X-BOX Essay Example

X-BOX Essay Xbox owned and designed by Microsoft Corporation is their first endeavor in the gaming industry. It was seen that there was a lot of potential in the video game market therefore Microsoft wanted to enter this part of the industry, also because they wanted to diversify their portfolio as there concentration was mainly on software’s alone. They wanted to come up with a game console design that was superior to all other competitors in the market. At the time of the launch of Xbox there were already tough competitors existing in the market and the intensity of the rivalry was very high there fore the company had to dedicate large sums of money, time and effort in order to launch this new innovation in the gaming industry.There were other substitutes available to the gaming industry such as PC’s and other games. Since the market was doing well there was a risk of other potential entrants into the market. However among the gaming experts that were already established in the m arket were Sony that was leading the market with its expensive playstation2 (PS2) followed by the reasonably priced family entertainment, Nintendo’s game cube. Xbox was launched in 2001 in North America first, followed by Japan, Europe and Australia. Before the launch of the product itself the company spent extensive team on the research and analysis of the Xbox in order to understand their target market in a better way. Moreover the customers were at a better bargaining state as they choose their console based on the game proposal as they had information about the market.There were many challenges that the company had to face before the launch in Canada. Mugford was responsible for the marketing of Xbox in Canada.The industry trend in the gaming industry was that they took the marketing support from the third party publishers or the console manufactures. But in Canada there was not too many resources available related to this compared to US. Unlike the United States Canada p rovided only 30% of the advertisements through third party publishers and Microsoft had to work them selves in order to promote Xbox and they wanted to maximize consumer purchases and for that they needed an effective promotional campaign. Third party console publishers would prefer to work with successful game developers.Secondly Mugford had to establish relationships with the promotional partners that would have supported and helped in the building the brand, however it was Mugford’s challenge to see that none of the partnerships in the Canadian market clash with the one in US.Advertising expense was high in Canada relative to the United States. The company had a budget of Cdn$12million for the marketing of the brand.   From this amount there were $6.965 million that were assigned for the advertising for Xbox. However there were a lot of challenges that the Xbox Canada had to face during the advertising of their brand. At the time of Xbox’s launch in Canada Sony ha d already allocated a huge amount for the advertising, more than Xbox because they had a larger install base. Xbox wanted to reach global markets therefore they adopted the traditional approach of advertising in order to market their brand.Given the budget constraints Mugford had to market the brand. He wanted to use the US based advertising in Canada too in order to reach the target market, which is why he bought MTV media awards which are supposed to be the biggest media event of Canada.Mugford had to play the ad for Xbox within three weeks of launch. There was less time and too many restrictions on making this ad. However Mugford hired an ad agency which was given the responsibility of making the ad.After the analysis it was seen that the gaming experts used the internet for the information about the games. But Mugford didn’t have resources to launch the Xbox Canadian website, he eventually made one but the site didn’t have Canadian content.The Canadian retailers pr eferred having a direct contact with Taylor for distribution purposes rather than the new sales associates. However he was worried because Xbox Canada didn’t have enough resources to set up a direct distribution channel at that point in time.Another challenge that Taylor who was responsible for the distribution of the consoles had to distribute the consoles to the 700 retailers in Canada n that too at a short period of time. Not that the distribution was a problem there were other problems that were associated to it. The products that were distributed in Canada to the entire major retailers they had to fulfill other requirements too which were such as packaging requirements that included French language in order to cater to the French population in Canada. This increased the cost relative to the US market. Taylor hired three distributors to undertake this task.Taylor had to improve relationships with the retailers in the mean time as well as the game developers. At the launch Microsoft had limited consoles available for sale. But they had to convince the retailers and the gaming experts that their product will give them quality unlike the Sega claim at that time about its promises that eventually failed.Xbox was priced higher than the Sony and Nintendo. This initially did have an impact on the sales as it didn’t make Xbox the leader in the market. However later the prices were reduced in order to boost the sales for the brand.The public relations planning were another challenge faced by Microsoft. It was becoming difficult to launch the video games on time and meet the dates and thus plans things accordinglyXbox was a new brand in the market. The company wanted to reinforce the brands image of Xbox .there was various ways the company could do this. They took part in major media events. They wanted to promote the different games of Xbox .they wanted to increase the market share of Xbox. The company had clear marketing objectives. They wanted to im prove the relations with the retailers and game developers; this was done spending a major portion of their budget on the advertising of the brand. They had a limited budget allocated by Microsoft and they had to plan their strategy according to that.They had a planned marketing mix which comprised of the 4p’s of product, price, place and promotion. They wanted to maintain the price o $299 Canadian dollar. This included many things such as increasing the shelf space for Xbox, sponsoring various events, and a commission system for the sales team to increase the sales and the workers motivation.They had a proper research plan that was focused on getting to know the target market. This would have made it easier to promote the product and the brand. They came to know the different kinds of customers who are going to buy the product, the gaming experts were the actual people the company wanted to buy the product.They organized a developer tour in which they promoted four of the Xb ox’s games .at the launch time the product was supplied to all the stores across the country. Moreover in order to reach his target market .he even derived his marketing campaign in the 80% universities of Canada. He even used print media to inform the students about Xbox.A very attractive part of the marketing was an Xbox bus that was suppose to drive all over Canada. This was an ideal way to target the customers that Xbox wanted to. The bus had all types of Xbox games and equipment. It brought excitement among customers. It was to encourage people to buy video games console. Mugford’s public relations efforts were to strengthen the brand. Those people were hired who were enthusiastic and knew about the work.Microsoft had to come across various distribution challenges in all this process. When Microsoft realized that the price they are charging is not giving value to the customers, which are what the customers perceived about the brand. They started to work on that. I t lowered its price and came second in the market.The Xbox strategy was focused and clear. Microsoft was clear about their target and based on that they were making their financial and marketing strategies. The promotional campaign, the launch and the distribution was all based on that. They hired the right kind of people who would do the work such as Mugford and Taylor who gelled well with the entire plan. The launch was planned and implemented across Canada.The market in year2/year3 situation is changing. In year 2 there was a positive growth rate of Xbox in the market. Xbox became the next generation console .the market share fr the Xbox reached a 24%.there was a growth of the sales as compared to the previous year of 48%.by this time the next generation video game system came second in the united states, across Canada and Europe and was doing very well. December was the year when the company made the highest sales. In Canada it was selling at a very fast rate. The sale was incre asing.They had a different plan for year 2 marketing. They wanted to reach the customers and gain long term success and commitment from the customers. The public relations and journalists were responsible for to promoting the gaming industry by writing about it.   Consumers were interested in the gaming industry there was an upward trend on the sales of such game consoles at this time of the year. The advertising cost in Canada was high as compared to the United States.However in the year 2002 it was still continuously showing a positive growth in the market. During the start of 2002 Sony was dominating the market with the market of 43% while Nintendo had taken the second place with a 30% there was a growing popularity and the sales of the console increased 6%, the demand for the play station 2 fell by 36% in the same year. Nintendo’s game cube fell by 22% but by this time Xbox had already captured around 27% of the gaming industry’s share. There was also an increase in the hardware demand of the Xbox as compared to the other competitor’s brand of Sony and Nintendo their market share fell by 58% in the same period. With the growing success of the Xbox Microsoft had plans to launch it at other places too such as Korea, Austria m Denmark, Finland and Switzerland. Microsoft had 50 action packed Xbox game which was part of the popular Xbox live. This many number of games online were more than many competitors.Mugford was concerned that the brand did not come on the second position however the amount of success and sales the brand got considering the amount of finance and resources that was available to him it was good enough and they were confident that very soon the brand is going to grow big in the future and the sales will increase. But Microsoft had to work on this in order to maintain this position because Sony was also doing well and they during the next holiday season and that would give a tough competition.Microsoft was assigned a bu dget for the implementation of the plan. the amount of finance available is very important because all your marketing decisions which include planning for the advertising, promotions, sales , launch , paying the workers, the production and distribution is based on that The working strategy, everything is interconnected. The more finance one has then you can choose to spend on them. As is the case here the marketing budget is restricted for Xbox.Therefore the advertising plans and promotions are based on the amount of budget. Based on the finance there are various advertising and branding techniques are implemented such as print media and other means of promotion such as Xbox bus and the event marketing. There are events on campus that Microsoft sponsors such as sporting events of football , hockey and basketball, music bands and performance of bands. Mugford was given cdn$12 million for the launch of Xbox in Canada. and then it was based on this overall marketing expenditure that Mu gford decided to allocate a share of Cdn$6.965 for the advertising .the advertising cost in Canada was more as compared to the united states and this was a challenge for Mugford such things tend to have an impact on the over all strategy for the business and the product.When he wanted to create a Canadian website he didn’t have the resources to do this.   Your financial implications also tend to have an effect on the kind of workers you are going to hire. When you don’t have enough finance to pay and hire truly enthusiastic people in your team then your product will not do well. The retailers wanted a direct relationship with Taylor which was not possible because he didn’t have enough resources to create a direct communication channel. Moreover the company had to bear the cost of packaging and labeling more because in Canada the packaging also required everything to be written in French and that of course added to the cost. Taylor hired extra sales representat ives in his team because he wanted qualified team of workers to help him with the sales. The financial implications tend to affect the goals of the brand.

What Does a Home Health Aide Do

What Does a Home Health Aide Do If you’re looking for a highly sought after, exceptionally stable job in the growing field of healthcare, you’ve come to the right place: home health aides are poised for remarkable success in the years ahead. Not sure whether a career as a home health aide is right for you? Read on to learn everything you need to know about this important job. The 411 on Home Health AidesHome health aides offer a variety of assistance to people with special needs, including those who are cognitively impaired, chronically ill, or disabled. They also care for seniors in need of assistance. Depending on the particular job, the responsibilities of home health aides include everything from helping clients with personal hygiene tasks and checking vital signs to shopping, light housekeeping, and arranging for transportation. Home health aides also offer another vital service to the people for whom they care: companionship.Unlike personal care aides who may be directly employed by their client s, home health aides usually work for agencies. With specialized training, home health aides may also provide simple medical care, such as administering medication and working with ventilators, although these functions must be performed under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or other trained healthcare professional.Home health aides also play a vital role in the continuum of care. Not only do they track the condition and progress of their clients, but they are also tasked with reporting any changes to a client’s physical, mental or emotional state. This can help ensure that they receive the treatment they need as it arises.Why Become a Home Health Aide?With a projected growth rate of 48 percent between 2012 and 2022, home health aide positions offer unprecedented job security with a minimal investment of time and training. In fact, there are no formal education requirements to work in this field, although some employers - typically certified home health and hospi ce agencies - do require that employees undergo formal training and are certified by the National Association for Home Care Hospice.While you may not need a college degree, some other attributes are particularly important when it comes to working as a home health aide. These healthcare workers are detail oriented, skilled at time management, and have strong people skills. They should also be comfortable with performing physical tasks, as clients who are disabled may need to be lifted or turned.And while the current salary for a home health aide is relatively low at $20,820 a year, as demand continues to skyrocket due to the aging â€Å"Baby Boomer† population and their increasing preference for â€Å"aging in place,† so is the potential that salaries will rise in relationship to demand.Coming in behind industrial-organized psychologists (53 percent growth) and personal care aides (49 percent growth), home health aides claim the third spot on the U.S. Department of La bor’s list of the â€Å"10 Fastest Growing Jobs.† For many people, the combination of job security and the chance to make a difference in the lives of others adds up to a career that doesn’t just offer financial stability, but also professional fulfillment.

Why You Shouldnt Mix Bleach With Ammonia

Why You Shouldn't Mix Bleach With Ammonia The chemical reactions involved in mixing bleach and ammonia produce extremely dangerous toxic vapors. Thus, its important to understand some first aid advice in case youre accidentally exposed to a bleach and ammonia mixture. Noxious Fumes and Poisonous Reactions The primary toxic chemical formed by this reaction is chloramine vapor, which has the potential to form hydrazine. Chloramines are a group of related compounds well-known to be respiratory irritants. In addition to respiratory irritation, hydrazine can also cause edema, headache, nausea, and seizures. Mixing bleach and ammonia also produces chlorine gas, which has been used as a chemical weapon. Two common ways to accidentally mix these chemicals include: Mixing cleaning products (generally a bad idea)Using chlorine bleach to disinfect water that contains organic matter (i.e., pond water) Chemicals Produced Note that each of these chemicals but water and salt is toxic: NH3 ammoniaHCl hydrochloric acidNaOCl sodium hypochlorite (bleach)Cl chlorineCl2 chlorine gasNH2Cl chloramineN2H4 hydrazineNaCl sodium chloride or saltH2O water Likely Chemical Reactions Bleach decomposes to form hydrochloric acid, which reacts with ammonia to form toxic chloramine fumes. First, hydrochloric acid forms. NaOCl → NaOH HOCl HOCl → HCl O Next, the ammonia and chlorine gas react to form chloramine, which is released as a vapor. NaOCl 2HCl → Cl2 NaCl H2O 2NH3 Cl2 → 2NH2Cl If ammonia is present in excess (which it may or may not be, depending on your mixture), toxic and potentially explosive liquid hydrazine may form. While impure hydrazine tends not to explode, it does have the potential to boil and spray hot, chemically toxic liquid. 2NH3 NaOCl → N2H4 NaCl H2O First Aid When Exposed If you become exposed to fumes from mixing bleach and ammonia, immediately remove yourself from the area to fresh air and seek emergency medical attention. While the vapors may attack your eyes and mucous membranes, the biggest threat derives from inhaling the gases. Get away from the site where the chemicals were mixed. You cant call for help if you are overwhelmed by the fumes.Call 911 for emergency help. If you feel that 911 is unwarranted, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for advice on handling the effects of exposure and chemical cleanup.If you find someone unconscious who you believe is suffering from inhalation of bleach/ammonia compound, try to remove the person to fresh air, preferably outdoors. Call 911 for emergency assistance. Do not hang up until instructed to do so.Seek proper cleanup and disposal instructions from Poison Control. Such a mistake is most likely to be made in a bathroom or kitchen, so thoroughly ventilate the area before returning to dispose of the compound and start cleanup.

Critically assess the usefulness of Gabriel Almond's political Essay

Critically assess the usefulness of Gabriel Almond's political cultural approach in his 1956 article Comparative Political Syste - Essay Example Various regimes in Europe have experienced such political unrest due to conflicts among the nations’ different leaders, giving rise to political instability and eventual economic breakdown, which include France’s Third and Fourth Republic, Germany’s Weimar Republic, and Italy’s Post-World War II government. The rise and fall of such regimes in these countries can be explained through two lines of thought: one is Gabriel Almond’s comparative political systems which differentiate the various kinds of governance in countries according to how the country is run by the government; and another is Giovanni Sartori’s theory of polarised plural systems, which points out the importance of political parties needing to work together and not strongly-opposing one another. By combining these two concepts, it will better explain why political instability plays a major role in governance, both in the past such as in France’s Third and Fourth Republic and Germany’s Weimar Republic, as well as the persistence of this issue in Italian governance for a much longer time. Comparative Political Systems by Gabriel Almond Gabriel Almond published a classification system which compares various kinds of political systems, how each one governs the nation, as well as stating where such kinds of governance are mostly found. ... ssible that the kind of governance in each country may depend on their internal resources, customs and ideologies, and other factors that may or may not align with the definitions of the extant classification systems (Almond, 1956). Thus Almond proposes other kinds of political systems which are much more defined by the culture where each one is based on: Anglo-American political systems, usually composed of a uniform and secular group of people; Pre-industrial political systems, wherein there is a mixture of political systems due to the proliferation of traditional ideas and culture amidst modernist views; Totalitarian political systems in which leadership is centralised and there is actually no need for an overall consensus due to the dominance of only one party or one leader; and the Continental European political systems, wherein the lack of a unified political culture is due to the persistence of various cultures, both new and old and their wide gaps in terms of growth, developm ent and acceptance among the leaders, various parties, and among the citizens. According to Almond, France, Germany and Italy belong to the Continental European political systems due to high variations between the ruling parties and of differing views within the leadership system (Almond, 1956, p. 406). In explaining the political instability in France during the Third and Fourth Republic, of Germany during the Weimar Republic and of Italy after World War II, their respective politics are included in the Continental European political systems because of the various subcultures that exist within each country that causes disunity within the leadership itself. In the case of France, in both the Third and Fourth Republic issues such as the distrust between the leftists and the rightists were

Strategic management in Delta Airlines Case Study

Strategic management in Delta Airlines - Case Study Example Aviation industry is regarded highly competitive, requiring technical expertise and safety measures to be adopted.But the core competency that make two similar airlines differentiate are dependent on the role played by customers, people and employees irrespective of machinery and tangible assets. The implications generated through a slight deviation in not meeting the potential needs of general stakeholders could be pervasive, influencing the culture of an organization, its structure and strategies encompassing operational procedures (Appelbaum, & Fewster, 2004). At present Delta Airlines is adept at serving one sixty million clients per annum, offering travel to near three fifty destinations across seventy countries (Delta, 2011). Strategy is being driven in the US aviation sector by two factors that emerged right after the deregulation took place in 1978. One is the worldwide safety concern and the other being the increased perceptions of clients in relation to the services offered by the company. Studies carried out by researchers have revealed that poor service acquisition and accidents in aviation are not always linked to the technical faults yet sometimes there are human factors involved. â€Å"Sub-optimization† or lack of proper management practices with regard to decision making, communication, employee motivation could bring in a rapid turnover in client share, market position, loss of tangible assets possessed by the firm, and in more severe circumstances this could lead to â€Å"loss of life†. ... r mettle in terms of devising the most appropriate strategy for their respective firm that could offer competitive advantage, developing a core competency for the organization. Also the significance of formulating well structured corporate strategies has often been neglected. The conventional nature of strategic management has been perceived as handling employee disputes within the firm and to supervise some of the administrative tasks but with the passage of time HRM has gained the reputation as a phenomenon that affects the overall strategic framework of a company, simultaneously strategic managers also tried to adapt to the changing work environment with the primary thrust being properly implementing well planned initiatives (Swiercz, & Spencer, 1992). In April 1994, Delta Airlines tried to amend its current strategic demeanor by launching â€Å"Leadership 7.5† a programme that benefited the company in terms of gaining excessive profits by curtailing company’s expend iture in comparison to the competition prevalent in the industry. It so happened that emerging company by the name of â€Å"Southwestern Airlines† managed to maintain a firm market share by initiating low cost strategies, that were favored by target customers as they were being offered cheap fare rates by the company. That resulted in a rapid turnover since 1990 in prior established firms including Delta Airlines. For organizations to survive in a globally competitive environment, all key players have to redefine their market strategies with the alternating market situation. The aim is to get the maximum benefit with limited monetary spending Although Delta Airlines excelled in offering full service package to the travelers yet half-filled flights forged it to develop a corporate strategy with the main

Translation Theory Revision Essay Example for Free

Translation Theory Revision Essay Translation – The process of translation between two different languages involves the translator changing an original text (the source text – ST) in the original verbal languages (the source languages – SL) in a different verbal language (the target language – TL) S. Bassnet def: Translation is rendering of a SL text into the TL so as to ensure that: 1) the surface meaning of the two will be approximately similar, and 2) the structures of the SL will e preserved as closely as possible but not so closely that the TL structures will be seriously distorted. Susan Basset: Telling the same things in a different language in a way that sounds natural, getting the point across. Translation types: Semiotic classification: Intralingual – an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs of the same language Interlingual – an interpretation of verbal signs by means of some other language Intersemiotic – an interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of non-verbal sign systems. Binary classifications: Free translation translator replaces a social, or cultural, reality in the source text with a corresponding reality in the target text Literal rendering of text from one language to another word-for-word. Overt – is a TT that does not mean to be an original. The individual text function cannot be tha same for TT and ST since the cultures are different. Covert – ST is not linked to the ST culture or audience; both ST and TT address their respective receivers directly. Domestication vs foreigization: translation methods that move the writer toward [the reader], i.e. , fluency, and those that move the reader toward [the author] (domestication) , i. e. , an extreme fidelity to the foreignness of the source text (foreignization). Documentary (preserve the original exoticizing setting) vs instrumental (adaptation of the setting to the target culture) Text Type Theory: Katharina Reiss. Determine, what kind of text you are dealing with: †¢ Informative – plain facts (newspaper article) †¢ Expressive – creative composition (poetry) †¢ Operative – including behavioural responses (ads) †¢ Multi/audio-medial (films or visual/oral ads). Equivalence: Dynamic equivalence (also known as functional equivalence) attempts to convey the thought expressed in a source text (if necessary, at the expense of literalness, original word order, the source texts grammatical voice, etc. ), while formal equivalence attempts to render the text word-for-word (if necessary, at the expense of natural expression in the target language). J. C. Catford †¢ A formal correspondent – any TL category which van be said to occupy the ‘same’ place in SL †¢ A textual equivalent – any TL text or part of text that van be said to be the equivalent of the ST Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) †¢ A firmly empirical (kogemuslik) discipline †¢ Describes and maps translations †¢ Proposes hypotheses as why the translations are like they are †¢ Avoids being prescriptive The aim of DTS is to acquire insight into the nature and function of translation as a cultural and historical phenomenon DTS leading figures: Gideon Toury, Andre Lefevere Early translation theory Cicero – senise-for-sense. Synthesized in Latin Greek philosophers. The founder of Western translation theory. The 1st to comment on the process of translation. Translation serves as the study and imitation of rhetorical models. Free translation that is focused on the meaning. Horace model – target orientation. Aesthetically pleasing and creative translation. Art of Poetry. Quintilian – remarks on translations are v much in the Ciceroian tradition. Makes a difference between: metaphrasis – replacing a single word with a single word; paraphrasis – replacing a phrase with a phrase. Jerome model – translation Bible – latin „Vulgateâ€Å" (405. y). Translated sense-for-sense, rather that word-for-word. German Romanticism: individual author’s vision. Author is a creator. Shlegel: all writings in act of translation: Schleiermacher: translator could take the reader along and make him walk with the author or in the other way around.. Word-for-word translation onorthodox view of translation. †¢ Herder, Goethe, Humbolt, the Shlegel brothers, Shleiermacher †¢ translations of Homeric epics, the Greek tragedies and Shakespeare †¢ Emergence of the German tradition as opposed to the French †¢ strive for an independent literary culture Goethe: 3 stages of translation: 1) aquainted us the foreign language in his own terms (Luther Kings’s Bible) 2) French tradition – use of its own criteria, own rules. 3) The same idendity between source and target language. Eugene Nida. Formal equivalence – attention to the transfer of message, both form and content Dynamic / functional equivalence – seeks the closest natural equivalence for the source language message Principles: 1. making sense 2. conveying the spirit and manner of the original 3. having a natural and easy form of expression 4. producing a similar response †¢ 1. give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work. †¢ 2. reproduce the style and manner of writing of the original. †¢ 3. have all the ease of the original composition. Nida’s equivalent effect criticized: †¢ too concerned with the word level †¢ difficult or impossible to achieve †¢ overly theological Nida differentiates between: †¢ Linguistic meaning. the meaningful relationship between words, phrases and sentences. †¢ Referential meaning. â€Å"the words as symbols which refer to objects, events, abstracts, relations† Methods: hierarchical structuring, componential analysis, semantic structure analysis †¢ Emotive meaning Toury? s norm theory: Defines social norms. Preliminary norm: concerned with translation policy. The initial norm: expressed through operational norms which direct actual decisions made during the translating process. Corpus studies †¢ Corpus – compurerized collection of documents †¢ A token – each word as it occurs †¢ A type – each different word The type-token ratio is a text? s lexical density(tihedus) Postcolonialism: †¢ Resist domination †¢ Emphasis on the impact and significance of translation in a context of political, military, economic and cultural power differentials (vahe) †¢ Is characterizied by hybridity (ristandumine) and self-reflection. English theory Early English translation of the Bible: John Wycliffe – published Bible’s English version (late 14th c). Tried to translate the meaning, but preserve its form. William Tyndale – 1525 Bible’s German version (Greek) The King James Bible 1611 Bible’s English version Early translations of the Bible in English †¢ Wycliffe Bible 1380-1384 revised by John Purvey in 1408 . Published Bible English version. Trying to translate the meaning but preserve its form (w-for-w) †¢ William Tyndale 1525 (w-for-w) †¢ Bishops Bible 1568. †¢ The King James Bible the Authorized Version 1604 -1611 John Dryden on translation: 1) metaphrase – word-for-word; 2) paraphrase – sense-for-sense 3)imitation – absolute freedom. Tytler 18th c: 1) translation should give source language complete context. 2) style and manner should be similar. 3) reader should see it as fluid as original text. Essays on the translations, self-standing thoughts on translations, artistic activity = transl. Edward Fitzgerald: Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Persian poetry, imperial attitude.  quatrain rhyme scheme: AABA Early theory and practice of translation in England: draws on two traditions: †¢ Classical Latin translation, from the Greek †¢ Early Christian Latin translation from the Scriptures, the Hebrew, Aramaic King Alfred (871-99) and his policy of translation. †¢ Augustine’s Soliloquies and Gregory’s Pastoral Care †¢ Gregory’s Dialogues †¢ Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People Benedictine reform a revival of monasticism, ?lfric’s homilies a need to educate the uneducated.

Architecture Essays -- essays research papers

Influences of Spanish Architecture in Mexico Spanish expeditions conducted during the seventh and eighteenth century has brought a variety of architectural and artistic influences to the different indigenous regions of the New Americas. It is documented that â€Å"the Architecture of Mexico began with the Spanish conquest of the country.† (Mullen, 18) The architecture of Mexico has exhibited much richness and wealth, has displayed the political and religious conditions of the time, and has showed off the countries beauty and grace through different artistic devices, mainly through the ornamentation of buildings. The architecture that developed in Mexico during the military expeditions and colonization of Mexico has brought forth many different types of architecture to Mexico, three in particular, Franciscan, Mexican Baroque and Spanish Colonial Architecture. Historians have documented that the Franciscan, Mexican Baroque and Spanish Colonial Architecture found in Mexico is, â€Å"the transfer of architectural forms, ide as and traditions brought from Spain to the Americas by Spanish settlers† (Grizzard, 167). Historians believe that, â€Å"Spanish colonial architecture was a period of transition from the Spanish Gothic to Spanish Renaissance† (Mullen, 76)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When observing the architecture found in Mexico one has to wonder about how much influence the Spanish Colonialists had on this country. Much of the influence the Spanish Colonialists had on Mexican Architecture came from their conquests over the Native Indians of the Americas. Historically, Mexico has been a war-torn religiously, socially, economically, and political areas of the country. As the Spanish Conquerors dominated the Natives, their influence spread thoroughly throughout the Americas. The result was an aristocratic government where the natives were not given any chance of self-expression. Under these conditions, it was natural for the Architecture of the New Americas to have been brought from Spain. As it has been found throughout the history of the Americas that, â€Å"the church [has] worked in conjunction with the military to dominate the Native Indians.† (Behav, 306). Many of the buildings built by the church and the military have become monumental features of Mexico. The architecture that first pioneered its way through Mexico was the Franciscan order. Most of the buildings bui... ... order to the next has given Mexico much notable architecture that is highly praised. Mexican Architecture can be viewed as being one of the most remarkable types of architecture found throughout the world. Work Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grizzard, Mary. Spanish Colonial Art and Architecture of Mexico and the U.S Southwest. New York: University Press of America, 1986 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mullen, Robert. Architecture and Its Sculpture in Vicegal Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aceland, James H. â€Å"Building and Land† Canadian Architecture. (July 1996) 63-68 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brook, Jeff. â€Å"In Old Mexico.† House Beautiful. (October 2000) 70, 72, 76, 78, 113 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Behav, Richard. Colonial Architecture in Mexico. New York University Press, 1984 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neumeyer, Alfred. â€Å"The Indian Contribution to Architectural decoration in Spanish Colonial America.† The Art Bulletin. (June 1948) 109-121 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kilham, Walter H. â€Å"Impressions of colonial Architecture in Mexico.† Architectural Forum. (February 1921) 39-44, 85-90

IKEA Looks to Further Penetrate the U.S. Market

Given the SWOT analysis presented in the case, what are IKEA’s key competitive advantages? What strategic focus should the company take as it looks to further expand into the U. S. market? * IKEA’s low cost structure has been the very core of its success. It’s low-cost and high-quality strategy fits with the current state of the economy. Offering convenience factors within IKEA’s stores would fit well with IKEA’s low cost structure. It maintains its low-cost business model by creating a different furniture shopping experience. IKEA supplies customers with all possible materials needed to complete their shopping when they enter the store (that are, measuring tape, paper, pencils, catalogs, strollers, and shopping bags). Although IKEA is not set up as a traditional furniture store, the company does provide several added amenities. There is no denying that brand image is a key strength for IKEA. IKEA considers the environmental impact of every step in its business processes by making products that are environmentally conscientious and cost-effective. * To further expand into U. S. arket, IKEA must address two key issues. The first is the overwhelming individuality of U. S. consumers. Further expansion into the U. S. market will require IKEA to adapt its offerings and stores to local tastes. The second key issue is quality. Although American consumers are increasingly value-driven, they also demand quality products. Many Americans view self-assembled furniture as being lower in quality, and similar to the type s of furniture one might buy at Walmart or Target. 2. What factor is the biggest reason for IKEA’s growth and popularity: value or image? What can IKEA do to sustain growth after it loses some cache? * There is no denying that brand image is a key strength for IKEA. Even if they have not been in a store, most people around the globe recognize the blue and yellow logo as a symbolic representation of trendy, modern, and fashionable furniture which have been based on Swedish home-based clean and efficient service. * Diversification can be a good way that IKEA does to sustain growth after it loses some cache. Product innovation and market development such as IKEA’s expanding goal in U. S. market. It is a risky strategy but with careful selection of the right kind of businesses, considerable improvements in profitability can be experienced. To try and maintain growth, IKEA is considering diversification outside of the furniture market. 3. What strategic alternatives would you suggest IKEA employ to further penetrate the U. S. market? * Add more services to enhance customers’ experience, and implement a customer relationship management system to track current customers and communicate with them. Keep IKEA’s brand image and focus on correct placement of stores. Expand product lines to flank the budget line with a higher-priced line. Clever advertising and promotion. 4. Speculate on what will happen at IKEA stores as they are adapted to fit local tastes. Is the company’s trade-off of service for low cost sustainable in the long term? * IKEA’s management philosophy; â€Å"Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea is to offer a wide range of well-designed, functional, home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. and all its activities is founded on its mission of offering wide variety of functional furniture for the house, of a quality and at a price affordable by a majority of people. This mission shows IKEA’s competitive advantage, positioning strategy and marketing mix. Tailoring IKEA’s stores and product to local tastes will cause IKEA to change its mission, to lose its competitive advantage and to redesign its positioning strategy and marketing mix.

Precis Writing Essay

The English Composition paper of CE-2012 has really dented the confidence of the aspirants to a huge extent. Most of the aspirants who scored quite heavily in other papers were merely able to score less than 20 and even 10 in the English Precis And Composition paper.I was fortunate as well as tactical enough to accumulate 64 marks in the paper this paper. As per promised, I’m going to share my strategy for approaching each and every question one by one.Precis writing has been the most difficult and decisive question regarding the E.P.C. paper. This very question sets the tone for the rest of the paper and serves as a very good means for portraying what metal an aspirant is made up of.I have been lucky enough to have been taught by a school-teacher, Sir Kashif Rehman. Although he is a school teacher yet very tactical in his approach. I adopted his strategy while approaching the E.P.C. paper. Hence, I am going to share the way he taught me how to attempt the precis. I am going to give a comprehensive method of approaching this very question step-by-step. STEP 1: READING THE PARAGRAPH ( 10 – 15 MINUTES ) Read very carefully, not once but twice. After first reading, try to establish as much understanding of the text as possible. Highlight or underline the main ideas, arguments, or themes presented by the author. Second reading will help you understand the paragraphing of the given text and work out how much value or proportion has been given to each of the main arguments, themes or ideas. STEP 2: POINTS FOR THE PRECIS Write down the main arguments, themes, or ideas in the form of points in complete sentences using your own words. The sequence of ideas or points should be the same as was given in the original passage Try not to include any excessive detail, explanation, description or verbosity. Examples had better be avoided if they are not critical to the composition of the passage Don’t be worried about the number of words at this stage Write openly Try not to exclude any vital argument, theme, or idea STEP 3: ROUGH DRAFT Write points in the form of continuous paragraph taking good care of coherence, fluency by using devices such as sentence-connectors or adverb-connectors. Count the words in the given passage And then count the words of the rough draft Rough draft should be one-third of the given passage It may be maximum 10 words more tha the required number If your rough draft exceeds rquired words-count, edit it by using devices such as one-word substitution, by sharing subject or verb, by using clauses and phrases Bring your rough draft to the required limit STEP 4: NEAT DRAFT Now write down the neat draft f the rough draft Replacements and coherence should be taken good care of HOW TO CONCLUDE†¦. 1. Words in the given passage = 600 2. Required words = 200 3. Words in the precis = 206 P.S. All this work MUST be done on the neat portion of the answer-sheet so that the examiner realizes that you have followed the proper pattern

Free Essays on Inferno & Canterbury Tales

The openings to both Dante’s Inferno and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales trace religious journeys; Dante’s narrator explores the afterlife while Chaucer’s characters begin a traditional pilgrimage from London to Canterbury. Both journeys occur during spring, a time of year often associated with growth and rejuvenation. Chaucer begins by describing the season; he writes, â€Å"Whatn that April with his showres soote/The drought of March hath perced to the roote/ And bathed every vein in swich licour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 1-3). Dante’s narrator hints at the setting when he says â€Å"†¦so I was encouraged to face with better hope the beast†¦by the time of day, the sweetness of the season.† (lines 41-44). Despite these common elements, the journeys have different natures, giving each story a distinct tone; one seems eerie and haphazard while the other is light and straight forward. Unlike Chaucer’s pilgrims, who are equipped with a schedule and established path, Inferno starts with chaos and uncertainty. The narrator describes himself â€Å"astray in a dark wood where the straight road had been lost sight of. How hard it is to say what it was like in the thick of thickets, in a wood so dense and gnarled the very thought of it renews my panic.† (lines 2-6). This physical description of the path and forest parallels his fear. Virgil’s offer to show him â€Å"an eternal place where you will†¦see those long-lost spirits in torment† followed by those â€Å"among the blessed,† provides the narrator with direction and he quickly accepts. Accepting this offer forces the narrator to surrender control of his own future. Like the narrator of Inferno, the pilgrims in Canterbury Tales are also followers; others have already completed the journey they are about to commence. Although one trip is planned and the other quite unexpected, the shared component of trusting a prescribed path reflects the basis of religion, which requires its follow... Free Essays on Inferno & Canterbury Tales Free Essays on Inferno & Canterbury Tales The openings to both Dante’s Inferno and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales trace religious journeys; Dante’s narrator explores the afterlife while Chaucer’s characters begin a traditional pilgrimage from London to Canterbury. Both journeys occur during spring, a time of year often associated with growth and rejuvenation. Chaucer begins by describing the season; he writes, â€Å"Whatn that April with his showres soote/The drought of March hath perced to the roote/ And bathed every vein in swich licour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 1-3). Dante’s narrator hints at the setting when he says â€Å"†¦so I was encouraged to face with better hope the beast†¦by the time of day, the sweetness of the season.† (lines 41-44). Despite these common elements, the journeys have different natures, giving each story a distinct tone; one seems eerie and haphazard while the other is light and straight forward. Unlike Chaucer’s pilgrims, who are equipped with a schedule and established path, Inferno starts with chaos and uncertainty. The narrator describes himself â€Å"astray in a dark wood where the straight road had been lost sight of. How hard it is to say what it was like in the thick of thickets, in a wood so dense and gnarled the very thought of it renews my panic.† (lines 2-6). This physical description of the path and forest parallels his fear. Virgil’s offer to show him â€Å"an eternal place where you will†¦see those long-lost spirits in torment† followed by those â€Å"among the blessed,† provides the narrator with direction and he quickly accepts. Accepting this offer forces the narrator to surrender control of his own future. Like the narrator of Inferno, the pilgrims in Canterbury Tales are also followers; others have already completed the journey they are about to commence. Although one trip is planned and the other quite unexpected, the shared component of trusting a prescribed path reflects the basis of religion, which requires its follow...

Changes in Art History with Emphasis on the Mid-Twentieth Century Essay

Art during the mid-twentieth century contained some of the most important changes art history. These explosive times were counter-balanced with explosive popular culture. More historical events, abrupt changes, and turbulence occurred from the end of World War II until the height of the Vietnam War than in any time period. Before this time, styles of art had lasted generations. In the 1960’s numerous important art movements were happening at the same time. There were variations on variations, movements inside of other movements. Therefore, because of the amount of independent and integrated pieces of movements and styles, a lot can be missed in a short paper. The amount that happened in these twenty-five years is enough to fill volumes, and so, this is just a brief scraping off the top of what during these times—the most tumultuous times in American History. INTRODUCTION: The 1940’s through the 1960’s were not only some of the most socially and politically volatile times in American History, but were the catalyst for the numerous changes in which occurred in American Popular culture during these and following years. Instead of experiencing the trauma which resulted after World War I’s end, post-World War II United States returned fairly easily back to everyday life. Although there were some problems converting from a wartime to a peacetime economy in the late 1940’s, Americans took on the task and entered the 1950’s on a very auspicious high note. During the time period after World War II, the United States experienced many changes. Technology was abundant and the rate at which new inventions, industries and technologies came about was at a rate never seen before. From a television in every home to the first computers and ultimately space flight, these two decades after World War II were crowded with advancements. S ome of the most dramatic changes came in the field of art. What was once a single, slow road of popular culture advancement branched off into thousands of smaller, faster changing roads. Some of these â€Å"roads†, which can be seen as changing styles, or movements, in art, whipped Americans through a roller coaster of change in what they saw around them. The End of World War II: The major art movement taking place in the United States directly after World War II was ther in their concept. So as we start in a new millenium, we have to ask ourselves what will be the next great movement in art? Could there be anything again as influential as the times that existed here? Only time will tell. Bibliography: Cagle, Van M., Reconstructing Pop/Subculture: Art Rock and Andy Warhol, New York: Sage Publications, 1995 Yapp, Nick, Ed. The 1950s, Chicago: Konemann, 1998 Yapp, Nick, Ed. The 1960s, Chicago: Konemann, 1998 Reed, T.V., American Popular Culture. (online) Available: http://www.wsu.edu/~amerstu/pop/tvrguide.html, February 17, 2000 Seitz, William C., Art in the Age of Aquarius, 1955-1970, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992 Alloway, Lawrence. American Pop Art, New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974 Dynamic Movements. (online) Available: Http://library.thinkquest.org/17142/dynamic-movements/ Jansen, H.W., The History of Art, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1997, p. 914-915 Warhol’s Reflection of the Social Times. (online) Available: Http://vc.lemoyne.edu/ant305/students/7_abarnett/page3.htm Marcel Duchamp. (online) Available: http://www.peak.org/~dadaist/English/Graphics/duchamp.html

The hockey stick controversy and the legitimacy of IPCC's research Paper

The hockey stick controversy and the legitimacy of IPCC's about the human impact on climate change - Research Paper Example The controversy also looks at the question of the sturdiness of the impost offered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These arguments have been taken up by the fossil fuel industry and have been funded by lobby groups that attempt to cast doubt on climate science. The controversy became prominent in the 1990s when a group of scientists who used proxy indicators to indicate temperature records in the previous centuries found different reasons that caused global warming and argued them differently (Jolis, 2012). A group of scientists such as Michael E. Mann, Raymond S. Bradley, and Malcolm K. raised some of those controversies by using statistical analysis of an assortment of proxies to come up with the first quantifiable hemispheric-scale reconstruction presenting global configurations of annual surface temperature. The graph shows temperatures that dates back to 1400 whereby they shaded the areas to show emphasis of uncertainties whereby the two standard error l imits were larger than in earlier centuries. The above group of scientists published a paper in 1999 that traced back climatic changes for the previous 1000 years using extended graph that showed a descending tendency in proxy temperatures from a medieval warm period trailed by a 20th century escalation and a steep upsurge in measured temperatures since the 1950s. According to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Third Assessment Report (TAR), the year 1998, was the warmest year in the northern hemisphere for the last 1000 years. The above organizations used the controversial hockey stick graphs to publicize the featured information. The information became a focus for dispute for the people who were contrasting to the strengthening scientific agreement that late 20th century warmness was unique. Some of the scientists who were opposed to these changes were Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas. However, scientists later dismissed their publication as deeply flawed (McKitrick, 2010). I also disagree with the legitimacy of the previous research used by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since their research shows less dramatic results if techniques that are more reliable had been used to analyze the data. Later researches have shown that an increase in greenhouse gases due to human activity is a prime cause global warming. However, arguments in favor for global warming were already accepted widely as a prime cause for increased temperatures in the world. Conclusions made from other scientists shows that making the world warmer undoubtedly is not determined by reconstructions of temperature aforementioned to direct records. Most error pieces fall inside the stated hockey stick pieces created by Mann and his team of scientists but can be collected to indicate the late temperatures. There are major doubts about the correctness of all previous temperature re-establishments, and these qualms have sometimes to be glossed over by scientists who presented the hockey stick as suggestion for global warming (Regalado, 2005). Michael E. Mann, Raymond S., Bradley, and Malcolm K., have remodeled northern hemisphere temperatures for the previous 2000 years to incorporate a wider set of proxies than what was accessible for the original study and updated measurements from the late years. I the new reconstruction, different methods am used as compared to the previous methods used in the original case. It shows