Consumer Behavior Attitudes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consumer Behavior Attitudes - Essay Example THE THEORY OF REASONED ACTION The formula for TORA is as follows. B1=w1 [A (act)] + w2 [SN (act)] where; BI = Behavioral Intent W1 and w2 = weights (typically these are previously determined) A (act) = Attitude toward an action (e.g., purchase) SN (act) = Subjective Norms A (act) = (Bi Ei) i=1 Bi = Belief that an action (e.g., purchase) will lead to a consequence i Ei = Evaluation of importance/desirability of consequence i i = Consequences 1, 2m n SN (act) = (NBj MCj) j=1 NBj = Belief that a reference group (j) wants you to perform a certain action (e.g., purchase) MCj = Motivation to comply with reference group j j = Reference groups 1, 2.n But w1=0.6 and w2=0.4 m=3, n=2 B1 (Buying the Motorcycle) = w1 [A (act)] + w2 [SN (act)] A (act) = (-3*2) + (2*3) + (-3*-3) + (-3*2) + (1*1)= -6 + 6 +9 + -6 +1 = 4. n SN (act) = (NBj MCj) j=1 = (-3*2) + (-1*1) = -6 + -1 = -7. Thus, B1 = (0.6 * 4) + (0.4 * -7) =2.4 - 2.8 = - 0.8 B1 (Buying a car) = w1 [A (act)] + w2 [SN (act)] A (act) = (2*2) + (-2*3) + (2*-3) + (3*2) + (3*1) = 4+ -6 +-6 +6 +3 = 1 n SN (act) = (NBj MCj) j=1 = (3*2) + (3*1) =6+3 =9. Thus,B1 = (0.6*1) + (0.4*9) =0.6 + 3.6 =4.2. Deductions: According to Ajzen and Fishbein's the Theory of Reasoned Action is clustered into three stratums. Thus intention; the fundamental hypothesis of this assumption is that a person's motive is the most important forecaster and influencer of attitude. In the event that a person wishes to partake on something then...This is important as it will help the interviewer to know the mistakes or the failures which they will need to work on, so as to meet the demands of their clients. According to Ajzen and Fishbein's the Theory of Reasoned Action is clustered into three stratums. Thus intention; the fundamental hypothesis of this assumption is that a person's motive is the most important forecaster and influencer of attitude. In the event that a person wishes to partake on something then they will definitely do it. Ajzen & Fishbein, (1981). The theory of Reasoned Action implies that motives are influenced by Attitude toward the behavior and the subjective Norms. The mindset toward the behavior is exactly what the person's former attitude toward doing that behavior is. The implicit is that people think through their decisions and possible outcomes which guide them through the making of a decision. There is an attitude formed about the overall decision and the object that which the decision is being made around. There's a mindset formed about the overall decision and the object that which the decision is being made around (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). For example, if a couple is trying to decide if they should take a vacation to Disney world could be characterized by a mindset. The rationale could be that the couple is not adverse to Disney world and has a positive attitude towards it.

Musical Instruments Essay Example for Free

Musical Instruments Essay 1. Do you believe it is still possible that new musical instruments could be invented and widely distributed? Empirically, though the diversity of musical instruments has reached a quite high level, human has never stopped their exploration into music. So, I think it’s highly possible that several new musical instruments can be invented and widely distributed. The musical history has already proved this. Before 19th century, the majority of musical instruments are acoustic, and most people at that time held the opinion that we already have enough instruments. However, accompany with the development of electricity and latter computer technology, electronic music has grown rapidly. Musical instruments are no longer bonded within the acoustic. Maybe in the future, we can even use the photon to make some music. 2. Do you think that existing orchestral instruments will be drastically altered in the future? I think some fine turning may occur on existing orchestral instruments but drastically change may not happen. With hundred years of development and perfection, orchestra has already formed its own system and process. Its requirement to musical instruments is almost fixed. Already some fine turning may be applied in order to achieve better acoustic effect, but the outer shape and essential component of these musical instruments won’t be changed since they have already be a symbol of orchestra. 3. Will the computer and other electronic instruments eventually replace acoustical instruments? Which do you prefer? Definitely not. Diversity is an essential part of music, if all the music is generated by electronic devices, it can be quite boring and people will suffer aesthetic fatigue. Personally, I prefer acoustical instruments, why, just personal taste. 4. Please open YouTube and listen to composition Desintegrations for 17 instruments and computer tape (1983) created by French composer Tristan Murail (1947-). Can you separate sound materials created by the acoustic instruments from the tape material? Are they often fused? Are they created to resemble each other? For those parts in which only one instrument occurred I can figure out the type, while for those with more than two, I can not. Yes, they often fused together, especially in modern music. Yes, they do resemble to each other otherwise the music won’t achieve harmonic sound effect.

Symbols and Symbolism Essay: Color as a Tool in Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Color as a Tool of Symbolism in Heart of Darkness  Ã‚   Color is used very effectively as a tool of symbolism in Heart of Darkness. Colors, especially black and white, are used to symbolize evil (black) and good (white). Other colors are also used, although less often than black and white. Throughout the story, people are thought to have white souls or black souls depending on their innate â€Å"goodness† or â€Å"badness† or the role they are fulfilling at the time. The color of a person’s soul is often contrasted to the color of their skin. A black- souled, white-skinned person is thought to be evil and dishonest. â€Å"I met a white man in such an unexpected elegance of getup†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Conrad p.21). This demonstrates how a white man was not expected to be a good person. Elegance of dress was unexpected because the man was white. In comparison, a white-souled, black-skinned person is thought to be truthful and full of integrity. â€Å"An athletic black belonging to some coast tribe and educated by my poor pre decessor†¦.thought all the world of himself.† (Conrad p.45). People are described as black with hatred regardless of skin color. This is further evidence of black being used synonymously with evil. Black isn’t just used to describe evil people. â€Å"Often far away, I thought of these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Conrad p. 14.) The symbolism of black wool at the door of Darkness is clearly pointing to evil, and further supports black as evil. Heath 2 Colors other than black and white are used to describe moods and attitudes past the basic good and evil. Red signifies industry. â€Å"There was a vast amount of red - good to see at any time because one knows that some real work is done in there.† (Conrad p.13). Yellow is seen as a cowardly color. â€Å"I was going into the yellow. Dead in the center.† (Conrad p.13). Pale denotes Death. It is also used this way in the Bible, â€Å"the Pale ho rse and his rider Death†, Revelations 6:8. â€Å"She came forward, all in black, with a pale head, floating towards me in the dusk. She was in mourning. It was more than a year since his death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Conrad p. 72-73). The use of color is effective in the story for a variety of reasons. First, it is easy to understand.

Implementing a Business Continuity Essay

In this lab, you implemented a portion of your organization’s BCP. On the basis of the BIA, the organization determined that the internal Active Directory database and the corporate Web site must be recoverable in the event of system failure or natural disaster. To accomplish this, you configured local backups of Active Directory on the existing virtual server using Windows Server Backup. You also configured the organization’s Web servers to host content from a single NFS share, and to back up that NFS share daily using Windows. Lab Assessment Questions & Answers 1. What is the purpose of the business impact analysis (BIA)? 2. What is the difference between a disaster recovery plan (DRP) and a business continuity plan (BCP)? 3. What are the commands used in Windows 2012 to mount the NFS share on the Linux server. 4. Is creating redundancy for systems such as Active Directory or Web servers a part of the DRP or the BCP? 5. Why use the mklink command? 2 | Lab #6: Implementing a Business Continuity Plan 6. What role/service is Windows 2012 Server Backup part of? a. Windows Group Policy b. Windows Collaboration Server c. Windows Server Essentials Experience 7. Which Linux file makes a local share available to NFS clients? a. transports b. imports c. fstab d. exports

The Validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve

The proper use of the environment has become a controversial topic in economics. In both of James Beseecher's lectures during the module, he outlined a critique of mainstream economics currently governing all our policies, and presented several key thinkers In environmental economics. The huge potential for economic growth through the exploitation of the environment has been undeniable. Vital resources have forever been and continue to be a necessary component of economic growth.But the environment also performs the essential function of supporting life. Needless to say, if humans impair the earth's ability to sustain life the consequences would be dire. And unfortunately, the very same exploitation that provides us with crucial economic Inputs can also be the Instrument by which we impair the earth's ability to support life. Beechen Insisted the world would have to shift Its focus too more sustainable branch of economics. One policy proposed by economists is to allow countries to ec onomically grow out of environmentally damaging activity.Looking at countries with already large economies, we see signs of environmental regulation such as emissions standards, extensive recycling programs, and limited timber harvesting. The economists supporting a policy that Initially allows for environmental degradation assert that If a country can achieve sufficient economic growth In a short period of time then perhaps environmental damage should be tolerated. A well-known hypothesis providing support for a policy that emphasizes economic growth at the expense of environmental protection is the environmental Sunset curve (EKE) hypothesis.It posits that countries in the development process will see their levels of environmental degradation increase until some Income threshold Is met and then afterwards decrease. If true, economic polices should allow extensive, although not necessarily absolute, use of the environment for growth purposes. But carrying out such policies involves inherent dangers. If developing countries decide to overlook environmental protection by counting on rising incomes to abate environmental damage the consequences could be devastating.The most pressing danger is that additional environmental degradation could cause some irreversible and significant harm. This could occur before the predicted Income threshold Is met. The other concern with counting on Incomes to reduce environmental damage Is that the EKE hypothesis could easily be incorrect and relying on its predictions would lead to consistently insufficient protection. This paper evaluates the validity of the EKE hypothesis and argues that it is not a sound basis for policy formation and Justification with so much at stake.The plan of the paper is as follows. Section II examines the basis for the EKE hypothesis and conditions under which It may accurately predict a country's future environmental at the findings of these studies. Section IV identifies the inherent dangers in dete rmining environmental policy based upon the EKE hypothesis. Some concerns are relevant if the hypothesis does not hold and others are present even if it does prove a correct forecaster of environmental quality. Section V provides a conclusion.Section II: The Concept of the Environmental Sunset Curve The EKE hypothesis asserts that countries will naturally move from relatively low environmentally degrading activity to highly degrading activity and then, once a certain income threshold is achieved, will proceed to less degrading activity once again. This assertion allows one to predict the relative level of environmental damage Ewing caused by a country by looking at GAP per capita. However, this prediction is relative to individual countries. In other words, each country has its own EKE, based upon resource endowment, social customs, etc. From which it progresses along relative to its GAP. A graphical model of the hypothesis helps illustrate the inverted â€Å"U† shape of the relationship: It is important to note that the theoretical EKE graph does not explicitly express time as a dimension and for this reason the use of the EKE hypothesis to Justify policy decision – an action that by definition incorporates time – would appear inadequate. Only by comparing two different countries can the inverted â€Å"U† shaped curve be derived as seen above. However each country possesses its own unique EKE and therefore each country's policies should be organized accordingly.In order for the graph to show an EKE, and thereby be valid as policy Justification, we must incorporate a time dimension. We find a time dimension along the x-axis. The EKE hypothesis assumes that changes in income per capita only occur over time. By including this supposition of changes in income inherently signifying time, the graph can now show an EKE for a specific country. The identification of a country's particular EKE provides a basis for using it to influence polic y. Possessing the theoretical model by which the EKE hypothesis is used for economic policy we turn our focus to explaining why the inverted â€Å"U† shape exists.There are two primary explanations for the proposed shape of the EKE. The first examines the history of developed countries and the paths they took to achieve development. The second reflects the changing preference for environmental quality as incomes rise. Historically, all developed countries' economies were originally based upon agriculture, a state that produced little environmental damage. Their economies later switched to a much more environmentally damaging state that focused on industry and manufacturing. Two main factors lead to environmental damage that occurs during industrialization.First, the harmful by-products of production damage the environment. High levels of pollution and water contamination accompany the expansion of industry. The second factor is the increased consumption of natural resources. The extensive over-use of land, deforestation and mining of mountains is a form of environmental damage in and of itself. A common conclusion of this placement pattern is that Olds must pass through the same phases in order to regulations, Olds will be at an economic disadvantage compared to the already developed countries.Many Olds point to this competitive disadvantage when rejecting global environmental standards. The next stage of development saw industrial nations switching to service-based economies, a trend that all global GAP leaders tend towards. During this phase the income threshold of the Ekes for certain polluting substances appear to have been reached. According to the hypothesis, service-based economies are said to be able to avoid many of the most environmentally damaging economic activities. In theory, environmental impacts also fall as a result of improved technology discovered in developed countries.In some cases technology leads to a more efficient use of inputs. Other technological advancements make it possible to restrict the harmful effects that economic activity have on the environment. The second reason that a high-income level can reduce environmental damage is by altering the demand for environmental quality. Known as the â€Å"income effect†, sufficiently high GAP per capita often leads individuals to place environmental quality above additional economic growth. The aggregation of these individual preferences plays an integral role in determining the income threshold.The EKE income threshold aggregates all environmentally damaging agents into a single numerical value. However, taken individually economists can place dollar values on the turning points of damaging agents. For example, in a 1997 paper by Cole, Earner and Bates, the authors found the turning point of CO and NON emissions to be around $9,900 and $14,700, respectively. Using environmental quality preference as an explanation, the income threshold represents the in come level per pita at which the preference for environmental quality outweighs the preference for additional income.This change in preference occurs on a public level, rather than a private one. Microeconomic decisions to support more environmentally friendly goods and services cannot account for the income effect. The issue is instead a matter of public policy. The changes in environmental standards reflect political pressure on governments. According to the EKE hypothesis, changes to evolving economies and the individual preference for environmental quality combine to determine the income threshold. However, whether or not an inverted â€Å"U† shaped curve exists at all is still up for debate.Section Ill: Evidence For and Against the EKE Hypothesis Evidence regarding the EKE hypothesis is circumstantial and inconclusive. Most early studies that supported the hypothesis focused on a single damaging agent, such as a pollutant. Identifying key characteristics associated with agents that have been studied we find that only certain types of agents exhibit an EKE. Evidence supporting the EKE first began in 1994 when Selene and Song derived an EKE for SIS. A later test in 1995 by economists Grossman also found SIS emissions to follow n EKE. They found a turning point between $4,000 and $6,000.Another early documentation of EKE support came from Theodore Pantaloon who found the turning point of deforestation to be $823. After the initial studies, other economists began to investigate the validity of the EKE hypothesis and found refuting evidence. In the 1997 paper by Cole, Earner and Bates, they found no EKE for traffic, nitrates or EKE; rather, energy use per capita rose steadily with increased income. Evidence appears to support the EKE hypothesis only for a limited type of damaging agents. The emission of SIS is found in urban waste areas and is thereby hardhearted by its locality.Deforestation also reflects a situation involving a specific location. Dama ging agents that affect only a particular site tend to show Ekes. However, a damaging agent such as traffic is plain to see and also affects certain areas heavily. In this case the agent is dominated by a scale effect – increased activity leads to increased environmental impact. While traffic-related pollution is generally iterated by population size, damaging agents such as energy production by-products increase with GAP per capita. Section lb. Dangers of the EKE Hypothesis in international developmentThere exist many dangers in allowing an economy to simply grow out of environmentally damaging activity. Some of these dangers arise because the EKE hypothesis does not hold true in all cases. Others exist even if we assume the hypothesis as an accurate predictor of environmental conditions. The following is a list of concerns regarding the EKE hypothesis: l. It remains inconclusive if most damaging agents follow the EKE. II. The threshold income may be irrelevantly high or the temporary period of increasing environmental damage too long. Ill.Any decrease in environmental damage seen in developed countries may reflect the exportation of production abroad and subsequent importation. IV. The â€Å"absorptive capacity' of our earth is unknown. V. Ekes may only exist in certain political atmospheres. A detailed examination of the above concerns illustrates the inherent dangers in accepting the EKE hypothesis and afterwards using it to Justify policy making. As discussed above, only local and regional damaging agents show signs of Ekes. Other â€Å"difficult to detect† agents seem to increase with GAP per capita.This discovery leaves open to question whether more agents than not respond to income increases. If there exist more agents that do not respond then attempting to grow past these impacts would be impossible. Many damaging agents may respond to income levels, but not until GAP per capita approaches out-of-reach levels. If in a developed country, the turning point for a damaging agent is above, say, $50,000 then neglecting to react will create damage for a considerable amount of time. Over the time it takes to achieve the turning point, the environmental damage may become irreversible .Obviously, in a OLD the turning point value needs only to be considerably lower and still have the same adverse effects. Using solely the EKE hypothesis to Justify unsustainable growth is unwise, as the outcome still remains unknown. Another consideration that challenges the EKE evidence is that wealthy countries are massively importing products manufactured in Olds, thereby contributing to environmental degradation; the only difference is that the degradation is not domestic. The first hypothesis to bring up this possibility was the Pollution Haven hypothesis.It states that developed countries export their high polluting industries to Olds whose governments have more lax environmental standards. Many economists follow environmental regulatio ns. However, this does not exclude the possibility of heavy industries existing in Olds and coincidently exporting their products to wealthy countries. In this case, wealthy countries only started along the downward slope on the EKE by domestically reducing environmental damage. When taken globally their increased consumption due to income may without doubt still be increasingly damaging.Another danger is that leaving the quality of our environment subject to economic activity, even for only a short period, may well prove to be disastrous. The ability of the earth to absorb the damaging agents produced by economic activity, called â€Å"absorptive capacity,† is not yet known. A final concern is that even if countries can achieve high levels of income per capita they may not possess a political atmosphere conducive to environmental protection. Assuming that the aggregate turning point in a country is reached, that country is not necessarily going to enact environmental protect ion.The most successful avenues for obtaining environmental quality, it seems, are lobbyists. Without a government that responds to political pressure by these public groups here is no reason to believe that its policies will reflect the demand for a cleaner environment, if such demand exists at all. Indeed, it also remains to be seen if all cultures place similar values on environmental quality. Section V: Conclusion The questions and concerns about the EKE hypothesis examined in this paper raise significant doubt as to the wisdom of adopting environmental policy based upon the EKE hypothesis.Even assuming its validity, the EKE hypothesis generates considerable doubt as to its effectiveness at balancing economic growth with environmental protection. In order to effectively produce a critique of the EKE, the present paper assumes growth is still regarded as the sole goal of economic development. The hypothesis indeed uses rising incomes as a factor of time. Calls however have been g rowing stronger for a shift of focus from economic growth towards well-being, equality and sustainability.

Ebay in China Case Study Essays

Ebay in China Case Study Essays Ebay in China Case Study Paper Ebay in China Case Study Paper 21/11/2011 E-Bay Strategy In China Alliance or Acquisition? Case Study Strategic Management Gabriela Salamonova Barbora Jandova Pierrick Boissel Julien Meunier Alexandre Godet SUMMARY I. The Input Stage ? ? ? ? ? CAGE VRIO Analysis CPM matrix EFE matrix IFE matrix II. The Matching Stage ? ? ? BCG matrix SPACE matrix GSM matrix III. The Decision Stage ? ? Matrix Analysis QSPM matrix IV. Questions ? ? ? ? Assessment of eBay? choice of market entry strategy for China, listing both the advantages and disadvantages of its acquisition strategy Assessment of the potential benefits and risks of eBay? s joint venture with Tom Online Assessment of both companies: eBay and Tom Online, decisions on their respective percentage of stake Strategic recommendation on International Commercial Strategy for eBay I- The input stage ? C. A. G. E. nalysis Cultural with †¦ Different attitudes in life Different sales practise To prefer local companies Different language, ethnicit ies, religions, social norms Best deal is the lowest price Administrative and political Differences in political system Corruption Market Access restrictions Time zone is different Differences in costs and quality of resources Currency problem Imbalanced economic development Differences with payment system Geographic Big distance between China and USA Economic Differences in consumer incomes Distance most affects industries or product †¦ Distance between two countries increases Auction-selling format is not usual for them, because there the prices went up and they used to deal the lowest price Customer confidence have only local and wellknown companies In China, people want to pay by cash a face to face In China are different government restrictions Different ways of functioning market It can leads to For which communication demand varies misunderstanding by income People in China don’t have Credit Cards, so prefer to pay by cash The company have to adjust to local currency This C. A. G. E. nalysis provides us information about differences that can create distance between two countries seeking to do business together. Expanding to China can cause some issues with the different culture and political system. In China are different government restrictions like USA and they can significantly affect the economics. In China can be complicated persuade people to trust international companies, and overcome government regulations and currency problem. For the eBay can be useful adjust more for the local environment, and provide good customer services to attract new customers. But on the other side here can be problems with the system of auction, because Chinese people like face to face purchases and they are used to see the prices decreasing instead of increasing. ? VRIO model After analyzing the external analysis of eBay, the next step is to focus internally at eBays core competencies in order to determine whether those strengths provide them with competitive advantages. In order to define these core competencies as competitive advantages or disadvantages, a VRIO analysis must be used. This technique measures each capability against whether it creates value for the company, it is rare in the industry, it is costly to imitate and if it is exploited by the organization. Which competenci es are likely to contribute to added value in terms of customer needs ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Resources / Capabilities Which competenci es are likely to contribute to cost reduction ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Valuabl e Rar e Costl y to Imitat e Exploited by organizatio ns Competitive implications Brand image Customer service Location Product diversificati on Information system Distribution Purchase protection Marketing ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Temporary advantage Parity Disadvanta ge Temporary advantage Parity Parity Temporary advantage Parity According to our VRIO analysis the disadvantage for eBay is its location in China because of imbalanced economic and technological development in different regions of China, differences in political system, government regulatio ns and other factors like corruption and currency problems. Information system is analyzed as the parity. The reason is lack of a customer service hotline on eBay? s websites. But on the other side they try to meet needs their customer, e. g. facilitate payment system. eBay? s executives do not adopt the management style to Chinese conditions. For the majority of population was the only option to pay by cash, because of non-users of credit cards. Also there are problems with the system of auction, because Chinese people like face to face purchases and they are used to deal the lowest price and in auction- selling format usually the prices went up. These issues caused the evaluation of marketing and customer service as the parity. E-Bay had adopted various expansion strategies, both locally in the US and globally in new international markets. It builds a brand image in the US as an industry leader and tries to expand to other foreign countries. Additional temporary advantage related to the purchase protection because respondents extremely agreed that eBay did the best job in monitoring and protecting its users from purchasing counterfeit items from its site. ? Competitive Profile Matrix In CPM is important to identify eBay ? s major competitors, their strengths weaknesses in relation to a sample company ? s strategic position. Proposed CPM shows the clear insight to the eBay about its strong and weak points relative to its major competitor – TaoBao. The CPM score is measured on basis of critical success factors, each factor is measured in same scale mean the weight remain same for TaoBao only rating varies. TaoBao was established in May 2003, soon gained the hearts of Chinese consumers and beat eBay EachNet in China? s C2C online auction market. Its service offerings were later extended to include B2C e-commerce. By 2006, the company had become the leading C2C and B2C marketplace in China with a gross merchandise volume of US$2. billion, amounting to a 110% increase from 2005. Unlike eBay EachNet (in 2006) had seen its market share declining each year, until it had only a staggering 29%, compared to TaoBao? s 60%. On the other hand, TaoBao, albeit founded much later than eBay, was a subsidiary of Alibaba which had a more established presence in China. However, given a choice between a new foreign co mpany and a domestic one, Chinese people would opt for the latter. Trust was particularly important in China, due to the lack of an adequate legal system or other formal means of dispute resolution. Critical Success Factors ? ? Market Share – by year 2006 eBay? s market share declined to 29%, in comparison to TaoBao? s 60%, Price – eBay provides services fees – Insertion fee, Optional Features fee, Final Value fee, but to buyers were offered free, in comparison to TaoBao where it was free when they just listed an item, Competitiveness – TaoBao disposes with the people? s trust and history because of subsidiary of Alibaba. Also, Chinese people prefer domestic company more than foreign one. Customer Service – e. g. TaoBao made an important component of its AliPay system – an escrow. It helped ease consumers? concern by introducing thirdparty monitoring throughout the transaction process, eBay introduced it later. Other example can be technical support hotline, Customer Loyalty – eBay had not made much effort in building trust both towards the company itself and between buyers and sellers further exacerbated the problem (linked with previous AliPay). Company need to provide security every step of the way during a sales transaction to ensure that consumers feel comfortable making their purchases. This point discouraged buyers and it resulted into switching to competitors, Management – eBay? s executives hold on US management style, there is a lack of effort in adaptation to Chinese market, also eBay entered China with the assumption that its brand image in the US as an industry leader would transfer to the Chinese market without any modification, Global Expansion – eBay is more extended because of its global presence, TaoBao focus on Chinese market what is in this case competitive advantage because of people? s trust to domestic companies, Website Design – eBay provides opic-specific guidelines and links, both of which are meant for self help, this is considered bad thing by consumers in China where do-it-yourself is not as popular as in Western countries. In comparison to TaoBao, its website design suits more because of loaded with ? ? ? ? ? ? information, links, graphics, banners and multimedia. Chinese people also appreciate a customer service and tech nical support hotline. In conclusion, we would like to emphasize the last one line in CPM – total weighted score. It is the sum of all weighted score in both cases. E-Bay? s total weighted score is equal to 2. 6. Since it is below the average (2,5) the company is consider as weak. On the other hand TaoBao? s total weighted score is equal to 3. 41. Since it is higher than 2. 5 the company is consider as strong in position, the winner among its competitor eBay. ? IFE matrix ? EFE matrix ? IE matrix To comment this matrix, we can say that Ebay is situated in the Grow and Build part of the matrix. So strategies which could be implemented are market penetration, market development, product development, backward integration, forward integration, horizontal integration. II. The Matching Stage ? BCG matrix: High E-tailing: eBay should develop and invest on this SBU Market growth rate Low Online Auc ons: Leader on this SBU / Great future prospects (Asia /BRICS) eBay should con nue to exploit this SBU and stay the leader on it. 2 1,5 1 Rela ve market show 0,5 0,1 ? Space matrix: FS Conserva ve +6 +5 Aggressive 4. 4 +4 +3 +2 CA -6 -5 -4 -3 +1 -2 -1 -1 -2 -3 -4 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 IS 4. 6 -2,6 -3 Defensive -5 Compe -6 ve ES We can deduce from the matrix that: Bay has an Aggressive strategy, defended by a strong financial capacity, which allows them to tackle competitors not only when they penetrate the market but also when they are established (by kicking them out). The firm evolves in a really competitive environment (with only a few barriers to entry), in which they will still have to improve their situation, particularly in emerging markets, such as e-tailing. ? GSM matrix Ebay is in Quadrant II because its competitive position is weak and there is a h igh market growth. Consequently, different strategies are available for Ebay in China as the horizontal or vertical integration, the market penetration, the divestiture †¦ III. The decision stage ? Matrix Analysis To conclude, we can say that Ebay can establish four main strategies in China: Market penetration, market development, product development and horizontal integration. ? QSPM matrix To conclude, we can see that it could be better for E-bay to organize an alliance with Tom Online because of the opportunities engendered. IV. Questions Introduction E-Bay Inc. a US company providing e-commerce, e-payments and internet communication services globally – in 35 global markets across North and Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. By the end of 2006, e-Bay was boasting 14% market share in the e-commerce market. 1. Critically assess eBay? s choice of market entry strategy for China, listing both the advantages and disadvantages of its acquisition strategy E-Bay first entered the Chinese m arket in 2002 by acquiring a 33% stake in its local counterpart, EachNet, followed by a full acquisition a year later in 2003. By its businesses in online sectors reduces its business risks tremendously because of absence of any tangible assets and gives the opportunity to provide infinite number of transactions. ? Entering the BRICs market In terms of long-term action in global market it was valuable to entry the other market of countries famous as BRICs, which are deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development. Chinese market was for e-Bay the second Asian destination after Japan, currently third because of expansion to India. First impressions of acquisition The acquisition proved to be a success. By 2003, EachNet had already commanded 85% market share. Its value had grown almost two and a half times, from US$90 million in 2002 to US$225 million in 2003, and its revenues were recorded at US$1. 8 million equivalent to a ten-fold annual growth rate. ? Researches of e-commerce perspective Market entry strategy focused on bringing something new, specific terminology is ? be-first-or-no thing? strategy. Bay aimed to obtain markets with great potential for e-commerce proved by researches giving perspective results in China, undoubtedly the researches are most important when the company entering a new foreign market. ? Creation alliances Trust We can positively evaluate the creation of alliances with the top three Chinese internet portals Sina, Sohu and NetEase for better visibility in the market. Despite this, eBay had to struggle with distrust coming from Chinese people because it had not made much effort in building trust. Chinese people at first did not trust to new foreign US provider of e-commerce services. They used to be in direct interaction with sellers until they received the purchase, because they felt uncertain about paying. ? Localising websites and modification E-Bay entered China with the assumption that its brand image in the US as an industry leader would transfer to the Chinese market without any modification. eBay had done a good job in localising its websites. Creating market-specific websites in local languages and 4 currencies and providing location-specific information, among other things. It also attempted to protect its brand image worldwide. Design of websites E-Bay used a similarly simple interface, emphasised automation throughout the auction and transaction processes. Also has allocated the section for frequent answered questions and provided topic-specific guidelines, both of which were meant for self help. Unfortunately Chinese people did not appreciate it, because the ? do-ityourself? system was not so popular customers considered it as s bad service. The adva ntages and disadvantages of its acquisition strategy Advantages China has immense market potential because all around the world are 1,23 billion Chinese language speakers. In China growing prosperity, technological advances. There is more liberal attitude by the Chinese authorities, what means the internet is becoming an easier and more popular place to do business. In China increase popularity of e-commerce. As more and more Chinese consumers had access to the internet and began to buy online. By February 2000, just six months after its start, EachNet had over 220,000 registered users simultaneously holding more than 20,000 auctions each day Acquisition of EachNet. It was Chinas first online auction website with rich business knowledge, strong domestic and international experience, and well-thought business strategies. EachNet was able to win financial backing from several large venture capital companies in the US In China retailers offer products seldom online and people could shop everything in the comfort of their own home. EBay EachNet was also the largest online advertiser in China. Its performance was remarkable, and by the end of 2003, the number of registered users on EachNet had reached 4. 3 million, amounting to nearly a 95% increase from its 2000 level. Disadvantages In China could be problems with slow internet speeds, high internet access costs, imbalanced economic and technological development in different regions of China, the absence of a reliable credit system for online payment, government regulations and other factors like corruption, currency problems. Auction-selling format might have discouraged some consumers from shopping on EachNet. In China, retailers and customer would haggle over almost anything in order to get the best deal, and the best usually meant the lowest price they could have. Thus, an auction-selling format where prices only went up might have seemed bizarre to most Chinese consumers. Emerging competitors TaoBao (Alibaba subsidiary). EBay EachNet faced the obstacle of increasing competition from local market rivals. By the end of 2006 eBay EachNet had its market share only a staggering 29%, compared to TaoBaos 60%. Big disadvantage was short history of eBay. The eBay was as a foreign company founded in 1995 with less than ten years of history when it first set foot in the Chinese market in 2002. So it was as fairly new to Chinese consumers. TaoBao was founded much later than eBay, but n the other hand it was a subsidiary of Alibaba which had a more established presence in China. The eBay used online payment system PayPal and it did not incorporate an escrow into this system. But on the other hand competitor TaoBao, made it an important component of its AliPay system. An escrow helped ease consumers concern by introducing third-party monitoring throughout the transaction process. And in this way eBay lost some customer. 2. Assess the potential benefits and risks of eBay? joint venture with Tom Online The joint venture formed by E-Bay EachNet and Tom Online presents some benefits as well as some risks. Benefits ? Knowledge of the Chinese market Tom Online has a strong knowledge of the Chinese market which is that E-Bay is looking for in order to gain market share and notoriety on the Chinese market. And as we said earlier, in order to tackle the Chinese market companies need a partner in order to have the political acces s, and Tom Online political connection could be very helpful for E-Bay success in China. Tom Online = a famous brand in China The first benefit we can find is that TOM Online is a Chinese domestic brand, which is much better for consumers of China. In fact Chinese consumers mostly like well know Chinese brands even in the Internet. Tom Online is a well know company in China, leader in sphere of mobile value-added services, and its internet portal, www. tom. com, is one of the biggest and most popular in China. This brand is recognized throughout China and the internet. ? Knowledge of telecommunication services One of the problems of E-bay EachNet was the communication and telecommunication services. Tom Online has a good experience in cooperation with Skype and the result was pretty good. Tom Online succeed with Skype and it has the knowledge to present new product in the market and how to increase its market share. Moreover, this joint venture allowed E-bay to enter the mobile commerce market, their users could participate in online auctions using their mobile phone, PDA, etc, a sector in which Tom Online had been a market leader Risks ? Devaluation of E-bay image Risks on this joint venture exist for E-Bay. In fact there is a risk of devaluation of the E-Bay Brand in the Chinese market because customers will be focus on the Tom Online and/or EachNet brand, product and services. ? Financial risk Also there is a financial risk. E-Bay can lose some money because Tom Online has 2% bigger ownership, but in amount of money, E-Bay invests two times more than Tom Online, and the success will depends more of Tom Online company than E-Bay work. ? Difference of targeted customers Also a last risk could be the target of E-Bay and Tom Online. Tom Online is focused on mobile value-added services and their target audience is generally young consumers, but E-Bay target audience is a little older. ? Culture difference E-Bay is an American company, different than the Chinese in the way of thinking and doing things. This might causes E-bay a hard time adjusting to the Chinese market needs, and trust issue (even though they tried to resolve it by owning only 49% of the company). 3. eBay will have a 49% stake in the new joint venture while Tom Online will have 51% ownership. Critically assess both companies, decisions on their respective percentage of take. In December 2006, eBay Inc. , announced its plan to form a joint venture with Chinabased online portal and wireless operator, TOM Online, that would give each company 49% and 51% ownership respectively. This was eBay’s third strategic move in China, following its acquisition of a 33% stake in domestic counterpart EachNet in 2002 that marked its entry into the market, and a full acquisition in 2003. Despite the initial good results, eBay had been losing market share to local rival and Alibaba’s fully-owned subsidiary- TaoBao. By 2006, eBay had seen its market share drop from a high of 85% to a staggering 29%, while TaoBao’s continued to increase, reaching 60%. The joint venture was therefore an attempt by eBay to save its failing Chinese operations. The move also reflected the increasing difficulties foreign internet companies were facing in China because of fierce competition and a changing market environment. eBay believed that it would benefit from TOM Online’s local knowledge and political connections. The first thing we can say about E-Bay EachNet and Tom Online’s joint venture is that is a success. Although E-Bay is a big company and success in US and around the world, China is a particular market where the better can lose. E-Bay had some difficulties to launch its business due to the cultural differences and moral values. Chinese people are more ? nationalist? and still trust their own companies more and respect them. The good thing for E-Bay is that Tom Online is a successful company with a good reputation on the Chinese market. Their activity area is also not far from E-Bay’s mainly internet and other IT services, and mobile entertainment. Tom Online known also a business expansion and cooperation with Skype, and today they also know a decrease in revenues so joint venture also was an opportunity for them. But we can ask us about the percentage of the participation. Why the participation is 49% for E-Bay and 51% for Tom Online? And also why E-Bay invests more than Tom Online? And why does the E-Bay brand disappear on the Joint Venture (Tom EachNet)? We can try to explain this situation thanks to several factors. About the brand we know that Chinese trust more in a local brand. That why E-Bay not appears on the joint venture name. E-Bay prefers having two well known local brands (Tom and EachNet). Also in this joint venture, Tom Online invest US $ 20 million and brings the knowledge of the local market, the technology and the brand value, which could be more important than money in order to tackle a market. Moreover TOM Online has very important persons among their shareholders. This joint venture would open a whole new market segment for both – E-Bay and also TOM Online, allowing them to fulfil and widen significantly together. Why not launching E-Bay in the mobile world? As we said before, China is a difficult market to tackle and launch a sustainable company on this market is a hard work. But this market gives the opportunity of customers which could increase the revenues (approximately US $ 1. 5 billion). The stacks are so important for E-Bay and Tom Online that the Tom EachNet joint venture was a good answer for their difficulties in China. 4. Strategic recommendation on International Commercial Strategy for eBay One of the first recommendations for eBay’s growth would be to maintain global growth initiative (China and India). The number of internet user is increasing in those countries. The difficulties for eBay are to success the integration of the Chinese market. Indeed, the eBay’s image brand in China is critical by Chinese people. They explain that eBay is not trustee website, the direct competitor TaoBao has free services. Moreover others problems are the difficulties to integrate the Chinese market due to the different laws, rules, or the control of internet by the Chinese government. The second recommendations would concern the electronic innovation. For example, the interface of the website could adapt to the difference of culture of the market targeted, the website should be more secured to keep or have a trustee image†¦ The third thing would be to set up new services or new application. For example, the e-tailing could be a good service. E-tailing is synonymous with business-to-consumer (B2C) transaction, and it is the selling of retail goods on the Internet. The last recommendation would be the reinforcing the marketing and the fact to keep a step ahead towards the competitors. The different recommendations on International Commercial Strategy for E-bay could be: ? Maintain global growth initiative: ? Alliances ? New markets (develop India and China) ? New products ? Keep different cultures in mind ? Technological development: ? Rapid application development (software for new and existing market areas, e-tailing) ? Security: ? Back-up systems ? Online verifications of electronics goods ? Enhance trustee service ? Online banking protocols ? Enhance back-end ? Reinforcing marketing: ? Improve and maintain their image brand ? Global branding to make eBay generic brand with online auctions and etailing ? Step ahead: ? Identify and analyze global trends ? Innovative products and interface

Essay on Impact of GDP and Inflation on Unemployment

Essay on Impact of GDP and Inflation on Unemployment Essay on Impact of GDP and Inflation on Unemployment Essay on Impact of GDP and Inflation on UnemploymentThe study conducted by Umair and Ullah (2013) focuses on the revelation of the possible interdependence between the inflation and unemployment rate and their overall impact on the economic development of Pakistan. The authors suggest the hypothesis of the research which they attempt to prove in the course of their study, which is as follows (Umair Ullah, 2013):H1: Inflation significantly influences the GDP rate of the Pakistani economyH2: Inflation significantly influences the GDP rate of the Pakistani economy on the unemployment of Pakistan economy.Furthermore, the researchers present the research design of their study which shows how the researchers are planning to conduct their study and what methodology they will use in the course of their study. The milestone of the research is the experiential method which involves the data analysis based on the analysis of statistical information available to the researchers from open source s.   The researchers focus on the study of the development of the unemployment and inflation rate in 2000-2010. The decision of the researchers to study the change of the unemployment and inflation rate within a decade allows them to conduct the extensive study and the period studied by the researchers is sufficient for the study of economic performance in the mid-term perspective.At the same time, the ten years period is apparently in sufficient to obtain reliable financial and economic data because ten years period does not show changes and transformations that occur to the economy in a long-run. In fact, the ten years period can show the economic development and respective changes in the inflation and unemployment rate but these changes are typical for one cycle of the economic development characterized by the rise and fall of the economy.In this regard, the period chosen by the researchers is quite accurate because 2000 is the period, when the global economic have already star ted to grow after the profound financial crisis in South-East Asia in 1998. The ten years period marked the rise of the development of the global economy which peaked in the mid-2005 and the inflation and unemployment rate drawn by the researchers in the study prove the high level of the economic development in target countries involved in the study.At the same time, the researchers could study the steep decline of the global economy in 2007-2008, when the economic recession in the US has struck causing the profound global financial crisis. The researchers find out in their study how that crisis has influenced the inflation and unemployment rate or has been triggered by the growing inflation and unemployment.Furthermore, the researchers focus on the study of the inflation and unemployment rates and their changes in Pakistan only. Therefore, the researchers narrows the scope of their research to one country only that makes it difficult to trace how the inflation and unemployment rate could have influenced other countries in the time studied by the researchers.The experiential approach is quite efficient and based on the statistical information available to the researchers. In this regard, the use of the statistical information shows clearly changes that the researchers uncover in the course of the study.At the same time, the researchers do not provide the detailed description and analysis of limitations of their study and its methodology.To test the accuracy and reliability of their conclusions, the authors of the study use the null hypothesis. They try rejecting hypothesis made in the course of the study and eventually conclude that inflation does not have a significant impact but GDP and unemployment as the major macroeconomic factors that influence the economic development of the country that is being under the study, i.e. Pakistan.The researchers focused on the use of the inflation and unemployment rates as independent variables, involving related issues, s uch as the economic situation in global markets as dependent variables. In such a way, the researchers attempted to arrive to the reasonable conclusion on the accuracy of their findings and made their conclusion on the ground of the relevant information.On the other hand, it is still possible to distinguish certain limitations of the study, such as the limited timeline of the study and only one country involved in the study. The limited timeline of the study influences consistently outcomes of the study. At this point, it is worth mentioning that the average business or economic cycle takes seven – eleven years. This is why the study basically shows changes in the unemployment and inflation rate in the course of one economic cycle only. However, the researchers do not exactly show the evolution of the economic cycle from its beginning to the end because the beginning of the new economic cycle after the financial crisis in South East Asia dates back rather to 1999 than to 2000 and the economic cycle ends by 2008-2009, when the new global financial crisis has struck. Nevertheless, the timeline allows obtaining the basic information on the evolution of the unemployment and inflation rate during one economic cycle. However, the researchers underestimate or neglect the fact that there are long waves of the economic development which may take decades and smaller crisis that occur with different frequency of seven – eleven years at average. Therefore, the longer timeline of the study could help to obtain more accurate information. In addition, the authors could try to focus on the development of the correlation between different stages in the economic development of Pakistan within the economic cycle and the inflation and unemployment rate. In such a way, the researchers would provide the information on the correlation between the economic development in general, on the one hand, and the inflation and unemployment rate, on the other.Furthermore, the stu dy involves Pakistan only that is another limitation of the study because the involvement of different countries to obtain the information on the change and interdependence of inflation and unemployment rate could help the researchers to conduct more extensive study, especially taking into consideration the level of the integration of the global economy today.Thus, the study conducted by Umair and Ullah reveal the impact of the unemployment and inflation rate on each other and the overall economic development of Pakistan. The study involves the use of the experiential approach and is based on the statistical analysis, while findings and results of the study are tested with the help of the null hypothesis. However, the study still has some limitations, such as the relatively short timeline and only one country involved in the study.

Was There Cheating on the August 2018 SAT

Was There Cheating on the August 2018 SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Shortly after the conclusion of the August 2018 SAT, rumors started to circulate that there was a problem with the test that gave some students an unfair advantage. The basic gist of the complaint is that the test given on August 25 in the United States was actually the same exact exam that had been given internationally in October 2017. This accusation raised the concern that some students would have had a leg up on others, since they may have seen the questions before, either because they took the exam when it was offered internationally or because they used the previous exam’s questions to study for the August 2018 test. Let’s take a look at what really happened with the August 2018 SAT and what that means for you as a test-taker. Was There Actually Cheating on the August SAT? Students in the United States took the SAT on August 25. Almost immediately after that test was over, messages started to circulate across social media. These posts basically said that the questions given on the August 25 SAT were the same as those questions that were on the international SAT delivered in October 2017. Since then, angry students and parents have taken to Reddit and started a petition asking for College Board to invalidate the scores from the August 2018 test. People are worried that certain students had an unfair advantage for the most recent SAT, since there’s a chance that they either took the given test once before or accessed a leaked test for practice. For its part, College Board hasn’t come out and acknowledged whether or not the tests were duplicates, but did state that it is taking â€Å"quality control steps† to make sure cheating hasn’t occurred. Has Cheating on the August SAT Happened Before? If this situation is your first experience with potential SAT scoring drama, it may seem really shocking and scary. You might be wondering how big of a deal this score discrepancy actually is. There’s actually a lot of precedent for SAT scoring controversy. Sections (or entire tests) of the SAT have been reused before. Oftentimes, international SATs are recycled versions of tests that were previously given in the United States. While there are lots of security measures in place to make sure that no students have an unfair advantage, there have been times when students and teachers have tried to learn about the questions on the US SATs to get a leg up on their test prep. When College Board discovers this cheating, the scores are invalidated. There’s also been talk about College Board reusing whole sections on different US tests. One poster on Reddit suggested that College Board reused June 2017 questions on the November 2017 test. These scores weren’t invalidated, however. According to College Board, it’s really expensive to produce a validated SAT. Before each exam is released to the public, it goes through rigorous quality control tests, which take a lot of time and effort. Reusing a test that has already passed these markers saves College Board time and money. Similarly, reusing tests helps to calibrate scores. The more students that are able to take a specific SAT, the more College Board is able to tell the true difficulty level of questions, as well as what below-average, average, and above-average scores are. It’s fairly common that SAT questions get reused and repurposed. This incident is, however, the first time that international tests were used in the US, rather than the other way around. What’s Going to Happen With the August 2018 SAT Scores? Now that we know that test question controversy has happened before, you might be wondering what happens next. While College Board hasn’t yet acknowledged that there was an issue with the tests or indicated what its actions will be, we have a pretty good idea of what will occur. If we had to guess, though, here’s what we think will happen: We doubt that College Board will cancel any US test taker scores. The August SAT is a hugely important part of the admissions process. Canceling those scores will cause a big disruption for tens of thousands of students. Not to mention, canceling that many scores would also be pretty embarrassing for College Board. College Board may take steps to crack down on international student cheating, particularly if it sees scores that don’t make sense because they’re too high. We just have to wait and see what College Board decides as it tries to determine unfair advantages. What Should I Do If I Took the August 2018 SAT? If you took the August SAT, don’t panic! The best thing to do right now is just to wait and pretend like this whole thing didn’t happen. College Board knows that it needs to make a decision soon to give students the time to prepare for the October test, so you can expect to hear something in the next few weeks. In the meantime, work on the other parts of your college application, like your college essay, while you wait to hear. What's Next? Interested in learning more about cheating on the SAT? We've broken down the past SAT cheating controversies several times on our blog. You can read about the time SAT scores of students in South Korea were invalidated or about an SAT cheating scandal that swept across the US in 2015. If you're worried about your August 2018 SAT scores being invalidated, don't panic. College Board will announce its decision soon. In the meantime, we recommend focusing on other parts of your application, like your college essay. Click here to learn how to write a strong college essay. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

LGBT Lifestyle and the Issuses Faced Today Research Paper

LGBT Lifestyle and the Issuses Faced Today - Research Paper Example In today’s world, fornication is not a crime and one can live the way they want without any judgment. This brings major questions as to why it been easier for the people to change in other matters that affect our lives such as stoning people to death yet it is so hard for us to accept that some people are born different to love the people of the same sex. Do the LGBT have the same rights as other people? Or are there some rights that are not given to the LGBT? Characterized by a lot of disguise and dangerous activities, the LGBT lifestyle is one of the major challenges that the gay community face today. Being accepted by the society is a major challenge; it is very hard for gay people to openly introduce themselves to the members of the society due to the prejudice that is associated with their lifestyle. It is a well known fact that many parents have publicly disowned their children due to their sexual orientation. It is therefore hard for the gay people to public express the ir love life as they risk sabotaging their life. It is for this reason that they usually hide themselves so that no one can know about them. Acceptance is therefore a major issue. In the movie rent, Maureen and her lover Joanne as well as Collins and Angel are both HIV positive and live a very difficult and dangerous lifestyle. As one watches the movie, the first impression that they get is that people who are gay are associated with drugs and diseases (Rent, 2005). This is very discriminatory since there are various respectable members of the society who are gay and whose sexual orientations do not stop them from performing their duties. This movie is therefore discriminatory on the gay people. Most of the people in our world today believe that being gay is associated with dirt, discrimination and drugs. It is for this reason that many people do not want to come out and say that they are gay. However if we are able to create a society that is non discriminatory of one’s sexu al orientation, and that can judge people not based on their sexual preference rather by the content of their brains then we would have done a lot of justice to the gay community (Rent, 2005). Marriage and child adoption by gay parent is another major challenge in the lives of the LGBT. Whereas it is common and legal for the heterosexual to marry and have children of their own, for centuries it has always been illegal for people of the same sex to get married and share their lives together. There is no natural law that dictates that only people of the opposite sex can marry; rather each and everyone can marry whoever they want. It is a well known fact that in some countries declaring that one is gay can be fatal in some instances. For example, the South African public burnt gay couples in early 2006 saying that they were a disgrace to the society. In the Middle East, it is also a well known fact that declaration that one is gay can be a life sentence (Alsenas, 2008). What do we have to do as a society to ensure that even the gay people have justice and that they are able to practice their fundamental human rights? Since gay couples are not able to have their own children, adoption is the only alternative left for them to have children. However, most states do not give these couples the right to adopt as other couples do. It is therefore hard for these parents to express their love to a child or even extend a helping hand to a child in need. There are lots of orphaned children as well as

Barclays Bank Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Barclays Bank - Case Study Example The banks wanted to combine all their existing networks and take full advantage of their loose competitors in order for them to be able to compete effectively with the joint stock banks. This merger brought together seventy one partners and since then has been known as Barclays Bank. Over the years Barclays has expanded and has over fifty countries in Europe, Africa, North and South America. (Michael Collins 117) Barclays bank is an international service provider that deals with personal banking, credit cards, wealth and investment management and corporate and investment banking. The main activities in the bank are to lend, move, invest and protect money. Its operations are generally divided into two that is the retail and business banking which has four units; Africa retail and business banking, Barclaycard, U.K retail and business banking and the final one is Europe retail and business banking. These operations dictate the core business structure in the organization and determine t he services they offer. They cannot offer services that are beyond its business scope. The highest structure in the Barclays group is the group chairman and the chief executive. The group also has an executive committee and a board of directors. Each branch at the nation level has its’ managers and other officials who ensure the smooth running of the bank. All the group’s operations including its overseas offices, subsidiaries and associates are all subject to a set of rules and regulations which have to be adhered to at all levels. All the cooperates practices have been provided for in one document and the aim of this principles is to provide the highest standards of products and services to its stakeholders..The board is charged with the responsibility of creating as well as building a shareholder value through the management of the business. It has to ensure that is the body that ensures a balance between the promotion of the goals whether long or short term. It is the work of the chairman to ensure that all the board members receive information in a proper and clear way so as to ensure that the directors are able to give sound judgments or opinions that will ensure the growth of the organization. It is also important to note that the directors are not allowed to put themselves in a position where he or she may have conflicts of interests. The directors have the obligation to act in good faith so as to promote the success of the company. While acting on behalf of the company the shareholder is expected to look at the likely consequences of any decision to the company in the long run, they are also expected to consider the interests of all the stakeholders and the need to maintain the reputation that the bank has. The organization does engage with a wide range of stakeholders who are spread all across their divisions and their main of these transactions is to ensure that they discover the key concerns and respond to each of their stakeholders n eed. The stakeholders of the organization include its employees, shareholders, suppliers, government and its regulations, charities and the non-governmental organizations. The organization has come up with a citizenship strategy which focuses on three areas that will improve their services and products to all those who

USGAAP and iGAAP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

USGAAP and iGAAP - Essay Example There is a similarity between both the US GAAP and iGAAP, regarding the treatment of the impairment of assets that are held for disposal (Ochoa, 2010). Under both accounting methods, the impairment of the assets that is held for disposal is to be treated as the difference between the assets carrying amount, and the assets fair value. This difference becomes the amount of the loss of value of the asset, which is to be treated as expenditure. The other similarity in the treatment of intangible assets; is in the treatment of intangible assets acquired through business combination, especially when such intangible assets can be treated as different from the goodwill. The differentiation in such assets exists, if such assets can be transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged (McClenahen & Jusko, 2002). Under both the US GAAP and iGAAP, such asset should be treated as normal business assets. There is a major disparity in the treatment of expenditure in research and development, under both the US GAAP and iGAAP. The US GAAP requires that all the expenditure that is incurred in the generation of internal intangibles to be factored in, as expenditure (Crovitz, 2008). Therefore, any costs involved in research and development is to be treated as expenditure, under US GAAP. However, the case is different under the iGAAP, which provides that there should be a distinction between the research expenses and the development expenses. The argument is that, the cost incurred in research has no certainty of generating future economic value, and thus it should be treated as expenditure (McClenahen & Jusko, 2002). On the other hand, all the costs incurred in development, which could lead to the generation of future income benefits, such as the development of brand value, should be treated as capital expenditure, and thus placed under capital (Ochoa, 2010). While both US GAAP and iGAAP treat the assets acquired

The affect the Porsche plant will have on Atlanta Essay

The affect the Porsche plant will have on Atlanta - Essay Example Therefore, opening a new site of the Porsche plan in Atlanta is a good idea because this will create more job opportunities to the community. Although opening the Porsche plant in Atlanta my pose some potential drawbacks, the plant will offer varied benefits to the community including creation of new jobs and expansion of economic growth of the country. Establishing the Porsche plan in Atlanta would be of great significant to the community. This is because many new job opportunities will be created that will benefit the community. The study indicates that the new plant, which will be allocated in Atlanta development site, will have modern office facilities for the workforce, which will eventfully offer more than 400 employees job opportunities. The newer plant in its place will mean 400 jobs of which 100 of these are new jobs or positions. These includes technical services, training centre and also a leading edge customer experience centre, which will feature a handling road course t o boast the capability of the industry loading vehicles. Although opening a new manufacturing plant can be at times costly and a tough business, it can create job satisfaction to the community. This is because instead of manufacturing a service, a company can create a new item and this is vital because it can offer the company with satisfaction of the services. The expansion of the Porsche plant in Atlanta is effective because this is one way of boosting economic development of the country. The new plant will be fully operational by the year 2014, along with a training center and 1.6-mile race track for potential buyers to test-drive their cars. This event marks an economic revival in the area as it injects some $100M into the new U.S. headquarters of the German automaker. Selko (46) argues that in case fragility is a key to ensuring a successful manufacturing plant in Atlanta, the same characteristics holds true for the viability of the city. The agility of Atlanta stems for the fl exibility of the state to grow; thus retaining its manufacturing base while advancing new ways of encouraging future economic growth of Atlanta. The strategic goal is to be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that come up; thus the new plant will deliver brand or product experiences to their employees, dealers and customers; thereby contributing to increased business performance. The success of the Porsche plant can hinge upon the competitive business model; thus enabling the demand for the manufactured brand products to continue increasing. The business can remain competitive since the new site was chosen due to its strategic location, as it is near the Atlanta airport which has direct flights to Stuttgart in Germany and close enough for 80% of Americans to reach it (Bruns 160). This will also benefit the company because delivering high brand and quality products in the global market will enable the company to sustain their business; thus achieving a competitive busine ss advantage in the competitive global market. However, opening the Porsche plant in Atlanta will create some drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is the possible backlash meaning that when a company opens a new firm in a foreign country, it is not always an accepted decision at home. The industry may be forced to eliminate the American jobs with an aim of taking cheaper

Long-Term Assets (Assignment 8) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Long-Term Assets ( 8) - Assignment Example Generally, the company recorded a positive change in its long term assets which is a positive thing. However, the financial statements and notes to the financial statements of Pentair Inc do not disclose vital information such as accumulated depreciation. Instead, the company has computed the combined values which make it impossible to identify specific information. Does your firm report any intangible assets on the balance sheet? If yes, describe the policies, e.g., method and estimated life, your firm uses to compute amortization expense. YES. Pentair Inc uses the unit-of-activity method in the amortization of intangible assets such as patents. The company provides for an estimated useful life of five years ending in the year 2017. If yes, describe the acquisitions or disposals that occurred. In April 2012, Pentair acquired Sibrape including its subsidiary at a cost estimated to be $21.5 million. However, the company did not record any disposals during the same period. How do your firms long-term asset ratios compare to those of your comparison firms? Are they high, low, about the same? Is there anything specific about your firm, its industry, or your comparison firms or industries that tend to explain the differences between your companys long-term asset ratios and those of the other firms? Discuss and explain. Pentair’s long-term ratios are almost the same to those of comparative firms. This is because most of the ratios among the firms are within the same range. However, there are some slight differences between the ratios and this can be attributed to the difference in the sizes of the firms and how they manage their long-term assets. Bigger and well managed firms have higher long-term assets ratios compared to other firms. In most cases, the size of a firm is measured by the level of its revenues or assets. In this case, we can measure the size of a

The Scientific Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Scientific Method - Essay Example To determine whether the hypothesis is correct, an experiment is designed. Any external factors that can affect the results should be minimized. This means, set-ups that do not contain the test variable (negative control) should be included so that the design is ensured to be not presenting any effectors other than the variable being tested. As well, a positive control is included so that it is ensured that the experimental method is capable of producing the result being tested (Carter, 2010). For this experiment, six set-ups will be made, with three replicates each. Replicates are important so that the outcomes cannot be attributed to chance. The more replicates having the same outcomes, the more established that data is. Experiments will begin when the sun rises, possibly around six in the morning. Thus, set-up will start minutes or hours before that Experimental Set-up For the first set-up, three 1 ft. Coleus plants will be placed outside, in the area where it can be maximally exposed to the sun. They will be placed beside one another. On the other hand, another three will be placed in a very dark room/closet that will only be opened after the experiment. For the third set-up, the upper half of the shoots, stems and leaves included, will be covered by aluminium foil, and for the fourth set-up, it is the lower half that will be covered. These six will be exposed to the sun together with the 1st set-up. For the fourth and fifth set-up, a lamp will be placed beside the left and the right side of plants, respectively. Experiment proper The plants will remain on their respective places from six in the morning to twelve in the afternoon. Hourly, specifically at 6 a.m. (start), 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 noon, pictures of the plants will be taken to observe and record any macroscopic changes in the growth of the plants. Then, the sho ots will be divided into four, first into top and bottom halves, and then to left and right. The same

Long-Term Assets (Assignment 8) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Long-Term Assets ( 8) - Assignment Example Generally, the company recorded a positive change in its long term assets which is a positive thing. However, the financial statements and notes to the financial statements of Pentair Inc do not disclose vital information such as accumulated depreciation. Instead, the company has computed the combined values which make it impossible to identify specific information. Does your firm report any intangible assets on the balance sheet? If yes, describe the policies, e.g., method and estimated life, your firm uses to compute amortization expense. YES. Pentair Inc uses the unit-of-activity method in the amortization of intangible assets such as patents. The company provides for an estimated useful life of five years ending in the year 2017. If yes, describe the acquisitions or disposals that occurred. In April 2012, Pentair acquired Sibrape including its subsidiary at a cost estimated to be $21.5 million. However, the company did not record any disposals during the same period. How do your firms long-term asset ratios compare to those of your comparison firms? Are they high, low, about the same? Is there anything specific about your firm, its industry, or your comparison firms or industries that tend to explain the differences between your companys long-term asset ratios and those of the other firms? Discuss and explain. Pentair’s long-term ratios are almost the same to those of comparative firms. This is because most of the ratios among the firms are within the same range. However, there are some slight differences between the ratios and this can be attributed to the difference in the sizes of the firms and how they manage their long-term assets. Bigger and well managed firms have higher long-term assets ratios compared to other firms. In most cases, the size of a firm is measured by the level of its revenues or assets. In this case, we can measure the size of a

Bioterrorism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bioterrorism - Research Paper Example This paper will study through previous researches and three different journals the barriers for the community health nursing for surveillance and identification of diseases caused by bioterrorism agents. Defining Bioterrorism: Bioterrorism is a form of terrorism in which different biological agents are released in order to make the people, plants or animals sick in masses. The consequences are in a number of deaths. These bioterrorism agents are usually viruses, bacteria, or toxins. However, these agents are present in the surrounding already but they are modified and reworked in a way that their ability is increased and that they also become resistant to the current medicines available so that there is no cure for them. The mediums usually used in order to multiply these bioterrorism agents are water, air and food sometimes. One of the major reasons for bioterrorism is that, that terrorist adopts this kind since it cannot be detected quickly and easily. These agents take time to rea ct, sometimes days and sometimes even weeks (A†¡ankaya & Kibaroglu, 2010). The significance of the study: The subject of bioterrorism in the community health sector in the US was not of major concern until 2001. The use of ‘Anthrax’ has created a serious fear of bioterrorism among the communities. Moreover, these bioterrorism attacks have also created realization and a sense of consideration for the healthcare department particularly community health nurses that their role during such attacks are very significant. Therefore proper education and training are very important factors for the community health nurses in order to overcome the chaos at the time of any bioterrorism attack (Mellehovitch, 2004). Bioterrorism and Community Health Nurses: Across the US, the issue of bioterrorism among the public health sector has become a core issue. Usually, the public and the US community rely initially on these primary healthcare departments for the inspection of any disease or unusual biological conduct. The community health nurses are the center of attention for this entire process and for delivering their services. However, cases have been observed where the lack of training and education among the health care nurses to handle and manage any bioterrorism attacks were observed, creating chaos and panic as a result. Not only this, the shortage of community of health nurses was also observed while any attack of bioterrorism. It is very obvious that the community health nurses need training for the bioterrorism preparedness so that they are ready to handle and are pre-prepared if their community is attacked by bioterrorism in a professional manner (Rebmann, 2006). According to a research journal on bioterrorism by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) it was observed that many of the community healthcare staff and nurses did not follow any formal training or education in order to manage or handle any bioterrorism attack. Out of the hundreds of nurses interviewed by (Gerberding & Hughes, 2002) very few of them took courses and fhealth careation in community healthcare and for bioterrorism. While the remaining nurses made complaints to the researchers that were not able to conduct their studies on bioterrorism because of the shortage of the staff who will take coverage of their nonattendance. As a result they had to take help and lessons from those nurses

Parenting skill Essay Example for Free

Parenting skill Essay 1.How can parents avoid temper tantrums? It having a plan to calm your self down every time you have for example by going to your happy place,relax,and by staying calm at all time 2.What are the A, B, Cs? -A is for the attributes you want your child to have ⠁Æ'B is for the behavior you want to go along with those attributes. ⠁Æ'C is for the consequence that will be given, positive or negative 3. Do you think using consequences and following the ABC process will help shape a child’s behavior? Why or why not? Yes, I think using consequences and following the ABC process will help shape a child’s behavior because it gives the child a set of expectations you want from them and because naturally humans are born to please they are going to try their hardest to live by those expectations you have provided them. 1.What are some of the reasons why people may not talk to babies as much today as they used to? We don’t really know the exact reason why people are not talking to their babies as much some may say it is due to the busy life style we have or that everyone is isolated within the house 2. Why do you think developing language skills is important for a child? Developing language skills as a child is important because when children are younger it is easier for them to learn and develop and they should learn to be good communicators 3.What are some of the ways that parents can encourage the development of language skills? One way parents can help encourage development of language skills is by giving them their undivided attention and contently talking to them because most of their learning is through imitation.

Collection of Film Review Examples

Collection of Film Review Examples Shane Meadows is known to make movies about his own experiences. This is England is no exception. The idea for the movie came from the director s childhood, and it is the most personal film Shane Meadows has made so far, as he said himself. In an interview at the British Film Institutes Southbank theatre in April, Meadows talked about his upbringing. Yeah, every moment of joy in my life usually stunk of sadness. Every time I was just about to get somewhere someone stuck a dart up my arse. Thats how I remember growing up in Uttoxeter. When things were at their shittest, people seemed to be at their best and when things were at their best, people seemed to be at their worst The film starts with a sequence of clips, introducing the viewer to England in 1983. When watching the intro, I got the feeling I am about to see some kind of documentary, due to the footage being shown. The mise en scene is outstanding in this piece C to be perfectly honest, I was silly enough to believe it was actually shot in 1983 in the beginning, which makes me extremely embarrassed. The careful casting, costumes, sets and props makes it hard to believe the film was actually shot in 2006, which makes the story much more believable and easier to get into. The piece is put together extremely well and the soundtrack comprises of the hits from the eighties, which sets the mood perfectly. The main character is alone in the beginning C he doesnt really have friends, he is being bullied at school, he gets in a fight with a boy, who makes fun of his dead father. Although the movie talks about some really serious issues like gang culture and racism, lack of jobs and immigration, it still manages to make you smile, like the bit when Shaun comes back home to his mother and complains about his trousers. This way not only are you amused and it takes off the depressing mood in the movie, but it also feels more real, less movie-like. The movie is a typical coming-of-age sort of piece, where the main protagonist changes and matures as the story unfolds. His story basically starts when he crosses paths with skinheads and discovers belonging to a group makes things easier. They go out hunting together, and this comes from a real story of the director s childhood. The group he joins is relatively harmless C compared to what lies ahead. The good days don t last long C soon enough, Combo comes back from prison and steps up as the leader of the group. There is a feeling of tension building and although we see Shaun developing attachment to Combo, who is now like the father figure the boy never had, there is a strong feeling something will go seriously wrong. Soon everything goes from a group of youngsters, fooling around, to Shaun attending a National Front meeting. For me, a person, who isn t too political, this movie is also educating C seeing what life and politics were like in 1983. In the movie we see Shaun becoming a man in a very short period of time. A very important scene in This is England is when Shaun gets his cross tattoo. The director, Shane Meadows, has the exact same tattoo on the same finger. This marks Shaun, as a worthy member of the Skinheads, who agrees to stay in the group for the rest of his life. Although Shaun is now Combos protegee   and receives his undivided attention, we see that his relationship is starting to become dangerous and Combo is a bad influence on the young boy. Silly hunting games that Shaun used to play with the previous skinhead group turn into real acts of violence in Combo s. It must be noted that the performance by Stephen Graham, who plays Combo, is simply astonishing C when the group robs the shop, the intimidation and hatred he created were so real and believable, for one moment there I got into the action so much, I was scared for the shop owner s life, only to realize it s just an actor. In my opinion, Combo is just as important as Shaun, because the complexity of Combo s character is what drives the story. One second he is talking to Milky with respect and treating him like a brother, the other, he bursts out and beats him to death, which shows Shaun the real face of his beloved idol, when the latter unleashes his fury even upon his close friends. The piece ends with a reference to 400 blows , which is another coming-of-age film. The main character Shaun runs to the sea, which is considered to be a symbol of freedom and throws the England flag into the water, freeing himself and making clear that he is not coming back to the group. The last shot, exactly like in 400 blows , is him, looking up at the camera, making a connection with a viewer. After all, this is exactly what Shane Meadows intended to do in the first place. Pierrot Le Fou by Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard always said that he doesn t really plan his movies too carefully, and he does not intentionally leave any secret messages in them. It is all up to the viewer, to make what he or she wants of it. After watching it I think Pierrot Le Fou is one of those films that you either hate or love and it is definitely not for everyone C the plot here can be confusing sometimes and the main characters hard to understand. Also, there are references to Vietnam War, which I didn t even notice and thought it was another random element of the main characters fooling around. The movie is about Ferdinand and Marianne, a complicated couple who decide to run away together. They find each other, two misfits, and realize they want to isolate themselves from the fake reality they live in. This is really well portrayed in the beginning of the movie. We see Ferdinand in a party, which looks a lot like a parody for TV commercials. The guests are talking about different products in such manner you would expect to find in a commercial. The effect of it all being fake and distant to Ferdinand is also strengthened with experimental lighting. I think one of the most brilliant scenes in the movie is at the same party, when Ferdinand meets a movie director and talks about cinema with him. This is obviously self-referential, but it was also brilliant to observe the misconnection between the two of them, because of the language barrier. The funny thing is, when Ferdinand asks the American director what is cinema, although the woman translates the sentence completely wrong, asking about his movie, not cinema in general, his answer, in my opinion, is exactly right. It is a battleground. It is love. Hate. Action. Violence and death. One word C emotions. This conversation, that might not leave a big impression on the others, left me in awe of the script-writing for Pierrot Le Fou . Another thing that I realized is the lighting changing, when he moves on from the TV-ad conversation to the American director. It goes from red, which is usually considered a colour of danger, alarm, awareness to green, which is soothing, nature-like. It is another way of the director showing that Ferdinand is very interested and comfortable talking about the arts. The colour scheme in Pierrot le Fou is very important; I would say that at some points the colours even tell the story better than the action. I noticed two leading colours, which represent the main characters C red and blue. Blue is Ferdinand s colour C he is often shot next to the blue sky, or the sea, he drives a blue car and even paints his face blue, before committing suicide. I think the blue also represents his character, quite calm, relaxed, and even cold sometimes. Red, on the other hand, is the complete opposite and it is the colour of Marianne C she drives a red car, wears red clothes, and is simply a vivid, energetic character. Another important colour in the film is yellow, which is represents jealousy and betrayal. Toward the end of the movie, we see the exchange of the colours C Ferdinand s head, wrapped in a red scarf, when being tortured; symbolizing the fact that it s all happening because of his relationship with Marianne. Also, the couple exchanging cars and Ferdinand starting to wear a bright red shirt. When Ferdinand and Marianne separate, after Marianne taking the briefcase with her, we notice yellow flowers in the background. When Ferdinand approaches the dock, where Marianne is leaving on a boat, with her new lover, on his way there, red and yellow are dominating in the background. Ferdinand reaches the dock, where a single yellow barrel is standing, as he watches the woman he loves running away with another man. The next shot of him is approaching a man sitting the ground, singing. We now see yellow taking over, as it is seen, as Ferdinand walks with his head down. When he is on the boat, in the front there is a big yellow box, as if it was telling us that jealousy is driving him to the island. Ferdinand is walking through a field and singing Do you love me at the same time as he passes yellow flowers. The yellow starts to dominate again, as he approaches and shoots Marianne. The climax of this is Ferdinand s suicide, when he is wearing the red shirt, painting his face blue, and wrapping himself with red and yellow dynamite, which represents Marianne s betrayal. Pierrot Le Fou is definitely now one of my favourite films of all time, and has so many different sides to it, that to decode the whole piece would take me an eternity, but I guess that is one of the reasons why I fell in love with it. Meshes of the Afternoon by Maya Deren Although I am not a big fan of surrealism, Maya Deren s film had much more meaning to me, than Dali s and Bunuel s work. Meshes of the Afternoon , in my opinion, was less random, more carefully set and the symbols carefully picked to convey a message. It s a movie about a woman s state of mind, her dream world and her reality mixing together in the end. This film, just like many surrealism films, is an experience C you cannot watch it like you would watch a drama or a comedy. You could call it brain exercise, if you wish. Throughout the film there are a lot of symbols and the randomness at first might seem pointless, but the production is made really carefully. The film starts with a flower, put in the middle of the road by a long female hand. We instantly realize this is not going to be an ordinary movie C both time and space are distorted C the hand comes from nowhere, and suddenly disappears. The flower, of course, symbolizes beauty, love and femininity. Soon after this we see a woman picking up the flower, which indicates it is a piece about her and her place, as a woman. The fact we do not see the main character s face, creates tension and curiosity about her intentions. As she tries to open the door, she loses the key and it falls all the way down the stairs. To me the key probably symbolizes answers, freedom and solutions. She enters the house and sees things scattered all over the place C newspapers, a knife and a telephone. Once again, I can only interpret it in my own way C a knife is an obvious danger, also a possible symbol of a phallus. A telephone is probably a representation of the main character s connection, in this case C with herself. When she goes upstairs, she sees a window open, which also can be interpreted as a symbol of freedom and escape. She notices a record player working, but not making any noise. I cannot really explain why, but to me the record player symbolizes her own life C it is playing, but there is no music, no purpose, so she turns it off. Maya Deren keeps jumping from one place to another C just like it would be in a dream. As we see the world through her eyes, she turns her head and finds herself in a whole different room. This is all done to disrupt any feeling of order and continuity. When she falls asleep, in her dreams, we see the cloaked figure for the first time. After seeing the whole movie I can only interpret it as the symbol of death, the Grim Reaper. This creature has a mirror for a face and it makes me wonder whether the main character is following it, because she is desperate to look at the mirror and see her true self. The cloaked figure is moving really slowly and the main character is running, but she cannot get even close to catching up with it. This represents her conflicted persona and the difficult state her mind is in. When she comes back to the house once again, the knife is now on the stairway, in her way, indicating that it is unavoidable that she uses it. After this we have a sequence of shots, which adds to the feeling of a dream C slow motion of her footsteps, tilted camera angles as she climbs up the stairs. Once again, the feeling of continuity is disrupted, as she enters the room through the window. The main character discovers the telephone and the knife on the bed, which creates a feeling of unavoidable danger. She goes back to the window and it seems like there is no gravity, a quite common dream that probably most of us have. The main character now looks down and sees herself sleeping in the armchair, with the record player by her side and turns it off again. The circle begins again, as she approaches the window and sees herself running. This creates a feeling of her being trapped in a vicious circle, with no chance to change it. She then opens her mouth and takes out the key, which to me symbolizes coming up with a solution to her suffering. The cloaked figure is now in the house and we get the feeling that death is coming for the main character. When the cloaked figure disappears, the main character finds the knife again, but this time she doesn t look scared at all C she looks like is now at peace with the fact she is about to die. The key appears in her mouth again and transforms into a knife, which clearly symbolizes that death in the answer. The three representations of the main character now gather around a table and play a bizarre surrealistic game, where they find out who will have to be the killer. The chosen one is now wearing strange glasses, which to me feels like a symbol of her, not seeing clearly. I found it quite fascinating, when the killer walks towards the sleeping woman and the surroundings change with each step C it starts out with a beach, then she steps on grass, then sidewalk and then finally C onto the carpet in the house. This, I think, represents the journey you have to make, when deciding to kill yourself. It is probably the hardest thing you could ever do and the steps represent exactly that. As the main character wakes up, the killer in the dream turns into her lover in reality, but we see the symbols from the dream around the room and the two start to mix together. The main character s lover is acting exactly like the cloaked figure and we realize the main character is blaming all her problems on him. As she breaks the mirror that appears to be her lover s face, we see the sea behind it, which is widely interpreted as a symbol of freedom. When her lover enters the house, we see the main character covered in mirror shards, dead. The mirror represents finally breaking free. All about my mother by Pedro Almodovar To Bette Davis, Gena Rowlands, Romy Schneider to all actresses who have played actresses, to all women who act, to all men who act and become women, to all the people who want to be mothers. To my mother. Dedication, All About My Mother, 1999 Pedro Almodovar is one of the most successful and well known Spanish directors of all time. He is famous for his movies, where he tries to explore the nature of being a woman. His movies, although quite complicated, almost always have a big international success and are being shown in cinemas all over the world. You could say this one is a chick-flick for the more intellectual woman. All about my mother is another film about women suffering, with many characters and different stories, intertwining and showing different sides of womanhood. It is also worth mentioning that almost all the cast is female in this piece. This particular film declares that to be a woman you do not have to be born one, so we get characters like Lola and Agrado, who are transvestites. Almodovar always liked complicated stories and although he tries to make it as real as possible, the lives of the characters sometimes seem so dark, it made me question whether there is actually too much drama involved. The film begins with mother and a son, Esteban and Manuela. I got the impression in the beginning that the story will revolve around Esteban, his wish to become a writer and the story he began to write about his mother. This illusion was soon shattered, when Esteban died after being hit by a car. The shot of him, lying on the ground for me was probably the most impressive shot in the film C the camera takes Esteban s POV and spins around, before falling to the ground. We see his mother approaching Esteban is slow motion, her coat red, the colour of blood and taking the camera, Esteban s head, into her palms. As she screams and lets go, the camera slowly moves back to the ground. This way of showing the tragedy that happened adds to the drama so much more than a normal two-shot ever would. Manuela, who works as a transplant coordinator, is the one who has to give the consent to donor her boy s heart this time. Searching for some kind of closure, she secretly follows the recipient after the operation. This crushes her completely and she decides to go to Barcelona, where she used to live with the boy s father, who is a mystery to the viewer so far. The focus from then on turns to the main character s relationships with other women she meets, her road to self-discovery and opening up once again. The different characters is what makes this movie interesting to watch. Although for the most part, it focuses on Manuela, we get a good glimpse at the lives of other women that surround her. This film, although so complicated and melodramatic, resembles real life as well C it makes us cry and laugh with the women who are in it. Manuela, who loses her son, discovers she can deal with her grief helping others C she becomes a personal assistant to actress Huma, who is going through an emotional crisis, rescues Agrado from an enraged client and helps pregnant nun Rosa through her pregnancy. Film references are very important in this piece as well C it begins with the mother and son watching All about Eve , which resembles the film s name and gives Esteban the idea how to call his work. Another significant film that is constantly brought up is A streetcar named desire . The main character, Manuela once played Stella in a drama group, when she was younger and this piece holds a special meaning to her, since she also met Esteban s father there, who played Kowalski. After so many years, due to the original actress not being able to perform, Manuela has to play Stella s part once again. This, for me, is a key point in the story, when the main character lets go and releases her pain. I found it interesting, because by acting, and pretending to be somebody else, she could finally be herself and cry out loud. The colour scheme in the movie is quite controversial and has been criticized numerous times for overshadowing the actual story. Just like in Pierrot Le Fou we see red, blue and yellow dominating, but the two movies are so different, it makes you wonder whether the colour scheme is appropriate in All about my mother . In my opinion, the colours are completely suitable and well thought out, because in a way they represent the colourful life and characters of the women in the film and by losing the colours the film would lose a bit of it s soul as well. Overall, I enjoyed watching All about my mother C Pedro Almodovar is one of the directors who really tries to understand women and what it s like to be one. I found the film really emotional and touching, Almodovar knows how to create a bond between a character and a viewer, so you end up really involved with the story and the destinies that these women have as well as getting to know individuals like Agrado and Lola who to some viewers might be a mystery and really hard to understand. The 400 Blows by Francois Truffaut The 400 Blows is a very important film, which started the French New Wave. It introduced another level of cinematic experience through cinematography, acting and much more naturalistic look and feel to the movie, which, for today s viewer, might be really hard to imagine. The camera in The 400 Blows moves around much more freely and more smoothly, and besides recording, starts to tell the story with it s movement as well. Different angles and camera positions are introduced. Antoine Doinel seems like an ordinary boy, who seems to get in trouble wherever he goes, his teacher constantly punishes him for the slightest mischief, his mother disregards him as simply being a waste of space and the beginning of his teenage years is proving to be a real hassle for young Antoine. He soon finds out his mother is having an affair, but we can see the boy is not bothered at all C he is much more concerned whether he ll get in trouble for skipping school. Later that day when his father comes back home and announces that the mother won t be joining them for dinner, it seems that Antoine is hoping that she will never come back, when he asks the father if she has left for good. This establishes the fact that the relationship between Antoine and his mother is less than perfect. For myself, it was hard to watch how the adults treat Antoine; it seems there is nobody at all, when it comes to adults, who understand him. He sleeps on his tiny bed, lonely, disposable, like the trash he has to take out every night. Although Antoine is disregarded as hopeless and simply ungifted he, as many children of his age, is simply starting to question the system and the fact he does not perform well in class certainly does not mean he is not capable. This film serves parents who find it hard to understand their children, because we get a glimpse of how hard it sometimes is to be a teenager C parents seem to forget it. It is much like a documentary in a sense that we observe Antoine, an ordinary boy and his transformation to a young man, as well as the work of camera being hand-held. For a short time in the movie, seems like the family has come back together and Antoine does not feel isolated anymore, but after failing yet another paper in class, he runs away once again and stays with his friend. I think one of the most important scenes in the film, since it represents French New Wave, is the scene where small children are watching Little Red Riding Hood . Their expressions, reactions to the play are so genuine and lack that over the top acting, that the viewers who sat in the cinema theatre, watching the movie in 1959 should have been fascinated. And they were, since the cinema was never the same again. The main actor s Jean-Pierre Leaud s performance in the scene where Antoine is being questioned by the psychologist once again brings me back to think of this film as a documentary C the acting is extremely believable and it is hard to tell yourself that it is a character, not a real person in front of you. The most famous scene of the film, of course, is the scene where Antoine runs away from the Juvenile Detention Centre. There are two extremely long tracking shots, that break the conventions of cinema and stay with the subject for much longer than usual, but this is exactly what fascinates the viewer. His run symbolizes his long and constant search for freedom, and his desperate wish to be acknowledged. His last look at the camera to me looked like he was thinking And what do I do now..? This last shot has been widely interpreted, but to me it feels like he has reached the sea, but he cannot escape from himself. When watching this film, I thought about how lucky I was to have a childhood, and that many kids grow up all too soon. My mother used to say that you can tell if a person was loved, when they were little. This all applies to Antoine C he grows up too soon, due to the time he lives in, his parents not caring enough, the educating system failing to acknowledge his efforts to study and him wanting to be noticed, even if it s for misbehaving. Even to this day, The 400 Blows is a remarkable film, which has and still is influencing many directors.