Biggest Obstacle to Business Sustainability Essay

Biggest Obstacle to Business Sustainability - Essay Example In other words, it ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain. According to Werther and Chandler (2011), there are several CSR-related concepts that used to overcome communication barriers in a business. The Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders, Globalization, and Sustainable Value Creation contain ideas that improve communication. Specifically, these include accountability (p. 305), business ethics (p. 336), stakeholder relations (p. 374), and environmental sustainability (p. 326). Others include compliance (p. 313), the use of the media (p. 344), religion (p. 365), and sustainable development (Werther and Chandler (2011, p. 326). Accountability requires honesty and transparency in the auditing process within an organization. The economists and accountants preparing the audit reports should embrace answerability as a crucial tool for linking up with the stakeholders. According to Werther and Chandler (2011), accountability enables external auditors to assess the organization and the managers. Consequently, this enhances the reliability of the reports conveyed to the stakeholders. Specifically, it minimizes the instances of doubts within the organization. Accountability ensures a proper flow of information between the managers and the employees. For this reason, it is the most critical virtue that promotes responsibility of the managers. In response, the supervisors pass all the relevant, reliable information to the employees and the customers. Business ethics refers to the mode of conduct within an organization. Professional ethos and values dictate the behavior of the workers and managers. The principles encompass the behavior and responsibilities of the organizational fraternity. Corporate integrities assist in reducing instances of communication breakdown in an organization (p. 335). According to the ethics, it is the role of

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN MOBILE SERVICES Research Paper

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN MOBILE SERVICES - Research Paper Example Programs in the connected mesh do not interfere with each other, that interference general case for mobile media. Challenges and Opportunities Conflicts connected mesh conceives characteristics of mobile media. Consequently, the mobile systems bear from reduced flow, dead zones, as well as encouraging mobility is not enough. Characteristics of mobile systems may all appear awful at the start glimpse, but a new viewpoint, displays that some of them may be utilized in our favor, but with a new design (Verkasalo 2009). The propagation of mobile telephone boasts an opening to address their need of reliability when the node is a package, it is probable that not less than one close by node obtains, which can then proceed as a next step and drive the packet. This is in stark compare to the present conceive of mobile, where there is one designated by the next jump, and when he did not obtain the bundle, the preceding segment to retransmit. Property is called spatial diversity and has been re vised in the literature. The flow of mobile systems today is very awful, and we recount here the architecture round mobile mesh cipher can assist to advance throughput. Intuition that mesh cipher raises the flow of going, because cipher permits routers to compress the data conveyed given what is renowned in distinct nodes. Mobile users can now get access to data anytime and anywhere. Mobile advocating, retail, and the game are very well liked, and little by little affray between providers of mobile services becomes cruel (Allen 2003). Thus, some service providers to customize the content personalization expertise to its users. This item discovers the possibilities and trials in utilizing expertise personalization in m-commerce. The argument over the effectiveness of personalization and technological constraints and privacy inspire us to aim assemblies with mobile users, and discover the possibilities and trials of personalized mobile services. M-commerce is the buying and trading it ems and services by mobile devices. In supplement to retail, there are submissions for mobile advocating and mobile games. According to (Smura Kivi and Toyli 2010), only 16% of the half a billion Internet users were international mobile Internet users in 2001, and the percentage expanded to 57% of the 1.5 billion Internet users in 2007. Without a question, the m-commerce becomes relevant. Distribution of mobile submissions founded on these medium has become a "focal point" rudimentary services of the company. Recent improvement in mobile expertise space, for example international positioning schemes (GPS), mobile operators can work out the position of the mobile medium inside a couple of meters. Previous study contends that such likelihood with information of the position, the mobile conduit presents businesses with more intriguing agreements and sales possibilities that the world broad web conduit is doing (Verkasalo 2008). Using the benefits of mobile business, the inquiry of what lies deep in the minds of mobile mesh operators: what is this location, content will be delivered? With expanding clientele anticipations, without a question, the note is a universal set about is not strategic. Customers favor customized or even personalized services. Adaptation of the content on locations users (and even their preferences, enterprise goals and context) is required to accomplish enterprise possibilities in m-commerce.

Gothic in Wuthering Heights and Dorian Gray

Gothic in Wuthering Heights and Dorian Gray The duplicity or sometimes called the Doppelganger is a common theme in gothic fiction works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray or Wuthering Heights. While in the first novel, this theme regards the division of the main characters into two different bodies, in the latter, the self is no longer divided into different embodiments, but it can be found in the same character having the same appearance while portraying one self or the other. In other words, Dorian Gray has a certain different figure when they display the other self, while Cathy and Heathcliff have an inner other self not an outer one and are completely unaware of its existence. While in The Picture of Dorian Gray, the depiction of self is related to realism and the depiction of other self relates to gothic representation, in Wuthering Heights, when talking about Catherine it is the other way around. The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young man who decides to make a Faustian bargain in order to gain and preserve eternal beauty. The novel can be interpreted as classic gothic horror fiction in which the reader can easily spot the Narcissus myth and the theme of duplicity which presents Dorians two selves: the public one constructed in a realist way and the private one, constructed with gothic means. On the other hand, Wuthering Heights is a gothic novel in which the protagonists are, unlike other novels, anti-heroes. The main character, Heathcliff is a man whose desire of revenge destroys both himself and the other characters of the novel. He is depicted at first as a loving person but in the end as a violent revengeful man. The female protagonist, Catherine Earnshow is a woman who finds herself in crisis of identity. Both characters need to make a division in themselves in order to express their feelings for each other. The division in The Picture of Dorian Gray is made with the help of a portrait, an outer body which guests the other self of the main character, whereas in Wuthering Heights, there is no need for another body. Dorian Gray is presented in the first chapter as a young man of extraordinary personal beauty, unspoiled by sins and failure. The picture as it is presented in the first chapter reveals Dorians first and true image: he is young, handsome, and innocent, without stain. However, Dorian Gray will not remain this way throughout the novel. He will change and not in a positive way. This is where the author brings to light the duplicity theme. Similar to Dorian Gray, Heathcliff is depicted in the beginning of the novel as a positive character. Although he lacks Dorians looks, he is a boy, and then a man capable to love and give. The audience is assured that Heathcliff does love Catherine and the way in which the author describes the brutal treatments Hindley applies to him can cause the reader pity for Heathcliff. In the first chapters of the novel, before Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights, the entire atmosphere is one which abounds with gothic elements. The author presents here the first nature of Heathcliff, while entire passages describe the manor as a dark, bleak, unfriendly place. The main character can be interpreted as of pure gothic construction. He is a mysterious man whose past nobody knows, but on the other hand, he is presented as romantically involved with Catherine, thus as a positive character. Exactly like Heathcliff, Dorian from the end of the second chapter is no longer Dorian from the beginning. The reader faces in just a few pages Dorians transition. His naivety and his purity disappear when he realises the importance of his beauty and the fact that he will lose it someday. Henry Wotton manipulates his mind and turns him into a person ready to sell his soul in order to preserve his beauty. In the moment when he sees the portrait, he is as fascinated by himself as Basil is and acts as if this is the first time when he sees himself. This passage comes similar to the moment when Narcissus sees his reflection in the water for the first time and brings the idea of self-worship which will finally lead to self-destruction. Infatuated with himself, Dorian becomes a Machiavellian person, wanting to preserve the moment, no matter the costs. Dorian loses his innocence but, despite the fact that his soul is unceasingly deepening into the negative way of living, he is admired for his beauty and intelligence, for his talents. This leads him to plays with peoples minds hiding his true shape and making them believe that his appearances are similar to his inner self. This outer self, the one he displays in front of anyone is in total opposition to the self which he prefers to cover. On the other hand Heathcliff does not feel the need to cover his other self. There is a certain moment in the book when Heathcliff changes his attitude. Feeling abandoned, Heathcliff feels the desire for revenge which brings up the other self in Heathcliff. He becomes a violent person who seems incapable of good feelings and begins acting like a demonic character, destroying everybodys lives. His actions seem to be results of the distortion in his natural personality. Dorian changes too. Dorian loses his innocence but, despite the fact that his soul is unceasingly deepening into the negative way of living, he is admired for his beauty and intelligence, for his talents. This leads him to plays with peoples minds hiding his true shape and making them believe that his appearances are similar to his inner self. This outer self, the one he displays in front of anyone is in total opposition to the inner self which he prefers to cover. In order to construct the other self, Oscar Wilde refers to gothic imagery. He creates the key element, the picture and develops its image as the one of different character of the book. The first gothic element of the book is the Faustian theme. Dorian unconsciously sells his soul to the devil in order to obtain eternal youth and beauty. Henry Wotton plays the part of devils advocate, devils representative without even knowing it. He inspires Dorian to make the fatal wish: the paint should age instead of him. The fact that the portrait ages in Dorians stead cannot be logically explained, thus it is the supernatural element which lead to the development of the plot. From the very beginning presented as a fantastic element, the picture represents the embodiment of Dorians other self. His sins, his mistakes and his other nature are revealed on the canvas. Knowing that, Dorian wants to protect this image, wants to hide it and locks the portrait in the attic so as no one should see the im age of his soul. Although he is aware of the fact that his soul is dark and stained with sins, he continues to live as before because he thinks he can no longer be forgiven and his soul saved. The moments when Dorian is possessed by his other self, abound with gothic elements. So are the moments when Heathcliff becomes violent and the author presents his inner sense of revenge and hatred. In Wildes novel, the scene of the murder is presented in a dark atmosphere with the lamp casting shadows on the wall and the blowing wind. Moreover, Dorian kills Basil only after he looks at the portrait and seems to be captivated by something hiding beneath the canvas. Violence breaks through and he stabs the painter without any sense of remorse. The way in which he decides to make the body disappear is a result of his mad ego that seems to have no feelings and to be totally detached from the realist life. Science is here presented it its negative part. With science, Dorian finalises the murder, making the evidence disappear forever. His other soul has become a malicious and manipulative person. He confides in the book Henry gives him and takes it for granted, as a way of living. It is a poisonous book, symbol of his degraded life. Moreover, the gothic atmosphere appears again when Dorian visits the opium den which is the reflection of Dorians state of mind. The den is a place of lost souls where Dorian finds comfort, he cures his soul by means of senses, because he suffers not only physical but also mental. Catherine, on the other hand does not change in a negative way. She is ashamed of her natural self and decides to make a step further, to change and to embrace another self in which she will finally feel uncomfortable. In childhood she is her true self, without carrying about her future as woman and as a wife. She has internal conflicts which intensify her psychological complexity. She suffers from a self-divided personality, regarding what she truly desires and what she thinks she should become as a woman. This is a point where one could speak of her id, what she desires, her instinctive impulses and her super-ego, what she thinks she should become as a woman, her moral ideas, and the expectations of the patriarchal society. After returning from Thrushcross Grange she is different because, not only does she act differently but she struggle to refrain from her usual behaviour. Nelly actually realises what has happened to Cathy and even says that she adopt(ed) a double character without exactly intending to deceive anyone. Catherines conversation with Nelly is the final evidence that she has a divided self. She tells her that she loves Heathcliff, that she is Heathcliff, suggesting that her real self is the one which complements Heathcliff, which makes her like him, turning them into the figure of an androgynous. She is able to refrain from her true self until Heathcliffs returning. Now she suffers again from an identity crisis. She looks in the mirror and says that the image is not hers, it is in fact the reflection of the part she had to play in order to be a respected woman, to fit in the bed of Procrustes the society showed her. Once Heathcliff is back, she is unable to live in this way anymore and thi s destroys her. There is the interpretation which says that Heathcliff, being Catherines matching person, actually is her doppelganger, her dark hide, which she wants to hide, exactly like Dorian Gray. This is suggested several times when the main characters say that the other is part of their lives, oh themselves à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾I cannot live without my life! Cannot live without my soul!; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾I am Heathcliff. The ways in which the protagonists are firstly presented is a romantic one with characters relating to nature who rebel against the world they live in. The gothic atmosphere is intensified by supernatural elements and melodrama. But Bronte created two different places where Catherine leaves, suggesting her split personality. The first one, the Wuthering Heights identifies with her true self and it is presented with gothic constructions such as the description of the moors, the manor, the atmosphere, the, wind, the storm or the rain. On the other hand, Thrushcross Grange is depicted in a positive manner, in a realist way, with all the elements of the common life representing Catherines other self. There is a striking difference between these two as it is between Catherines sides. The realist depictions in Wuthering Heights are somehow related to the other part of the novel, starting with the first scene where the reader encounters Young Cathy. Her and Haretons story is depicted in a realistic way, especially because of the happy ending. In the second case, the realism of the novel is depicted from Wildes representation of the Victorian world. Dorian is after all, an aristocrat living in a rich world where dines and opera are something common. His first self, the one everyone knows, the one Basil has painted at the beginning of the novel is the one living in this world. He is a rich art connoisseur; he likes parties and luncheons and attends theatre and opera. The Victorian society presented in the novel is one where people live from undeserved inheritance and enjoy gossiping and judging the world around. Dorian lives a secret life within an apparently respectable society. While a beautiful forever-young man in his public life, Dorian is presented as a debauched, violent person. The atmosphere in the next chapter is completely different from the one in the previous. The life at the countryside seems idyllic but Dorian is uncomfortable here because he feels he is stalked by James Vane. James presence is like a ghost haunting Dorian throughout the novel, being the embodiment of Dorians conscience. In the other book, the main character is not haunted by feelings or remorse, but by Catherines ghost who has not find peace. This idea brings another gothic element to both stories. In both novels, the theme of the divided self dominates the entire atmosphere, but in The Picture of Dorian Gray is easier to observe. However, the three characters that experience this kind of mental or physical division are presented as tormented souls, unable to find their rest.

religion :: essays research papers

I do not feel that I should participate in the â€Å"Pay it Forward† assignment. This assignment is telling us to go be nice to people and we will get a good grade. If we don’t do anything nice, we will not receive a good grade. I do not feel like anybody should be forced to do something nice, if they have to be forced, they shouldn’t do it at all. If it is not done for the correct reasons, it doesn’t mean anything. I do nice things for people. If I am in the mood and feel that I should help somebody out, I will, but I will not give them a paper and turn it in to the teacher for a grade. How impersonal is that? If I receive a paper from somebody during this project, I will not feel grateful that they performed an act of kindness for me because it is not for the right reasons. Their act of kindness is for a grade in religion class. Besides the â€Å"Pay it Forward† project has almost nothing in common with the movie. In the movie the little boy, Trevor, decided that he should change the world. His idea about how to do it is a good theory, but it will never work as well as anyone would hope it would. In the movie he saves a homeless man, and he took him home and gave him some money, food, and a place to sleep. He did not have to do anything at all. If I remember correctly, that assignment in the movie was for extra credit. Today we received an assignment that is worth a very healthy sum of points for the second nine weeks. Why should we have to be given grades to be nice to each other? Has the world gone that bad? Having to basically bribe or force people to be courteous to others. That, in my opinion is wrong. This project has a good purpose but I don’t feel that it is the right thing to do. People should be nice to each other all the time, not just when we get points for it. I feel obligated to go and do good and be the nicest person I can be, but I would rather be nice to someone and feel the gratification that would follow that act. I do

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay

The problem which I will be looking at in this report is whether the energy drink, sport drink and vitamin-enhanced beverages are able to be sustainable in the beverage industry. Of the four companies to be discussed; will all of them still be around in 10 years? During the mid-2000’s these alternative beverages enjoyed rapid growth; they had premium prices and high profit margins that made them an important part in the lineup of their brands (Thompson, p. C-75). The strength of these companies had been growing strong but had a slight decline in recent years. SWOT for the Industry Strength: Product Expansion – many new products have been developed Distribution Channels – Can use convenience stores, grocery stores Able to deliver with carbonated soft drinks Weakness: Price is high compared to soft drinks Unhealthy ingredients Caffeine is not regulated – like in soft drink industry Opportunity: Consumer demand Supplier Channels – ingredients, cans, labels Product Innovation – provides differentiation Brand Loyalty – taste, image, energy boosting Brand building skills needed 2 oz. energy shots Threat: Economy Scientific evidence that some products are not healthy Effect people with heart arrhythmias and insomnia. Mix with alcohol Relaxed Drink Niche – abuse with prescription cough syrup As we look at this SWOT analysis of the alternative beverage industry we notice that there are some opportunities that they have created and are able to use in the future. Consumers’ choices are changing from the standard soft drink to alternative beverages. The key is to be sustainable by building up these products. The main opportunity to help with sustainability is to build brand loyalty. Try building up the knowledge and uses of your brands will help you gain the skills needed to continue building the brand. SWOT for PepsiCo Strength: Leads in US: Aquafina – mineral water Frappuccino – ready to drink coffee Tropicana – orange juice Gatorade – sports drinks Strong distribution Broad product line Weakness: Slow growth in Latin America and Japan Opportunity: Food division should expand internationally Threat: Coca Cola leading brand for carbonated drinks Living healthy awareness PepsiCo has grown to be a strong competitor in the global market of alternative beverages. This SWOT shows that they need to increase their growth in the markets of Japan and Latin America. As we discussed in the overall market they can learn how to increase their brand loyalty. SWOT for Coca Cola Strength: Leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor for non-alcoholic beverages Gaining distribution of new beverages such as Minute Maid, Dasani and Powerade Multi-year distribution agreement with Hansen Natural Corporation Weakness: Market share in alternative beverages Opportunity: New product development Introduction of existing brands into new country markets Threat: PepsiCo is slowly taking over the market with multi-line of beverages Increase trend in healthy living Globally they have been a top company in the beverage industry. They have been not as strong in the alternative beverage market. The experiences they have with the carbonated beverages can continue on with the new industry and increase their brand loyalty to the alternative side. The key is to expand their brands into the global market and make it sustainable. SWOT for Red Bull GmbH Strength: #1 seller of energy drinks Weakness: Lack of innovation Reliance on small product base Opportunity: Diversification of beverages to capture wider market opportunity Geographical expansion Threat: Other energy drinks such as Powerade and Gatorade Healthier drinks such as mineral water and juices Red Bull has been a leader in marketing of their product. This marketing prowess has made them the number one seller of energy drinks. I think that if they want to grow and be able to protect themselves from the big two they need to grab the opportunity to diversify into other alternative beverages. As they diversify they will expand into becoming a wider market. SWOT for Hansen Natural Corporation Strength: Monster Energy drinks propelled company sales in 2002 Monster Energy is second best-selling energy drink in USA Weakness: Brand name is not as familiar as the others Opportunity: Develop new products Threat: Competitors have bigger names in the industry. The Hansen Natural Corporation is in the earlier stages of development in this industry thus making them not as well-known as the others. They key that they have done is learned from Red Bull and market their product towards the younger male demographics. Building brand loyalty with the young males will help with the sustainability as that generation grows older they will continue to buy the product. Porter’s Five Forces of Competitive Position Rivalry among Existing Competitors: Beverage producers increased the market for alternative beverages by extending product lines and developing new products. Companies established consumer brand loyalty with an emphasis on advertising, sales promotions and endorsements. Switching costs are low for consumers. Rivalry among competitors is strong. Threat of New Entrants: The brands of: Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull, Hansen Natural have strong productdifferentiation & brand loyalty. Government policies are restrictive by the FDA regulations. Alternative beverage sellers need to have an efficient distribution system that can reach supermarkets and convenience stores. Threat of new entrants is weak. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Of the distributors; delis and restaurants had low switching costs from brand to brand, but also had less ability to negotiate for deep pricing discounts because of volume limitations. Consumers can obtain the products easily and are well-informed Buyers have stronger bargaining power. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: There are many supplier ingredients & are trying to sell the products. Some rare ingredients providers had an adequate amount of leverage in negotiations with energy drink producers. The producers are important customers of suppliers and they buy in large quantities Packaging is readily available from many suppliers. Suppliers are weaker. Threat of Substitute Products: There are many substitutes to alternative beverages such as tea, soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water and tap water. Competitive pressure from substitute products is strong. As we look at the 5 forces I have decided that rivalry amongst the competitors is the strongest factor while the power of suppliers is weakest. New entrants are a weak force as the 2 big companies historical action is to purchase companies out when they get to be a nuisance in the market. The reason that suppliers have a low bargaining power is that if a company does not want to deal with you there is somebody else out there that is willing to take your place. The buyers (consumers) have a strong force because they are the ones who decide what they want to consume. It is easy to open up the door next to your product and grab the competitor’s product. The 2nd strongest force that I can see is the threat of substitute products. Just like the competitors; consumers have the option to pick a substitute beverage instead of your energy, sports or vitamin-enhanced drink. The reason I went with the rivalry is that we are talking about the sustainability of the market. Competition with fellow companies is healthy for a company and helps the products to grow compared to being the only option in the market. Choice for consumers creates the competition which helps make the whole market stronger. As the market become stable and has a consistent demand the companies will be able to expand their market. The generation that they have to market to be used to having product innovation and marketing innovation. â€Å"An ongoing stream of product innovations tends to alter the pattern of competition in an industry by attracting more first-time buyers, rejuvenating industry growth with concomitant effects on rivalry, entry threat, and buyer power (Thompson, p. 74)†. All of this helps with sustainability. Financial Analysis Net Income Changes | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| Between 2007-2008| -8. 9%| -2. 9%| -27. 7%| Between 2008-2009| 15. 7%| 17. 5%| 93. 2%| Between 2007 and 2009| 5. 4%| 14. 1%| 39. 7%| * All three companies had a bad change from 2007 to 2008. The economy at that time was at a low thus it does not mean that it was their fault. * Hansen had a big jump from 2008 to 2009 as they made an important transition of Monster Energy from a domestic North American brand into a truly international brand (Monster Beverage Corp. p. 3). They had a more reasonable change between 2007 and 2009. * Coke has a consistently higher level of net income with a more consistent change. * Pepsi-Co had a good change from 2008 to 2009. Gross Profit Margin | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| 2007| 54. 3%| 63. 9%| 51. 7%| 2008| 52. 9%| 64. 4%| 52. 1%| 2009| 53. 5%| 64. 2%| 53. 6%| * Shows a consistent percentage that the revenues can cover the expenses and are able to create a profit. | * The companies are consistent in their ability to achieve that margin. Coke has the highest percentage. | * They appear to have a good handle on covering their expenses with their revenues. | | Operating Profit Margin| | | | | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| 2007| 18. 2%| 25. 1%| 22. 5%| 2008| 16. 1%| 26. 4%| 13. 8%| 2009| 18. 6%| 26. 6%| 25. 8%| * Shows how much profit is earned on sales before paying interest charges and taxes. | | * The companies are consistent again with Hansen having a low year in 2008 but close with Coke. | * Coke was the consistent high company. | | | | | | | Net Profit Margin| | | | | Pepsi – Co| Coca-Cola| Hansen| 2007| 14. 4%| 20. 7%| 14. 6%| 2008| 11. 9%| 18. 2%| 9. 1%| 2009| 13. 8%| 22. 0%| 15. 9%| * A high net profit margin indicates a more profitable company that has better control over its costs compared to its competitors. * Coca-Cola is the higher ratio company with a consistent ratio that grew from 2007 to 2009. The other 2 companies are close in percentages and are lower than Coca-Cola. This shows that Coca-Cola is more profitable than the other two companies. Alternatives: * Coca Cola to improve. * Red Bull to improve * Hansen Natural to improve * PepsiCo to improve * Continue running the same Discussion of the Alternatives: Coca Cola One of the keys to help be sustainable is being innovative and building up a good image; this will help to recapture the market share lost in the energy drink market. Coca Cola should also try to create more rapid growth in vitamin-enhanced beverages and also by creating an â€Å"energy shots† product. Globally they can strengthen alternative beverage sales in Asia and their lack of competitiveness in European market. Coca Cola can use a combination of new flavors and formulations, line extensions, and brands; they can increase sales of the alternative beverages internationally by building a strong image and strengthen their distribution capabilities. Researching a country is important factor, so that you can see what that country looks for in an alternative beverage. Then produce that product and also market to their way of life. They could also try and introduce more flavors that people will enjoy and cut the ones that aren’t doing well. PepsiCo Sustainability can be strengthened by having a major image building campaign for their top product. Just like Coke they need to expand into energy shot branding by having Rockstar add energy shot to its distribution agreement. Another option is to negotiate for distribution rights to European and Asia-Pacific markets with Rockstar or launch its energy drink brands into attractive international markets. In the case it, they discussed that they had introduced a new lineup of alternative drinks known as Charge, Rebuild, Defend, and Bloodshot. As a consumer I have not heard of those brands; indicating to me that marketing of those new products needs an overhaul so that we, the consumers, are aware of such products. Another thing they could do is try to come up with new good tasting flavors for its SoBe energy drink line. Red Bull GmbH The Red Bull brand should improve the performance of its recently introduced energy shot. They need to continue to expand into rapidly growing markets for energy drinks. It is necessary for the company to maintain its lead in the U. S. and European energy drink market. A major key for Red Bull is getting additional product line extensions with the help of their R & D department. They also can develop sports drinks or vitamin-enhanced beverages that can further exploit the appeal of the Red Bull brand. Hansen Natural Corporation Hansen has an agreement with Coca Cola to be a distributor. To be competitive in the alternative beverage market you need to have a strong distribution system. When you have control over your own distribution it gives you the power to have good sales volume and increased market share. Placement on store shelves in the â€Å"first mover areas† is a key to increasing those sales and being in control of your distribution, and then you can set up good locations on store shelves. They also need to continue looking at being innovative in producing new and better products. Image is critical in the minds of consumers in choosing the brands they want. The image presented by the product’s name and emphasized in advertisements, endorsements, and promotions create demand for one brand over another. Finally, sufficient sales volume to achieve scale economies helps in becoming an important driver. They need to have sufficient sales volumes to keep marketing expenses at an acceptable cost per unit basis. Continue running the same That kind of alternative is not a good business decision in that progression is what drives the business environment. In a competitive environment those standing still will be passed or swallowed by the running beast as it goes by. As we seen in our SWOT, all four companies are not at a perfect state and have many opportunities at their doorstep. Recommendation: This case and the way in which has worked out is more about how the industry has a whole can be sustainable. Each one of the companies has similar options that are available to help be maintainable. The one company to me that stands out is the Hansen Natural Corporation because it has been innovative in their options in comparison to Red Bull, such as the size of the cans that they offer. They provide more products for the same or lower price point. I recommend that they develop a better distribution system for their product. It will help with the first mover area which they can move into. As they become stronger in their distribution system they will increase their opportunities to sell their products. Options of places to sell their products such as in vending machines will make their product available to an increased market. As these market segments grow the sales volume will increase with a stronger market share to become available. Brand image is strong to continue building by sponsoring the events to the consumers which you focus your products towards. Action Plan: Immediate: Research distribution channels and how to become â€Å"first mover area† company Short: Cancel agreement with Coke Mid: Set up the distribution channel system. Launch the new system. Long: Make adjustments to the system as the need arises. Conclusion: Competition in the Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages market will continue to grow as the companies continue to be innovative. I have looked at ways to help the companies be more sustainable. I discussed how Hansen Natural will be able to grow and prosper in the alternative beverage market. References Monster Beverage Corp. (2010, February 28). Annual Report. Retrieved March 6, 2013, from www. zonebourse. com/MONSTER-BEVERAGE-CORP-9771916/pdf/182022/Monster%20Beverage%20Corp_Rapport-annuel. pdf Thompson, A. A. , Strickland, A. J. , & Gamble, J. (2012). Crafting and executing strategy: the quest for competitive advantage : concepts and cases (18th ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

How might a Jacobean audience see certain events in MACBETH differently to a modern one? Essay

Four hundred years ago in the time of the Jacobeans, beliefs then were very different from what they are today and this had impacts on the way Jacobean audiences interpreted certain events in Shakespeare’s plays. This essay sets out how some events might be interpreted differently in Macbeth. Bad things that happened to people were blamed on the supernatural like curses, witches and ghosts e.t.c. First of all was the whole idea of witches. For everything bad that happened to people, witches were blamed for them. Witches were seen as real people who had magical powers and could do almost anything. In Macbeth the witches appear at the very start of the play and accompanying them was thunder and lightning. The Jacobeans see that type of weather to be a bad omen and meant forces of evil or bad things were coming, whereas nice weather meant good things were going on. Today we see bad weather as being caused by scientific reasons; to do with air pressure for example. It has nothing to do with any events happening in the world. In Act 1 scene 2, the witches go on to create a massive thunderstorm. A Jacobean audience would believe this really happened because they thought witches did actually have the power to do that. Nowadays, a modern audience would see that as simply just made up, because we don’t believe in witches anymore. Adverse weather conditions are caused by natural phenomena not by supernatural evil witches. When Macbeth sees the witches for the first time they say â€Å"Hail Macbeth hail to thee Thane of Glamis,† â€Å"Thane of Cawdor† then â€Å"King hereafter†. The witches are saying he definitely will have those titles, not just might be. A Jacobean audience would see this as the witches predicted the future because people back then believed that they could do that. Today we do not believe in witches and again; it would be seen by a modern audience as the witches guessing what would happen. Next is the Thane of Cawdor’s execution. No-one has been executed in Britain for many years; the death penalty has effectively been abolished. But in Jacobean times, it was regarded as the natural thing to do. Therefore a modern audience would see this execution as very serious and would feel he would not deserve that punishment as much as we did 400 years ago. A Jacobean audience would see that he does need to be executed because betraying the king’s (monarch’s) army was considered a very serious crime because it would be a crime against God as well; as the monarchy was considered to be run directly by God. When Lady Macbeth calls on evil spirits to make her powerful and string-minded to carry out the murder of Duncan she says, â€Å"Unsex me here,† and, â€Å"Make thick my blood.† She actually wants to be changed into a man (on the inside) from a woman and be praying out to spirits somewhere she can do this. A Jacobean audience would believe that this is really happening because they believed in sprits; good or bad, and that if you call for them, they can do what you want. A modern audience however would see this as Lady Macbeth thinking that she has lots of power when really she can’t and she’s got too much energy and feels really powerful when really nothing will happen like that. I.e. she has a big lust for power. Today we don’t believe in spirits and that they never exist. We now would think that she’s just feeling lots of power and wants to get it very badly. But just before Macbeth goes to commit the murder of Duncan, he imagines a dagger leading him to Duncan’s room. He says, â€Å"Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?† He’s seeing this dagger actually taking him to Duncan’s room meaning the dagger should be used to kill him. Macbeth is really convinced and believes it’s there. Because of that, a Jacobean audience would think the witches have put it there in his head because they told the future earlier on in the play, that Macbeth will become king, and he would have needed to kill Duncan to do it. A modern audience on the other hand would think he’s having a hallucination and he’s just simply imagining it; probably explained by the stress of being about to kill the King. Jacobean’s might not have thought that because they didn’t appreciate people can imagine things deliberately or because of stress or mental illness. They would not understand those things. In addition, Macbeth sees a vision of Banquo’s ghost at a banquet. He says to the other guests, â€Å"Which of you have done this?† Again, like the dagger only he can see it and he believes it really was there. A Jacobean audience would have believed in ghosts and life after death. Macbeth had just unlawfully killed Banquo so a Jacobean audience would see that it would make sense for his ghost to haunt him and only him and appear real. But, a modern audience would see this as Macbeth being so stressed by the murder of Banquo and Duncan that one of his victims comes back to haunt him in his mind. The fact that only Macbeth can see it proves that it’s probably his stress. Jacobean’s believed in the â€Å"Divine right of Kings† meaning that the king’s reign is so because it is what God wanted; it’s God’s will for him/her to be king. Therefore if you kill the monarch (called regicide), it was the worst possible crime anybody could commit at the time. If you did it, you were committing a sin against God and the audience would be so shocked they would be petrified. So when Macbeth murders Duncan, the audience would be petrified with disbelief that that just happened. Today, we believe that kings and queens reign because we allow him/her to reign over us and it’s nothing to do with God. So a modern audience would see the murder of Duncan as just a very serious murder, not a crime against God. This is also because we believe much less in religion now than we did 400 years ago. Plus, the monarch today does not have it much power as it did back then; since the English civil war, laws are passed by parliament, the king or queen virtually has no power and can be abolished by parliament at any time. When Macbeth sees the witches for the final time to show him the apparitions, again in thunder and rain, they cast a spell in rhymes in order to do that. For example one says, â€Å"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes†. Jacobeans would see this as the witches truly casting a spell but today we this as just a poem. Also, the apparitions that the witches come up with would have been seen to have really done that by a Jacobean audience, because again, they thought witches had unlimited magical powers and could do almost anything, including bringing out naked out of a bubbling pot children or futuristic visions out of their cauldron. A modern audience would see this as Macbeth being drugged by the witches and that potion made him go on to see those apparitions, perhaps in some sort of trans or dream. We don’t believe in witches having the magical power to do that themselves. The final thing whose perception has changed is Lady Macbeth sleepwalking. In Jacobean times, people did not understand that anyone can sleepwalk for whatever reason and thought anyone who did was mad meaning they thought Lady Macbeth was mad and stressed because of what her husband had just been doing. Today however, we think that anyone can sleepwalk and hence Lady Macbeth could have been feeling fine and she was doing a totally random thing. We no longer link sleepwalking with madness. So to conclude, in Jacobean times 400 years ago, people were less knowledgeable about science, weather and how the mind worked. This combined with poor education for most people then, meant that the Jacobeans had to make up phenomenon like witches and ghosts to explain why bad things happen or things go wrong. Nowadays, more people live in urban areas and are well-educated and less religious. Kings and queens have mostly been replaced by fully elected party leaders and the monarch is now just a person and far less important in decision making and politics. Doctors and psychology mean we can understand people’s emotions better and events such as bad weather are now explained by science.

buy custom Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security essay

buy custom Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security essay Introduction Dell Company is a leading corporation that markets and sells their products through websites. Dell Inch is an American multinational corporation that deals with information technology products, such as computers and other related products. It bears the name of the founder Michael Dell who founded it in1984. It is one of the largest technological companies across the globe. It is the leading sellers of technological products of high quality across the globe. Dell Inch distributes their products across the globe through utilizing their website for advertising their products and services available in the market. The company conducts their business across the globe through subsidiaries. It designs, develops, manufactures, markets and sells their products in a wide range of product that are customized to individual customers. However, in the past three years, Dell Company has experienced a security breach. Dell employ unique marketing strategies and tits website provides a competitive adv ance, which contributes to increased sales. Dell Inch has designed its website in a manner that creates attention to customers. It has brand names for varied market segments for their products. The business corporate represents brand whereby the companys product information emphasizes the long life-cycles, reliability and serviceability of varied products. The consumer class emphasizes product value, its performance and expendability. It provides the arrangement of products available in the market. These products are arranged in a manner that makes it easy for customers to choose the products they want to purchase. Each product has information revealing the suitability of the products and where it suits best. The corporate contact information is clearly provided in their website in order to help customers make easy access of products purchase. The purpose of the contacts, which includes the email address of the company, is provided with the aim of contacting the company in case one needs the products. Additionally, customer information at purchase is provided for each product presented in the list. The company provides information for activity based management and such information includes product evaluation or information about the product a customer purchased. The information for products at purchase is clearly provided to customers in order to help them make decisions of the products suitable for them. Customization of products for customers is the most critical means of delivering true value to customers (Hvam, Mortensen and Riis, 2008). The companies customize their products in order to achieve superior competitive advantage in the marketplace. The company implements product configuration system as a way of achieving this practice. It provides a lead time for product reduction depending on the demands of customers. Therefore, the design of products is done in a way that attracts the attention of customers. The company carries out product customization, because consumers prefer to achieve their personal tastes reflecting on what they are doing or using. Thus, Dell customizes products for their customers in order to help them meet their demanding needs. One of the corporations Internet marketing strategies employed in marketing their products is lowering of prices for products any time all the year round. The company keeps on lowering their products in order to compete with their competitors producing the same products. This is crucial because it strategy has enabled it to acquire more customers who order and buy products online. In 2006, the company cut their prices in an effort of maintaining their market share. It also cut profit margins of real products purchased by more than a half. This is done for the purpose of maintaining existing customers and attracting more customers in the market. The company keeps on accepting most purchase made through the Internet or telephone network in order to maintain their prices low. After the customers purchase the products online, the company provides a free delivery thus; encouraging more customers for the availability of products in the market. Another marketing strategy they use is providing customers with bonuses for products purchased. The company offers their customers with free bonuses for the products purchased, including Dell printers and scanners. This is crucial, because it enables customers to demand more products in their company. This is a crucial strategy that helps the company to compete favorably with their competitors. They make subsequent product campaigning through their website. They make promotions of their services and products online offering a wide range of bonuses in order to attract more customers. Moreover, they started using the slogan of Yours is here as a means of making their products known to customers. This slogan is one of the advertisement strategies that communicate the way their products fits the requirements of customers. The last strategy they employed is providing free shipping of products in order to encourage more sales as well as to keep off their competitors. This is an essential tool that involves more customers to purchase the products. This is crucial because it increases the sales of products and encourages customers to make more purchase of products online, since they are freely delivered to them. Not only this strategy increases sales, but also aims at keeping away their competitors. The major competitors of Dell Company are Toshiba, Acer, Sony, Samsung and many other companies, which are producing software and hardware computer related products. Dell and its subsidiary, such as HP and other manufactures, have profoundly competed favorably in the market across the globe. This is through the introduction of this strategy that had helped them to maintain their customers, and they have created new customers for their computer products. This marketing strategy was formulated after Dell lost mo re server market share in 2006, to their competitors. The Dell Corporations privacy is a greater concern to the company. The company has implemented a strategy of managing their products and they have created a customer relationship management (CRM). This is the way their customer interacts with them and it involves technology use in organizing, automating and synchronizing business process. The security is provided by the company in order to protect their properties form any theft or malicious acts thhat may hinder the company from better performance. The customer relationship management is their business strategy that the company employs in providing security privacy. It takes into consideration sales activities and technical support provided to customers in case of any need arise. Moreover, they provide free software security and trial version downloads to customers in order to keep their computer safe. Additionally, the company is concerned with security privacy due to the need of striking a balance between ease use in the CRM software interface and acceptable security measures. Striking this balance is a challenge, because security improvements may be at the expense of the system usability. According to Roberts (2008), it is vital for a company to design and develop technology that strikes a balance between the user interface and security features that meets the standards of the company. Mostly, the security breaches result due to errors made by the user. Such errors may be intentionally done through downloading or executing computer virus something, which is termed as security breaches. Therefore, Dell Company responds to security bleaches through identifying the files and following the users; orders in order to execute the file exposed to the harmful virus. The research study indicates that a more usable system may create a less confusion or amount of errors that may arise thus; creating a more secure as well as stable CRM system. One of the methods or tools recommendable for ensuring greater security for customers is providing data security systems. The primary functional tool that would provide high security to customers is collecting the clients and information in order to enable the company to protect their clients form insecurity. Data security is one way of ensuring that the information or content is kept safe, and its access to its suitability is controlled (Ryan and Jones, 2009). This is vital, because data security enables a company to ensure privacy. It protects personal information and its one way of ensuring information is kept secure. The company may use some data security technologies, such as hardware base mechanism for protecting information from any theft or insecure. This data security may protect the information from being stolen. The company may provide strong protection from any unauthorized access, because some encrypted operating systems may be corrupted by malicious programs making them unusable. The hardware based security program may prevent this from any access thus, providing a better security of information. The second method recommendable for providing greater security to customers is data masking. This is a method of obscuring structured data within a database cell in order to ensure that information security is maintained. This is done through masking the information from the users, developers and outsourcing vendors. This is vital because it will enable the company to protect their customers from any malicious act. Masking data are a method employed in many organizations selling their products online, because it creates exceptional customer relationship. This enables the company to maintain their customers, thus will continue to operate smoothly without any consequence in business transactions. Buy custom Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security essay