Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Life and Art of Charles Demuth, Precisionist Painter

Life and Art of Charles Demuth, Precisionist Painter Charles Demuth (November 8, 1883 – October 23, 1935) was an American Modernist painter best known for his use of watercolor to portray the industrial and natural landscapes of his Pennsylvania hometown. His paintings emerged out of the abstract Cubist style and ultimately led to a new movement called Precisionism. Fast Facts: Charles Demuth Occupation: Artist (painter)Known For: Abstract Cubist style and involvement in the Precisionist movementBorn:  November  8, 1883 in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaDied:  October  23, 1935  in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaEducation: Franklin Marshall College and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Selected Paintings: My Egypt (1927);  I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (1928);  Roofs and Steeple (1921) Early Years and Training Demuth was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, whose urban landscape and emerging industrial setting served as an inspiration for several of his paintings. Demuth was ill and often bedridden as a child. During those times, his mother kept him entertained by providing him with watercolor supplies, thus giving the young Demuth his start in the arts. He eventually portrayed the agricultural portraits he knew best: flowers, fruit and vegetables. Demuth graduated from Franklin Marshall Academy, which later become Franklin Marshall College, in Lancaster. He also studied at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and in the arts scenes of New York, Provincetown, and Bermuda. He socialized with and was photographed by Alfred Stieglitz, who was working at the time to organize exhibits of modernist art for his American Place Gallery in New York. Demuth spent time studying art in Paris, where he was part of the avant garde scene. His contemporaries included  Georgia OKeeffe, Marcel DuChamp, Marsden Hartley and Alfred Steiglitz. Painting in His Own Backyard Though he traveled to and was influence by exotic locales, Demuth painted most of his art in the second-story studio of his Lancaster home, which overlooked a garden. In the painting My Egypt (1927), Demuth depicted a grain elevator, a massive structure used to store the harvest, next to row house rooftops. Both structures are common in the rich agriculture economy and historic urban setting of Lancaster County. Like many of his contemporaries in the arts, Demuth was fascinated with Americas landscape, which was being altered at the hands of industrialism. He saw firsthand the smokestacks and water towers in cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Paris. He painted those skylines and contrasted them with grain elevators that were common in his hometown. The Precisionist Style The movement to which Demuth belonged, Precisionism, stressed visual order and clarity in the visual arts and combined those facets with a celebration of technology and expression of speed through dynamic compositions, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Demuth and his fellow Precisionists painted distinctly American landscapes in an intentional move to distance themselves from European artists. Demuths most famous work is a 1928 oil painting called I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, which has been described as a masterpiece of the Precisionism movement. The painting was inspired by the poem The Great Figure by William Carlos Williams. Williams, who had met Demuth at Philadelphias Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, wrote the famous poem after watching a fire engine speed by on a Manhattan street. Demuth tried to capture the following lines in his painting: Among the rainand lightsI saw the figure 5in goldon a redfiretruckmovingtenseunheededto gong clangssiren howlsand wheels rumblingthrough the dark city I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, as well as other Demuth paintings, served as an influence on commercial artists who later designed movie posters and book covers. Later Life and Legacy Demuth was diagnosed with diabetes at a relatively young age, and the condition made him weak before he turned 40. He spent his final years confined to his mothers home in Lancaster, away from his fellow artists working in Paris, and died at age 51. Demuth made a significant impact on the art world with the development of the Precisionist movement. His emphasis on geometrical forms  and industrial  subject matter came to exemplify the ideals of Precisionism. Sources Further Reading Johnson, Ken. â€Å"Chimneys and Towers: Charles Demuths Late Paintings of Lancaster - Art - Review.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/arts/design/27demu.html.Murphy, Jessica. â€Å"Precisionism.† In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. metmuseum.org/toah/hd/prec/hd_prec.htmSmith, Roberta. â€Å"Precisionism And a Few Of Its Friends.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Dec. 1994, www.nytimes.com/1994/12/11/arts/art-view-precisionism-and-a-few-of-its-friends.html?ftay.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Instability and Division of Yemen

Instability and Division of Yemen Issues and the Target Audience being Addressed Yemen is one of the countries that have experienced the Arab Spring protests witnessed in other countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. According to Swift (2012, p. 21), these protests started soon after the Tunisian revolution.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Instability and Division of Yemen specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Yemenis, just like other Arabs in other parts of the world, were motivated by the success achieved by the civilians in eliminating the autocratic rule in Tunisia. This was in early 2011. When it started, the protestors demanded that the government should not modify the constitution as had been pre-planned. They claimed that such modifications would grant the president absolute powers. The government stopped its plans to modify the constitution in order to pacify the protestors. However, this did not take them away from the streets of Sanaâ⠂¬â„¢a, Yemen’s capital city. They came up with a new demand to justify their stay in the streets. They wanted the long-serving President Ali Abdula Saleh out of office. They accused him of being an autocratic leader who was not concerned about the well-being of the society. The protestors used bombs and other weapons to target the senior government officials, including the president and his family. They succeeded in forcing him out of office in late 2011 (Bennett, 2015, p 14). In 2012, a democratic election was conducted in the country and Rabbuh Mansur Hadi became the president. For a while, all seemed well as the new regime took power. In 2013 and early 2014, the country experienced minor cases of protests in the major streets, especially following some of the landmark decisions made by the president in the cabinet. The year 2014 saw the emergence of Houthi rebels who came up with new demands. By September 2014, the Houthis had taken control of the country’s capital city. The UN intervened, and the rebels agreed to withdraw their forces from Sana’a. However, in 2015, things got worse.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Houthi rebels once again took over the city, putting the president under house arrest in February 2015. The president fled to the southern town of Aden. According to Khaled (2015, p. 11), the Houthis have become so violent in their protests. Having taken over power, they are now moving to southern provinces in order to consolidate their power. This war has drawn the attention of many neighboring countries, making it a policy issue. Iran has been accused of supporting the Houthi rebels. However, Saudi Arabia led other GCC countries to support the ousted government. This paper is specifically addressing the GCC states annual summit. This issue in Yemen is no longer about poor leadership. The long-serving president was ousted in 2011, and a democratically elected president came to power. However, the killings and militant’s rule are still prevailing in this country. The rebels are supported by a neighboring country. Houthi rebels are spreading their rule of terror to Southern parts of Yemen. If this issue is not addressed within the shortest period possible, then the country will be under the rule of the rebels. Their rule will be a security threat to other GCC states. These are people who do not respect the law. They may attempt to spread their rule of terror to neighboring states. This will bring instability in the entire region. For this reason, the GCC states summit must act now to counter this group as fast as possible. Background: The Context and Importance of the Issue The crisis in Yemen has reached a very critical stage. People are dying and the country has become ungovernable. According to Sengupta and Gladstone (2015, p. 13), what is worrying about this situation is that the rebels do not know what they want. They lack a clear justifiable agenda as to why they are in the streets.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Instability and Division of Yemen specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They wanted a change in the regime and they were able to achieve this in 2011. They participated in an election where a president was elected unopposed. Through this election, the Yemenis made their voices heard. It will be important to critically analyze these events in order to understand why there is turmoil in Yemen even after the rebels achieved their objective of changing the leadership of the country. Overview of the root causes of the problem According to Zavis (2015, p. 4), the uprising that intensified in 2011 calling for a change of regime was similar to the events witnessed in other Arab countries that were demanding for a democratic rule. However, the current mayhem caused by the Houthis goes beyond the desire for democratic governance. The current political unrest in Yemen is a policy issue that GCC state summit should investigate and find an appropriate solution to before the country is declared a failed state. For instance, it will be important to investigate why Iran is supporting the Houthi rebels. A successful election was held in the country and many people expected that the country will experience political stability (Bennett, Hennigan Zavis, 2015, p. 2). The Houthis do not have a just cause to wage a war against a democratically elected government. It is therefore, worrying that the Iranian government is supporting them in such wars by providing them with sophisticated weapons. The biggest question that needs an answer is the interest of the Iranian government in having a politically unstable Yemen. Analysis The GCC states summit needs to intervene in the ongoing crisis in Yemen. Regional governments, led by Saudi Arabia, have already started a military action against the Houthi rebels. This is an option that can help stabilize the country and the entire region.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, Melinda (2015, p. 8) says that the military actions led by the Saudi government will offer a lasting solution to this problem, especially if it succeeds in installing a government with a military capacity to counter the rebels. However, its weakness is that it may result in deaths and destruction of properties in the country that will affect its economy. The United Nation brokered a deal in 2014 that was accepted by the rebels. The deal involved formation of a coalition government that brings together all the leaders from the north and south regions (Smart, 2015, p. 9). It worked for a while, but the rebels changed their minds and took over power. The benefit of this option is that it eliminates deaths and destruction of property that is common when a military action is taken. The main weakness of this strategy option is that it is prone to abuse by those who have superior military capacity. Potential courses of action This problem must be addressed as a policy issue, espec ially following the entry of outside forces, including the dreaded ISIS fighters. The GCC states summit should consider taking either of these options. The GCC states summit should broker a deal with the government and rebel leaders to form a unity transition government that should last for six years. Within this period, the country will prepare for an election. The winner in that election will become the accepted leader of the country. If the first option fails, then the six federal governments should be given more executive powers to govern themselves. The six countries will then choose one leader to act as the head of state. The head of state should not have executive powers. In both options, there should be a clear warning to either side that a breach of the agreement will be met with a full military action. Any external players such as Iran and ISIS should be warned against playing any role in this peace arrangement. Policy Recommendation According to Tisdall (2015, p. 5), th e GCC states should understand that with Houthi rebels in power in Yemen, the security of the entire region will be at risk. This is specifically so because it is not yet clear who is sponsoring the rebels besides the Iranian government. Ellwood (2015, p. 2) says that the Iranian government has not yet justified why they are supporting the rebels. The following policy recommendations should be given serious considerations. The GCC states should slap the Iranian government with trade sanctions as long as they are still supporting the Houthi rebels. This will help in limiting the weapons and financial resources used by the rebels. The GCC states summit can take advantage to address the problem that ISIS poses in the region. Given that the ISIS is also against the rebels, the GCC leaders can seize the opportunity to find a common solution in the entire region that will bring an end to the constant bloodshed in the region. In case diplomacy fails to achieve the desired results, then th e military intervention may be the last resort as a means of bringing stability to the country. References Bennett, B. (2015, March 14). Joint Statement by the United States and Yemen. Los Angeles Times, p. 14. Bennett, B., Hennigan, W. Zavis, A. (2015, April 16). Saudi-led Yemen air wars high civilian toll unsettles U.S. officials. Los Angeles Times, p. 2. Ellwood, P. (2015, March 30). Policy: Peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa. The Guardian, p. 4. Khaled A. (2015, March 25). The Crisis in Yemen: What You Need to Know. The New York Times, p. 11. Melinda, B. (2015, February 12). Yemen facing forgotten crisis as humanitarian disaster looms. The Guardian, p. 8. Sengupta, S. Gladstone, R. (2015, April 15,). U.N. Envoy in Yemen Conflict Says He Will Resign. The New York Times, p. 13. Smart, J. (2015, April 1). Yemen profile – Timeline. British Broadcasting Corporation, p. 9. Swift, C. (2012, March 18). The Crisis in Yemen: al-Qaeda, Saleh, and Governmental Instability. Foreign Policy Research Institute, p. 21. Tisdall, S. (2015, March 26). Iran-Saudi proxy war in Yemen explodes into region-wide crisis. The Guardian, p. 5. Zavis, A. (2015, April 16). Al Qaeda seizes Yemen airport, military base; U.N. envoy resigns. Los Angeles Times, p. 4.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Target market and segmentation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Target market and segmentation - Research Paper Example There is a special emphasis on the small to medium sized business. The businesses that are likely to benefit most from the services offered by Capstone accounting firm include the non-profit organizations, servicing entrepreneurs as well as individuals (Trugman & Person, 2005). Based on the competition that already exists in Indiana with regards to the accounting firms available, the firm will not be that big. It will begin as a small firm that only caters for the needs of individuals and the small and medium firms. From what has been projected by the US Bureau of statistics, since the accounting jobs are projected to grow at a rate of 13% between 2012 and 2022, the capstone firm is likely to grow at the same rate or at a slightly lower rate of 10% per year. This is the growth rate of the target markets. This is reflected as a result of the growth of the already established markets as well as the movement into the Indiana area. This growth rate has plateau for a long time but is expected to gain stability in the near future. This is based on the constant need for accountancy jobs in the area. In addition, there is evidence that the consulting services are growing much faster that the auditing business. This will enhance growth as it will be possible to diversify the kind of services offered. There is also a great need for accountants as the economy of the region also grows. It is projected that the demand for accounting services will be increased and converted to billable hours due to the impac t of the regulatory environment and the stricter laws and regulations placed on the financial sector (Ahmed & Hopson, 2000). The most common unique features and dynamics of the business include the fact that the business can offer services for the low unemployment and the tax incentives for new businesses. As such, the firm will only begin at a small scale. However, it is indicated that with a longer stay into the market, full range services that offer services to the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Second Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Second Life - Research Paper Example On the other hand this application cannot be separated from the lives of individuals because it has proved to play an essential part in people’s lives. Any person who is not aware or is not using the application should reconsider his or her or her priorities in social life. Many companies are using this application to conduct a variety of activities ranging from internal communication, conducting meetings, product testing, corporate communication among others. It presents the companies with an added advantage as they are able to conduct various activities using this application in a cost effective manner. Meetings are easily conducted with people in various regions; products are easily tested before they are released to the mass market to assess the impact they will have on the target consumers. An organization is also able to publicize its activities not only to the people in the region where it exists but also to many other people from different parts of the world. Individua ls using second life live a very different and interesting life as compared to others who are not using it. They learn entrepreneurial skills through the various business activities that are available on second life. Secondly people are able to socialize and get to know each other in the virtual world. Instead of having friends within the same regions individuals can extend their network of friends and enjoy themselves in the various islands that are available on second life. Another important thing about this application is its use is therapy especially treating people with certain disorders or those who have been abused. It is evident from the above points that second life is an important application that has changed the way people and organizations conduct their activities, ranging from communications, product testing, meetings and PR activities to socializing and entrepreneurial activities. This is done without incurring any costs for any of the parties involved. They can use th e application to conduct their activities whenever they are whether for organizational or personal benefit. It can thus be concluded that second life actually plays an integral part in organizations and in peoples’ lives. It is an application that is essential for everyday activities and helps people and organizations in doing a variety of things that would actually not have been possible in the real world. 1. SECOND LIFE Second life as popularly known is the largest 3D online virtual world that was developed by Phillip linden of the Linden Laboratories in San Francisco in the United States of America1. It has tens of millions of Square meters of land considered virtual and more than thirteen million numbers of registered members or users also called residents and a very active economy2. It was launched in 2003 by the Linden Laboratories and has changed many aspects of the virtual world industry. Since it was launched way back in 2003 its developers have continued to improve on many aspects of its functionality adding features such as the VoIP that allows various users to speak to one another in the virtual world3. They have also improved on features such as environmental features that imitate the real environment for example the flowing water, wind and tree movements. Figure 1. Number of user hours from 2009- 2011 on second life Year 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 Months (Quarterly) Oct- Dec Jan- March April-June July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-March User hours In millions 113 116 109 105 105 104 Source: http://www.metaversejournal.com/2011/05/12/first-quarter-2011-results-for-second-life-steady-sailing/

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Forum Discussion Activities Essay Example for Free

Forum Discussion Activities Essay Please post your response to ONE of the following questions in the Forum by Wednesday, midnight, of Week 3. Then please post at least three responses to other student’s postings by Saturday, midnight, of Week 3. * You are the Vice President of a US based software company. You have been tasked with exploring the possibility of setting up a software development operation in India. You have heard that the rigid caste systems can affect business operations. Do you think it is possible to use a typical US management style in India or should you adjust to the local Indian managerial style and employment practices? Explain. Forum Discussion Week 3 – Question #2 Businesses create strategies for setting up relationships with other countries based upon the type of product involved and whether their entry is in the product market or the resource market. â€Å"Strategy† within this global framework most closely resembles a ‘marketing strategy’ that addresses target markets, segmentation, positioning and allocation of resources. Discuss the various strategies outlined within the text reading and which one or two seem to fit your final project country and product best. Provide a glimpse of your final paper by discussing the product and country you have selected and post and respond to students related to what product you have chosen and whether you are entering in the product or resource markets. Written Assignments Case Study 2 Write a 2-3 page analysis of the Case Study entitled, â€Å"Argentina’s Monetary Crisis† located in Chapter 10 of the text. Upload the paper to the Assignments Drop Box by Saturday, midnight, of Week 3. Course Project: Market Entry Analysis You should have by selected your country and product and begun your environmental research. A learning objective this week is to move from environment to strategy. Outlining your country and product choice, begin a thread on the Forum related to entry strategies as outlined in the text. Elicit comments from your classmates on your choices and begin to formulate your strategy. Learning from this milestone can be incorporated into the final paper due Week 5. * You are the Vice President of a pharmaceutical company that makes anti-malarial drugs. You are looking at the possibility of opening up a factory as a JV with the local government in an African country with high levels of malaria. At present, the majority of people in this country cannot afford the high prices of anti-malarial drugs from outside the country, but by building the plant locally, you would not only provide jobs but also your company could supply anti-malarial drugs to the local population at half the current price. In a meeting with a local government official, you are told that the plant can go forward if you pay the official $100,000 in cash. What are your options and what would you do? My options are to pay the $100,000 or not to pay it based on the company policy. Facilitation payments are still permitted by some countries. We would give the $100,000 to the officials in cash, and then we would also try to negotiate a 5 year tax break. And to recover the $100,000 given to officials, we would charge an extra 15 cents per vaccine sold to recoup the $100,000. We would say the fund is just the price of doing business and setting up relationships outside the US. This bribery is similar to what some city inspectors do when they want to give you a hard time. There has been times where if you didn’t have a nice hot cup of coffee with a $100 bill under it that the inspector would fail you just so you would have to pay another $250 for another inspection. The $100,000 that we would pay as a company could negotiate a vast amount of things per the article below. Interestingly, when the FCPA was initially passed in 1977, the facilitating payment exception was found under the definition of foreign official. However, with the 1988 Amendments, a more explicit exception was written into the statute making it clear that the anti-bribery provisions â€Å"shall not apply to any facilitating or expediting payment to a foreign official, political party, or party official the purpose of which is to expedite or to secure the performance of a routine governmental action . . .† The statute itself provided a list of examples of facilitation payments in the definition of routine governmental actions. It included the following: * Obtaining permits, licenses, or other official documents; * Processing governmental papers such as visas and work orders; * Providing police protection, mail services, scheduling inspections; * Providing utilities, cargo handling; or * Actions of a similar nature. http://tfoxlaw.wordpress.com/tag/facilitation-payments/ You are the Vice President of a US based software company. You have been tasked with exploring the possibility of setting up a software development operation in India. You have heard that the rigid caste systems can affect business operations. Do you think it is possible to use a typical US management style in India or should you adjust to the local Indian managerial style and employment practices? Explain. I would say yes I would use a typical US management style in India. I agree that adapting to India’s culture, managerial style and employment practices are great and would probably be best. But for the very same reason we are expanding aboard and going to India is because our business model has already been accepted by the culture. You only expand to markets if they are the right fit for the company. Bringing something new, innovative and showing India the way that our US company does business may just be intriguing to the country and accepted in ways never seen before; the only thing that matter is if the product sells. McDonalds is a great example; McDonalds is everywhere and consumers shop with McDonalds because the golden arches are known globally, and the business model is a cookie cutter from store to store, nothing changes. Understanding how cultural differences can affect the way in which a business is practiced, Employing local citizens, mixing managerial staff ,educating ourselves about the culture are great and must do’s, but keeping the company’s business model intact and adjusting to the environment is the key to protecting ourselves from the danger of being ill-informed. Business and money are both universal languages and there are more ways to make it work within a proven system than not. Businesses create strategies for setting up relationships with other countries based upon the type of product involved and whether their entry is in the product market or the resource market. â€Å"Strategy† within this global framework most closely resembles a ‘marketing strategy’ that addresses target markets, segmentation, positioning and allocation of resources. Discuss the various strategies outlined within the text reading and which one or two seem to fit your final project country and product best. Provide a glimpse of your final paper by discussing the product and country you have selected and post and respond to students My product selection is infection prevention, innovative sterilization, disinfection and hand hygiene products that will be sold in Canada. * The International Strategy I think would work the best for my product. Medical products and medical technical equipment accounts for $8.8 billion in US export revenue which is ranked number 6 on the list of top exports to Canada from the US. Infection prevention, innovative sterilization, disinfection and hand hygiene products are produced in the US but, are needed worldwide. Currently the US is the major exporter Medical products, medical technical equipment to Canada; also Leading US pharmaceutical companies have production, RD facilities, and distribution offices in many locations across Canada. Among them are Abbott Point-of-Care, Johnson Johnson, Pfizer, Novartis, and others. The medical devices industry in Canada is also among the largest in the world. Medical device companies operating in Canada incorporate advanced technologies and the newest discoveries. Our main focus is on helping to ensure the safest possible environments for patients and their families, healthcare workers, providers and communities. Our quality infection prevention products help care for both the people and the world we live in. * The Global Standardization stratedgy is great because the pro that will be sold are all relatively standard, and will be distributed the same way. Customization is not needed to the products themselves, the only thing that will need adjustments is the language, all sterilization equipment, solutions, and products are manufactured the same and have the same technology. http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/company-structure/medical-devices/ http://www.aspjj.com/us/about/asp-mission-vision http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/company-structure/medical-devices/ http://www.worldsrichestcountries.com/top_us_exports.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson http://www.canadafaq.ca/what+are+the+top+industries+in+canada/ I am selling a pacemaker in Australia. The International Strategy would be the best for my product. It is produced in the US currently and does not need customization to sell in Australia. Pacemakers fulfill a universal need. Australia imports 85-90% of medical devices. Currently the US is the major exporter of medical supplies to Australia followed by Germany, Japan and the EU. There is no pressure to reduce costs. A strategic alliance may be needed down the road if a strong competitor does start to emerge. It is important that the pacemaker evolves over time or competitors will develop a better product. Global Standardization may be an option because customization of the pacemaker is not needed. It is a universal product. Costs will be low. Aggressive pricing can be used. The drawback is a competitor may create a better product through evolution. Localization would not work because customization is not needed. Consumer tastes and preferences do not come into play for this product. Transnational is also not needed at this time because cost is not a factor and customization for local demands do not exist. This is a complex strategy that I will not need to apply. Because of local culture, I will need to find a local agent to work with in Australia. The aging population, demands for a higher quality of life and increasing affluence have created a demand for quality medical devices. Reference: Global Business Today My project is to import car care and weather resistant equipment into Canada. This is not a new idea and it is not a product that cannot be found really anywhere in the world. The strategy that seems to fit my project best is the international strategy. The reason is that it is not unique in idea. The vital importance is expanding the market for the product. There will be minimal change to the product and with the non existent trade barriers of NAFTA importation will go smoothly. Since the majority of the Canadian population lives so close to the US borer transportation costs will not extend far beyond deliveries to the NorthEast/NorthWest. The other option would be a Localization strategy as we could focus on specific markets such and alternative transportation vehicles equipment that are used in the snowbound areas. The Localization strategy is the most important in the marketing aspect.The localization and transnational strategies are the best matches for my proposed product which is a UK-based channel on YouTube that is mostly ran from the United States. My product is based on my current occupation and we have several international channels that have launched with steady success. There are four major international business strategies: globalization, transnational, international, and localization. Globalization strategy occurs when a firm focuses on profit by utilizing economies of scale, localization, and learning efforts. This strategy is the most helpful when firms are pressured to reduce costs and local responsiveness is low. International strategy occurs when a firm creates value by selling products internationally that were created domestically and do not require significant customization. Transnational strategy occurs when a firm tries to achieve lower costs by economies of scale, localization, and learning efforts and also focusing on products that are tailored to local markets. Economies of scale and learning efforts will not be factors within my strategy, however localization plays a large role. Because some of the content on the channel will be created in the UK to create a sense of community, creative contractors will create the content which lends itself to a more identifiable relationship with consumers. Expanding a content-based business from the United States to the UK benefits best from concise localization strategy. Content that is tailored for a consumer in the UK adheres to high local responsibility. Because both countries are English-speaking, content can be shared by both venues and avoid translation costs or and also reduce cost of creating content. This may help alleviate the localization strategy’s characteristic struggle to lower the high pressure for cost reductions. References: Hill, C. W. (2011). Global Business Today (7th Edition ed.). New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill. I am selling a pacemaker in Australia. The International Strategy would be the best for my product. It is produced in the US currently and does not need customization to sell in Australia. Pacemakers fulfill a universal need. Australia imports 85-90% of medical devices. Currently the US is the major exporter of medical supplies to Australia followed by Germany, Japan and the EU. There is no pressure to reduce costs. A strategic alliance may be needed down the road if a strong competitor does start to emerge. It is important that the pacemaker evolves over time or competitors will develop a better product. Global Standardization may be an option because customization of the pacemaker is not needed. It is a universal product. Costs will be low. Aggressive pricing can be used. The drawback is a competitor may create a better product through evolution. Localization would not work because customization is not needed. Consumer tastes and preferences do not come into play for this product. Transnational is also not needed at this time because cost is not a factor and customization for local demands do not exist. This is a complex strategy that I will not need to apply. Because of local culture, I will need to find a local agent to work with in Australia. The aging population, demands for a higher quality of life and increasing affluence have created a demand for quality medical devices.

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Princess Bride -x :: essays research papers

Journal of William Goldman's The Princess Bride   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The princess bride is an incredibly entertaining book. Although it was written mostly as a parody it contains many themes. The developments seen in the dynamic characters are astounding ones. The theme, or motif, which I'm going to follow through the story is that of Fezzik and his quest for self confidence and a good self image. From the time that the novel starts to the end, Fezzik achieves a good self image. He starts out with a very low self image and, by the end, he finds in himself talents that give him a better image of himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin with, Vizzini never allows Fezzik to provide an sort of input or to think in any way. When Fezzik, inigo and Vizzini first kidnap buttercup, Fezzik attempts to offer some good ideas, but Vizzini will have none of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ''I think we should kill her now';, the Turk said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The less you think, the happier I'll be,'; The Scilian answered';. (Page 83) And later on the same page:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  '…the Turk mumbled. 'people are always thinking that I'm so stupid because I'm big and strong and sometimes drool a little when I get excited.';';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ''The reason people think you're so stupid,'; the Scilian said, 'is because you are so stupid. It has nothing to do with your drooling.';'; Vizzini manages, with his constant verbal attacks on Fezzik to destroy any shred of confidence that Fezzik may have had before. Vizzini's ego is getting in the way of Fezzik.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From a very young age Fezzik was taunted by his school mates. 'At first, naturally, they were scared to death (even then Fezzik looked fierce) but once they found out he was chicken, well, they weren't about to let an opportunity like that get away…it would go on like that until Fezzik would burst into tears and run away.'; People never gave Fezzik any sort of chance. He has always been considered a fool out loud. Luckily he had his rhymes to comfort him. When Vizzini dies, although it leaves Fezzik in a lot of despair, it is probably the best thing for him. The stopping of Vizzini's verbal attacks allow to build his confidence. I think that the first big confidence building experience for Fezzik is when Inigo begs him for help. From page 224: '…Fly, Fezzik; this is Inigo begging you-- make a path—please!'; Well, Fezzik had rarely had anyone beg him for anything, least of all Inigo,';

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Designing and Managing Integrated Marketing Channels Essay

Most manufacturers of products use marketing intermediaries to sell their products to the consumers. The marketing intermediaries make up a marketing channel (distribution channel or a trade channel). The marketing channel overcomes the time, place, and possession gaps that separate gods and services from those who need or want them. A normal way of functioning for a company is to procure raw materials, use its expertise in creating the product and then distribute to the customer. Companies have to convert this supply chain into a value network as to develop and maintain partnership with different stakeholders. Core competency for a company lies in developing a product which satisfies a particular need of the market. A company if it decides to sell a product on its own than it is diverting from main line business resulting in operational difficulties. Marketing channel is ears and eyes of companies in the market. They provide companies with valuable information of customers, competitors and other players in the market. Dell’s computer exclusively uses direct marketing (the Internet and express mail service) in reaching customers are different of marketing channel depending upon the number intermediaries like retailer, wholesaler and distributor. Channels are also used by companies providing services; for example, hospital and fire station have to strategically locate for people to reach without considerable efforts. In designing marketing channel companies analyze customer needs and preference for a given product. Further marketing channel should fall in line with overall objectives of the company in cost and desired output level. Companies then need to explore various marketing channels like direct marketing, tele-marketing, direct mail, etc. to find the right fit to reach the customer. Each channel short listed has to be evaluated on operational, cost effective and flexibility criteria. Once the channel is designed, companies look forward to selecting partners with characteristics, which have a positive impact for the product. Channel members need to get the right amount of training as to full understand their role with respect to customer and product. Companies need to develop a mechanism as to monitor functioning of marketing channels on criteria based on total customer satisfaction. After reviewing marketing channel companies should modify them to improve functioning and productivity. Companies are looking forward to innovating business functioning as to stand up to the competition and changing market scenario. This has seen rise different types of marketing channel. In a vertical marketing channel, the traditional producer-wholesaler-retailer becomes one functional unit. This can be achieved through franchise or single ownership. In horizontal marketing channel two or more un-related agencies combine to exploit the market opportunities, for example, banks in super markets. In multi-channel marketing systems, companies use different marketing channels to reach different customer base or segment. In vertical channel conflicts are between members of same channel. In horizontal channel conflicts are between similar service providers in a different channel. In multi-channel conflict arise when a different channel serves the same market. The first step in conflict resolution is to identify the cause for the conflict. Next step is to manage the conflict. This can be done by setting up clear mandate for each member and their role in the overall objective of the company. Further, joint membership, diplomacy and exchange of team members are other ways in resolving conflicts. Companies need to design and manage marketing channels in such a way that they are always able to deliver value to customer.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Pre-American Revolution

Do you know why the American Revolution occurred? Do you think Americans just wanted to be the United States of America just because they desired. King George lll tried to control the lives of the colonists in many ways. There was several causes to why americans seeked for independence. These causes ultimately lead to the start of a revolution. Little by little Colonists found ways to protest against the british army and the king of England. King George III applied unlawful taxes, to control colonists lives. There was many ways king George III tried to control the lives of the colonists. For Example there is this famous slogan which was â€Å"No Taxation Without Representation†, this was because Parliament had control of colonial trade, taxed imports, and exports. By the 1760s, the Americans were getting a right taken away from them. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 had forbidden the imposition of taxes without the consent of Parliament. Since the colonists had nobody representing in Parliament, the taxes violated the guaranteed Rights of Englishmen. He thought it was necessary for most of the taxes he pasted in order for the Country of Britain not to go bankrupt after the win of the â€Å"seven years† war which doubled Britains dept . One of the laws passed was the stamp act. The stamp act was a direct tax by Parliament specifically targeting the colonies of British America, and it required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London. There was many acts that angered the colonists and eventually made them revoke against Parliament. hese were some of the causes of the American Revolution . The Intolerable acts were a response to the famous boston tea party. there was four acts that got the 13 colonies heated. The Boston Port Act, was the first of the acts passed, which consisted of closing the port of Boston until the East India Company had been repaid for the tea dumped in the water and until the king was satisfied that order had been restored. Colonists argued that the Port Act punished all of Boston rather than just the individuals who had destroyed the tea. The Massachusetts Government Act altered the government of Massachusetts to bring it under control of the British government. Almost all positions in the colonial government were to be given orders by the governor or the king. This act also limited the activities of town meetings in Massachusetts to one meeting a year, unless the Governor arranged one. Colonists outside Massachusetts feared that their governments could now also be changed by Parliament. The Administration of Justice Act allowed the governor to move trials of accused royal officials to another colony or even to Great Britain if he believed the official could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts. George Washington called this the â€Å"Murder Act† because he believed that it allowed British officials to harass Americans and escape justice. The Quartering Act applied to all of the colonies, it was method of housing British troops in America. King George did indeed applied several laws that got the colonists angry. So there were several ways of how the colonist protested. Everyone has heard of â€Å"No taxation without representation. † It was a famous slogan shouted by colonist because they were taxed by almost everything they purchased without their consent. There was no one in Parliament to represent them, so that meant they did not have a word or an opinion. Throughout the years the colonists got tired of the British customs because they were opposing many things that Parliament was doing. So they started doing their own tea and clothes, this was also because almost everything was taxed and colonists thought it was a better way to save money. Another famous event was the â€Å"Boston Tea Party†, in that event officials in Boston refused to return three ships loaded with taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists dressed as indians boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor, the incident remains an iconic event of American history. In response to the taxes many people let out their anger on the tax collectors. Sometimes it was just a scare but in some cases they were murdered. The continental congressed passed an association act which allowed colonists to boycott British goods, it was effective while it lasted. King George III applied unlawful taxes, to control colonists lives. There are just too many reasons of why the american revolution happened. If Britain did not tax or governed the colonies how they did, we would be living in a much different world. Maybe we wouldn't have even been the United States of America. The Americans had every right to protest against Parliament since they were advocated from some of their rights. You feel me?

Friday, November 8, 2019

Famous Quotes About Dance

Famous Quotes About Dance Dancing is an expression of your soul. You dont need to know complicated steps to dance. You dont have to sashay across the  room  or spin your partner with finesse. If you enjoy dancing, you will be able to find your feet. Dance to the rhythm of your heart, and you will feel happy, guaranteed. It doesnt matter whether you like jazz or waltz, jive or salsa. What matters is that your (literally) heart loves to dance. Dancing is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise. But dancing also helps the release of endorphins, the so-called happiness hormone. As  Dave Barry  said, Nobody cares if you cant dance well. Just get up and dance.   Even if the only time you can dance is when no ones watching (possibly the best time of all), these quotes can inspire you to let yourself feel the freedom of dance whether in your living room or on the dance floor.   Alice Abrams In life as in dance: grace glides on blistered feet. Albert Einstein Dancers are athletes of God. Voltaire Let us read and let us dance, two amusements that will never do any harm to the world. Jerome Robbins Dance is like life, it exists as youre flitting through it, and when its over, its done. Martha Graham Dance is the hidden language of the soul. Maya Angelou Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances. George Carlin Those who dance are considered insane by those who cant hear the music. Friedrich Nietzsche He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying. Vince Lombardi The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. Its your mind you have to convince. Ginger Rogers I do everything the man does, only backward and in high heels! Edward Lear And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon. Oprah Winfrey Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes and dance. Merce Cunningham You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive. Agnes de Mille To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on Earth, and it is yours for the taking. Martha Graham Nobody cares if you cant dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

4 Key Characteristics that Professional Bio Writers Must Have

4 Key Characteristics that Professional Bio Writers Must Have 4 Key Characteristics that Professional Bio Writers Must Have Writing assignments require a lot of students’ attention and efforts. If a student decides to hire a professional writer to complete a writing assignment, they need to proceed with caution to make sure that the final draft will be at high quality. When students search for a person to handle their most important writing tasks, they need to pay close attention to the writer’s skills, the results of the previous works, the reviews they’ve been given by other students, and so on. No matter what genre a writer is working with, and it definitely applies to professional bio writers. When you hire a professional bio writer to take care of a writing assignment for you, here are 4 key characteristics that you need to look for. 1. Passionate about Books The writer must be absolutely passionate about books. If a bio author isn’t a bibliophile, there’s no way that they’ll ever be able to gain sufficient knowledge about a person’s life. This is especially true for biography writers dealing with historical figures from the distant past. The longer ago they lived, the more likely they are to have several books, and hundreds of essays written about them. Make sure that the professional bio writer you hire is a true book geek and loves nothing more than diving into hundreds of pages of history. 2. Skilled in Analytical Thinking The writer must be skilled in analytical thinking. Writing an excellent bio requires a writer to be able to juxtapose the facts of a person’s life. They’ll need to sort through contradictory information to find the most reliable sources available and avoid myths and common misconceptions. What you think happened and what really happened can be two very different things. If the writer you hire relies on the first source that they find instead of checking their facts and considering the validity of each source, your professor may be disappointed by the shallow research (and your grade may suffer accordingly). 3. Detail-Oriented The writer must be detail-oriented. Writing an engaging biography requires a writer to go beyond birth, death, and marriage dates and find out what happened in between. They’ll need to search for revealing details of a person’s life, perhaps found in personal correspondence, newspaper articles, or journal entries. Looking beyond a vague summary means that your professor will be delving into fascinating details when they read your paper instead of skimming over a dull summary. 4. Unpleasant Facts Are Mentioned too The writer must not gloss over unpleasant facts of the past. For example, women and minorities have been mistreated throughout much of human history, and while we no longer consider this acceptable, a good bio writer does not omit these details. A good man must not be made into a god by the omission of his having owned slaves or opposed women’s suffrage; instead, his character must be shown fully, with all its strengths and weaknesses together. If you’ll carefully check reviews and correspond with a bio writer to make sure that they follow these guidelines, you’ll be much more pleased with the product you receive. Students should always ensure that their hard-earned money is well-spent when entrusting bio writers with their grades. But you can hire a freelance academic writer to get a custom biography written from scratch.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Financial Planning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Planning - Term Paper Example Under the traditional forecasting the fixed assets are increased as a percentage of sales. This cannot be entirely justified. It is possible that the fixed assets owned by the firm are sufficient in supporting the projected sales level i.e. if the company may have an excess capacity. In such cases the amount of fixed assets will not vary with the sales level rather it remains unchanged. The other expenses like cost of material, any other direct expense like wages etc are likely to increase as a proportion of sales only. Similarly, spontaneous liabilities like accrued expenses and accounts payable are a form of current liabilities that can be reasonably expected to vary as per the sales level. Therefore, for these items the forecast made on the basis of sales appears to be justified. The other types of liabilities like long term debt, notes payable, paid-in capital and common stock cannot be assumed to fluctuate with the sales level. The amount of retained earnings can be assumed to b e based on the net profit margin minus any planned dividend. Hence it can be said that all the items cannot be anticipated to vary with the level of sales. Even though some items of the financial statements like accounts payable can be reasonable assumed to vary with sales others like fixed assets cannot be anticipated to vary with sales as there is a possibility of a firm having unused capacity which can take care of the forecasted sales rise (Keown, p.108). 2) a. In case of rapidly rising sales the firm’s cash position may or may not increase. In case of most of the rise being in the form of cash sales then the cash position will increase, however, if the same is in the form of credit sales then the cash position may not immediately increase. b. A delay in payable payment will increase the cash position of the business. c. A more liberal credit policy will decrease the cash position as this would mean ‘extended credit period’ thereby blocking the fund in sales for long periods of time. d. Holding of large inventory is likely to reduce the cash position as the company may not be able to use entire amount of inventory in its production activities. Due to this the conversion of inventory into sales will take time with an immediate impact of reduced cash position. However an exception to this will be if the company is able to procure inventory on credit. e. A rise in the depreciation on fixed assets will not have any impact on the cash position. This is because depreciation does not involve any actual cash outflow for the business. f. Retention of higher percent of earnings would mean less cash dividend outflow. This is likely to increase the cash position of the business. 3) The recent financial crisis originated in USA and gradually spread across the worldwide financial markets. This squeezed the ‘credit’ as the financial institutions across the globe became wary of lending. The crisis had its roots in the ‘housing bubble ’ when the housing prices were booming in the domestic market in US. Induced by the increased demand for housing loans a number of derivative products like securitization, credit default swaps were issued. Buoyed by the low rate of interest and poor credit appraisal even the sub-prime borrowers were given loans. All was fine but once the rate of interest started rising these borrowers started defaulting. The market participants panicked with the fall of the financial giants

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 8

Case study - Essay Example mission of the company is to provide airline services to the customers, while generating high amount of customer satisfaction through the intangible factors of warmth, friendliness as well as high quality customer service (Southwest Airlines, 2013.). It has to be said that the external analysis needs to take into account the various factors of the outside world that can seriously impact the business prospects of the low cost airlines. The external analysis can be best judged by evaluating the competitive business environment of the airline sector. The global aviation sector is highly integrated with a lot of macro level factors, which has to be taken into consideration while judging the business prospects associated with this sector. The high and tremendously complex level of integration of the multiple numbers of macro factors of various regions and countries has significantly pushed up the risk quotient that is associated with doing business in this particular sector. While studying the trends that have existed in the aviation sector all around the world, it has been found that the competitive scenario in the last decade shared an inverse relationship for the growth of the airline business all over the world. The analysis of the performance of the airline sector in the period of 2000 and 2009 revealed that the sector of global aviation was subjected to a net loss of more than 52 billion USD. The expert analysts of the aviation sector cited that the issues related to fragmented nature of the airlines sector all over the globe as well as mismatch in terms of demand and capacity are the main reasons for the loss based upshots. The experts have predicted that with the continued existence of these factors, there will be a significant impact in the global airline sector. It has to be said that these factors will trigger a loss of more than 52 billion USD in the next couple of years (Brueckner and Lee, 2010). Talking about the potential threat of the domestic