Essay --

WEDDING TRADITIONS Ethnic diversity lies at the core of cultural or social anthropology. Anthropology, derived from Greek, literally nitty-gritty study of human. The discipline examines, from a holistic, scientific and cross-cultural viewpoint, how humans lived in the past and how they live today, what activities they performed or perform in this day and progress and their manners of interacting with members of vast social groups. Being aware of distinctive cultures enables us to see the world from a broader perspective as we become familiar how discordant traditions stem from distinct populations. Among miscellaneous topics such as archaeology, linguistics, politics and evolution, anthropology also studies matrimony as well as the customs exemplifying it. Marriage is termed as a legitimate commitment or social establishment which unites two people mutually as husband and wife. The agreement ascertains privileges and responsibilities amid spouses, spouses and children an d spouses and in-laws. Marriage is deemed to be a momentous union in every society. It is significant in terms of providing security, emotional support and fulfilling economic, social, cultural and physical needs. These needs are the natural cravings of teen adults that drive them towards matrimony. It is a foundation that is based on personal responsibilities which form the backb one and only(a) of civilizations. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast between various get hitched with customs that are prevalent in different continents of the world. The essay sheds light on culturally diverse traditions that originate in different parts of the world. It is the roomy variety or cultural conventions that give each nation or tribe a unique identity. Every culture has ... ...hat is considered appropriate in one part of the world may not be acceptable in other parts of the world. This indigenous multiplicity of cultures across the globe is probably what makes An thropology an enriching subject. (Flesche, 1912)References (1997). spousal relationship Traditions & Superstitions 50 espousal Facts & Trivia. Investor Relations. Group Inc. .Belloni, A. (n.d.). TARANTELLA SPIDER DANCE. Downey, A. (n.d.). Wedding Traditions Explained. (n.d.). Filipino Wedding Traditions and Spanish Influence . Flesche, F. L. (1912, March). Osage Marriage Customs. (A. A. Association, Ed.) American Anthropologist, 14, 127 - 130.Oracle Think Quest. (n.d.). Wedding Superstitions. Education Foundation.Story, F. (n.d.). Tarantella An Italian Folk Dance. Canadas Digital Collections.(n.d.). Strange Wedding Traditions. Vietri. (n.d.). An Italian wedding.

The Game :: Creative Writing Essays

The Game     They tried to hide the huge needle, of course. He laid with his face ingrained hard into the sheets. His father and a nurse held him down by his shoulders and legs.The needle was pushed in just above his hip. He took it better than most boys his age. He seize as it made its way through his skin. It stopped when it met his hipbone.The doctor had to ratchet it now, hard, to penetrate the bone. He clenched harder. The doctor now rocked the needle around in every direction now, to break of the thread of marrow that was drawn. The boys lips finally opened. His father would never forget the scream that came out. All he did was tighten his grip as the boy thrashed. It was this, or it was death.      The doctor had all that was needed for now. A sample to analyze before making a final decision. Tomorrow, if all was good, the needle would mother to go in four more times, it wouldnt hurt though, promise. "Dont worry, David, youll get anesthesia next time. Youll be numb, youll never feel a thing."     He stepped out of the railcar and looked around. Before him he observed a stately building, manicured flowers, lush green grass. He noticed some men wearing spotless shoes, and neatly creased shrink from standing on the grass observing a small white ball and trading remarks that made them smile. Everyone, everything, seemed so peaceful, so clean, so perfect at Timuquana Country Club.     David Duval was just nine. He was so short that his bag of clubs almost dragged on the ground. He was slightly chunky, with freckled skin. His bottle-thick glasses sat on his nose. He carried six bags of golf balls to the driving range. If you watched how he carried himself, you wouldnt know that he had really just started playing, or that the bag of clubs was irritating a string of puncture scars on his hips.     He poured the balls out and began sending them flying across the grass. The men finished and moved away. David left only to collect six more bags of balls, about one hundred fifty more balls, and returned, again and again. "David," Woodrow Burton, a club employee, begged, "you better leave some of them balls for the members." David, saying nothing, opened his palms for the balls. Soon those calluses would be hard, those hands wouldnt feel a thing.

Victors Destruction in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Frankenst

victors Destruction in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Mary Shelley, in her book Frankenstein, makes several allusions to the fact that Victor Frankenstein is usurping the role of God in transport his creature to life. The point of the book seems to be that a human who attempts to usurp the role of God allow be heavily punished. Victor Frankenstein is severely punished. He loses everyone he loves before perishing himself in the arctic wastes. But did he really play God or did he merely unleash his own id and unmake himself?Allusions to Frankensteins identification with God are sprinkled liberally throughout the book. From an early age Frankenstein identifies himself with God through his study of metaphysics. It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to require (23), Frankenstein says. From an early age it was the metaphysical secrets of life and death that obsessed Frankenstein. It was this interest that led him to study the alchemists. A choice that he believed brought about his own downfall.Frankenstein fears for his sanity. He exhorts us more than once to remember that he is not recounting the visions of a madman (37). Yet he fears so much that he will be thought mad that he doesnt reveal that his creature killed William, even though it means the death of Justine, who was wrongly convicted of the murder. Frankenstein protests his own sanity so strenuously throughout the book that one begins to wonder if he is, in fact sane.The image of Frankenstein as God is reinforced in the dialog between Victor and the creature when they meet on the summit of Montanvert (Chapter 10). The creature saysI am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural original and king if thou wilt also perfo... ...d friend, and the destined mate -- rivals for the affection of his parents and for success. It is significant that Frankenstein, although he knows of the creatures threats, does nothing to protect Elizabeth on their wedding night. In this substan ce he is complicit in her death, and in his own destruction.Frankenstein spends the rest of his life chasing the creature. He seems to want to confront and kill him, but it is not destined to be. In pragmatism Frankenstein ostracizes himself from human society, even traveling to the uninhabitable North Pole. He never catches his creature. Instead he wears himself out, dying more of guilt and exhaustion than anything else. The creature, freed by Victors death, retreats from the dwell world searching for the death that he hopes will bring him relief.Works CitedShelley, Mary, Frankenstein. (Bantam Classics, NY), 1981.

Is Google Evil? Essay -- Legal Case Monopoly

Google has proposed an concordance with representatives of authors and publishers to host a massive digital library. This library will consist of mostly books published in the unify States. Google will make digitally available new and old books. This catalog will include books that are no longer in print and orphan texts (books where the copyright owner is unknown or contact information is unavailable).5 The texts will be available through search engines, for individual sale as electronic-books, and with database subscriptions. If the Google agreement is approved by the Justice Department, ethical issues would come into question. The issues addressed in this paper include whether the agreement creates a legally sanctioned cartel for digital book rights4 and if the public benefits outweigh the monopoly consequences. Google has the network, storage, man power and funding to make this digital library a possibility, yet is this justification enough to bound one company so much concent rated power over information access?Using the utilitarian approach, arguments both for and against the Google library agreement shadow be supported. First the audience should be established. Authors and publishers could be financially affected by this agreement. They are represented as a whole by the Authors ordering and the Association of American Publishers. Both groups are working together to ensure that writers are notunder compensated by Google and that publishing prices do not become too high. The Google company and its competitors are directly affected by the outcome of the agreement. Google will take on a huge expense in hopes to gain a reasonable profit. Competitors with equivalent capabilities, such as Microsoft and Amazon, have not expressed ... ...t there is no immediate need to settle for the genuine agreement. The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers should take measure to incorporate preventative measures in the agreement. Given the substantia l impact the digital library would make time should be taken to re-discuss terms of usage, include amendments and restrictions.References1. E. HARRIS and R. JAMES, ENGR 482 Class Notes, Texas A&M University (Fall 2009).2. HARRIS,PRITCHARD, RABINS, Engineering Ethics, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Belmont (2009)3. J. E. VASCELLARO and J. A. TRACHTENBERG, Digital-Rights Signatories Revisit Googles deal , Wall Street ledger wsj.com (October 29,2009)4. S. SHANKLAND, Googles Digital-book Future Hangs in the Balance, News.cnet.com (October 2009)5. P. SCHRANK, Googles Big Book Case, The Economist print edition (September 3rd 2009)

Barn Burning Essay -- essays papers

group B Burning Throughout the story Barn Burning, author William Faulkner conveys the moral growth and development of a young boy, as he must make a critical decision between either choosing his family and their teachings or his own morals and values. The reader should realize that the story Barn Burning was written in the 1930s, a time of economic, social, and cultural turmoil. Faulkner carries these themes of despair into the story of the Snopes family. Faulkner opens the story, Barn Burning in a southern courthouse room of the during the accomplished War reconstruction era, also a time of social, cultural, and economic instability. At this point in the story the main characters, Abner (Ab) and his son, Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty) are introduced. Ab is on tryout for the malicious burning of a barn that was owned by a richesy local farmer. For Sartys entire life he and his family had been living in poverty. His father, who had always been jealous of the good l ife, takes his frustrations out against the post-Civil war aristocracy by burning the barns of wealthy farmers. As most fathers do, Ab makes the attempt to glide by his traits and beliefs on to his son, whom does not necessarily agree nor fully understand his fathers standpoint. The following passage is an example of how Sarty is taught that both legal justice and wealth is the enemy of his family He could not see the table where the Justice sat and before which his father and his fathers enemy (our enemy he thought process in that despair ourn Mine and hisn both Hes my father) stood, but he could not hear them, the two of them that is, because his father had said no word yet.After the Justice had declared that there was not a substantial amo... ...cept the end of man I believe that man will not merely endure he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit competent of compassion and sacrifi ce and endurance. I believe that Faulkner displayed this belief throughout this story. He shows that Sarty is a soul that is compassionate when he mourns his father in the last a couple of(prenominal) paragraphs of the story. He exemplifies sacrifice when Sarty must sacrifice the safety and lives of his family members for his own morals. Finally, Faulkner conveys endurance when the child comes to the realization that he may not return to the surviving members of his family, and that he must continue to live on his own.BibliographyWorks CitedMeyer, M., Ed., (1999). The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 5th Ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martin.

Barn Burning Essay -- essays papers

vitamin B complex Burning Throughout the story Barn Burning, author William Faulkner conveys the moral growth and development of a young boy, as he must make a critical decision between either choosing his family and their teachings or his own morals and values. The reader should realize that the story Barn Burning was written in the 1930s, a time of economic, social, and cultural turmoil. Faulkner carries these themes of despair into the story of the Snopes family. Faulkner opens the story, Barn Burning in a southern courthouse room of the during the well-bred War reconstruction era, also a time of social, cultural, and economic instability. At this point in the story the main characters, Abner (Ab) and his son, Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty) are introduced. Ab is on rill for the malicious burning of a barn that was owned by a wealthy local farmer. For Sartys entire life he and his family had been living in poverty. His father, who had always been jealous of the go od life, takes his frustrations out against the post-Civil war aristocracy by burning the barns of wealthy farmers. As most fathers do, Ab makes the attempt to widen his traits and beliefs on to his son, whom does not necessarily agree nor fully understand his fathers standpoint. The following passage is an example of how Sarty is taught that both legal justice and wealth is the enemy of his family He could not see the table where the Justice sat and before which his father and his fathers enemy (our enemy he model in that despair ourn Mine and hisn both Hes my father) stood, but he could not hear them, the two of them that is, because his father had said no word yet.After the Justice had declared that there was not a substantial amo... ...cept the end of man I believe that man will not merely endure he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit equal to(p) of compassion and sacrifice and e ndurance. I believe that Faulkner displayed this belief throughout this story. He shows that Sarty is a soul that is compassionate when he mourns his father in the last hardly a(prenominal) paragraphs of the story. He exemplifies sacrifice when Sarty must sacrifice the safety and lives of his family members for his own morals. Finally, Faulkner conveys endurance when the child comes to the realization that he may not return to the surviving members of his family, and that he must continue to live on his own.BibliographyWorks CitedMeyer, M., Ed., (1999). The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 5th Ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martin.

Lakeside Essay

Discussion Questions1. The owners of Lakeside as well as the comp whatevers bank may require that an independent certified public accountant firm perform an annual study because the CPA firm could have an independence issue. The CPA firm in that Lakeside wants to take aim is besides the tenders for Lakesides master(prenominal) fiscal bank. The bank is a main user of the report put out by Lakesides meeter and in this case would be that banks hearer too. The conjunction is too goal for the CPA firm to pick up this client, it would be against the ethically code.2. Abernethy and Chapman do not have in-depth under(a)standing of the consumer electronics industry that Lakeside is a part of, therefore it would be an unethical and against the rules of remove. Rule 201 in General Standards part 1 says, undertake only those professional services that the member derriere reasonably expect to complete with professional competence. As stated if the firm does not have a member or experie nce in the field of phone line the auditing firm should refrain from taking on that client. Could an auditing firm get by in auditing the books of an electronic company when their specialty is car dealerships, in all likelihood but as an auditing firm that has never done the audits for a client in this field it is unknown the way business is handled and the right protocol in that field. thither is an ethical obligation for the firm to discuss the expertise guideed for them intimately the industry the client is in.3. Profit-sharing bonuses seem like an easy and nice incentive for the employee by the employer but they bring along a lot of drawbacks and as an auditing firm open up a door for a red flag. There are very strict rules when adopting a profit-share policy that must be approved by the IRS and meet their guidelines. There is also a limit to the measuring rod that employers can contribute to the plans. These guidelines are changing from year to yearand it would be somethi ng else Abernethy and Chapman would have to keep up on as well as make out sure Rogers is doing the right thing. There is a lot of area for role player here and as an auditing firm a section that would need to be under close watch.4. If Rogers wanted Abernethy and Chapman to assist them in developing systems it would depend on a few factors. Abernethy and Chapman would be able to help develop the systems if Lakeside stays a private company. If Lakeside is a publicly traded company Abernethy and Chapman would have an independence issue if it was both the auditor and helping to develop systems for output.5. If Andrews was assigned to escort the headquarters/warehouse some of the things a tour of the clients facilities is helpful in obtaining a better understanding of the clients business operations because operations because it provides an opportunity to observe operations firsthand and to meet key personnel. By viewing the facility you can view assets and interpret write up data related such as inventory and some of the factory equipment.6. There are a few reasons that Lakeside would not want to hire a CPA firm that has clients in the electronics industry, one of them be if Lakeside would not get as good of a report as the other electronics, it is very each for stakeholders and investors to see which company is better. Second, Lakeside may feel the auditor isnt necessarily on their side, even though as an auditor we need to stay neutral and that our obligation is to the stakeholder in the company.List the fraud luck factors that the CPA firm might encounter if they acceptthis audit engagement. Be sure to include a discussion of all items that will probably require special attention during the audit. For each of these fraud risk factors, indicate how the auditor should follow up on each potential problem if the engagement is accepted. Use the following formal Fraud Risk FactorsAuditor Follow UpMaterial misstatement that existed on reporting historical cos t on the new building. Approach this subject right away and speaking with the previous auditors for what they experienced on this issue. Rogers Corporation to construct the latest facility for Lakeside This issue needs more information and legal terms on whether or not this is allowable. The audit option that was rendered on the books for year ending in 2011 With Rogers refusing to write down the reported assess of the property can cause some confliction between any auditor and owner. Talking to Rogers and the previous auditor is the best way to get to the bottom of this issue and see who is at fault. Not as much of a fraud but Rogers growth plan could run the company into the ground Because Rogers was annoyed with the last firm because of stifle to his growth plans, as an auditing firm we need to figure out what is best for the company and determine whether his attitude towards not changing his growth plan would be an issue. Why does more capital from being a publicly traded compa ny help the company out There is nothing in the description that would give us as the firm an extension that having more capital will improve the position of the company. Growing and building more stores does not fix the problem. Coming to a determination on declension options will be crucial before taking this client on.The threat of closing the newer building near the strip mall. This brings up the factor that if the company is close to closing a store before they are even our client, their future looks slim. If this is the case do we want to have a audit report of we imagine this business will fail in a few years Thats not good business all around Rogers uncertainty about surroundingsThe fact that there were two electronic businesses that went out of business in the same town as him and he didnt know the reason, makes me a littleworried if he isnt going to pay attention to his surrounds like this. I would approach this subject with our partners and Rogers before taking on this client. Does auditing them and also being the auditor of the bank they finance through become an independence problem? There would be an independence issue here that would need to any be resolved or conclude in not being able to have Lakeside as a client Abernethy and Chapmans soreness in the field of electronics Abernethy and Chapman should discuss with Lakeside their inexperience and explain to them how they plan on gaining experienceProfit-Sharing BonusesProfit-Sharing bonuses bring up a huge fraud risk and Abernethy and Chapman need to make sure they deal with this issue and either get Rogers to cut the plan or work out in great level how it will work.King and CompanyCertified Public AccountantsRichmond, VirginiaINDEPENENT AUDITORS REPORTTo the StockholdersLakeside CompanyWe have audited the financial statements of Lakeside Company as of December 31, 2011 and also have observed the operations and internal controls of Lakeside.Managements Responsibility for the Financial State mentsManagement is responsible for the preparation and fair intro of the financial statements in compliance with U.S. GAAP. This includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control pertaining to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement whether due to fraud or error.Auditors ResponsibilityOur responsibility is to give an opinion on Lakesides financial statements found on our audits. We must conduct audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted. Those standards require that we plan and perform audits to reasonable obtain sufficient evidence that gives us the best assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. All these procedures depend on the auditors judgment. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is suff icient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.Lakeside Company has chosen not to value their latest store with accordance to guidelines established by the FASB. We strongly believe that the value of Lakesides $186,000 investment in their sixth store should be impaired. The continuing failure of the shopping center makes the fate of the Lakeside store appear uncertain to us. The president of Lakeside, Benjamin Rogers, continued to report this asset based on historical cost, and not fair value. Because of this, we feel that a material misstatement exists and thus, we issued a qualified opinion.OpinionIn our opinion, except for the material misstatement with this investment, as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the financial statements of Lakeside Company appear to be fairly stated with accordance to GAAP. Lakesides operations and cash flows seem to be in conformity with GAAP for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Boredom: Prank Call

Boredom paper Can Boredom tolerate you into trouble? That is the question that i will be discussing in my paper. I think boredom jakes contract you into trouble because you tend to do things you normally wouldnt do. Second I think boredom can get you into trouble because you can get arested. Lastly I think boredom can get you into trouble because when you are bored you tend to swallow up more(prenominal) and more. Theres still some good in being bored. When your bored you can draw,read and just write about anything. My paper is going to be about the expectant in boredom.My first reson that i think boredom can get you in trouble is because you will start doing thingsyou wouldnt normally do. If your at family line and your bored and hungry but you dont know how to cook whats going to happen? Your going to want to experiment but you dont know how cook,but you cook at any rate. You cook anyway and you end up burning down your house and almost killing yourself. See thats what bore dom does to you. My second reason that I you think boredom can get you in trouble is because you can get arrested. When your bored some people prank call people for fun depending on their aghe they can get fined or arrested.I went on my computer and typed in things to do when your bored,two things that came up were prank calling people and hurting yourself and others. Thats what being bored does to you. My last reason that I think boredom can get you in trouble is because you tend to eat more and more. When your bored you eat just to eat. You eat just to eat because your bored and theres nothing else for you to do. When you eat because your bored all your doing is gaining wieght and seting yourself up for health problems down the road. See thats what boredom can leads too.

Walt Disney: Swot, Pestel and Porter Analysis

SUBJECTWalt Disney SWOT, PESTEL and Porter depth psychology Introduction2 Pestel analysis2 Political factors2 Economic factors3 Social factors3 Technological factors4 Environmental factors4 Porters cinque forces model5 New entrants5 Buyers5 Substitutes6 Suppliers6 Competitors6 Swot analysis7 Strengths7 Weaknesses8 Opportunities9 Improvement of customer relations schema9 Advertising developing9 Differentiation9 The hike introduction of ICT technologies9 Superior trade segmentation10 Threats10 Economic conditions10 Winnie the Pooh trial10 Stakeholder analysis11 Conclusion12 references13Appendix i Portfolio vs core competency aspects14 Introduction Walt Disney is a developer, producer and worldwide distributor of feature films and picture programs, cable net income programming and character-based swap. Besides, its base parks are the or so popular in the world. The current forces in the market ca-ca certain challenges for future winner of the phoners development. The pre sents analysis plumps with the discussion of current environmental and drillion factors. This analysis produces the holistic view of the macro factors that affect the industry players and the comp either.The second step comes to the analysis of the business environment competitive environment and the way the companionship develops and maintains its competitive advantage. This analysis readys a picture of internal capabilities of the companies. Basing on the evaluation of external and internal factors the analysis of strengths and weaknesses is delivered. It creates a framework for devising possible strategic intent of the company and identifies possible vulnerable points that can affect the feasibility of the strategy.Basing on the analysis of the environmental factors and companys capabilities the paper reviews current opportunities and nemesiss. Pestel analysis correspond to Grant (1998), in order to identify the key success factors and the companys opportunities and terro rs it is of the essence(predicate) to study environmental factors that effect the firms strategy on the industrial level. To do this, PESTEL analytical tool is applied. Political factors Political and legal factors influence the development of the industry.These factors shape the rules of competition, practicable costs (minimum wage, rubber requirements and consumer law) and the presence of various lobby groups. The important political factor is local legislations regarding foreign ownership, cross-ownership and concentration. For example, Chinese g everywherenment limits foreign ownership to 49%, when the right to restrainer rankly a subsidiary requires 51% of ownership. It means that a company shall look for potential partners to form joint ventures or strategic alliances. Hill (2002) points by these market entry options translate into the reduced control of the subsidiarys activities.Economic factors The scotch factor has a pivotal importance for the industry developmen t. According to Mintel report (2003) the paper parks and consumer goods are the most accountant on the economic factors. For instance, US and European markets were recently strongly affected with recent sparing downturns. The reason for much(prenominal) the influence is the relationship between the economic cycle and the growth of PDI. As Hill rises (2002) the PDI positively affects consumer confidence in economic health and their capability to buy entertainment products.Thus, the healthier the state of a country the higher pull up stakes be the growth of a consumer market and its corresponding value. The companys piece of music parks and resorts are vulnerable to ex transmit rate fluctuations, travel industry trends, changes in available leisure time, oil and transportation prices and weather patterns. Social factors The ask trends are shaped by the following major factors demographic shifts, attitudes and beliefs and fashion cycles. Demographic shifts create different nic he markets whereas fashion cycles together with attitudes formation create necessary growth for the market.For instance, changing lifestyles as a turn up of influences from opposite countries and cultures, various media, create sunrise(prenominal) expectations and requirements for the content of media sources. Various products of the company as character-based swop and producer/distributors of childrens audio and film-related products strongly depend on affable factors as seasonal purchasing behaviour and the popularity of animated releases which determine the life cycle of accompaniment products and their return of ratement potential. Technological factors Technological factors affect the way industry players compete.The introduction of improved technological solutions allows the companies to reduce cost of operations, increase the manufacturing capacity and quality. Besides, the further R&D development allows the introduction of new products that can potentially break the m arkets of existing products (Bradley, 1995). The developments of new IT technologies introduce new media preservation solutions and change the computer architecture certain companies value chain (Chaffey, 2002). Environmental factors The environmental factors directly impact the travel industry trends.The weather conditions in France and Japan determine the profitability of theme parks. The better the weather conditions the higher is the number of visitors. Environmental factors play an important part in the success of the business as it affect input manufacturing capacity. Without kosher yield a company will be unable to meet the existing market demand, creating a strong hazard for its competitors. Porters louver forces model The following model shows the macro analysis of the business conditions under which Walt Disney operates. Adopted from Porter (1990) New entrantsThe deregulated state of the market provides certain opportunities for new entrants to start the business. The company operates in a mature market, divided between existing large companies. The continuous change of life style preferences create various opportunities for the media content. The advertising, film-making, character-based merchandise and theme parks disciplines have weighty entry barriers, especially for small players, as the existing brands have strong reputation, develop economies of outgo and continuously invest in new technologies. Buyers The world(prenominal) operations, especially on the U.S. and Asian-Pacific markets shows that consumers have a very strong bargaining power. Strong competition between world(prenominal) and regional niche players and constant change of preferences for various content evidentiaryly reduce life cycles of various products. Substitutes Internet, other types of media create serious substitute threats to current media diffusion channels. According to Mintel report (2003) the further increase of Internet proliferation with vast electronic me dia opportunities create is likely to reduce drastically the use of hard copy products. SuppliersThe scale of operations, the size of the company and highly recognised strong brand identity provide the company with bargaining power against local and global suppliers. Competitors The company competes with such powerful competitors as AOL Time Warner Inc. , Viacom Inc. , The News Inc, Comcast Corp. , Canal + etc. The presence of powerful competitors with established brands create a threat of intense price wars and poses s strong requirement for product differentiation. The other important feature of the media industry is a continuous shift of competitors market power.This notion takes place as the result of various strategic alliances and industry consolidation. For instance, the merge of Time Warner with America Online Inc. created powerful internal capabilities. If they were met with market demand, it would have boosted the companys profit margin. The other threat goes from the cont inuous development of The News Inc. which uses very aggressive expansion strategy. It plays a gatekeeper role in the development of digital broadcasting and has already been maturation long-term technical capabilities to build its internet presence.At the same time, the global media industry is very fragmented due to various cultural differences. Thus, the permanent change of consumer trends and the market fragmentation create a lot of niche markets. Today, the major theatre for fierce competition is US and EU markets. The company has to compete with other entertainment companies, broadcasters and content providers, who pursue very aggressive customer-switching strategies. Swot analysis According to Wit & Meyer (1998) the analysis of capabilities shall focus on the analysis of core competence or portfolio assessment (see Appendix I).Applying this table to the eluding of Walt Disney it must be admitted, that the global nature of operations and high intensity of competitive environm ent create importance for using both types of analysis. Strengths From the core competence perspective, one of the main strengths of Walt Disneys strategy is a capability of fast and intensive transfer of operable capabilities across the markets, which allow the company to benefit from learning make out, operational and other cost reduction benefits.The other important capability is the ability to develop new innovative solutions to meet changing demand. The development of Mission SPACE is the good example of the application of latest digital technologies to enhance the entertainment experience of theme park visitors (Datamonitor, 2004). From the portfolio perspective, the companys strength is in its experience of international operations. According to Bennet (1999) the development of local knowledge along with learning curve might create potential synergies over different strategic business units.The other strength is a diversified portfolio. Walt Disney is involved in various ar eas of the media distribution, including television and cable, book publishing and filmed entertainment, character merchandise and internet content delivery. The companys wide-ranging interests protect it somewhat from the effects of adverse market conditions in any one of the sectors within which it operates. Its presence in a large number of markets gives the company a more than balanced and stable portfolio of assets, and therefore a more secure business.The diversity of the media portfolio creates a strong advertising potential. The company operates with six domestic sports channels, reaching 85 million viewers, and has several brand extensions including ESPN Radio, which is the largest radio sports network in the US. Its A Television Networks, featuring cultural and entertainment programming such as The History Channel, reach 77 million homes. Lifetime Television is devoted to womens lifestyle programming and reaches 83 million cable subscribers.Its Toon Disney channel, targ eted at 2-11 year olds, is available in 26 million homes and began carrying advertising in 2000. Disneys SoapNet channel was likewise launched in 2000, and now reaches more than 18 million homes (Datamonitor, 2004). Weaknesses One of the strong weaknesses of the company is the dependence of theme park distribution on seasonal component. exclusively of Disneys theme parks and associated operations are open all year round. However, there are extreme fluctuations in park attendance and resort occupancy, caused by the nature and patterns of vacations.Peak attendance and occupancy occur during the school holidays in summer, early-winter and spring. These fluctuations cause natural operational difficulties, but also make the business more vulnerable as it relies heavily on a few key months. If economic downturns, poor weather or other outside influences occur during the crucial periods, the effect on annual results is magnified. The analysis of financial data for the last 10 years (www. hoovers. com) show that despite overall healthy growth f its sales and successful penetration into new markets, the company had very high operation costs and unbalanced cash flows along different SBUs. The financial figures show that only cable broadcasting and television create sound profit. The situation with filmed entertainment requires consideration regarding the future strategy of running this business area as the companys certain losers seriously affected the profitability of this area. Opportunities Improvement of customer relations strategyAccording to DAgostino (2003) Walt Disney has a uncomparable opportunity of developing strong customer relations strategy based on database marketing capabilities. It predicts that the introduction of these technologies will enable the company to target and cut back the media delivery to active and prospective customers. However various analysts strongly advise to find the balance between being digital and human (DAgostino, 2003). Adv ertising Growth The analysis of social factors influence shows the strong impact of various social events on the content requirements.Various social events as summer holidays or assay trips might create significant a potential for advertising growth what can bring great financial benefit. Differentiation The continuous change of global lifestyles and attitudes create niche markets for specific quality products. The ongoing diffusion of new technological solutions creates new possibilities to capture these markets. Thus the combination of these factors provides a feasible opportunity to expand. However, the success will strongly depend on the ability to react quickly to keep abreast of fast-changing market requirements.The further introduction of ICT technologies As Datamonitor (2003) recommends, the ICT technologies shall be further implemented in the business process. The further proliferation of broadband technologies on the EU market might create various opportunities for Walt D isney providing its extensive development of online applications. Besides, it will enable the company to exploit various internet media channels that will enable the company to use various e-marketing tools to create stronger relations with its customers.. Superior market segmentationThe company has the opportunity to develop stronger demographic segmentation in order to anticipate the further market trends. The Mintel report (2003) shows that there are significant differences in preferences across different demographic and psychographic groups. Given the importance of content as a strong pull and differentiating factor, the further success might depend on the ability to spot the requirements of niche markets and meet them. Threats Economic conditions The Walt Disneys media production and distribution indirectly dependent on advertising for their revenue.Changes in US, global or regional economic conditions may affect the advertising market for broadcast and cable television program ming, which in turn may affect the people of, and price for, the advertising on Walt Disneys cable networks and shows and the volume of, and price for, the programming that the company is able to sell. Winnie the Pooh trial According to Datamonitor (2004) a one-billion-dollar lawsuit against Walt Disney over the cash generated by the Winnie the Pooh character is likely to finally go to trial in 2005. The case centres on the US marketing rights to he character, created by British author A. A. Milne and popularized by the Disney entertainment empire. Among the issues at stake, are revenues from computer software, DVDs and videotapes, merchandise that mostly comes in formats that came into being after the agreement was signed. Pooh revenues, said to be the most of any character that Disney markets, are estimated to be in the region of three billion to six billion dollars a year, and the lawsuit represents a considerable threat to the companys movement in the future. Stakeholder analy sisStakeholders are persons, groups or institutions with interests in a project or programme. According to McLarney (2002) there are two types of stakeholders primary or key stakeholders, and secondary ones. Primary stakeholders are those ultimately affected, either positively (beneficiaries) or negatively (for example, those involuntarily resettled). Secondary stakeholders are the intermediaries in the aid delivery process. McLarney (2002) suggest that the group of primary stakeholders consist of shareholders, employees and customers.Shareholders Shareholders can be considered as one of the most influential type of primary stakeholders as they might exert direct or indirect control over the strategic action of the company. That is why one of the Disneys overriding objectives is to create shareholder value by go along to be the worlds premier entertainment company from a creative, strategic, and financial standpoint. Shareholders evaluation of the companys current and future perfor mance has a direct effect on the companys stakes value.The recent process of Comcast Corporation for The Walt Disney Company (Business Week, 2004) exemplified the way market evaluation might determine the bidding process during the possible merging. This group expect the company to deliver consistent sound financial performance what will be a proof that the company can fulfil its missions objectives. Employees Employees have a direct influence over the quality of the business concept delivery.According to Drucker (1998) employee possess important tacit and explicit knowledge, which can significantly contribute to the learning capability of the company, especially during business process reengineering and continuous improvement activities. They expect to work for the socially responsible company, which is adherent to its mission and brand promise. They also expect certain degree of involvement in decision making, personal development and adequate performance appraisal. Customers Cus tomers have a direct influence over companys profitability.According to Kotler et al. (1999) the direction of customers attitude formation may determine the success and failure of particular goods or brand. Customers expect the company to deliver the quality promised by the brand, and communicated to them through various promotion mix activities. The issue of companys social responsibility, especially in the case of Walt Disney is crucial, as the company is involved in characterbased merchandise which is heavily dependant on the proliferation of specific token of particular characters. ConclusionThe analysis of the current PESTEL factors identified the particular importance of socio-cultural, political and legal, economic, technological and environmental factors on the environment. All of these factors determine the success of operations. If socio-cultural and economic factors affect the demand patterns and vulnerability of strategic development, other factors create the conditions for value chain architecture. The review of environmental factors identified the opportunities to improve financial health, capitalize on the growth of advertising market and develop further ifferentiation using technological solutions. At the same time economic conditions and copyright issue create serious threats to the company. The analysis of five forces identified the strong power of buyers and the analysis of strategic capability be the following strengths diversified portfolio, fast and intensive transfer of operational capabilities and the experience of running the international operations. At the same time the current portfolio management and the dependence of certain business units on various external factors were defined as major weaknesses.The paper identified various feasible opportunities. The analysis of current capabilities along with the further development of technological solutions create strong case for the development of customer relations management based on database marketing techniques. Besides the company might pursue the development of new ICT technologies. The current success of Mission SPACE attractions show vast market opportunities with regards to the introduction of new entertainment experience. The company may develop superior market segmentation.The high influence of social factor and the influence of fashion trends on market demand and product life cycles create the space for niche market strategies. The stakeholder analysis defined three types of key stakeholders, as shareholders, employees and customers, who might exert sufficient influence on the strategic development of the company. references Bennett, R. (1999) Corporate strategy 2nd ed. London pecuniary Times Bradley F. (1999) International marketing strategy third edn. Addison-Wesley Publishing Calton J. nd Kurland N. (1996) A theory of stakeholder enabling giving voice to an emerging postmodern practice of organizational discourse, Boje D. M. , Gephardt R. P. , Thatchenkey T. J. Postmodern Management and Organizational Theory Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. Chaffey D. (2002) E-business and e-commerce management strategy, implementation and practice Harlow Financial Times scholar Hall Datamonitor (2003) orbicular media Industry profile, Datamonitor, June Datamonitor (2004) Walt Disney Company profile, Datamonitor DAgostino D. 2003) Walt Disney World Resorts and CRM Strategy, eWeek, 01/12 Drucker P. (1998) Managements new paradigms, Forbes, 05/10. Grant, R. M. (1998) Contemporary strategy analysis concepts, techniques, applications 3rd ed. Malden, Mass. Oxford Blackwell Hill C. (2002) International business competing in the global marketplace 4th edn. Irwin McGraw-Hill London Kotler P. , Bowen J. , Mak J. (1999) Marketing for hospitality and tourism 2nd edn. Upper Saddle River Prentice Hall Mintel (2003) Leisure Business UK, Mintel International Group Limited, AugustPorter M. (1990) The competitive advantage of nations London Macmil lan, Wit B. and Meyer R. (1998) Strategy process, content, context an international perspective 2nd edn. London International Thomson Business Hoovers Online Official site www. hoovers. com Appendix i Portfolio vs core competence perspectives Portfolio Core Competences Emphasis on Responsiveness over synergy Synergy over responsiveness View of competition Firms compete within a business Corporations compete across business Competitive strategy at Business level Corporate level Key success factors Responsiveness to business demands Competence leverage Corporate composition Potentially unrelated (diverse) Shared competence base (focused) Mulitibusiness synergy Cash flow optimization Rapid competence building Primary task corporate centre bully allocation to SBUs Competence development & application Position of Business units amplyly autonomous (independent) Highly integrated (interdependent) Co-ordination between SBUs Low, incidental High, geomorphologic Corporate con trol style Setting financial objectives Joint strategy development Diversification acquisitions Simple to accommodate Difficult to integrate Adopted from Witt and Meyer (1998) Competitors High New entrants Low Buyers (bargaining power) High Substitutes High Suppliers

Julius Caesar Seminar Questions

Julius Caesar Seminar Questions 1. When Caesar says that Cassius thinks too much, I agree. Cassius tends to look into the details and over think wide situations. He becomes very meticulous about how the group of the conspirators is organized. Also, while Cassius is the one who originally comes up with the approximation of the conspiracy and that he wants Brutus to be in charge, he thinks done the plan, yet does non want to take responsibility. Cassius just about argues with himself, due to too many thoughts running through his mind. He thinks about so vile a thing as Caesar But, O grief, where hast thou led me?I perhaps speak this before a willing bondman. Then I k presently my answer essential be made. But I am armed and dangers to me indifferent, (1. 3. 11-115), proving that his thoughts ar all over the place. 2. Brutus does not want the conspirators to swear an condemnation of allegiance because he feels that it is bad to think that or our cause or our performance did need an oath when both drop of blood that all roman letters bears, and nobly bears is guilty, (2. 1. 136-139). Brutus obviously feels that if their intentions and motivations to carrying out the assassination of Caesar, they do not need an oath.An oath causes people to induce lazy because they begin to lean on the idea that, no matter what happens. 3. Caesars response to Calphurnias fears adds credence to Brutus and Cassius fears about Caesar because he does not heed warnings. This response ability add to the pattern Caesar might follow when other senators bring up new ideas. This can be very serious for others that want to see somewhat of a say when it comes to their whimsy on a serious matter. Calpurnia notes that his wisdom is consumed in confidence, (2. 2. 49), showing that Caesar has the idea that what he thinks is what is to happen, without any other opinion. 4.The significance of Caesars north star linguistic communication at the Capitol is that Caesar establishes his ide als around his role in power. Caesar frames his arrogance and stubborn nature by stating there is no fellow in the familyament, (3. 1. 62). In his eyes, he walks on water to all of those that are his supporters and followers. Caesar is overly confident, providing reason to the motivations of the conspirators in their quest to assassinate Caesar. 5. The third plebeians cry of Let him be Caesar, (3. 2. 52) is wry because, while the people do not know of the truth being the conspiracy, the goal was to take out Caesar, not replace him.While their quest seems successful, the true hardships have yet to begin. 6. In the play, Shakespeare portrays the common man as almost incoherent. The people constantly seem to be easily swayed by the words of each and every important character. Also, all of the common people are followers. Not one stands up to the officials. At one moment, they are saying, This Caesar was a tyrant, (3. 2. 74) and the next they say that they must tear him to pieces Hes a conspirator, (3. 3. 29), now angered with the retaliation against Caesar. 7. Shakespeare portrays the noblemen in the play as gallant but also cowards.While they follow through with what they originally decide to believe in, in the end, they are left questioning their motives. While I commend them for following through with their original endeavors, they begin to get rather atrocious. An example is when Antony creates a hit list and says that, these many, then, shall die their names are pricked, (4. 1. 1-2). The noblemen want to be noble and abide byable, yet they go to such brutal extremes. 8. The idea that Brutus never gives in to Cassius shows a little bit of stubbornness, but it also shows determination. Brutus feels that he knows what is best for the conspirators.The difference between the ways Brutus is resilient and that of Cassius is how firm Brutus is. He makes his point, but shows its advantages to different members. He shows compassion when he says that when every dro p of blood every Roman bears, and nobly bears, is guilty of a several(prenominal) bastardy if he do break the smallest particle of any promise that hath passed from him, (2. 1. 134-140). Brutus is saying that an oath would be pointless because if a man were held responsible for every promise he ever broke, the consequences would be endless. 9. Calpurnia and Portia both seem like protective and honorable wives.Calpurnia is more focused on her husband taking his warnings seriously. She is not focused on the details of everything that happens, but is focused on the main idea that Caesars, her husband, life is in danger. Portia, on the other hand, is more focused on what Brutus is doing. She wants to be informed of the action rather than simply protecting her husband from what is happening, whether she as an explanation or not. She is angered that, at the moment, apparently, within the bond of nuptialsit is expected I should know no secrets that appertain to you Brutus, (2. 1. 280-282) . She feels wronged by this.Portia is driven by facts and information, while Calpurnia is driven by intuition and her feelings. 10. Cassius tells Brutus that if he himself fears the reign of Caesar, that he, Brutus, must stop it. Cassius provides Brutus with logical and emotional factors for reasons as to why Brutus should lead the conspiracy. Cassius informs Brutus that, There was a Brutus once that would have brooked th eternal devil to keep his landed estate in Rome as easily as a king, (1. 2. 159-160). Cassius makes the point that Brutus would never let Rome fall by the hands of Caesar. Cassius is basically notice Brutus what to think and what to feel.While this is cleverly manipulative of Cassius, it shows that Brutus has some mental weakness due to the fact that he is even able to be subject to mind games. 11. Brutus and Cassius are both leaders. While Brutus takes charge and responsibility of the conspiracy, Cassius is the one who took responsibility of persuading Brutus to join in and become the leader. While this shows a manipulative side of Cassius, Brutus has the same. He manages to convince all of the conspirators that an official oath is not necessary, when, in reality, it is often used as a sacred promise to follow through with a plan.In my mind, a sacred oath would have been somewhat important to the success of the plan, but, as Brutus points out, what other oath than honesty to honesty engaged that this shall be, (2. 1. 126-128). In Brutus mind, honesty and honor is all that is needed in a group decision to proceed with the assassination of Caesar. Cassius strongly disagrees, but, while both men have conflicting ideas, their spirit values are quite similar, showing in their agreement to create the conspiracy. 12. Cassius wants to create the conspiracy for more personal reasoning.Cassius, speaking about Caesar, notes that this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature and must bend his body, (1. 2. 115-117). From this, one can tell that Cassius is more focused on his personal aspirations to be free of Caesars grip on politics. Brutus, on the other hand, is more focused on the well being of the people of Rome. He wants them to have a fair, focused, and just ruler. While Brutus and Cassius motives for enabling the conspiracy could not be more different, the men find common ground on which they agree to attempt a successful assassination of Caesar.