The media’s recent focus Essay Example for Free

The media’s recent focus Essay Every year, the number of obese Americans is increasing dramatically, and it’s spreading all over the nation like an epidemic. But this is old news – this issue has been talked about decades ago, as it spread rapidly across all the states during the 1990s. Despite all the efforts by the government to solve this epidemic, people continue to grow fatter and fatter. What could be the key to solving this problem? Lately, the issue has been given special attention by the media. They’re not only calling for individual initiative to solve obesity, but also for changes in the physical education programs of our country in order to cope with this matter. But can media attention really affect change on this one? Annual national reports on obesity showed that instead of decreasing, adult obesity rates in the country rose in 31 states as of last year. Obesity policies are really failing in the United States right now, despite all the efforts by the government to stop the problem (Gutin, Riggs, Ferguson, Owens, 1999). According to the reports, there has been a major breakthrough in terms of drawing the attention of the people to the obesity epidemic. All eyes and ears were on the issue, yet the mouths continued to feed. What the country need is a breakthrough in terms of policies and results, as the poor nutrition practices and physical inactivity of most Americans are making the case much worse, affecting the people’s health and productivity (Labbe Welsh, 1993). Because of this, the approach shifts from the individual American, towards various groups and institutions like families, communities, schools, employers, food and drinks companies, health professionals, and government at local and national levels. There were some recommendations given in order to solve the problem of Obesity. One is the involvement of the federal government, by developing and implementing a national strategy that would clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the state and of the localities in dealing with these concerns (Hart, 2005). Another is the promotion of a healthy lifestyle by giving Americans the necessary tools for them to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity, like in schools and offices. Additional researches on how to promote these healthy choices are also being encouraged. There are various strategies that could encourage people to make healthier decisions, but more research is needed for it to be effectively promoted (Crawford, 2005). In the heat of the obesity epidemic issue, Physical Education programs is one of the ways that authorities see as a means to solve the problem. The current Physical Education programs in various institutions may be assumed ineffective in curbing the obesity problem. It is expected that these programs would be changed in such a way that it could deal with the problem of obesity. It will be intensified to accommodate the need of the Americans to shed off fats. With a lifestyle such as ours, it is impossible not to grow fat, so the best way to counter this is enough amount physical activities. This is hard to impose on every individual, that’s why the government should effectively plan on how to get every American moving. With the media’s attention focused on the obesity epidemic, we are able to see the real situation that we have in hand. The media served as a mirror to reflect our fat, bulging bodies, and hopefully, it would make us realize that we have to act quickly, or else. The success of any government effort to curb obesity doesn’t lie much on the policy or the policy makers, instead, it is up to the people to decide whether it’s effective or not. References: Crawford, S. A. (2005). Has the decline of intramural sports contributed to the youth obesity epidemic?The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation Dance, Vol. 76(Issue 1), 3p. Gutin, B. , Riggs, S. , Ferguson, M. , Owens, S. (1999). Description and process evaluation of a physical training program for obese children. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 5p. Hart, M. A. (2005). Influence of a physical education methods course on elementary education majors knowledge of fundamental movement skills. Physical Educator, 7p. Labbe, A. E. , Welsh, C. (1993). Children and running: changes in physical fitness, self-efficacy, and health locus of control. Journal of Sport Behavior, Vol. 16(Issue 2), 13p.

American Dream In the 1920s Essay Example for Free

American Dream In the 1920s Essay In the 1920s, many Americans were trying to achieve the infamous â€Å"American Dream.† The dream was to be rich, successful, happy, and one of the social elites. However, even though this was the dream for Americans in the 1920s, the general standard has changed over the years into the present time. Since the 1920s, the dream of putting a high emphasis on an individualistic and materialistic life has evolved into a present day dream of working hard, holding a well-paying job, and raising a family. The 1920s was an era of declined social and moral values, as shown by its increased pursuit of pleasure. When World War I ended in 1918, the young Americans who had fought the war became deeply disillusioned, as the battles that they had just fought in made the Victorian social morality of the early 1920s seem like hypocrisy. This caused those that had fought in the war to not care as much about upholding traditional morals. Also, since World War I was the â€Å"war to end all wars,† Americans were quite optimistic during the 1920s. The uncontrolled satisfaction that led to self-indulgent parties and wild jazz music resulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the uninhibited desire for pleasure exceeded other, less important goals. Americans’ pursuit of pleasure in the 1920s resulted ultimately in a decline in values. Many of the values of today’s dream are similar to those of the 1920s. The dream today does consist of pleasure and happiness. However, the dream of the 1920s was to put a much stronger emphasis on it than today’s dream does. The values and morals today are also more widely accepted by the general public. An example of this is women wearing bathing suits to a public beach. In the 1920s, it was bad enough that those bathing suits were even the l east bit revealing. Today, however, it is perfectly acceptable for women to wear bikinis to a public beach, which are much more revealing than those of the 1920s. This is because the standard has gradually changed over time. Many of the values of the 1920s were extremely new and deviated from the norm greatly. The â€Å"new† values crashed right into the 1920s with the emergence of the flapper, a new generation of women who bobbed their hair, wore short skirts, and listened to jazz music. People had no time to adapt to these values. On the other hand, the values of the modern American dream were gradually incorporated. Americans today have been around these values long enough that they are now accustomed to them. During the 1920s, family life was both similar and different than it is now. Advancements in industrial production and technology enabled ordinary Americans to acquire what once had been unattainable luxuries, such as automobiles. These luxuries that were part of everyday family life in the 1920s are still part of the dream today. There are, however, differences between family life of the 1920s and modern family life. In the 1920s, husbands were the â€Å"breadwinners† for their families. While the men were at work, their wives cooked, cleaned, and looked after the home. Wives also did most of the raising of the children. Women in the 1920s did hold jobs, but that was something more for young, single women. Married women typically did not obtain a job because it would cause them to take their focus off of taking care of their family. The dream today is that both men and women perform equal shares of raising the family. Instead of just the men holding jobs, women also hold jobs today. Instead of just the women caring for the home and children, men also take part. Through these efforts, Americans can hope to achieve the part of the dream of raising a family. Throughout the 1920s, Americans went on a spending spree. The rise of the stock market led to a sudden increase in the national wealth and created a society full of materialism. People began to consume and spend more than ever, and they had the idea that money and popularity would solve everything. A person from any social background could, potentially, strike a fortune. Speculators and industrialists who achieved the American dream in the 1920s of â€Å"getting rich† were labeled the â€Å"new money.† The aristocracy disliked the new money. The so-called â€Å"old money,† families that had always had money that was passed down from generation to generation, felt that the â€Å"get rich quick† ways of earning money were not as fulfilling as the traditional ways. Today, money is valued differently than it was in the 1920s. The dream is not centered so much around money as it used to be. Yes, money is still just as important, but people nowadays keep other goals in mind other than just earning money. The dream today consists of having a job that pays well and that is enjoyable, not just a job that only pays well. Another part of the American dream that women had in the 1920s was equal rights with men. The ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which allowed women the right to vote, helped them come even closer to having equal rights with men. In the dream today, women seem to not be as concerned about women’s rights as they did in the 1920s. This is due to the fact that most of the work that needed to be done has already been done, such as the women’s rights movement and the ratification of the nineteenth amendment. Today, on average, women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. Women still hold far less ownership, CEO, and other high positions within companies than men. These two facts are evidence that work still remains in the struggle for equal rights for women. However, women definitely came a long way and it is only a matter of time before they are equal with men, for most of the work has already been done. In the 1920s, there seems to have been an American dream that everyone was trying to achieve. Many people looked and some still do look toward this as a model for their own individual American dreams. However, even though this might have been the dream for many Americans in the 1920s, the general standard sure has changed over the years into the present time. Since the 1920s, the dream of putting a high emphasis on â€Å"materialistic† life has evolved into a present day dream of working hard, holding a well-paying job, and raising a family.

Contemporary relevance of Porter’s Five Forces to corporate strategy

Contemporary relevance of Porter’s Five Forces to corporate strategy Introduction Porters Five Forces introduced back in 1979 by Michael E. Porter from Harvard University in his first book Competitive Strategy. It becomes international best seller, and considered by many to be a definitive work on corporate strategy. The book itself had been published in nineteen languages and re-printed almost sixty times, changes the way business leaders thought and remains a guide of choice for strategic managers the world over. It has become an important tool for analyzing an industry structure and strategy process [Morrison M., 2008]. Porters work has had a greater influence on business strategy than any other theory in the last half of the twentieth century [referenceforbusiness.com]. The tool provides a simple perspective for assessing the position and competitiveness of a corporation or business organization within the industry. Porter points out five forces which the upturn and downturn, will affect the profitability and existence for a corporation or business organizatio n. Business leaders and managers might be interested in this paper for the purpose of this paper is to discuss the contemporary relevance of Porters Five Forces to corporate strategy. An attempt also being made to find what is missing from this model related to corporate strategy in current business environment. In so doing, a comparison will be made between Porters Five Forces and another tool for corporate strategy. Another assessment made concerning the business environment in Porters era and current business environment. Porters Five Forceshttp://wiki.telfer.uottawa.ca/ci-wiki/images/e/e4/Porters.gif The development of this framework is based on the idea of attractiveness of an industry. As for the attractiveness itself, is determined by the profitability within the industry. More profit means the industry is more attractive and low profitability means a low attractive industry. The way of thinking in the model is to achieve a better competitive position against other players. The competitive advantages developed from strengthening the own position within this Five Forces. The Five Forces framework is based on microeconomics. It considers supply and demand, substitutes and complementary product, and the relationship between production volume and cost of production; also the market structures such as monopoly, oligopoly, or perfect competition. Threat of new entry The chances in which new competitors can enter the market and drive the current players price down. The threat to entry depends on six major forces of barriers which Porters describes as: economics of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, cost disadvantages independent of size, access to distribution channel, and government policy. The decision of the new-comer also pretty much influenced by their expectation on the existing player. If the incumbents known for previously fought vigorously to new entrants, or possess such substantial resources to fight back (such as excess cash, unused borrowing power, available productive capacity, or clout with distribution channel and customers), the new entrants will likely to have second thought on entering the market. This also happened if they know that the incumbents seem likely to cut the prices. New entrants fear more also when the industry growth is so slow so that newcomers can gain volume only if they take it from the incu mbents. Bargaining power of supplier Another force Porter mention in the model is how powerful the supplier to drive up the prices of is corporate input. The term supplier includes all sources of input that are needed to provide the product. A supplier of group is powerful when it is dominated by few companies and more concentrated than the industry it sells to. The products are also differentiated or unique means relatively no substitutes for the particular input so that it built up the switching cost. The power of supplier also increase when there is a possibility for the supplier for integrating forwards in order to obtain high prices or so. Also when the industry is not an important customer of the supplier group or when it is not obliged to contend with other products for sale to the industry. Bargaining power of customer Similarly, bargaining power of customer settle on how powerful is the customer can impose pressure on margins and demands. Buyer are powerful if it is purchase in large volumes and/or the product it purchases is standard or undifferentiated, means they can always find alternative suppliers. Customer will also become more powerful if the products it purchases from the industry form a component of its product and represent an significant fraction of its cost, in other words, the customer become more price sensitive. Furthermore when they know that the company earns low profits, which create great incentives to lower its purchasing cost; and when the industrys product is unimportant to the quality of the buyers product or services, then the bargaining of customer increase. More threat comes from the possibility of the customer to integrating backward and has the ability to produce the product themselves. Another factor mentioned by Porter is that customer will be more prices sensitive w hen they recognize that the industrys product does not save the buyer money. He gave an example of logging of oil wells, where an accurate survey can save thousands of dollars in drilling costs, therefore affect the market price. Substitute products The extent of which substitute product can be used in place of one product. Porter highlighted the characteristics of substitute products that deserve the most attention as those products that are subjects to trends improving their price-performance trade-off with the industry product or are produced by industries earning high profit. Porter also said that substitutes come into play when the competition within industry increases which lead to price reduction or performance improvement. Jockeying among competitor for position within industry This factor describes the strength or the intensity of competitiveness among the existing players within the industry. High rivalry limits the profitability of an industry. Factors that shape the intense rivalry in a industry are: (a) payers are roughly equal in size and power (b) the growth of the industry is slow, precipitating fights for market share (c) lacks of differentiation and switching cost of the products (d) strong willingness to cut the price either because the fixed cost are high or the product is perishable (e) high barriers to exit the industry (f) capacity is normally augmented in large increments, and (g) diversity of strategies, origins, and personalities of the rivals. Other than the intensity, the dimension basis in which the rivalry takes place also reflects the strength of the rivalry such as price, products features, support service, delivery time, and brand image. Whether the competition takes place in the same dimension, or the rivals converge to compete on same dimensions. Strategy Crafting What do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desire results? The answer to this you can call  strategy. William E Rothschild, Former General Electric Corporate Strategist, CEO of  Rothschild Strategies Unlimited LLC Corporate strategy is about how a firm or business organization should make a decision of series of steps to achieve the desired goal. To create the best decision, the decision maker must be able to analyze the current and expected factors associated with internal as well as external environment. With strategy, one company can be more prepared and comfortable to operate on the market, because good strategy should have examined all the forces involved in business activities. Strategy planning can be developed in three levels, which are: company level, business unit level, and functional or departmental level [Morrison M., 2008]. Corporate strategy Æ’Â ¨ concerned with overall purpose and scope of the business to meet stakeholder expectations. This level of strategy concerned with the selection of business in which the company should compete and with the development and coordination of the portfolio of business. This is a crucial level since it is heavily influenced by the investors in the business and acts to guide strategic decision making throughout the business. Corporate strategy is often stated explicitly in a mission statement along with the formulation of visions and goals. It also decide on how business unit to be governed; through direct corporate intervention (centralization) or through autonomous government (decentralization). Corporate strategy also seeks to developed synergies across the business units. Business Unit StrategyÆ’Â ¨ is concerned more with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. It concerns strategic decision about choice of products, meeting needs of customer, gaining advantage over competitors, exploiting or creating new opportunities or market, etc. The strategic issues is about developing and sustaining a competitive advantage for the product and service that are produced. Functional or Departmental Strategy Æ’Â ¨ the strategy level of the operating divisions. It is concerned with how each part of the business is organized to deliver the corporate and business unit level strategic directions. The functional units translate them into discrete action plans that each division must accomplished for the strategy to succeed. Operational strategy therefore focuses on issues of resources, processes, people, etc. Functional units involved in higher level strategies by providing input into the business unit level and corporate level strategy, such as providing information on customer feedback. Business environment in current era Current business environment much likely to be characterized by more dynamic market situation. The digitalization and globalization contribute to this dynamic movement. The power of information technology (IT) grows more and more each day. And as it grows, all players in the market can have access to more information. The world is flat, globalization made great improvement in distribution of logistics and communication, enable all business to operate globally. Meanwhile, the customers have the chance to shop also on a global level, and compare the prices globally. The trends and demand now changed as the increased commoditization in so many areas. Companies now must be able to differentiate themselves by give more value for their products. One way to do that is by improving customer experience, through the improvement in the service area. Customers now want individual service and attention, and have high expectations for the goods and services they buy. Other tools for corporate strategy David P. Baron nonmarket approach: 4Is Business environment consist of market and nonmarket environment. An effective corporate strategy must be able to facilitate both market and non-market goals of the company. In relation to this, Baron introduced his 4Is, with emphasis on non-market environment. This framework together with Porters Five Forces formed the integrated strategies. The nonmarket environments are social, political, and legal setting that affects the interaction of the corporation outside and in conjunction with, the market environment. Barons define the characteristics as four Is. The first is Issues, of what nonmarket strategies address. Issues in nonmarket environment cover the regulations, proposed laws, court judgments, etc. Second is set of relevant institutions for the particular industry. Regulators or government is usually always become the relevant official body that affect a corporation decision making process. NGOs are also another example of institutions. Interests are individuals and groups with preferences about the industry. Baron includes this factor to address the identity and goals of those with a stake in the issue. Also information concerning with what the interested parties know or believe about the relation between actions and consequences and about the preferences and capabilities of the interested parties. This factor let us to think, what info needed to reach the goal? what is persuasive for the other parties? Prejudices, rumors, state reports, almost all public relations stuff is included in this factor. SWOT model Æ’Â ¨ covering external and internal forces Another tools being used for corporate strategy is SWOT. SWOT models addressing the internal and external forces. The Strength defines what characteristics impose by a company that can be used to keep hold on the market or even expand it. Weakness is really the opposite, this factors is any kind of lack the company has that can affect its existence in a bad way. Both strength and weakness is internal factors. Meanwhile, the external factor is covered by the Opportunity and Threat. Opportunity discuss about all issues or current condition of the environment that can give a better chance for the company to improve the operation. The threat talks about all threatening situation from the environment in which the company operates. More of this are, opportunity and threat, be explored more in Porters Five Forces model. Contemporary relevance between Porters Five Forces and corporate strategy Any organization, especially ones dealing with corporation or business environment realize that their success depend on both internal and external factors. With his Five Forces, Porter tries to emphasis on the most important or most influencing forces to the business profitability and existence. The competitors, the new entrants, new substitute, also the bargaining power of both supplier and buyer covered most aspects of a business activity. Indeed, Porters Five Model focuses heavily in competitive strategy, which is essential. To be specific, the Five Forces, mentioning competition, are related more to analysis of external forces from the market environment of the strategy. Of course, all business organization will always seek the best way to maximize corporate profit and determining the attractiveness of an industry. This is a need that will always be in managers mind in every industry, from every era. Therefore, through his model, Porters tries to give a framework that can help the decision maker to create a strategy where enable the company to stay in the market, defend their current position, and even grow the market size. It supports the decisions about to enter or to exit from an industry or market. As a business leader, it is important to understand the competition in the industry. The model can be used to compare the impact of one competitive force on our own company and to the impact on the competitors. With the knowledge of power and intensity of competitive forces, the strategy can be developed in way that gives the company options to influence the forces to improve their own position, such as new positioning or differentiation of product. It also gives the details on how to prevent the new entrants. Not only new entrants, the strategy should be able to cope with the substitute product that is getting more and more accessible now for the customer. Bargaining power of supplier and buyer is more relevant to supply and demand. It is essential to know which side of supply and demand equation our business is referring to. The framework tells us how profitability can be affected, in good way and in bad way from the context of industry rivalry and competition. It creates to positi on the firm to leverage its strengths and defend against the unfavorable effects from the five forces. Generally speaking, the model talked about the profitability and survival of a company. Referring to the definition of corporate strategy, Porters Five Forces seems irrelevant. Corporate strategy designs the grand strategy for the company grand purpose. And almost no company has a mission statement for to be the most profitable or so. Most company longing for sustainability; to be able to hold on success for a long term period. They achieve this by creating more value through their business, managing portfolio business, and developing business units; things that we dont learned through Porters Five Forces. Profitability is just one way to get to the grand purpose. That is the reason why, for the grandiose strategy of a company, to be based on only Porters that is focus on profitability, is unadvisable. The strategy such as focus and differentiation for competitiveness can be implemented at business unit level strategy to create competitive advantage. It may be relevant in corporate l evel as for the interest of stakeholder, indirectly. When the business unit strategy is achieved the desired goal, which most likely to be more profit, this is also will considered as favorable by the investors. Corporate strategy also concerned about the development and coordination of portfolio of business. The complexity that portfolio has cannot be found in the Porters model. Multi-variance product, multi-company in different industries, all this density of current market environment made Porters Five Forces become less practical. Other relevance is the dimension of competition. It is something that decided at the corporate level. Porters mentioning that based on the competitive advantages, we must choose the dimension of competition and it is best to create a battle field in that dimension, not in other dimension. This is about knowing our company competitive advantages and where to compete and win over the rivalry. What others are missing? Porters Five Forces did not describing the other external factor like regulator and social environment of the company. Porters Five Forces made based on the economic situation on the eighties. During early eighties, the economic situation is more stable and predictable development in industries compared to today dynamics. It is also characterized by cyclical growth and also by strong competition [D. Recklies, website]. Thus, in Porters era, the main objectives of many business organization or corporation are profitability and survival. Porters model focuses on analysis of the actual situation of companys customers, supplier, and competitor; and predictable development from new entrants as well as substitutes. Global and networked markets, as mentioned previously, force the business players to think more in the corporate strategies. Now, it is not enough to only position oneself as a price-leader or quality leader. Competitive advantages now comes from the ability of the company to de velop a way to maintain the relationship with more mobile customer and also to manage the networks that could be located in other part of the world. Porters Five Forces treats customer and supplier as third parties, which they no longer are. Corporate, suppliers, and customer now have extended relationship. And how this relationship managed is not less important than competitive advantages, because it creates values which harder to obtained and maintained than profits. This side of Porters Five Forces, lack of value-adding analysis made Porters Five Forces is less applicable in corporate strategy. In addition to that, in spite of always strengthening position within the industry with competitive advantages to compete against the competitor, co-operation with competitor by mergers and acquisition is also one way to maintain the existence and survival of a business organization. Hence, this model cannot keep up with dynamic situation in the current business environment. Globalization and digitalization Porters did not include how technology developed and that it is a strong force on competitiveness. Whereas, Porter did not explicitly mention it as a force, but it IS there. New entrant and new substitutes could mean that the competitor could have innovations background. New machines can affect the bargaining power of supplier too, in example. Not to mention how information spread unbelievably fast, and wide, around the internet. Experts coined the term of internet economy for this decades in which internet have been so embedded in everyday life. Various e-business applications have strongly influenced almost all industries. The development of the information system gives new opportunity for players from outside industry to chance the basis of competition in a market. Porter did not mention how technology will affect the competitiveness. The difference is that on Porters era, technology is something more like a tool to implement the change. But now, with its more rapid growth compare to eighties, technology has become a most important driver to a change. Non-market environment Needless to say, nonmarket environment, as brought up by Baron, also one important forces that must be considered in crafting the strategy. Any kind of corporation or business organization must dealing with social, politics, and legal arrangement, directly and indirectly. Of course, Baron extended work from Porters Five Forces expected to be able to give the best model to develop the so-called integrated strategy. Dynamic market structure Porters model assumes relatively static market structure. Yet, todays market is far from static. Dynamic market entrants, supported by more technological breakthrough, may change the entry barriers, the business model within short time. The model also assumes that all companies always try to get competitive advantages and win over other player in the industry. The dynamic market structure have new way of thinking of survival than to compete and kill each other. It is designed to analyze individual business performance. It is not considers strategies such as synergies and strategic alliances (mergers, acquisition), electronic linking of information system of all companies along a value chain, virtual enterprise-networks or others [D. Recklies]. This model also cannot assist the more complex structures of industries. The analysis cannot cope with multiple group products, by-products, and segments. And narrowing the focus only in one industry is too risky in todays corporate strategy. T his model also not yet considering that sometimes it may be possible to create new market than compete in the existing market. Nevertheless, later in his paper on 2008, he includes how technology is one factor that can greatly affect competitiveness and rivalry in an industry. Not only had that, he also included other factors such as government and complementary product that can affect the companys profitability. In this paper, he also mentioned how a change in industry structure shifts each of the five forces. In general, Porters Five Model has some limitation in todays market environment application and on its relevance with corporate strategy. In relation to corporate strategy, Porters model might be a little help for defining in which dimension or market out company wants to operate, although this dimension might be converted again once the strategy derived to business unit level. However, with all the lack Porters Five Forces had, the model is not completely obsolete to current business. Porters is an economist, so the model is basically the simple way of how he describes the microeconomics. He describes the attractiveness of the industry that is influenced by the five forces. This is also explains why the model always repeat and focusing more in profitability; for economics talks about profit maximization. Even now, business still operates in five forces framework describes by Porter. The model enable the decision maker, the managers, to think about the environment surrounding their i ndustries in a structured way, easy-to-understand way as a starting point for further analysis. Conclusion In summary, while Porters Five Forces seems less reliable concerning the current competitiveness in the industry (in terms of technology or innovations involvement), it is still manage to help strategic focus of the company in profitability and survival within the industry. The models assist more in business unit level strategy and less applicable in corporate strategy level. Corporate level strategy talks more about value which we hardly find in the Five Forces. Yet, indirectly the success in business unit level strategy supports the achievement of corporate strategy. Porters Five Forces is still relevant to current strategy planning, yet today business players must considered more things such as the growth of globalization and technology and how it will affect the other factors, if not creating its own forces. The tremendous growth of technology nowadays cant be separated in any aspects of life, and that including corporate strategy. However it might be, technology leads to innovation which will influence the every step a company have to defend its market and even expand its market. Certainly, a corporate strategy should not be carelessly made without take note of the non-market environment. In addition to that, examination on the nonmarket environment also should be conducted to support the strategy on market environment of a company. Another kind of analysis also may be needed to examine the dynamic state of markets. Porters framework becomes one of the tools in developing a strategy, maybe as a starting point, but not the most important or the only model being used. A good strategy never should use only one or few model as a basis.

Social Conflict and Rebellion in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the S

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun, relates the story of a working-class African-American family with dreams. They are willing to rebel against the position that society has forced on them because of their race and class in order to fulfill their dreams. Walter Younger is a chauffeur who "can find no peace with that part of society which seems to permit him and no entry into that which has willfully excluded him" (Willie Loman 23). He wants to rise into wealth and live as his employer, Mr. Arnold, does. Walter feels as if he is going crazy at times. He tells Mama, "sometimes it's like I can see the future stretched out in front of me-just plain as day.... Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me- a big looming blank space-full of nothing.... But it don't have to be" (73-4). James Draper explains Walter's inability to act out in his work " Black Literature Criticisms," saying: The American ghetto hero may give up and contemplate his misery in rose-colored bars to the melodies of hypnotic saxophones, but revolution seems alien to him in his circumstances (America), and it is easier to dream of personal wealth than of a communal state wherein universal dignity is supposed to be corollary. Yet his position in time and space does allow for one other alternative: he may take his place on any one of a number of frontiers of challenge. Challenges (such as helping to break down restricted neighborhoods) which are admittedly limited because they most certainly do not threaten the basic social order. (Draper 214) Walter's sister, Beneatha, who is studying at a local university to be a doctor, fights many of her own social battles. At college, she finds "a place, as her family cannot, among othe... ...oday by minority families.    Works Cited and Consulted: Domina, Lynn. Understanding A Raisin In The Sun.   Conneticut.  Ã‚   Greenwood Press, 1998. Draper, James P. Black Literature Criticisms. Detroit: Gale Research Incorporated, 1992. Hansberry, Lorraine.   A Raisin in the Sun.   New York:   Signet, 1988. Hansberry, Lorraine. "An Author's Reflections: . Willie Loman, Walter Younger, And He Who Must Live" The Village Voice - Aug 12, 1959. Web 23 May 2015 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1299&dat=19590812&id=09pHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NYwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6584,6415280&hl=en Rose, Philip. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON BROADWAY: 'A Raisin in the Sun' and Other Theatrical Improbabilities" Limelight Editions; 1st edition. 2004 Wilkerson, Margaret B. "The Sighted Eyes and Feeling Heart of Lorraine Hansberry." Black American Literature Forum 17.1 (1983): 8-13. Social Conflict and Rebellion in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the S   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun, relates the story of a working-class African-American family with dreams. They are willing to rebel against the position that society has forced on them because of their race and class in order to fulfill their dreams. Walter Younger is a chauffeur who "can find no peace with that part of society which seems to permit him and no entry into that which has willfully excluded him" (Willie Loman 23). He wants to rise into wealth and live as his employer, Mr. Arnold, does. Walter feels as if he is going crazy at times. He tells Mama, "sometimes it's like I can see the future stretched out in front of me-just plain as day.... Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me- a big looming blank space-full of nothing.... But it don't have to be" (73-4). James Draper explains Walter's inability to act out in his work " Black Literature Criticisms," saying: The American ghetto hero may give up and contemplate his misery in rose-colored bars to the melodies of hypnotic saxophones, but revolution seems alien to him in his circumstances (America), and it is easier to dream of personal wealth than of a communal state wherein universal dignity is supposed to be corollary. Yet his position in time and space does allow for one other alternative: he may take his place on any one of a number of frontiers of challenge. Challenges (such as helping to break down restricted neighborhoods) which are admittedly limited because they most certainly do not threaten the basic social order. (Draper 214) Walter's sister, Beneatha, who is studying at a local university to be a doctor, fights many of her own social battles. At college, she finds "a place, as her family cannot, among othe... ...oday by minority families.    Works Cited and Consulted: Domina, Lynn. Understanding A Raisin In The Sun.   Conneticut.  Ã‚   Greenwood Press, 1998. Draper, James P. Black Literature Criticisms. Detroit: Gale Research Incorporated, 1992. Hansberry, Lorraine.   A Raisin in the Sun.   New York:   Signet, 1988. Hansberry, Lorraine. "An Author's Reflections: . Willie Loman, Walter Younger, And He Who Must Live" The Village Voice - Aug 12, 1959. Web 23 May 2015 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1299&dat=19590812&id=09pHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NYwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6584,6415280&hl=en Rose, Philip. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON BROADWAY: 'A Raisin in the Sun' and Other Theatrical Improbabilities" Limelight Editions; 1st edition. 2004 Wilkerson, Margaret B. "The Sighted Eyes and Feeling Heart of Lorraine Hansberry." Black American Literature Forum 17.1 (1983): 8-13.

Geothermal Energy Essays -- Science Energy Chemistry Essays

Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy is a superior source of energy because it is constantly being produced. Radioactive decay of nuclei with long half lives that were imbedded in the Earth’s interior during its genesis accounts for seventy percent of the globe’s internal energy. The remainder of this energy is derived from either the residual heat left over form the Earth’s formation, gravitational forces, or meteorite impacts. Geothermal energy is available anywhere on the planet. On average the Earth emits one sixteenth of a watt per meter squared, however this number can dramatically increase in regions near volcanoes, hot springs and fumaroles. Therefore, the uniqueness of each location around the world causes the Earth’s internal heat to be stored underground in many different natural structures. In some areas, the globe’s heat is stored in the rocks that form the Earth. There is a normal temperature increase, called the Normal Geothermal Gradient, of 30 degrees Celsius for every kilometer dug below the Earth’s surface. However, the precise amount of temperature increase that occurs as one’s depth increases is not a constant over the entire surface, it depends on the rock’s temperature. Therefore, in hotter sections of the planet there is Hot Dry Rock which produces an increase in temperature of forty degrees for every kilometer dug below the surface. In additi on, a reserve of geothermal heat even hotter than the solid rock type is molten magma, which is melted rock. Also, some regions of the planet house underground aquifers that use water to store large quantities of heat. Some areas contain vast hot water pools deep below the surface called Hot Water Reservoirs. In other places the conditions are r... ...ability it will surely be developed much more extensively in the near future. This source of energy will also be able to be used for a long time into the future because geothermal energy’s sources will continue to replace the energy used. In addition, it is estimated that the Earth can produce 600,000 exajoules of energy over five million years. This rate is believed to be enough energy to fulfill human energy requirements for the rest of the biosphere. Sources For my sources, I used the text book, Energy and the Environment and the following websites. †¢ http://www.eren.doe.gov/geothermal/ †¢ http://www.h2ssafety.com/hydrogen_sulfide.htm †¢ http://www.geothermie.de/egec_geothernet/menu/frameset.htm †¢ http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/energy/geothermal/markets.htm †¢ http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/energy/geothermal/ †¢ http://www.ees4.lanl.gov/hdr/

Anarchy :: essays research papers

Anarchism, more than anything else, is about the efforts of millions of revolutionaries changing the world in the last two centuries. Here we will discuss some of the high points of this movement, all of them of a profoundly anti-capitalist nature. Anarchism is about radically changing the world, not just making the present system less inhuman by encouraging the anarchistic tendencies within it to grow and develop. While no purely anarchist revolution has taken place yet, there have been numerous ones with a highly anarchist character and level of participation. And while these have all been destroyed, in each case it has been at the hands of outside force brought against them (backed either by Communists or Capitalists), not because of any internal problems in anarchism itself. These revolutions, despite their failure to survive in the face of overwhelming force, have been both an inspiration for anarchists and proof that anarchism is a viable social theory and can be practised on a large scale. What these revolutions share is the fact they are, to use Proudhon's term, a "revolution from below" -- they were examples of "collective activity, of popular spontaneity." It is only a transformation of society from the bottom up by the action of the oppressed themselves that can create a free society. As Proudhon asked, "[w]hat serious and lasting Revolution was not made from below, by the people?" For this reason an anarchist is a "revolutionary from below." Thus the social revolutions and mass movements we discuss in this section are examples of popular self-activity and self-liberation (as Proudhon put it in 1848, "the proletariat must emancipate itself"). [quoted by George Woodcock, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: A Biography, p. 143 and p. 125] All anarchists echo Proudhon's idea of revolutionary change from below, the creation of a new society by the actions of the oppressed themselves. Bakunin, for example, argued that anarchists are "foes . . . of all State organisations as such, and believe that the people can only be happy and free, when, organised from below by means of its own autonomous and completely free associations, without the supervision of any guardians, it will create its own life." [Marxism, Freedom and the State, p. 63] In section J.7 we discuss what anarchists think a social revolution is and what it involves. It is important to point out that these examples are of wide-scale social experiments and do not imply that we ignore the undercurrent of anarchist practice which exists in everyday life, even under capitalism.

Frostbite Chapter 8

Eight Christian was kissing her, and wow, was it a kiss. He wasn't messing around. It was the kind of kiss that small children shouldn't be allowed to see. Hell, it was the kind of kiss no one should be allowed to see- let alone experience through a psychic link. As I've noted before, strong emotion from Lissa could make this phenomenon happen- the one where I got pulled inside her head. But always, always, it was because of some negative emotion. She'd get upset or angry or depressed, and that would reach out to me. But this time? She wasn't upset. She was happy. Very, very happy. Oh man. I needed to get out of here. They were up in the attic of the school's chapel or, as I liked to call it, their love nest. The place had been a regular hangout for them, back when each of them was feeling antisocial and wanted to escape. Eventually, they'd decided to be antisocial together, and one thing had led to another. Since they started publicly dating, I hadn't known they spent much time here anymore. Maybe they were back for old time's sake. And indeed, a celebration did seem to be going on. Little scented candles were set up around the dusty old place, candles that filled the air with the scent of lilacs. I would have been a little nervous about setting all those candles in a confined space filled with flammable boxes and books, but Christian probably figured he could control any accidental infernos. They finally broke that insanely long kiss and pulled back to look at each other. They lay on their sides on the floor. Several blankets had been spread under them. Christian's face was open and tender as he regarded Lissa, his pale blue eyes aglow with some inner emotion. It was different from the way Mason regarded me. There was certainly adoration with him, but Mason's was a lot like when you walk into a church and fall to your knees in awe and fear of something you worship but don't really understand. Christian clearly worshipped Lissa in his way, but there was a knowing glint to his eyes, a sense that the two of them shared an understanding of each other so perfect and powerful that they didn't even need words to convey it. â€Å"Don't you think we're going to go to hell for this?† asked Lissa. He reached out and touched her face, trailing his fingers along her cheek and neck and down to the top of her silky shirt. She breathed heavily at that touch, at the way it could be so gentle and small, yet evoke such a strong passion within her. â€Å"For this?† He played with the shirt's edge, letting his finger just barely brush inside of it. â€Å"No,† she laughed. â€Å"For this.† She gestured around the attic. â€Å"This is a church. We shouldn't be doing this kind of, um, thing up here.† â€Å"Not true,† he argued. Gently, he pushed her onto her back and leaned over her. â€Å"The church is downstairs. This is just storage. God won't mind.† â€Å"You don't believe in God,† she chastised. Her hands made their way down his chest. Her movements were as light and deliberate as his, yet they clearly triggered the same powerful response in him. He sighed happily as her hands slid under his shirt and up his stomach. â€Å"I'm humoring you.† â€Å"You'd say anything right now,† she accused. Her fingers caught the edge of his shirt and pushed it up. He shifted so she could push it all the way off him and then leaned back over her, bare-chested. â€Å"You're right,† he agreed. He carefully undid one button on her blouse. Just one. Then he again leaned down and gave her one of those hard, deep kisses. When he came up for air, he continued on as though nothing had happened. â€Å"Tell me what you need to hear, and I'll say it.† He unfastened another button. â€Å"There's nothing I need to hear,† she laughed. Another button popped free. â€Å"You can tell me whatever you want- it'd just be nice if it were true.† â€Å"The truth, huh? No one wants to hear the truth. The truth is never sexy. But you †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The last button came undone, and he spread her shirt away. â€Å"You are too goddamned sexy to be real.† His words held his trademark snarky tone, but his eyes conveyed a different message entirely. I was witnessing this scene through Lissa's eyes, but I could imagine what he saw. Her smooth, white skin. Slender waist and hips. A lacy white bra. Through her, I could feel that the lace was itchy, but she didn't care. Feelings both fond and hungry spread over his features. From within Lissa, I could feel her heart race and breathing quicken. Emotions similar to Christian's clouded all other coherent thoughts. Shifting down, he lay on top of her, pressing their bodies together. His mouth sought hers out again, and as their lips and tongues made contact, I knew I had to get out of there. Because I understood it now. I understood why Lissa had dressed up and why the love nest had been decked out like a Yankee Candles showroom. This was it. The moment. After a month of dating, they were going to have sex. Lissa, I knew, had done it before with a past boyfriend. I didn't know Christian's past, but I sincerely doubted many girls had fallen prey to his abrasive charm. But in feeling what Lissa felt, I could tell that none of that mattered. Not in that moment. In that moment, there were only the two of them and the way they felt about each other right now. And in a life filled with more worries than someone her age should have had, Lissa felt absolutely certain about what she was doing now. It was what she wanted. What she'd wanted for a very long time with him. And I had no right to be witnessing it. Who was I kidding? I didn't want to witness it. I took no pleasure in watching other people get it on, and I sure as hell didn't want to experience sex with Christian. It'd be like losing my virginity virtually. But Jesus Christ, Lissa wasn't making it easy to get out of her head. She had no desire to detach from her feelings and emotions, and the stronger they grew, the stronger they held me. Trying to distance myself from her, I focused my energies on coming back to myself, concentrating as hard as I could. More clothes disappeared †¦ Come on, come on, I told myself sternly. The condom came out†¦ yikes. You're your own person, Rose. Get back in your head. Their limbs intertwined, their bodies moving together †¦ Son of a- I ripped out of her and back to myself. Once again, I was back in my room, but I no longer had any interest in packing my backpack. My whole world was askew. I felt strange and violated- almost unsure if I was Rose or if I was Lissa. I also felt that resentment toward Christian again. I certainly didn't want to have sex with Lissa, but there was that same pang inside of me, that frustrated feeling that I was no longer the center of her world. Leaving the backpack untouched, I went right to bed, wrapping my arms around myself and curling into a ball to try to squelch the ache within my chest. I fell asleep pretty quickly and woke up early as a result. Usually, I had to be dragged out of bed to go meet Dimitri, but today I showed up early enough that I actually beat him to the gym. As I waited, I saw Mason cutting across to one of the buildings that held classrooms. â€Å"Whoa,† I called. â€Å"Since when are you up this early?† â€Å"Since I had to retake a math test,† he said, walking over to me. He gave me his mischievous smile. â€Å"Might be worth skipping, though, to hang out with you.† I laughed, remembering my conversation with Lissa. Yes, there were definitely worse things I could do than flirt and start something with Mason. â€Å"Nah. You might get in trouble, then I'd have no real challenge on the slopes.† He rolled his eyes, still smiling. â€Å"I'm the one with no real challenge, remember?† â€Å"You ready to bet on something yet? Or are you still too afraid?† â€Å"Watch it,† he warned, â€Å"or I might take back your Christmas present.† â€Å"You got me a present?† I hadn't expected that. â€Å"Yup. But if you keep back-talking, I might give it to someone else.† â€Å"Like Meredith?† I teased. â€Å"She isn't even in your league, and you know it.† â€Å"Even with a black eye?† I asked with a grimace. â€Å"Even with two black eyes.† The look he gave me just then wasn't teasing or even really suggestive. It was just nice. Nice, friendly, and interested. Like he really cared. After all the stress lately, I decided I liked being cared about. And with the neglect I was starting to feel from Lissa, I realized I also kind of liked having someone who wanted to pay so much attention to me. â€Å"What are you doing on Christmas?† I asked. He shrugged. â€Å"Nothing. My mom almost came down but had to cancel at the last minute †¦ you know, with everything that happened.† Mason's mother wasn't a guardian. She was a dhampir who'd chosen to just be domestic and have kids. As a result, I knew he saw her quite a bit. It was ironic, I thought, that my mom actually was here, but for all intents and purposes, she might as well have been somewhere else. â€Å"Come hang with me,† I said on impulse. â€Å"I'll be with Lissa and Christian and his aunt. It'll be fun.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Very fun.† â€Å"That's not what I was asking about.† I grinned. â€Å"I know. Just be there, okay?† He swept me one of the gallant bows he liked to make. â€Å"Absolutely.† Mason wandered off just as Dimitri showed up for our practice. Talking to Mason had made me feel giddy and happy; I hadn't thought about my face at all with him. But with Dimitri, I suddenly became self-conscious. I didn't want to be anything less than perfect with him, and as we walked inside, I went out of my way to avert my face so he couldn't look at me full-on. Worrying about that brought my mood down, and as it plummeted, all the other things that had been upsetting me came tumbling back. We returned to the training room with the dummies, and he told me he simply wanted me to practice the maneuvers from two days ago. Happy he wasn't going to bring up the fight, I set to my task with a burning zeal, showing the dummies just what would happen if they messed with Rose Hathaway. I knew my fighting fury was fired up by more than just a simple desire to do well. My feelings were out of control this morning, raw and intense after both the fight with my mother and what I'd witnessed with Lissa and Christian last night. Dimitri sat back and watched me, occasionally critiquing my technique and offering suggestions for new tactics. â€Å"Your hair's in the way,† he said at one point. â€Å"Not only are you blocking your peripheral vision, you're running the risk of letting your enemy get a handhold.† â€Å"If I'm actually in a fight, I'll wear it up.† I grunted as I shoved the stake neatly up between the dummy's â€Å"ribs.† I didn't know what these artificial bones were made of, but they were a bitch to work around. I thought about my mom again and added a little extra force to the jab. â€Å"I'm just wearing it down today, that's all.† â€Å"Rose,† he said warningly. Ignoring him, I plunged again. His voice came more sharply the next time he spoke. â€Å"Rose. Stop.† I backed away from the dummy, surprised to find my breathing labored. I hadn't realized I was working that hard. My back hit the wall. With nowhere to go, I looked away from him, directing my eyes toward the ground. â€Å"Look at me,† he ordered. â€Å"Dimitri- â€Å" â€Å"Look at me.† No matter our close history, he was still my instructor. I couldn't refuse a direct order. Slowly, reluctantly, I turned toward him, still tilting my head slightly down so the hair hung over the sides of my face. Rising from his chair, he walked over and stood before me. I avoided his eyes but saw his hand move forward to brush back my hair. Then it stopped. As did my breathing. Our short-lived attraction had been filled with questions and reservations, but one thing I'd known for sure: Dimitri had loved my hair. Maybe he still loved it. It was great hair, I'll admit. Long and silky and dark. He used to find excuses to touch it, and he'd counseled me against cutting it as so many female guardians did. His hand hovered there, and the world stood still as I waited to see what he would do. After what seemed like an eternity, he let his hand gradually fall back to his side. Burning disappointment washed over me, yet at the same time, I'd learned something. He'd hesitated. He'd been afraid to touch me, which maybe- just maybe- meant he still wanted to. He'd had to hold himself back. I slowly tipped my head back so that we made eye contact. Most of my hair fell back from my face- but not all. His hand trembled again, and I hoped again he'd reach forward. The hand steadied. My excitement dimmed. â€Å"Does it hurt?† he asked. The scent of that aftershave, mingled with his sweat, washed over me. God, I wished he had touched me. â€Å"No,† I lied. â€Å"It doesn't look so bad,† he told me. â€Å"It'll heal.† â€Å"I hate her,† I said, astonished at just how much venom those three words held. Even while suddenly turned on and wanting Dimitri, I still couldn't drop the grudge I held against my mother. â€Å"No, you don't,† he said gently. â€Å"I do.† â€Å"You don't have time to hate anyone,† he advised, his voice still kind. â€Å"Not in our profession. You should make peace with her.† Lissa had said exactly the same thing. Outrage joined my other emotions. That darkness within me started to unfurl. â€Å"Make peace with her? After she gave me a black eye on purpose! Why am I the only one who sees how crazy that is?† â€Å"She absolutely did not do it on purpose,† he said, voice hard. â€Å"No matter how much you resent her, you have to believe that. She wouldn't do that, and anyway, I saw her later that day. She was worried about you.† â€Å"Probably more worried someone will bring her up on child abuse charges,† I grumbled. â€Å"Don't you think this is the time of year for forgiveness?† I sighed loudly. â€Å"This isn't a Christmas special! This is my life. In the real world, miracles and goodness just don't happen.† He was still eyeing my calmly. â€Å"In the real world, you can make your own miracles.† My frustration suddenly hit a breaking point, and I gave up trying to maintain my control. I was so tired of being told reasonable, practical things whenever something went wrong in my life. Somewhere in me, I knew Dimitri only wanted to help, but I just wasn't up for the well-meant words. I wanted comfort for my problems. I didn't want to think about what would make me a better person. I wished he'd just hold me and tell me not to worry. â€Å"Okay, can you just stop this for once?† I demanded, hands on my hips. â€Å"Stop what?† â€Å"The whole profound Zen crap thing. You don't talk to me like a real person. Everything you say is just some wise, life-lesson nonsense. You really do sound like a Christmas special.† I knew it wasn't entirely fair to take my anger out on him, but I found myself practically shouting. â€Å"I swear, sometimes it's just like you want to hear yourself talk! And I know you're not always this way. You were perfectly normal when you talked to Tasha. But with me? You're just going through the motions. You don't care about me. You're just stuck in your stupid mentor role.† He stared at me, uncharacteristically surprised. â€Å"I don't care about you?† â€Å"No.† I was being petty- very, very petty. And I knew the truth- that he did care and was more than just a mentor. I couldn't help myself, though. It just kept coming and coming. I jabbed his chest with my finger. â€Å"I'm another student to you. You just go on and on with your stupid life lessons so that- â€Å" The hand I'd hoped would touch my hair suddenly reached out and grabbed my pointing hand. He pinned it to the wall, and I was surprised to see a flare of emotion in his eyes. It wasn't exactly anger†¦but it was frustration of another kind. â€Å"Don't tell me what I'm feeling,† he growled. I saw then that half of what I'd said was true. He was almost always calm, always in control- even when fighting. But he'd also told me how he'd once snapped and beaten up his Moroi father. He'd actually been like me once- always on the verge of acting without thinking, doing things he knew he shouldn't. â€Å"That's it, isn't it?† I asked. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You're always fighting for control. You're the same as me.† â€Å"No,† he said, still obviously worked up. â€Å"I've learned my control.† Something about this new realization emboldened me. â€Å"No,† I informed him. â€Å"You haven't. You put on a good face, and most of the time you do stay in control. But sometimes you can't. And sometimes †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I leaned forward, lowering my voice. â€Å"Sometimes you don't want to.† â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I could see his labored breathing and knew his heart was beating as quickly as mine. And he wasn't pulling away. I knew this was wrong- knew all the logical reasons for us staying apart. But right then, I didn't care. I didn't want to control myself. I didn't want to be good. Before he realized what was happening, I kissed him. Our lips met, and when I felt him kiss me back, I knew I was right. He pressed himself closer, trapping me between him and the wall. He kept holding my hand, but his other one snaked behind my head, sliding into my hair. The kiss was filled with so much intensity; it held anger, passion, release†¦. He was the one who broke it. He jerked away from me and took several steps back, looking shaken. â€Å"Do not do that again,† he said stiffly. â€Å"Don't kiss me back then,† I retorted. He stared at me for what seemed like forever. â€Å"I don't give ‘Zen lessons' to hear myself talk. I don't give them because you're another student. I'm doing this to teach you control.† â€Å"You're doing a great job,† I said bitterly. He closed his eyes for half a second, exhaled, and muttered something in Russian. Without another glance at me, he turned and left the room.