Drama & horror Essay

Dickens gives more drama/horror to what the convict is saying by telling Pip he can ‘attempt to hide’ from the young man. He tells Pip he can ‘lock the door’, ‘be warm in bed’, ‘think himself comfortable and safe’, but the young man will find him and ‘tear him open’. Dickens uses words such as ‘safe’ and ‘warm’ to create a comforting mood to the reader and to Pip, which accentuates the drama and violence of the end ‘tear him open. ‘ This terrifies Pip as the convict makes it seem that the small boy cannot even be safe in his own home/familiar surroundings. The phrase â€Å"I am keeping that man from harming you at the present moment, with great difficulty,† makes the atmosphere even more erie as it sounds as if the man is so vicious it is hard to hold him back. In the next part of the story Dickens describes Pip watching the convict leaving the churchyard. Again we see a description of this horrible bleak place (i. e. ‘Among the nettles’ – ugly, harmful plants and ‘among the brambles’ – thorns, sharp, portraying the landscape). However this time we see how the surrounding’s depression have had an effect on the convict. For the first time we see a more hurt and vulnerable side of the convict. Pip describes him as hugging his ‘shuddering body’, ‘as if to hold himself together’, making the convict seem dishevelled and is if he is falling apart. He is also obviously feeling pain and loneliness, along with Pip and their environment. Next, dickens creates an extreme atmosphere of Pip being in a terrifying and hostile place with the description of ‘he looked in my young eyes as if he were eluding the hands of dead people, stretching up cautiously out of their graves, to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in†. This graphic and scary description coming from a young boy suggests Pip also has been affected by his hostile surroundings. It also gives a sense that the convict is close to death (being dragged into graves). In the last section of the chapter, dickens creates a very dramatic visual image of Pip looking out at his surroundings. Dickens creates a striking vision of hell by describing Pip seeing the marshes as ‘a long black horizontal line’, then the rivers as another, ‘yet not nearly so broad, yet not so black’ and then the sky as ‘just a row of long angry red lines and dense black lines intermixed. ‘ The descriptions of the colours red and black portray the vision of hell as the black represents death and the red blood/danger, these are colours often associated with pain, death and hell. Dickens describes the lines as ‘angry’, also suggesting the atmosphere is uneasy and volatile (like hell). Dickens adds to the drama of the description by adding the image of the gibbet (associated with death). We can see how Pip must be frightened as we can relate to the horror of this well-decorated/descripted image. We also see Pip having a childlike imagination, when he pictures the convict being a dead pirate to which the chains on the gibbet ‘had once held’. The chapter ends on an uneasy note, with Pip announcing his fear (‘Now I was frightened again’), bringing a sense of reality to the chapter, then him ‘running home without stopping’. This leaves the chapter full of mystery and encourages readers to find out what happens to Pip.

Background and Motivation Essay

The terms â€Å"corporate blog† or â€Å"business blog† have appeared very often in both of newspapers and academic journals. Increasing attention has been paid in understanding this new phenomenon. According to the Investor Business Daily, â€Å"there are 45% USA’s largest public companies have corporate blogs. † (where is your citation – is this also Klosek? ) Business Week has proposed the following: â€Å"Corporate blog is a blog used by the company to reach some goals. It helps businesses communicate internally more cheaply and effectively than workflow management software and e-mails. † A corporate blog can be one of the more successful popular communication tools after the E-mail, ICQ and MSN. In 2006, Business Week Online issued that â€Å"A Weblog (or blog) can be a powerful marketing tool, but it can also expose a business to a legal minefield. † As reported by Jacqueline Klosek, â€Å"Blogs can be used to market a company’s products and services, facilitate communications with clients, and even counter negative publicity† (Klosek, 2006). Several studies have pointed out the advantages of employing corporate blogging, citing that corporate blogging may be a tool for search engine marketing; a means of building good relationships with the customer; building of a company’s reputation; helping to put human voice to a company; serving as a way for employees and customers to communicate; and a tool for directly and immediately getting the customer’s feedback. There are still many threats that may hinder the adoption of the corporate blog, such as legal impediments with regards to violation of intellectual property rights and mismanagement leading to an eventual downfall of the organization; the disclosure of trade secrets can jeopardize the blogger’s career since this problem may cause his termination from the position, and also â€Å"Careless statements posted on a company-sanctioned blog can come back to haunt the company through litigation and other avenues† Klosek (2006) stresses. Since the study and research in corporate blogging phenomenon is still in its early days, scholars who have conducted empirical studies only focus on the benefits and risks when adopting the corporate blog, or the motivation behind creating corporate blog. It’s lack of analyzing the existing utilization and the effects of corporate blog from a systematic theoretical perspective. the DOI theory (Rogers, 1995, 2003) becomes mature, it can be applied in explaining how and why an innovation can be widely adopted and diffused. In order to find out the reasons indicate why corporate blog as a new innovation has been widely adopted and successful diffused, the DOI theory can be an effective framework for analyzing corporate blogging phenomenon. Thus, this paper aims to determine why the corporate blog as a new innovation is being widely adopted and used by the both the individual blogger and various IT organizations; the motivation in adopting blogging; the benefits of the corporate blog to organizations; and the reasons for its success. The research also tries to explain how and why the corporate blog is welcomed and has become a popular and successful new innovation, and the compatibility of its utilization with the existing values of its users. Thus, the author has conducted an empirical study in order to answer these problems from the Diffusion of Innovation theory (DOI) perspective. IT industry companies have been selected as samples for this study.

Interprofessional Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Interprofessional Education - Essay Example This paper says that the key to successful communication in this interaction hinges on the anesthesiologist’s decision to treat the patient as another person to knock out for a predetermined period of time, or someone toward which to show concern. While the anesthesiologist may be thinking about an argument with her husband that morning, or about a school conference for her child right after this consultation, or her dinner plans, the patient is focused on one thing: the dangers of surgery. This essay makes a conclusion that this successful patient has benefited from the surgical skills of a highly talented practitioner. However, the surgeon is not the only one who deserves credit for this medical success story. For many patients, restrictive surgery to correct obesity is just another step in a long, harrowing, humiliating journey that has lasted almost all of their lives. The first nurse who welcomed them and performed the initial screening may well have been the person who gave the patient the comfort level to go ahead with the procedure. The anesthesiologist had the responsibility of making sure the patient was both safe and comfortable during the operation. The nutritionist who met with the patient after the surgery to go over healthy diet and regimen also contributed to the patient’s recovery. The physical therapist who helped the patient get up out of bed in those early days after the surgery and who helped her find her balance and be able to return to work is also part of the story.

Young Black Men Fallen By The Wayside Research Paper

Young Black Men Fallen By The Wayside - Research Paper Example John Casor, in 1654, became the first black man to become a slave and this began a stream of events that led to the growth of slavery and the dehumanizing treatment of a black person. The consequential and constant bad treatment of blacks has lowered the perception a black person as a less than perfect person in comparison with the rest. This has led to son black people blaming the color of their skin for their woes to a point of murder. Jimerson (2013) attributes under development among black families to the low self-esteem that was set in motion before the American Revolution to enable the blacks to be normal members of the society. The Martin Luther King era was a significant time to the black in America and all over the world. Lack of equal chances has denied the black families to develop. Racial self-hatred leads a child away from the concentration of schoolwork as they try to fit in the society. They also believe that they inferior to other race in the school, so they believe they can perfume better than the rest; that lack of self-belief leads them to perform badly. Self-doubt in young black men makes them feel as if they are being looked down upon because of their skin color even when they are being corrected rightfully. It will always make them move away from their jobs to look for others that they consider are fitting for them (Vogel et al, 2011). Michael Jackson, hate for being black pushed him to the extreme of trying to discolor himself. The amount of money he used was staggering. Many musicians, like dancehall star Vybz Cartel, try to bleach themselves into being white, an act that costs them a fortune. The financial status of these young men is always poor and most of them are always in debts as they seek to change their appearance through artificial means. The integration of races is an issue not only in the United States but also everywhere in the world. It exists even in communities that are the most liberated and

Disucssion Question 1 week 2 Investment Information Assignment

Disucssion Question 1 week 2 Investment Information - Assignment Example s on a company with a good record of cash generation from its daily business so as to reduce risk of investment and boost prospects of positive returns. The firms being considered by the investor might have realized high returns resulting to good cash flows. In such cases, the criteria of choosing a suitable business entity to invest in will change- the investor should go for the company which invests its returns in a manner that would benefit him (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2011). For example, Company A saves most of its return for a rainy day while company B pays its shareholders A balance sheet is often described as a "snapshot of a companys financial condition" categorically stating the balances of the business at the end of each financial year. The left side comprises of the Assets (things the company owns ) listed in order of the time taken to change them to money (liquidity), and the right side made up of debts of the business and amounts payable. Thus, an investor should choose to invest his or her financial assets on a company with a large asset base which will ensure security of his invested capital in case of anything, and refrain from investing in companies with a high gearing ratio since it will result to a little or zero return on his investment and the risk of losing the invested capital increases

Managing High Quality Healthcare Research Paper

Managing High Quality Healthcare - Research Paper Example This research paper describes the †bloodless medicine† in medical care and surgeries and states that usually a medical practitioner or healthcare facility cannot perform any medical care procedures or treatment plan that requires patient’s informed consent. It is the responsibility of the attending physician to inform the patient of the planned course of medical treatment and procedures for the patient to be guided in making a knowledge-based decision on what to accept or what to refuse. However, in medical cases where critical blood loss posed a serious threat to life, most practitioners generally recommend blood transfusion as the best medical treatment and as the only life saving measure. In times of emergencies where patient is unconscious and a life-saving decision is to be made, it is also the moral and ethical duty of the attending doctor to protect and save the life of the patient. A blood transfusion is given to the patient without consent, overriding the will or directive of the patient. Incidents like these, often led to conflicts and court cases between the patient and the clinic. The Patient’s Bill of Rights and the Code of Medical Ethics provide a framework that fosters a better understanding and friendly relationship between the patient and the doctor as well as the healthcare institution. Through the collaborative effort of the medical society and medical scientists, the dilemma of a religious group are being taken care of, giving impetus to the evolution of non-blood surgery and medical treatment.

Secondary research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Secondary - Research Paper Example In the conventional sense and wisdom, a worker or a person is considered to be a part time worker if he or she work for less than the stipulated thirty five hours in a week (Connolly & Gregory, 2008). In principle, in the recent past, the number of students in the United Kingdom who have taken up part time jobs has increased. To begin with, the students who are inclined towards taking the part time jobs are skewed differently in terms of their demographics and other social inclinations or information. Students who come from relatively poor backgrounds are most likely to take jobs part time so as to cover for the economic and financial difficulties. For instance, the students who depend on government loans and aid to cover their tuition fees are most likely to take up jobs so as to balance and afford their social costs and livelihoods. In this instance and line of thought, the students from poorer backgrounds such as Africa and Asia have been prone and skewed towards applying for jobs as part timers (Bennett, Williams, Page, Hood & Woollard, 2004). In the same respect and line of thought, people of relatively lesser status in the societal hegemony and hierarchy structure also take up part time jobs. It is conventional knowledge and common truth that people of â€Å"notable class and stature,† are more economically endowed and empowered in their lives as compared to others. For instance, the child of a president in one country as a University student in the United Kingdom would have a social more reputable name to be considered and revered in the society. Thus, it is very unlikely that such a student or person would take a part time job as an office assistant, or bar attendant while doing his or her studies. It could be because the son or daughter of the president would not perceive or view such a job to be of his or her equal measure. Thus,

Analytical Methods in Economics and Finance Assignment

Analytical Methods in Economics and Finance - Assignment Example this basis establishes similarity in life satisfaction among males and females. Consistency in other values such as standard deviation that was 1.67 for males and 1.71 for females, skewdness that was -1.31 for males and -1.27 for females, and range, minimum, and maximum values that were all similar for males and females supports the position that life satisfaction for both males and females assume the same trend. The following table summarizes descriptive statistics for life satisfaction based on gender (Weiers 2011, p. 58- 66). People with in income category 6 offered a higher mean life satisfaction score, 7.84, as compared to people in income category 1 whose mean score was 7.79. The mean and the mode for the two categories was however at score eight to suggest similarity in distribution. With a standard deviation of 1.59 for category 1 and 1.53 for category 2, together with difference in minimum satisfaction value, 0 for category 1 and 3 for category 3, the mean appears the best estimator to suggest that people in income category 6 have higher life satisfaction score than people in category 1 (Healey 2009, p. 85- 125). The high significance value of F, 0.79, relative to the test level of significance of 0.05, means that the null hypothesis is not rejected. This means that no significant relationship exists between life satisfaction, gender, and males and females are equivalently satisfied. The computed value is however higher and this means that the null hypothesis is not rejected. The regression coefficient is therefore zero and this shows that life satisfaction does not depend on gender and confirms the observation that the distribution of life satisfaction score, by gender is the same. The p-value is however greater and the null hypothesis is not rejected. This means that there is no significant relationship between money (income

Health Care Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Marketing - Research Paper Example The researcher states that the idea to provide healthcare insurance was prudent, which was sponsored by employers. The insurance scheme became unaffordable for the elderly who did not have a source of income, the scheme left millions of Americans uncovered. The government has stepped in the healthcare industry and provides medical coverage for all Americans. Recently President Obama signed into law the healthcare bill famously known as Obamacare. The bill revised the way physicians were to be paid. As stated in the law doctors will be paid based on the quality of service offered to the patients rather than the number of times the patient was checked by the doctor. The idea to offer medical cover is indisputable a brilliant one and credit has to be given to those who initiated it. Medical industry cannot operate alone it has to depend on other factors that will enhance its service level. Technology has been integrated with the medical field and hospitals need to be abreast with the de velopment in the technological field. The use of bio-medical equipment such as X-ray machine, CT scan et cetera is common in hospitals. Engineers are busy in workshops trying to come up with devices that are better than those being used. Due to change in lifestyle Americans, massage equipment is  being designed to meet the growing demand for the service. Hospitals have installed this equipment to help their patients in the recovery process. There are mobile applications that help patients track their health status. These apps can perform several functions such as detecting blood pressure. Research on medicines is a continuous process in the medical field; the main objective is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the present drugs. Patients need their information to be secret (privacy), which is their right.

History II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History II - Essay Example Japanese targeted Pearl Harbor and attacked Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is located on the west of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is under the command of United States Pacific Fleet. Japanese army attacked the Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. The impact of this attack was massive and began World War II. In the past the Pearl Harbor contained a shallow entrance and it was impossible for the large ships to enter the harbor (Hakim 93). The United States pacific fleet was previously located at the San Diego. Then President Franklin D. Roosevelt relocated it and sent it to the Hawaii (Hakim 149). The American invasion in the Hawaii made changes to the harbor and the rules related to it. The main motive of making of Pearl Harbor as narrated by United State is to protect the sailor and other men which are related to whaling industry (Hakim 152). It was decided to make pearl harbor a duty free harbor to increase the trade in the vicinity. By the start of the 1900 to 1908 t he American Navy expanded and improved the services (Hakim 153). On the day of 7th December 1941 Japanese imposed a surprise military attack on the United States Navy at the Pearl Harbor. According to Japanese the imposed military action is to avoid United States Navy to interfere in the Japanese invasion to the other parts of the world (Hoyt 104). The Japanese air strike nearly crushed many of the United States naval ships.

Austria - second world war Essay Example for Free

Austria second world war Essay Owing their reputation of fine tastes in art and culture, the nation of Austria is proud of their heritage, especially of their fame over the occupation of the Germans in the Second World War. The said country’s status remained to be uncertain after the Allies drove the Nazis away from the country and eventually occupied by the Allies. Austria became really proud of its rich culture and sceneries that were spared by the Nazis. The nation also celebrated its independence 10 years after the Nazis left the country and the cities flourished. Such events that would lead to the development of a country such as war that depicts change, gives a nation a sense of self-importance that is reflected in its culture and the tastes that the inhabitants acquire. The geographical data of Austria may be described as (according to the Encyclopedia Britannica as: â€Å".. largely mountainous country of south-central Europe. Austria extends roughly 340 miles (550 km) from east to west. It is bordered to the west by Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to the northwest by Germany, to the north by the Czech Republic, to the northeast by Slovakia, to the east by Hungary, to the southwest by Italy, and to the south by Slovenia. The capital is Vienna. Austria has an area of 32,378 square miles (83,859 square km). † Austria is one the verge of development these days but still largely dependent on its agricultural side. Most of the raw materials are still sourced from their agricultural fields and lush greeneries. Despite the advent of globalization on its boundaries, Austria remains to be a country of nature. Furthermore, policies of agriculture has been into practice for years in the country so as to protect their source of raw materials. This may be viewed as a strength since the raw materials that the distillery in question may be sourced from the agricultural side of the nation, a cut from the costs that the company may incur. The introduction of the Euro in place of the Austrian Schilling also had a positive effect in the country’s economy. (Anonymous 2006g) This prompted for developments in investors and this can be viewed as a plus factor in considering whether to expand in the nation of Austria or not. Scotch is one of the products in less demand in Austria. Together with the rest of Europe (excluding France, Spain and Germany), Austria constitutes 17% of the total demand for Scotch Whisky in 1995. The small market size of the nation may be viewed as its weakness since the local distilleries would have had the shares that The Olde Distillerie would want to have. For a small company as the company in question, it would a be a negative sign in investing in a country such as that of Austria. Meanwhile, Austria cannot hide such facts that people of their nation demands objects and products of high taste and rich in culture and history such as the scotch whisky. And like other European countries, its rich taste and heritage may be a possible market for the distillery, for as we have stated earlier, the countries are looking at alcohol as a sort of symbol or identity. Not only is the scotch whisky a lucrative product because of its history, but the taste and flavor of the product may be all in all attractive for the market of Austria. 4. Spain Spain’s strategic location enables it to embody a nation rich in culture and experience. Its location can be described as a crossroad in Europe where, many Islamic states are present for the past 800 years of their existence. (Anonymous 2006h) However, despite the Islamic states that pose as an outside force that may influence the country’s belief, Spain remains to be a Catholic country with a strong sense of culture and self-importance.

Architecture and spaces influencing human being to socialize

Architecture and spaces influencing human being to socialize Sociology is the understanding of the human society, which this essay is forcing more towards the sociology among family members. Moving on into studies to explore the various solutions on how things around the context of a family can feed off each other. Things like spatial qualities that will affect the familys social interaction. Exploring into different avenues in the design contexts like the balances between the private and public spaces within a home to solve the issue of bonding and interaction. An in-dept analysis of a few different case studies, local and international will to help understand and broaden the perspective of the various practical techniques on how this few designers explore the spatial quality to prove the point that spatiality do plays a part in the social interaction among family members. Therefore the main objective is to express the point that sociology is the aim and the dream of reviving once more the closeness, warmness and most harmonious type of socia lization bond between family members. The main definition of sociology is a series of development; structure and a functioning of understanding the human society. Therefore from the understanding of the word, looking into the various possibility of the definition, expanding into sub issues that will lead back to sociology. One of them is social problem, problems that occur in society around us no matter being in a big or small society. The reason for this problem to occur is due to the fact that each individual member of a society in this case focusing more into the family circle group, that lives close enough together will have conflicts. It is virtually impossible to avoid having conflicts among close family member who are staying together in the same house. They do not always get along seamlessly as each individual has their own unique character. From this sector it is important to acknowledge that social problems will affect the social interaction within the family society. Hence social interaction is another possibi lity section that will lead back to sociology. The in-depth studies of the importance of social interaction will be illustrated in the next part of this essay. But in the mean time from these two various possible issues in sociology, conclusion can be made that sociology is the aim and the dream of reviving once more the closeness, warmness and most harmonious type of socialization bond between family members. From this conclusion further studies will be made to explore the various solution on how other things around the context of a family can feed off each other. Things like spatial qualities that will affect the familys social interaction. Exploring into different avenues in the design contexts like the balances between the private and public spaces within a home to solve the issue of bonding and interaction. Moving on further into the essay studies will be made on a few different case studies, local and international. These case studies will to help understand and broaden the pe rspective of the various practical techniques on how this few designers explore the spatial quality to prove the point that spatiality do plays a part in the social interaction among family members. Allowing the family to socialize without being intermitted. Theories will be presented to support the study of how spatiality is blend with sociology. Therefore this essay will elaborated the in-depth understanding of a few key points that will help achieve the main objective for a closeness, warmness and harmonious family lifestyle in a home. Sociology The term social interaction refers to particular forms of externalities, in which the actions of the family members affect an individuals preferences. Therefore, the observation of large differences in outcomes is the balance between the interpersonal dynamics and the home environment. It is critical to organize the effectiveness of interaction that happens among the family member. From this many of social interactions exhibit strategic complementarities, which occur when the marginal utility to one person of undertaking an action is increasing with the average amount of the action taken by one family member. Consequently, a change in fundamentals has a direct effect on behavior and an indirect effect of the same sign. The direct effect on behavior will change toward the direct change in fundamentals. Although the family is made up of a group of very like-mindful people, there are still certain ways to control the functionality of the family and the behaviors within them, which make individual family distinguishable from others. In the case the head of the family will of course be the father following with the mother second, as a partner they are to set a good example in their sociality among each other so that the childrens at home will also be influence by their action and behavior, sometime unknowingly. Therefore, the father as the head of the family is the one who keeps order by setting rules and enforcing on them. Hence if a family does not have the sociality quality in their values it will have a chain reaction in their behavior, leading the family to face more sociology problems causing their behavior to influence other society out there being in their working environment or their friends in schools. Social interaction can also seen in the way of which it is an action that will lead up to a reaction. It is not only a one-way traffic but it takes two parties to work holistically together to achieve the successful outcome. There are sustain hierarchy withi n the family society and each family member has his or her societal roles to play. There is some ideal issue that the family should study or know. They should distinguish between the understanding of a correlation of the individual characteristics within the family society, to the influences of the society that occur outside the boundaries of the home allow the family to recognize the key traits that from their own unique family society. Therefore, Bott (1957: 99) argues that the immediate social environment of urban families are best considered, not as the local area in which they live, but rather as the network of actual social relational maintain, regardless of whether these are confined to the local area or run beyond its boundaries. From this argument maintaining an active social interaction within the family help balance a healthy social relationship among individual family members. Hence is will also decrease the tension in the interaction of matters in their socialization b ring together a number of elements such as solidarity, commitment, mutuality and trust. By having this healthy social relationship, no boundaries will be generated, allowing them to have the two-way traffic of interaction. Another point that will help maintain this healthy social relationship is the physical spatial environment. Form the research that was made, physical spatial environment do play a part in determining the interaction with social space that will affect the humans social behaviors and the ability of a social individual to influence others. These spatial elements such as the buffer zones between the private and general space, surveillance within the family and shares the common pathways that affect the social interaction in the house. These buffer zones are flexible to change over the physical function such, as it can be a formal social interaction area or an informal one. On the other hand segregation of spaces can also be a part of a family that from this separation they will function better as a whole. There are some activities that individuals will be far more comfortable performing them in their own space. As Schelling [1978] demonstrated that when an individual can chose the location and the presence of these interactions. Results in segregation across spaces may occur, even in situation where the typical individual would be content to live in integrated space, which in this solution are their own individual rooms. Therefore, to my opinion a statement can be made that spatial quality does influence the social behaviors unknowingly. Design Behavior comes to mind as a recurrent theme in our interests, overlapping concerns such as the architecture expression and their complexity of the relationship that capital and generational change. Hence, it is an attempt to understand the patterns and influence of the transformation of behavior over time. Behavior could also be the central to a hypothesis, which is the understanding of the correlations between the human life, nature and the built environment. Each individual building can be viewed as a sentient creature, endowed with their own unique intelligence and a defining set of living characteristics. Analyzing the input from research, physical design does influence social interaction in a static way by some of these factors. Firstly, is the informal social factor, factor that focus on the social dynamic that is the relationship between individuals and individual in groups. Secondly, is the formal social factor, which is the management of communal spaces that allows interaction to occur. Thirdly, the personal factors that is the pro-community and the pro-socializing attitude with similar values and norms. Lastly, the physical design factors, which is the density of proximity. The division of spaces that has a buffering zone between the private and general spaces, the shared pathways is one for the factor that affects social interaction among family members. Another factor is the communal spaces that have the quality and accessibility to allow family member to come together as one to have common activities together with out feeling intimidated. Therefore, how the family members perceive and understand the physical environment can determine the frequency and quality of their social interaction. The psychosocial buffer zone between individuals and the physical environment plays an important role in determining how the interaction unfolds. The social interaction and the layout of space reciprocally influence each other. The plan is the generator that has order and willfulness; it also holds itself the essence of sensation. The mass and surfaces are elements by which architecture manifests itself. Therefore, the mass and surfaces are determined by the plan. The plan is at its basis. As Le Courbusier quote Without plan there can be neither grandeur of aim and expression, nor rhythm, nor mass, nor coherence. Therefore the plan is calls for the most active imagination and the critical discipline too. What determines everything is the plan as the among of interaction the family will achieve or the social problems that the family will face. Therefore, to make a plan is to determine the main objective and fix ideas. Looking at the Schroeder house for inspiration, it is a house that perfectly demonstrates how spaces could help bring family member together to share and have their social interaction bond. It is a house, which have the plan-less idea that has been a very powerful idea in the development of architecture since modernism. The transformable and plan-less idea allows a logical way of working whereby the members are either all having their private spaces of they are all gathered in to one common space. The study of the plan informed us that is can be achieved by simply having partitions, that can be moved in a manner such that the spaces could only make sense when every family member is having the same kind of privacy level. From this way of planning it will increase the social interaction among member in the family, as they are unknowingly focus to work and interact in a common space. The balance between the common spaces that is open incorporates the focus point of the main house. The expression of openness and closeness can also be achieved through the careful alignment of furniture with the help of openings and walls. Furniture acts as a jig, positioning the human body to react, while sharing the same space together. It supports and encourages social interaction by the arrangement in space to remove barriers between family members. It is also good to have the design element such as blurring the boundaries between the human life, nature and the built environment. Case Studies Local Looking all the back into history on the planning of the traditional kampong houses in Singapore, how they are layout as a community to maximum the social interaction among families living there. The kampong were layout in the way where they will have a common areas in which people gathered, mixed around and spend time with each other. Spaces flow into each other freely with few boundaries or obstructions. The kampong with no physical barriers allows a flexibility in accommodate two or more needs of extending when needed, which is not available in our modern housing estate today. Studying in-depth for the interior layout of a kampong enable us to see that the architecture plays with a lot of voids, opening and have an open plan with minimum partition. This self-drawn diagram is my analysis of a kampong house. The house can be broken down into three sectors. First sector acts as a transition space between the open public and private sectors. It is also the sector where the family will entertain their guests. The second sector will be the private area where all the private family activities happen. The living area is a common open area where family members are able to see the movement of each other. Lastly will the kitchen, the reason of having a bridge that separate the living area and the kitchen is because the kitchen is often used by the womans community as a space where they can chat and socialize therefore the bridge is there to set the boundaries for the public. The kitchen is also a semi-private area because there is a second entrance from the back to access to the house. From this analysis, we can see that the layout of a typical kampong house has a clear hierarchy system that segregates the public zone and the private livi ng area. We can adapt a few key points from this study, the hierarchy system and the open plan that they have. Moving on to the study of our modern HDB flats. HDB was first development to replace the kampong living style in February 1960. The reason for doing so was Singapore was facing an acute housing shortage at that period of time. Therefore, the government decided to build HDB units for the low-income group of people. Through the years residences had to adapt to the emphasis of the housing program, the shifted from quantity of housing to quantity of life. Studying the typical interior layout of a modern HDB allows me to understand better why family now a day space lesser social interaction time with each other. The reason is that the spaces within a house layout is clearly defined by solid walls which break the visual connect that is an important part that allows social interaction to happen. The percentage of the common area in the house is always lower than the percentage compared to the individual private space. But however, common corridor does exist in some HDB units but the functio n of it seems to just be a connector to the private spaces rather then a space where family members interact. Is there a problem with the size of the corridors, giving the prescription as just a path for walkway and not a space to interact? Comparing this two local case studies, the traditional kampong house to our modern HDB flats we can see that the quantity of living is different. As for the modern house, we have family members that are all separated from one another by walls, which discourage interaction and by not interacting family member will lose the healthy socialization values. Compared to the traditional kampong layout where they have an open living and common space where visualization are not broken among family members. International Case Studies The project for a brick country house done by Mies Van de Rohe in 1923 demonstrates the idea of using walls to divide the space but does not go as far as to divide them off into rooms. By doing this it suggests spatial divisions by setting up relationship with the site from within. On the other hand, his Barcelona Pavilion of 1929, uses walls as the element to set up views and suggest spaces but they are not dividing the space as the whole pavilion is open-air. Compared to the Schroder House that as built in 1924, by Gerrit Rietvield. Different method has been used to demonstrate the plan-less theory. In this case, all the main services are positioned on the perimeter of the house and next to them are retracted sliding partitions, which can be pulled out to divide the spaces into rooms. Such as the space acquires more possibilities, compared to when the screens are close, there is no one name to label the spaces. However, these walls provide only a certain amount of prescribed flexib ility. If these walls are completely independent of the structure, the moveable walls will become screens, which is essentially furniture. Therefore, western architecture has various ways and method to tackle the issue of social interaction. The freedom within the layout of the interior allows ways to alter to ones needs hence it is adaptable to the engender bonding between the occupants and the building through continuous physical involvement. By doing this the interaction level within the family can be adjustable to the function that is formed at anytime opening up the partition to allow each family member to remain the visual connect that will allow social interaction to happen. Not knowing focusing them to start a conversation as there is isnt any physical wall. Interestingly enough in Japan, the Japanese traditional house takes on an entirely different attitude to spatial division and living pattern. While planned as the same meaning as the Western architecture, walls do not. In a typical Japanese screened house, the rooms other than the service rooms have on one purpose. Within these the functions takes on the meaning of the activity that is performed and their functions can be changeable with the activities. Quoted from Nishihara explanation of the difference of the Western thinking compared to the Japanese thinking is the Western thinks in terms of function and makes his rooms accordingly, whereas the Japanese simply set up zones. In Japan, when it is time for dining, a portable table and food will be brought out; when its working time a writing desk will be taken out; and when it is time for bed, bedding that are typically stored in the cupboard will be unrolled and rolled back to be stored in the morning. Leaving the space to be purpos eless and multi-purpose at once. From these two case studies, we can see the how two different cultures approach the understanding of an open-less plan concept. Here is an illustration of the comparison diagram between the Japanese concept and the western concept. Image taken from, Works Cited Bibliography Work Cited http://www.helium.com/items/629105-family-values-the-importance-of-strong-family-bonds http://www.doccentre.org/docsweb/urban-issues/hawkers/hawkers13.htm http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/sby/sby02.htm http://www.sageofasheville.com/primary_prevention.html http://www.fashioncentral.pk/living-lifestyle/home-garden/story-25-home-interior-decoration/ http://scienceblogs.com/framing-science/2007/11/au_students_debate_the_interne.php http://www.malaysiasite.nl/kampong.htm http://www.infed.org/community/community.htm http://www.sjsu.edu/people/thomas.leddy/courses/c2/s1/Le_Courbusier.doc

Installation Of Windows 7 Computer Science Essay

Installation Of Windows 7 Computer Science Essay It choosing an operating system operating system, one must not only consider the features of his/her PC personal computer but also the compatibility of that PC with the OS of his/her choice. Windows 7 is compatible with almost all modern computers. The installation of Windows 7 is much easier and takes a shorter time than many other operating systems. Windows 7 comes in different editions including Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium. The installation process for all the versions is similar. However, one should choose the version that suits his/her interests to the fullest. The concept of the installation of Windows 7 can be broken down into steps that guide a user through the process. A clean installation will yield the best for any user who is interested in using Windows 7. Discussion Performing a clean installation should not be viewed as a hard task. Before a user starts installing the OS, he/she should first check the system requirements for windows 7 to ensure that the PCs hardware is compatible and is supported by the OS. Johnson (30) notes that it is necessary to download all the necessary drivers pertinent to Windows 7 from the manufacturers websites. The drivers can be saved in a USB drive or a CD-R before the installation begins. The operating system is usually available in a bootable DVD. For one to boot from the DVD, he/she needs to manage the boot sequence. The boot sequence appears under the BIOS set up. CD-ROM/DVD-ROM is the preferable boot device that a user should select. Johnson (33) also notes that there needs to be several other preparations that a user ought to make before installing the OS. In case a user does not want to lose the data already stored in the PC, he/she should back it up in a removable device to avoid overwriting the data accidentally and irrecoverably. He adds that an installation key is necessary (Johnson 34). Without the installation key, a user cannot install this operating system. The first step in the installation process involves inserting the Windows 7 DVD in the DVD tray then booting the machine. Since the boot sequence has already been selected, the user should click on Enter and continue with the process. Once this is done, the OS will start loading files. After the files are fully loaded, one needs to select the language of his/her choice and click on continue. In the next process, the user is allowed to install Windows 7 or repair the earlier version in case it was broken. As Andrews (114) asserts, it is essential for a user to read the license terms to avoid future complications that may arise if one realizes that the pack is not compatible with his/her machine. . Since this is a clean installation, a user should select Custom (Advanced) instead of Upgrade. Additionally, a user should select the drive in which to install the OS. According to Jimmy Westwood, an IT technician at Microsoft, it is essential to delete the earlier version of the OS before installing a new one to avoid excessive and unnecessary allocation of disk space during clean installation (Bott, 49). In case a PC has one hard drive, a user may choose to partition it by clicking on the Drive Options. Bott (51) notes that Windows 7 requires not less that 16GB free hard drive space. However, the operating system takes only 7GB of this space. After satisfactorily allocating the space, click on Next and continue with the process. During the installation process, the PC restarts several times. Eventually, after the installation process is completed, the user is supposed to provide the username and computer name before continuing. Andrews (115) adds that, for security purposes, a password is highly essential. The next step involves the activation of the operating system. Windows 7 activation is essential to avoid expiry of the OS. However, a user may choose to continue without entering the activation key, but the OS will run for a trial period of 30 days. Therefore, one must activate the OS within the 30 days, after which he cannot access his/her PC since the OS is expired. This indicates a notable difference between Windows 7 and Windows XP installation. In XP, a user cannot continue with the installation process without providing the activation key since XP does not have a trial mode. After successfully activating Windows 7, the pack is almost ready for use. One can choose to configure the updates, although Johnson (36) suggests that this should be done after the OS is fu lly installed and running successfully. The rest involves the setting of ones time zone and location. Home and work networks are highly recommended while configuring ones location. Public networks are not trustworthy in most cases. Comparably, the installation of Windows 7 is much easier that installation of Windows XP. It is also more user-friendly and streamlined than the latter versions. However, Windows 7 is associated with some restrictions such as portioning that are not there in Windows XP and Vista. Nonetheless, the procedure should take not more than an hour considering its simplicity. Additionally, the shift from Windows XP to Windows 7 is technically easy because of the in-place upgrade provided in this new version of Windows. The installation process of Windows 7 and Windows XP bear some similarities. In both operating systems, a user can opt for dual boot installation. This allows a user to operate his/her PC using two operating systems. However, the process needs care since one of the operating systems may delete the other (Bott 49-51). Furthermore, once installed, Windows 7 offers a multiplicity of advantages to its users compared to Windows XP. Windows 7 offers integrated and secure Virtual Private Network support through DirectAccess software. This implies that servers can be controlled effectively through the software. Second, the OS offers prior integration especially for the Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate Editions. This feature is absent in earlier versions. Third, the OS offers easier and less invasive user account control than windows XP (Andrews 121). Conclusion The shift from windows XP to Windows 7 requires a clean installation for a user to get the best benefits. The installation procedure requires several preparations such as the acquisition of drivers, activation key, as well as a check on the compatibility of the hardware with the OS. Although a user may function with the trial mode for 30 days, it is essential to provide the activation key to avoid the expiry of the OS. Conversely, XP installation requires the key and one cannot continue with the process without providing the key. For both XP and Windows 7, a user can do a dual boot installation to function with two operating systems. The installation process for Windows has been noted as easy as and more efficient than that of Windows XP.

Vulnerability in the Works of John Donne :: Biography Biographies Essays

Free Essay on John Donne - A Journey Through Vulnerability John Donne uses poetry to explore his own identity, express his feelings, and most of all, he uses it to deal with the personal experiences occurring in his life. Donne's poetry is a confrontation or struggle to find a place in this world, or rather, a role to play in a society from which he often finds himself detached or withdrawn. This essay will discuss Donne's states of mind, his views on love, women, religion, his relationship with God; and finally how the use of poetic form plays a part in his exploration for an identity and salvation. The speaker in Donne's poetry is a theatrical character, constantly in different situations, and using different roles to suit the action. He can take on the role of the womanizer, as in "The Indifferent," or the faithful lover from "Lover's Infiniteness," but the speaker in each of these poems is always John Donne himself. Each poem contains a strong sense of Donne's own self-interest. According to Professor J. Crofts, Donne: Throughout his life... was a man self-haunted, unable to escape from his own drama, unable to find any window that would not give him back the image of himself. Even the mistress of his most passionate love-verses, who must (one supposes) have been a real person, remains for him a mere abstraction of sex: a thing given. He does not see her --does not apparently want to see her; for it is not of her that he writes, but of his relation to her; not of love, but of himself loving. In "Elegy XIX [To His Mistress Going to Bed]," we are confronted with one of Donne's personalities. The poem begins abruptly: Come, Madam, come! All rest my powers defy;/ Until I labour, I in l abour lie. The reader is immediately thrust into the middle of a private scene in which Donne attempts to convince his lover to undress and come to bed. There is only one speaker in this poem, Donne, we do not hear the voice or a description of the feelings of another person, but she is always present. If Samuel Johnson was correct when he made the statement that "the metaphysical poets were men of learning, and to show their learning was their whole endeavour.

Women and Deception in Homers Odyssey Essay -- Homer, Odyssey Essays

Women and Deception in the Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚   As Agamemnon tells Odysseus, â€Å"Let it be a warning even to you. Indulge a woman never, and never tell her all you know. Some things a man may tell, some he should cover up† (Book XI   199).   This is not news to Odysseus, who treats all women with caution ever since he was betrayed by his wife Helen, who acted in a way that defiled all womankind. Agamemnon did not come to this realization all by himself, however; his statement represents the common sentiment that existed throughout all ancient Greece. Even before Odysseus speaks with Agamemnon, he exhibits a similar attitude in his many encounters with women during his long journey home. Every major female character that Odysseus comes across uses deception in one form or another to get the better of him. This being the case, Odysseus fights fire with fire, using his own cunning deception against the evils of womankind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first wily female that Odysseus battles wits with is the goddess Kalypso. She is a very deceitful woman, indeed. Kalypso has somehow managed to hide from the gods for 7 years – an unnatural and disrespectable accomplishment. She has been having a secret affair with Odysseus, a mortal, who has been held captive on her island for the... ... Helene Foley, "Penelope as Moral Agent," in Beth Cohen, ed., The Distaff Side (Oxford 1995), pp. 93-115. "The Odyssey, History, and Women," by A. J. Graham, pp. 3-16, and Jennifer Neils, "Les Femmes Fatales: Skylla and the Sirens in Greek Art," pp. 175-84. Lillian Doherty, Siren Songs: Gender, Audiences, and Narrators in the Odyssey (Ann Arbor 1995), esp. chapter 1. Mary Lefkowitz, "Seduction and Rape in Greek Myth," 17-37. Marilyn Arthur Katz, Penelope's Renown: Meaning and Indeterminacy in the Odyssey (Princeton 1991). Nancy Felson-Rubin, Regarding Penelope: From Courtship to Poetics (Princeton 1994).

Comparative Analysis of Shall I compare thee to a summers day? and The

Comparative Analysis of "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" by William Shakespeare and The Flea by John Donne 'Shall I compare thee' by Shakespeare focuses on romantic love, whereas Donne's poem, 'The Flea' is all about seduction and sexual love. The situations in the two poems are very different. In 'Shall I compare thee', the poet is shown as a lover who is addressing his lady. His tone is gentle and romantic. He starts with a rhetorical question to which he must answer and therefore he does not put demand upon the lady. The poem gives the impression that it is set perhaps in his room, where he is composing his poem. One thing is for sure and that is that the woman he is addressing is not with him, because all the way through the poem, there is no response from her. Shakespeare wants to emphasize her beauty. In 'The Flea' the poet is directly appealing to the woman or his mistress. They seem to be in bed together with a flea, but no sex seems to have taken place. If it had, then the situation would be very different. The poet has seduced her as far as the bedroom and at this point, it seems as though he is going to try a new strategy. The woman does not appear to be very keen and is resisting his advances. Compared with Donne's poem, in 'Shall I compare thee' the poet is simply flattering the woman and wants her to like him. It is also one-sided, unlike in 'The Flea' where the woman gives her views as well. 'Shall I compare thee' is similar to 'First Love' by John Clare in this way. In 'First Love', only the poet's views are shown and therefore it is also one-sided. In 'The Flea' the poet's aim is to have sex with ... ..., and tetrameters, which are eight syllable lines. Donne uses an obvious three-part argument, or syllogism, where he uses the flea to structure it. Shakespeare uses a sonnet, which was a traditional way of writing about romantic love. Donne's poem is more intellectual in which he uses persuasive and rhetorical devices. The comparison's Shakespeare uses are passionate and interesting, but Donne's poem is more enjoyable to read since it uses wit and a clever structure to make it entertaining. The farfetched idea of using a flea to persuade a woman for sex is very unusual and makes the poem more enjoyable. Shakespeare's poem is more typical of a love poem, since the language he uses is more affectionate, but I have found Donne's more appealing to read because the wittiness and content of the poem is so unexpected. Comparative Analysis of Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? and The Comparative Analysis of "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" by William Shakespeare and The Flea by John Donne 'Shall I compare thee' by Shakespeare focuses on romantic love, whereas Donne's poem, 'The Flea' is all about seduction and sexual love. The situations in the two poems are very different. In 'Shall I compare thee', the poet is shown as a lover who is addressing his lady. His tone is gentle and romantic. He starts with a rhetorical question to which he must answer and therefore he does not put demand upon the lady. The poem gives the impression that it is set perhaps in his room, where he is composing his poem. One thing is for sure and that is that the woman he is addressing is not with him, because all the way through the poem, there is no response from her. Shakespeare wants to emphasize her beauty. In 'The Flea' the poet is directly appealing to the woman or his mistress. They seem to be in bed together with a flea, but no sex seems to have taken place. If it had, then the situation would be very different. The poet has seduced her as far as the bedroom and at this point, it seems as though he is going to try a new strategy. The woman does not appear to be very keen and is resisting his advances. Compared with Donne's poem, in 'Shall I compare thee' the poet is simply flattering the woman and wants her to like him. It is also one-sided, unlike in 'The Flea' where the woman gives her views as well. 'Shall I compare thee' is similar to 'First Love' by John Clare in this way. In 'First Love', only the poet's views are shown and therefore it is also one-sided. In 'The Flea' the poet's aim is to have sex with ... ..., and tetrameters, which are eight syllable lines. Donne uses an obvious three-part argument, or syllogism, where he uses the flea to structure it. Shakespeare uses a sonnet, which was a traditional way of writing about romantic love. Donne's poem is more intellectual in which he uses persuasive and rhetorical devices. The comparison's Shakespeare uses are passionate and interesting, but Donne's poem is more enjoyable to read since it uses wit and a clever structure to make it entertaining. The farfetched idea of using a flea to persuade a woman for sex is very unusual and makes the poem more enjoyable. Shakespeare's poem is more typical of a love poem, since the language he uses is more affectionate, but I have found Donne's more appealing to read because the wittiness and content of the poem is so unexpected.

Coca Cola, Pepsi Essay

This paper will examine Coca-cola and PepsiCo financial ratios and profit for the year 2007 and 2008 using the liquidity measurement ratio, profitability indicator’s ratio, debt Ratio, Operating performance ratio, cash flow ratio, and investment valuation ratio. It will explain both company’s liabilities, and a few personal opinions that could better both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo profits and stockholder’s investment. It will also discuss what non-financial criteria the company could consider when choosing between these two investment options. Using the current ratio, discuss what conclusions you can make about each company’s ability to pay current liabilities (debt). Financial ratios are used to compare the financial condition of a firm to that of similar firms for the purposes of building interests for shareholders, building the confidence of creditors, and for fostering competence among the firm’s own management. Liquidity ratios evaluate a firm’s ability to satisfy its short-term obligations as they come due. An important form of liquidity ratio is the current ratio, and it gives a general picture of the company’s financial health as it reflects the efficiency of the company to convert its products into liquid assets. A high current ratio implies the greater capability of a company to allocate its current finances into paying its current liabilities. The acceptable current ratio value for most industrial firms is 1. 5, while a value of 2. 0 indicates that a company has twice as many assets as its liabilities. A ratio under 1. 0 expresses the persistent inability of a company to meet its current liabilities. Albeit it shows a business’ general financial strength, this ratio is not a direct indicator of a company’s tendency into bankruptcy (Smart & Megginson, 2009). In the case of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. , the calculated current ratios based on a published formula shows that the PepsiCo, Inc. has increased its value from 1. 23 in 2008 to 1. 44 in 2009, while Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. has also managed to increase its ratio from 0. 90 in 2008 to 1. 13 in 2009. There was a higher degree of increase for the current ratio of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. s compared to PepsiCo, Inc. : 26% and 17%, respectively. The consistently high values of current ratio for PepsiCo, Inc. for 2008 and 2009 shows the greater capability of the company to compensate losses due to its current liabilities. PepsiCo, Inc. ’s current liabilities for 2008-2009 remain almost constant, while its current assets increased by as much as 14%. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Enterprises performance in 2008, where its current liabilities were greater than its current assets, placed weight into its financial stability for the 2009 year. Its increase for current assets and a slight degree of decrease in the current liabilities was not sufficient to put the company at par with its competitor in terms of company liquidity for the two-year period (Current Ratio Definition, 2010; Coca-Cola & PepsiCo annual report 2009). The efficiency of a firm’s utilization and management of resources and how well these assets are converted into profit and shareholder value is measured by Profitability Ratios. Among the crucial computations include Return on Assets and Return on Equity. To ensure the survivability of a company, as well as the benefits received by its shareholders, the profitability of a company should be sustained. The return on assets ratio measures the overall effectiveness of management in utilizing its assets to generate returns (Smart & Megginson, 2009 & Loth 2010). For Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. , the higher Return On Assets of the former, ~ 136% for a period of two years, implies the greater efficiency of the company in converting its assets into cash. PepsiCo, Inc. btained a 10% increase in total assets from 2008-2009, a two-fold increase compared to that of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. In terms of net income, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. had a higher decrease in value from 2008 to 2009, approximately a 0. 74% loss compared to PepsiCo, Inc. ’s 0. 04%. While Cola-Cola Enterprises Inc. ’s net income did not significantly increase, it has maintained its utilization of existing resources such that minimal cash-outs were necessary for the operation of the company for the two-year period, thus making the company more profitable than its competitor. To measure the returns earned on the common stockholders’ investments in a company, the Return on Equity ratio is obtained. It is computed by dividing the Net Income by the Average Shareholders’ Equity for a certain period. The ratio is expressed in percentage, and a higher value indicates a higher capability of a firm to use its base equity to provide better returns to its investors (Coca-Cola & Pepsi annual report 2009). The Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. manifest a higher percentage of Return on equity compared to its competitor for the two-year period of 2008-2009. The company’s $31 million dollar total shareowner’s deficit in 2008 rendered a low average shareowners’ equity for the two-year period, thus causing the Return of Equity to remain high. Analyzing Return of Assets and Return of Equity values for both companies suggest that, even after interest payments were given to creditors and dividend payments were made to preferred stockholders, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. managed to maintain its profitability in a quantitatively higher degree compared to its competitor. It could be concluded that Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. s better in terms of earnings performance regardless of the source of finances, which will be taken into consideration in the next discussion (Coca-Cola annual report 2009). In addition to liquidity and profitability, it is also important to note a firm’s level of debt to assess the extent of leverage that a company is using. Since assets come from two broad sources, it is vital to measure the degree to which a company uses money from creditors rather than shareholders to finance its operations (Smart & Megginson, 2009). For the two-year period under consideration, the Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. obtained an average of 97% debt ratio compared to PepsiCo Inc. ’s 67%, putting their company in a stronger equity position. This translates to a high degree of leverage that the Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is utilizing for gaining profit, financing all of its assets with debt. The higher amount of total assets, concomitant with a diminished value for total liabilities in 2009 gave PepsiCo, Inc. an apparent advantage over Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. n terms of risks and expected returns on the firm’s securities during the period under consideration. However, the debt ratio does not strictly define the company’s debt situation. Operational liabilities are also covered in this ratio, including accounts and taxes payable, which are strictly not regarded as a form of leverage . Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is still able to generate returns above their cost of capital. However, possessing debt impe rils a firm when revenues plummet and the company is not able to gain profit above the cost of its capital. Operating performance ratios measure how well a firm converts assets into cash as well as the rate at which the form converts various accounts into sales or cash. A form of Operating Performance Ratio is the Fixed Assets Turnover or FATR ratio. This ratio roughly measures the efficiency of a company’s fixed assets, property, plant, and equipment, with respect to generating sales. Fixed assets turnover ratios for Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc. do not significantly differ from each other over the period under consideration, 3. 8 and 3. 6 for each of the firms, respectively. Since both firms belong to the manufacturing realm, and are both heavy on fixed assets, comparison of their Fixed Assets Turnover Rate is noteworthy. It could be inferred that both companies are on the same rate and efficacy of utilizing their PP&E in generating profit (Loth, 2010a; Smart & Megginson, 2009). As an investor, discuss which company you would choose to invest in and provide a rationale for your decision. PepsiCo Inc. ’s steadily increasing Dividend Payout ratio signifies the capability of the company to provide dividend payments through a forecasted period of time. This fact paralleled with a relatively cheaper stocks cost in the company should be able to satisfy value investors more its competitor. Meanwhile, the high P/E ratios of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. , provide growth investors high expectations of augmented earnings over a predicted period of time. Also as an investor interested in growth investing, opting to invest money in Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is an extremely great idea. Its ability to generate revenues higher than capital cost despite a high Debt Ratio implies a promised continued increase in its  ROA and ROE in the succeeding years. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. exhibits high profitability, and this will eventually translate into more contingency finances for dividend payouts. In terms of the valuation of investment, profit would truly be gained from stocks that continue to have good growth potential (Pepsi Co and Coca-Cola annual report 2009). One form of Cash Flow Indicator ratio is the Dividend Payout Ratio. This ratio measures the amount of cash that is paid out in the form of dividends by the company to its shareholders. This is calculated by dividing the firm’s cash dividend per share by its earnings per share, and this indicates the percentage of each dollar earned that is distributed to the stockholders. In the computation of Dividend Payout ratios for the two companies under consideration, the values for diluted earnings per common share were used to be able to take into account the possible effects of stock options. A steadily increasing dividend payout ratio for a firm is favorable for stockholders. In the case of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. , a $ 9. 5 million dollar diluted loss per common share caused the dividend payout ratio to drop from 0. 16 to -0. 03 from 2007 to 2008. In 2009, the earnings per share value were able to recover for the company. The PepsiCo Inc. , meanwhile, exhibited a rather steady trend for its dividend payout ratio, with the highest point during 2008, which is coincidental with its competitor’s most pronounced diluted loss per common share. Generally, in terms of the dividend payout ratio for 2007 to 2009, PepsiCo, Inc. manifested well-supported dividend payments to its shareholders through its earnings. This is supported by a separate calculation involving Free Cash Flow/Operating Cash ratio, wherein PepsiCo Inc. also exhibited a gradually increasing measure of the amount of cash flow available to investors (Smart & Megginson, 2009; PepsiCo Annual report 2009). Investment Valuation ratios take a look at the appeal of a potential or existing investment and get a prediction of its valuation. The Price/Earnings ratio or P/E compares the current price of a company’s shares to the amount of earnings it makes. The P/E ratio is computed by the closing stock price per share by the basic Earnings per Share or EPS. The values for the closing stock price per share in the computation of the P/E ratios for both companies in consideration were obtained from their respective annual reports. The Basic Earnings per Share values were also used as the denominator to reflect the trailing twelve-month or TTM period of the companies. For Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. , a $ 9. 05 million dollar basic loss per share in 2008 caused a disturbance in the rather decreasing trend of P/E for the company from 2007-2009. The year 2007 reflects the highest P/E ratio for Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. with a value of 41. Meanwhile, the P/E ratio of PepsiCo, Inc. gradually decreased from 2007 to 2009, from a value of 22 to 16. Higher P/E ratios generally provide investors a basis for higher earnings in the succeeding periods compared with firms with lower P/E. Consequently, companies with high P/E ratios are more often regarded as high-risk investments than those with low P/E ratios, since a high P/E ratio signifies high expectations. Shares in Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. are then said to be more â€Å"expensive† than that from PepsiCo, Inc (Loth, 2010d).

Demand and Supply

Medical advances can range from witching over to Electronic Record keeping, to the use of Tell-health. The need for this is as diverse as the products and services themselves. One of the options that are currently available is home care. As the baby boomer population ages, the elderly population will increase the demand for home health services due to financial and emotional factors. The continuum or availability of home care programs will be greatly needed in the present years to come. Supply & Demand Factors Many factors contribute to the demand and supply of healthcare products and services.The concept of demand versus supply In home health care can never be testified. No one health care facility can meet all the demands of medical services. As individuals are living longer and hospital admittance costs seems to increase while providing quality care seems to decrease, consumers are seeking to manage chronic illnesses within the comfort of their own home. As the population ages we are seeing many Individuals coming down with diseases that are either not curable or that has ran Its' course In the body and there Is nothing that can be done to prolong life.Hospice care Is palliative care given to Individuals who are terminally Ill, with an expected survival of six months or less. This is when this type of service is needed and many of individuals, especially the minorities do not know that these services exist either because they contribute this to high cost service or think that it is not covered by their insurance. Another factor contributing to an increase in demand for home healthcare services are advances in medical technology which make it possible to manage conditions in a home setting that would previously have required hospitalizing or the services of a skilled nursing facility.Consumers have easy access to home care services, they have a choice among providers, and consumers are currently selecting he best service based upon a variety of options. The r ange of those Interested In from moderate to severe. The many options available range from skilled nursing, Occupational [physical therapy, rehabilitative [social services and personal ODL assistance can be provided at within the confines on one's home. Home health care helps prevent the need for higher-cost care. Home health care helps prevent the need for higher-cost care.Hospitals can reduce the cost and save on providing medical treatment and equipment items such as; medical professionals' time, disposable syringes, catheters, and dressing changes and other supplies to treat the attain. â€Å"The problem in healthcare is that the consumer often pays little or nothing for services, despite the current reality of deductibles and co-payments. When this is the case, price stops being a factor in demand and demand increases to virtually unlimited levels† (Salesman, 2009, p. L).Economic Cost Nationally, the median hourly cost for homemaker services and home health aide services is $18 and $19, skilled nursing $40, TO & APT $65-$75; administrators, $32, directors $38. Nationally the median annual cost for care in an assisted living facility by comparison, is $39,600. Nationally, Private nursing homes medium annual sectional cost, over the past five years, rose 4. 3 percent annually to $81 ,030. While the average home-care visit costs Medicare $150 per visit. The average hospital stay costs Medicare $1500.Medicare expenditures in 2008 totaled $324 billion, slightly more than 2. 2% of gross domestic product (GAP). Medicare home health covers about 3. 3 million beneficiaries resulting in $16. 5 billion in total Medicare payments in 2008 (SMS, Data Compendium, 2009). Access and Supply Consumers have easy access to home care services, they have a choice among providers, and consumers are currently selecting the best service based upon a rarity of options. The range of those interested in home care is vast. Depending upon the situation, the need for services can range from moderate to severe.The many services that are available range from skilled nursing, Occupational [physical therapy, rehabilitative [social services and personal ODL assistance. Other services consist of transportation, medical equipment such as diagnostic and incontinence supplies, diapers, gloves, bed covers, commodes, wheel chairs, lifts, meal programs, etc. , can be provided all within the confines on one's home. Home health care helps prevent the need for higher-cost care. Most insurance's, such as Medicare and Medicaid, cover the costs of many home care services.Consumers can seek out services through the referral of a Physicians approval. Once approved, consumers can begin to enjoy the many services available to help themselves regain independence of their physical abilities. Services will last until consumer is able to remain in a residence with assistance of primary caregiver/support from community agencies. Conclusion The United States aging population will requ ire a lot more out of health care services than ever before, this is mainly due to the longer life span of the elderly with heroic illnesses. According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, by 2030 the number of Americans aged 65 and older will more than double to 71 million, that's roughly 20 percent of the U. S. Population. In some states, as much as a quarter of the population will be aged 65 and older. Being that health care is on the verge of change, the certainty that these services will still exist in the near future remains order to fulfill the demand of elderly services the supply of home care organizations needs to expand to accommodate physical emotional and financial factors of these nonusers.

Global Car Industry Facing Recession

The Global Car Industry Facing Recession and a Credit Crisis Case study Reference no 309-032-1 This case was written by Nick S Potter, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. It is intended to be used as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. The case was compiled from published sources.  © 2009, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced or distributed in any form or medium whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner. cch the case for learning Distributed by ecch, UK and USA www. ecch. com All rights reserved Printed in UK and USA North America t +1 781 239 5884 f +1 781 239 5885 e [email  protected] com Rest of the world t +44 (0)1234 750903 f +44 (0)1234 751125 e [email  protected] com 309-032-1 ___________________________________________________ The Global Car Industry: Facing R ecession and a Credit Crisis N. S. Potter â€Å"The change that has hit the world economy is of a critical scale that comes once in a hundred years† said Katsuaki Watanabe, announcing Toyota’s first annual loss in its 71 year history.The firm said it expected a loss of 150 billion Yen (? 1. 1 billion) in yearly operating profits and confirmed that vehicle sales in the U. S. had fallen 37% in December 2008 and that production would halt for a total of 14 days from January to March 2009 in an effort to reduce inventories. Meanwhile, in America, outgoing President George W. Bush threw the struggling car makers a $17. 4 billion lifeline to stave off immediate bankruptcy and Canada became the second G8 economy to bail out its car industry. In the UK, Tata approached the government for up to ? billion to help save Jaguar and Land Rover and announced at the same time that it was sponsoring the Ferrari F1 team in 2009. The Global Car Industry in 2009 – An Overview. Car manufacturing has been described as â€Å"the industry of all industries†. Strong inter dependence therefore exists between the economies of many countries and industry performance. Governments rely on the sector as well as related suppliers and services to a greater or lesser extent in terms of employment, taxation, GDP and balance of payments. Car makers equally, require growing economies with rising levels of disposable income and consumer confidence.The events of 2008 also demonstrated the industry’s reliance on freely available credit to finance the purchase of its products. â€Å"Credit availability has been the biggest issue in our industry this year†, according to Mike Jackson, Chief Executive of Auto Nation, the largest car dealer in America. This case was prepared by N. S. Potter of Birmingham Business School and is intended as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate correct or incorrect handling of any administrative situations â₠¬â€œ N. S. Potter, 2009. 2 309-032-1The credit crisis has affected economies globally and reduced activity in a wide range of industries, notably housing and the fall in property values, coupled with the fear of unemployment has reduced consumer confidence around the world. Many analysts now think that car sales will not recover until 2010 and may take until 2013 to return to 2007 levels of 16. 1 million vehicles, (CSM Worldwide, Detroit). Governments must balance these economic considerations with environmental issues, as well as the aspirations of consumers in terms of mobility and materialism.Politicians need to find a compromise between these opposing forces and the ways in which they impact on the voting intentions of different groups in their respective electorates. The effects of oil price volatility, the credit crisis and subsequent recession on the environment appear to be mixed. Some environmentalists are concerned that economic issues will dominate the political agenda, w hile others point out that people are flying and driving less and that the car industry in particular, will be forced to spend heavily on developing more eco friendly products.Core industries base strategic decisions on the car industry as seen in the move by steel makers to site manufacturing facilities in developing countries where car making is starting to take place and demand for commodities was rising rapidly until mid 2008. The car industry may experience only low growth going into the second decade of the 21st century. However, this will be spread unevenly, both between countries and individual companies. One of the key elements driving dynamics in the car industry is ever increasing globalisation.Rapid change is taking place, continually altering industry structure and attractiveness as well as the key success factors necessary for both survival and growth. Japanese companies were forced to manufacture overseas for much of the 1990s due to the continuous appreciation of the Yen and with its currency at a thirteen year high against the dollar in early 2009, Japan has seen exports to America fall by 33. 8% and to the E. U by 30. 8%, (BBC News). 40% of all cars sold by Toyota in the U. S. re currently manufactured in Japan. China and India, with combined populations of two billion, clearly have enormous potential, but appear to be equally vulnerable to world events. Chinese car sales fell by 14. 8% in the year to November 2008, (FT) and sales in India fell by 19. 4%, (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) due to credit problems and high interest rates, beginning to call into question some existing joint ventures as foreign partners scale back investment and concentrate on problems in their own markets. 309-032-1 South America as a whole is set to become a significant market with Brazil now the 6th largest producer in the world, however annual sales fell 16. 9% in the year to December 2008, (Reuters). A new manufacturing facility planned by Honda in Argentina has now been postponed until at least 2010, (Associated Press). Europe has also seen sales plummet during 2008 but has still overtaken the USA to become the largest volume market in the world and East Asian competition has become ever more significant.Tightly defined product segmentation has taken place as traditional markets mature, while the rapid growth of emerging economies has provided opportunities to extend product life cycles on a geographical basis. The pace of globalisation has varied considerably within the triad. Most European car manufacturers have significant positions only within Europe. U. S. companies tend to have major shares domestically and in Europe, while only two major Japanese companies can claim to be truly global.Although the industry is concentrating, no single company is close to dominating the market and in fact seven companies have between 10% and 15% market share. The level of acquisition activity has been reasonably intense but the other ma jor feature of the industry has been the degree of collaborative activity. A variety of alliances and joint ventures have been utilised as a means of growth, as isolating mechanisms and even to circumvent national political issues. In 1980, there were 30 independent car anufacturers, by 2000 this had fallen to 13 and it is predicted that by 2015 the number will have fallen to 10, a situation which could be exacerbated by the global economic situation. The industry value chain is also altering and becoming capability led, as companies focus downstream towards the customer interface where the most explicit value is increasingly being added. The Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM’s) share of total value creation stood at 36% in 2002 and this will fall to 23% by 2015.Despite this, the component manufacturers face similar consolidation pressures with 8000 suppliers in 1998 expected to fall to 2800 by 2015. Technology is changing the upstream supply chain as component su ppliers split into tiers and become total solution providers, often diversifying from previously unrelated industries such as electronics, computer software and aerospace. Companies such as Delphi, Bosch, Continental, Lear, Siemens, Thyssen Krupp and Visteon will become dominant. 4 309-032-1 Summary of main conclusions †¢Demand will fall in Europe and America in 2009 and will be flat in China, although the second half of the year may see a partial recovery. Supply will continue to exceed demand as production capacity currently stands at 90 million units. †¢ Europe and China have become the primary battlegrounds for car manufacturers, with Germany currently the biggest single market. †¢ Eastern Europe and South America offer limited growth as well as high risk but will become significant markets by 2015 †¢ Apart from China and India, the ASEAN countries represent the greatest opportunity and challenge to Japanese, U.S and European manufacturers, as long as structu ral and governance reforms continue. †¢ Significant demand fluctuations will exist between country markets. †¢ Toyota, Honda and Nissan are truly global competitors and this trend will continue, with around seven companies or collaborative groupings eventually dominating the world market, each making between 5-7 million vehicles annually. †¢ The industry is driven by cost and technology with political and ecological issues as a significant underlying factor and this holds for product and process development. †¢Manufacturers will integrate forward vertically into their distribution channels, diversify and out source traditional activities. †¢ Collaboration between manufacturers, suppliers governments will become increasingly prevalent. †¢ Marketing strategies will focus on creating lifetime customer relationships, but in the short term, availability of finance will be a critical issue. 5 and even national 309-032-1 †¢ Time to market for new models w ill continue to reduce from 3. 4 years in 1995 to 2. 2 years currently and this may become a critical issue as companies respond to rapid changes in consumer preferences.Global Car Industry – Major Forces and Impacts It is clearly difficult to generalise due to the enormous variation between countries in the various stages of their development. It is however reasonable to conclude, that the car industry within any given country is subject to opposing political forces. †¢ As a primary industry, it is a major contributor to GNP, balance of payments and employment. Component suppliers and service providers represent important secondary industries. Total global industry employment was predicted to reach 11. million by 2015, prior to the 2008 crash, with 78% of those jobs generated by suppliers. This will heavily influence government policy during 2009/10 with governments across the world expected to support the car industry. †¢ Taxation of purchase and use represents si gnificant government revenue. It is estimated that global industry revenue will have reached 903 billion Euros by 2015. †¢ Transport is a major part of any countries infrastructure and is necessary to the process of wealth creation. †¢ Congestion and safety are becoming increasingly important issues. †¢Pollution and sustainable energy policies could dominate the industry in future. Targets to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are making alternative fuels, such as natural gas and electricity more attractive. †¢ The issues surrounding inward and outward direct investment affect strategies adopted by companies as they seek to invest and grow in new markets. Cost of labour as a factor of mobility is increasingly debated but government’s attempt to attract investment with a range of grant aid as well as subsidising domestic companies for a variety of reasons, including national prestige. 6 309-032-1Demand for cars is very closely linked to a given count ry's economic performance and this can be viewed in two separate contexts :1 – The wider process of the economic development of a country which results first in selective ownership, leading gradually to mass market volumes. 2 – Short term life cycle fluctuations within mass volume markets leading to delayed purchases or customers changing segments. Consumer confidence is a key factor in the purchase decision as the product price is significant in relation to most people's income. For every 1% increase in average earnings, car ownership rises by 2%. 7 309-032-1Table 1 – World Economic Outlook 2009 – IMF 2006 2007 2008 2009 Original World output 5. 1 5. 0 3. 7 2. 2 Advanced economies 3. 0 2. 6 1. 4 United States 2. 8 2. 0 Euro area 2. 8 Germany 2008 2009 2007 2008 2009 Revised Current forecast -0. 2 -0. 8 4. 8 2. 5 2. 4 -0. 3 -0. 1 -0. 8 2. 6 0. 3 0. 3 1. 4 -0. 7 -0. 1 -0. 8 2. 3 0. 4 -0. 5 2. 6 1. 2 -0. 5 -0. 1 -0. 7 2. 1 0. 1 — 3. 0 2. 5 1. 7 -0. 8 -0. 2 -0. 8 1. 7 0. 3 -0. 3 France 2. 2 2. 2 0. 8 -0. 5 -0. 1 -0. 6 2. 2 -0. 4 0. 2 Italy 1. 8 1. 5 -0. 2 -0. 6 -0. 1 -0. 4 0. 1 -0. 4 -0. 1 Spain 3. 9 3. 7 1. 4 -0. 7 — -0. 5 3. 2 0. 2 -0. 6 Japan 2. 4 2. 1 0. 5 -0. 2 -0. 2 -0. 7 1. 4 -0. 3 0. 4United Kingdom 2. 8 3. 0 0. 8 -1. 3 -0. 2 -1. 2 2. 9 -0. 9 -0. 5 Canada 3. 1 2. 7 0. 6 0. 3 -0. 1 -0. 9 2. 8 — 1. 0 Other advanced economies 4. 5 4. 7 2. 9 1. 5 -0. 2 -1. 0 5. 0 1. 8 3. 0 5. 6 5. 6 3. 9 2. 1 -0. 1 -1. 1 6. 1 2. 2 4. 4 -0. 1 -0. 8 9. 0 8. 3 Newly industrialized Asian economies China 11. 6 11. 9 9. 7 8. 5 11. 3 7. 9 8. 0 6. 6 5. 1 -0. 3 -1. 0 8. 5 5. 9 5. 7 Africa 6. 1 6. 1 5. 2 4. 7 -0. 7 -1. 3 †¦ †¦ †¦ Brazil 3. 8 5. 4 5. 2 3. 0 — -0. 5 6. 2 3. 9 3. 2 Central and eastern Europe 6. 7 5. 7 4. 2 2. 5 -0. 3 -0. 9 †¦ †¦ †¦ Commonwealth of Independent States 8. 2 8. 6 6. 9 3. 2 -0. 3 -2. 5 †¦ †¦ †¦ 7. 4 8. 1 6. 8 3. 5 0. 2 -2. 0 9. 5 5. 9 5. 8 9. 8 9. 3 7. 8 6. 3 8 . 9 6. 6 6. 0 Emerging and developing economies2 Russia India 8 0. 1 0. 6 309-032-1 The important variable is private consumption. Growth and wage levels are expected to be slower in real terms in the immediate future. Fiscal policies may eventfully result in higher taxation, particularly to service government borrowing, some of which will be indirect and therefore industry specific. Interest and exchange rates are also important as they affect disposable income. Interest rates have been slashed by the majority of central banks in developed countries and at the beginning of 2009 ranged from 0. % in Japan to 2. 5% across the Euro zone. Currency markets will probably continue to be volatile during 2009 as analysts assess which governments are following policies aimed at coming out of recession earlier than other nations without driving borrowing to unsustainable levels. It is likely that persistently high levels of unemployment and reduced job security will keep consumer confidence lo w and lead to an increase in the savings ratio. This could impact in several ways on the replacement patterns of high value consumer durables. Replacement may be delayed, satisfied in the second hand market or by trading down when buying new.Global growth is expected to continue to moderate from the peak in 2004 but the speed of the decline in output will vary from region to region as seen in table 1. World trade will slow down, from growth of 10. 1% in 2004, to 5. 0% in 2007 and a forecast of 2. 4% in 2009. Labour productivity and commodity prices are also key issues. Global demand for oil has exceeded supply for much of 2008 with prices peaking at $147 per barrel before plummeting to $5 in early 2009 and in the longer term, China has gone from being a net exporter of oil in 1995 to a position where it is predicted that 55% of its demand will be imported by 2030.There are clear linkages with economic factors as wealth generally leads to raised expectations. In less developed market s, the consumer's initial aspiration is simply for a convenient means of transport over longer distances and in this respect, the Nano from Tata may provide particular advantage. Increasing levels of wealth and confidence bring demands for more sophisticated equipment, greater choice of versions, niche products, passenger safety and consideration of the environment. 9 309-032-1 The degree of nationalism within country markets can also be significant and clear example of this is the German market where buyers display a clear preference for German cars. It is forecast that subsequent generations of buyers will think less along national lines as education, travel and integration all increase. This process will also be accelerated by local production, as demonstrated by Toyota, Nissan and Honda in the UK and VW in China. The need for transport is almost infinitely flexible in relation to its ease and cost. Governments have the task of balancing this need against the economic and ecologi cal considerations as well as the prospect of increased leisure time for many people.There are currently 500 million cars on the road throughout the world and by 2030 this figure is expected to rise to 1 billion with a further 500 million lorries and motorcycles. Road transport accounts for 20% of the global CO2 output and this figure could rise as traffic increases in developing countries. Technology represents another significant industry specific driver and can be considered under process cost, ecological pressure and increased consumer demands for new products increasing choice, comfort, performance and safety.Smart cards implanted in engine management systems will be capable of measuring the quantity of polluting emissions with the results used to prepare individual tax bills. Road side sensors or global positioning satellites will charge heavily for road use during congested periods with reduced or waived charges at other times of the day. The use of robots for assembly is inc reasing and it is estimated that 40% of the world's 610,000 robot population are used in the car industry. This is already affecting the propensity of companies to relocate in areas of low labour cost, as the cost advantage is being eroded.Product development issues will include fuel source, the balance between design and aerodynamics, automation of driver systems, satellite positioning and matching vehicles or versions to individual lifestyles. Process development will be concerned with flexibility, quality and cost issues. Supplier relationships and internal value chains will change in two significant respects due to these factors :1 – Car manufacturers increasingly lack capabilities in relation to new technologies and are out sourcing total solution provision to first tier suppliers, who are in 10 309-032-1 urn responsible for relationships with second and third tier companies. 2 – Process technology is becoming so specialised that manufacturers are having to develo p in house capabilities in order to supply their exact requirements. It is also forecast that differentiation and the complexity of technology will tie customers to authorised service dealers throughout the life of the vehicle. This will alter the relationship between margins made on the sale of a car and those subsequently derived from servicing and the sale of replacement parts. Outlook for the Global IndustryThe production and supply of cars has been concentrated in the three zones of the triad until recently, however there will be a degree of fragmentation over the next ten years as Eastern Europe, South America, China and India develop both in terms of consumption and production. The Chinese government welcomes foreign direct investment and has relaxed rules for setting up businesses and realises that foreign capital and 21st century technology can help the country to industrialise more quickly. There are five major indigenous car manufacturers in China as well as many smaller companies.Their main problem is a lack of both brands and designs. Shanghai Auto is number one in the domestic market and ranked at 373 in the 2008 Fortune Global 500, but still only produces 800,000 cars a year through joint ventures with GM and VW and this provided the rationale for the purchase of MG Rover assets and the 2007 merger with the Nanjing Automobile Company . Table 2 – 2009 vehicle sales forecasts – 2007 versus 2009 (millions of cars) Country New 2009 forecast Original 2007 forecast % Decrease USA 14. 3 18. 6 23. 0% Western Europe 14. 0 16. 9 17. 0% China 8. 0 7. 9 unchanged Japan 4. 8 6. 0 20. 0%Eastern Europe 5. 8 3. 6 India 1. 8 2. 1 14. 0% South Korea 1. 6 2. 1 24% (61% increase) Sources: Ernst and Young, Fortune, SMMT, Business Mirror, FT & Reuters 11 309-032-1 It can clearly be seen that the short term growth opportunities are in Eastern Europe and possibly China. The big European and North American producers face massive structural problems, pensio n deficits, overcapacity, mature markets and falling prices. Emerging markets offer some relief but competition will be at least as fierce and may require a move to smaller, lighter cars and this will favour some manufacturers more than others.Dongfeng Nissan and Geely Automobile in China are both forecasting sales increases during 2009, based on their range of small, inexpensive models. The motor car will increasingly be a target for environmentally motivated taxation and legislation. Industry rationalisation is long overdue, but government and unions in some countries will resist any attempt by manufacturers to cut large numbers of jobs and this tension will be a feature of 2009/10 as governments attempt to counter rising unemployment and balance public finances.Much of the cost pressure being felt by OEMs is being passed onto suppliers or eased by relocating manufacturing and sourcing to Eastern Europe and China. Currently, 33% of all suppliers have manufacturing facilities in Ea stern Europe and 17% in China and this trend will continue with Western Europe and the U. S. adding value through marketing, engineering and design, though this raises the issue of technology theft and intellectual property rights. Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are the most important sales markets in Eastern Europe and also represent important manufacturing locations along with Slovakia and Slovenia.China is now VW’s second largest sales market after Germany and General Motors generated 44% of global earnings from the same country, both companies plan a series of new vehicle launches during 2009. Russia is also a potentially large market with 144 million people and car ownership only one third of the level in Germany. Sales have doubled to over 3. 5 million units a year, (P. W. C. ) but the forecast for 2009 is a 15% reduction as the effect of lower oil prices affects the economy.German and Japanese cars are in high demand, though the government has decreed t hat 80% of officials should drive Volgas with the remaining 20% being supplied with BMWs built in Kalingrad and Fords made near St Petersburg. The Russian OEMs such as Moskvitch, Gaz and Ural tend to focus on the largest part of the market which is for cars costing less than $4000. Other manufacturers with plants already there, include Renault, GM and VW, with Nissan, Hyundai, Peugeot and Mitsubishi currently constructing new facilities, (Business Week). Renault has become partners with Avtvaz, paying $1 billion for a 12 309-032-1 5% stake in early 2008 and the next phase, according to PWC will be the emergence of a powerful components industry to supply as foreign brand cars manufactured in Russia are forecast to rise to 2 million by 2012. Ford, VW and Renault have all announced extended plant shutdowns during the early part of 2009, (New York Times), however PWC still forecasts that despite these short term difficulties, sales will continue to rise to six million units by 2014 and analysts at Russian agency Avtostat, predict that Russia will be the third largest car market in the world by 2012, behind only the US and China.Eastern Europe is improving in terms of productivity and competitiveness, is close to major EU markets and combines low wages with a skilled work force. Political pressure will focus on the production of cars suitable for export markets in order to earn currency, but government attitudes to foreign direct investment may improve if Russia joins the WTO. Collaboration between Eastern and Western European companies is growing rapidly, based on the mutual benefits of technology/skills transfer and market entry.Ironically, economic measures aimed at strengthening local currencies in order to reduce inflation, are making it more difficult for exporters to remain competitive. GM and Ford have invested in low volume production but many of the other OEMs have adopted a more cautious approach, although Toyota, Daewoo, Mitsubishi and Renault are succ essfully importing cars. The level of global sales and therefore production in 2009 is very difficult to forecast as it depends largely on how quickly financial institutions make credit available at somewhere close to previous levels. 0. 2 million cars were manufactured in 2007, falling to 67. 9 million in 2008, (J. D. Powers). Honda forecasts that European production will fall by over 12. 0%, but increase by 5% in China during 2009. VW expects the whole year to be difficult, particularly the first two quarters. PWC is forecasting a 17% fall in sales in the US, 12% across Europe and 5% in Asia Pacific. The firm remains upbeat about 2010, predicting a recovery in global sales of up to 15%. 13 309-032-1 Table 3 – Preferred Manufacturing Locations Country Very attractive Attractive Total Czech Republic 0% 44% 94% China 71% 18% 89% Hungary 40% 45% 85% Poland 36% 46% 82% USA 36% 33% 69% Slovakia 40% 28% 68% South Korea 16% 48% 64% Mexico 21% 39% 60% Western Europe 18% 23% 41% Indi a 15% 23% 38% Brazil 14% 21% 35% Ukraine 15% 18% 33% Romania 10% 23% 33% Slovenia 16% 14% 30% Bulgaria 5% 19% 24% 11% 10% 21% Argentina 5% 11% 16% Thailand 5% 8% 13% Vietnam 0% 10% 10% Russia 4% 4% 8% Australia 1% 3% 4% Croatia 1% 1% 2% Yugoslavia 1% 0% 1% Japan Source: Ernst and Young Competitive Analysis The global market leader during 2007 in terms of volume was GM which produced 9. 5 million vehicles compared with Toyota at 8. 5 million, however adding Daihatsu, (a wholly owned subsidiary) brings Toyota’s total production level with GM and as can be seen in the table overleaf, Toyota now produces more cars than GM when commercial vehicle sales are discounted. It is also worth noting that if the production figures for Renault with Nissan are combined, they climb to fifth place ahead of Honda. 14 309-032-1 Table 4 – World Ranking of Manufacturers 2007 Rank Group Total (Millions) Cars Total Vehicle Production 72. 18 56. 30 1GM 9. 34 6. 26 2 Toyota 8. 53 7. 21 3 VW 6. 27 5. 96 4 Ford 6. 25 3. 56 5 Honda 3. 91 3. 87 6 PSA 3. 46 3. 02 7 Nissan 3. 43 2. 65 8 Fiat 2. 68 1. 99 9 Renault 2. 67 2. 28 10 Hyundai 2. 62 2. 29 11 Suzuki 2. 60 2. 28 12 Chrysler 2. 54 0. 75 13 Daimler 2. 10 1. 33 14 BMW 1. 54 1. 54 15 Mitsubishi 1. 41 1. 10 16 Kia 1. 37 1. 29 17 Mazda 1. 28 1. 16 18 Daihatsu 0. 86 0. 71 19 Avtovaz 0. 73 0. 73 20 FAW 0. 69 0. 69 21 Tata 0. 59 0. 24 22 Fuji 0. 58 0. 51 23 Chana Automobile 0. 54 0. 54 24 Beijing Automotive 0. 45 0. 45 25 Dongfeng Motor 0. 44 0. 44Source: International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) It is notable that four firms in the top 50 produce fewer than 100,000 cars a year and fifteen make fewer than 250,000 cars and the top ten Chinese companies only produce around 3 million cars between them, while Tata has a long way to go before it becomes a volume player. 15 309-032-1 Table 5 – World Vehicle Production by Country in 2007 Country Total Vehicle Production (Millions) Japan 11. 60 USA 10. 80 PR China 8. 90 Germany 6. 20 South Korea 4. 10 France 3. 00 Brazil 2. 95 Spain 2. 90 Canada 2. 60 India 2. 30 Mexico . 10 UK 1. 75 Russia 1. 65 Italy 1. 30 Thailand 1. 25 Turkey 1. 10 Iran 1. 00 Czech Republic 0. 95 Belgium 0. 85 Poland 0. 80 Source: International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) Corporate Strategies Diversification is still common within the automotive industry, however the most prevalent strategy is forward integration. Most of the added value is now derived from finance, servicing and the sale of spare parts. Growth by acquisition has been used by G. M. , Fiat, Tata and VW to overcome mobility barriers and gain presence in the upper luxury segments, although G.M. in particular is more focused on the U. S. market in this respect. Toyota and Honda conversely, chose organic growth by establishing the Lexus and Acura brands organically. BMW now has its own range in the important four wheel drive market 16 309-032-1 and it’s acquisition of Rolls -Royce leaves them with a more sustainable portfolio, including Mini, which it retained when it sold MG Rover. Mercedes on the other hand, is relying on brand extension and the rebirth of the Maybach brand to increase volume since the end of its ill fated merger with Chrysler.The successful merger between Renault and Nissan raises question about the two remaining European independents, PSA and Fiat. Collaboration As markets mature, manufacturers are being forced to cut costs and increase scale. The manufacturing process has had most of the possible cost squeezed out in the last ten years. Companies already buy components from each other or share development costs, for example the alliance between PSA and Renault to supply gearboxes. Collaboration is based on mutual need and can either be used to spread costs or as a market entry strategy.There appears to be a shift of emphasis from the interchange of resources towards combining, as well as a more open attitude by Western companies t o close co-operation. It is becoming multi dimensional as manufacturers analyse their value chains, not only with a view to outsourcing, but on a geographical basis. Relocation, rationalisation and new bases for supplier relationships will dramatically alter the profile of the entire industry by 2010 There are a number of parallel developments occurring:†¢ The component supply industry has tiered, with Tier 1 suppliers becoming solution providers.They develop and supply whole vehicle systems such as brakes, engine management, steering and suspension. †¢ These suppliers have becoming knowledge partners and have taken on the role of managing relationships with tiers 2 and 3, who have found themselves isolated from the car manufacturers. †¢ Technology is increasingly complex and from outside the traditional automotive industry. Electronics, currently constitute around 23% of the value of a car, this will rise to 40% by 2010. †¢ As technology becomes more intelligent , components can be tailored to a wider range of applications.Software can now be used to alter the power and 17 309-032-1 torque profiles of diesel engines using inbuilt codes, offering the opportunity to use one engine across a wide range of model sizes. It could also be combined with GPS to automatically limit speed to the legal maximum. †¢ For this reason, specialist suppliers are achieving greater economies of scale than even the largest OEMs can hope to achieve in house. †¢ Car makers are reducing the number of varying components even at platform level, but increasing consumer choice by offering more variants in terms of trim and accessories. They are recognising the concept of â€Å"needlessly unique† components, where the cost of developing many alternatives does not raise customer perceptions of value. †¢ Components which the customer perceives to be invisible will be standardised. These will include chassis, steering, driveline and braking systems. Ot hers will be made common where possible, including instruments, controls and airbags. Only variants required to be different by the customer will be specific to models and examples of these include paintwork, exterior trim, fascia and glass. †¢Component suppliers are being forced to grow, in order to stay within cost targets set by their customers. Suzuki insists that all main suppliers with fewer than 100 employees must merge with other suppliers. Global car makers logically require global component suppliers. †¢ Car companies will increasingly become assemblers as they turn their main strategic attention towards, design, marketing and their distribution channels. Technology and Research and Development It is becoming more difficult to sustain competitive advantage through product differentiation.OEMs however, are continuing to invest heavily in research and development in an attempt to attract customers and no detail is seen as insignificant. Audi claims that its new V10 R8 is the first car in the world with all LED headlamps and rear-view mirrors have become high tech, with power folding, photo chromic glass and vision cameras aimed at pedestrian or occupant detection. It is likely 18 309-032-1 however that the technology focus will increasingly be on new fuel sources and lower pollution levels as firms attempt to anticipate future customer demands.Pollution and Resource Consumption Pollution has evolved from a series of localised problems into a global issue. The range of pollutants is also increasing and now includes CO2, CO, NOx, SO2, CFC, Methane and Nitrates. Automobiles currently have 80% of the global personal transport market and 55% of goods transportation. Their effect on the natural environment is therefore significant and ranges from 5% of total SO2 emissions up to 70% of all CO2 emissions. Noise and waste products also contribute to environmental deterioration.More than 500 kg of every car produced ends up in land fill sites, accounti ng for 4% of total rubbish weight. Companies are beginning to take these issues seriously as it is probable that eventually they will bear responsibility for disassembly and total recycling. Renault for example spends 30% of total R & D budget and employs 1000 people on environment related issues. This is shared between compliance with future regulation and attempting to gain advantage over competing companies.The Euro 96 norms mean much tighter controls over emission levels and these are mirrored by U. S. legislation. No detail is too small to escape attention in this constant search for technological advantage. In Europe for example, 180,000 tonnes of fuel evaporates every year during the refuelling process and fuel tanks are being redesigned to eliminate the problem. Reduction in fuel consumption is a major research area and engines are being developed with reduced friction, more efficient combustion and better ignition.Diesel cars remain an alternative and work also continues on small electric cars. Engines capable of using renewable fuels such as Soya oil have been in existence since the 1970s, but unless governments deliberately favour these alternatives via changes in taxation policy, they will only slowly gain acceptance. There are encouraging signs however, in Sweden 66% of orders for the new Saab 95 are for the version that runs on 85% bio ethanol derived from sugar cane and British Sugar is considering building a bio ethanol plant in the U.K. Hybrid vehicles running on oil 19 309-032-1 based fuel and electricity are gaining in popularity and fuel cell cars will be on the road by 2020 Table 6 – World Commodity Prices – 2000 to 2010 Commodity prices, 2000-2010 Percent change Forecast Commodity 2000-2005 -26. 4 1. 8 33. 9 1. 0 57. 2 -10. 8 -4. 2 3. 1 33. 9 97. 8 -23. 1 -10. 0 29. 1 17. 0 22. 4 -19. 1 -4. 3 12. 7 20. 0 28. 4 -21. 5 -1. 3 10. 0 25. 6 35. 2 -23. 3 -0. 3 18. 4 26. 1 50. 9 -28. 9 2. 6 22. 7