. And what about ethical forward-looking, it means a leader should also take the ethical issues, such as environment, resources, and health into consideration while planning the future strategy. For most leaders, they wont do that, because it may decrease the profit and may also slow down the developing speed, and these are all the achievements to reflect a leaders performance. So it is a fool to do that as a leader, but Indra Nooyi is just such a fool. As I mentioned before, Nooyi is a typical Hinduism. The philosophy of Hinduism emphasizes on the balance of each interest aspect. For example, while making more profit, factories should also care about the environment, food producers should also care about customers personal health. And this philosophy has already become a part of Nooyis philosophy. In 1990 when Nooyi joined the Asea Brown Boveri, a power plant construction and related equipments maker, she pointed out that the company should develop green. And she took a series of actions, such as built a new water recycling system. At first, this action took a lot of money, but latter it helped save 1/3 of the water cost annually. And also in the PepsiCo, Nooyi advocates the stomach and intestine cleanliness; she also announced that her vision for the company is performance with purpose. It means the sustainability on multiple levels: human, talent and environment. And that is why after devised its fast food brands, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, the PepsiCo acquired three other healthy food and beverage companies. And that is why Nooyi invested more than $ 1 billion to develop its potato farms in the half-desert areas of China, such as Inner Mongolia. And then come to the part what we are most interested in: did these actions decrease the companys profit or slow down its development? The answer is no. First, the PepsiCo used a special potato breed that can grow well in such area with a high productivity and quality, so it actually decreased the cost of main ingredient. And also as we know that China is a central powered country, anyone who wants to run a business, he has to build a good relationship with the g overnment. And because the Chinese government spoke highly of the PepsiCos such behaviors, it did a great favor for the development of PepsiCo in China. 3.2. Outstanding Negotiation Skill The second difference is that Nooyi is a tough negotiator. Nowadays the negotiation skill has become a more and more popular leadership trait, it is a trait related closely with many other kinds of leadership traits, such as self-confidence, fluency of speech, creativity, and sociability. But we cannot say a person who has these leadership traits would also have a good negotiation skill. So there are only fewer leaders have such negotiation skill. And the reasons why I am so sure that Nooyi is such an outstanding negotiator are all proved in her achievements. The first is that Nooyi helped the PepsiCo purchase the Tropicana Company for $3.3 billion from the Seagram Company in 1998. Tropicana is the biggest orange juice company in America that time, while the PepsiCo was not a top company with its beverage markets no more than 25%. Nooyi knew that the last years stock sale of the Tropicana was $2 billion and this year the Seagram Company announced $4.1 billion for selling it. This news attracted several great companies, including Coca-Cola. But at last, the Tropicana was acquired for $0.8 billion decrease by the PepsiCo. And Indra Nooyi was the chef dealmaker of that acquisition. Before the bidding, she communicated with the former Tropicana president Ellen Marram, who has the dream to build the Tropicana a customer oriented great company. So Nooyi shared her stomach and intestine cleanliness and grow green plans with her, and also they talked a lot about the religion and some health issues and environment issues. After that communication, Ellen Marram and Nooyi together had a dinner with current president Mr. Rodkin. And then, Nooyi herself communicated with Rodkin, who really wants to make some achievements to consolidate his position. Nooyi showed her opinion that the selling price was too optimistic, because the recent hurricane damaged its market value and the stock price would keep on lower. And then they together came to a proper way of acquisition. Two weeks later, the Seagram Company announced the success of selling Tropicana to PepsiCo for $3.3 billion. Nooyi also helped the PepsiCo acquired the No. 1 breakfast food company Quaker Oats for $14 billion, and this became one of the amazing business story that small fish eats big fish. After that, PepsiCo purchased the edgy beverage maker SoBe for $337 million and this price beat the one submitted by Coca-Cola again. And recently, there comes out the big bang news that the PepsiCo is planning to acquire the Nestle Company, the Swedish largest company. And Nooyi showed her attitude towards it that everything can be possible in some proper situations. In these negotiations, Nooyi first prepared all the useful information and then grasped the interest of the other side quickly. She controlled the whole process of the negotiation, and others are all infected by her self-confidence, her passion speech, her motivation to achieve, and her leaders temperament. This leadership trait helps make Nooyi a great capable leader. 3.3. Strategic Intuitiveness Rapid changes in current world combined with information overload result in an inability to know everything. In other words, logic and reasoning will not make you pass all the situations. And the fact is that more and more leaders are learning to the value of using their intuition and believing their own instincts when they are making some decisions. And so it is with Nooyi. It is the the first year that Nooyi joined PepsiCo, the companys restaurant chains suffered stagnancy problems. Then the management team including Nooyi got together to find out a good solution. During these days, Nooyi worked seven days a week, and at one day, Nooyi suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and wrote down different versions of the company on a paper, and later she summarized a method that is to spin off the fast food restaurant chins. Because the method mostly came from her intuition, when she explained this method to the management team, the most words she used were I think, I believe, and I suppose. But she insisted on her intuition all the way. She believed the best way for PepsiCo is to become a pure healthy packaged and bottled Food and Beverage Company, while the fast food restaurant is in the different area. So she suggested that the PepsiCo should only focus on one area. Her suggestion was crazy and full of risk, and no one could make sure whether it was a right decision. After several months discussion, the company finally accepted Nooyis decision. After the PepsiCo divested its restaurant chains, most analysts argued that it was a negative decision. But five years later, the PepsiCo successfully increased its annual revenue from $24 billion to $33 billion, and ran over the market leader Coca-Cola. This decision which is mostly coming form the intuition of Nooyi successfully pointed out the right direction and changed the destiny of the PepsiCo. And as we know in the business world, not all the decisions are well-founded; sometimes the leaders have to believe their intuitions. Since Indra Nooyi has such strong strategic intuition, she can be a much greater leader than the others. 4. Leadership Behaviors 4.1. Supportive Leadership Behavior Indra Nooyi is a very kind and considerate leader, some one says it is partly because she is a woman, and some one thinks it is because the Asian culture and her religion. Well, reasons are not important, and the only result is that they all contribute to her supportive leadership behaviors. Balance is the key word when Indra Nooyi is making a decision; she thinks the balance in making a decision should cover not only the profit of the company, but also the profit of its staff. Because she believes that if a company can not satisfy its employees, how can it be possible to satisfy the customers? Since the customers are not satisfied, the company is hard to make more money as return. So she always showed her concern for her followers needs and took them into the consideration for the companys development. And she announced every management decision or plan to her employees immediately. Balance is also the principle for Indra Nooyi to manage a company; what I mean is that she treats all the employees equally. The current survey shows that after Indra Nooyi became the PepsiCos CEO, the percentage of female group and international group in management team has been increased. Indra Nooyi believes that it is not the simplex but the diversity that can reach the balance. So she set the policies to open the doors to every potential talent regardless of their sex, their age, their religions, and their nations. Her honest trust and respect for her followers keeps on inspiring them, and also keep on creating more and more loyal followers. 4.2. Charismatic Leadership Behavior Can you believe that in a white dominated country and a man dominated business world, a female Indian Hindu can lead the world largest Food and Beverage Company. In my opinion, only if she is a charismatic leader. Indra Nooyi has her unique charisma; her story between Michael D. White, chief executive officer of PepsiCo International and vice chairman of PepsiCo, is very popular in the company. In the year 2006, Nooyi was named the next CEO and White was her competitor. Michael D. White is a competent controller and a capable operator, and that is why he is one of the backbones of the company. So the first day when Nooyi became the CEO, the first thing for her is to buy a ticket and fly to the Cape Cod. When Nooyi arrived at Cape Cod, White had already been there waiting for her. Nooyi lived in Whites house for two days, during this period they played music together and ate ice-cream together, and at last Nooyi expressed to White honestly, tell me what I can do to keep you, I can make it. What is more, Nooyis friends, the second, third and forth former CEOs also came to help her keep him. Her honesty and words moved White, and finally keep that capable person. As a CEO, Indra Nooyi can do all of these for her past competitor and became friends, this was never happened in the history of PepsiCo and also seldom happened in the business world. So this story has become a popular topic within the company, and all the staffs really respect Nooyi, and believe that Indra Nooyi is a great leader, and she could lead the company to the success. Indra Nooyi never made them disappointed, she pointed out the right direction for the PepsiCo at the first year, and made it run over the market leader, Coca-Cola at the fifth year, and she also helped the company survive from the economic crisis this year. All the achievements prove that only Nooyi can be the leader of the PepsiCo. And also as a leader, Indra Nooyi is tough on herself and she always raises the standard for everybody; however, she is very caring because she wants people to excel at what they are doing so that they can aspire to be her in the future. And last year, Indra Nooyi was named the top 50 popular leaders in America that people want to follow, and PepsiCo was also named the third company that people want to work for. So generally speaking, Indra Nooyi is a good charismatic leader. 5. Nooyi in hospitality industry After analyzing the leadership traits and behaviors of Indra Nooyi, I come up with an interesting idea, that is, if Nooyi was the general manager of a hotel, what would happen? First, she can turn down the high turn over rate. The turn over rate in hospitality industry is much higher than the others. And the main reason for staffs to leave is that they are not satisfied. And as I mentioned before, balance is the key point of Indra Nooyis philosophy. She would show her concerns to the followers first, and take the followers needs into consideration while making plan and decision. She also treats every one equally; no matter a staff is a minority or a woman, if he or she has the ability, Nooyi would offer a chance. And these can definitely satisfy the followers, and the turn over rate would be decreased also. Second, she can help build good reputation for the hotel while making more profit. In her mind, the profit, the customer, and the environment are in the same position. So besides the profit, Nooyi would also focus on the customers needs and health, for example, she would never let a junk food dish on the menu. All the food should be at a higher quality with nutrition, and this would definitely price higher. And also the environment, like what she did in ABB, she can also develop or buy a new water system for hotel and set the policy for staffs to use electricity more efficiently. It is not only good to the environment but also saves the money for the water and electricity use. All of these would of course draw attentions from the media and public, and it would help build a good reputation for hotel while the hotel is actually making more and more profit. Third, she can build good relationships with the government, the investors, and some big company customers. Because of her outstanding negotiation skills, it is much easier for her to develop the good relationships with these VIPs to the hotel. Since hotel has a good relationship with government, the government may do a great favor to the hotel, such as tax and reputation. And also if the hotel has a lot of contracts with some big companies, these companies would hold their meetings and celebrations all in her hotel and this can in turn help increase the hotels occupancy rate, and some other revenues, such as banquet and FB. Indra Nooyi is an excellent professional manager, so the different kinds of industries are not the limitations to her. She can manage a personal health products company well, a power plant well, a soda and snack maker well, and also it is not a problem for her to manage a hotel well. 6. Conclusion When traditional Indian philosophy meets with modern American thoughtway, when Hinduism comes across Christianism, first are the conflicts, but sooner they will consist with each other and create a legend. Indra Nooyi is just that guy. She always goes to the CEOs office wearing her traditional Indian sari. But comparing with traditional Indian women, it is hardly to connect Nooyi with the characters, such as effeminate and shy. Nooyi is such self-confidence, gentler woman with passion and always speaks fast because she thinks faster. She is just like most excellent American leaders. She also proves to the world that even it is the man that wrote down the rules long ago, and these rules are still the standards dominating the current business world, women can still make success with their talents and unique charm. From this period of study on her, I learnt a lot. And comparing with all the excellent leaders as far as I know in the world, her leadership traits and behaviors impress me most. Even though my career is hospitality, there are still a lot of things I can learn from her. And I think it is very necessary and good for us to learn something from these great leaders. Then we can apply them into our career to accomplish our dreams and to develop the hospitality industry in China.

rediscovered :: essays research papers

â€Å"Heartland† places the audience almost a hundred years back in time, a technique that not only captivates ones mind, but also allows for the unique opportunity to witness first hand history being re-told. Richard Pearce the director of â€Å"Heartland† saw a chance within this film to white out previous interpretations of American homesteading; Pearce paints a radically new picture, which may more accurately reflect the truth behind homesteaders. The inspirations behind Pearce’s documentary â€Å"Heartland† were the personal journals of Elinore Pruitt Stewart. Stewart’s journals were published in 1914 in the form of a diary titled â€Å"Letters of a Women Homesteader† these enriched historical documents were used by Pearce in such a way that neither Stewart nor anybody else would have ever suspected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heartland first and foremost is a story of survival. Clyde Stewart and Elinore Randall Stewart are followed through their daily life by Pearce, their struggles embody American homesteaders across the west and their own efforts to survive in the extreme cultural and climatic conditions they all faced. Scarcity of life in all forms is a theme that is driven hard throughout Pearce’s film. The absence of food, wood, water and life create an absence of hope among the homesteaders. For Pearce homesteading was a last resort, an opportunity in a world which opportunities are limited to succeed. The grind and grit of frontier life is truly captured through Pearce’s distinctive directorial approach. His exclusive approach allows for the viewer to be almost transported back in time witness first hand to the butcher of a live pig and many other daily frontier life chores. Pearce’s depiction of homesteading within his film â€Å"Heartland† contradic ts his main source in almost all facets, thus creating a whorl wind of controversy regarding Pearce’s intensions behind his film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elinore Pruitt Stewart describes life dramatically different from the one â€Å"Heartland† reveals. Pearce drew upon this distinction to refute prior beliefs and truths carried by the Letters of a Women Homesteader. The Letters describe nature as a bountiful playground rich with discovery and treasures. Stewart describes a situation within her journals in which she is caught in a compromising position â€Å" here I was thirty or forty miles from home, in the mountains were no one goes in the winter and were I knew the so got ten to fifteen feet deep†(Letters p.33). Stewart’s casual attitude about this situation she has found herself in, along with the fact she did survive when she discovered safe haven within a conveniently placed log cabin, directs the reader/ historical audience to draw upon false conclusions of the homesteading life.

Performance Management Reality Check Essay -- Business, Goals, Functi

How many of the 14 characteristics of an ideal system are present in the system you are evaluating? The Women's Resource Center at Southern Oregon University is currently using a performance management system that I believe has present all 14 characteristics. As a small organization doing work that is at many levels personal, our performance management system is one of the most highly held processes of our jobs. Our work at the Women's Resource Center calls for us to express ourselves, voice our opinions and beliefs, stand up and fight for change, and engage in our work emotionally. Due to the level at which we hold our jobs close to our hearts, evaluating our performance and gaining feedback on the work we are doing is extremely important not only for our management but also for the employees. Our individual goals must be aligned with organizational goals. As the goal of our work is to improve the lives of women and girls, our organization would not function if individual goals were anything other than that exactly. Our work is deeply rooted in the passion and motivation of the employees and volunteers involved regarding this goal. We are working as activists who are seeking and creating change and see no limits to the differences we can make personally in our community, region, and even globally. (Aguinis, 2009) The system is thorough as each employee is evaluated every school term and all major job responsibilities are included in the evaluation. There are three steps to the system. The first step is a self evaluation form that is filled out by the employee and acts as a tool for self-reflection. The second step is an informal evaluation with the staff manager. The final step is the formal evaluation with the coordinat... ... bad idea to have a process laid out. For our system to become more ideal we should develop a rating system that minimizes subjective aspects and does not rely so heavily of human judgement. We should also develop an appeals process that is formal in which employee that feel an error has been made may be able to challenge unjust decisions and correct errors. (Aguinis, 2009) I believe that the managers and the coordinator should work together to develop the appeals process and then bring the process to the staff to gather opinions, and feedback. I believe that the coordinator knows best how the process would be more efficient and effective but I would also want to hear from the staff to make sure the process makes sense and is accessible from their perspective. This is a process that really needs to work on both ends of the organization for it to be effective.

Monopoly, perfect competition and imperfect competition Essay

?Economists assume that there are a number of different buyers and sellers in the marketplace. This means that we have competition in the market, which allows price to change in response to changes in supply and demand. Furthermore, for almost every product there are substitutes, so if one product becomes too expensive, a buyer can choose a cheaper substitute instead. In a market with many buyers and sellers, both the consumer and the supplier have equal ability to influence price. In some industries, there are no substitutes and there is no competition. In a market that has only one or few suppliers of a good or service, the producer(s) can control price, meaning that a consumer does not have choice, cannot maximize his or her total utility and has have very little influence over the price of goods. A monopoly is a market structure in which there is only one producer/seller for a product. In other words, the single business is the industry. Entry into such a market is restricted due to high costs or other impediments, which may be economic, social or political. For instance, a government can create a monopoly over an industry that it wants to control, such as electricity. Another reason for the barriers against entry into a monopolistic industry is that oftentimes, one entity has the exclusive rights to a natural resource. For example, in Saudi Arabia the government has sole control over the oil industry. A monopoly may also form when a company has a copyright or patent that prevents others from entering the market. Pfizer, for instance, had a patent on Viagra. In an oligopoly, there are only a few firms that make up an industry. This select group of firms has control over the price and, like a monopoly, an oligopoly has high barriers to entry. The products that the oligopolistic firms produce are often nearly identical and, therefore, the companies, which are competing for market share, are interdependent as a result of market forces. Assume, for example, that an economy needs only 100 widgets. Company X produces 50 widgets and its competitor, Company Y, produces the other 50. The prices of the two brands will be interdependent and, therefore, similar. So, if Company X starts selling the widgets at a lower price, it will get a greater market share, thereby forcing Company Y to lower its prices as well. There are two extreme forms of market structure: monopoly and, its opposite, perfect competition. Perfect competition is characterized by many buyers and sellers, many products that are similar in nature and, as a result, many substitutes. Perfect competition means there are few, if any, barriers to entry for new companies, and prices are determined by supply and demand. Thus, producers in a perfectly competitive market are subject to the prices determined by the market and do not have any leverage. For example, in a perfectly competitive market, should a single firm decide to increase its selling price of a good, the consumers can just turn to the nearest competitor for a better price, causing any firm that increases its prices to lose market share and profits. Perfect competition is the market in which there is a large number of buyers and sellers. The goods sold in this market are identical. A single price prevails in the market. On the other hand monopoly is a type of imperfect market. The number of sellers is one but the number of buyers is many. A monopolist is a price-maker. In fact monopoly is the opposite of perfect competition. Firm under perfect competition and the firm under monopoly are similar as the aim of both the seller is to maximise profit and to minimise loss. The equilibrium position followed by both the monopoly and perfect competition is MR = MC. Despite there similarities, these two forms of market organization differ from each other in respect of price-cost-output. There are many points of difference which are noted below. (1) Under perfect competition there are a large number of buyers and sellers in the market competing with each other. The price fixed by the industry is accepted by all the firms operating in the market. As against this under monopoly, there is only one single seller but a large number of buyers. The distinction between, firm and industry disappears under this type of market situation. (2) The average revenue curves under competition and monopoly take different shapes. The average revenue (price) curve under perfect competition is a horizontal straight line parallel to OX-axis. The industry demand curve or revenue curve slopes downward from left to right. But under monopoly the firm is itself the industry. There is only one demand curve common both to the monopoly firm and monopoly firm and monopoly industry. The average revenue curve under monopoly slopes downward and its corresponding marginal revenue curve lie below the average revenue curve. Under perfect competition MR Curve is the same as AR Curve. (3) Under perfect competition price equals marginal cost at the equilibrium output, but under monopoly equilibrium price is greater than marginal cost. Under perfect competition marginal revenue is the same as average revenue at all levels of output. Thus at the equilibrium position under perfect competition marginal cost not only equals marginal revenue but also average revenue. On the other hand under monopoly both the AR and MR curve slope downward and MR curve lies below AR curve. Thus average revenue is greater than marginal revenue at all levels of output. Hence at the equilibrium output of the monopolist price stands higher than marginal cost. Under competition price MR=MC. In monopoly equilibrium, price > MC. (4) A competitive firm makes only normal profit in the long run. As against this a monopolist can make super normal profits even in the long run. In perfectly competitive market there is freedom pf entry and exit. Attracted by the supernormal profit earned by the existing firms the new competitive firms enter the market to compete away the supernormal profit. Output rises and profit becomes minimum. Thus in the long run a competitive firm earns only normal profit. But under monopoly the firm continues earning supernormal profits even in the long run since there are strong barriers to the entry of new firms in the monopolistic industry. (5) Under monopoly price is higher and output smaller than under perfect competition. Price output equilibrium is graphically shown in the diagram given below. AR = MR curve is the demand curve under perfect competition which is horizontal straight line. The downward sloping AR and MR curve are the average revenue and marginal revenue curves under monopoly. At equilibrium point E (MR = MC) a competitive firm produces ‘OM’ output at OP market price. At point F a monopoly firm attains equilibrium producing OM, output at OP, price. OP competitive price is less than OP, (OP < OP,) and OM competitive output is greater than OM, output (OM > OM,). (6) A monopolist can discriminate prices for his product, a firm working under perfect competition cannot. The monopolist will be increasing his total profit by price discrimination if he find? Elastic ties of demand are different in different markets. As against his a competitive firm cannot change different prices from different buyers since he faces a perfectly elastic demand at the going market price. If he increases a slights rise in price he will lose the sellers and makes loss. Thus a competitive firm can not discriminate prices which a monopolist can do. Monopoly and perfect competition represent two extremes along a continuum of market structures. At the one extreme is perfect competition, representing the ultimate of efficiency achieved by an industry that has extensive competition and no market control. Monopoly, at the other extreme, represents the ultimate of inefficiency brought about by the total lack of competition and extensive market control. Monopoly is a market structure with complete market control. As the only seller in the market, a monopoly controls the supply-side of the market. Perfect competition, in contrast, is a market structure in which each firmhas absolutely no market control. No firm in perfect competition can influence the market price in any way. The best way to compare monopoly and perfect competition is the four characteristics of perfect competition: (1) large number of relatively small firms, (2) identical product, (3) freedom of entry and exit, and (4) perfect knowledge. Number of Firms: Perfect competition is an industry comprised of a large number of small firms, each of which is a price taker with no market control. Monopoly is an industry comprised of a single firm, which is a price maker with total market control. Phil the zucchini grower is one of gadzillions of zucchini growers. Feet-First Pharmaceutical is the only firm that sells Amblathan-Plus, a drug that cures the deadly (but hypothetical) foot ailment known as amblathanitis. Available Substitutes: Every firm in a perfectly competitive industry produces exactly the same product as every other firm. An infinite number of perfect substitutes are available. A monopoly firm produces a unique product that has no close substitutes and is unlike any other product. Gadzillions of firms grow zucchinis, each of which is a perfect substitute for the zucchinis grown by Phil the zucchini grower. There are no substitutes for Amblathan-Plus. Feet-First Pharmaceutical is the only supplier. Resource Mobility: Perfectly competitive firms have complete freedom to enter the industry or exit the industry. There are no barriers. A monopoly firm often achieves monopoly status because the entry of potential competitors is prevented. Anyone can grow zucchinis. All they need is a plot of land and a few seeds. Feet-First Pharmaceutical holds the patents on Amblathan-Plus. No other firm can enter the market. Information: Each firm in a perfectly competitive industry possesses the same information about prices and production techniques as every other firm. A monopoly firm, in contrast, often has information unknown to others. Everyone knows how to grow zucchinis (or can easily find out how). Feet-First Pharmaceutical has a secret formula used in the production of Amblathan-Plus. This information is not available to anyone else. The consequence of these differences include: First, the demand curve for a perfectly competitive firm is perfectly elastic and the demand curve for a monopoly firm is THE market demand, which is negatively-sloped according to the law of demand. A perfectly competitive firm is thus a price taker and a monopoly is a price maker. Phil must sell his zucchinis at the going market price. It he does not like the price, then he does not sell zucchinis. Feet-First Pharmaceutical can adjust the price of Amblathan-Plus, either higher or lower, and so doing it can control the quantity sold. Second, the monopoly firm charges a higher price and produces less output than would be achieved with a perfectly competitive market. In particular, the monopoly price is not equal to marginal cost, which means a monopoly does not efficiently allocate resources. Although Feet-First Pharmaceutical charges several dollars per ounce of Amblathan-Plus, the cost of producing each ounce is substantially less. Phil, in contrast, just about breaks even on each zucchini sold. Third, while an economic profit is NOT guaranteed for any firm, a monopoly is more likely to receive economic profit than a perfectly competitive firm. In fact, a perfectly competitive firm IS guaranteed to earn nothing but a normal profit in the long run. The same cannot be said for monopoly. The price of zucchinis is so close to the cost of production, Phil never earns much profit. If the price is relatively high, other zucchini producers quickly flood the market, eliminating any profit. In contrast, Feet-First Pharmaceutical has been able to maintain a price above production cost for several years, with a handsome profit perpetually paid to the company shareholders year after year. Fourth, the positively-sloped marginal cost curve for each perfectly competitive firm is its supply curve. This ensures that the supply curve for a perfectly competitive market is also positively sloped. The marginal cost curve for a monopoly is NOT, repeat NOT, the firm’s supply curve. There is NO positively-sloped supply curve for a market controlled by a monopoly. A monopoly might produce a larger quantity if the price is higher, in accordance with the law of supply, or it might not. If the price of zucchinis rises, then Phil can afford to grow more. If the price falls, then he is forced to grow less. Marginal cost dictates what Phil can produce and supply. Feet-First Pharmaceutical, in comparison, often sells a larger quantity of Amblathan-Plus as the price falls, because they face decreasing average cost with larger scale production. MONOPOLY, CHARACTERISTICS: The four key characteristics of monopoly are: (1) a single firm selling all output in a market, (2) a unique product, (3) restrictions on entry into and exit out of the industry, and more often than not (4) specialized information aboutproduction techniques unavailable to other potential producers. These four characteristics mean that a monopoly has extensive (boarding on complete) market control. Monopoly controls the selling side of the market. If anyone seeks to acquire the production sold by the monopoly, then they must buy from the monopoly. This means that the demand curve facing the monopoly is the market demand curve. They are one and the same. The characteristics of monopoly are in direct contrast to those of perfect competition. A perfectly competitive industry has a large number of relatively small firms, each producing identical products. Firms can freely move into and out of the industry and share the same information about prices and production techniques. A monopolized industry, however, tends to fall far short of each perfectly competitive characteristic. There is one firm, not a lot of small firms. There is only one firm in the market because there are no close substitutes, let alone identical products produced by other firms. A monopoly often owes its monopoly status to the fact that other potential producers are prevented from entering the market. No freedom of entry here. Neither is there perfect information. A monopoly firm often has specialized information, such as patents or copyrights, that are not available to other potential producers. Single Supplier The essence of a monopoly is a market controlled by a single seller. The â€Å"mono† part of monopoly means single. This â€Å"mono† term is also the source of such words as monarch–a single ruler; monochrome–a single color; monk–a solitary religious figure; monocle–an eyeglass for one eye; and monolith–a single large stone. The â€Å"poly† part of monopoly means to sell. So the word itself, monopoly, means a single seller. The single seller, of course, is a direct contrast to perfect competition, which has a large number of sellers. In fact, perfect competition could be renamed multipoly or manypoly, to contrast it with monopoly. The most important aspect of being a single seller is that the monopoly seller IS the market. The market demand for a good IS the demand for the output produced by the monopoly. This makes monopoly a price maker, rather than a price taker. A hypothetical example that can be used to illustrate the features of a monopoly is Feet-First Pharmaceutical. This firm owns the patent to Amblathan-Plus, the only cure for the deadly (but hypothetical) foot ailment known as amblathanitis. As the only producer of Amblathan-Plus, Feet-First Pharmaceutical is a monopoly with extensive market control. The market demand for Amblathan-Plus is THE demand for Amblathan-Plus sold by Feet-First Pharmaceutical. Unique Product To be the only seller of a product, however, a monopoly must have a unique product. Phil the zucchini grower is the only producer of Phil’s zucchinis. The problem for Phil, however, is that gadzillions of other firms sell zucchinis that are indistinguishable from those sold by Phil. Amblathan-Plus, in contrast, is a unique product. There are no close substitutes. Feet-First Pharmaceutical holds the exclusive patent on Amblathan-Plus. No other firm has the legal authority to produced Amblathan-Plus. And even if they had the legal authority, the secret formula for producing Amblathan-Plus is sealed away in an airtight vault deep inside the fortified Feet-First Pharmaceutical headquarters. Of course, other medications exist that might alleviate some of the symptoms of amblathanitis. One ointment temporarily reduces the swelling. Another powder relieves the redness. But nothing else exists to cure amblathanitis completely. A few highly imperfect substitutes exists. But there are no close substitutes for Amblathan-Plus. Feet-First Pharmaceutical has a monopoly because it is the ONLY seller of a UNIQUE product. Barriers to Entry and Exit A monopoly is generally assured of being the ONLY firm in a market because of assorted barriers to entry. Some of the key barriers to entry are: (1) government license or franchise, (2) resource ownership, (3) patents and copyrights, (4) high start-up cost, and (5) decreasingaverage total cost. Feet-First Pharmaceutical has a few these barriers working in its favor. It has, for example, an exclusive patent on Amblathan-Plus. The government has decreed that Feet-First Pharmaceutical, and only Feet-First Pharmaceutical, has the legal authority to produce and sell Amblathan-Plus. Moreover, the secret ingredient used to produce Amblathan-Plus is obtained from a rare, genetically enhanced, eucalyptus tree grown only on a Brazilian plantation owned by Feet-First Pharmaceutical. Even if another firm knew how to produce Amblathan and had the legal authority to do so, they would lack access to this essential ingredient. A monopoly might also face barriers to exiting a market. If government deems that the product provided by the monopoly is essential for well-being of the public, then the monopoly might be prevented from leaving the market. Feet-First Pharmaceutical, for example, cannot simply cease the production of Amblathan-Plus. It is essential to the health and welfare of the public. This barrier to exit is most often applied to public utilities, such as electricity companies, natural gas distribution companies, local telephone companies, and garbage collection companies. These are often deemed essential services that cannot be discontinued without permission from a government regulation authority. Specialized Information Monopoly is commonly characterized by control of information or production technology not available to others. This specialized information often comes in the form of legally-established patents, copyrights, or trademarks. While these create legal barriers to entry they also indicate that information is not perfectly shared by all. The AT&T telephone monopoly of the late 1800s and early 1900s was largely due to the telephone patent. Pharmaceutical companies, like the hypothetical Feet-First Pharmaceutical, regularly monopolize the market for a specific drug by virtue of a patent. In addition, a monopoly firm might know something or have a piece of information that is not available to others. This â€Å"something† may or may not be patented or copyrighted. It could be a secret recipe or formula. Perhaps it is a unique method of production. One example of specialized information is the special, secret formula for producing Amblathan-Plus that is sealed away in an airtight vault deep inside the fortified Feet-First Pharmaceutical headquarters. No one else has this information. Competition is very common and often times very aggressive in a free market place where a large number of buyers and sellers interact with one another. Economic theory describes a number of market competitive structures that takes into account the differences in the number of buyers, sellers, products sold, and prices charged. There are two extreme forms of market competitive conditions; namely, perfectly competitive and imperfectly competitive. The following article provides a clear overview of each type of market competitive structures and provides an explanation of how they are different to one another. What is Perfect Competition? Perfect competition is where the sellers within a market place do not have any distinct advantage over the other sellers since they sell a homogeneous product at similar prices. There are many buyers and sellers, and since the products are very similar in nature there is little competition as the buyer’s needs could be satisfied by the products sold by any seller in the market place. Since there are a large number of sellers each seller will have smaller market share, and it is impossible for one or few sellers to dominate in such a market structure. Perfectly competitive market places also have very low barriers to entry; any seller can enter the market place and start selling the product. Prices are determined by the forces of demand and supply and, therefore, all sellers must conform to a similar price level. Any company that increases the price over competitors will lose market share since the buyer can easily switch to the competitor’s product. What is Imperfect Competition? Imperfect competition as the word suggests is a market structure in which the conditions for perfect competition are not satisfied. This refers to a number of extreme market conditions including monopoly, oligopoly, monopsony, oligopsony and monopolistic competition. Oligopoly refers to a market structure in which a small number of sellers compete with each other and offer a similar product to a large number of buyers. Since the products are so similar in nature, there is intense competition among market players, and high barriers to entry since most new firms may not have the capital, technology to startup. A monopoly is where one firm will control the entire market place, and will hold 100% market share. The firm in a monopoly market will have control over the product, price, features, etc. Such firms usually hold a patented product, proprietary knowledge/technology or holds access to a single important resource. Monospsony is where there are many sellers in the market with just one buyer and oligopsony is where there are a large number of sellers and a small number of buyers. Monopolistic competition is where 2 firms within a market place sell differentiated products that cannot be used as substitutes to each other. Perfect vs Imperfect Competition. Perfect and Imperfectly competitive markets are very different to one another in terms of the different market conditions that need to be satisfied. The main difference is that, in a perfectly competitive market place, the competitive conditions are much less intense, than any other form of imperfect competition. Furthermore, a perfectly competitive market structure is healthier as buyers have enough options to select from and aren’t, therefore, pressured to purchase one / few products and sellers are able to enter/exit as they please, which is opposite to most market conditions within an imperfectly competitive market place. Summary †¢ There are two extreme forms of market competitive conditions; namely, perfectly competitive and imperfectly competitive. †¢ Perfect competition is where the sellers within a market place do not have any distinct advantage over the other sellers since they sell a homogeneous product at similar prices. †¢ Imperfect competition as the word suggests is a market structure in which the conditions for perfect competition are not satisfied. This refers to a number of extreme market conditions including monopoly, oligopoly, monopsony, oligopsony and monopolistic competition. Perfect and monopolistic competitions are both forms of market situations that describe the levels of competition within a market structure. Perfect competition and monopolistic competition are different to each other in that they describe completely different market scenarios that involve differences in prices, levels of competition, number of market players and types of goods sold. The article gives a clear outline of what each type of competition means to market players and consumers and shows their distinct differences. What is Perfect Competition? A market with perfect competition is where there are a very large number of buyers and sellers who are buying and selling an identical product. Since the product is identical in all its features, the price charged by all sellers is a uniform price. Economic theory describes market players in a perfect competition market as not being large enough by themselves to be able to become a market leader or to set prices. Since the products sold and prices set are identical, there are no barriers to entry or exit within such a market place. The existence of such perfect markets are quite rare in the real world, and the perfectly competitive marketplace is a formation of economic theory to help better understand other forms of market competition such as monopolistic and oligopolistic. What is Monopolistic Competition? A monopolistic market is one where there are a large number of buyers but a very few number of sellers. The players in these types of markets sell goods which are different to each other and, therefore, are able to charge different prices depending on the value of the product that is offered to the market. In a monopolistic competition situation, since there are only a few number of sellers, one larger seller controls the market, and therefore, has control over prices, quality and product features. However, such a monopoly is said to last only within the short run, as such market power tends to disappear in the long run as new firms enter the market creating a need for cheaper products. What is the difference between Perfect Competition and Monopolistic Competition? Perfect and monopolistic competition marketplaces have similar objectives of trading which is maximizing profitability and avoid making losses. However, the market dynamics between these two forms of markets are quite distinct. Monopolistic competition describes an imperfect market structure quite opposite to perfect competition. Perfect competition explains an economic theory of a marketplace which does not happen to exist in reality. Summary: Perfect Competition vs Monopolistic Competition Perfect and monopolistic competitions are both forms of market situations that describe the levels of competition within a market structure. A market with perfect competition is where there are a very large number of buyers and sellers who are buying and selling an identical product. A monopolistic market is one where there are a large number of buyers but a very few number of sellers. The players in these types of markets sell goods which are different to each other, and therefore, are able to charge different prices. Monopolistic competition describes an imperfect market structure quite opposite to perfect competition. Perfect competition explains an economic theory of a marketplace which does not happen to exist in reality.