Identify and examine three ways that contemporary globilisation Essay

Identify and examine three ways that contemporary globilisation impacts on international relations - Essay Example Current paper examines the above three aspects trying to identify possible points of interaction as well as areas that would need improvement in order to serve more effectively the national (as well as the international) targets. The definition of globalisation has been an issue that examined a lot in the literature. According to Guillen globalization can be characterized as ‘a process fuelled by, and resulting in, increasing cross-border flows of goods, services, money, people, information, and culture’. Under a more analytical context, globalization could also be viewed as ‘a decoupling or â€Å"distanciation† between space and time’ or just ‘a â€Å"compression† of space and time, a shrinking of the world’ (Guillen, 2001, 235). The above researcher has also accepted the views of geographer David Harvey (1989) and political scientist James Mittelman (1996) who observed that ‘globalization entails a "compression" of space and time, a shrinking of the world’. Moreover, it is noticed that the globalization has also an informational aspect under the influence of which the global economy becomes ‘an economy with the capacity to work as a un it in real time on a planetary scale’. On the other hand, Gereffi et al. (1994, 2) regarded globalization from a totally different aspect and stated the theory of ‘global commodity chains’ which ‘consist of sets of inter-organizational networks clustered around one commodity or product, linking households, enterprises, and states to one another within the world-economy; these networks are situationally specific, socially constructed, and locally integrated, underscoring the social embeddedness of economic organization...Specific processes or segments within a commodity chain can be represented as boxes or nodes, linked together in networks; each successive node within a commodity chain

Examine the extent to which success in attracting tourists to a Essay

Examine the extent to which success in attracting tourists to a destination is less the product of public sector development str - Essay Example Tourism organizations’ managers in private and public organizations need to be well informed strong understanding and command of consumer behaviour as the growth of this industry highly depends on consumer behaviour. In addition to this, commercial interest also needs to be considered in order to develop tourism strategies. What public sector development strategies are typically used to encourage tourism? The public sector organizations introduce several development strategies in order to encourage the tourism. First of all, the public sector organizations generally formalize the tourism industry engagement programs and activities. In these programmes, the organizations invite the board and industry members to discuss over the strategy development process. Globalization and technological revolution is motivating the public sector organizations to target potential customers through online marketing and promotional strategies (Hall and Page, 2006, pp.96-117). Each and every publ ic sector organization is developing attracting website that can provide entire information about the destinations, events and package price to the target customers. In addition to this, sustainable and green strategy development process is helping these organizations to attain sustainable industry growth (Elliot, 1997, pp.31-37). Several unique customer awareness and brand promotional strategies have been adopted by the organizations to develop potential client base. However, the public sector organizations mainly focus on the sustainable practices and operational strategies. What public sector development strategies have been successful/ effective? Why? Promotion and marketing activities through online media networks have been successful. In addition to this, sustainable planning and strategy development process is motivating more number of customers (Hall and Jenkins, 1995, p.19-31). Major limitation is the lack of commercial interest in the developed strategies. In addition to t his, limited stakeholder engagement activity during strategy development process can make it difficult for the organizations to meet corporate objectives and business goals. What are the limitations? Golf tourism can be considered under sports tourism sector. Golf is considered as one of the most attractive and significant sport tourism activity that can contribute effectively to the economic and social welfare of the destination. This sport is becoming popular among the people of several developed and developing countries around the globe (Priestley, 2006, pp.170-178). Looking into these favourable aspects and environment, public sector and private sector organizations are collaboratively developing strategies in order to maximize profitability (Jeffries, 2001, pp.19-27). The collaboration of private and public sector organization is highly required in the strategy development process. Generally, public sector organizations motivate the private organizations to follow the legal pol icies in business policies On the other hand, private sector organizations focus on particular commercial interests and consumer behaviour. It is important to develop customer oriented business strategies in golf tourism. The number of golf lovers is increasing significantly around the globe. The public organizations generally take care of the policy development proc

Oral History Interview Example

Oral History Interview Example Mrs. Cooper: My mother and father came from two different areas of Alabama. My mother grew up on the Morrisette Plantation in Alabama. We know that my grandmother was a servant there in 1880. My grandmother had more privileges than other servants because she worked in the house rather than in the fields. And she never lived in the slave quarters. When the overseer left the plantation, she and her family were allowed to move into his house. Her father was owned by one Alexander Bryant from Kentucky, and he willed his slaves to his children. From his will, we found that my family that found its way to Alabama was worth $385. All of my great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers children were born in slavery. The curious thing is that even though their children were born in slavery, they werent married until 1867, after the Civil War. And researching the records, we found that there were a surge of marriages after the War, as if only then were they allowed to be married. Anyway, the Morrisette Plantation was where my grandmother met my grandfather. They were married in 1884 at a time when we were led to believe few blacks ever married. When I was growing up, I knew nothing about all this. Anything related to slavery, we didnt want to hear it. I dont think any blacks wanted to hear anything about slavery. My mother grew up on the Morrisette Plantation and came to Birmingham when she was 21 years old. My fathers people came from the area near Panola, Alabama. This may shock you, but the plantation owner had seven or eight children by two of his slave. One of those offspring, Lorenzo Dancy, was my fathers father. We assume my father was illegitimate since there are no records of any marriages there. Interviewer: How was town life near Birmingham different from rural life when you were young? Mrs. Cooper: My father seemed to think living near Birmingham was a great improvement over the country. He said he left the country because he hated to be told what to do and he could be more independent in the city. He always said that he would refuse to be treated like a boy. Ive been trying to understand my fathers rebelliousness. There were times when he would rebuke people who said certain things to him, because he thought everything had something to do with race. Nobody could ever tell him he couldnt have a thing or do a thing. He carried the Bessemer Housing Authority to court in 1954 to keep them from taking his property for a housing project. No black person had ever challenged the Authority. He didnt win, of course -he knew he wouldnt win. But my father would challenge anybody. Mother moved to the Birmingham area to get away from a bad personal situation. But lots of people moved off the land because of crop failures. The land was just worn out and the South was suffering from terrible droughts. People got deep into debt-debts that were kept on the books, even when they had actually been paid off. It was hard to challenge the records kept by the landowners. Through the twenties and thirties, many black people hoboed away from the South because they realized that on the farms the more you worked the more you owed. For myself, I was never taken to the country until I was quite a big girl. Interviewer: So, you would describe yourself as a small-town girl, growing up just outside Birmingham? Mrs. Cooper: Yes. Interviewer: What were the houses like? The living conditions like? Mrs. Cooper: They were all shotgun houses, mostly two-room places. No electricity, of course. Even after TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] came to the Birmingham area, we had no electricity until my father, who could be very stubborn and hot-tempered, fought and fought until he managed to get electricity run to our house. The thing we hated most about not having electricity was that we couldnt use a radio. It wasnt until about 1940 that we got a radio. Interviewer: About how large was McCulleys Quarters? Mrs. Cooper: It was only about a one-block area, but it had everything we needed-a grocery store and a barber shop and a blacksmith shop. Interviewer: How did a typical little girl spend the day when you were about six years old? Mrs. Cooper: Oh, I led a sheltered life. Mother always kept me dressed in the dresses she made and I was kept close around the house. I visited neighbors and played house and read. I never wore slacks or jeans. And I never took part in the boys rough games. Boys picked berries in the summer and sold scrap iron. Interviewer: As a child, did you have contacts with white people? That is, did you have a sense of yourself as black and without certain opportunities? Mrs. Cooper: Except for the few white people who lived in the Quarters, as a child I didnt know many white people or have a sense of being discriminated against. My Friends were right there in the Quarters. There were very, very few children there, so I remember primarily being with the adults. It wasnt until after I started to school that I because aware at we couldnt go to certain parks, couldnt swim in certain places. During the thirties my mother had to begin taking in washing and ironing for white people, so I began to see the white people she worked for. Then later I came to realize other differences. For example, there were no hospitals for black people. The one or two hospitals that would take black people put them in the based of course the black doctor, who had been taking care of you not be allowed to practice-to attend you in the white Interviewer: Did your family have any contact with white people who were in an economic situation similar to yours-people whom we would call poor whites? Mrs. Cooper: My mother and I didnt, but my father did at his work. I remember him talking particularly about the woman who worked as a nurse at the factory who always abused any black workers she had to treat who were injured on the job. Many workers would just try to treat their own wounds rather than go to her to help them. Some would pull their own bad teeth for the same reason, rather than be badly treated by some white dentist. Interviewer: Were conditions rougher in the 1930s during the Depression, or was it more or less more of the same? Mrs. Cooper: We were always poor, but the Depression was definitely worse. People who had had jobs lost them or, like my father, were laid off for periods of time. And if you worked, the pay was often something like 3 or 4 dollars a week. What my mother always said that people used the old plantation skiffs to survive: growing gardens, canning, making absolutely everything and buying almost nothing. Interviewer: What was education like for African-Americans in Alabama at that time? Mrs. Cooper: My mother, growing up on what had been the Morrisette Plantation, was well educated. Churches maintained schools in the country, and children who showed promise as good students were sought out and sent to these schools, if their parents would pay. My mother was sent for a time to Snow Hill Institute. Her parents scraped and picked cotton so that she could attend, but she didnt finish. The last year the crops were too bad, and she couldnt go. Most, of course, were not educated. My father attended school through the third grade only. in my generation, most children I knew attended school, though many left at an early age to go to work. I believe that compulsory schooling to the age of 16 did not come about until about 1941. Interviewer: What occupations were open to African-Americans as you were growing up? Mrs. Cooper: For women, aside from domestic work and labor like laundering, the only professions or trades were nursing and teaching. Of course, you only nursed or taught black people. Many women worked as cooks in private homes or restaurants, as maids in private homes or businesses. There were no black sales clerks in stores. Men worked in the mines, in factories, as delivery boys, carpenters, and bricklayers. They could operate elevators, but they couldnt become firemen or policemen or salesmen. Some black men worked as tailors. Those who went into professions became doctors or dentists or principals or preachers within the black community. Interviewer: What were the legal barriers that African-Americans faced? Mrs. Cooper: Well, of course, we werent allowed to register to vote. Even though I was a schoolteacher for twenty years, I didnt register to vote until the late sixties. There were a few black attorneys who would take on cases, but at least in Birmingham in the thirties and forties, black attorneys couldnt practice in the courthouse. Their very presence in the courtroom was bitterly resented by many people. Interviewer: What was the feeling in the black community about Autherine Lucys attempt to enter the University of Alabama? Mrs. Cooper: They didnt know exactly what to think. But it was horrifying for us, terrifying. I thought I would have just given up. Everyone was very scared for her life. The older people were especially scared for her. They thought that the people would kill Autherine. There were other cases of black people trying to enter the state universities, in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, at the time. Nobody thought they had much of a chance because every excuse in the world would be brought up. I knew one young woman who was told that she would be accepted, but when her mortgage company heard about it, they threatened to cancel her mortgage. They said if their white customers found out that their company was providing a mortgage for a black person who was trying to go to white schools, they would take their business elsewhere. So they couldnt afford to continue mortgaging her home if she kept trying to go to the university. Interviewer: What about the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Mrs. Cooper: We were always given the same treatment on buses throughout the South that Rosa Parks received. Most of us had to ride the buses. We bought our tickets at the front of the bus and then went around to the back door to get in. A sign marked where the white section ended and the black, section began. if the white section was filled and more white people got on, you were ordered out of your seats and the driver would move the sign back to make the white section bigger. It was a terrible humiliation as well as being terribly uncomfortable. We would be jammed together in the back like sardines. Even worse was when some of the whites would get off and some drivers would refuse to move the sign back up so that we could have more room and a few black people could sit down. Interviewer: Mrs. Cooper, despite the difficulties and humiliations you have lived with in the South, you dont seem to put all white people into the same category. Mrs. Cooper: No, you shouldnt put people into categories. Many of those bus drivers treated us badly. We disliked them and made fun of them behind their backs. But some of them were good men who were polite and considerate and would even hold the bus for us when they knew we were late. No, not all black people are the same and not all white people are the same.

Essay example --

INTRODUCTION Bluetooth is a wireless LAN technology designed to connect devices of different functions such as telephones, notebooks, computers (desktop and laptop), cameras, printers, and coffee makers. A Bluetooth LAN is an ad hoc network, which means that the network is formed spontaneously but sometimes it called gadgets and make a network called a piconet. The cable-free, or wireless, technology was initially conceived by Ericson in 1994, when the company began a study to investigate the feasibility of a low-power, low-cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories. The company’s goal was to eliminate the need for cables. Bluetooth technology was intended to hasten the convergence of voice and data to handheld devices, such as cellular telephones and portable computers. Through the efforts of its developers and the members of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), it is now emerging with features and applications that not only remain true to its original intent, but also provide for broader uses of its technology. The word Bluetooth is taken from the 10th century Danish King Harald Bluetooth. King Bluetooth had been influential in uniting Scandinavian Europe during an era when the region was torn apart by wars and feuding clans. Nowadays, Bluetooth technology is the implementation of a protocol defined by the IEEE 802.15 standard. The standard defines a wireless personal-area network (PAN) operable in an area the size of a room or a hall. APPLICATIONS 1 Bluetooth Components 1.1. Element of a complete bluetooth †¢ an RF portion for receiving and transmitting data †¢ a module with a baseband microprocessor †¢ memory †¢ an interface to the host device (mobile phone) 1.2. The RF por... ...example, allowing their phones to be operated only by their Bluetooth hands-free headset and no-one else's. This is called device-level security. They can also restrict the things that different Bluetooth can do with other devices using what's called service-level security. Conclusion As you can see, the Bluetooth specification is definitely real and is being widely adopted by industry leaders. The possibilities for new applications is very exciting with this versatile technology. Hopefully this article has provided a basic understanding of the Bluetooth architecture so that you can delve into the 1082 page Bluetooth specification or some of our future, more detailed articles on the Wireless Developer Network. Reference 1) http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Low-Energy.aspx 2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth

Social Media About Muslims

SoRef. No: H00144879 Short Essay Tutorial: Online Learning Teacher: Kristina Rajic Critical Writing & Analysis (C07CW) Impact of Social Media on Islam and Muslims Susan Ward defines Social media as a type of online media that expedites conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers content but doesn't allow readers/viewers/listeners to participate in the creation or development of the content. Some of the common examples of social media are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. There is a wide variety of social medias’ in the Internet. People get more attention to the things that are being shared from YouTube and Flickr nd posting them through Facebook or LinkedIn or MySpace. Social Networking sites spread news all over the globe very quickly and swiftly. According to Suzy Ismail â€Å"Social Media and networking sites must have and has definitely changed the spread of Islam and the perception of Muslims in the minds of many people around the world†, especiall y and mostly in the US and India. After the 9/11 bombings and destruction of the Twin Towers by Bin Laden, the growth of electronic and, in particular, social media has had an impact on the lives of Muslims around the world. According to Khurram T. Dara (2011) â€Å"every scandal, controversy, or violent errorist attack perpetrated by Muslims is put under the microscope.† He does not mean that the media has been trying to willingly to spread stories one way or another about Muslims in US and the world. â€Å"Of course, you have commentators and networks out there with agendas they want to push, but for the most part the impact the media has had comes in its evolution into a 24/7 industry. Everything is covered, regardless of whether it is quality journalism from reliable sources. † (Dara, 2011) Social Media played a crucial role in the way Muslims and Islam have been perceived over the years. Suzy Ismail continues, â€Å"It would be tough for nyone to say that they ha ve not ‘heard’ of Islam with the amount of coverage that our deen has received in the recent years through so many different media outlets†. Further on she adds that Muslims have been vilified and simultaneously victimized especially after 9/11 in America. â€Å"There seems to be two extreme reactions to the deen itself. One is which is sincere curiosity and interest that motivates education and the other is blind hatred and misunderstanding that leads to scapegoating and stereotyping. †(Suzy Ismail) Social media presents a big opportunity to reach out to people who may not even know about Islam or Muslims. Thousands f Americans have never met a Muslim but they have access through social media. In Texas, an event was set up where a Muslim woman is refused service in a bakery just because she has worn a headscarf. ABC News Hidden camera experiments THIS and the purpose is to see what people’s reaction would be, which was quite surprising. Recently in the last few weeks, a controversial American- ­? made trailer of an Anti- ­? Islam video called Innocence Of Muslims has ignited protests across the Muslim world and continues to grow. It is just a trailer for a supposed future- ­? length film that was uploaded in YouTube a few weeks back in America by a an named Nakula Basseley Nakoula a. k. a Sam Bacile who is thought to be the writer, producer and promoter of the video. The Social Media raises complex questions about the freedom of speech in America (Ruth Startman, 2012). Social Media has played a vital role in the rapid spread of this video around the world by sharing it through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.Many Muslim countries removed this video from their network, however the video still remains undeleted in America and other Non- ­? Muslim regions of the world. Twitter and Facebook have been undoubtedly the two networking sites with the most active Muslim users. These sites ave allowed us to connect with many imp ortant persons such as Imams and Sheiks, Political Leaders and so on†¦. Some people are also there to cast a negative vote on Islam and are online just to do so. It can be overwhelming to not care about it, but we need to remember that social media has also given us the strength and the platform to express ourselves. In other ways, we can increase the positive impact of Social Media on the portrayal of Islam and Muslims by being more active online and by having lot of faith on Islam. (Dara, 2011) Social media is a great tool, which can be well used to spread â€Å"Love†, or abused to spread â€Å"hatred†.Let us choose â€Å"love† as every religion of the world is themed to promote â€Å"love† among mankind. No matter what, â€Å"love† will always prevail as it is upon which everything in life is centered and without which there is no meaning in life. REFERENCES: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Ward, Susan; Social Media Definition [online]. Ava ilable from: http://sbinfocanada. about. com/od/socialmedia/g/soci almedia. htm   (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Salman, Javeria; Impact of Media and Social Media on Islam and Muslims [online]. Available at: http://islamicstudies. islammessage. com/Article. aspx? aid=678   (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Dara, T. Khurram (2011) The Crescent Drive: ANESSAY ON IMPROVING THE IMAGE OF ISLAM IN AMERICA, Tensile. (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) ABC News hidden camera experiments – Racism in America â€Å"What would you do? † (Online video) Available at: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=UtWuOvdLRX4 (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Innocence of Muslims, 2012 (online video) Available at: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=gORgR7UiXgY (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) Starkman, Ruth (2012); It’s All the Rage: ‘The Innocence of Muslims,’ Social Media, and Free Speech† (online) Available At: http://www. huffingtonpost. com/ruth- ­? starkman/its- ­? all- ­? the- ­? rage- ­? the- ­? inno_b_1906050. html    (Accessed 28 Sept 2012) †¢ †¢

Compare and Contrast Essay: Reading vs. Listening to Music Essay

Reading and listening to music are both entertaining and good hobbies to fill up your free time, but there are also problems presented when choosing a book to read or a song to listen to.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Reading is more educational compared to listening to music† says Science Daily. â€Å"Reading can increase your vocabulary and comprehension ability while music doesn’t† says CNN. Reading can be more of a conversation factor than music. People can share their feelings and opinions towards certain books. They can also talk about music and what it is good for. Music is good for many things, such as doing chores. Playing music and listening to it are two different things. Playing music engages more than the ears; it also engages your eyes and your mind. It can also increase your attention span. You can share your passion for music by listening to it or dancing to it with your friends. â€Å"Teens who spend more time listening to music than reading books are more likely to suffer from depression.† says CBS. And in agreement The Register says â€Å"Research has shown that listening to music all the time as a teenager turns you into a doleful depressive (or alternatively that being a doleful depressive teenager makes you listen to music all the time). Youngsters who read, by contrast, tend to be in tiptop mental health.† Even though music and books may seem really different they also have a few similarities. Music and Reading both can be enjoyed any where and are good hobbies that can have a positive and negative influence on a person. Phones now are able download music and e-books so it makes them portable. Even though books don’t require electricity, music does.(The exception is live music). If your device for listening to music runs out of battery, you are unable to listen to music. On the other hand, reading requires adequate lighting; if you don’t have enough lighting , reading can actually damage your eyes. CNN also says â€Å"Activities such as reading and listening to music at midlife for both sexes are also protective against dementia, the study suggests.† â€Å"Research papers in the neurochemistry of music found that music can improve the function of the body’s immune system and reduce levels of stress.† says  Medical News Today. As we have examined the similarities and differences of reading and listening to music, and it is your choice to choose between them. I personally feel that reading is more beneficial than listening to music. Read more:  Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

Gravimetric Analysis Definition

Gravimetric Analysis Definition Gravimetric analysis is a collection of  quantitative analysis laboratory techniques  based on the measurement of an analytes mass. One example of a  gravimetric analysis technique  can be used to determine the amount of an ion in a solution by dissolving a known amount of a compound containing the ion in a solvent to separate the ion from its compound. The ion is then precipitated or evaporated out of solution and weighed. This form of gravimetric analysis is called precipitation gravimetry. Another form of gravimetric analysis is volatization gravimetry. In this technique, compounds in a mixture are separated by heating them to chemically decompose the specimen. Volatile compounds are vaporized and lost (or collected), leading to a measurable reduction on the mass of the solid or liquid sample. Precipitation Gravimetric Analysis Example In order for gravimetric analysis to be useful, certain conditions must be met: The ion of interest must fully precipitate from solution.The precipitate must be a pure compound.It must be possible to filter the precipitate. Of course, there is error in such an analysis! Perhaps not all of the ion will precipitate. They may be impurities collected during filtration. Some sample may be lost during the filtration process, either because it passes through the filter or else is not recovered from the filtration medium. As an example, silver, lead, or mercury may be used to determine chlorine because these metals for insoluble chloride. Sodium, on the other hand, forms a chloride that dissolves in water rather than precipitates. Steps of Gravimetric Analysis Careful measurements are necessary for this type of analysis. Its important to drive away any water that may be attracted to a compound. Place an unknown in a weigh bottle that has its lid cracked open. Dry the bottle and sample in an oven to remove water. Cool the sample in a desiccator.Indirectly weigh a mass of the unknown in a beaker.Dissolve the unknown to produce a solution.Add a precipitating agent to the solution. You may wish to heat the solution, as this increases the particle size of the precipitate, reducing loss during filtration. Heating the solution is called digestion.Use vacuum filtration to filter the solution.Dry and weigh the collected precipitate.Use stoichiometry based on the balanced chemical equation to find the mass of the ion of interest. Determine the mass percent of the analyte by dividing the mass of analyte by mass of unknown. For example, using silver to find an unknown chloride, a calculation might be: Mass of dry unknown chloride: 0.0984Mass of AgCl precipitate: 0.2290 Since one mole of AgCl contains one mole of Cl- ions: (0.2290 g AgCl)/(143.323 g/mol) 1.598 x 10-3 mol AgCl(1.598 x 10-3)x(35.453 g/mol Cl) 0.0566 g Cl (0.566 g Cl)/(0.0984 g sample) x 100% 57.57% Cl in unknown sample Note lead would have been another option for the analysis. However, if lead had been used, the calculation would have needed to account for the fact one mole of PbCl2 contains two moles of chloride. Also note, error would have been greater using lead because lead is not completely insoluble. A small quantity of chloride would have remained in solution instead of precipitating.

Tocqueville essays

Tocqueville essays In the book Democracy in America, Tocqueville describes why he believes democracy, especially in America, is going to turn into a despot. Tocqueville believes that despotism is going to rise in America because when the inhabitant of a democratic country compares himself individually with all those about him, he feels with pride that he is the equal of any one of them; but when he comes to survey the totality of his fellows and to place himself in contrast to so huge a body, he is instantly overwhelmed by the sense of his own insignificance and weakness (Tocqueville v2, p10). This insignificance and weakness makes the inhabitant rely on the government more and thereby the government turns into a despotic one. This is why Tocqueville believes that despotism will be the end result of democracy. Democratic nations, such as America, pride themselves on equality of conditions. The first and most tense passion that is produced by equality of condition is the love of that equality (Tocqueville v2, p94). Men love equality because it gives everyone equality of opinions and equality of worth, which means that no one person, is any better than anyone else. Americans do not believe just one person because their opinion is equal to that one persons opinion; but if the majority holds that same opinion then that one person will conform to the majority. At periods of equality men have no faith in one anther, by reason of their common resemblance; but this very resemblance gives them almost unbounded confidence in the judgement of the public (Tocqueville v2, p10). This equality on an individual basis leads to a sense of individualism. Equality of condition leads to a sense of individualism. Since everyone is equal and on an individual basis no one needs or wants anything from anyone else, a sense of individualism or isolation arises. Democracy makes every man forget his ancestors and it hid...

Understanding Keywords for Website Content - Proofeds Writing Tips

Understanding Keywords for Website Content - Proofeds Writing Tips Understanding Keywords for Website Content Every business needs a website nowadays, so knowing how to write good content using SEO keywords is vital. But what exactly are keywords? And what does this mean in practice when writing for your website? In this post, we look at the basics of using keywords in online content. What Is a Keyword? At its most basic, a keyword is a term that someone enters into a search engine to find a website. For all of the content on your website, then, you should think about which keywords will make it easy to find. In other words, your website content should be built around keywords. If you haven’t done so already, you should develop a list of keywords to use on your site. A good starting points for this is Google Analytics, which lets you see how people are currently finding your site. Looking at which keywords your competitors use on their websites is a good idea, too. Google has all the data.(Image: Google Design team) Before you start writing, though, you also need to know the difference between short tail and long tail keywords. Short Tail Keywords Short tail keywords (otherwise known as â€Å"head terms†) are single words or short phrases related to your core business activities. For instance, short tail keywords for our website would include terms like â€Å"proofreading† and â€Å"copy editing.† These are important because a lot of people search for them, but there is also a lot of competition for most short tail keywords. Long Tail Keywords Long tail keywords are longer, specific phrases closely related to some aspect of your business. In our case, for instance, we might identify phrases such as â€Å"American English proofreading for college papers† or â€Å"professional formatting for business documents.† People search for these terms less often, but it is easier to rank higher in search results for long tail keywords. 5 Tips for Using Keywords in Online Content Finally, we will offer five handy tips for how to work keywords into your writing. Give them a try next time you are working on some website copy! Quality beats quantity – In the past, you could trick search engines by packing a web page with keywords (this was known as â€Å"keyword stuffing†). However, modern search algorithms penalize websites that do this, so it should be avoided! Instead, focus on writing good quality content with your keywords scattered occasionally throughout. Use keywords strategically – Different types of keyword should be used on different parts of your website. Use short tail keywords on the most important pages (e.g., the home page or where you describe services). But you should also use a range of long tail keywords elsewhere on the site (e.g., a blog or news section). This will give you a large database of specific words and phrases that customers can use to find you. Readability above all – Never force a keyword into a sentence where it doesn’t fit. After all, if someone clicks on your site and gives up after reading the first awkward paragraph, keywords count for nothing. Make sure all content on your website is well written and error free first. Clever formatting – You can boost SEO results by formatting keywords so that they stand out (e.g., with bold or italic fonts). Using keywords in subheadings is especially important. You may also want to use bullet points to make pages easier to skim read. Use the meta description – While using keywords in online content is important, you should also use them in the meta description for each page of your site. This is the short summary that users see as a preview in search engines, so it is vital to get this passage right!

Orange Resorts International Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Orange Resorts International - Case Study Example em in ORI has further reduced its operation in terms of maintaining appropriate data management functions along with Customer Relationship Management activities. Although the integration of new system may increase potential opportunity for ORI, the new system could also face major obstacles to perform the increased level of marketing along with sales and service functions of the organization. The existing limitations in the current system may create major constraint for ORI to perform its marketing, sales and service related activities, which impose major risks for ORI. In addition, the unsatisfactory facets along with inadequate attributes in the new system may also reduce the capability of ORI to make appropriate decisions or taking effective measures in accordance with the current trend in the tourism business industry. In order to deal with the current problem of managing information system in ORI, an effective planning and execution process of system development lifecycle should be duly recognized. An effective planning and implementation of the newly developed system development lifecycle would enable not only to improve business efficiency of ORI, but also to provide adequate opportunities to the organization in terms of obtaining its desired business goals and avert potential challenges. The newly developed system will significantly focus on managing, controlling and directing key operational activities of ORI and help it to advance in decision-making processes. In this regard, appropriate management and evaluation of data would be a major supportive attribute of the proposed system plan. The process of evaluating data management and controlling process in line with the current trend will substantially improve the decision making process in ORI to accumulate growth even during the transitional economy. The system will be sponsored by system administrators of ORI with a strategic team, who will be accountable to report each function to the board of

Employees Performance Appraisal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employees Performance Appraisal - Coursework Example It makes it easier for the employers to determine the career path for their employees. One of the difference between potential appraisal and performance appraisal is the criterion. The criterion used is to analyze the goals achieved by an employee and what skills he or she currently possesses that could be helpful in indicating the ability of that employee to assume an advanced set of responsibilities. On the other hand, Performance Appraisal refers to the appraisal of the work performed by an employee. Performance appraisal aims at evaluating the employee’s ability to perform the job he is given and whether he has been provided the job in accordance with his potential. Performance appraisal may be performed following a simpler criterion in terms of the quality, quantity, cost and time of the work performed by an employee. Performance appraisal is not future oriented therefore it cannot be used to predict the performance of an employee. Unlike potential appraisal, its purpose is to determine whether the employee has performed satisfactorily. QUESTION 2 Discuss the linkage between â€Å"Potential Appraisal† and â€Å"Career Development†. There is a stable linkage between Potential Appraisal and Career Development. ... The set of skills that are analyzed in the potential appraisal are; communication skills, leadership skills, inter-personal skills, ability to adapt to different scenarios, decision making skills, ability to work as a team and the ability to take initiatives. All these set of skills are highly helpful in the career development of an employee. By analyzing these skills, an employee would know his strengths and weaknesses and it would give him a chance to capitalize on his strengths and to improve his weak skills. In another scenario, if an employee is strong in a particular skill, he would be able to determine his career path based on that skill. For example; a person with strong communication skills can choose marketing as his career. A person with strong leadership skills can develop his career in management. Thus, potential appraisal is linked with the career development of the employees. QUESTION 3 Identify the manager’s main responsibilities when conducting Potential Appra isal. When conducting a potential appraisal, manager should follow the pattern of the appraisal which is the most effective. The manager should formulate the appraisal in such a manner that the purpose of the appraisal is completely achieved. Initially, all the employees whose potential appraisal is to be conducted should be listed by the manager and the manager should conduct the appraisals individually. Another responsibility of the manager is to gather complete information about the employee with regard to his current position and his set of responsibilities. The manager should utilize the results of the performance appraisal to make the potential appraisal more effective. The manager should take into account the performance of the employee in his

THE EFFECT OF TAX AVOIDANCE IN ECONOMY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

THE EFFECT OF TAX AVOIDANCE IN ECONOMY - Essay Example Therefore, the study of tax avoidance is important in the implementation of a couple of constitutional loopholes upon which tax payers evade taxation for their own advantages. Tax Avoidance Tax avoidance is a subject concerned with the identification of the various legal loopholes surrounding taxation. The purpose of the study is to implement the various ways through which individuals benefit from the avoidance approach. Further, concerns rise as to whether the approach is ethical and of equal importance to the general economy. Studies reveal that mitigation and evasion of taxes differ from tax avoidance as they present a subject of illegality in the taxation clause. Tax avoidance is a legal taxation approach upon which the beneficiaries acquire a constitutional right to avoid taxes (Brooks & Dunn, 2010, p.56). The study reveals the implications emanating from tax avoidance, examples of tax avoidance in relation to the benefits cheat, the ethical issues arising thereof, and a compari son of the ethical issues to the subject of legality. ... However, the dream may be short-lived because of malicious proprietors who sought to identify loopholes in the taxation system and eventually avoid the taxes. Such acts may result in unhealthy competition in a country’s business economy and income imbalances (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2011:36). In the long-run, the business abiding by the set taxing criterion may suffer unhealthy competition from malicious competitors, thus resolving to exit the market. Global economies perceive taxation as the key to growth and implementation of adequate consumer and producer policies. As governments impose taxes to limit consumption of health hazardous products, the businesses involved in production and selling of the products will extend the total amount of the imposed tax to the final consumer. This approach will serve to reduce the consumer’s income as he tries to maintain marginal consumption of the restricted product. The eventual outcome is that the reduced income of the con sumer will injure the purchase of vital commodities as the addicted consumer maintains consumption of the restricted product (Moffat, Bean & Dewar, 2005, p.48). At this level, tax avoidance by the producers shall lead to reduced incomes among the consumers and increased poverty levels. Ethical Concepts in Tax Avoidance and Related Cases In accordance to taxation theorists, tax avoidance would pose a fair reflection whenever meant to imply the positive use of money. Authorities may assess different business entities and establish those which should avoid taxes and those that should remit through a constitutional approach. The business will eventually evade taxation but through

American hegemony in the global economic system Essay

American hegemony in the global economic system - Essay Example By the start of 1970s, currents of change were detected in the global economic order, with nationalism and protectionism being replaced by neo-liberalism and free flow of capital. Even as American elites promoted this new economic order, the process was facilitated by respective participant elites from nations across the world. The irony lies in the fact that communist China was at the forefront of the global neo-liberal program, despite claiming its socialist credentials. If the ideological gates of the authoritarian and highly protectionist China could be broken open for free-market capitalism, then it was only a matter of time and strategy before other power bastions of the world are broken through. And this is precisely what had happened. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and the shift in policy framework of several developing countries, the nature and complexion of geo-economics has taken a different form. Needless to say, Americas position as the sole supe rpower has been strengthened by this change. The unsavory aspects of this sweeping change include â€Å"the appearance of a nearly feral form of entrepreneurship in which black marketers, drug barons, arms merchants, rackets bosses, Mafiosi, and other profiteers are emerging as the economic and political leaders of the social transformations underway in their respective societies.† (Buchanan, 2000, p.1) Before embarking on answering the essay question, understanding what neo-liberal globalization truly entails.

Coca Cola Crisis Case in 1999 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coca Cola Crisis Case in 1999 - Essay Example Despite the success and growth of Coca Cola, there have been different problems that have arisen over time. One of the problems that occurred was in 1999, when products sold in Europe, specifically in Belgium, led to several children getting sick as a result from drinking Coca Cola products. This paper will examine the basic background of the crisis, what went wrong with Coca Cola and how the company had to recover from the position. Specifically, there will be an analysis of the social and economic implications of the time which changed the attitudes toward the Coca Cola beverages and which led to the crisis. There will also be an evaluation of the several theories that caused the reaction from society. The paper will then recommend ways in which Coca Cola could have prevented this crisis from occurring and other actions that could have been taken to change immediate responses to avoid similar difficulties in the future. The 1999 Coca Cola crisis was preceded by a number of developments. Coca Cola began with a mixture of water and syrup or sugar that was added as a bottled product. This beverage was used specifically as a snack type of beverage aimed at children and youth. After 1892, the beverage grew from a product and into a business, which was incorporated by Asa Candler. The company quickly grew into a regional then national business in the US. By the 1920s, the beverage had expanded into various regions of the world and began to emerge as one of the most popular brands and drinks. By the 1940s, Coca Cola was offered as a beverage in conjunction with the company’s sponsorship of events such as the Olympics, which added to its continuous growth and success. The market and brand of Coca Cola, until the mid – 1980s, was incorporated into a signature drink for political and social movements. Sponsoring events and specialized advertising campaigns that were related to concepts

Financial Analysis about PepsiCo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Analysis about PepsiCo - Essay Example Today the PepsiCo has a wide and diverse range of edible products and it is one of the largest multinational corporations of the world. As per the financial statements of the company for the financial year 2011, the company has more than 22 mega brands which accounts for more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. The company has been working diligently on focusing on its strategic targets and has been able to add several brands in the last decade. During the financial year 2011 the company was able to post revenue of 14 percent through its food and average business. The global snack portfolio of the company accounts for around $34 billion. In this particular niche, the company has been able to diverse immensely and through active innovation, the company has been able to add new products such as bread snacks and refrigerated dips. In addition, Lays, one of the world’s leading brands is also owned by PepsiCo and accounted for $9 billion in sales during the financial year 2011.On the other hand, the global beverage portfolio of the company amounts for $34 billion which has shown an impressive increase of 5% growth from the previous financial year. Considering the current strategies and innovation, the company is actively working on brining new experiences to its customers all across the globe. The fact that the company is committed in expanding its operations all across the globe can be identified from the fact that during the 2011 financial year 50% of the revenue of the company came from outside of the America. The company has actively started marketing one of its major beverages Gatorade and Pepsi MAX outside of the America. ... rands is also owned by PepsiCo and accounted for $9 billion in sales during the financial year 2011.On the other hand, the global beverage portfolio of the company amounts for $34 billion which has shown an impressive increase of 5% growth from the previous financial year. Considering the current strategies and innovation, the company is actively working on brining new experiences to its customers all across the globe. The fact that the company is committed in expanding its operations all across the globe can be identified from the fact that during the 2011 financial year 50% of the revenue of the company came from outside of the America. The company has actively started marketing one of its major beverages Gatorade and Pepsi MAX outside of the America. No matter how strong the asset base of a company is and how prudent and effective the management of its resources is, there are always certain business risk lurking. As per the latest financial statement of the company, a great quantu m of its sales pertains to outside of America to countries such as Mexico, United Kingdom, China, India etc. However, the markets in these countries are still emerging and there is no certainty and surety that the products manufactured by the company will be accepted in the coming future. In addition, the political instability or severe economic meltdown can cause serious affect on the profitability of the company. Serious competition from any of the local brand in the aforementioned countries can also give difficult time to the company in achieving its desired sales target and revenue level. Change in the legal and regulatory requirement in any of the country can adversely affect the operations of the company. The overseas operations and conduct of the business including production,

Coca Cola Crisis Case in 1999 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coca Cola Crisis Case in 1999 - Essay Example Despite the success and growth of Coca Cola, there have been different problems that have arisen over time. One of the problems that occurred was in 1999, when products sold in Europe, specifically in Belgium, led to several children getting sick as a result from drinking Coca Cola products. This paper will examine the basic background of the crisis, what went wrong with Coca Cola and how the company had to recover from the position. Specifically, there will be an analysis of the social and economic implications of the time which changed the attitudes toward the Coca Cola beverages and which led to the crisis. There will also be an evaluation of the several theories that caused the reaction from society. The paper will then recommend ways in which Coca Cola could have prevented this crisis from occurring and other actions that could have been taken to change immediate responses to avoid similar difficulties in the future. The 1999 Coca Cola crisis was preceded by a number of developments. Coca Cola began with a mixture of water and syrup or sugar that was added as a bottled product. This beverage was used specifically as a snack type of beverage aimed at children and youth. After 1892, the beverage grew from a product and into a business, which was incorporated by Asa Candler. The company quickly grew into a regional then national business in the US. By the 1920s, the beverage had expanded into various regions of the world and began to emerge as one of the most popular brands and drinks. By the 1940s, Coca Cola was offered as a beverage in conjunction with the company’s sponsorship of events such as the Olympics, which added to its continuous growth and success. The market and brand of Coca Cola, until the mid – 1980s, was incorporated into a signature drink for political and social movements. Sponsoring events and specialized advertising campaigns that were related to concepts

Picking a stock Essay Example for Free

Picking a stock Essay Picking a stock is not as easy as differentiating NYSE from the Nasdaq. And more importantly, such differences are independent of the quality of the stocks. Both bourses make up the big majority of the US stock market. Easily, these stock exchanges maintain the country’s premiered blue chip stocks; wherein Microsoft is Nasdaq’s â€Å"flagship† stock and General Electric is arguably NYSE’s most well established listed company. The most glaring difference between the two is their own choice of medium to do transactions. â€Å"Nasdaq-listed trades are entirely automated. NYSE trades are still overseen by specialists. While traders have some say in how, when and at what price the trades are crossed, they cant pick the market† (NYSE vs. Nasdaq, (2003), from web site http://www. forbes. com/2003/08/18/cx_aw_0818mondaymatchup. html). Meanwhile, NYSE’s seven (7) specialists act as facilitators with the interest of making a very liquid market in the stock exchange. Nasdaq’s market makers on the other hand, actually act as participants in the buying and selling of shares (electronically, of course). NYSE is a well-know auction’s market wherein â€Å"the highest bidding price will be matched by the lowest asking price† (The Tale of Two Exchanges: NYSE and Nasdaq, from web site http://www. investopedia. com/articles/basics/03/103103. asp). Conversely, Nasdaq is more â€Å"organic† as a dealer’s market where market makers buy and sell from each other against their personal inventories. Lastly, history makes a big contribution to each bourse’s public perception. Whereas the NYSE is viewed as a more established institution (founded in 1792), Nasdaq is perceived as high-growth and highly volatile trading platform and subsequently attracts mostly firms from the IT and Telecom industries. Some first-time participants who are cost-driven prefer Nasdaq’s cheaper listing fee as well. The case of former Worldcom CEO Bernard Ebbers created a ripple effect in the telecommunications industry and severely put its existing form, MCI, into a whirlpool of debt amounting to around $35 billion. Even when Verizon purchased MCI for $7. 6 billion when the latter filed for bankruptcy, the new executive officers had the daunting tasks of regaining public trust while at the same unfolding more antitrust issues and financial window dressing perpetrated by the previous incumbents. Thousands of jobs were lost; creditors and investors alike could not recoup most of their stakes in the company. â€Å"†¦the fall of WorldCom altered the fortunes of a number of telecommunications industry participants, none more so than ATT Corporation† (Romar, Edward J. , Worldcom Case Study Update 2006, (2006), from web site http://www. scu. edu/ethics/dialogue/candc/cases/worldcom-update. html). The demise of Worldcom after the scandal affected the entire industry, especially the other forerunners that put too much reliance on the now bankrupt company as the beacon of industry standards. Bloated projections not only destroyed Worldcom, but it also damaged financially the competitors who reacted aggressively to counter these projections. For example, Worldcom’s former suppliers Nortell and Lucent Technologies took a nosedive via layoffs and below book value share prices because of these overstated figures that were never accomplished anyway.

The 4 Gospels and their Themes

The 4 Gospels and their Themes The authors of the four gospels in the Bible had a specific group of people they wrote to and in this assignment I am going to look at those specific people and what the authors said about the life and work of Jesus. I am going to also going to look at the main themes of these four gospels, beginning from Matthew to John. The author of the book of Matthew is the Apostle Matthew who was one of Jesus` disciples. The gospel of Matthew was written in Greek. The author wrote to a particular group of people mainly Greek speaking Jews, even though the author wrote to certain group of people the writing does have a worldwide outlook. Matthew concentrated more on the fulfilment of the Old Testament than the writers of the other gospels. In Matthew Jesus teaching pointed to the blessings of the kingdom being extended to gentiles. MATTHEWS MAIN THEMES The main purpose of Matthew is to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah which means the anointed one. Jesus can also be interpreted as Joshua in Greek which means the Lord saves. Matthewss goal was to convince his readers that the King of kings has come, with this in mind he uses words and names that the Jews are familiar with. Also unique to Matthew is the expression, that it might be fulfilled which is spoken by various prophets.  [1]   THE MAIN PURPOSE AND FOCUS OF MARK The gospel of Mark was written by John Mark. Mark was a close associate of peter, it was from Peter that he received the tradition of things done and said by the Lord Jesus Christ. Mark has more of the preaching of Peter, put together by John Mark. According to early church tradition Mark was written in the region of Italy more specifically in Rome. In book of Mark John Mark explains Jewish customs and interprets Aramaic words John Mark seemed to have an interest in persecution and martyrdom. John Mark wrote that the suffering Jesus was also the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Christ and the Lord. MARK`MAIN THEMES Marks gospel is simple and holds an important account of the ministry of Jesus Christ, with an emphasis on more of what Jesus did than what he said. Mark moves quickly from one scene in Jesus` ministry to another. Even though Mark bases his emphasis on the humanity he does not neglect the deity of Christ. Mark wrote to strengthen and guide the Roman believers who were being persecuted by Nero. After the death of Peter and eyewitnesses to Jesus` life, this gospel message needed to be written down.  [2]   THE MAIN PURPOSE AND FOCUS IN LUKE The writers name is not mentioned but evidence points to Luke. The gospel of Luke was written to Theophilus and the message in this gospel was meant for his own instruction and also for those among whom the book would be distributed. Luke was probably written around A.D. 59-63. The book of Luke would have likely been written in Rome. Luke had an outstanding command of the Greek language. Lukes words in general seem to reveal geographical and cultural sensitivity. Lukes gospel centers on Gods plan to provide salvation to the world. LUKE`MAIN THEMES Luke was written to strengthen the faith of all believers and to give an answer to the unbelievers. It was written to displace and unveil the false reports about Jesus. This third gospel presents the works and teachings of Jesus that are especially vital for understanding the way of salvation. The first two chapters of Luke emphasize the Old Testament and its promises of a Messiah while the third and part of the fourth chapters show clearly that Jesus is the Messiah, who can fight against the evil one, Luke continues in the rest of the chapters to write about the life and works of Jesus and everything that had been revealed by the law, the prophets and the Psalms about Jesus had been fulfilled.  [3]   Luke often stressed the humanity and compassion of Jesus. Lukes favourite expression is the Son of Man. The disciples were witnesses of to this fact and their mission was to share this Good News with all nations. THE MAIN PURPOSE AND FOCUS IN JOHN Some translators have felt that Johns aim was to present a forth from a different view point the Christian message that would appeal to Greek thinkers. John would have been thinking of the Greek readers some of whom were being influenced by heresy. John` main purpose was evangelistic, to build up believers as well as to win new converts. John also focuses on Jesus` claim that He was God by including Christs seven I am statements. John records certain occasions when Jesus equals Himself with the Old Testament I AM. John 8:58 Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM. JOHN` MAIN THEMES The writer of John also said that These are written that you may believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God and that believing you may have life in His name John 20:31. John also speaks of Jesus as the pre-existent divine Word who became a human being so as to speak the words of God, reveal the glory of Gods grace and truth, to put a bridge between the children of light and the children of darkness, to bring judgment on the unbelieving world and to give eternal life through the gift of the Holy Spirit to all believe and abide in Jesus. John wrote that Jesus was and is the saviour of the world.  [4]   John reveals the Bibles most important message, believe and follow Jesus, because He is the way to eternal life. John speaks of Jesus as the light of the world and the bread of life, the way, the life and the good shepherd. CONCLUSION The four canonical gospels are very detailed and factual about the life and work of Christ. Matthew writing to prove to the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah, while Mark stressed the humanity of Jesus but he does not neglect His deity. Luke wanted to show that the place of the gentile Christian in Gods kingdom is based on the teachings of Jesus. Luke` main theme is the nature of Jesus Christ` messiah ship and mission. The gospel of Luke presents Jesus in ways that would appeal to an audience of high minded gentiles. The gospel of John is presented firstly with a prologue or introduction. John speaks of Jesus as one sent from God to reveal His love and grace to man. All the four gospels have unique story on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and they all speak of one person only Jesus who is the saviour of the Jews and the saviour of the world. All the resources I used are very helpful for doing a research like this one and I would recommend any theological student to use these book s when doing their essays or research work.  [5]  

Thomas Day :: essays research papers fc

Life and Times of Thomas Day   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Day was born in Dinwidee, Virginia in 1801 to a free slave mother. With the law that allowed children to be born free if their parents were free, Day was born free and did not have to be a slave. His family had been free since the early 18th century. He and his brother were educated by private tutors and they were trained by their father in cabinetry and carpentry. Thomas’ brother eventually began to study theology and he emigrated to Liberia in 1930 and was a Baptist missionary, eventually became one of the signers of the Liberian Declaration of Independence and a prominent statesman there. He’s known as one of the founding fathers of that nation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas moved to Milton, NC in 1823 and started a furniture business where he became one of the best furniture makers of that time. He received notice from two of North Carolina’s governors and his furniture is inside of University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill’s original buildings. He eventually began to train free blacks and enslaved blacks to do the carpentry work that he was doing. By the mid 1800s his work was in demand from Virginia to Georgia. He then had to begin purchasing slaves to help him to the work. His furniture shop became the biggest shop in the state because he used steam powered machines and using mass production techniques to build his furniture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1827 Thomas married a free woman from North Carolina. But the law was that free slaves could only marry people from their own state. So Thomas threatened to move his furniture shop outside of North Carolina and to move it to Virginia where that law did not exist. So the North Carolina Legislature made special arrangements to the law so that Thomas would stay in North Carolina and he and his wife could still be married. Thomas had three children and they were educated in an abolitionist-sympathizing school in Massachusetts called Wesleyan Academy. He also constructed some pews for The Presbyterian Church in Milton provided that his family would be allowed to sit up front in the white section. He was an active member of the community of Milton. In 1848 he purchased the Union Tavern where he resided until he died in 1861. It is now a landmark but part of it was destroyed by a fire in 1989.

Family or Finance :: essays research papers

Family or Finance, Which Should Come First?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When looking at custody cases in America today, one must wonder what the courts find more important when deciding the fate of these children, family or finance? The issue has been raised that the majority of the time, the mother gets custody of the children. Should this be so? Should we at this time, a time where we are trying to break through the molds of the mother being the only caregiver, automatically assume that the mother should gain custody of the children? Or, should we begin to look at the merits of allowing fathers to gain custody of the children? When looking at these cases, cases where both the mother and father desire custody of the children, how do you decide who should win? Should money be the primary factor? Should family be the primary factor? Or should the kids’ desires be the primary factor?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All these question have been raised, and the courts answer is very simple. When deciding who should gain custody of the children the primary factor is â€Å"What is in the best interest of the child?† The problem to this answer is that it is too vague and doesn’t effectively answer any of the questions above. So lets look at what the courts feel is in the best interest of the children. Based on statistics from 1994, single mothers made up 6.6% of all families, while single fathers made up only 1.2%. So it would appear that mothers are more likely to end up with the children than fathers. Of course we must take into consideration the fact that not all the fathers want the children, and they go to the mother by default, and then there are the fathers that are in prison. There are also cases of the women not wanting the children as well. But we do not want to focus on these people, we are looking strictly at cases where both parents desire custody of the children. The fact is there are more single mothers than fathers, and when it comes to cases where both parents want the child, the mothers are more likely to win custody than the father. So we must determine why this is. When looking at recent statistics you can see that 52% of single mothers are below the poverty level, where only a little over 20% of single fathers fall below the level. Family or Finance :: essays research papers Family or Finance, Which Should Come First?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When looking at custody cases in America today, one must wonder what the courts find more important when deciding the fate of these children, family or finance? The issue has been raised that the majority of the time, the mother gets custody of the children. Should this be so? Should we at this time, a time where we are trying to break through the molds of the mother being the only caregiver, automatically assume that the mother should gain custody of the children? Or, should we begin to look at the merits of allowing fathers to gain custody of the children? When looking at these cases, cases where both the mother and father desire custody of the children, how do you decide who should win? Should money be the primary factor? Should family be the primary factor? Or should the kids’ desires be the primary factor?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All these question have been raised, and the courts answer is very simple. When deciding who should gain custody of the children the primary factor is â€Å"What is in the best interest of the child?† The problem to this answer is that it is too vague and doesn’t effectively answer any of the questions above. So lets look at what the courts feel is in the best interest of the children. Based on statistics from 1994, single mothers made up 6.6% of all families, while single fathers made up only 1.2%. So it would appear that mothers are more likely to end up with the children than fathers. Of course we must take into consideration the fact that not all the fathers want the children, and they go to the mother by default, and then there are the fathers that are in prison. There are also cases of the women not wanting the children as well. But we do not want to focus on these people, we are looking strictly at cases where both parents desire custody of the children. The fact is there are more single mothers than fathers, and when it comes to cases where both parents want the child, the mothers are more likely to win custody than the father. So we must determine why this is. When looking at recent statistics you can see that 52% of single mothers are below the poverty level, where only a little over 20% of single fathers fall below the level.

Johnson and Johnson Analysis Essay

Executive Summary This report was carried out in order to show the scenario planning of Johnson and Johnson .The report provides information about the history of the company, countries of operations and the sectors of operations .The company sales have seen significant growth in recent years and US have the highest percentage of sales of about 44% .The report also draws attention to the PESTEL framework of the pharmaceutical industry showing how Political ,Economical, Social ,Technological, Environmental ,and Legal factors affects companies operating in this industry .Johnson and Johnson have contributed to the environment and also helps in improving living in the society through providing of valuable drugs to cure several diseases and having good cooperate social responsibility. The SWOT Analysis of Johnson and Johnson shows that the company is one of the top players in the industry and has a lot of potential for further growth due to financial strength and experiences. The company sales has increased worldwide allowing for its expansion in more countries and they carry out further research and development on new products. Johnson and Johnson research and development is helping to identify new opportunities which in turns help in complimenting company strength .Several ranges of opportunities are available for the company and the breakthrough in technology and innovations has allowed for new products and services to be available for consumers. Further investigations shows the Porter five forces where threat of new entrant for the pharmaceutical industry is low and posses low threat to Johnson and Johnson as the company is already established and have a good number of customers around the world .The bargaining powers of buyers and suppliers , rivalry among competitors and threats of substitute are also discussed . The company is recognized as the 6th largest in the world for consumer health and the world largest providers of diverse medical diagnosti c devices, It is recommended that Johnson and Johnson reach out to more people around the world and focus on the rural areas to be able to help solve more deadly diseases in the world hence improving their cooperate social responsibilities. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction Johnson and Johnson founded in 1886 is a United States multinational company which specializes in medical devices and diagnostics, Pharmaceuticals and consumer products. The companies headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey have around 250 subsidiaries companies and operations in over 59 countries. Johnson and Johnson balance their short time and long time goals in their strategic planning by focusing on the important sector and fundamentals of the pharmaceutical business. They invest heavily in research and development and unveils new business opportunities .The company also focus on environment ,employees wellbeing and safety precautions to ensure they conduct business in an ethical manner. The company is included in the Fortune 500 companies and they help in improving quality of life in the world by researching on health care products which will help cure several dangerous diseases in the world. Their researchers are also committed with working with mothers to ensure they provide product that best meet the healthcare needs of mothers. The report include information about the history of Johnson and Johnson ,the PESTEL analysis of the pharmaceutical sector ,the SWOT analysis of the Johnson and Johnson and the Porter five forces which affects the level of competition in the pha rmaceutical industry . A conclusion and recommendation was also provided in the report. 2.0 Background of Johnson and Johnson The history of Johnson and Johnson dates back to 1886 which was founded by three brothers on the idea of using sterile suture alongside bandages to treat wounds. Since its inception it has grown to be one the most comprehensive manufacturer of health care products and also a well-established provider for the pharmaceutical market. The company is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey with around 250 subsidiaries companies and operations in over 59 countries and over 120,000 employees, the company products are sold in over 165 countries. Barron magazine in 2008 ranked Johnson and Johnson the world most respected company and in 2011 they  recorded worldwide sales of $65 billion. (Johnson & Johnson 2012) Johnson and Johnson business are in three segments which are Pharmaceuticals, Medical devices and Diagnostics, and Consumer products. The current chairman of the company is Alex Gorsky he took over from William Weldon in 2012. Pharmaceutical segment produces several medicines which helps cure most of the world most dangerous and widespread diseases products under this category include anti-infective, dermatology, neurology , pain management anti-psychotic and several other products ,the products are usually distributed directly to retailers ,and hospitals and health care professionals for prescription to patients. Johnson and Johnson is committed to help people have healthier lives and live longer by contributing to research of deadly diseases and finding possible cure for them ,Johnson and Johnson invested about $5.1 billion in 2011 for pharmaceutical research and development of new medicines. In 2013 the pharmaceutical segment contributed about 39% to the company annual revenue. The company consumer health segment include products like baby care ,skin care, oral care women health care ,wound care as well as wellness and nutritional products . The products are readily available across several distributors stores, pharmacy and retails outlet. In 2013 the consumer health segment contributed 21% to the company total revenue. While the Medical devices segment produces varieties of innovative products which are primarily used by health care professionals in several fields which include diagnostics ,vision care ,surgery ,diabetes treatment ,sports medicine and other products . The products are distributed to wholesalers, retailers, pharmacy, and hospitals. In 2013 the Medical devices and Diagnostics contributed 40% to the company total revenue. Johnson and Johnson sales have seen significant increase in recent years with sales of 29.5 billion in 2010 and 31 billion to international market making total sales of 61 billion. In 2011 sales of 28 billion to United States and 36 billion to international market making a total of 65 billion for the year and sales of 29, billion to US in 2012 and 37 billion to international market making total sales of 67 billion in 2012. This shows Johnson and Johnson products are doing well both in the United States and in the international market. Figure 2.0 Johnson and Johnson sales by Geographical Region Adapted from http://www.slideshare.net/mortress/johnson-johnson-27883863 on May 2 ,2014. The figure above represent the percentage of sales by the geographical area with US having the highest percentage of sales and Asia -Pacific and Africa 25 % ,Europe 20 % and Western hemisphere 11 %. Johnson and Johnson was ranked in Newsweek Green Rankings as the third in United States among large companies that ensure environmental friendly operations. Examples include reduction in water use and wastage also increase in company transparency. They are member of national Green power partnership and a report published on the company website shows how the company intends to reduce waste usage and disposal also introducing several new sustainable products which are eco friendly in year 2015. 3.0 PESTEL Framework of Pharmaceutical Industry PESTEL analysis is a comprehensive useful and structured tool which help significantly in analyzing the Political, Economic, Social ,Technological, Environmental and legal external factor affecting an industry. It is very useful to identify external factors which is likely to impact future strategies (Barry, 2010) . it also effective for business planning ,marketing and product development by helping to understand market growth, business potential and directions of business operations. The pharmaceutical industry has a number of challenges this challenges can be clearly identified using the PESTEL analysis hence allowing for proper strategies to be undertaken. 3.1 Political Factors The Pharmaceutical industry has seen several increases in political attention of recent years. This is due to the role health care plays and its economic importance. Political interest affects the overall health care sector making the pharmaceutical companies to lobby with government in many of their activities .The challenges of the companies to provide affordable medicines and right to make profits comes along side economic hardships. Pharmaceutical companies must be able to respond actively to shift in government policies and should adhere to trends of ethics, compliance and  accountability in order to be successful in the market (Bennett, 1998). Health has become expensive and several debates on health care like the US Medicare debate and UK National Health Service debate are aimed to ensure health care are affordable and not financial burden. The regulations of pharmaceutical companies around the world has become more stringent increasing the cost of doing business in the indu stry, Johnson and Johnson operates worldwide and they must keep updated of the political situation which may affect their operation of in all country they have operations. 3.2 Economic Factors The pharmaceutical industries has seen a lot of mergers and acquisition of recent years the acquisitions has helped in providing availability of new products and comprehensive database of pharmaceutical products. Most of the companies are funded through cash flow and banks loans and some through the sales of shares and securities .Even with the global economic crises the money spent on health care still continue to increase. Pharmaceutical companies operating internationally should be aware of the currency problem they may face for example when the Ireland switched to euro it cause a lot of difficulties such as accounting and it takes a lot of time for it to be convenient . The pharmaceutical industries should be able to predict the economic challenges they are likely to face and ensure they use all opportunity for growth when they have it. 3.3 Social Factors Most Companies around the world integrate both social and environmental factors in their business operations and also in dealing with their stake holders which is a concept of cooperate social responsibilities. Pharmaceutical companies have contributed a lot to the health care system and have produce a lot of products which help in curing dangerous and harmful disease. Pfizer produces liptor which helps significantly in controlling cholesterol and is usually prescribed for diabetes. The industry should be able to scan the problem of obesity among children and be able to control through providing sufficient health care to fight it .The industry must be able to swiftly respond to changes in the environment and should adhere to ethical and corporate philanthropy so that the society can benefit from  their operations. 3.4 Technological Factors The increase in technological research has seen many development in the pharmaceutical industries this force the top players in the industry to adopt this innovation and invest spending on research and development to encourage innovation in the sector. Modern technology have changed the way most pharmaceutical companies operate and they have to keep updated to the change in technology in order to provide the best solutions to customer problem .The advance in technology has created several new business and service which include social media health care ,customized treatments and other services 3.5 Environmental Factors Stake holders of pharmaceutical industries are now becoming more aware of the need for the companies to be proactive in environmental agenda .The business operation should be linked one way or the other to issues concerning environment. There are several opportunities in ensuring companies incorporate environmental issues into their cooperate social responsibilities hence allowing for development of new product which are eco friendly and cater for the need of the environment. Elder generation consumes more drugs than the young ones which is a cause of concern and most companies put more emphasis for drugs research on elderly patients above 65 years. (Johnson and Johnson, 2008) The society deserve to have access to good health care services and the industry should play a vital role in ensuring research for drugs that are eco friendly and best meet customer demands. 3. 6 Legal Factors Companies operating in the pharmaceutical industries have a lot restriction and must ensure they comply with the regulatory and legislative standards. The breakthrough in internet is also changing the legislative boundaries as more people demand for rights of better and affordable healthcare .In many developing countries the social environment and political factors influences the decisions pharmaceutical companies make in providing health care and drugs .Several regulatory bodies check for food and drugs in the market and (F.D.A) food and drug administration conducts product testing labeling and other related operation in verifying drugs and food. They charge some fees  in submission and review of application .Also the Irish medicine board has power over Trinity Biotech in regulating the market of introducing new products into America. (Trinity Biotech, 2008) The legal changes in a county can affect the industry positively or negatively, it is the duty of companies operating in thi s industry to keep up to date with legal changes as they occur in the country. 4.0 SWOT Analysis. 4.1 Strength Johnson and Johnson has built a strong brand image since its inception in1886 and have helped significantly in solving several health problems by providing drugs that solve illness and diseases. The company offers a range of diversified products which cut across baby cares surgical products, pharmaceutical products, internet publishing women sanitary and several more and have built a wide range of customer loyalty. The companies have significant sales and sufficient marketing strategies allowing it to be one of the top players in the world in provision of health care products. Johnson and Johnson have about 29,950 internet domains and conduct business globally allowing for global sales of their product and hence differentiating them from competitors. The company supports environmental awareness and work on several programs such as introduction of Health future 2015 which is aimed at allowing the society to be more health cautious. Johnson and Johnson has operations in more than sixty(60) countries and have about 275 subsidiaries companies hence allowing for a comprehensive economies of scale and strong customer database. 4.2 Weaknesses Johnson and Johnson faces several pressures globally to reduces prices of products and preserves expirations of copyrights .The company spend a lot of time ,money and resources on research and sourcing for information. Diversification is also a weakness for Johnson and Johnson as they spend more money trying to grow other sector of their business which they could  invest more resources on the highly profitable sector. Competitors such as Pfizer and Abbott laboratories are becoming more specialized than Johnson & Johnson concentrating more on pharmaceutical product and having a big market share in the sector. A subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson recalled 43 over the counter children medicines which include Benadryl, Tylenol because it was revealed by US that some of the products do not meet the specifications. Johnson & Johnson also recalled Auricular surface replacement in 2010 due to failed prostheses rate increase. 4.3 Opportunities Johnson and Johnson can grow significantly since it’s an established brand in the market by concentrating on more ranges of product for economy class and improving presence in rural communities which will help see company growth also it has a lot of opportunities to improve on the market share by focusing on technological innovations and product development . Acquisition of customer health unit of Pfizer is also a major boost for Johnson and Johnson which will help develop the pharmaceutical sector also acquisition of other related pharmaceutical companies will make Johnson and Johnson strengthen its capacity and be able to cover more countries around the globe. (MoneyNews.com) Johnson and Johnson research is improving and they made a breakthrough research in cancer therapy. Zytiga has captured about 30% prostate cancer market in the United States and saw a sales growth of 70% globally as a result of strong share and market growth. 4.4 Threats Strong competition from pricing pressure and global currency fluctuation is a threat to Johnson and Johnson, despite having a strong portfolio of medical devices and diagnostics it is facing a serious pricing pressure for instance the segment growth is only about 0.5% .Other forms of threats to Johnson and Johnson is the brand image weakness due to the recalls of drug by Johnson and Johnson from the market. The currency risk of doing global business has a negative impact and intentional pharmaceutical sales reduced by 2% due to the movements in currency. Competition risks is a serious problem for Johnson and Johnson and they face risk of losing patent for their best selling drugs in few years to come for instance their drug Remicade which generated about 6.2 billion in revenues for the company in 2012 will lose its Europe patent in 2015. This may cause their pharmaceutical sales to reduce due to several competitions from other lower priced drugs companies. 5.0 Porter Five Forces In the pharmaceutical industry there are several companies with varying interest. Innovation in the industry is one of the main factors driving growth and economic success .The comprehensive positioning of a company is important as the society is well networked and consumers are continuously exposed to several new products, marketing campaigns which may confuse the consumer on which product to get or which pharmaceutical company is best to patronize. Companies in this industry should ensure their messages are direct, simple and supports customers’ needs. Attention should be focused on the customers and competitors in order to make the company attain a valuable position in the market (Jobber, 2006) A company must ensure the follow this criteria to successfully position themselves in the market this criteria include consistency, credibility ,clarity and competitiveness. Figure 5.0 Porter Five Forces Adapted from http://www.scribd.com/doc/63026751/PESTEL-Analysis on May 2 ,2014. 5.1 Threat of New Entrant Threats of new competition is quite low in the pharmaceutical industry ,the high cost associated with research and development of drugs serve as barrier to allow new companies to easily join this industry. Government regulation of medicines and drug related products is also a major head ache for companies trying to enter the business. The threat of new entrant will not influence Johnson and Johnson because it has developed to be one of the biggest pharmaceutical company having operations around the world and have the finances, customer loyalty and experience to expand its market and carry out new product research. New entrant will face several problem including problem of expenses, research and development, government restriction and regulations hence letting for only few or no new entrant into the industry. 5.2 Degree of rivalry among existing firms The competition in the pharmaceutical industry is very high and many companies tend to come out with drugs and product which are more effective than the competitors. The main competitors in this industry are in private and public sector where competition is based on the reliability of products, pricing and also customer service. Mergers and acquisition began in the last century this are due to the threat of company patent expiration. Evidence shows that sales decrease significantly as a result of many companies producing similar product. (American Economic, 2006) Competition among rivals is not likely to have high impact on Johnson and Johnson, although the demand of medical supplies increases but the prices still remain stable so the competition in prices is not much. Johnson and Johnson also have several sectors which the company focuses on hence creating a wide range on several opportunities and allowing them to have added advantages over other competitors. 5.3 Bargaining Power of buyers The increase in price of drugs have made patients to lose their bargaining power and consumer have no choices but to but the drugs prescribe to them by the doctors. The buyers of pharmaceutical products are all in different places and they have no power to influences the pricing of the products. When drugs are patented companies may set prices to include high profits but as soon as the generic versions are available buyers then have more bargaining power. Most buyers tend to switch to generic products that are more affordable and provide related functions. 5.4 Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power for pharmaceutical industry is low due to sales of product mostly concentrates on the top players allowing for a low bargaining power for suppliers. Johnson and Johnson use a standardized manner in choosing suppliers for different categories of their product which include the medical devices and diagnostics, Pharmaceuticals and other products.  Although the suppliers have little or no power in bargaining the prices of the product, they may influence the prices for the market in a particular country. 5. 5 Threats of Substitute The demand for substitute product in this industry is on increase the demand for generic product is high because the brand name products are expensive .The generic drugs companies have little cost associated with research and development allow them to be able to provide similar drugs at much cheaper rate. The threat of substitute for Johnson and Johnson is high due to the availability of traditional medicinal herbs and also other related generic product which claims to do the same function as most of the branded product for Johnson and Johnson. Some of the traditional medicines are even more expensive and customers tend to believe the branded product due to the fact that they may get compensated when they face any problem using the products. 6.0 Conclusion and Recommendation Johnson and Johnson is an established company with a good research and development team The company also have enough finances to take care of daily operation and with global presence around the world they revise their vision in order to increase their products and services to customers. Their strategy also involve identifying the problem people face globally in the world and trying to provide solution to them hence helping in improving the way of life in the society. Johnson and Johnson have built a reputable brand in the world and it is recommended they go deep down into the rural areas and poor countries to improve way of living. Provide free vaccination for children and help in providing affordable drugs to people that cannot afford mostly the under developed countries. Also it is recommended they help in making awareness of protecting the environment. They should concentrate more on the segment that provide most profit for the organization and not waste time trying to develop segment which does not bring much profit to the organization. This will allow for further research and development of the sector most especially the pharmaceutical segment of their operations. 7.0 Referencing Alex (2013). Johnson and Johnson SWOT & PESTEL analysis .Retrieved online from http://anelecka.blogspot.com/2013/01/johnson-johnson-1.html.Accessed May 25,2014. American Economist (2006) Global competition and the Pharmaceutical Industry in theUnited States Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/government/4062804-1.html Accessed on 22nd May 2014. Barron Magazine The Market’s Finest, by Michael Santoli, Barron’s Magazine, September 2008. Dhruv, M (2003). Factors affecting Phamaceutical industry strategically Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/mortress/johnson-johnson-27883863 on May 2 ,2014. Implementation. Oxford: EG Books, Elsevierp.13 Jobber, D.,Fahy, J. (2006)Foundations of Marketing: , London: Mc-Graw-Hill Johnson & Johnson (2011) .Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Results | Johnson & Johnson†. Retrieved from http://www.Jnj.com. on May 18, 2014. MoneyNews (2006) â€Å"Johnson & Johnson to Buy Pfizer Unit†. Retreived from www.moneynew.com on May 22, 2014. Trinity Biotech (2007) Trinity Biotech Annual Report Plc [online] Retrieved fromhttp://www.financialregulator.ie/data/in_mark_annurepfiles/Trinity%20Biotech%202007.pdf on 22nd May 2014.

Cloud Based Gaming

Cloud Based Gaming [pic] By Gautam Gogoi 10BM60028 Vinod Gupta School of Management Abstract Imagine how great it would be if you could play a high end game like Far Cry 2 or Crysis on your netbook or your mobile. This is what cloud based video game providers like Onlive or Otoy promise. The entire processing of the games will be done in the cloud or servers maintained by the provider while the game will run in your browser and you will be sending the responses through the web. In this paper the effects of these changes on the Video Game industry and Gaming as a whole will be studied.The feasibility, limitations, challenges of this idea and the various players presently working on this new technology and their present progress in this regards will also be looked at. Initially it is planned as a paid service. But the possibility of all the costs to be covered by advertisement and nominal subscription costs as per economies of scale will also be analyzed. Video games and the Video Game Industry The definition of video game as per wikipedia is as follows- â€Å"A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device.The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large mainframe computers to small handheld devices. † Below is shown the block diagram of a video game. The input device and the processor constitute the platform. Various examples of platforms are Computers, Play Station, X-Box, Nintendo Wii, mobile phones etc. The input devices are normally joypads or keyboards. A game software is a piece of software which is run by the processor to generate the required environment ith specific goals which the user has to achieve. It also defines the rules about what should happen in case of particular responses from the user. It has to be bought separately and plugged into the platform for the user to play the game. The display device may or may not be a part of the platform. Usually in case of computers and handheld device, it is a part of the platform, while for devices like Play Station and X Box, it is not a part of the platform. [pic] Any video game involves the interaction with the platform through an Input device.The input is then passed on to the processor, which processes the inputs to generate appropriate outcomes using a game software. These outcomes are then displayed on the display. According to the outcomes displayed on the display, the user again takes necessary steps which are again transmitted to the processor through the input device. This cycle takes place continuously and the user interacts with the platform to control a person or a team on real time basis to propel it towards its goal, which can vary from killing an opponent to winning a game.This process keeps on going till the final outcome of the game is reached (all levels cle ared) or if the user reaches the termination stage (game over). Video games have existed since 1950s in various forms. But it is in the last 10-15 years, that it has grown exponentially. This growth can be attributed to the growing computing powers of the PCs and various other devices. It started initially as a thing for the kids. But today it is meant for adults as well, with adults and teenagers comprising of a huge chunk. In fact, as per a report by Entertainment Software Association, the average age of gamers in America is 35.This can be partly associated with the increased maturity and complexity of games and also with the fact that, people who used to play games earlier have grown up but still continue to play games. Microsoft Flight simulator, is a very good example of a very complex and realistic game with even real pilots using it as a simulator to test their skills. Age of Empires is another wonderful game with large business connotations. Here you can build an entire empi re and conquer all other empires to become the ruler of the entire land. With games such as this, it s no surprise that video games are no longer things that are just for the kids. Another very wrong conception is the fact that video game is a small industry. The video game industry is infact a behemoth which earned a revenue of $41. 9 Billion in 2007. It has already surpassed the music and the movie industry and is closing on to the book and the DVD industry. But the game makers have specially been impacted by piracy. According to a survey by the Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA), the PSP and the DS lost approximately $41. 7 billion in sales from 2004 to 2009.Rampant piracy in places like India and China has specially impacted the PC Game makers. So bad is piracy that companies have stopped making games for places like China, because no one will buy them there. Also the sales from console based versions normally exceed PC based versions inspite of the large user b ase of the PCs. An example is that of Unreal Tournament 3 PC version selling 34,000 while the Playstation 3 version selling 86,633 in its first month. The major players include Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft with the platforms and game makers like Electronic Arts, Eidos, Konami etc.Among the platforms, Sony Playstation is the most popular one. Some simple games have already come out in a cloud based approach. Facebook games are a prime example of this. But this paper does not deal with these types of games. Rather this paper deals with more complex games like crysis, call of duty etc which require much higher processing power. But games like those present in facebook, provide interesting clues to the direction in which cloud based gaming (I will refer to this word in this paper to mean high end games hosted and running from the cloud and not the facebook games) will lead.Keeping this in mind lets look at some of the key characteristics of the Facebook games. Facebook games are immense ly popular among people specially the more aged ones. More than 200 million play games on facebook in a month and the top ten games have more than 12 million active users each. A very crucial reason for this is that these games are free. Also it is a fairly new phenomenon and as such the novelty concept is another reason for a large number of users. The revenue for these games comes from analytics about the users playing the games and from advertisement. Also the nature of games is very different.The game mainly focuses on cumulative effort. You will get more rewards if more of your friends play the game, or if you make friends while playing those games who will help you during the game. The most important learnings from these facebook are the user base and the revenue model which provides these games free of cost. The large user base and the popularity of these games across people of all ages is an evidence of the potential of cloud based gaming. As we progress through this paper, the revenue model of cloud based gaming will also be studied keeping the revenue model of facebook games in mind.Cloud Based Gaming an introduction In cloud based gaming, the processor and the program are present in the cloud (internet). The input is sent to the processor through the internet. Also the processor sends the visual signals to the display device through the internet. As shown in the figure the red arrows represent links using the internet. The game usually runs on an internet browser on the side of the user. [pic] The service provider will be maintaining the parts inside the cloud and will charge a monthly rate from the users who will avail this service.This rate can be a lump sum amount for a certain period of time or it can be on the basis of number of hours used. As the game runs on the cloud, it will result in optimal utilization of processing powers as a result of balancing of troughs and crests of various users. Let’s take an example of a game to see how th is works. Suppose you are playing Fifa, a football simulation game. The game will be installed and running on the servers of the provider. The game will be displayed on your system through your internet browser. You will use your keyboard to give inputs to the game.Suppose you want to shoot the football. You will press the appropriate button on your keyboard, which will then be sent to the servers of the provider through internet. The processing about the shot will take place on the server using the game software. The outcome of your shot will then be transmitted to your system and the display through the internet. This process will then be repeated as you keep playing the game. Impact of Cloud Based Gaming- Cloud based gaming will have an immense impact on the gaming industry as a whole and will also impact the computer hardware industry.The various impacts are mentioned below 1. Platform independent gaming – This will be one of the biggest impacts of cloud based gaming. As games will now be hosted on the clouds, platforms will become redundant. The entire processing will then be shifted to the clouds. All you will need is a device which can access the internet, display the game and send inputs to the cloud. As such it will result in the end of consoles (in the long run). We will be able to enjoy the same games on netbooks, mobiles, tablet PCs, etc. This will also result in reduction of demand of high end PCs for gaming.This is because, the moment the processing is shifted to the cloud, same resource will be shared by many users, thereby optimizing the use of processing power. 2. Game players will increase exponentially- Platform independence will result in a larger number of users or gamers. This is subject to the rate charged for the same, but considering the optimal use of resources and the economies of scale, the prices will definitely be lesser than what it costs now. This will also depend on the acceptance of the idea by the general public which will be discussed later. 3.Crackdown on piracy- As the games will be installed on the servers, piracy will be stopped. Whoever wants to play games has to take a subscription. The game makers will get their share of revenue from the providers. This will have an uplifting effect on the industry. As more people pay for games, the cost per user will go down. This will in turn induce more people to join in. This positive feedback loop can finally lead to much more affordable gaming. 4. Nature of games to change from single player based to multi player based- As all games will be played online, the ocus will be more on developing multi player based games. This is already taking place, but with time even more emphasis will be paid to multi player modes specially those involving much larger number of players than those playing today. 5. Massive scope of advertisement as a result of high number of users- With large number of users comes the scope of advertisement. This can be another crucial factor in reducing the price which will again lead to more users. It is an added advantage that people of most age groups play games. As such, the scope of advertisement increases further.Challenges and Hurdles – Although the benefits are numerous and the effects far reaching, there are many challenges and hurdles which have to be cleared for the benefits are to be realized. Lets look at the main hurdles towards this 1. Latency Issues- The time lag between the pressing of a button and the corresponding action will be a major deciding factor regarding how well this service is accepted by the gamers. Normally there is a lag of about 60-70 ms when we run games on our systems. But reaching to these levels at HD resolution and 60 fps (frame per seconds) is a huge technological challenge.Infact many people have commented that reaching to these levels of latency will not be possible. But Onlive tests have shown a latency of about 140 ms at 30 fps. Although this might not be accepta ble to hard core gamers, but casual gamers will be more than satisfied with this. 2. Video Compression- Cloud based gaming will require transmission of HD videos at real time basis. For this to be possible without any delay, some form of video compression must be used. 3. Resource sharing of the server- This is another crucial factor. Ideally one server should be dedicated for each user, but it is not possible practically.Using one server for many less demanding games will be problematic as all games assume that they own the server’s resources exclusively. Also many servers used in processing of single game will lead to problems of transmission of data among the GPU’s as lot of data is generated in the running of games. When achieved, proper utilizing of server resources will enable the providers to further reduce the subscription cost by reducing idle server time. 4. Convincing users to migrate to this platform- A big challenge will be to convince users to move to thi s new platform.Hard core gamers will be the hardest to convince because of things like latency issues. Also as most gamers already have a system at this moment, they will not migrate unless their systems have become outdated. So the migration will take place slowly as computers and consoles start becoming outdated. Many of the benefits will not be realized unless economies of scale are achieved and therefore this is a very crucial thing for the success of this idea. 5. High speed and dependable internet connection- This is a absolute necessity if cloud based gaming is to be experienced.Onlive, which is a provider of cloud based gaming specifies 3 Mbps connection as the minimum required and 5Mbps as the recomended to use this service. Apart from speed, dependability is another important factor. The speed has to be uniform. Otherwise, the game will get stuck in between resulting in inability to play the game. Although this might seem a problem now, with time and advancement, this will soon cease to be a problem. 6. Handling a large number of users- At present Onlive is providing cloud based gaming but the user base is very small. It is to be seen how they can manage to cope with vastly more users as time progresses.But this problem should be solved with time. Current Players Now let us look at the current players who have been working with this technology. Here we will study the current state they are in, how they have overcome the hurdles and their revenue model Onlive- It is the first company to come out with a model of cloud based gaming. Founded by Steve Perlman, a renowned entrepreneur and inventor in the field of video games, it has started its services from July 2010. The executive team also includes other renown figures like Mike McGarvey, a former CEO of Eidos Interactive and Tom Paquin, key developer of Netscape and a founder of mozilla org.At present the monthly rental is 15$ and apart from that you also have to buy games separately. It has also come out with many popular games like Unreal Tournament, Prince of Persia, NBA etc. The reviews about the service have been mixed. Latency for the games have been found to be between 150-210 ms. Video quality also has been variable due to the video compression used. But framerate and graphics were on an average found to be good. The video compression has been managed by a proprietary compression system. Here the screen is divided into 16 parts and each part gets its own encoder.Another thing they have done is the ability to retain and reuse most of the earlier video information. This is possible also across the various frames also. So if an object is moving from one frame to another, the same video data is used again to create the effect. The data centers are 5 in number with onlive going for a concentrated system rather than a spread out system. David Perry of Gaikai has criticized this by saying that distance is a critical thing in online cloud based services like this. Time will tell if this concentrated approach will indeed lead to lags or delays in the service.The pricing structure of Onlive has been a serious put off. Games infact cost as much as much as DVDs. Add to that the monthly subscription cost. So even if you own a game, you will not be able to play it if your subscription gets over. But as this is just the beginning, costs are expected to be reduced with time and as more users start using this service. But in terms of technology, onlive is right up there. It has proven the technological feasibility of the idea and only time will tell us about the financial feasibility of the same. They are portraying themselves as a replacement of consoles.They are even planning to come out with mini consoles that use the onlive service to deliver gaming service to televisions etc. But the present technology has a long way to go before it can compete with the consoles. The present system cannot compete with consoles for performance and as such most gamers will not mi grate very soon. A critical thing for onlive will be increasing its user base. If it can manage to do so, it can provide games at much lower rates. It can also look for advertisements to further reduce the user costs. But till then, it has to slog it out against the existing consoles.Gaikai- Founded by David Perry, one of the best known Video Game Industry veterans, Gaikai is another player in the cloud gaming sphere, but it has a slightly different model than onlive. Having received funds from TriplePoint Capital, Rustic Canyon Partners, Benchmark Capital it is also backed by Intel and Limelight Networks. Game companies like Electronic Arts and InstantAction have already signed up to use its service. The executive team also includes Michael Bowen, who was previously Director of Technical Operations at Facebook as well as VP of Operations at Sony Online Entertainment.They are expected to come out with a Beta in December 2010. Although based on the same idea, the business model of Ga ikai is quite different from that of Onlive. Gaikai is positioning itself as a service which allows users to test or try out new software. Suppose you are reading about a new game and you want to check out how it feels to play or use it. This is where Gaikai comes in. It will enable you to test run the software or game without the need of any download or installation. If you like it you can then proceed to buy that game. Gaikai will get its revenue from the software manufacturer who will pay for each purchase.So Gaikai is not competing directly with console makers and rather it is cooperating with them. Although this idea is not as radical as Onlive’s, it is still a very effective idea with numerous applications. The possibility of testing a software can influence many more users to buy this software. Also this can act like a launchpad for full fledged cloud gaming service. Gaikai also differs in the way it will distribute its data centers. While Onlive and Otoy are planning few large data centers, Gaikai is planning about 300 smaller centers across the US.They say that this way they can reduce the distance between the user and the data center. As such the performance of the service will be better. Otoy- Founded by Jules Urbach, Otoy was the first to promise cloud based gaming. But it has only come to prominence recently after finalizing deals with AMD, Intel and Nvidia. Infact AMD has been making a special graphics supercomputer which will be used by Otoy. The minnows among the three companies pursuing this technology, it plans to launch its services in summer next year. Its business model is not clear, but is expected to be in line with Otoy’s one.Also it is planning to provide HD services of games, movies and applications through its services. The way ahead With Onlive already coming out with its services and the others expected to come out very soon, the market is expected to heat up and attract a lot of users. But the main question is that w ill sufficient users be attracted to this service. The hardest thing will be to convince the users to migrate to this new platform. The most obvious outcome will be that initially these services will coexist along with the presently existing consoles and platforms.The hard core gamers will not easily migrate to this new platform and will be the last to migrate. Initially casual gamers will start using these services who do not own a very powerful system. But a lot will depend on the rate or price that will be charged. Till the prices are high, the number of users will not increase and most of the benefits will not be achieved. So according to me this service will continue to be an elite service for some years with people slowly adapting to this new service. But with the growth and advancement of technology, the prices will go down. The quality of the service will also increase substantially.This will further encourage more people to join into this service. A lot depends on the patie nce of the firms and how long they are able to wait to reach profitable levels, because this technology will be accepted slowly. The three players presently in this field might not reap the full benefits of this, but this is surely a winning idea and someone will surely reap full benefits of this in the years to come. The tipping point will be reached when the user base will be large and diverse enough to support advertisement. Advertisement will further reduce the costs and as such encourage even more people to join in. nly at such low levels of prices will people from India and China be encouraged to join into this service. India and China are the key to this service because these are the two places with most of the people and maximum piracy. When people from these two countries will start joining this service, the number of users will start rising exponentially. Piracy will be reduced and game makers will start receiving more revenues, specially from people who were earlier using pirated versions of the same games. The actual benefits of cloud based gaming will then be realized. But there is a catch to this.Many people play games because they are free, specially in India and China. If games become available only through the cloud, piracy will be stopped. As such many people might stop playing games. Therefore it is very important that the prices reach to a sufficiently low level to coerce such persons to try them out. I firmly believe that the things mentioned here have a very high probability of happening. The biggest reason which makes me believe this is the rate at which technology is advancing. With the growth in processing powers of computers and growth in internet bandwidths cloud based gaming is actually very near.Another reason is the win win situation for all the players. With growing piracy it is natural that game makers will start taking measures to prevent it. Cloud based gaming is a very natural way to fight piracy. If the users do not have acc ess to the games, how will they make illegal copies of them. Conclusion Cloud computing has revolutionized the computing world. Google, Amazon, Microsoft are heavily investing in it because it is the thing for the future. Already application like Google Docs and many corporate softwares are running from the cloud.So it is natural that games also go to the clouds. Running application from the cloud enables better use of idle system time, thereby optimizing the use of computing powers. Also it is much more easier to upgrade the software or hardware as the updation has to be done only on the server and not all individual machines of the users. In cloud based gaming, the processing will take place in a server and it will communicate with the users system through the internet. Benefits will include reduced piracy, increased user base, platform independent gaming and scope for advertisement.Hurdles include latency issues, resource sharing model at server level, video compression technique s etc. The present players in this field include Onlive, Gaikai and Otoy. As a gamer, the scope and potential of cloud based gaming really excites me. Imagine how great it would be if we could play our favorite games right from our mobiles and compete with players using various platforms like consoles or PC. The whole dynamics of games will change and they will cease to be a single player based games. The important thing will be collaboration between the various players.Games will start involving a huge number of players at a same time like it happens in Massive multiplayer online role-playing game. We will no longer be bothered by upgrading of computers and inability to play games because our systems do not support them. All you have to do is to open your browser, and all the processing will be done in the clouds. References- 1. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Video_game 2. http://www. theesa. com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2009. pdf 3. http://www. grabstats. com/statcategorymain. asp? StatC atID=13 4. http://vgsales. wikia. com/wiki/Video_game_industry 5. http://www. canada. om/topics/technology/games/story. html? id=ae936f84-8def-457d-b07a-40099252278d 6. http://gamer. blorge. com/2010/06/07/video-game-piracy-costs-industry-41-billion/ 7. http://techcrunch. com/2010/09/21/200-million-people-are-playing-facebook-games/ 8. http://www. onlive. com/support/performance 9. http://www. gamasutra. com/view/news/30537/Opinion_Give_Cloud_Gaming_A_Chance. php 10. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/OnLive 11. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Steve_Perlman ———————– Display Processor Game Software Input Device User Display Processor Program Input Device User