Descriptive essay: Harry Potter Essay

The soft white carpet that stretches throughout the house stops, at the doorway of the room. The chocolate brown and polished, wooden floor takes the place of the carpet. The room is surrounded by earth tone colored walls giving it a feel of nature. On top of the walls are uniquely designed molding frames that present a stylish statement. Abundant natural light shines through wooden blinds of the window which is located on the left side of the room. The full sized bed is against the wall and has floral sheets, fluffy pillows, and pattern designs that complement the theme of the room. The desk next to the bed is cluttered with scraps of paper, workbooks, and erasers crumbs. Pencils, pens, and markers are neatly placed in a purple pencil box at the left corner of the desk. Two feet away from the desk stands a tall built in closet that is six feet away from the foot of the bed. Across the closet is the wall that has an entire section filled nearly dozens of collages of captured memories. There is a fleeting aroma of a collection of different fragrances purchased at Bath and Body Works. The perfumes and lotions are lined up on top of the bookshelf. The first row of the bookshelf has a music player and two picture frames of family and friends. The second row is stacks of school textbooks starting with Pre-Calculus to AP Psychology and ending with SAT workbooks. The last row has boxes filled with old photos, colorful paper, and an old, rusty pile of old school assignments. Next to the shelf is an old ladder that protrudes from the wall adjacent to the keyboard. Accessories like rings, necklaces, and bracelets are either hanged or placed carefully on the ladder. The black and gray keyboard stands next to the ladder and has an assortment of dusts lying on the surface of the white and black keys. The top pile of clothes touch the right side of the keyboard and the clothes, are stacked on the comfy white couch waiting to be washed. The white couch sits idly against the wall, and a taller white bookshelf is next to it. The first row of the bookshelf has different albums with genres like country, pop, and rock music standing up. The next three rows has books in an arrangement of books starting with childhood favorites, progressing to chapter books, and a collection of many different series of books like Harry Potter, all the way to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The final row consists of colorful and creatively designed scrapbooks and yearbooks. This tall shelf is also the shelf next to the door, and ends the exploration of the personalized bedroom.

How Does Stevenson Engage His Readers? Essay

In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Stevenson uses many ways of engaging his reader throughout the novel. He applies these methods in this way to keep the reader interested in the book. To start off with, Stevenson uses Narrative Methods. These methods add to the suspense and heighten the emotional impact. One use of narrative methods is the fact he tells the story from several perspectives. One chapter of the book is set out as a type of police report with the maidservant recalling what happened the night that Danvers was murdered. The way you can tell it is a report of some kind is because of the extra bits of information added – â€Å"(as the maid described it)† (page 47, line 2). This chapter, apart from giving you a different view of events, makes the readers realise that this man was an important figure in society and this story has gone from a mystery story (with the mystery being the nightmare Enfield had, the door and the strange man named Hyde) to a murder-mystery story as now there is a killer on the loose. This will give the story a frightening twist for the readers but the use of the language makes them keep reading particularly as it Hyde is revealed to be the killer in chapter 4. This twist gives the readers momentum to keep reading as they have already learnt that Hyde has no conscience really and has an inhuman side which can snap at any moment making him all the more dangerous but making the story all the more exciting – â€Å"And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on like a madman† (page 46-47). This helps as all of the Narrators (bar the maidservant) were all reliable figures in society and truthful characters who never dream of lying. Mr Utterson – â€Å"Mr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile† (Page 29 line 1), this explains he did not have a sense of humour and would not joke around but tell the story as it is. This will help keep the reader interested as if it was a story told by a tramp then the Victorians would never have believed it as they have no reason to be truthful whereas Utterson is a lawyer and was well respected so there’s every reason to trust him. Stevenson introduces him as a calm, gentle man, who just wants to lead a quiet life (making him all the more believable) – â€Å"He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone† (Page 29 line 9.) This sentence is very important as well as it tells the reader that he is very strict with himself and sets himself boundaries . What also attracts the reader’s attention is they think that the story has finished chronologically at the end of chapter 8. The Victorians didn’t like mystery stories finishing with loose ends not tied up, so he leads on to the two real documents by saying – â€Å"They trudged back to his office to read the two narratives in which this mystery was now to be explained†. This ends the chapter on a cliffhanger, therefore adding to the suspense and inviting the reader to get involved with the conclusion of the mystery. Stevenson made sure not to reveal that that Hyde was Jekyll until the end when the story was over, although he had left clues – Hyde’s and Jekyll’s writing was similar. Also in chapter 8 when they find that Hyde was wearing oversize clothes that looked suspiciously like Jekyll’s and he infact does pretend to be Jekyll. Chapters 9 and 10 give the story a sense of authenticity as they are â€Å"real† documents. In chapter 9 Utterson receives a letter that was meant for Lanyon from Jekyll. There is a sense of urgency about the letter – â€Å"I had already sealed this up when a fresh terror struck my mind† (Page 75 line 29). This shows he wasn’t thinking clearly and he was rushed, leaving the audience to think why? And therefore reading on. Chapter 10 is a full summary of the book. It ties up all the loose ends as it is a letter from Jekyll himself summarising all the events that have taken place. This particular chapter uses a lot of emotional sentences from Jekyll – â€Å"Under the strain of this continually impending doom and by the sleeplessness to which I now condemned myself† (Page 95 line 13-14) and also â€Å"A mist dispersed; i saw my life to be forfeit. This tells how Jekyll feels he has nowhere to go in life and feels despondent. He recalls all of Hyde’s action and how he â€Å"enjoyed the leaping pulses and secret pleasures† but how he knew admits Hyde was sadistic and mental – â€Å"No man morally sane could have been guilty of that crime†. This is because it was a stupid thing from Hyde’s point of view as know he is a wanted man and cannot roam the streets freely anymore – â€Å"To be tempted, however slightly, was to fail†. Jekyll starts to think suicide’s the only way to stop the maniacal Hyde – â€Å"and when I know he fears my power to cut him off by suicide† (Page 96 line 15-16), as he has â€Å"terrors of the scaffold†. The last page of the book is the most emotional and well-written page of the whole book as Jekyll writes â€Å"his wonderful selfishness† but also â€Å"ape-like spite†. There he turned some con about Hyde into a pro but also made a con seem more than a con. This will tell the reader how emotionally attached to Hyde, Jekyll really was and how this decision was probably the hardest he has had to make in his life. The last few lines Jekyll has made up his decision in the sense he has gone from contemplating suicide to being definite – â€Å"And indeed the doom that is closing on us both† (Page 96 line 6-7). Stevenson also makes you feel sorry for Jekyll – â€Å"I know how i shall sit shuddering and weeping in my chair, or continue with the most strained and fearstruck ecstasy of listening, to pace up and down this room (my last earthly refuge)† (Page 96 line 11-13). That quote makes you think it’s taking every bit of strength to make these decisions and to do the simplest tasks and by this stage the readers eyes are glued to the page. The ending is a cliffhanger, in the sense you do not know anyone else’s reactions to Jekyll’s confession. It ends – â€Å"Here, then as i lay down the pen, and proceed to seal up my confession, i bring to life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end†. That line tells you that he will kill himself but does not tell you how the others react which the readers will put the book down and think about it – in shock due to the confession but also thinking about it some more. My penultimate method is the setting that Stevenson used. He brought the â€Å"evil† immediately into the readers’ lives due to the fact he relates to London which was the most densely populated place in the UK. He also used middle class and well respected gentlemen which told the readers that not all people were perfect and not all the well off led boring lives. Stevenson uses winter as a month where â€Å"bad† things happen as both the murder of Danvers and the girl getting trampled was in Winter late at night. He uses to points of views – a characteristic and a psychological point of view. Characteristic – Mr Hyde’s resides in Soho which was a pocket of poverty and crime whereas Hyde lived in the West End (represents Hyde/Jekyll relationship) Also the respectable view of the entrance to Jekyll’s house to the back door which Hyde uses (represents two sides of the character) Psychological – The misty, dreary London seems to echo the unsettled mood of the characters and the dark mystery of the story – â€Å"The square when they got there was full of wind and dust, and the thin tress in the garden were lashing themselves along the railing† (Page 63 line 17-20). These settings help to set the scene and add the tension as they usually involve a â€Å"cold, windy night† which makes a chill run down the spine therefore wanting the reader to know more. My final method is the way Stevenson has used morals and the likes of the Victorian people in his favour. He has given us the moral – you can never trust appearances, as charming Dr. Henry Jekyll led this duel life with the bloodthirsty Mr Hyde. But also don’t let anything control you – â€Å"I am now finishing this statement under the influence of the last of my old powders†. He is reliant on a source which has driven him to suicide. It is also hypocritical as it’s saying â€Å"if we repress our dark side, it will become stronger†. This is true as Jekyll said of not changing to Hyde for two months – â€Å"But time began at last to obliterate the freshness of my alarm, I once again compound and swallowed the transforming draught†. Stevenson also included a lot more questions than there were answers. The Victorians enjoyed this as although the main loose ends tied up they had a feeling of authority as they got to decide some of the outcomes. As the Victorians found literature as a type of â€Å"escapism† where they could escape from their boring, old lives Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was the perfect novel which fitted all the criteria of a good, mystery/horror book that the Victorians could escape to and therefore engage them! In conclusion to the question, How Does Stevenson Engage His Readers, I think he engages them by using all these different methods – narrative, setting, and what the people in the era it was written liked. I think he engaged the Victorians though particularly on the latter as they had something to relate to e.g. Soho – a lot lower – middle class people lived round there who would buy this book and therefore read it to the end as it is of particular interest to them. This is the same for all of London though. For most people though this story kept them engaged by the excellent descriptions, the use of emotions and the suspense involved. Once a murder had taken place no one was ever going to put the book down!

Violence Among the Youths in Inner Schools

Violence among youth, especially in inner city schools, is one of Americas most pressing and controversial concerns. Local studies indicate that youth violence is increasing. In addition, America†s youth, like adults are now more frequently using guns instead of fist to settle their disputes. While the public is ready to believe that school violence is definitely present, some local leaders and school administrators are not willing to recognize that it is happening in front of their own eyes. They think that people will boycott the communities, their schools will be labeled unsafe and they will be blamed for failing to keep peace and order. Gang activity at school is particularly susceptible to â€Å"the Ostrich syndrome,† as many of the administration ignore the problem. A big loss that occurs is that opportunities to help the youth and reduce violence are lost. Finally, there is sometimes a contradiction between school policies and school practice. Many districts and schools have broad regulations for dealing with violence, and the school enforcement may either be uneven or laidback. This creates a situation where teachers do not feel supported when they necessitate discipline, students do not feel protected and the delinquents will then think that he or she will not be punished. On the other hand, administrators express dismay that the teachers so not enforce policies in the classroom. Despite these inconsistencies, the government, communities and schools have come up with many promising types of anti- violence approach, and social and personal transformation focusing on discipline. Most have originated in urban areas, where youth violence was first identified. The federal government has money set aside for after school programs focused on gang prevention and other recreational community activities. Most of these activities are focused on breaking the cycle of violence. The most effective proved to be the long-term family interventions involving, religious and recreational organizations. For example, programs in parenting and family relationships, especially those focused on non-violence and substance abuse can protect children from learning violence at home. Out of school programs keep youth entertained while the family is unavailable. These programs can also provide youths with attention from caring role models. They also keep the youth away from negative influences on the street. Programs can offer assistance with schoolwork and develop positive values. Helping young people find employment is an important way for communities to reduce property crime and build the youths self-esteem and sense of responsibility. It also helps the youth see how vital it is to their future to stay in school and further their education and career. Another positive aspect to providing jobs and job training is that it can reduce stress that can trigger violence. â€Å"In 1878 economist Carroll D. Wright from Massachusetts Commissioner of Statistics noted that more than 67% of convicts in the state were recorded as ‘having no occupation†: of 220 men sentenced to one year 147 were without trade or any regular means of earning a living† (Currie) Anti-violence and programs that run in the school can run from a range of ideas. From general education improvement to interventions to target specific groups of students. They involve parents in a variety of roles and community leaders and resources. The goal is to create a peaceful non-violence school. A commitment to enforcing violence prevention helps the students and the staffs feel safe. In addition to zero tolerance for guns, some school also have zero tolerance for other types of behavior such as assaulting a teacher were violent students will be removed from the classrooms. It might not affect some students to be expulsed from school so school responses to certain type of acts include legal prosecution. Since there is a strong use of drug sales and violence in the schools by the students, administrators make special efforts to keep the school. To keep students from bringing in weapons some schools use metal detectors and administer random acts of searching students† bodies and possessions. Teachers used to be the most common type of security but with increasing school violence, schools are hiring security guards to patrol the sites. With school security the most common type of measure is monitoring the students in the hallways and places where they get together the most, like cafeterias, bathrooms and the p.e. field. Most violent prone school may even form relations with the police to periodically visit the schools and regularly patrol the halls. Probation officers with on site offices can provide help to students who have already been in illegal trouble. Early intervention is necessary to prevent youth violence. Elementary education training in anger management, impulse control, mediation and conflict resolution skills can prevent youth from participating in violence as they mature. Early discussions about negative consequences of gang membership and providing positive way to get needs met can protect them from future gang recruitment efforts. Some schools have a specially trained safety coordinator whose primary function is to coordinate anti-violence programs and offer crisis counseling and mediation. Other types of programs offer incentives for positive behavior such as recognition and reward system for good citizenship. The goal is to bring about change in the students so that their behavior is constructive. Effective gang strategies involve all school operations and staff. It requires good communications and security and staff trained in crisis intervention. Schools not only need to acknowledge their presence but actively investigate its extent and determine who its gang members are, what they do and where are their hang out spots. The first step is to establish the fact that gang presence such as clothing, paraphernalia, flashing signs or shouting slogans and writing graffiti on school or personal property will not be tolerated. Discipline measures, practiced consistently show the schools seriousness. Staff who takes a personal interest in individual members by holding personal conferences and counseling can help loosen the hold of the gang, by meeting informally with members and show them positive experiences that would otherwise be lacking in their lives. To do this some staff members may need to change certain attitudes about gang members and spend a little more time than they would with them. If that does not work offering counseling in a variety of outside agencies and involving parents and making them aware of the choices and consequences that their child is taking may help change the attitude of the child. If all else fails gang members can be transferred to alternative schools for more intensive support. Concern about increasing youth violence is being routed into a variety of innovative and hopefully effective programs across the country. The most effective programs acknowledge that gang activity and violence exists in their community. Use all available resources like law enforcement and social services. Involve families into both school and community programs, and prepares to engage in long-term effort for positive experiences. In all communities it is likely that sometimes anti-violence work will be compromised by lack of resources and time. Even the most dedicated individuals may experience moments of frustration. Early evaluations in well-organized programs is possible and even though statistics show that youth violence is steadily increasing the effort and slight expenditure are necessary.

Marketing Oriented Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Oriented Approach - Essay Example To this end it is useful to compare and contrast between firms that lie at two ends of the spectrum: the marketing oriented firms versus the production oriented. A marketing oriented approach is a ‘reactive’ approach in that companies produce new products/services based on customer needs and wants (Kotler, 2007). However, it goes further than that in that it aims to establish long term profitable relationships with the customer (Jeff, 2009). The aim of such firms is not just delivering a product has profitable customer demand but also establishing long term association with them by exceptional customer service. Such service may be in the form of superior after sales service and/or consultation services provided by salespeople (Jeff, 2009). Kotler elaborates on the concept of marketing orientation by claiming that holistic marketing orientation is essentially a process that enables companies to capture customer lifetime value. The concept of building long lasting relation ships with customers enhances the company’s ability to understand the customer and retain him for a lifetime. Thus, the Pareto rule that 20% customers bring in 80% of the revenue is very well recognized by this approach which aims at capturing a customer and retaining him for life. Companies that therefore drifted away from the idea of offering low prices towards offering a brand experience. Today’s customer is no longer price conscious; infact, contemporary trends have made the customer of today pressed for time with multiple claims on an individual’s scarce time. Hence, convenience and satisfaction is the need of the hour. Thus, rather than competing on cost, companies today are competing on attempts to provide a pleasurable brand experience to its customers. On the other hand, the production oriented approach is a ‘proactive’ approach in that the company first produces the product/service that is most feasible for the company in terms of its comp etitive priorities (cost, quality, delivery, flexibility) and then makes an effort to sell it to the customers. Thus, production oriented firms are inclined towards mass production of goods that they are able to produce at the lowest cost due of economies of scale (Jeff, 2009). Perhaps, an obvious difference then is that companies adopting marketing oriented approach are able to offer differentiated, innovative and unique products as opposed to production oriented firms that offer standardized, low cost items at several locations (Jeff, 2009). Hence, the fundamental difference between the two is that in the former the ‘customer’ is the driving force behind a new product whereas in the latter, the ‘company’ is the driving force. Furthermore, in production oriented companies the role of the sales force also changes; from that of prior consultation to ‘pushing’ the product to the customer once it’s produced (Jeff, 2009). Hence, the marketin g oriented companies adopt what is known as a ‘pull’ strategy (that is having the customer buy the product he/she wants) as opposed to the ‘push’ strategy of production oriented firms (that push the product it develops based on low costs to the customer) (Kotler, 2007). Although both have successfully co-existed since a long time, it has been realized that most successful

Radiotherapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Radiotherapy - Essay Example is an integral part of the process of treatment, and must take into account the combined effects of these other therapies, as well as the effects of radiotherapy. Understanding the complex organisational and unique interprofessional context of radiotherapy care is essential. Discussion: According to Gronefeld; Cornuelle (1998:p.xxiv), there are several criteria in the Radiographer’s code of ethics, and in the statements of professional conduct developed by the College of Radiographers. These statements have made a deep impact on the radiographer’s attitude and behaviour in the fulfilment of his work; and in the guidance adopted from these important principles, in the clinical departments. We have noticed physicians, technologists, nurses, aids and others in the health care team, treating and caring for patients, and some of them â€Å"merely go through the motions† (p.1). Yet there are some members in the health care team that â€Å"go the extra mile† for their patients. They are the true professionals who try to understand and address the patient’s concerns and anxieties, they make pleasant conversation with the patient as they go about doing their work, and they treat each patient with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Health care workers who do their duty, staying focused on the patient’s work as their main priority, and do not get distracted by others, are also behaving as professionals, true to the Statement of Professional Conduct that is used as the guidance for behaviour and conduct. worker appraoaches the patient, addressing them by their name, speaks in a well-modulated voice, and attends to the patient, giving them her full attention. This is also professionalism of a good standard. If one of the newly appointed , freshly graduated radiolographers hired by the radiology department has an attitude of trying to intimidate and demean his co-workers, he will be avoided by all the other health care workers. The other radiographer is seen

Medical Genetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medical Genetics - Essay Example Individual II.5 is a homozygous normal parent while the partner is a homozygous affected person for a particular DNA coding conferring to a wild type phenotype. However, in an autosomal dominant inheritance, only a single copy of the wild-type phenotype allele is required for an offspring to be susceptible to expressing the symptoms. Therefore, each offspring has an equal probability of 50% of acquiring the mutant gene allele symptoms, and the other half would not be affected by the autosomal inheritance according to Onkers, I. (2009). Since the type of inheritance in this particular genetic pedigree is an autosomal inheritance, a heterozygous male (Bb) for the DNA coding mating to an affected female (bb)individual would produce one out of four offsprings expressing altered symptoms. However, within the unaffected offspring there would be two carriers (Bb) who will not show undesired traits for a particular condition. This is because when a homozygous wild-type mate with a heterozygous individual, there is a 25% chance of acquiring mutant (affected) individuals (Relethford, 2012). In a dominant, autosomal inheritance, individual III 1 (bb) can only acquire healthy offspring if she marries a homozygous normal man (BB). However, though the father (bb) of the individual III 1 (bb) suffers from the same disability as she does, the fathers’ disability does not affect her daughter’s subsequently genetic inheritance (Nielsen & Slatkin, 2013).

Critically analyse how 'Fight Club' might be considered postmodern Essay

Critically analyse how 'Fight Club' might be considered postmodern - Essay Example One of the pieces of the mosaic is consumerism and anti-cultural attitude promulgated in the film. At this point, it is necessary to stress that fragmentation of the issues brings them to the fore and the technique of â€Å"rapid cutting to reinforce the sometimes extreme action† exploited by filmmakers makes the viewer pay close attention to these fragments (Booker 2007: 37). People are eager to find the connection between the pieces of the mosaic and focus on the major topics discussed. Thus, consumerism is â€Å"criticised primarily as an ideological force . . . that weakens and domesticates men† (Giroux & Szeman 2001: 101). Importantly, the trend spreading globally is not regarded as a peculiarity of the society but is presented as a political paradigm lobbied by the rich. According to the narrator and his alter ego, this ideological force is aimed at enslaving people. Tyler draws a line between capitalism and consumerism (which is a result of the former) as both id eologies oppress people and turn them into slaves. Thus, people are enslaved by things and they are forced to have â€Å"everything from IKEA† they â€Å"could possibly want† (Gibson 2004: 183). However, the world of things is opposed to the real world as it is seen by the protagonists. This is a characteristic feature of postmodernism as it is based on opposition to what has been accepted. Tyler emphasises that the world of things is fake and even unreal and this is a postmodern view on reality. Likewise, Featherstone (2007: 6) notes that â€Å"through consumerism† people are creating â€Å"a destabilized, aestheticized hallucination of reality†. People are taught to fit into the world of IKEA and strive for more things and this makes them feel uneasy as a human cannot and should not become a part of such an unreal reality. The very concept of free will ceases to exist in such a world. Apart from that, the world of consumers

Health Promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Health Promotion - Essay Example Because nurses are involved with direct and frequent care of clients, health promotion is important for the nurse to serve as an educator and change agent, aiding the client to achieve the best health possible. Nursing Roles in health promotion The role of the nurse in health promotion may include various aspects, or the nurse may have several roles. Funnell, Koutoukidis, and Lawrence (2009) present that the nurses can make a contribution to the health and social well-being of their clients by: (1) recognizing there is a role for the nurse in the promotion of health and self-care; (2) participating in providing health promotion interventions; (3) being aware of key health and social factors to be considered when carrying out an assessment of individual needs; and (4) being aware of the contributions of other professionals to assessment and interventions (p. 71). In nursing areas of education, clinics, community, and administration, nurses nowadays are trained and encouraged in health promotion interventions. In these four areas nurses apply in the nursing process interventions to suit the needs of the clients according to and using the three levels of health promotion prevention.

Financial information management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial information management - Essay Example For instance due to financial crisis many western countries invested a significant portion of their funds in the equities of growing Asian countries like China and India. This is known as international diversification and enables an investor in tackling the country specific risk. The integration of the global financial markets has facilitated the creation of international portfolio which besides mitigating the risk factor helps in taking advantage of the markets of the developing economies. A share portfolio generally comprises of securities of various sectors. For effective diversification the sectors should be non-related such as oil refining companies and automobile. A rise in the price of oil is beneficial for the oil refining company but this can adversely impact the sales of the automobile company. This will push up the share price of the oil refining companies but will batter the share price of the automobile companies. Thus the value of the portfolio will remain protected as the fall in its value due to a fall in the share price of automobile company like Rolls Royce will be compensated by the rise in the price of the oil refining company. This highlights the advantage of investing in a portfolio. The share portfolio that has been constructed comprises of securities belonging to varied sectors like pharmaceutical, healthcare, food & drug retailers, financial services, software etc. By including the stocks of different sectors, the risk of a fall in the portfolio value has been minimized. Any adverse, ‘sector specific’ news will only affect the shares of that particular sector, without influencing the share price of the other sectors. This will keep the portfolio value intact which is the ultimate aim of investing in a portfolio. In the IT industry the stock chosen is Autonomy Corporation. The company features among the top Software 500 companies published by Software Magazine (Financial Express, 2009). This ranking is based in terms of

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Reaction paper - Essay Example ion, cell phone is a technological invention which is possessed by all .It is a known fact that, cell phone has made a prominent impact on the working behavior of employees of an organization. Cellphone has enabled increased productivity in them due to its communicative effectiveness and accessibility. The use of technological device is however a contradictory fact because it is argued by some that it can increase productivity while some argues that laptops and cellphone wear off productivity. But when we compare the business world of yesteryears with that of todays , it is obvious that commercial activities are happening on a swift basis at present. Even though these gadgets divert the concentration of employees and waste their time and man power, this can only be seen as a minor drawback. These devices does deviate employees to indulge in handling their personal lives, this is truth. But this can also have a positive effect on their mental status which could make them more vibrant to perform their official chores. In earlier times, there were no technological devices and the employees could have been more frustrated and would have been intimidated physically and mentally to perform their job. But now the quality of work is increased as most of the work happens in less time than olden times. The survey conducted in US does reveal that majority people check email while on duty and multi- tasking hurts productivity, which is true. It has been traced that many employees engage more on online activities than official work as it is human tendency to look for pleasure rather than pain. However, the responsibility factor of employees in today’s world is minor in comparison with their older counterparts. There is a lot of technological addiction among young men of today than the aged people. The technology aided social networking sites available on computer is the biggest culprit which absorbs much of productive time of employees. The technological advancement of the

Failures and Triumphs of Ordinary People in Juno Essay

Failures and Triumphs of Ordinary People in Juno - Essay Example The toe-curling awkwardness of the ‘love scene which proceeded this moment is shown without romance, making the audience cringe at the utter recklessness of the teens. The pathetic irony of the sixteen year olds predicament is heightened by the store clerks comment, "Thats a doodle that cant be undone" and the non-reaction of Junos best friend, Leah the cheerleader, who cant seem to get her mind around the situation. Juno seems headed for heartbreak, as she mechanically attempts to deal with her pregnancy by calling the local abortion clinic, as her friends have done. Her boyfriend Bleeker (Michael Cera) though sensitive, avoids involvement with the "whatever you want to do is fine with me" line, despite Junos dramatic efforts to tell him that their fling has had lasting consequences. He is able to continue his typical high school life, running with the track team and even lining up a prom date in view of Junos unsuitability. This harsh realism stands in stark contrast with the classic teen love scene with soft lighting, spinning cameras, and music. This is the hard reality which sexually active teens experience, and Juno takes it head-on, with a surprising sense of humor which makes you admire the little sparkplug Juno who wont be undone by her one immature act. Before her ex-military dad (JK Simmons) and distant step mom Bren (Allison Janney) are apprised of her crisis, Juno finds herself approaching alone the retro "Women Now" abortion clinic, where she encounters a timid teenager chanting, "Babies want to be borned". The two girls, who are classmates, recognize each other and a start to chat about school, however, as Juno continues on to the entrance of the clinic, the girl suddenly remembers why she is there, and frantically reminds her, "Your baby has a heartbeat and fingernails now."

Kant Theory and Justice Essay Example for Free

Kant Theory and Justice Essay Immanuel Kant concerns himself with deontology, and as a deontologist, he believes that the rightness of an action depends in part on things other than the goodness of its consequences, and so, actions should be judged based on an intrinsic moral law that says whether the action is right or wrong – period. Kant introduced the Categorical Imperative which is the central philosophy of his theory of morality, and an understandable approach to this moral law. It is divided into three formulations. The first formulation of Kant’s Categorical Imperative states that one should â€Å"always act in such a way that the maxim of your action can be willed as a universal law of humanity†; an act is either right or wrong based on its ability to be universalized. This belief is part of the â€Å"universal law theory† and states that to determine if an action is essentially â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad,† one must essentially imagine a world in which everyone performed that same action constantly, and imagine if this would be a desirable world to live in. If not, then it is not okay to perform the action. He believes that this â€Å"universal law† lives within us; it is not something that is imposed on us from the outside. For example if one kills oneself out of self-love, it is logically contradictory because self-love refers to respect for one’s self as a rational being and rationality is based on objective (undistorted by emotion or personal bias). So, one can never justify suicide. The maxim of killing oneself cannot possibly exist as a universal law. The second formulation states that one must â€Å"treat humanity whether in thine own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end withal, never as means only. † For example, if I were to lie to a girl so that she would choose to go out with me then I, in effect, use her. Kant would say that I treated her as a means to achieve my end, and he specifically prohibits manipulating or deceiving a person for the purposes of achieving a personal end. According to Kant, only people are valuable as ends. Any action that disregards this is in clear violation of Kantian morality, and purports to reduce an individual’s autonomy; this consequently undermines a person’s rational capability and reduces him/her to a thing. This implies that if someone robs you and takes your wallet, he is treating you as a thing and not as a person. The third and last formulation requires that one sees oneself as the source of all moral law. This simply emphasizes the fact that the moral agent is the one who chooses to act morally. This third formulation tells us to imagine ourselves as the sole lawmaker in a society, and to choose the best possible set of laws that the society of rational beings would live by. Kant believes that we all have reason within us, but some choose to respond and act upon it while others do not. We can reason the way things ought to be, and based on that is how we should act, which explains Kant’s view that a moral action must be chosen through moral reason. For example, one does not cheat on a test because one’s reason tells him or her that it is wrong, not the consequences that follow if one gets caught. Another example is that we do not need the law to tell us not to steal because it is immoral; we simply have to access our ability to reason to rationalize this. In a world where each individual recognizes his/her moral dignity and freely chooses to adopt the same universalizable moral law, all actions become good. In opposition to the Categorical Imperative is Kant’s Hypothetical Imperative, which states that a particular action is necessary as a means to some purpose. Kant believes that these actions are not always moral because they are not performed out of â€Å"pure good will† (pure duty), which is the only thing in the world that is unambiguously good. In the case of the ethical credibility of the principles of affirmative action, Kant’s Categorical Imperative provides for the basis of approval. It is primarily out of a sense of duty that a society would seek to assist its struggling members who are in need of help. The action so far seems good, but we must test its universality. Can we imagine ourselves living in a world in which all societies seek to aid the underprivileged and the disadvantaged at the slight expense of others? Absolutely yes. It is important for one to bear in mind, however, that it is the very action of helping that is being judged as inherently good or bad, and not the action’s admirable or overbearing surrounding consequences. Secondly, we must test that the action is regarding everyone involved as ends and not as means to any particular purpose. Since the aim of affirmative action is to help the current predicaments of those people who were victimized in the past, focus is placed on respecting every individual’s autonomy. In this way, we can see that affirmative action is not a devious plan that seeks to manipulate, but one that seeks to compensate by adjusting the means (circumstances) and not the ends (individuals). Lastly, we must see if the action is establishing a universal law governing others in similar situations; one should behave as if one is the absolute moral authority of the universe. Is completing this action consistent with the application of moral law? If so, the affirmative action passes these three tests and the action is good. In his â€Å"Objections to Affirmative Action†, James Sterba talks about why he believes that Affirmative Action is morally wrong. He argues that a person’s race shouldn’t control his or her point of interest. Sterba argues that Affirmative Action leads to injustice and it is unfair to the white nonminority males because â€Å"it deprives them of equal opportunity by selecting or appointing women or minority candidates over more qualified nonminority male candidates. † He believes that the job of the government is to eliminate all kinds of discriminatory policies. He thinks that â€Å"alternative programs are preferable. † Thus, the government should instead promote equal opportunities through programs within agencies and departments instead of through Affirmative Action which he believes is a fancy word for discrimination. He argues that it is not fair to those who are more qualified for certain opportunities and cannot receive them either because they are not women or because they are not part of the minority. In his First Objection, he argues that Affirmative Action â€Å"is not required to compensate for unjust institutions in the distant past. † He talks about Morris’ argument that what occurred in the past is not the primary issue that puts all present-day African Americans at an unfair disadvantage; it is more about the issues of more recent origin. He makes a point that discrimination today could very well be the source of the disadvantaged disposition of African Americans and other minority groups, and it is certainly something that society could do without. The question remains that in attempting to â€Å"level the playing field† and eliminate present-day discrimination in America, is Affirmative Action a practical approach and should such a program be endorsed? The Fourth Objection goes on to say that Affirmative Action â€Å"hurts those who receive it† because in many ways the people benefitting from it would not see the need to work as hard, and it places â€Å"women and minorities in positions for which they are not qualified. † Sterba proposes that one of the solutions to this problem could be the installation education enhancement programs to compensate for any lack of skills. He believes that this will in a short time ensure that minorities are appropriately qualified for a position. In response to Sterba’s First Objection, Kant would agree that the rightness of Affirmative Action should be based upon the circumstances of the present situation and not what had occurred in the past; this is evident mainly through his a priori form of philosophical deductive reasoning that judges an action before the experience, or â€Å"in the moment. † However, Kant would disagree with Sterba’s Fourth Objection because in my opinion, Kant’s deontological theory correlates with the correctness of the affirmative action in its very aim toward helping â€Å"the right† people. Affirmative action has not significantly diminished gender, racial, and all other forms of discrimination, but the action has promoted equality and diversity to a large extent. In a world where everyone performs the â€Å"good will,† there is justice; and the installation of this program only serves to come closer to this justice. Discrimination is wrong because it violates a person’s basic and intrinsic moral rights. Thus, in itself the adoption of this program is an action that is good because without Affirmative Action it is true in many ways that minorities would remain at a disadvantaged position in the educational system and not be allowed the opportunity to exercise their true potential. Kant would argue that it is a duty out of â€Å"good will† to treat people equally. The concepts of equality and autonomy are emphasized in the nature of this program because it strives to treat everyone as a free person equal to everyone else. According to Kant, one should be treated as ends not as mere means. It can be argued that African Americans at a disadvantaged position were being treated as means by the dominant culture to achieve its own ends in the system. Discrimination cannot exist as a system of nature because those who discriminate would not want to be similarly discriminated against if things were reversed, and so Affirmative Action is justified because it aims to open the door of opportunities to those who have been oppressed for years. That being said, Kant would examine the action itself and not the consequences of the action. When making decisions, one has to put oneself into other people’s shoes and see if one wants to be treated the same way others have been treated; it is a duty to treat others as we ourselves want to be treated. Affirmative Action not necessarily needed in this society to reduce the inherent inequalities that are still existent, but it can certainly be used to assist in leveling the playing field. Affirmative Action has been successful on a short term basis, that is, in increasing the representation of minorities (including women) in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. However, on the long term basis it can be argued that the program only serves to perpetuate a cycle of need. Kant advocates the idea of equality through his deontological theory by saying that all people deserve equal treatment as rational ends in themselves and that this should never be compromised by the flaws in any social system.

Definition Of Water Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay

Definition Of Water Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay Water pollution is the presence of any substances in water which can be harmful for plants and animals that live in water or people who use it. In other word it is the change in the chemical or physical properties of the water and this change can lead to cause damage and health hazards to animals and plants that live inside it or organisms that use it. (1) Importance of the Nile River for Egypt The Nile River is the primary water resource in Egypt, where it represents more than 95% of the total water resources in Egypt and it is the lifeline for Egypt and there are many reasons for its importance which are: Egyptians depends on it to acquire fresh water to use it for various purposes such as drinking, cooking, cleaning and other household uses. Use it for agriculture where fertile land formed around the Nile River and they irrigated by Nile River. The Nile River is an important source of fish. It is used in water transportation because it passes from south to north Egypt. Industry in Egypt depends a lot on the waters of the Nile River. Recently after the construction of the High Dam became the Nile River is an important source for generating electricity to Egypt. (2) (1) http://www.smokefreecolorado.com/cause-for-water-pollutions/ (2) http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090216123423AALSyKI Causes of pollution There are many sources of water pollution in Nile River. Industry Wastewater: Industry is an important user of water. In same time is an important producer of pollution. Water is very important in industry. Water demand for industry was 3.6 Billion Cubic Meters BCM/year in 2000. And they expect to be 5.5 Billion Cubic Meters BCM/year in 2017. So, when industry increases, the water demands increase.(1) Municipal Wastewater In the city, the water which used by people going down through various treatment processes to make it healthy as possible before release it back to environment. Treating water is help to minimize the negative effects of wastewater on the environment. However, some poor cities along Nile River cannot use treatment facilities which are expensive for them. The only way they can use it is dumped in the river without treated. (2) Statistics show that, all governments generate 3.5 Billion Cubic Meters BCM/year of wastewater. Of these wastewater 1.6 Billion Cubic Meters BCM/year receives treatment. In 2017, 1.7 Billion Cubic Meters BCM/year will receive treatment. Although the capacity will increase but it will not be able to covers all wastewater. As it is show in table (1) the number of people serves increase and number of people not served increase because increasing in population. (3) http://www.irgltd.com/Resources/Publications/ANE/2002-09%20Survey%20of%20Nile%20System%20Pollution%20Sources-Egypt.pdf http://sitemaker.umich.edu/sec004_gp5/pollution http://www.irgltd.com/Resources/Publications/ANE/2002-09%20Survey%20of%20Nile%20System%20Pollution%20Sources-Egypt.pdf So, it will not be able to decline the amount of wastewater that is not receiving treatment. (1) Table (1) : Projections of Wastewater Treatment Coverage Year Population People Serves People Not Served 1997 60 Million 18 Million 42 Million 2017 83 Million 39 Million 44 Million Agriculture Wastewater Agriculture is larger consumer of water. And it is in same time contributed in water pollution. Runoff from the agricultural sector frequently contains pollutants that may have an adverse effect on the river. Pollutants such as salts, nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, and pesticide residue can be found in this runoff. Agricultural runoff often is a non-point pollutant, in that it can come from anywhere in a region, and not from a specific drain. This can make it difficult to There are also problems associated with agricultural runoff seeping into the groundwater as well. (2) Effect of population There are many effect of Nile river pollution. Some of these effects are: The presence of oil on the surface of the river works as a buffer between the sun and the plants. This leads to death of fish and Lack of food for humans. In addition, that will decrease the number of fishermen Many fishermen have either left their jobs altogether or migrated, el-Fikky said. (3) http://www.irgltd.com/Resources/Publications/ANE/2002-09%20Survey%20of%20Nile%20System%20Pollution%20Sources-Egypt.pdf http://sitemaker.umich.edu/sec004_gp5/pollution http://www.irinnews.org/Report/87416/EGYPT-River-pollution-hits-Nile-fishermen The solid waste thrown in the river hinder the movement of fishermen net and torn nets which reduces the amount of fish and increase the cost on the fishermen. Saed said he usually catches 2kg of fish a day that equal to US$165 a month, but over the past few months he has had an additional headache: his net needs replacing not every month as in the past but every few days, costing him up to $144 a month. The Nile river is source for drinking but because it polluted by human that could cause a harmful effect on human and cause a dangerous diseases. Not only for people whose drink from it but also for people who eat fish or plant from it. (1) http://www.irinnews.org/Report/87416/EGYPT-River-pollution-hits-Nile-fishermen Abstract Water pollution is a serious problem for the entire world. And it is considered to be one of the most dangerous hazards affecting Egypt. The pollution of Nile River is increase especial in the past few decades. Although the Egyptians love the Nile River a lot and it is important for them, not only in economic terms but it has a significant meaning for them. But this did not protect it from pollution. In this report I will explain the meaning of water pollution. Then, I will take about the important of Nile River. After that, I will talk about causes of Nile River pollution which are industry wastewater, municipal wastewater and agriculture wastewater. Final, I will take about effect of Nile River pollution. Introduction Over two thirds of Earths surface is covered by water; less than a third is taken up by land. As Earths population continues to grow, people are putting ever-increasing pressure on the planets water resources. One of these fresh water resources is Nile River. Water is essential for life. No organism can live without it. Water pollution is problem effect human, animals and plants. And it caused by different resource. In these report I will try to find the main causes of water pollution in Nile River and the effect of that pollution. Summary In the summary, as you see all water pollution in Nile rive and in any place in the world created by human and then he try again to solve it what he already create. I advice all people to maintain the environment. And keep the water clean. Conclusion Arent we aware of the different problems occurring in our nature, especially in different bodies of water? Water pollution is the cause of our undisciplined actions and irresponsibility. We, humans are only creating problems that consequently we will also carry the burden of these problems. We all know that water pollution can affect our health badly and seriously. The solution for all environmental problems is not created. UAE University Faculty of Science Department of Biology Principles of Environmental Science Done by: Shaikha Mohammed. ID: 201003128. Instructor: Dr. Tarek Youssef.

Major Forces of Globalization

Major Forces of Globalization Globalization is a phenomena which influences everyday life as much as it does events happening on a world scale. Such a broad phenomena, which invests in every expect and spectrum of life, has more then one driving force, which all together create this global village, which has no precedent in any epoch of human history. Globalization is political, technological and cultural as well as economical. Science and technology have been a major driving force behind Globalization. Our epoch developed under the impact of science, technology and rational thought, where religion and dogma where replaced with a more reasonable approach to practical life. Science and technological inventions changed the world and the way we perceive life. Globalization has been influenced above all by developments in systems of communication dating back only to the late 1960s. The connection between different states around the world have accelerated in the past fifty years due to dramatic advances in communication and information technology. The velocity by which new inventions such as computers and internet became popular in few years all over the world shows the importance of these inventions and their contribution to this phenomena of globalization. Development in information and communication technologies have intensified the speed and scope of interaction between people all over the world. Satellite Communication, Telephones, mobiles, fax machine, digital and cable televisions, electronic mail and internet have all helped to create this notion of globalization.  [1]  The internet is the faster communication tool ever developed. Widespread use of the internet and mobile phones is deepening and accelerating the process of globalization. More and more people are becoming interconnected. Nowadays with the information and images transmitted across the globe, we are regularly in contact with others who think differently and live differently from ourselves. This has brought a broader awareness of other cultures and also brought in influences from the outside world. This is seen by some as positive therefore they try to enhance such a development and as negative by others who try in every way to hinder and stop this phenomena. It all depends on ones perspective. Countries around the world have to come to terms with the fact that what happens in one country affects all the others. Another impact of Science and technology is that of improving our quality of life making our homes and the world around us more comfortable but these achievements came at a cost. Things which improved our life have had also an negative effect. Global climate change and other hazards to the environment are a result of intervention on the environment brought about by development through Science and technology. According to Anthony Giddens in his book Runaway World, the notion that with further development of science and technology, the world should became more stable and ordered does not reflect reality. Instead he states that the world Rather than being more and more under our control, it seems out of our control  [2]  . Trade and comers Trade and comers are surely a driving forces behind Globalization. All countries with the exception of North Korea, trade significant proportions of their national income. A large percentage of world output is traded. Trade is a key mechanism for increase goods, moving goods, and increasingly services around the globe, and it is also central to technology transfer. It has connected domestic markets to international markets transforming domestic economies  [3]  . Trade involves more than simply the exchange of goods and services between separate economies since it suggests the emergence of worldwide markets for trade goods and services. This does not mean that all countries trade between them. Instead it assumes the existence of a trading system in which trade activity between any two countries may affect trade relations between the rest.  [4]  Trade covers the whole globe, where International trade barriers have fallen steadily, opening markets up to boarder range of products The intensity that trade and comers has had on globalization is reflected in the creation of regularized exchange of goods at the interregional level. Trade has removed barriers to transport, costs or protection. Foreign products from one region may compete with domestic products from another region. Firms supply goods across the world and have to respond to competition from foreign firms.  [5]  Thus many national and local firms respond to world wide demand and face competition from firms based in other countries and regions. The geo-political coverage of trade and comers on globalized level is debatable. Sceptics argue that countries gain only a small amount of their income from external trade. They also argue that a good deal of economic exchange is between regions rather then being truly world wide. The countries of the European Union for example mostly trade among themselves. The same is true of the other main trading blocks.  [6]  While those in favour of globalisation argue that the effects of trade and comers can be felt everywhere and that global markets are indifferent to national boarders. The impact that trade and commerce has on the life of many people is reflected through the enormous diversity of products we have became accustomed to seeing in super markets. When you go to a supermarket you can find food from all over the world. This reflects the complex economic and social ties which link people and countries around the world. Trade has helped to generate connections which link people from different societies. One must also take into consideration that trade and comers do not have the same effects on the whole globe. The impact that trade and comers has on ones life depends also from which part of the globe one comes. Free trade for example does not have the same benefits for all countries. Less developed countries are dependent upon a few products sold on world markets. This means that they are very vulnerable to shifts in prices as well as to technological change. Most of the giant multinational companies are based in the US or come from the rich countries. In many lower developed countries, safety and environmental regulations are low or non existent. Some transnational companies sell goods in third world countries that are controlled or banned in the industrial countries for eg. poor quality medical drugs, destructive pesticide or high tar and nicotine content cigarettes. As Giddens said Rather then global village, one might say this is more global pillage  [7]  . Political changes Political changes occurring in the modern era have helped to shape this global village. After the second world war the western powers decided to create organizations which had to help them shape the post war period. This brought a rapid growth of international organizations, such as the League of Nation and its successor United Nations which were concerned primarily with the maintenance of international order, which helped the flourishing of comers and trade and technological innovation on a global sphere creating the necessary on which these could flourish. Institutions such as international monetary funds and the world bank also helped to maintain international economic order and promote economic development. The Intensity which political changes have on Globalisation is reflected in the growth of international and regional mechanisms of government. The United Nations and European Union are two good examples of this phenomena. Both the EU and UN are two international organizations that bring together nation states into a common political forum. While the UN does this as an association of independent sates, the EU is more a transnational governance in which a certain degree of national sovereignty is shared by its member states, in order to reap the benefits of political and economic union at a regional level. The EU states are bound by directives, regulations and court judgements from common EU bodies  [8]   Globalization is also being driven by intergovernmental organizations and international non governmental organizations, NGOs. The IGOs regulate issues ranging from civil service aviation to broadcasting to the disposal of hazard waste  [9]  . While NGOs with their independent work alongside governmental bodies make policies, addressing international issues. Globalization, westernization or Americanization?. Some argue that globalisation in reality is Americanisation. America is the sole superpower, which dominates economic, cultural and military position in the global order. Infact most visible cultural expressions of globalization are American such as McDonalds, CNN, Coca-Cola. No one can doubt that Globalization is led by the west, imprint of American political and economic power and that it is highly uneven in its consequences. But Globalization is not just the dominance of the west over the rest. Globalisation affects the US as it does the rest of the world. Democracy in itself in a way is a driving force behind globalization, but at the same time Globalisation lies behind the expansion of democracy. Infact Democracy is currently spreading world wide. The collapse of communist Russia made possible that former soviet bloc and its satellite states started moving towards western style political and economic system. They are not isolated from global community but are becoming integrated within it. The collapse of communism has hastened the process of globalization, but should also be seen as a result of globalization itself. Soviet Communism with its state run enterprise and heavy industry could not compete in the global electronic economy. The communism ideology and control upon which communist political authority was based similarly could not survive in an era of global media. The soviet and the East European regimes were unable to prevent change. The intensity that politics has had on this phenomena of globalization is reflected trough the creation of transnational organizations and also from the transnational movement of money, where TNCs shift their investments from one country to another often in search of lower labour costs. Transnational movement of money can go rapidly elsewhere if governments pursue policies seen as threatening profits or weaken profits or weaken currency . This threatens government policies.  [10]   The impact of politics on Globalization is also reflected in the creation of the phenomena of migration of labour. The widening gap between rich and poor countries accelerated the migration of people from poor countries to seek jobs and welfare in rich ones. This has created a greater ethnic cultural and religious diversity within nation states. This could threaten national identity and create conflict. Conclusion The driving forces underlying globalization are various and all intertwined between them. They help us understand better the concept of globalisation and the effects these have on our lives, where globalisation is changing the way the world looks, and the way we look at the world. This can help us become more conscious of the problems the world is facing and help us understand that our actions have consequences for others and that the world problems effect us as well.

The Legality and Ethics of Internet Advertising Essay -- Exploratory E

The Legality and Ethics of Internet Advertising ABSTRACT: Recently, DoubleClick.com, one of the world’s premier Internet advertising firms was at the center of a Federal Trade Commission investigation on privacy. Consumer privacy advocates have charged the company with infringing on the privacy of websurfers because of the aggressive means it uses to gather data for profit. This paper discusses the legal and moral issues surrounding these tactics. Were the company’s aggressive tactics legally permissible? Were they ethical? Companies such as DoubleClick need to inform the websurfer that he/she is being monitored. The world of the Internet uses advertising as its central driving force. Internet start-up companies have spent millions upon millions of dollars on advertising, making Internet advertising a very lucrative business. In fact, right now the advertising market is estimated to be worth about $6.6 billion and is expected to be worth $27 billion by 2004.1 One of the leaders in the business, DoubleClick.com, has a significant market share of the industry with over 1,500 client sites. The aggressive means by which DoubleClick operates has made it the advertiser of choice by many Internet companies. The power of DoubleClick is in its usage of Internet "cookies" to gather information on web surfers. Every time you visit a website that is powered by DoubleClick, an Internet cookie is placed on to your web browser. The cookie helps DoubleClick track what your Internet habits are and which websites you visit most often. This information is then kept in a database that is later used by DoubleClick to target consumers with ads based on the information that it has on different user types. It is estim... ...m/NewWebstories/doubleclick_priv_2_23.htm Notes: 1 Frook, John E. â€Å"Tactics vary in race for ad network dominance.† BtoB. October 23, 2000 Vol. 85: 1. 2 Magill, Ken. â€Å"DoubleClick: Profiling Not Dead,† iMarketing News Vol.2 No.9 (2000):1. 3 IBID. 4 IBID. 5 â€Å"What Goes Up†¦(The DoubleClick Story).† Privacy Times. February 3,2000 <http://www.privacytimes.com/NewWebstories/doubleclick_priv_2_23.htm> 6 â€Å"FTC Closes Investigation of DoubleClick’s Privacy Practices.† January 22, 2001 http://www.doubleclick.net:80/us/corporate/presskit/press-releases.asp?asp_object_1=& press%5Frelease%5Fid=2489 7 Anstead, Mark. â€Å"Internet:Taking a tough line on privacy- New legislation threatens internet data collection.† Marketing. April 13, 2000. 8 IBID. 9 Hawkins, Dana; Mannix, Margaret. Personal Tech.† U.S. News & World Report. Vol. 129 No.13. 10 IBID.

The Return of Martin Guerre Essay -- Natalie Zemon Davis French Histor

The Return of Martin Guerre Historian Natalie Zemon Davis wrote an informative novel about the lives of peasants in the sixteenth century. Entitled The Return of Martin Guerre, Davis tells a true story about a law suit against a man claiming to be someone he is not. She familiarizes the reader with peasantry, laws, and moral attitudes of the time. The story begins in 1527 with a family move from the French Basque country to the village of Artigat. There the Daguerre family settled and started a tileworks business; a prosperous business in the sixteenth century. They eventually started businesses in wheat, millet, vines, and sheep. To be accepted in the new town the family had to make some changes such as speaking a different dialect, dropping the 'Da'; from their name thus pronouncing and spelling it 'Guerre,'; and also in style of dress. As for the Guerre women, life in the village of Artigat was a drastic change. No longer could they push ahead of the men to make their offerings at parish mass or go about the church to collect for the vestry. The Guerre's seemed to like their new lives, their family grew, and they became successful in their trade. In 1538 the only son of the Guerre family, Martin, got married to Bertrande de Rols, the beautiful daughter of a well-off family. After much trying they have one son. In 1548 the rich peasant disappeared from the village of Artigat after a family dispute over his stealing some grain from h...

The Ture College Experience :: essays research papers

College is the stepping stone from High School to the real world. College is intended not only to teach us knowledge, but also to prepare us for the next part of life. Not all college students get this preparation though. Those students are the ones that live at home and commute to school every day. These students miss out on the entire college culture. Being a commuter myself, I almost feel left out. If it were not being in the rigorous architecture program which demands hours and hours of studio work, I probably would not have meet ten percent of the people that I have met. Walking into my design studio for class, I hear people talking about what happened the night before in Goodyear, the freshman dormitory on South Campus. I am always intrigued to know what goes on daily at the dorms. Being as intrigued as I was, I decided to spend one night with my friend to try to get a feel of dorm culture One of the main goals of an architecture program is to teach the future architects to observe well. Now being in this program for only a semester has changed the way I view things. One thing that I noticed, from an architectural standpoint, is that the dorms are probably the poorest designed spaces on any college campus. Even I.M. Pei, one of the best architects in the world, could not design a dormitory that was spacious and efficient. That dorm is none other than the easily navigated Governors Complex. The spacious double rooms are much smaller than my own room. I do not understand how people can survive for long periods of time crammed into a small room with another person without going clinically insane. Fortunately I did not stay in Governors, for if I did I would have spent most of the night trying to find my friend’s dorm room. Instead, I decided to spend the night at Goodyear Dorm with my friend from architecture. Aside from Governors, the Goodyear dorm was fairly easy to find my way around. I was impressed at seeing the double rooms in Goodyear compared to Governors. The rooms were much bigger but still not large enough. Sleeping is another story. The word dormitory was given to this building because it is where people are supposed to sleep. The irony in this situation is that good sleep is not possible in the dorms.

Lvmh Report

Business Report of LVMH Group members: Rining Mutang Beili Yin 10130350 10153456 10095036 Sekit Chubuppakarn Xu Yang 10095786 10136050 Mahsa Tolou Sharifi 0 Executive summary LVMH, the world s largest luxury group, came into being with the mergers of Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton in 1987. Besides its traditional strengths in wines & cognac and leather & fashion goods, other three are perfumes & cosmetics, watches & jewelry and selective retailing. In the external environment of part two, the report analyzed the relevant dimensions of the macro environment by use of the PESTEL framework and the luxury industry by the Five forces framework.The global economy, people s expectations on luxury goods, drive for technological application, rarity of raw materials, and intellectual property laws all have an impact on LVMH in a broad sense. In a narrower sense, market entry into the luxury sector is defined low, threat of substitutes neutral (low to loyal customers but high to those who norm ally cannot afford), the power of suppliers, the power of buyers and competitive rivalry all high. Generally the luxury industry can be regarded as in the shake-out stage; owever, people in the US, wealthy European countries and different Asian countries are in the different stages of luxury spread process. Following the life cycle of the industry, the cycles of competition model will be illustrated to explain the strategic moves of LVMH and its two main competitors PPR and Richemont. In the strategic capabilities of part two, the report presented LVMH s physical resources, financial resources, human resources and intellectual capital. The Group s core competencies lie in four key elements and price. product, distribution, communicationIn the culture and strategy of part two, LVMH s corporate values and culture, and the cultural web in terms of symbols, organizational and power structure and control system are presented respectively. LVMH stresses on the creative design and quality 1 excellence of its products. At the corporate level, LVMH expands horizontally and vertically in both backward and forward integration. The Group s good corporate parenting adds value to the individual brand underneath it. LVMH s strategic direction can be defined as diversification, a combination of market penetration, product development and market development.The Group s current product portfolio, as diversified as over 50 brands, is shaped by Bernald Arnault s constant acquisitions. LVMH s mission is to let art travel around the world, but due to its price mark-up, the country it enters should have sufficient customers who can afford the LVMH products. Therefore, the Group s international strategy more follows the people of high income than particular countries. The way LVMH chooses to enter a foreign market is usua lly by acquisitions of reputational domestic brands.At the business level, we mainly present the strategy of Louis Vuitton, the star brand under LVMH, which account s for 60 per cent of the Group s revenue. Louis Vuitton differentiates itself by four approaches stick firmly to the full price, pick store locations professionally, control the production strictly, and manage its own inventory. Innovation and entrepreneurship are fundamental drivers in today s economy, even for well-established MNCs like LVMH. Vigorous product and process innovation contributes to LVMH s long-standing success.The challenge for entrepreneurs at the maturity stage is to keep their passion and momentum to create new growth for the company. However, this doesn t seem a problem for Bernald Arnault, who has been the CEO of LVMH since 1988. 2 Contents 1. Introduction 2. The strategic position 2. 1 External environment 2. 1. 1 The macro environment: PESTEL framework a. Economic b. Socio-cultural c. Technological d. Environmental e. Legal 2. 1. 2 Sources of competition: Five forces framework a. The threat of entry b. The threat of substitutes c. The power of supp liers d. T he power of buyers e. Competitive rivalry 2. 1. Life cycle of the industry 2. 1. 4 Cycle of competition Strategic capabilities 2. 2. 1 Resource categories a. Physical resources b. Financial resources c. Human resources d. Intellectual capital 2. 2. 2 Core competencies 2. 2 2. 3 Culture and strategy 2. 3. 1 Corporate values and culture 2. 3. 2 The cultural web a. Symbols b. Organizational structure and power structure c. Control system 3. Strategic choices 3. 1 Corporate level strategy 3. 1. 1 Value-added by corporate parenting 3. 1. 2 Diversification 3. 1. 3 Portfolio management 3 International strategy 3. 2. 1 Market entry strategy and entry mode 3. . 2 Market selection 3. 2. 3 Difficulty of imitation 3. 2. 4 Drivers for internationalisation 3. 3 Business level strategy 3. 4 Innovation and entrepreneurship 3. 4. 1 Product and process innovation 3. 4. 2 LVMH s Diffusion S-curve 3. 4. 3 Portfolio of Innovation Options 3. 4. 4 Entrepreneurship 3. 2 4. Conclusion 4 1. Introduction Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton merged in 1987 forming the incumbent luxury goods conglomerate LVMH (LVMH, 2010). The Group s First Half 2010 Interim Report announced double-digit revenue growth rate in all the five business lines that LVMH is active in: Wines and spirits Fashion and leather goods Perfumes and cosmetics Watches and jewelry Selective retailing There is no other sector like luxury that the higher the price the more customers desire will be. This is because luxury is a package of tangible product and intangible benefits like emotional satisfaction from others admiration and respect (Okonkwo, 2007). Due to its existing presence in the industry, LVMH is getting through the economic turmoil comparatively well, which is largely driven by the strong momentum of its Louis Vuitton brand (The Economist, 2009).The Group s latest move will be expanding into LVMH hotel management of the Cheval Blanc brand in Egypt and Oman. This initiative was mainly driven by the demand from its cur rent customers for luxurious travel experiences (Socha, 2010). 2. The strategic position 2. 1 External environment 2. 1. 1 The macro environment: PESTEL framework a. Economic Global economies have been recovering with uncertain fact ors still existing. However, due to its established global presence, LVMH s outlook is positive, both in the major markets developed countries where its leadership position has been firmly secured 5 ver decades and where people s pursuit for quality luxury is believed to continue; and in emerging markets where the Group s solid foundations has been established and expansion will be accelerated at the right timing (LVMH, 2010). In spite of the economic downturn, the Group has been benefiting from the s trong growth in Asia and resilience in Europe. Recessions come and go, but some individuals are always willing to spend on luxury goods like handbags and watches, which in return pay them back in quality life and admiration from friends (Hazlett, 2004).No m atter good or bad economy, it does not have much impact on the spending of those really rich elites. However, according to Bernstein Research, the rapid growth of luxury goods industry is primarily being driven by the strong demand from the middle class, who account for almost 60 per cent of the total sales (The Economist, 2009). With a quite large and fast growing discretionary income, those affluent middle class have a quite positive attitude towards luxury goods, the quality of which is their first requirement of purchasing (Chevalier & Lu, 2010). . Socio-cultural According to Chevalier and Lu (2010), many luxury goods will be tailored to Asian preference specifically. The underlying reason of Asians affection towards luxury is social order transformation in many Asian countries. A person s social status is no longer rigidly decided by birth and his or her family background, but based on how much wealth the person possesses. Even though a person was born in a humble background, h e or she has opportunities to climb up the ladder and make enough money to reach certain social status.Then question comes how to turn the wealth in the bank account into something more noticeable and measurable so that can win respect from others. The influx of western luxury brands with outstanding logos and worldwide recognition seems perfect solution to many Asian new rich ( Chadha & Husband, 2006). In contemporary Asia, luxury brands are wearable symbols of identity and social status, while in the US and European countries, consumers are relatively more sophisticated and the luxury goods are regarded as a kind of lifestyle (Okonkwo, 2007). The socio-cultural challenge for LVMH would be how to keep a 6 alance between different markets where expectations from its products are different. c. Technological Technology is supposed to post a significant challenge on every aspect of the luxury industry, from raw material sourcing to strategy development. In the past decade, there has be en many business applications related to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products). All these common databases can help to make things smoother for process flow inside the supply chain.In this way, the data regarding the market conditions could be analyzed and passed on more effectively and rapidly, also it will be possible to predict the demands of consumers with higher accuracy, the latest designs and prototypes would be able to be proposed at a quicker rate, and there will be reduced lead time when it comes to the releasing of latest products. When luxury brand companies are fully integrated into ICT systems, it may very well help them to create and come up with fresh competitive advantages. Besides that, the organization will also achieve a greater balance in terms of efficiency and cost (Okonkwo, 2010). . Environmental LVMH s success is hugely based on their sales from their luxury bra nds. In this market, luxury brands are a massive intangible asset, therefore the perceptions and image that is perceived by the public can greatly influence the values of the brand. This is an important issue that LVMH need s to monitor closely. If LVMH wants to maintain and also improve the reputation of their brands, the company should focus on vital components that have already been implemented by many luxury brand companies, which is the Corporate Social Responsibility of environmental protection (LVMH, 2009). 7 e.Legal The Louis Vuitton brand is the most frequently counterfeited one in the luxury category (Chadha & Husband, 2006). The company has 40 lawyers and 250 investigators and spends approximately $18 million every year on combating counterfeiting. The issue is particularly serious in China, where most of the faked products come from and the protection for intellectual property rights is weak (Okonkwo, 2007). However, the China Government has shown its efforts to take thi s issue seriously by approving new laws, raiding on the counterfeiting factories and closing some notorious markets flooded with faked products. . 1. 2 Sources of competition: 5 forces framework a. The threat of entry With help of the Internet, it is possible for a brand to achieve global awareness and credibility within five years. The ever increasing global mobility through business trips and travel also contributes to the rapid expansion of the luxury market. At current stage, entry into this industry is relatively easy (Okonkwo, 2007), especially in the emerging markets where the brand war for market share is still fiercely ongoing. b.The threat of substitutes Due to the low copy cost and easiness to sell, luxury brands are widely counterfeited. It is estimated that over 80 per cent of the faked products are from Asia, particularly from China, and then distributed worldwide (Chadha & Husband, 2006). With the improving technology and workers skills in China, the quality of counte rfeit products are not so obviously inferior to the original ones as they used to be. Moreover, the worldwide distribution chain is getting more and more sophisticated despite the combat of the government and the luxury brands. c.The power of suppliers When it comes to the production of luxury products, there is high level of quality and exclusive designing involved which are the main factors for success and attracting 8 customers. In order to accomplish this, the organization needs the combination of highly trained workers and also premium and only top notch input materials when they create, produce, and market the product. In the case of LVMH, they need to establish and maintain tight relationship with their suppliers to ensure that they always receive high quality materials and designs (LVMH, 2010).Besides that in the luxury goods market, luxury apparel and accessories have been categorized by factors such as exquisite craftsmanship together with high quality and design, therefor e the producer of the brand cannot outsource the production processes to other countries other than the original country from which the product was recognized internationally. This is why, the power of suppliers in the luxury goods market can be classified as medium to high, depending on how much input that is received by LVMH. . The power of buyers In the case of LVMH, their buyers are the many retailers in the market which can range from small to large companies. The market players in this sector are the manufacturers such as LVMH. The buyers can push for a strong bargaining position when there are more and more players in the retail market. This industry that LVMH are involved in can offer a wide range of fashion products and also, a wide range of functional classes within the market such as styles, material, logos, and so on.When a particular brand has become a strong and well known brand, the power of buyers will be decreased and retailers have no choice but to provide the wish es of the end user. Besides that, a new trend that has been popular with some major companies who started erecting their own stores, which is known as forward integration (Chadha & Husband, 2006) . e. Competitive rivalry Some of the big conglomerates that are the competitors of LVMH in the global luxury goods industry are the Channel Group from USA, the PPR Group from France, the Burberry Group from UK, the Polo Group and Richemont from Switzerland.These 9 c e es e e c s e y c ce ec s ec s e s. e y ec ec e se ve ey e s ve ey y. ee c s e e e e ee s e s ec s s c s c e es e e ce c & s e s es e c e s es j ye s ve y c ye s s s e e e s. y c ve e es s ee y eve y e e ee s es ec e 2006 . 2 1 3 Lif cycl of th indust y The v y s chas s y s ese . e e y c s es y has ee shifte to appreciation for the product quality rather than a sense of pleasure from merely showing off. The new environment is becoming harder for some short-sighted companies to make long-term profit by just offering easy-to-sell products with historically fancy brand names (The Economist, 2009).Based on the characteristics of increasing rivalry, slower growth and some players e isting (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2010), the luxury goods industry can be defined as in the shake-out stage. However, customers preference shift will not have a negative influence on the LV H, as quality, innovation and creativity have always been the long-term focus of the Group (The Economist, 2009). St St 1 Subju tion 2 St Sho off 3 St 4 Fit in St 5 St t of mon y W y of lif Indi Chin Tai an / South Ko a Hon Kon / Sin apo 10 Japan / US / W althy Eu op an count i s The spread of luxury can be illustrated in five processes.People in the US, wealthy European countries and different Asian countries are in the different stages of viewing luxury For Indians, affluent elites are the customers of luxury while the majority are buying mass products With Chinas booming economy, an increasing number of people are able to afford luxury, which is used as symbols of their social status For Taiwan and South Korea, since their earlier exposure to western brands after the economies took off in early 1990s, people buy luxury goods more for fitting into their lives than just showing off; Hong Kong and Singapore are even further on their way o integrate luxury as a way of life, like the US, wealthy European countries and Japan (Chadha & Husband, 2006). 2 1 4 Cycl of comp tition LV H Ent ant 11 Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton s merger into LVMH in 1987 inspired the establishments of two other French conglomerates PPR and Richemont. The three companies are generally referred as the big three in the luxury industry (Chevalier & Mazzalovo, 2008). PPR is not as pure a luxury company as LVMH, as it has other businesses like department stores and book and consumer electronics retailing.Since margins in the luxury market are more attractive, it is very likely that PPR will sell the other non-luxury businesses (The Economist, 2006) . Compared with LVMH, Richemont is more relying on the watch and jewelry sector, which is the most severely affected category in case of economic crisis (The Economist, 2009). LVMH s traditional strengths are in its wine & cognac and fashion & leather goods lines. With Bernald Arnault s acquisition strategy, the Group has been kept expanding into other business lines and international markets.It can be expected that the war between the big three will be how smartly they deploy diversified brands in the future. World-renowned but still independently run brands like Armani, Chanel and Hermes are very likely to be the next targets. 2. 2 Strategic capabilities 2. 2. 1 Resource categories a. Physical resources By 30 June 2010, LVMH has 2,468 retail stores worldwide, a 4. 1% expansion rate on the previous year (LVMH, 2010). Inner decoration of the stores reflects the LVMH traditions and the emotional buzz offer customers unique experience of purchasing luxury and the attention they need ( Chevalier & Lu, 2010) .Unlike some of its competitors, LVMH insists on the high standard of its store decor and product display like everywhere else when it approaches the Chinese market, where counterfeiting is big problem (The Economist, 2009). 12 b. Financial resources LVMH s long-term strategies of building the heritage culture and brand loyalty support the sustainability of financial management performance of the organization. In the regression year 2009, LVMH, which are luxury goods, generally, supposes to have a big effect by low confidence of consumer spending. However, in 2 009, there was just only slight decrease (0. % in revenue and 7. 6% for the profit) in the revenue and profit for LVMH compared to that of 2008 (LVMH, 2009). Furthermore, in the first half of 2010, LVMH can pick up the advantages of economy recovery and perform very well. The revenue and the profit of LVMH were 9,099 and 1816 million Euros, which significantly rise 16% and 33%, respectively, compared to the same period in (LVMH, 2010). There is also the dramatic decrease in the cost of financial debt by 27% compare to the same period in 2009 (LVMH, 2010. ). The fixed assets (tangible and intangible) of LVMH are worth 20. 2 billion in 2010 (LVMH, 2010).Moreover, As of June, 30, 2010, LVMH s credit facilities went over 3. 9 billion Euros which 3. 8 billion Euros w ere the undrawn amount (available) (LVMH, 2010. ). LVMH can confidentially continue to invest in the potential projects with these large financial resources. c. Human resources LVMH used to adopt human resource policy applied to every individual country, but from early 1990s, the Group found having a global standard HRM system helped it to achieve higher effectiveness and efficiency. This new approach, regarding human talent as a world pool, creates an international working environment for LVMH.Besides the requirement of matching with LVMH s corporate culture, the more important determining factor in recruitment has become whether the candidates can bring about something new to the company (Business Europe, 1993). The common HR rules encourage cross-border mobility (normally once every five years) that is important career path within LVMH. Moreover, LVMH has been involved in the partnership with top education institutes in order to bring the potential talents into the organization (LVMH, 2010). 13 d. Intellectual capital Building a luxury brand is a complicated task more han just catching people s attention. The success formula of brand building by Bernard Arnault, LVMH s CEO, is unique positioning of the brand building on its history and the right designers to express the brand values, plus strict quality and distribution control and creation of marketing buzz (Chevalier & Lu, 2010). 2. 2. 2 Core competencies According to Bernald Arnault, CEO of LVMH, high quality of the products, strong appeal of the brands, and rigorous activities of the Group are LVMH s main advantages that make it stand out and s ecure market share (Business Wire, 2010).There are four key elements of LVMH s success formula product, distribution, communication and price. LVMH has done a fantastic job on the first three elements supporting the high-end price which identifying the extreme value of the product and differentiate its brand from the others. For decades LVMH's formula has worked amazingly: customers are seduced by beautiful status-symbols, perfect shops and clever advertising (The Economist, 2009). 2. 3 Culture and strategy 2. 3. Corporate values and culture Corporate values, usually written down as statements, are the most visible reflections of a company s mission and strategies (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2010). In order to generate the unifying corporate culture of the diversified organization, company need to provide the effective leadership, defining goal and creating the set of values and beliefs. It might be very difficult for the diversified multi-business organization which has many d ifferent businesses like LVMH to crate the unifying corporate values culture (Grant, 2005).However, with the great attempt, LVMH has successfully created the five values, which are respectively (LVMH, n. d. ): Be creative and innovate 14 – Aim for product excellence Bolster the image of our brands with passionate determinat ion Act as entrepreneurs Strive to be the best in all we do 2. 3. 2 The cultural web a. Symbols Louis Vuitton is most famous for its Monogram series. The delicate Monogram pattern was created to prevent counterfeiting at the beginning, but quite ironic that the series are the most counterfeited among all the luxury products.The over 100-year-old iconic series are varied by Mac Jacobs and other creative designers every season, coming out with new forms like graffiti, ch erry pattern, new colors and materials, etc (Chevalier & Mazzalovo, 2008) As Bernald Arnault said, this is to protect the overexposure of the signature Monogram print (The Economist, 2009). b. Organizational structure and power structure LVMH group are originally French and most headquarters of the firm are in French. However, the organization strongly believes that multi cultural management needs to be applied.LVMH s kingdom consists of 5 main business sectors (as mentioned in the introduction) which each group is the combination of the young and old strong brands. Moreover, the independent brand management which translated from the unique culture of each brand help s organization to generate its typical structure and enhances the potency of individual brand (Gooderham & Nordhaug, 2003). There are more than 50 renown ed brands in LVMH s Kingdom and each company has its own president, CEO and management team who responsible to deal with its subsidiaries directly.Furthermore, the company has a decentralized structure which supports the growth and characteristic of Luxury brand and company also applies the autonomous management by geographic between each destination such as Europe, Japan, Asia and America. The organization structure support company s fast growth by enhancing the level of innovation, control power over distribution and promotional 15 strategies (Gooderham & Nordhaug, 2003). c. Control system LVMH is using the multidivisional structure to have a better internal control (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2009).Also, the decision to enter into the selective retailing market in 1999 supported LVMH to reduce the problems of distribution control . LVMH also supports each brand and employee with the autonomous management which allow them to enhance the level of creativity and adaptability management in different market (Gooderham & Nordhaug, 2003) . Moreover, Bernald Arnault acknowledged his success lied in his management techniques. He insisted on giving designers complete freedom from financial or marketing concerns to apply their creativity.But when it comes to the manufacturing stage, the process control system is as strict as militant to ens ure the Group s profitability (LVMH brand for success, 2002). 3 Strategic choices 3. 1 Corporate level strategy At the corporate level, LVMH s structure is different from a typical conglomerate. The group expands horizontally and vertically in both backward and forward integration. Horizontally, LVMH has well-established itself in the five main business lines by gradually integrating and possessing some strategic business units (SBUs) since the new group came into being in 1987.Vertically, it integrates a centralized laboratory for cosmetics research and purchases media companies for the best effects of its promotion (Rugman, 2005). 3. 1. 1 Value-added by corporate parenting Good corporate parenting can add value to a scope of businesses offering different products and services that may share few common resources at the operational level. LVMH s business lines range from wines and spirits, to fashion and leather goods, to 16 selective retailing.Each individual business groups do not have many common resources or capabilities, but they are benefiting tremendously from LVMH s corporate parenting, like receiving support in the classic brands and having creative designers involved (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2010). LVMH s Half Year Interim Report (2010) stressed the Group s priorities will be directed to the most profitable brands with substantial innovation and marketing support, namely Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy in drinks, TAG Heuer in watches, Christian Dior in perfumes and cosmetics, Sephora and DFS (The Economist, 2009).The economies of scale give the Group synergy benefits like being offered favorable prices for advertising, property leasing and credit card fees. 3. 1. 2 Diversification Diversification is a strategy that takes the company beyond its existing products and markets. LVMH has a highly diversified product portfolio, notably Louis Vuitton, whose momentum is strong enough to offset the Group s profit losses in other lines and keep the overal l revenue positive (The Economist, 2009). It could be regarded as a combination of product development, market development and market penetration (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2010).In terms of product development, artistic creativity and technological innovation both contribute to the Group s success, particularly in the cosmetics business line, which highly relies on the up-to-date R (LVMH, 2010) 3. 1. 3 Portfolio management There are over 50 renowned brands under LVMH s portfolio, each of which has its unique history and brand culture (Gooderham & Nordhaug, 2003). Among them, the most prestigious and could say timeless brands are: Chateau d'Yquem (founded in 1593) Moet et Chandon (founded in 1743) Hennessy (founded in 1765) Guerlain (founded in 1828) 17 –Louis Vuitton (founded in 1854) Acquisitions normally can alleviate competitive rivalry by reducing the number of players in the market and integrating them under one umbrella (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2010). Ber nard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, is well known for his constantly aggressive strategy of acquiring smaller fashion brands with established reputation but less impressive business outcomes and incorporating them into the LVMH portfolio. In the next few years, LVMH is expected to take advantage of the recession and have more favorable acquisitions (The Economist, 2009).Brand power of the French luxury-goods conglomerate is enforced by reaching more customers through these acquisitions (Moffett & Ramaswamy, 2003). One famous example is the acquisition of Fendi in September 1999. When facing both tenders from Gucci / PRR and LVMH, the Italy-based fashion brand sold itself to the latter because of trust in the management capabilities of LVMH s executive teams. 3. 2 International strategy One of the famous global brands in the world is LVMH. Although it is not as big as TESCO, it is successful because of its groups. Its strategy is more flagship than TESCO.The strategy can be defined as an integrated distribution network. It is dynamically trust in many non- business foundations through competition world (Girod & Rugman, 2005). Structuring the bridge between traditions, modern, creation and innovation by supporting art in cla ssify around the world, is LVMH s mission (Preiholt & Ha? gg, 2006). It seems LVMH has two types of strategies. The first one is to impose increasing number of sales to make obvious for shareholders which there is a harmony between luxury products and four elements such as: eternal, contemporary, quick rising and making more profit.The second one is an opportunity of rising in future (Preiholt & Ha? gg, 2006). 18 3. 2. 1 Market entry strategy and entry mode The most important strategy which is used by LVMH is buying other famous company in luxury field. Market can be more controlled by this action. According to this strategy, famous brands were selected by LVMH. The most important points of selecting relates to the high quality (Ireland, Hoskisso n & Hitt, 2009). Three main things are noticed by LVMH managers. High price, more controlling strategy and arranging franchise are points to get the goals (Hines & Bruce, 2001).LVMH fallows to keep extending its market without afraid of hard situations for setting up the stores there. As an example in first attempt for entering to Chinese and Japanese market, it was not acceptable by people because they didn t have any idea about luxury products and they preferred to follow their traditional products but now LVMH has many stores around China and Japan ( Bloomberg businessweek: Louis Vuitton's Life of Luxury, 2007). As mentioned before considering all features of trading and ability to control them are reasons to be successful in entering to new market ( Bloomberg businessweek: Louis Vuitton's Life of Luxury, 2007).For example in Japan concerning about all elements is important for customers also in France value and to be modern is very important. So LVMH is considered in all of the aspects which are important for different countries ( Bloomberg businessweek: Louis Vuitton's Life of Luxury, 2007). 3. 2. 2. Market selection According to LVMH mission they need the strategy to enter to worldwide market. Their goal is enter to the market of many luxury purchases. Due to this goal they are looking for customers priority in different countries.According to this priority, the different product will be matched with customers need. Also they tried to find out that which costs can make customers happy which can be acceptable by LVMH mission. It means that they planned to fit the products and prices according to the market which wants to be entered. In another word, LVMH marketing managers 19 choose the products and adapting price according to capabilities of the country. LVMH as a luxury brand was limited to specific countries which has strong economic. The main problem for LVMH was, it is very dependent on some countries such as France, Japan and USA.Using financial ana lyse, make it up to date and controlling the market could help it to have a better situation than other competitors (Spulber, 2007). Creating the finance economics can organized by LVMH when it buy another famous company (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2009). Creating the finance economics can organised by LVMH when it buy another famous company (Ireland, Hoskisson & Hitt, 2009). It was the only luxury companies that could survive from economic crisis which happened recently. According to the reports the income of LVMH in 2008 was EUR 17 million which showed the rising income compare to 2007 in range of 4. % (I am emily, 2009, November10). 3. 2. 3 Difficulty of imitation The main problem for some countries is their products can be faked easily but LVMH product cannot be imitated. LVMH is one of the 500 traders which entered to the international growth market. It is attended into worldwide leadership and differentiation strategy. LVMH based more on outside associate. To against with less legality and organized in other countries are in its nature. Its activity is beyond of having a competition with other luxury brand; it also wants to enter to the market which is risky because of any imitation industry that have no certificate can be trustable.LVMH makes more profit for industries which have license and other collaborators to attack to imitation industries, since they started to enter to global market (Spulber, 2007). Also they have their own distribution, so they can control everything easily. Although it has more costs for company but makes to be organized their kingdom easily. LVMH consider about the strong partners. Partners were chosen by the good quality (Spulber, 2007). With no doubt, Arnault can be named as a smart CEO to organise growing company with high benefit with ability to create new things (Wetlaufer, 2010). 0 3. 2. 4 Drivers for internationalisation The significant point for LVMH is that they look deeply into the drivers keys. The most important dr ivers for LVMH can be significant by innovation. Nowadays, new and modern products are more attracted than old ones. LVMH h as special luxury lab to work on innovation parts. In general speaking, rising for demanding luxury products helps LVMH to have more income because they concern about this point and try the best to be well known as an innovation company (I am Emily, 2009, November10). 3. 3 Business level strategyThis part will mainly present the business level strategy of Louis Vuitton, the iconic brand under LVMH, which accounts for 60 per cent of the Group s revenue (Hazlett, 2004) and has a profit margin of 40 to 45 per cent, the highest among all the luxury brands (The Economist, 2009). According to Millward Brown study (2010), Louis Vuitton is ranked the world's 29th most valuable brand, with a value of USD 19. 78 billion. Customers have a common mindset that they tend to invest in the products of best quality and value when they have less money, like a Louis Vuitton handb ag (The Economist, 2009).As Yves Carcelle, Chief Executive of Louis Vuitton , said Vuitton was always able to expand market shares during crises. Sustainable appeal of the brand lies in its differentiation-based advantage. Firstly, stick firmly to the full price to maintain the brand value. Louis Vuitton is the only luxury brand whose products are never sold at any discount. Secondly, pick its store locations rationally and professionally. For example, if Vuitton is about to open a new store in the department, its staff will set up a scale to measure the customer flows and pick the best locations based on statistics.Thirdly, strictly control the production in its own factories. On one hand, approaches in the automobile industry are introduced to streamline the procedures and costs and workers can be easily mobilized from one product line to another in case of demand change. On the other hand, there is high 21 level of quality control over the finished products. Fourthly, never grant licensing to outside companies and operate its own inventory. In this case, the Vuitton brand can be kept high-end and direct control over inventory ensures no space competition from other brands. 3. Innovation and entrepreneurship 3. 4. 1 Product & process innovation According to Amault the CEO of LVMH ( Group mission and values, 2010, n. d. ), LVMH s success is due to their long-term creativity and products innovation. It is obvious that LVMH has already put five things as priorities. Firstly, LVMH should be innovate and creative. Secondly, LVMH should produce the excellent products. Thirdly, LVMH needs to build up its famous brand image in people s mind. Fourthly, the leader should pay attention to the entrepreneurship and relationships. Finally, every employee in LVMH should ry their best to do everything. LVMH s Art de Vivre has already represented the western fashion. In addition, LVMH s products mix the tradition, innovation and culture value which give people a dream and pa ssion. 3. 4. 2 LVMH s diffusion S-curve It is clear that the luxury industry has been increased rapidly. Although people have large demand for regular retailing industry, the luxury industry also increased very fast. According to Amault (2009), in spite of the economic downturn, LVMH s sales have increased very stably. In the early 2010, LVMH s sales have already reached 4. 7 billion. The company also performed well in Asia countries. In order to stimulate consumption LVMH has changes their attitudes in luxury industry. For example, LVMH hired many famous designers to develop their products and avoid overexposure; these help LVMH reach a high velocity. 3. 4. 3 Portfolio of innovation options In order to face the changes and challenges, people should focus on the influence of the deployment of option patterns (McGrath & MacMillan, 2000). Therefore, LVMH s 22 success is the company largely subject to the scouting options.It is very difficult to catch the uncertain reasons like market, world s economic and politics. However, LVMH as a leader in luxury, the company has about 60 famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and TAG Heuer SA. It covers like wines, fashion goods, perfumes and watches. Moreover, according to McGrath and MacMillan (2000), in order to face the challenges and find the potential markets, LVMH should pay attention to the scouting options and this way can be seemed as entrepreneurial experiment . 3. 4. 4 Entrepreneurship According to Time Magazine, Bernard Arnault is the top 100 influential people in the world.Because of LVMH s famous brands which include Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Dior, everyone have interesting with the chairman of LVMH and how the leader made the company very big. First of all, Bernard Arnault s kind of fashion was inspired from his creative talent. He brought his talent to the luxury industry and he has his own new vision in luxury market. This is why he can build his fashion country . Then, Bernard Arnault has stro ng entrepreneurship and business acumen. For example, in the 1990s, he began to expand his company and buy other luxury names such as Givenchy and TAG Heuer.Although many people criticized his business strategy, Bernard Arnault s LVMH has been the most famous luxury company all the world. Next, with the success of LVMH, Bernard Arnault began to raise his creative talent. Many businessmen don t pay attention to this. However, Arnault believes that a good luxury company should have many managers who love and better understanding of fashion and arts. Finally, Arnault has the ability to do the business rely on aspects like the creative and financial. He focuses on the creativity must be commerce and when he sells his products he pay attention to financial discip line. 23 4. ConclusionLuxury is a special industry, as the higher price mark-up, the more appeal to the customers. Although the US, wealthy European countries and different Asian countries are in the different stages of luxury s pread process, in the long run, people will be sophisticated enough to view luxury as a way of life. LVMH s resources are: physical high standard stores, financial sustainable financial management, human brand history and mobility-oriented international talent pool, and intellectual craftsmanship, etc. According to Bernald Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, the Group s core competencies are product, distribution, communication and price.LVMH has done such a good job on focusing on the f irst three elements to create an appeal so that customers forget about the prices. LVMH s corporate values and culture of pursuing creative design and sticking to excellent product quality are the foundations of its strategies. LVMH s corporate level strategy is characterized by value-added corporate parenting, diversification in terms of product and market, and excellent portfolio management. We can expect competition at corporate level in the future will be brand wars how to deploy different brands more str ategically.As for international strategy, origins of high income people rather than particular countries determine LVMH s entry into those markets. In most cases, the approach LVMH chooses to enter a foreign market is usually through acquisitions of reputational domestic brands. At the business level, the differentiation strategy of Louis Vuitton, LVMH s most famous star brand, is analyzed. The Vuitton company is trying to protect the brand value by sticking firmly to the full price, picking store locations professionally, controlling the production strictly, and managing its own inventory.Besides the three kinds of strategies, innovation and entrepreneurship are also important drivers for new growth of the companies. LVMH is committed to constant product and process innovation, and this is closely related to the entrepreneurial spirits of its CEO Bernald Arnault. 24 According to LVMH s 2010 fourth quarter report, the Louis Vuitton brand alone contributed over 60 per cent to the Gro up s annual growth, which demonstrated the Vuitton brand s potent ability to offset risks in a portfolio.However, the Group s heavy reliance on the Vuitton brand also worried some analysts that what will happen to the Group suppose the Vuitton brand loses appeal to customers one day. However, based on the evidences collected, we are able to believe the insight of Bernald Arnault, who is an optimist of collecting brands. Part of the revenues from the Vuitton brand have been used to support other smaller promis ing brands, which might grow into another Louis Vuitton in the future. 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