Monday, December 30, 2019

The Impact Of Sporting Activities On Sporting Events

Sporting activities have had major impacts worldwide for quite some time. Within that period of time, various issues have emanated from such activities and had various influences. According to the article written and published by Jamal L. R. on 10th November 2015, racial discrimination on sporting events, as well as the dynamics of the race and sport from 1968 to 2008 is focused on. In his research, Jamal mainly uses content analysis on the happenings, which had major impact especially on the blacks during athletic, and ball games. He mainly analyzes the grievances addressed by other races especially during the games, so as to come up with his research and conclusions. Such complains helps him in identifying the existence of racial†¦show more content†¦However, the article does not answer the perpetrators were punished or the compensations allocated to the victims. This analysis mainly focused on the racial discrimination in sporting events. The major claims that led possible changes in the industry include youthful delusions, civil rights, public outcry, self-determination and nationalism. Youthful delusions explains how the youth focused on sports to make money, civil rights focuses on human rights as enshrined in the United Nations charter and how sportsmen and activists fought for enactment of these policies, public outcry emphasizes on how the public ensured that their rights are upheld, self-determination is all about the act of believing in one self to make rational decisions and ruling, and lastly sprit of nationalism which focuses on the feeling of belonging to a particular country and doing what is expected as a citizen of the country. These were the major claims to support the argument of the article and their impact on the pre-existing problems. Analysis on public outcry focuses on scholars who were against racism. They viewed racists as slave masters to the larger population. A scholar by the name Gilbert stood against racists, advocated for new policies and change. Gilbert was also accused of inciting people to protest against racial discrimination at sporting affairs after posting sediments on LeBron James. His post made Cavaliers supporters to have a

Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Moral Integrity Of Huckleberry Finn - 1281 Words

Grant Palmer October 18, 2017 ENGL – 2130 The Moral Integrity of Huckleberry Finn Morality is most often defined as â€Å"the principles concerning a distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.† A choice will always be made that defines a character and their moral integrity. In Mark Twain’s novel, â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, Huck runs into many situations where he or another character are put into a position in which morality is called into question. This proves that regardless of societies influences and expectations, for Huck to do what is right he must test the morals he has learned from his world and society. Through his reflections, Huck makes some poor choices that are against what he has been taught, giving him†¦show more content†¦He says, â€Å"Dey’s two angels hoverin’ roun’ ‘bout him. One uv’em is white en shiny, eb ‘tother one is black. De white one gits him to go right, a little while, den de black one sail in en bust it all up† (Twain 141). This is the general idea related with morality. It connects to the expectations of the society where right and wrong influences how the people act in their normal lives. This can also be represented by the murders on the ship and how they decide not to kill Jim Turner, but say that it â€Å"ain’t good sense, it ain’t good morals† (172). The characters and how they live reflect the way that, not only how their society views them but also separate the view of the righteous and devout against the moral unjust. Clearly, Huck’s society portrays what is morally okay and yet Huck starts to question the uncertainty of the community. For instance, as Huck starts to progress and notice the wrongs of his society and his father is also challenged to progress based on the town and their goals. Twain describes this kind rehab by saying that â€Å"The new judge brought Huck’s father to his own home, cleaned him up, fed him and even got him to admit his faults and yet he reverts back to his old habits† (144). Huck’s father obviously is showing signs of uncertainty despite the revelation of his life, he is constantly trending back towards his old habits. The Judge even says that â€Å"he felt kind of sore. He said he reckoned a body could reform the oldShow MoreRelated The Integrity and Strength of Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1395 Words   |  6 PagesThe Integrity and Strength of Huckleberry Finn  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When one is young they must learn from their parents how to behave. A childs parents impose societys unspoken rules in hope that one day their child will inuitivly decerne wrong from right and make decisions based on their own judgment. These moral and ethical decisions will affect one for their entire life. In Mark Twains, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is faced with the decision of choosing to regard all he has been taughtRead MoreEssay about Huck Finn1567 Words   |  7 PagesHuck Finn Throughout the ages The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a treasured novel to people of all ages. For young adults the pure adventuresome properties of the book captivates and inspires wild journeys into the unknown. The book appeals to them only as a quest filled with danger and narrow escapes. It is widely considered â€Å"that children of 12 or so are a little too young to absorb the book’s complexities† (Galileo: Morrow). However, as readers mature and become older, theyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1164 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Paper In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain writes about the events in Huckleberry Finn’s life and the people around him. Huckleberry Finn tells the tale of life in the nineteenth century through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy struggling to find his place in this society. Throughout the story Huck deals with several moral issues; such as slavery, his distrust of society, and social order. In this essay I will discuss moral issues that Huck Finn faces in the story. The story takesRead MoreHuck Finn Moral Integrity Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pages The Moral Integrity of Huckleberry Finn Morality is most often defined as â€Å"the principles concerning a distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.† A choice will always be made that defines a character and their moral integrity. In Mark Twain’s novel, â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, Huck encounters a frequent amount of circumstances where he or other characters are put into situations in which morality is called into question. This proves that regardless of religious influencesRead MoreThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Research Paper1649 Words   |  7 PagesSince its first publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven to be one of history’s most controversial novels; especially recently, the novel has often been banned by schools and censored by libraries. Characters in the book are constantly using disparaging language toward slaves, and the repeated use of the word â€Å"nigger† makes many sensitive a nd offended. Critics denounce the novel and Mark Twain as racist for this word being insulting and politicallyRead MoreThe Censorship of Huckleberry Finn Essay1273 Words   |  6 PagesThe Censorship of Huckleberry Finn Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a significant book in the history of American literature that presents readers with the truth of our past American society in aspects such as speech, mannerisms, and tradition that we must embrace rather than dismiss by censorship. It is a novel that has been praised and proclaimed America’s â€Å"first indigenous literary masterpiece† (Walter Dean Howells) as well as one that has been criticized and declared obscene. It hasRead MoreRacial Integrity Act Of 1924 And Mildred Loving1479 Words   |  6 PagesLoving, were arrested for violating the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, or the marriage of a â€Å"white† man and a â€Å"colored† woman in Virginia 1967. This story is one of many examples of when the status quo of race has been challenged. This couple, along with others, disregarded the norm of opposing interracial relationships, and above all chose love as the only thing that matters. In the play, Othello by Willi am Shakespeare, the book Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and the article, â€Å"The MeaningRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1572 Words   |  7 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain follows juvenile Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist of the novel, and his companion, Jim, on their journey to seek refugee from society. Twain portrays Huckleberry as an astute and stalwart young man, whose personal sense of morality overrides society’s insular prejudices and focuses, instead, on his own integrity and values. Throughout the novel, Huck faces a number of situations that test his ability to decipher between right and wrong, despiteRead MoreMorality in Huckleberry Finn Essay1265 Words   |  6 Pagesmakes that defines their moral integrity in a literary work and distinguishes them as the hero. In Mark Twain’s story, â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, not only does Huck encounters a number of moral cir cumstances where he or other characters displays situations in which moral ethics is called to questioned, but it proves that despite the religious influence and social expectation, it is through Huck that in order to do what is morally right, one must challenge the moral teaching of the world. ThroughRead MoreChanging Views And The Changing Blues1657 Words   |  7 Pages Cameron- 4th Hour Honors American Literature 9 January 2015 The Changing Views and The Changing Blues Mark Twain himself had this to say about his novel: Huckleberry Finn is a book of mine about a boy with a sound heart and a deformed conscience that come into conflict...and conscience suffers defeat.† In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his view of society starts out as naà ¯ve and childish, but as he experiences life on the Mississippi, he grows into a man with a realistic standpoint of what

Friday, December 13, 2019

Methods of Government, explained by Mr. Lao Tzu Free Essays

Mr. Lao Tzu,  I am glad to write this letter to you and I wish you to stay in good health. Being myself interested in the art of state governance I could not fail to be moved by your outstanding writings. We will write a custom essay sample on Methods of Government, explained by Mr. Lao Tzu or any similar topic only for you Order Now Philosophers with such profound views as you have are rare, so, desiring to further dispute certain ideas about government and administration I have found nothing better than to write this letter to you and thusly invite you to discussion. Please accept this letter calmly as it is due to a philosopher, for I have not wished to contest your wisdom, but only to share some views which I have obtained via long years of struggles and dangers. My most sincere desire is to have an advice with you because truth is sprout in discussion. Thereto let me pass to my argument. In your famous Tao Te Ching you write:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao. Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, and the world will govern itself[1].†   I admire this argument but I put it in a little other way for I think that it is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman, and she needs to be beaten and dominated[2]. That what you call â€Å"Tao† I use to call Fortune. Fortune is something what we can not control, but we can benefit from it. Every ruler has a Fortune, but not all of them are fortunate, because some of them are able to benefit from fortune and others are not. And to benefit from Fortune one has to feel it and take effort to obtain every possible necessary result from lucky events. That’s why I say that Fortune loves young. The young can better feel it and they are faster in using it. Using your terms I can say, that Tao flows by itself outside of our will. The one who feels the flow of Tao and moves with it will win[3]. But in order to win he has to move in the direction he needs only using Tao because in case he moves with Tao he will lose his aim of sight and will be a p risoner of circumstances. Another piece of your writing which attracted my attention is: â€Å"If a country is governed with tolerance, the people are comfortable and honest. If a country is governed with repression, the people are depressed and crafty. When the will to power is in charge, the higher the ideals, the lower the results. Try to make people happy, and you lay the groundwork for misery. Try to make people moral, and you lay the groundwork for vice.[4]† I agree with you entirely that a ruler is always an example for his subjects, however, I would like to notice, that ruling only by example is a much too vague basis for power. There are always people who do not accept any virtues and who are willing to overthrow even the most perfect ruler, at least to take his place. So I think that except for example a ruler is to inspire love and fear to the people, and at that fear is more important than love, because love is changeful and does not depend on ruler’s will, and fear is an instrument which is always available for a ruler[5].   Moreover, I believe that a ruler is to incur evil and forget about virtues in some cases. I mean those vices without which he might hardly save the state; because, if one considers everything well, one will find that something that appears a virtue, if followed, would be his ruin, and that some other thing that appears a vice, if followed, results in his security and well-being[6]. You speak about love and fear not as of methods of ruling, but as of ruler’s qualities when you write that â€Å"When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Next best is a leader who is loved. Next, one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised.†[7] As I have already mentioned, I believe, that fear is a better foundation for power than love, but now I would like to speak exactly of the ruler’s qualities. To my opinion a ruler is not to be good or bad, he is to be reasonable. What works good once can be not so good next time. Fortune, or Tao as you call it, may change, so the best ruler is the one who skillfully adapts to the situation and never freezes in his qualities. The ruler has to deal with different people who have different desires and so it is hardly possible for him to be same for all. A ruler has not to follow an ideal, but he is to be realistic[8]. You call upon princes to let things happen as they happen when you say: â€Å"Center your country in the Tao and evil will have no power. Not that it isn’t there, but you’ll be able to step out of its way.[9]† Let me used a term which I am used to and call Fortune that what you call Tao. I believe that this argument is weak, because it assumes that the country is ideal. And what about the countries which are not ideal and which are not in conformity with fortune? I would compare her to one of those raging rivers, which when in flood overflows the plains, sweeping away trees and buildings, bearing away the soil from place to place; everything flies before it, all yield to its violence, without being able in any way to withstand it; and yet, though its nature be such, it does not follow therefore that men, when the weather becomes fair, shall not make provision, both with defenses and barriers, in such a manner that, rising again, the waters may pass away by canal, and their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous. So it happens with Fortune, who shows her power where valour has not prepared to resist her, and thither she turns her forces where she knows that barriers and defences have not been raised to constrain her[10]. So a ruler does have to act in order to bring his principality to perfectness and make it protected even from Fortune itself. Let me conclude my modest letter by this. Hope you were not bored while reading it and you will find it possible to answer my most humble writing. Cordially yours humble servant, Niccolà ² di Bernardo dei Machiavelli Works Cited: 1. Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, 25th-Anniversary Edition, Vintage, 1997 2. Machiavelli.   The Prince. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998 3. Mary G. Dietz, Trapping The Prince: Machiavelli and the Politics of Deception, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 80, No. 3 (Sep., 1986), pp. 777-799 4. David Hall, Commentary on the Lao Tzu by Wang Pi by Ariane Rump, Wing-tsit Chan, Philosophy East and West, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 1981), pp. 97-98 [1] Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, 25th-Anniversary Edition, Vintage, 1997. Verse 57 [2] Niccolo Machiavelli.   The Prince. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998, p.- 83 [3] Lao Tzu dows not speak so directly, but it is usually mentioned by commentators. For example see: David Hall, Commentary on the Lao Tzu by Wang Pi by Ariane Rump, Wing-tsit Chan, Philosophy East and West, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 1981), pp. 97-98 [4] Lao Tzu, 58 [5]   See: Niccolo Machiavelli, chap. XVII [6] Lao Tzu, 58 [7] Lao Tzu, 17 [8] For this Machiavelli’s argument see: Mary G. Dietz, Trapping The Prince: Machiavelli and the Politics of Deception, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 80, No. 3 (Sep., 1986), pp. 777-799 [9] Lao Tzu, 60 [10] Niccolo Machiavelli, p.- 119 How to cite Methods of Government, explained by Mr. Lao Tzu, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Minimum Wage And Why We Should Leave It Essay Example For Students

Minimum Wage And Why We Should Leave It Essay Minimum Wage And Why We Should Leave It Essay When was the last time a value meal from McDonald, let alone any other fast food chain, did not cost five dollars or more? When was the last time premium gas was under a dollar a gallon? Its hard to remember, isnt it? Wouldnt it be great if everything cost a nickel, like back in the good ol days? According to the laws of economics, its not logical for things to have gotten more expensive competition should drive prices down. Then why have prices continued to rise over the years? The continuing demand of more money for less work has forced Uncle Sam to raise the minimum wage innumerable times in the last half century, which results in higher prices for the rest of us. Another raise in the minimum wage would, as all the others before it, raise prices for consumers, which would again result in another demand for a raise in the minimum wage. Its a viscous cycle that must be stopped before it loses control. Not only does a raise in minimum wage result in a raise in the cost of living, it also causes the dismissal of hardworking people who are happy with their current income. When the firing axe starts to fall, seniority often determines who goes and who stays. The more a single employee costs a business an hour, the fewer employees the business can afford to employee an hour. This results in the dismissal of employees to compensate for a raise in labor costs, which creates a smaller staff, which results in slipshod service. Although most reasonable people would rather pay more for better service, the plain fact of the matter is that the service hasnt really gotten any better. The service is better than it was when there werent enough employees so people assume the service itself has gotten better, while the truth is that the service is just as haphazard as before. The laborers are simply replaced because of a need for more employees, more often than not by people who have never worked in those positions before. By having a staff that is constantly fluctuating, the business hurts itself the service is hurt because the new employees are in need of training, and in the end it is us, the consumers, who feel the real pain The pain we experience is that of rising costs in the market its that sharp pain we feel every time we reach for our wallet, but it is in no way as painful as the fact that we give bonuses for no reason in the form of raises in the minimum wage. The argument that minimum wage should be raised says people need more money to make a living in a world of ever rising costs. The truth is that they, the people who demand more money, are the ones raising the cost of living. Some would say that the high cost of living is brought about by the devaluation of the dollar and the effects of inflation. Truth be told, inflation is also caused by the flooding of the market with bills printed to pay the high costs of laborers in the market. Laborers who are comprised primarily of teens and the elderly, both of which usually have an alternate form of income either in the form of parents or social security. I offer an alternative to the minimum wage. If people would respect their money and understand the value of the dollar then they would have to learn skills that would promote them in the job market. The minimum wage could be kept for the handicapped and the disabled, people who for the most part arent able to advance themselves in the working world. The most positive thing about the current minimum wage is that it is substantial enough to make teens respect their money, but also low enough to force them to save. Its been said that if we do not know our history, we will be doomed to repeat it. The argument over the minimum wage makes it abhorrently obvious that this statement is true. .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f , .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .postImageUrl , .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f , .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:hover , .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:visited , .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:active { border:0!important; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:active , .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uef2c013a172099e18fd5d95d3ff9572f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Media Influence On Sport Essay The time for action is now, before we are .

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Amazon.com Competitive Strategies

Introduction Uncertainty always reigns in the minds of managers when it comes to deciding what impact is brought about by the competitive strategies utilized by the managers. This uncertainty is even more when firms operate in new environments such as the e-ecommerce platform.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Amazon.com Competitive Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The fact that there are a growing number of firms joining the e-commerce environment is ground enough to establish strategies that would enable a firm compete effectively in the new environment. Understanding the strategies which would be usable in attaining value in e-commerce is a priority among e-businesses (Filson 2004). Amazon.com being a leading online retailer for books is an e-business which has over the time positioned itself strategically to remain relevant and competitive in a dynamically evolving environment. Amazon.com: Overview Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos, who is also the current CEO of the company, in July 1995; however, the company started operating as a public firm in 1997. Amazon.com began as an online bookstore but then entered the music store field in June 1998. These services and goods, and others which Amazon.com has ventured in, are offered on retail basis hence making the firm an outstanding internet retailer (Filson 2004). It is important to note some of the major competitors of Amazon.com include Barnes Noble and eBay among others. Compared to its competitors i.e. including even the early competitors, Amazon.com’s market value has remained larger thus making the company always stand out in performance. While the main competitors experienced fall in their market value after their peak in the late 1990s, Amazon.com’s value has been clearly outstanding (Filson 2004). Competitive Strategies Amazon.com realized that the theory of increasing sales as a general strategy for the competitiveness of a business was not enough in the e-tailing environment. In realization that exploring other product lines may increase a firm’s competitive position, Amazon.com has pursued other lines of business including â€Å"1-Click ordering and zShops†.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These shopping devices eased shopping by offering shoppers more information since categorization of products has been made possible. In addition, 1-Click payment feature for instance offers recommendations on books or music which may be related to the customer’s search. This has eventually led to an increase in value. Since the above strategies are not price-based, Amazon’s competitors have found it challenging to imitate (Datamonitor 2011). This is because technology used to develop such features is usually patented, thus barring competitors from imitating the technology. As for zShops and auctions, Amazon strategically benefitted in that others were offered an opportunity to utilize Amazon’s technologies. Shopping at Amazon.com has been made easier by use of these shopping devices as well as utilizing actions. Amazon.com also realizes that expanding product lines does not necessarily translate into increased market value. Instead, the firm identifies that specific line of products achieve this. These include â€Å"small, high value/weight objects such as books, electronics, health and beauty products, music, toys and games, and videos† (Filson 2004, p.152). By going into these lines of business, Amazon.com has remained at the top of its competitors as far as market value is considered. Other than its official www.amazon.com website, Amazon also increases its global presence by offering its products on other websites available internationally. For instance, in its formative years, Amazon.com formed promotional alliances with prominent portals such as Yahoo and Netscape among others. Promotional services as well as advertising through popular portals set Amazon.com apart competitively against its competitors, making Amazon.com defeat its rivals during its early years. Despite the fact that promotional services through major portals have lost value given Amazon.com’s stage of growth, it is no doubt that it was a vital tool in taking the firm where it is now in the e-marketing environment (O’Brien Shambora 2009).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Amazon.com Competitive Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rivette and Kline (2000) emphasize that the emergence of intellectual property is a business competiveness tool in today’s business world. Other than boosting the overall competitiveness of an organization, Rivette and Kline (2000) say that patents have, of late, become avenues for enhancing financial markets and putting up a proprietary advantage. This is through the fact that patents help protect the uniqueness of a business system and reduce corporate risk. Novel ideas and technologies must be protected if modern businesses, especially ICT-based businesses, must capitalize on them to gain both strategically and competitively. The patenting of Amazon’s 1-Click system, which is a system that is used in order processing, was a competitive weapon established by the company back in 1999. This would later give Amazon leverage in a suit where Barnes Noble had infringed on the 1-Click system rights. Amazon won the case. Amazon is renowned for its constant stretching of its muscle into business lines which are completely new, thereby ending up disrupting the industries it joins. It can be termed as a firm which is adventurous even when they face failure. From an online bookstore to a music store, Amazon diversified into treadmills, cloud computing and toilet seats, just to nam e a few areas where it has ventured. Amazon has recently taken the challenge to Apple by coming up with Kindle, which is somewhat a competitor of the iPad. This is just an indication of how far Amazon is willing to adventure to ensure its sustainability given the current dynamism in the market (O’Brien Shambora 2009). In addition, Kindle’s e-reader tool is already enabling widening of the e-books space, thus making Amazon a dominant firm in the e-book market since its launch in 2007. It is recorded that book sales as enabled by Kindle exceeded the sale of hardcover books on www.amazon.com by July 2010. There have been more Kindle book purchases from Amazon website now than any of the two print books offered by Amazon. Amazon has therefore gained both competitive advantage and revenue generation through this revolutionary gadget (Datamonitor 2011). The virtue of Amazon being a leader in online retail business has already positioned it to reach a wide customer base. Thi s is something that is envied by its rivals.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More How Amazon.com’s has Created Superior Customer Value Amazon is a business of its kind and has of late attracted attention due to its trail of impressive growth. It has kept on embracing transformational growth sending its tentacles into different interests while still trying to retain an aspect of core business. Amazon started as an online book business and this was already very innovative as it was built around a changing customer value proposition bringing another view of the book industry (Burgelman Meza 2001). It then went beyond books to all kinds of consumer goods that could be easily shipped. Its view of core business at this time started changing from that of a product to a business design. Later the business ventured into commission-based brokerage to traders of used books and then to third party sellers. It was therefore no longer a sale only but a sales-and-service model. In 2002, the company then ventured into web services, a field in IT and very different from i ts shipping and trade facilitation business. Over 200,000 outside web developers were giving free help. 2007 saw Amazon set up lab 126 that launched its first product, the Kindle e-book reader threatening to disrupt the publishing industry. This saw 500,000 e-books for kids sold in the first year. E-books on Amazon are now a booming business and have greatly expanded. Today, Amazon offers world’s biggest selection and is seeking to be the most customer centric company. They offer millions of unique, new, used, and refurbished items in several categories like jewelry and watches, health, food, sports, books, electronics, toys and many other categories. Amazon has shown ability to find new opportunities to serve a different type of clientele or serve the same clientele in a new way and still retain value in the old business. Amazon.com: a case in point Amazon.com used internet as its only method of selling goods to its customers. It has some competitors like Barnes Noble and a lso Borders. There are also others like eBay and Google. The competitive advantage that Amazon.com has over Barnes and Noble is that its costs are significantly lower as the competitors use brick and mortar as their distribution channel (Brandenburger Nalebuff 1996). Amazon.com has no storefronts and the main distribution warehouse can be located anywhere even away from densely populated areas where other conventional businesses would like to have their stores located. This allows Amazon to pay cheaper in terms of rent as it locates its warehouse in low rent areas. Due to the various ways in which Amazon is able to avoid costs, it is able to deliver items at prices lower than market prices and still generate profit. Other competing online booksellers are unable to deliver services as those of Amazon due to its recent boom, and its cost efficient way to shop for goods (Leschly Sahlman 2008). Despite the attempts to use internet to sell their books, the competitors have not been abl e to overcome the overwhelming reputation of Amazon. However, there are other new entrants who are gaining popularity and who are now real threats to Amazon’s business. Google is one such business whose entry into the market attracted overwhelming interest from customers. The market is therefore showing stiffer competition since Google is a well known and well connected competitor. The current trend of Amazon makes it difficult to classify its business model. Instead it seems to be combining different models and no single one is sufficient to entirely sustain competitive advantage. It could also be said that it has created a new business model. This new business model uses the synergy of various benefits to create value for the customers. Some of these benefits are: shopping convenience, speed, discounted pricing, ease of purchase, wide selection, reliability of order fulfillment and lots of information that enable decision making (Campbell Collins 2010). Sustainability of A mazon’s Strategies In its operational strategy, Amazon has managed to enhance its competitive strategy through cost leadership, customer differentiation, and focus strategies. Rather than talk of core business, Amazon would rather talk of core capabilities and world class core assets. It is seen to make calculated moves in transforming capacities into profit centers. Elastic compute cloud As one of its recent models Amazon ventured into leasing computing horsepower over the web which is a very welcome solution for those in businesses that will require buying of servers. It is an equivalent of leasing a server at a cost of $876 per year or at a cost of ten cents each hour (Leschly Sahlman 2008). These kinds of diverse investments are part of what made eyebrow rise on Wall Street. They wondered why, despite Amazon spending billions of dollars developing its business model, it could venture into such businesses that are far not related to the core business. It shows Amazon does understand that the solution to sustained success is business model innovation. While many see Amazon as over committing its capacity into new ventures, others see that any of these ventures could grow into blockbuster businesses like the e-Books sector. The logic behind expansion of product range Amazon’s case can in one way be seen as that of William’s Inc. William’s Inc. is a steel pipe manufacturer that ventured into manufacture of pipes that transport internet. In the view of the company the concept in the business is the same and in little wonder, both areas are vastly profitable. Amazon’s venture into a variety of products is firstly to exploit its distribution systems maximally (Campbell Collins 2010). Most of the products that Amazon sells will use the same concept in distribution as that used in the book business. Just as many companies would enjoy the benefits of economies of scale, so is the case of Amazon. The question may arise if some pro ducts like the Electronic Compute Cloud are still in this category. Companies sometimes want to harness their core capacities and capabilities in a way that not only sees the use of the resources but also in ways that are profitable and innovative. Product and customer differentiation are strength to the company. Conclusion It is one thing to build a successful business at a particular time and another to build a business that is successful in all times (Boyd 2002). It therefore calls for business managers to keep evaluating if they are remaining relevant in times of change or if they will be phased out by newer competitive businesses. It calls for continuous business process reinvention and other strategies that will keep the business relevant to its customers at all times. Amazon is not only an example of a business exploiting innovative business models but one that has no limits in the way they create profit centers. It is an example of a business reinventing its processes to sui t changing circumstances of environment, client needs, and economy. It can be seen as logical to have one profit center still so efficient when the others are hit by inevitable circumstances. Amazon constantly changing business models can be seen as an ingenious strategy to remain relevant to customers (Byers 2006). At such times when even customer preferences change so fast, Amazon is still able to prove itself efficient and a good preference to customers. Businesses should therefore make calculated moves without fear to venture into some innovative products as this will help bring them to a new level of competitiveness. Amazon can be said to be enjoying the benefits of value creation through shopping convenience, speed, and ease of purchase among other benefits. Its business model is a unique one that has seen some other businesses try to mimic and is a potential blockbuster business maker. Reference List Boyd, A., 2002. The goals, questions, indicators, measures (GQIM) approach t o the measurement of customer satisfaction with e-commerce Web sites. Aslib Proceedings, 54(3), 177-187. Brandenburger, A. M., Nalebuff, B. J., 1996. Competition. Journal of Innovation, 12(3), 6 Burgelman, R. A., Meza, P., 2001. Amazon.com: Evolution of the e-Tailer. Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Case No. SM-83, 32-34 Byers, A., 2006. Jeff Bezos: the founder of Amazon.com. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group. Campbell, M., Collins, A., 2010. In search of innovation, in: The CPA Journal, 71(4), 26-35 Datamonitor, 2011 Sept 29. Amazon.com, Inc.: Company profile. Datamonitor. Filson, D., 2004. The impact of E-commerce strategies on firm value: Lessons from Amazon.com and its early competitors. Journal of Business, 77(2), 135-154. Leschly, S., Sahlman, W. A., 2008. Amazon.com – 2005. HBS Case No. 9-803-098, p45 O’Brien, J., Shambora, J., 2009. Amazon’s next revolution. (Cover story). Fortune, 159, 12: 68-76. Business Source Premier, EBS COhost. Rivette, K., Kline, D., 2000. Discovering new value in intellectual property. Harvard Business Review [serial online], 78(1):54-66. Available from: Business Source Premier, Ipswich, MA. This report on Amazon.com Competitive Strategies was written and submitted by user Emery Yang to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Sunday, November 24, 2019

Permanent Midnight Response essays

Permanent Midnight Response essays Response Paper to Permanent Midnight. This movie starts off with Jerry and Kitty in bed. They apparently met in rehab. Kitty seems very interested in Jerrys life and how it he has gotten to where he is now. Not much is said about her life throughout the movie. Jerry starts off with telling Kitty he moved to L.A. to get away from drugs. He later married a friends friend so she could get a green card. Slowly the woman he married starts liking him. But he seems like hes not interested. She asks him to stay one night and he makes up an excuse to leave. Then she asks him to move in since they are married and all and he passes again. In the meantime, he is getting worse and worse on drugs. He cant afford them so he begins to steal them from his friend Nicky. While at Nickys one day, Jerrys sister calls to tell him his mother has died. He flies home and cleans up her blood. Then just flies back to L.A. I dont understand this part. When he got back to L.A. he went to a bar. At the bar his show was on and he heard a lady tell the bartender to turn it off because it was bad. This intrigued him. He then approaches her. They ended up having sex, then he found out she had a husband. They also do drugs together to make the sex better. I think he approached this woman because she didnt like his show and he felt he didnt have to be perfect around her as he felt around everyone else. He then goes back to Sandras house and asks if he can stay there. Thats when he moves in with her. I think he begins to feel lonely. The movie then switches back to the girl in the motel room. She is freaked out that he would have sex with one girl, then go home to his wife. She begins to leave, but he tells her he doesnt want her too. He admits he doesnt even know her name. I think he begins to realize that he has feel...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Sticky fingers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sticky fingers - Case Study Example This paper explores an ethical issue faced by the retail store and will analyze checkpoints that can help in resolving the business ethical situation at hand. The case at hand presents a business environment where moral reasoning and evaluations are based on moral sensitivity. Even though there arises a moral issue, tolerance of moral ambiguity and disagreement is observed at managerial level. Management is seen processing moral judgments through efforts to integrate moral competence with managerial proficiency. b. Todd who has served the retail store for three consecutive years as a salesman was found responsible for security control on the day the theft took place. This has become evident from the videotapes of closed-circuit TV placed within the premises. d. Mike, loss prevention/security manager, has conducted lie-detector tests to determine which employee is guilty of the underlying theft. His investigations have proven that Todd is the only employee who has failed the test. e. Todd’s employment files have revealed misleading information regarding his previous workplace. Sworn bonding forms as well his application forms do not match with the given information. This step is harshly taken against the store’s rules and can result in immediate termination. b. Whistle blowing and misleading top management regarding an employee is another ethical misconduct exhibited by Mike, the security manager. He purposely is seen pressurizing Susan, manager of the retail store, to explore any unethical issue in Todd’s employment files so as to fire him. c. Better performance evaluation report can be achieved by Mike in case of closing internal theft case on Todd. This extrinsic reward is pushing Mike to conduct whistle blowing and misleading top management against Todd. a. Thorough re-investigation of the store’s theft can be undertaken to effectively find out the