Censorship: Fahrenheit 451 and Lounge Chairs

Censorship is what the government or a group of people make people think that there way is the right way of living. In the movie Wall-E, it shows a lot of censorship. They have made an illusion of what the perfect life looks like. Also in the book Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury the government have deprived the people of many things. In the movie Wall-Ethe humans have been sent from earth to live in a â€Å"cruise† on space due to pollution on earth has made is impossible for civilization to live on it. On space they have censored all real food, all food is liquid. There are lounge chairs for each person where they do everything they do no leave the lounge chairs only to go to sleep. The lounge chairs able them to communicate with people, play virtual sport and shop. They have been censored of all real things, like actually walking, being active, eating nutritious food, and having face to face conversation; due to this they are all obese and aren’t able to walk due to bone loss. In the book Fahrenheit 451 the government had made what is considered the ideal life. They are censored for thinking because they want everyone to be alike. They have also banned books because they are worthless and have too many ways of life and opinions and they want it to be one way only to be the right way. If they find out you have books they burn the books and your house. They are not very smart because they are deprived from learning a lot because it makes them think. The movie Wall-E and the book Fahrenheit 451 are very similar. What the government has portrayed as the perfect easy way of life is what the people believe is best for them. They have lived by the rules so many years that they don’t remember what the normal way of life is like anymore.

Planning Theory & Practice Essay

The creation of a whole new type of community, the `virtual community’, has done much to highlight the potential for communities to form beyond the confines of geographic space (Rheingold, 1993). Technological utopians have found community in cyberspace. Largely anecdotal evidence emphasizes the ability of computer networks to connect people across time and space in strong supportive relationships, blindly extending beyond characteristics of ethnicity, religion or national origin. Guilty of Plagiarism  The creation of a new community, which is called a virtual community, has allowed people to live beyond geographic space. Cyberspace is where technological people have found a sense of community. Computers can connect people across time and space no matter what their characteristics (Hampton, 2002). Not Guilty of Plagiarism Keith Hampton (2002), has coined the term â€Å"virtual community† to refer to a place where people can form social groups â€Å"beyond the confines of geographic space† (p. 228). This â€Å"cyberspace† provides a chance for individuals of varying races and religions to meet and interact via computer. Many technologically savvy people now have a place to meet other without having to physically travel (Hampton, 2002). Not Guilty of Plagiarism. Computers have allowed for people to meet those of other nationalities and cultures worlds away from one another through the computer. The networking capabilities of computers allow for people to build social groups, or communities, in cyberspace rather than in person. An ocean or a mountain will no longer be able to keep these technologically savvy pioneers apart (Hampton, 2002).

Differentiate between fraud and abuse Essay

Fraud is any and all means a person uses to gain an unfair advantage over another person. In most cases, to be considered fraudulent, an act must involve: – A false statement (oral or in writing)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ About a material fact – Knowledge that the statement was false when it was uttered (which implies an intent to deceive) – A victim relies on the statement – And suffers injury or loss as a result Abuse is to wrongly or improperly; misuse. – abuse alcohol – abuse privilege – abuse drugs – abuse authority Compare and contrast Sutherland’s theory of differential association with Cressey’s final hypothesis. What does Cressey mean by â€Å"non-shareable†? Cressey however, took his own studies in a different direction from Sutherland’s research. He was intrigued by embezzlers, whom he called â€Å"trust violators†. He was especially interested in the circumstances that led them to be overcome by temptation. Upon completion of his research, he developed what still remains as the classic model for the occupational offender. His research was published in â€Å"Other People’s Money: As Study in the Social Psychology of Embezzlement.† Non-shareable is a issue of concern which the individual directed affected believe that he cannot share with another person due to shame or guilt. Describe at least four proactive audit tests that could help detect a shell company scheme. †¢ Maintain and regularly update an approved vendor list †¢ Independently verify all vendors before payment †¢ Identifying shell company invoices – Lack of detail on the fraudulent invoice – Invoice that lacks detailed descriptions of the items billed – Mailing address may be an indicator of fraud – Consecutively numbered invoices over a period of time – Reviewing payables and sorting payments by vendor and invoice number †¢ Testing for shell company schemes – Investigate budget overruns and departments that regularly exceed their budget – Conduct horizontal analysis of expenses – Investigate unexplained increases in â€Å"soft† accounts – Investigate unexplained increases in quantity of items purchased †¢ Testing for shell company schemes – Monitor trends in average unit price – Investigate goods and services that would not normally be purchased – Compare vendor addresses to employee addresses – Run reports of average turnaround time for invoices to look for unusual payment patterns †¢ Verifying whether a shell company exists – Use the phone book to verify the vendor – Contact others in the industry – Conduct a site visit of the vendor †¢ Identifying the employee behind a shell company – Conduct a public records search of the company’s registration – Be alert for related names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and other identities. – Match vendor checks with payroll checks. – Conduct surveillance of mail drops to see who picks up the checks. Describe the five principal categories of check tampering schemes. Detail the methods used by perpetrators to affix a signature to the check. Check tampering is unique among fraudulent disbursements because it is the one group Of schemes in which the perpetrator physically prepares the fraudulent check. In most fraudulent disbursement schemes, the culprit generates a payment to himself by submitting some false document to the victim company such as an invoice or a timecard. The false document represents a claim for payment and causes the victim company to issues a check that the perpetrator then converts. These frauds essentially amount to trickery; the perpetrator fools the company into handing over its money. Check tampering schemes are fundamentally different. In these frauds the perpetrator takes physical control of a check and makes it payable to himself through one Of several methods. Check tampering schemes depend on factors such as access to the Companies check book, access to bank statements, and the ability to forge signatures or Alter other information on the face of the check. There are five principal methods used To commit check tampering: 1. Forged maker schemes 2. Forged endorsement schemes 3. Altered payee schemes 4. Concealed check schemes 5. Authorized maker schemes What internal controls can be implemented to minimize the ability to perpetrate a ghost employee scheme? Mandatory copies of employment picture I D’s and forms and a second level of inspection of them. An employment picture stapled into employment file. Quarterly justification of employment files against payroll w/ a physical inspection of any new employees file. A second level of sign off on all the need for all new employees. For example, if your company has a janitorial staff. in order to hire a new janitor, require copies of the usual I9 ID’s, be included into personal file. Have a signoff sheet for two levels of hiring authorization with clear printed and signed names, justifying the new employee. Have a picture of the new employee attached to the file (a good practice for all employment circumstances, anyway). A quarterly comparing of payroll to new employees. make sure payroll has to get the new documentation signoff sheet and sign it themselves after verifying the two previous sigs., prior to actually placing any new employee on the payroll. And that signoff sheet is then sent to an office manager†¦ who has to quarterly check against the new employee files New employee files are kept separate, until 90 days (or whatever your temp. time is) If employee is terminated prior to end of quarter, file is still held separate from other terminations until manager does quarterly check. I’ve been through a number of these, including one who hired a ghost and gave him the same name as a company vice president, just to confuse things more. Also watch out for time sheets being turned in after employee is not actually working there, but hasn’t been terminated on paper yet.

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Journal - Assignment Example ican economy faced a few challenges brought about by the end of the WWI, the then leadership put in place appropriate strategies, which enabled the US to emerge as the most formidable economy at that time. The period similarly came with a lot of inventions, notably Henry Ford’s breakthrough in the automobile sector of the industry, and the introduction of the radio, which was warmly embraced across various parts of the US (Faragher et.al 597). The American literature was not left behind either as works from writers such as Willer Cather ensured that it earned its place in the global map. A similar case can be said of the American music industry, where jazz did it all for many. The prospect of ready-made clothing as well as canned foods made life easier for everyone. In as much as the roaring twenties returned the situation of normalcy to the American citizens, a part of the American population was negatively affected. Due to efficiency and high productivity of the machines, there was low labor demand, a situation that made it difficult for a considerable section of the population to earn their living as their source of income had been cut. The food sector of the economy was similarly affected due to a reduction in prices which was brought about by high food production, which exceeded the demand. The period made it very difficult for small-scale farmers to exploit their full potential due to the costly machines that could only be afforded by the wealthy farm owners. American citizens who had sufficient funds for investment ventured into successful businesses that accorded them good returns. On the other hand, the low-income earners continued to live from hand to mouth. Due to this, social classes emerged within the United States, the wealthy citizens interacted with their equals, a situation that was similarly witnessed within low-income earners. Due to differences in social class, the available amenities were not shared equally as some people were able to

The Anti-Slavery Movement of the Early Twentieth Century Essay - 1

The Anti-Slavery Movement of the Early Twentieth Century - Essay Example Three such famous works are the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet†, and â€Å"Race and Identity in America† by Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Glenn C. Loury respectively. While they all worked for gaining Civilian Rights for the Blacks, they are largely different in their approach and methods. This paper looks into the possible similarities and the evident differences and their relevance to their leaders. In the first place, there is an interesting comparison between the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† and â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet† in terms of the underlying beliefs that drive the movement led by the two different leaders of the time. They show an acute connection between the two authors: Martin Luther King and Malcolm x: both were religious leaders and thinkers and so were the philosophies of their civil disobedience movements. Both of them agree that God is the supreme justice and that any person born on earth is entitled to personal dignity and worth, which is God-given. Both converge in yet another idea about human rights. They feel that it is something to be claimed as they feel that they are not just human-rights but are God-given. Both of them considered that the black should be given the right to vote and that politics is to be used to a certain extent up until it helps realize a moral end. However, they differ in a few areas. There are strong disagreeme nts between them on the concept of non-violence. Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King is a response to the charges against his non-violent movement or retaliation. The local clergymen had charged his actions as extremism, as one that is not to be continued rather stopped immediately.  

Research Chinese culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Chinese culture - Essay Example For instance, â€Å"We appreciate your business† is preferable in every case to â€Å"I appreciate your business.† Time sensitivity In Chinese business, deadlines and meeting times are treated more like suggestions. In American business, deadlines and meeting times are strict guidelines. That is, concern is not expressed if a meeting begins late or a deadline is pushed back by a couple days. This is often misunderstood by American communicators.ii Communication addressed to cultures that are less focused on the absolute concept of time should reflect a lesser emphasis on the importance of meeting times and deadlines. Although this may be frustrating, some cultures do not respond well to such demands. For that reason, communications should embrace a fuzzier view of timed projects. For instance, using the sentence â€Å"The meeting will start around 1pm† as opposed to â€Å"The meeting will start at 1pm sharp† is more likely to win over employees. ... This means not using language that could be interpreted to dispute or argue directly for something opposite to what was decided by the higher levels of hierarchy. By doing this, Westeners will remain respectful and avoid awkward situations. Audience Profile Sheet Job Sought: _Regional Sales Manager______________________________________________ Reader's Name: Kathryn Harold Reader's Job Title: Senior Sales Associate Kind of Reader: Primary __X___ Secondary ______ Reader’s Level of Education: Bachelors of Arts Degree Reader’s Professional Experience: 1 year as Sales & Marketing Intern 2 years as Junior Sales Associate 4 years as Senior Sales Associate Reader’s Job Responsibilities: A senior sales associate organizes and manages a company's sales force. Senior sales associates hire and train other salespersons, assigning territories and helping develop leads. Reader’s Personal Characteristics: She is a personable employee with strong leadership and interperso nal skills. She has shown compassion on the job. She has expressed interest in gaining more experience in an overseas sales position and desires a promotion. Reader’s Cultural Background: Caucasian American of Polish and German descent Reader’s Attitude Toward the Writer (you): She is a friendly acquaintance. She admires the work that her coworkers and superiors are doing. Reader’s Attitude Toward the Position you’re applying to: She views the position as an opportunity for personal and professional growth, a chance at a higher pay, and experiences in a new working environment. Reader’s Expectations for an employee in that position: She expects an employee in that

Early Colonial Constitutions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Early Colonial Constitutions - Research Paper Example ystem with several shortcomings became a vital element in the preparation of a new constitution for America and the colonial empire itself; the question is worth a thorough investigation. According to Scott (2011), Colonial governments by the Englishmen were said to have been formed in American colonies; however, they attained full development after they separated. Recently, Americans have started giving the topic a lot of attention just like the English writers gave it earlier on which is still a spectacle for many on why the sudden urge to know more about it. The colonial constitutions were simply early systems of governments formed in colonies. Some like those in Massachusetts from inception were established for the purpose of separating. Others like those in Virginia were meant to maintain the connection between them and their mother country and are still used up to date. The shallow but, still extremely prevalent view would result in the split-up of American colonies. George III, together with his advisers, was responsible for the blunders that resulted to the separation. Wallis (2010) notes that the biggest mistake was the failure to agree on a mutual understanding that was as a result of distance and complications of communication and religious sympathy differences. An example of a wrangle due to miss understanding arose when one among the many protestant parties triumphed in an election. When independence was declared in England, European settlers had stayed in America for approximately 250 years. Though the colonists were under the British crown the colonized colonies worked independently and had a vast experience in self- governance. Many urban towns held meetings and seminars to boost public businesses and some colonies had the program input in their governments’ programs. Later on they started to rebel as they felt that the British were continuously increasingly suppressing their self-governance. Before the 1750s colonists used to pay very few

Marketing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Marketing - Article Example For this reason, a survey was conducted among the customers of three travel agents in Indonesia. In total, 215 customers participated in the survey. The survey aimed to reveal the relationship between the marketing mix and the consumer decision making especially in regard to travel agents. After analyzing the findings using three different methods of analysis, Satit et al. (2012) came to the result that only two from the 4P’s of marketing mix influence customer decision making in the particular sector: product and price. 3) The article addresses a particular aspect of marketing, the marketing mix. It should be noted that the mode of marketing mix chosen in the above study is the 4P’s, i.e. product, price, place and promotion. At the next level, the article discusses the potential value of the 4P’s for the consumer decision-making process. In other words, not all aspects of 4P’s are explored, but just the relationship of 4P’s with the above process. At the same time, the use of 4P’s as a marketing tool is evaluated specifically in regard to travel agents in Indonesia. Although a specific industry is involved, the findings of the research, as presented in the above article, could be used for understanding the value of 4P’s in other industries also. 4) Through this article I have learned that marketing mix can be valuable in a high range of industries; still, the level at which marketing mix can contribute in the development of each industrial sector is not standardized. For example, in the case of travel agents, only two elements of marketing mix have been proved to be powerful to influence the consumer decision making process: product and price. In other words, marketing mix can serve as a tool for promoting business performance. But before adopting this tool for achieving such target it would be necessary to review the

Civil Rights during Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson Essay

Civil Rights during Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson - Essay Example Eisenhower was more â€Å"cautious† than Truman, who lost the re-election because of his strong advocacy for civil rights (Corse). Eisenhower did not think that legislation and court decisions could alter racial discrimination and prejudice, but he did order desegregation in public schools and the military (Corse). Southern politicians, nevertheless, doubted Eisenhower's cold feet on civil rights and took it as a stand for civil rights (Corse). In 1957, Governor Orville Faubus of Arkansas employed the National Guard to stop the desegregation of Little Rock Central High with the enrollment of nine Black students. Eisenhower placed 1000 paratroopers to protect the Little Rock Nine (Corse). Grassroots activism intensified during Eisenhower's administration, because of the slow improvement in civil rights (Corse). Some of the pivotal events are Rosa Parks' actions and her impact on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the rising popularity of Martin Luther King, organization of the Souther n Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the lunch counter sit-ins in numerous cities in the 1940s and 1950s (Corse). Kennedy tried to broaden the voting rights for Black people. Attorney General Robert Kennedy collaborated with SNCC and others to improve the registration of Black southern voters (Corse).Kennedy also selected numerous African Americans for Federal positions and made Thurgood Marshall a Federal judge. Activists felt that Kennedy lacked vigor and dedication to the civil rights movement, however, and the former continued direct actions, such as conducting freedom rides that stopped segregation in interstate commercial travel (Corse). on. After the bloody attacks of the Birmingham police against non-violent protesters in 1963, Kennedy was forced to call for the drafting of the civil rights legislation (Corse). He died shortly, nevertheless, which transferred his civil rights obligations to Johnson. Johnson was able to secure legislation through Congress that presidents before him were not able to do. He was able to help pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, through votes from Northern Democrats and Republicans. This act made segregation in public places and transportation as illegal. It also made the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that will fight and deal with job discrimination. It further protected the voting rights of minorities and banned gender discrimination. During this time, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was also passed, which emphasized the right of minorities, especially Blacks to vote, and so this act also greatly increased the number of Black voters in the South. The Immigration Act of 1965 prevented discrimination in immigration, where preference for European immigrants was banned. Hence, civil rights movement was launched more actively during Truman's time and subsided somewhat during Eisenhower's and

Differences and Similarities between Respiration and Photosynthesis Essay Example for Free

Differences and Similarities between Respiration and Photosynthesis Essay Cellular RespirationPhotosynthesis OrganellesMitochondriaChloroplast Organelle StructuresThe double-membraned mitochondrion can be loosely described as a large wrinkled bag packed inside of a smaller, unwrinkled bag. The two membranes create distinct compartments within the organelle, and are themselves very different in structure and in function.Two membranes contain and protect the inner parts of the chloroplast. The stroma is an area inside of the chloroplast where reactions occur and starches (sugars) are created. One thylakoid stack is called a granum. The thylakoids have chlorophyll molecules on their surface. That chlorophyll uses sunlight to create sugars. The stacks of sacs are connected by stromal lamellae. The lamellae act like the skeleton of the chloroplast, keeping all of the sacs a safe distance from each other and maximizing the efficiency of the organelle. Stages InvolvedGlycolysis, the Krebs Cycle, Electron Transport ChainPhotoexcitation, photolysis, photophosphorylation ReactantsOxygen and GlucoseCarbon Dioxide and Water

Women Have Natural Power And Abilities English Literature Essay

Women Have Natural Power And Abilities English Literature Essay Abstract The common story in most parts of the globe is that of the humble woman suffering under the cruelty of man. The widespread belief that women have borne the blunt of mans beastly nature makes it challenging to market the idea that women have enormous power that they sometimes utilize in ways that are detrimental to society. This research proposal uses Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights and Anne Brontes Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in examining these immense powers on the hands of women. These novels are replete with issues pertaining to female behavior and male response that will help analyze the subject of female power in a deeper sense. Through their strong wills, purposes, and desires, women characters in these novels often form mens characters, and define their behaviors. For example, in Wuthering Heights, Catherines headstrong and rebellious ways are partially responsible for Heathcliffs antisocial behavior, and it is through Catherines lens of how men should behave and react to her demands that she forms Heathcliffs character and leaves him to his madness at her death. In Agnes Grey, Miss Murray forms the manipulative and ultimate perspective alterations in Mr. Hatfields view of women as helpless creatures in their need for rescue, protection, and provision. In light of this argument, how does the womans creation of the patriarchal figuration for the male character affect the man and the woman, especially in the formation of the womans worldview? Does this power result in ramifications for the woman as well? Are women aware of the power that they wield, and if they are, why do they blame the man for relationship and cultural breakdowns? In my dissertation, I use evidence from the Bronte novels to show that it is womens unwillingness toward self-awareness and accountability that contributes to variant male behavior and perceptual outcomes. To that end, I argue that women have far more influence and power than often they acknowledge either publicly or privately, and this power and influence consistently contribute to the formation of male thinking and behavior. Summary Women have natural power and abilities. These innate characteristics affect the intellectual, cultural, spiritual, emotional, sociopolitical, and interpersonal world of men with different outcome and with detrimental results to both genders. An in-depth study of the emergence, construction, and outcomes of feminism on men within myriad contexts is a sure way of vindicating the existence of the female power. Applying this theory to three British novels written by Emily and Anne Bronte Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall- this study will draw important correlates between female abilities, capacities, and innate talents and the use of these elements to alter or supersede male potentialities. For example, Catherines misuse of her natural female strengths and talents is used to override Heathcliffs reticence against and desire to withdraw from her controlling manipulation, culminating in tragedy to both characters. Additionally, much has been written about the Bildungsroman in Brontes adolescent-to-adult theme in Agnes Grey. The use of feminine potential and power toward men found in this novel shows the deleterious effects on both men and women. Similarly, female power and control in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is measured through Helen Grahams interactions with the men in her life. In this novel, Bronte reveals this power and manipulative awareness in her protagonist, but the theme remains intact: women often have inordinate amounts of power and control over men in myriad realms of their lives. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the above three novels to show the deleterious outcomes of the immense powers in the hands of women. Tentative Title: Medusa never Died: Female Power and Men Victimization Introductory Statement of Background, Purpose and Thesis I will analyze The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte and Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights with the aim of showing how they developed female characters that revealed the resulting destruction when females neither correctly understand nor properly apply their power. The analysis will prove that the female power and influence affect the intellectual, cultural, spiritual, emotional, sociopolitical, and interpersonal world of men with different outcome and with detrimental results to both genders. The purpose of this study will involve comparing three British novels, written by sisters, through whom female power is used to effect masculine changes, behaviors, and affect situational outcomes. Demonstrating the application of feminine power in relationship dyads will support the hypothesis that the female power can manipulate, control, and cause harm to men and, through them, socio-political constructs which affect everyone. In addressing the research problem, then, a thorough review of the selected works, combined with a thorough literature review of existing studies which serve to amplify the feminine use of power to manipulate or form outcomes. As a contribution to human science, my research topic is highly significant for socio-cultural, gender-based, and psychological awareness of conflict source and resolution, and greatly contributes to the literatures body of knowledge. While the literature is rife with widely diverse discourse and study on feminism, the body of knowledge is seriously deficient in considering the research problem. That is because this issue requires a major paradigmatic change since the major outcomes of feminism have been militant and rejects feminine limitations while creating male-opposition toward many of its tenets. Signe Arnfred exposes a practical sense of feminine power in a non-western setting in her article entitled Sex, Food and Female Power: Discussion of Data Material from Northern Mozambique. In this article, she shows how women in a certain part of the world harness their mastery of feminine chores in both reproduction and family into a power tool that calls for respect from men (141). It is vital to note that what the characters in the Bronte novels do is not so much removed from what Arnfred tries to show in her article. The setting might be different, but the game is the same as shown by the similarity of the playe rs. In fact, male dominance was common in Victorian times, as was female servility; But it is this servility that supported the dominance. Critics of the Bronte novels have noticed the male dominance in these novels, and identified the role women play in perpetuating this dominance. The feminine role in the advancement of male dominance is a power in itself, which, if withdrawn, can have a regulatory outcome on male behavior. In the article The Question of Credibility in Anne Brontes The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Arlene Jackson points out that, Anne Bronte also answers a question that other novels of her time do not ask: what happens to a marriage and to the innocent partner when one partner (specifically, the male) leads a solipsistic life, where personal pleasures are seen as deserved, where maleness and the role of husband is tied to the freedom to do as one wants, and femaleness and the role of wife is linked to providing service and pleasure not necessarily sexual, but including daily praise and ego-boosting and, quite simply, constant attention (203), On the surface, Jackson is asserting that powerlessness is another way of describing women. This is how she decodes the message that Anne Bronte is sending to society through her book. Obviously, numerous people agree with this position, considering the woman to be the victim, suffering silently without a means of escape from the cruel claws of the man. But this is not the case because in the process of praising someone, there is the knowledge that the praise can be withheld. There is also the knowledge that the praise can lead to dependency as well as other undesirable manifestations of character that may be harmful to both the person lavishing praise, who is the woman as well as the man, who is the recipient of the praise. An objective analysis of the message from Jackson reveals that men have a certain degree of dependency on the lavish praise they are showered with by women. As much as Jacksons work may have been an attempt to show the credibility of Anne Brontes literary skills, she helps in the identification of areas of female power that is sometimes wrongly used to enhance female servitude and perpetuate male dominance. Maggie Berg, in her Hapless Dependants, Women and Animals in Anne Brontes Agnes Grey argues that, in a patriarchal society where women are faced with challenges of identity, expression and recognition- the general treatment of women is implied to be like treatment of animals. This position is also shared by another critic of Anne Brontes The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Juliet McMaster, who takes the position that the Victorian period was characterized by a huge power imbalance that tilted heavily in favor of men. In her article entitled Imbecile Laughter and Desperate Earnest in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, McMaster talks of a Victorian power structure that did not allow women to have a say in society. All things were done according to the rules set by men for everyone (368). However Berg and McMasters view is harsh and seems to fall into a perception that women have no place in the society. In support of the position that goes against this perception, the several published works that have a stand on womens power in relation to men will be examined too. In this line of scholarship, Naomi Wolf is a popular and influential voice. Her critically acclaimed book entitled Fire with Fire: The New Female Power and How to Use it is a slap on the face of McMaster and Jackson as it crushes their positions on female victimhood. Wolf believes that women have always had more power than men. The biggest problem according to her is that women have not mastered the art of utilizing this power for their benefit (23-25). She further disagrees with women whose time is spent agonizing over a male dominated society where every woman is a victim (56). Evidently, Wolf is not ready to buy into the ideas of Jackson and McMaster. The areas where the latter two see oppression and in justice, the former sees opportunity and freedom that has not been seized by women. As it were, scholarly arguments are as strong as the evidence. Wolf avails solid examples of women who have managed to live happily through the realization that female power is sufficient to combat what has come to be known as male dominance. She points out that politics, business, and family life are all potential areas of female excellence if women meet fire with fire and learn to use some of the tactics men use to manage affairs in society (34). This is the basis of her phrase, fire with fire. Another female scholar who has done research on the issue of female power and influence is Margaret Beetham. In an article entitled Thinking Back Through our Mothers Magazines: Feminisms Inheritance from Nineteenth-Century Magazines for Mothers, Beetham, whose main objective is to survey the motherhood oriented magazines that existed in the nineteenth century, makes a refreshingly different statement based on what she discovers in the magazines she reads. As much as there was injustice in society during a greater part of the Victorian period, there was the acceptance that women were equal to men, but different. The admission of equality in these magazines that were published for mothers shows that the empowering element for women was present. What lacked was the will to pursue the path of equality through the elimination of obstacles that made it difficult for women to enjoy the trappings of a free life. It helps to point out that the writers and publishers of the magazines that Margaret Beetham analyzes in her work were both men and women, with most of them being in the hands of women. The significance of this is that women had access to the tools for empowerment as early as the Victorian time, a period that is attacked as highly paternalistic and patriarchal. This point is shared by Lisa Duggan and Nan Hunter. In Sex Wars: Sexual Dissent and Political Culture, the authors poignantly state that man and woman have always tried to live as a united pair, but the truth is that each is pulling in a different direction. The struggle is purely power based and is largely to blame for much of the s uffering that goes on in society (19-21). My study will be unique in the sense that it will depart from the traditional feminist readings and exegeses like that of Jackson and McMaster. The dissertation will prove the existence of the female power and influence even in the Victorian society; a society that is known as purely chauvinistic. Even in this analysis, my study will also go beyond the stress on the female power in the political and economic spheres as perpetuated by Arnfred, Wolf and Beetham. In contrast, I will focus on the psychological and personal dimension of feminine power. Through the critical examination of the Bronte novels, I will show that the power and influence held by women is not the literal political or physical power that society is used to, but rather the psychological one. It is partially the psychological dependency that men have on women that gives women the ability of manipulate circumstances and conditions in ways that can hurt or heal both parties. Evidently, my dissertation carries anti-feminist tone. The feminist theory will be employed to deconstruct the myth it perpetuates about the hegemony of man and the victimhood of woman. I will also shed light on the psychoanalytic theory to highlight the psychological power and influence women have on men. In a nutshell, through analyzing the three novels and borrowing from the other available materials and the theoretical framework, my study will purposefully prove that women have natural power and abilities; when these innate characteristics are applied to the intellectual, cultural, spiritual, emotional, sociopolitical, and interpersonal world of men, this power can be abused to control and define the opposite sex, with detrimental results to both genders.

Competing Against Low Cost Steel Imports

Competing Against Low Cost Steel Imports Nucor is the second largest steel producer in North America on total production capacity in the end of 2006, with 18 plants. With the year 2006 Nucor was the most profitable steel producer by having the capacity to produce 25 million tons of steel with revenues of $14.8 billion and net profits of $ 1.8 billion. In the late 1960s Nucor established the steel mini-mill industry and since that time, mini-mills have become broadly exist in the large incorporated steel companies out of most niche markets. Nucor in the late 1980s made a brave entry into the flat-rolled steel market, afield of big steel. Nucor follow low-cost leadership strategy, product development by using innovation and technologies, quality systems, strong relationship between employees and productivity, corporate culture and using focus diffrenation, in order to reduce and achieve low costs per ton produced. The market share of Nucor increased by 17% in both years 2005 and 2006. According to the four generic competitive strategies Nucor follow low-coast provider strategy as their strategic direction. They are determined to attain lower overall costs then rivals and tempting to a wide range of consumers. Nucor followed growth strategies which are new acquisitions, new plants construction, continued plant upgrades and cost reduction efforts, and joint ventures. Nucor internally has established a raw materials strategy to control directly and indirectly through global growth with joint ventures, the production of 6 to 7million tons of iron of high quality metals for consumption of its steel mills. Such acquisition is imperative to meet buyer demand for manufactured steel goods. Nucor has a wide array of products and each product must go through a different operations cycle. This is an implication to the efficiency of each unit. Nucor externally has the ability to deliver shipments anywhere in USA. This is a profitable competitive advantage that ensures quick and on-time delivery of products. Nucor ad opts successful marketing and sales strategies. In line with its goals of becoming a global player, it continues to build long-term relationships with contract customers who purchase value added products, 92% of the production of Nucors steel mills was sold to outside customers in 2005-2006. It shows how Nucor is maintaining long- term contracts, and maintaining profitable value-added products. Nucor is known for developing and commercializing new efficient product technologies for the steel manufacturing business. The same enables it to reduce its operating costs and compete effectively in the market. Considering Nucor infrastructure, centralization at the company in the early 2000s has supported the current success and supported the various units. Solid training and employee relation building contributes to the continuous growth. As for services and quality, Nucor focuses on fast delivery and increased customer integrated technologies. Quality control is considered important to ma intain the durability and exact specifications of the manufactured product. Considering political factors, variations amongst countries laws provides favorable and unfavorable circumstances for a large company to do business in that country. Nucor deals with tax policy in USA paying federal, state, and local taxes, affecting its bottom line. Nucor has to understand the taxes of other countries planned for contracts implementation. As for economic factors, exchange rate fluctuations and interest rate changes are considered by Nucor as bases for decisions on expansion, and competition. Markets are attractive for steel companys entrance when the currency is week, and interest rates low. No greater advancement has had more impact on the steel industry than the recent technological improvements. While many industries are outsourcing much of their manufacturing, Nucor has been able to undertake the opposite approach and expand in the domestic market. Technology increases efficiency of fac tories, decreases inventory, and enhances product quality. The efficient mini-mill is an example of this. Strategic Issue Given the internal and external factors, that steel situations in the world had been improved by 2005-2006. The prices were higher in the U.S by 50% in 2000 as well as Nucors Sales. However foreign steel companies, dumping in home domestic market and U.S market below market prices that leads to over capacity and more supply than demand. Inside US and Outside US market. The Demand increased by 6% should Nucor continue focusing on the U.S steel market or begin to expand into another foreign markets? Or should they have to deal with budding volume of low priced foreign imports in the US market and how to compete with foreign steel producers? Do they need to expand the capacity of the company steel-making and start building new plants, new acquisitions, and new joint ventures? External Environment External factors include those influences cut side the industry in the macroeconomic that should be considered in shaping the companys strategies in long-term direction are legislative factors, economic, socioeconomic, and technological factors. Political and Legislative Businesses are heavily regulated, from state to federal to international. These regulations challenge the ease of achieving profit margins. A business must deal with the local laws and regulations of another business when attempting to compete in a foreign territory. For Nucor Corporation, the growing international competition requires addressing and dealing with various types of laws, mainly taxation. Nucor deals heavily with the tax policy and regulations in the United States paying federal, state, and local taxes. Each imposes heavy effects on their bottom line. Taxes however do not always negatively impact a business. Many international steel companies were selling their products at below market cost to undercut domestic competition. Taxes imposed protect the domestic industry. The same is important when competition is high. Nucor is a large company that is subject to international trade agreements. It is financially essential for a company to understand the costs associated to all regulations and tariffs on import and export processes, especially that competition ad globalization are required to maintain profits in the future. Economic factors As Nucors strategy has always been to become a market leader, much of its growth comes from international markets, especially developing ones. Thus, it is always exposed to exchange rate fluctuations. Markets become attractive when their currency is weak. This was the situation of the steel industry during the economic downturn in 2001. When markets become attractive due to weak currency, the demand for steel would increase and consequently the supply to meet the increasing demand. To finance the large expenditures, loans are very common. As interest rates decrease, corporate loans increase to create an expansionary economy. The same will create positive effects on corporate spending of major steel buyers, and consequently suppliers. Hence, steel demand and supply would increase. Socioeconomic factor Steel industry operates on a business to business model. The same allows for greater efficiency and protects from the risk impact of negative social factors. These factors include consumer behavior, fashions, geographic location, consumer thoughts, ectA company like Nucor must understand the sub-cultures of each market segment where it exists, and concentrate on the most profitable. Nucor considers expansion through acquisition. This carries along the risk of mixing two distinct cultures. Nucor must be able to preserve and embrace new knowledge employees, skilled labor, and other valuable assets. Moreover, the existing individual cultures can be a source of risk, so assuring adequate safety environment should be a priority. Nucor differentiates itself by high wages, incentive based pay, and a flat organization. Each of these has a positive impact on the existing Nucor organizational structure. The existing challenge and risk would be to create equilibrium between preserving a positive culture, and an increased profit strategy of which lower wages is somehow a must. Nucor Corporation recognizes its role in protecting the environment. It gives attention to the environment of the communities in which it operates and recognizes its importance to the employees. Protecting the environment is critical to its operations and long-term success. To illustrate, Environmental compliance is a priority for Nucor management equal with all other business functions. Technological factors While many competitors within the steel industry are outsourcing many of their manufacturing due to increased technology, Nucor is able to take the opposite approach and expand in domestic market. Technology increases efficiency, decreases inventory, and improves the product quality. Nucor, for example was able through the new technology used to efficiently use the small factory production mini mill to increase its capacity utilization. The mini-mill simplifies the process when compared to the more tradition integrated mill. It cuts many corners in the production cycle and also uses larger percentage of scrap metal. This in return reduced the amount of pollution from making steel significantly by eliminating the several elements of the old blast furnace process. Technology also provides greater enhancement for engineering and sales. The products have detailed computerized models with test statistics, and efficiency attributes. The sales department is able to directly deal with customers through the internet. Transactions are seamless and process quickly. Technology has enhanced the steel industry processes but it has its draw backs that need to be considered. For example, computer failure, database errors, and any simple user error can affect the business. Having specialists and IT managers will have its positive impact on controlling these risks. Industry Analysis There have been two major factors influencing the steel industry- consolidation of global companies, and revolutionary technological changes among competitors affecting prices, production, and consumer satisfaction. National boundaries have melted to encompass an ever increasing world market. Since, the beginning of the 21st century, the industry has been hovering around 75% capacity utilization, a level too low for many companies, thus, forcing them to globally consolidate. Examples of these consolidations are the three European companies who merged to form the worlds largest steel producer and the two Japanese companies who did the same to form the second-largest steel producer. Driving Forces The defining characteristics of the industry are increasing globalization of the industry, and technological changes. As for globalization, it is a driving force as it will have an effect on the overall industry growth. When considered, globalization will pave the way for consolidation between companies allowing them to be strong players in the industry where their success or failure will have an impact on the overall industry growth. Technological changes can have great impact on the industry. When more improved technologies are used, production and prices will be affecting the industry growth. The global steel market grew by 8.2% in 2007 to reach a value of $529.7 billion. In 2012, the global steel market is forecast to have a value of $759.1 billion, an increase of 43.3% from 2007. Key Success Factors The Key success factors (or KSFs) are competitive factors most affecting every industry members ability to prosper. KSFs include; Necessary resources, competencies, and capabilities (organizational style) Competitive capabilities Expertise in a particular technology Scale economies or experience curve benefits Strong network of wholesale distributors, and suppliers Nucor was established in 1966 and continues to grow strongly according to a number of key success factors and strategic organizational strengths. The companys organizational style is remarkable and features a number of factors that contribute to Nucors success. First, the company employs a decentralized business style. In 1966, Iverson assumed the role of president to be decentralized manner has been used and been very successful. A decentralized business style distributes the administrative responsibilities or powers among several authorities rather than a large number (Decentralization). This style has permitted Nucor to empower their managers and employees. By Improving the level of empowerment allows each division manger control over day-to-day decisions and transactions that will increase profitability. Nucors decentralized business style also helps the Co. to be lean. Lean manufacturing incorporates the production of goods using less waste, less human effort, manufacturing, too ls, inventory, and less time. Equivalent to their lean business style, Nucor is continually seeking for improvement. Stable aim to decrease production cost is always a priority and ultimately helps to lower costs of steel to buyers. Moreover, a focus on dealing with employees helps in reducing employee turnover and increase productivity. Safety is an important consideration for Nucor and is consistently monitored and improved. Employee surveys are conducted every 3 years which helps to give an insight on employee attitudes and concerns. Management then compares the surveys across plants and divisions to control potential problems areas and increase employee satisfaction. Finally, Nucor focuses on creating strong relationships with outside parties. This enables it to establish long-term sustainability with these parties. Furthermore, structure and supply cost will often be decreased which allows for lower costs for buyers. Strong relationships established ensure long-term sustainability and lowered prices for Nucor. The booming business structure of Nucor along with the management styles implanted has allowed the Co. to become a leader in the industry. The Company has established a reputable brand and has created brand awareness both domestically and internationally. It currently has a significant market share of the U.S. market and is budding as a global leader in tough industry. Moreover, their increase in size has helped them increase production capacity. Last but not least, Nucor has a strong technological focus and is works at all times to boost manufacturing and production pace. Innovation also is always considered and helps the company remain a leader. Being the largest steel manufacturer, Nucor remains a profitable company in one of the most cyclical industries in the economy. Nucor enjoys this success for several reasons, employee relations, quality, productivity, and aggressive focus on innovation and technical excellence. Nucors strategy low cost providing, they know they are selling a commodity for which the competitive edge in the industry is lowering prices through innovation and productivity. Firms in other Industries Offering Substitute ProductsPorters five forces analysis Suppliers of Raw Materials, Parts, Components, or Other Resource Inputs Rivalry among competing Sellers Competitive pressures created by the jockeying of rival sellers for better market position and competitive advantage Buyers Potential New Entrants They five competitive forces affecting industries attractiveness are: Competitive rivalry: (High Threat) The global competition in the steel industry faces Nucor and the vast array of competitors that fill the industry. Intense competition among competitors in the domestic market of Nucor causes a cyclical effect within the industry. Each competitor strives to win bids of contracts, causing a stiff price war in the market. As price is the main factor for differentiation among competitors and it is the bases of the industry, the company with the lowest fixed costs will survive the longer, and be the most profitable. Nucors use of both base pay and incentive pay ensure output is relative to pay and, therefore, decreases its fixed costs. The business model differentiation is also primary means of competition. Nucor has a decentralized structure with control being at the factory level. This advantage allows for focused decision making, and efficient use of profits. Extremely high exit barriers are a major risk to competitive competition. During times of economic downturn or overproduction, inefficiencies are weeded out. The United States boasts one of the strongest protections for businesses with its bankruptcy laws to ensure they can make it through these tough times. Counter this though, the U.S. also has some of the toughest laws against closing inefficient plants. Extremely high exit barriers are a major risk to competitive competition. Competition from Substitutes: (Low to moderate Threat) This threat is considered low as there are few substitutes for the use of steel. From auto manufacturing, to structural supports, to fasteners, there are relatively few products available with the strength, durability, and cost efficiencies of steel. The largest alternative to steel would be use of another material. Plastics are on the top of the list, but have not found the same durability as steel. Wood may have aesthetic appeal but cannot combat with steels robustness. Alternatives increase market presence at times of economic downturn and times of increase in steel material cost. To hedge this threat many manufacturers maintain inventories of steel reserves. Large companies also trade steel futures to ensure stability of price and guaranteed supply for a future specified time. The goal is to maintain low costs and market share during times of economic fluctuation. Bargaining Power of Buyers: (High Threat) The buyers impose the greatest; they are the bases for price competition by influencing the demand. The ultimate goal of the buyer is to get the best quality product at the lowest price. The ultimate goal of the seller (Nucor) is to get most attainable profit for the least cost. Because the market is filled with numerous suppliers and taking into account the two different goals of suppliers and buyers, the steel industry is commonly a buyers market. Bargaining power of Suppliers: (High to moderate Threat) The supply of raw materials, steel shreds, iron ore, or recycled steel can have a great effect on the cost strategy. Most of the steel used for manufacturing in US is imported. Due to the difficulty in suppliers ability to constantly meet the demands of the companies such as Nucor, joint ventures between suppliers and manufacturers are established. The same ensures low costs for manufacturers. Acquisition of the supplier might also be undertaken by the manufacturer. Also, the power of unions labor and unionized labor, could affect the labor costs for steel produces in placing weak competitive force and on cost disadvantage vis-à  -vis firms with nonunion labor. The Threat of Entry: (Moderately Strong Threat) The main determinate for an entry into an industry is the costs associated. Barriers to entry have increased due to merging and globalization growing of many competitors. Economies of scale and capital requirements are the greatest barriers I the steel industry. Larger quantity orders of raw materials are usually discounted. Higher production volumes directly discount the associated costs. During times of strong growth, such as the 1960s-1980, economies of scale are very good. During stagnation or recession, these approaches often cause diseconomies due to under utilization of capacity. Product differentiation is also a major barrier to entry. Steel is not sold on its overall difference, but more commonly on price. Many manufacturers utilize the same technologies and process. Price wars are seen in minimization of fixed costs as stated earlier. Directly with this, there are few switching costs from one manufacturer to another. Little brand loyalty is recognized in an industry that does not appeal to consumer loyalty or brand image. Entrants must find a way to compete based on lower costs. Access to raw materials is additionally a barrier. Many times raw materials must be bought in large quantities (economies of scale). The cost disadvantages associated with small material purchases can be huge and directly increase overall manufacturing costs; this make competition challenging in a market where margins are already slim. Government policy is not a major threat to entry on the domestic level, but at the international level the barriers are enormous. Well established relationships by large steel manufactures with governments allow for easy creation of contracts in a foreign territory. The creation of these contacts takes time, executive work hours, and vast amounts of money. As most steel manufacturers must be globally competitive to maintain profits, government policy is threatening entry barrier. At first glance it may seem the mature steel industry would not be very attractive. This may be true to a new entry on a small scale, but with the advance of globalization the steel industry is again becoming very attractive. Industry Profile and Attractiveness The Industry position and competitive structure future for a low-cost steel producer such as Nucor is attractive due to the good shape of their financial situation to gain sales and market share however the industry market environment maybe un attractive to some rivals but for some other rivals it may indicate some opportunities. The demand for steel globally has been rising strongly in recent years, and this is likely to continue. The industry has become attractive for new entrants from the international market since these companies are not burdened by union contracts and since governments may provide special incentives in order to help them establish a customer base in steel, which can help in forming an important part of a nations economic infrastructure. Although the U.S is already dumped with outsider steel products, it is still considered to be a reliable and potential market for other global companies. As summary of the Nucor case gives many insights into the company and the industry. In general, the steel industry is a very strong industry to compete in successfully. The question here is the steel industry an attractive one? The answer would yes, if the entering company is already in the industry and well set up and highly regarded. Moreover, its very important that the company is in a position to acquire other companies and/or form joint ventures. Nucor currently has done an amazing job moving itself up from near bankruptcy to an industry leader. Major numbers of challenges have been met and overcome throughout the companys life. However, this does not mean that there will not be more major challenges for Nucor. Nucor is nowadays is facing growing competition from both domestic and international rivalries. Its critical that Nucor continues to grow and increase global market share. Current management must continue to specialize in Nucors core product and capitalize on a proven suc cessful organizational structure. Can Nucor continue to succeed as a global steel company into the future? This is the main concern. Nucor is capable of continuing its entrepreneurial spirit as it grows larger because its marketing and management techniques. Since Nucor has been an innovative and risk-taking company, their profits will continue to expand. Nucor has embodied techniques that have been profitable to the company. An example of these techniques is the fact that Nucor managers would set standards for quality and output for groups of 25 to 30 employees and reward them with weekly bonuses. By emphasizing quality and efficiency in employees and then rewarding them for it, Nucor only increases its own profits. Company Situation Nucor Situation Introduction Nucor deals with key specific issues in the steel industry including the fast growth of steel producers in the world reflecting as an increased capacity in steel production creating prices war, and the competition in an industry where technology usage has been a way for saving costs. Despite their specialization into steel, Nucor Corp. has become a benchmark for both the U.S. steel industry and U.S. industry in general. Nucor is one of the fastest growing and most efficient steel producers in the world. Despite the declining demand for steel, Nucors growth has been phenomenal, from pouring its first batch of steel in the 1960s to support in-house operations; the company has become one of the top five producers of steel in the U.S. Nucor has repeatedly achieved technological feats other steel producers thought impossible. Their hourly pay is among the lowest in the industry, yet they have the highest productivity per worker of any steel producer in the U.S. But can it continue to do so? Financial Analysis According to Nucor Corporation Financial Ratios data for 2005 2006 provided in Table 2 Profitability  [1]  : Profitability ratios are used to assess a businesss ability to generate earnings as compared to its expenses and other relevant costs incurred during a specific period of time. For most of these ratios, having a higher value relative to a competitors ratio or the same ratio from a previous period is indicative that the company is doing well. Gross profit margin FYE  [2]  12/06 increased by 14% reflecting an increase in sales for 2006. Liquidity ratios remained almost the same reflecting the continuous ability of the company to meet its obligations and invest further in the new technologies adoption strategy. Activity  [3]  : Are ratios that measure a firms ability to convert different accounts within their balance sheets into cash or sales Inventory turnover and total asset turnover were positive and closely in-line with past results. Nucor maintains the ability to draw class investors with its relatively strong financial performance, though down a bit from previous years. The increase in activity ratios is affected by the increase in sales FYE 12/06. Leverage  [4]  : Ratios used to calculate the financial leverage of a company to get an idea of the companys methods of financing or to measure its ability to meet financial obligations. There are several different ratios, but the main factors looked at include debt, equity, assets and interest expenses. Leverage ratios decreased by 1% FYE12/06 as compared to year 2005. The same reflects the ability of the company to meet its obligations and the reduction in reliance on leverage to meet its strategic plans. As globalization and acquisition is the focus, the leverage ratios are important. Debt has remained relatively low as compared to assets and equity, 23% and 44%respectively. Liquidity  [5]  : Are ratios used to determine a companys ability to pay off its short-terms debts obligations. Generally, the higher the value of the ratio, the larger the margin of safety that the company possesses to cover short-term debts. The current strategies may require short-term loans to finance acquisition. With these ratio levels, Nucor is in the position to shop for good interest rates. Total cash reserves for 2007 were roughly $1.4Billion, which will directly aid a globalization and expansionistic approach. As conclusion, at the end of year 2006 Nucor was in very good shape financially and the financial performance is strong for the 2004-2006. The date in table 1 shows how Nucor increased tons sold during the year 2000- 20006 with increasing in sales and market share of their products. SOWT Analysis In this part which is simply but powerful tool for sizing up a companys resource strengths and competitive efficiencies, its market opportunities, and the external threats to Nucor future well-being of Nucor Table 2. Nucors strengths Technology Innovation: Is one of Nucors key strengths due to the amount of resources they can save because of it. Nucor also has established plants with low pollution levels. The ability for Nucor to use this to its advantage allows them to be more competitive with the market by substantially lowering their production cost. It also allows them to be environmentally friendly, which is a huge worldwide social concern these days. Continuous Innovations allows Nucor to hold its technological edge on the competition. Nucor is always moving and always improving its business cycle through the use of continuing innovation. Nucor is an industry leader when it comes to innovation. Strong market position: Nucor Corporation has many different competencies that allow it to hold a strong position in the steel industry. These include its adopted new technologies, successful management structure, strong established market relations, and the long successful existence in the market. The company has marvelous industry position and positive financial results for the past over 40 years. Corporate Philosophy: One of Nucors strategic strengths is its philosophy of empowering its workers and reducing the inefficient layers that plagues corporate. Company structure is decentralized with minimal management layers. Cost control: Nucor focuses on cost control. To be competitive in a market with little product differentiation, price is the main competitive factor. One of Nucors core competencies is that its expertise in keeping costs low. The same is maintained by adopting technological innovation that helps increase production at lower costs. Nucors Weaknesses A weakness is something a firm lacks, does poorly, or a condition placing it at a disadvantage in the marketplace and these are;  [6]   Missing capabilities in key areas leading to dependence on a volatile market location: Nucor faces some significant weaknesses with its location. Nucor has plants, all of which are located within the US. The problem is that Nucor cannot effectively serve international markets as good as competitors having plants worldwide. The shipping of steel to overseas countries is extremely expensive. Nucor is not in a great market position. Customers can go some place closer to buy their steel essentially knocking off a large shipping cost. Nucor also does not give deals on quantities purchased. Nucors most significant weakness lies with its domestic market. With the US Market being its primary customer base, Nucor is not able to offset losses because of a diversified location worldwide. Nucor is currently in a Market where growth is declining significantly. Deficiencies in competitively important physical, organizational, or intangible assets through high expansion and technology costs: The expansion policy accompanied with dependency on scrap steel and energy prices and the vol

Langston Hughes On the Road Essay -- Langston Hughes On Road Poetry E

Langston Hughes' "On the Road" In Langston Hughes, "On the Road" the Sargeant is a homeless Black man that is desperate for food and shelter. In his desperation, Sargeant goes to the church to refuge, but there is no one at the Church to help him get refuge. Although Sargent is living in a time where the depression is in existence amongst all people, Black and White, he finds no one to help him. Sargent goes to the Church because the Church helps people. However, because Sargeant is Black and the Church is populated by a White congregation, he is rejected. In the story " One the Road", one of the people: A big black unemployed Negro holding onto our church... "The idea"! This represents that Sargent wants the benefits of the white society, but because of racism he was not allowed the opportunity to acquire the benefits. When Sargent was holding on to the Church, this represents his relentlessness and striving that he had to endure to live in a society in which discrimination and racism existed. He held on to the C hurch's doors because he was holding on to the American dream in which all people have the right to receive the same treatment regardless of color. Sargent knew he was no longer a slave, so when he was holding on to the Church's doors to be let in. He wanted to be fed and accepted into a society that did not want him. In his persistence of wanting to be accepted, the Sargent caused the Church to collapse. Once the Church fell down, Christ came off the cross, and symbolically this represents freedom. "They have kept me nailed on a cross for nearly two thousand years(Hughes 619)." Victory invokes a feeling of freedom. Therefore, when the white converts kept Christ on the cross for two thousand years, they kept ... ... "Sargeant grabbed, but not for anything so weak as a broken door. He grabbed for one of the tall stone pillars beside the grabbed at it and caught it. And held it" (Hughes 618) As I read this, I wanted to know what the Sargeant wanted. When I asked myself this question, white poeple said: "A big black umemployed Negro holding on to our Church!... "The idea(618)!" I realized he was holding on because he wanted the benefits of this white society that he was entitiled to. There is interaction between the text and the reader. If there were no interaction between the text and the reader, people would not read. Iser made a very good point that the text is not only in motion, but the reader is too. The reader's perception of the text is what makes the story come alive, and what enable readers to write and analyze different ideologies that are presented in a text.

The Harlem Renaissance :: The Black Intelligencia

During the Harlem Renaissance a new feeling of racial pride emerged in the Black Intelligencia. The Black Intelligencia consisted of African-American writers, poets, philosophers, historians, and artists whose expertise conveyed five central themes according to Sterling Brown, a writer of that time: â€Å"1) Africa as a source of race pride, 2) Black American heroes 3) racial political propaganda, 4) the â€Å"Black folk† tradition, and 5) candid self-revelation.† Two of the main people responsible for this new consciousness were W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke. Du Bois laid a foundation for this dawn of racial pride in his essays. Locke took Du Bois’ initial idea one step further with his writings and aiding younger writers and artists that appeared during the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes was one of the writers that Locke mentored. Hughes was a devote believer of exhibiting pride in the Black race; this theme was often exhibited in his writing. These three men have each contributed and advanced the sentiment of racial pride in their own unique way during the Harlem Renaissance. In order to fully understand the contributions of W.E.B. Du Bois, Alain Locke, and Langston Hughes it is imperative to know their backgrounds. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23rd, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where he was an editor for the school newspaper. Du Bois was admitted to Harvard in 1888, and in 1891 he received his M.A. in History. After Harvard, Du Bois traveled to Europe and studied in Berlin for a year. In 1894, he went to Wilberforce University and worked as a Professor of Classics. In 1895, Du Bois acquired his Ph.D. from Harvard thus becoming the first African-American to earn a doctorate. The following year Du Bois married Nina Gomer. In 1897, unable to find an academic position anywhere in the North, Du Bois and his new wife moved to Georgia where Du Bois taught at Atlanta University for over a decade. They had two children together: a son named Burghardt Gomer, who died when he was two years old, and a daughter, NinaYolande. Between the years of 1897 and 1914 while Du Bois was a professor at Atlanta University he published sixteen research monographs analyzing the sociological conditions of African-Americans in America. He also published The Philadelphia Negro, a Sociological Study in 1899, the first case study done in the United States about an African-American community.

Financial Crisis Is a Man Made Catastrophe

What is Financial Crisis? The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these panics. Other situations that are often called financial crises include stock market crashes and the bursting of other financial bubbles, currency crises, and sovereign defaults. Financial crises directly result in a loss of paper wealth; they do not directly result in changes in the real economy unless a recession or depression follows. TYPES Is financial crisis really a man-made disaster? Let’s take example of Late 2000’s financial crisis also known as Global Financial Crisis. The financial crisis was triggered by a complex interplay of valuation and liquidity problems in the United States banking system in 2008. The bursting of the U. S. housing bubble, which peaked in 2007, caused the values of securities tied to U. S. real estate pricing to plummet, damaging financial institutions globally. Questions regarding bank solvency, declines in credit availability and damaged investor confidence had an impact on global stock markets, where securities suffered large losses during 2008 and early 2009. Many causes for the financial crisis have been suggested, with varying weight assigned by experts. The United States Senate issued the Levin–Coburn Report, which found â€Å"that the crisis was not a natural disaster, but the result of high risk, complex financial products; undisclosed conflicts of interest; and the failure of regulators, the credit rating agencies, and the market itself to rein in the excesses of Wall Street. Causes of Financial Crisis Macroeconomic conditions: Low interest rates made bank lending more profitable, while trade deficits resulted in large capital inflows to the U. S. Both made funds for borrowing plentiful and relatively inexpensive. The U. S. housing bubble: The falling prices of houses and low interest rates to finance or refinance the house s were easily available. As such home loans were very easily available. But when time came to pay back the loan many defaulted which led to bursting of housing bubble and its impact led to financial crisis. Relaxation in rules led to large banks to increase their financial leverage and expansion of issuance of mortgage backed securities. Inaccurate credit ratings: Credit ratings were awarded inaccurately which led to an inflated balloon and when it busted it led to financial crisis. Technological factors: The cause of the crisis can be seen also in principles of technological development and in long economic waves based on technological revolutions. Crisis and stagnation were a result of the end of the long economic cycle originally initiated by the Information and telecommunications technological revolution in 1985-2000. The market had been already saturated by new â€Å"technical wonders† (e. g. everybody has his own mobile phone) and – what is more important – in the developed countries the economy reached limits of productivity in conditions of existing technologies. Boom and collapse of the shadow banking system (SBS): The shadow banking system is the collection of financial entities, infrastructure and practices which support financial transactions that occur beyond the reach of existing state sanctioned monitoring and regulation. The core activities of investment banks are subject to regulation and monitoring by central banks and other government institutions – but it has been common practice for investment banks to conduct many of their transactions in ways that don't show up on their conventional balance sheet accounting and so are not visible to regulators or unsophisticated investors. The shadow banking system saw a boom but once investors started losing interest and no more wanted their funds to be used in SBS and changes in business policies led to its collapse which ultimately led to financial crisis.

Results and Discussion Example

Results In this experiment we used paper chromatography to determine the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophyll, and beta-carotene in a tube of blended leaf extract. We recorded our findings on the table labeled table 1. Table 1 shows the transmittance at each wavelength on a table from 400 to 720. The information on Figure 1 came from the leaf extract on the paper chromatography that we used; with the help of acetone we saw the spectrum and the differences of the different pigments.Percentage transmittance in Table 1 show that the lower the number, the more dense that solution is at that specific wavelength. As the numbers get higher, the less dense it is and if the number is 100 at a specific wavelength then the solution was clear. As we can see from Table 1, each of the pigments had different low transmittance based on how high the absorption was in each of the pigments. For this we calculated that at there was a peak on the graph at the lowest points in table 1.For i nstance, in the chlorophyll a column in Table 1 the lowest points on the graphs at 8 and 28 and also at 44, which shows that there will be a peak around those points. In chlorophyll b, the lowest points are from 25. 2, 12. 4, and 9. 4, which would be the first peak and the next will be at 55. 6. In Xanthophyll, the points were the first peak will be are 52. 4, 43. 6, 44. 8, and 53. 0. Lastly in Carotene, the graph will peak at 92. 2, 93. 6, and 92. 4. By using these points we predicted the behavior of the graph.TABLE 1| | | Wavelength| Chlorophyll a| Chlorophyll b| Xanthophyll| Carotene| 400| 12| 42| 61. 8| 96. 8| 420| 8| 25. 2| 52. 4| 99. 6| 440| 28| 12. 4| 43. 6| 92. 2| 460| 71. 5| 9. 4| 44. 8| 93. 6| 480| 81| 48. 4| 53| 92. 4| 500| 88| 88. 6| 83. 2| 99. 2| 520| 88| 91. 4| 94. 2| 100| 540| 84. 5| 87. 4| 95. 6| 100| 560| 83| 85. 2| 96. 4| 99. 2| 580| 71. 5| 83. 4| 96. 2| 100| 600| 72. 5| 76. 8| 96| 100| 620| 61. 5| 78. 2| 94. 4| 100| 640| 61. 5| 59. 6| 94. 6| 100| 660| 44| 55. 6| 9 3. 2| 100| 680| 48. 8| 67. 8| 92. 6| 99. 8| 700| 64. 6| 60| 91. 4| 92. 8| 720| 50. 6| 52. 4| 89| -|On the graph labeled Figure 1, it shows the absorbance of each of the pigments that are shown in Table 1. The difference between Table 1 and Figure 1 is that where table 1 shows the transmittance points of each wavelength of each pigment, Figure 1 shows the absorption peaks of each of the wavelengths. For chlorophyll a, the highest peaks are at 420, but then the graph plummets at around 450 and has another peak between 650 and 700. For chlorophyll b, the highest peaks of absorbance are between 450 and 500 then it makes a big plummet around 500 and has another peak between 640 and 660.For Xanthophyll, the only peak is between 420 and 480, then the graph as minimal movement from there and stays in the 90 range never hitting 100. Lastly, beta-carotene has small peaks at 440 and 460 and then the graph stays almost stagnant at 100. Discussion The purpose of this experiment was to find out w hy the leaves on a tree changed color in the fall. We predicted that the molecules in the leaves of the tree attributed to the change. We found out that the molecules: Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, Xanthophyll, and Beta-carotene are the main molecules that reside in a leaf.We also stated that the tree absorbs the elements found in some of these molecules so that they can be used in the spring, when the trees are green once more. This prediction came from when we studied the molecular composition of each of the molecules and correlated the results the experiment and the specific elements that the tree would have needed for another year. The results of this experiment show that at there is less chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in the composition of the leaves that were used.This meant that when the season is changing, the molecules in these structures start to be absorbed back into the tree. This conclusion came from the fact that in table 1 from 420 and 440 Nano meters there was a low transmittance rate of these two molecules, which means that the absorbance rate was high. During the fall season there is not enough sunlight for the trees to perform photosynthesis to make their own food, what a plant needs to survive would be the Magnesium and Nitrogen that are found in the molecular structures of chlorophyll a and b.Therefore they absorb all of these nutrients that the tree needs to survive so that they can make it thorough the winter. Errors could have been made with this experiment. Some of them include that the individuals in different groups did not have the same control as the others. We did not measure the same amount of acetone in each vial nor did we measure how much of the leaf extraction each person used. Another source of error would be how the spectrometer was used, if it was reset the same at each wavelength each time.Compared to previous experiments the information that was collected in this one was accurate. The peaks for each pigment were roughly around the same wavelength. The standard for chlorophyll a was peaks at 430 and 662, chlorophyll b peaks at 453 and 642, xanthophyll a range from 450 to 550 and for the beta-carotene peaks at a range from 450 to 550. Our results were roughly around the same as you can see from Table 1. The end result of the experiment was successful, because of the results that we produced were similar to the results of previous experiments.

How important is the banquet scene in this play as a whole? Essay

Before we are able to fully explore the importance of Act III, Scene IV, of Shakespeare’s famous ‘bloody’ tragedy it is necessary to look briefly at what is meant as a tragedy for Shakespeare used tragic circumstances in order to give insight into lots of situations and help tell a story, usually with a moral attached. Although Macbeth is undoubtedly ‘tragic’ and one of the bloodiest and violent of Shakespeare’s plays its tragic nature doesn’t necessarily stem from the murders and grievances within the play. Shakespeare has used Macbeth’s vulnerability and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve nature to portray tragic circumstances and to highlight the flaws within his character. Macbeth is a fascinating individual; he is transformed by evil from a strong and noble general to a king that will stop at nothing, including murder, to retain his throne and hence his power. However, he is rarely in control of a situation and from the beginning, when he encounters the three witches, deeply suspicious and afraid of the supernatural, ‘Speak if you can, what are you?’ Act I Scene III. This is shown as he depends on the witches to guide him with what to do and good becomes entwined with evil, ‘ Fair is foul, and foul is fair’, Act I Scene I. This also gives us a clue that it is going to be hard in the play to tell the difference between good and evil and when we encounter Banquo’s ghost in Act III, Scene IV we know any glimmer of hope felt by Macbeth since the murder of Banquo is to be short lived. The line ‘fair is foul, and foul is fair’, also indicates a warning to us as readers that things may not necessarily be what they seem and they most definitely are not. Many versions of this quote are used throughout the play including the line of Lady Macbeth’s when she tells Macbeth to; ‘play the humble host’ Act III Scene IV. When she says ‘play’ she is showing that she realises they have to cover up their true feelings. This is similar to ‘fair is foul, and foul is fair’ and can also be compared with the line Lady Macbeth uses to tell her husband to cover up his treachery ‘look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under ‘t’, Act I Scene V, just before Duncan is to arrive at their castle. The banquet scene, therefore, is one of the most important scenes of the play and, once the ghost appears, becomes a pivotal point. Things, up until now, were going relatively smoothly for Macbeth and he has fulfilled his dream of becoming king and his wife, lady Macbeth, queen. Although she knows of Duncan’s murder, she has not been included in the plans for murdering Banquo, ‘Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest Chuck,’ Act III Scene II, and at the beginning of the ‘banquet scene’ he wishes only for her to join in the celebrations for his coronation ‘ Our hostess keeps her state, but in best time we will require her welcome,’ Act III Scene IV Line 6-7. The banquet has been arranged so that the new King and Queen can be properly introduced to their courtiers and is going as planned until the Murderers arrive to tell Macbeth that although they have killed Banquo, Fleance has escaped. Although Macbeth is uneasy about this news, ‘Hath nature that in time will venom breed’ Act III SceneIV and is linked to his doubts about one of Banquo’s predictions from the Witches, ‘Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none’, he dismisses the murderers and prepares to enjoy the banquet in a ceremonious way. However, his ease is to be short-lived for as he is about to sit down he sees Banquo’s ghost in his place at table. He cannot believe this and questions his Lords, ‘Which of you has done this?’ but they are unable to see the ghost and rise to leave, thinking he is ‘unwell’. Guilt, denial and fear swamp Macbeth, ‘Thou canst not say I did it: never shake thy gory locks at me’, and he thinks someone knows he killed Duncan and is setting him up. It seems guilt is the strongest theme in this scene, it is the reason for the ghost of Banquo being present in Macbeth’s mind only, and his guilty conscience is seeping through with this sign of madness. Although Lady Macbeth accuses her husband of being a coward, ‘This is the very painting of your fear’ as she did at the time of Duncan’s murder, she apologises to the guests and tries to cover up for him saying it is an illness he has had from a child, ‘my Lord is often thus and hath been from his youth.’ Because he is so frightened I feel she is beginning to suspect him of something but does not understand what exactly, ‘Why do you make such faces?’ The Ghost leaves and Macbeth tries to understand what has happened, in Scene II he was saying how lucky Duncan was because he was at peace in death, ‘After life’s fitful fever, he sleeps well’, but now he is worrying because he has seen the dead rise up again and wonders that in his own death he too may not be at peace; ‘But now they rise again with twenty mortal murders on their crowns’. This seems to link in with the supernatural introduced with the witches and shows a weakness and confusion in Macbeth’s character as he fears death; ‘ I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing to those that know me’, Act III Scene IV. After the ghost leaves and the guests have gone it is almost dawn. Lady Macbeth says ‘Night, is almost at odds with morning.’ I feel Lady Macbeth is beginning to doubt her previous actions and seems confused over good and evil becoming entwined. Macbeth makes a short speech that could easily be compared to an earlier scene in the play – Act II Scene II, when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are washing away Duncan’s blood from their hands. This could be an image of them ‘washing’ away the guilt that, in the end, forces Lady Macbeth to commit suicide when she feels she can’t wash the blood from her hands. This drives her to her madness like the ghost of Banquo starts to do to Macbeth. This is a famous speech that talks about wading in blood and has the word ‘blood’ repeated five times, ‘ blood will have blood’. Macbeth feels he is in this so deep there is no going back, ‘Returning were as tedious as go’er’, the turning point has now been reached and the last line indicates there is more killing to come, ‘We are yet but young in deed.’ This proves the importance of the Banquet Scene. We have reached the end of one chapter and the beginning of another and it is also a turning point in the relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of the banquet they were as close as they were at the beginning of the play, despite the ‘cloud’ of Duncan’s death. But by the end of the banquet we find Macbeth unable to confide in his wife for advice and going to the witches in place of her, ‘I will to-morrow (And betimes I will) to the Weird Sisters.’ And we now know that Lord and Lady Macbeth do not know darkness from light or evil from good. There must only be darkness and death ahead for them both. Fair has become foul and foul has become fair.

How to Establish Relationships with Adults

How to establish relationships with adults Establishing relationships with adults use the same basic skills, wither it is a friend or colleague. The main difference establishing a friendship with an adult and a colleague is how much formality and professionalization is used. Professional Colleagues. * Formal vocabulary – You speak in a professional manner, using correct pronunciation and clearly. * Know colleagues title – Use their correct titles e. g. Mr, Mrs, Professor, Doctor etc. * Keep personal issues away – Do not bring into work your home issues, or let them distract you from work. Trust, Reliability and Initiative – When working closely with someone, you have to be able to trust that person to be able to carry out instructions correctly, know they will be in and on time, for work and know that they can handle situations on their own or have some input towards a common goal. Also not having to be told all the time what needs to be done next etc. * A pproachable, Helpful and Assertive – Always be friendly and helpful, this way your colleague feels they can come up to you and ask for help etc. without feeling they are putting on you, as you are both working as a team. You must also be assertive, this does not mean attitude, lack of respect or rude but putting your opinion across on ideas or views. * No Attitude or Undermining – In a professional setting you DO NOT give a colleague any attitude or undermine him or her. This not only makes you look unprofessional but also lets everybody else know that there are issues and affects their work. If there are issues, you can ask the colleague for a quiet chat privately and put your opinions across politely and respectably. Body language & Humour – Your body language speaks volumes to other colleagues before you have said a word, so keep yourself happy, smiles, confident and available. If your body language is good, you will be more approachable, accepted and liked. Humour is a good thing but you must always make sure it is acceptable for the situation and is not personal towards colleagues. * Confidential – A colleague must be able to tell you things of importance regarding work or a person and know that you will keep it confidential, without fear of it leaving the setting in which it applies. Dress code – How you dress reflects a lot on you, make sure you are dressed appropriately for the setting, with no miniskirts or very low cut tops etc. You should always be clean and presentable to be able to carry out your tasks in a professional manner. These are especially important guidelines to follow when working within a classroom setting with a teacher every day; you will build a lasting relationship built on mutual respect and trust. In addition, the pupils will see you both work as a team and friendly, which will better their experience in the classroom and their education. How to deal with disagreements Between you and other adults: If you do have a disagreement, it needs to be approached with respect and sensitivity to each other’s feelings as quickly as possible to prevent any further deterioration of the situation. * Making sure a disagreement has occurred – I would ask to have a private conversation with the other adult to check I have not just misunderstood what they have said or asked. * Communication & Respect – Make sure you listen to others opinions and views, without interjecting or talking over; this will only escalate the situation. Also, expect the same respect back. Discuss the issues calmly and fairly. See if any agreement can come from conversation or common ground. * Mediation – If the disagreement cannot be resolved between ourselves, a third party can try to mediate between us. Who is not involved in the initial disagreement and is neutral. * Apologises – Always be ready to say sorry, if needed and be genuine. Also, accept any apologies given. Do not hold grudges or carry it on after it has been resolved. Between you and children or young people: You should never be drawn into a disagreement with a child or young person, if the child or young person is trying to do this, you will have to manage the situation in a number of ways: * Find out what the problem is – Depending on age, lower yourself to their eye level and either repeat or request an instruction, ask them if they understood. If they reply yes, ask what is the problem? * Tone of voice – Keep your tone of voice calm and clear but firm. * Defiant child / young person – DO NOT get annoyed, ask another member of staff to help with situation, give the child a time out ( depending on age, will deter the time out given e. . corner or classroom or out of classroom etc. ) * Distraction – You can sometimes distract the child from what is annoying them to help stop the disagreement. * Show example – Show the child/ young person what you expect by either a demonstration from yourself or another pupil in the class, this will show them you are re asonable in your request etc. * Be genuine – A child or young person will know if you are not and will continue to try to draw you into disagreements. Aggression – If a child is being aggressive, it will depends on the depth of the aggression e. g. strength, anger or even special needs will determine how it is dealt with. Mild aggression can be handled with talking and listening to the pupil, taking the child away to calm down and from what is causing them to get aggressive. Stronger aggression will need extra staff to help and can either restrain the child, then remove or in some cases remove the rest of the pupils from the class until the pupil has calmed down. Personality clash – Sometimes it can be just down to personality clash that you may have a pupil that draws you into disagreements, If this is the case, you must try not to show this towards the pupil but they will towards you. You must remain professional at all times. If you are helping the pupil on a one to one, maybe ask to be moved to another child as the pupils education will suffer if they are more interested in having disagreements with you. NEVER tell the pupil this is why you are being moved and do not make them feel bad for the clash, it happens. Apologies – NEVER be afraid to say sorry to a pupil if you are wrong and say it meaningfully, the pupil will know if you are being honest. All of the above are ways to deal with a disagreement with a child or young person; any disagreement has to be dealt with accordingly with their age and extent of disagreement. Never feel you have to deal with it all by yourself, if extra help is wanted, ask for it as it may calm the situation down a lot quicker and easier.

INVESTMENT PROJECT INFORMATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

INVESTMENT PROJECT INFORMATION - Essay Example Table 2: Table of the 52-Week High and Low Company 52 Week Low ($) 52 Week High ($) daily closing prices for each stock ($) Microsoft 24.30 32.95 26.95 Dell Computer 8.69 18.36 9.06 Apple Inc. 363.32 705.07 561.70 Coca Cola 32.37 40.67 37.39 Procter and Gamble 59.07 70.83 68.30 Toyota Motors 61.94 87.15 84.43 McDonald 83.31 102.22 86.01 IBM 177.06 211.79 190.29 III. Latest Press Release for the Eight chosen Companies Dell computers announced that they have been selected by MedRisk, one of the health care service providers to provide the support of the company’s application development, expansion of the infrastructural activities, and their security system as part of the 10-year deal agreement. Microsoft on the other hand announced pricing of $2.25 billion (senior unsecured notes). Which consist three trenches; $600 million due Nov. 2017, $750 million due Nov. 2022, and $900 due Nov 15, 2042. The proceeds Microsoft says will be used for corporate purposes. Apple Inc. Company af ter launching their fourth generation ipad in March announced selling three million of the product in three days (MarketWatch, 2012). The Coca Cola Company released their 125 years old secret formulae in Atlanta where they took the initiative to make one of the very many homes of Coca Cola in the world. The y shared their rich history in the Coca Cola industry for the last 125 years. Procter and gamble also hosted a meeting in Cincinnati with its analyst in which they provided the P&G results, the outlook of the fiscal year and specific growths and improvement on strategic productivity. The Toyota Motors company this November has also introduced a new product, the seven-seat Kluger (MarketWatch, 2012). The new vehicle has added features that cost $8,000 but this does not affect significantly the price as it retails at additional $2,300. McDonald in October this year announced the third quarter of the 2012 performance. In the announcement, the company realized higher revenues and sha re earnings compared to the previous year but the operating income was not improved. IBM recently signed an agreement to help the Indonesia’s Bank Ekonomi Raharja realize rapid growth. They agreed on the provision of infrastructural activities based on servers and storage of enterprise to enable the banks effectively serves the growing client’s base (MarketWatch, 2012). IV. General Information about the Companies Microsoft Company Microsoft’s company website is Microsoft .com. the chairperson of the company is Bill gates and the CEO is Steve Ballmer though Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded it. The company serves worldwide. Currently, the company’s employees stands at 94, 000, 2012 figures. The company revenues is as follows; total Revenue is US$ 73.72 billion, operating income is US$ 21.76 billion, Net income; US$ 16.97Â  billion while the total assets is US$ 121.2Â  billion (MarketWatch, 2012). The company’s home office is in Washington US, Micr osoft Redmond Campus in Redmond. With reference to the company’s products, they are ivied into divisions, which include server and tools, windows, Microsoft business, entertainment and devices and online services. Started in 1975, Microsoft prides of being one of the leading software developers in the world. Dell