Ethical behavior in an organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical behavior in an organization - Essay Example In other words it acts as the road map or set of guidelines to help the firm in acting and conducting itself in a socially and commercially acceptable manner. A well designed code of ethics will help highlight the resources available to achieve various goals set at the personal and corporate levels. A good code of ethics document will inspire confidence in all associates – like suppliers, clients and employees. Equally important is liaising with regulators, which is often overlooked amidst other pressing priorities. It is understood that a regulatory atmosphere conducive to fair and competitive business can help raise ethical standards of all parties involved. It is important that the code of ethics document exhibits a keen awareness of this reality. This would imply foresight and visionary thinking on part of its planners. (Blackburn, 2001) But it is crucial to understand that the entrenched profit-motive of many business organizations make ethical behavior hard to implement. A case in point is the Public Relations industry which offers its services to other manufacturing and service industries. The concept of marketing commodities in a consumer market had long drawn the criticism of ethicists. On a broader perspective, the inherently weak moral imperative of capitalist culture makes this outcome inevitable.

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay Example for Free

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay On August 6 1945 the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the second one was dropped at Nagasaki on 9th August 1945. The atomic bomb pelted on Japan was initially intended to force the Germans into submission but after the Germany surrendered, Japan was left as the threat to world peace. (John F. P. 56) The Hiroshima Bomb which was uranium based killed 100,000 Japanese and left several thousands dying slowing as a result of radiation. After three days, another atomic bomb was dropped at Nagasaki city, which left around 50,000 dead (P. M. S, Blackett 70) The justification for these mass killings was that it would end the war faster and thereby making it unnecessary to invade Japan. According to Byres, such an invasion could save a million people and therefore it was desirable. Was the atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Genocide Yes indeed it was. My opinion is based on the following premises: First, by August 1945 the Japan military was in a desperate state. The Naval blockade of the Allies had taken away a fleet of ships with military supplies and weapons from Japan military, without these the Japan Military was weak and could not survive for long. (Matin Z. ) According to a detailed opinion survey of the leaders of Japan who survived the atrocities, Japan would have inevitably surrendered probably before November 1945 without the threat of an atomic bomb or even without Russia threatening to join the war against Japan. (Gar Alperovitz, 34) Yet the American leaders knew all this information that had been successfully deciphered from the code and messages sent by Japanese military. The American leaders were well aware that Japanese authority had communicated to its Moscow ambassador to start negations for ending the war with the allies and the all-powerful Japanese emptor had indicated intentions of considering peace settlement by June 1945. Even after the American intelligence informed this message to president Truman, he did not change his mind about launching a bomb attack on Japan. (Gar Alperovitz, 37) After all the Japanese had only one condition for them to surrender; that is the Emperor who was a holy symbol to the Japanese should remain in power even after the end of the war. This was a small condition for America to sacrifice against the lives and property that lay at stake if a bomb was launched on Japan. (Gar Alperovitz, 38) The statement by President Truman that the world should note that the first bomb was launched on Hiroshima Military base to avoid the killings of civilian was sarcastic since all most all of those killed in the bombings of the two cities were civilian, according to a report by U. S strategic Bombing survey. Both innocent children and women were killed rather than the military personnel, which amounts to the infringement against human rights and a genocide of the highest order. (M. Susan Lindee 13) The destruction of the two cities is condemned not only by Japanese and other outsiders but by high rank military and conservative leaders from America itself as well. Former president Herbert Hoover himself wrote that the indiscriminate killing of young children and women â€Å"revolted his soul†. Former President Eisenhower had even advised the secretary of war against using an atomic bomb on Japan during a certain meeting. These and many more leaders as well as civilian Americans have continued to criticize the action taken by General Grove and are on the view that that the military attack was unnecessary and exaggerated. (Matin Z. ) An ambitious and domineering Admiral Purnell who suggested that it would take two bombs to coerce the Japanese to surrender by and large carried out the idea of a second atomic bomb being dropped on Nagasaki. Grove was well aware that two atomic bombs were in the making and saw good opportunity to actualize his own schemes. The decision to drop a second bomb at Nagasaki was not even made in Washington but it was made on Tinian Island. Grove was in an unusual hurry to make sure that the second atomic bomb was dropped before anybody else could decide otherwise. http://www. dannen. com/decision/handy. html Moreover, the second bomb primary target was Kokura but when the attack plane arrived there, the city was covered by a mass of cloud. Instead of the pilot turning back, and aborting the mission, they still went ahead and decided to attack Nagasaki, a town that was highly populated with civilians. http://www. dannen. com/decision/handy. html There are also well-supported views that Hiroshima bombing was a test. The bomb dropped there had been uranium, which had never been tested before. It was quite inhuman and high level of barbarism that the test was to be done at the expense of many lives. (Matin Z. ) American planes also distributed thousands of leaflets alerting the Japanese that unless they surrendered unconditionally the towns of Akita, Fukushima, Urawa, Iwakumi, Yawata Miyakorojo, Otaru, Imabaru and Saga,would be attacked by bombs. However these leaflets did not mention Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Nugata and Kokura. (Matin Z) So it is clearly evident that the American leaders who were responsible for attack did not intend to forewarn the civilians so that they could evacuate before the time of attack. The killings that resulted are not only high abuse of human rights against innocent civilians but also a cowardly act against a subdued enemy. (Matin Z. ) Both innocent women and children were not spared by this obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (M. Susan Lindee 13). In fact the Manhattan scientists who were working on the bomb were shocked when they were later informed that Japan had always been the target and not a deterrent to the German invasion. (M. Susan Lindee 13) The Military policy committee chaired by General Grove realized that Japan was a more convenient target for the bomb than Germany. This means that the bombing of Japan was not so much as a result of their aggressive activities but because they were convenient targets of testing some newly acquired weapons! (Martin J. S. 234) Furthermore Americans wanted to take control of Japan before Russia could control it. The Russians leaders had planned to invade Japan on 8 August 1945. So the coincidental bombing of Hiroshima two days before the planned date when Russia intended to invade Japan was suspicious. There is a wide specification that America attacked Japan to gain its control before Russia could achieve the same. However the intention of the second bomb that was pelted on Nagasaki is not very clear. (Matin Z. ) However President Truman cannot be blamed so much for the bomb attack on the two cities when he took over in April 12, 1945 after Roosevelt’s death, General Grove made it appear to President Truman as if Japan was always the Target for the bombs. http://www. dannen. com/decision/hst-jl25. html Grove was reluctant to discuss about the Manhattan Project with the chief of staff since he knew that he was opposed to the bombing of Japan. The General Marshal was of the view that the bomb could be used against military targets such as Naval establishments but not on cities. However General Grove overlooked all these well meaning advices to fulfill his self interest at the cost of hundred thousands of Japanese lives and a lot of property. (Matin Z. ) Conclusion The past cannot be erased but can serve as invaluable lesson and prepare us for the future. Even though the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki speeded up Japans decision to stop the war, it was not the major consideration that the Japanese leaders used. Therefore the use of the atomic bomb was excessive act since other strategies could have worked to coerce Japan to stop the war. After all, the Japanese were ready to surrender on condition that their emperor would still remain in authority. The bombings of Japan cities were not only immoral but they were a crime and genocide to the full extent. Works Cited Harry S.Truman, Diary, July 25, 1945: Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. dannen. com/decision/hst-jl25. html Gar Alperovitz: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: Random House, 1995. 34-38 Hogan, Michael J. : Hiroshima in History and Memory. Cambridge University Press: 1996 M. Susan Lindee: Suffering Made Real: American Science and the Survivors at Hiroshima. University Of Chicago Press (1994) 12-14 Matin Zuberi: Atomic Bombing Of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Journal): Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. ciaonet. org/olj/sa/sa_aug01zum01. html Martin J. Sherwin: A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and its Legacies, 2nd edition, Stanford University Press, (2003) 233-234. Official Bombing Order, July 25, 1945: Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. dannen. com/decision/handy. html Ogura, Toyofumi: Letters from the End of the World: A Firsthand Account of the Bombing of Hiroshima. Kodansha International Ltd 1948. P. M. S, Blackett: The Atomic Bomb: New York: Holt, Rinehart Winston, 1976. (66-70) John Francis Purcell, Best-Kept Secret: The Story of the Atomic Bomb. New York: Vanguard, 1963. 56-57

Look At Domestic Robots Information Technology Essay

Look At Domestic Robots Information Technology Essay Since the ancient times the idea of an easier and simpler life existed in the humans. In all these centuries they have discovered and developed many things that help them in their everyday life. One of these inventions is Robotics. The word robot was first introduced by the Czech writer Karel ÄŒapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossums Universal Robots), published in 1920. Later on, it was made famous by Isaac Asimov, in his book I, Robot. After that the meaning of the word has changed extensively. The great number of robots in everyday life has opened a new specter of changes for future applications and developments of robots. Even though there is a great progress in the field, there is always room for improvements. Aristotle once said: If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords., meaning that if the humans had a mean in their disposal to help them, their life would be a lot better. Leonardo da Vinci is believed to be the first who created a robot. He developed a soldier who could move his head, arms and legs. After him many people invented devices that helped to improve their lives. There are many types of robots but the most important ones are two: the service robots and the industrial robots. The service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well-being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations.  [1]  The industrial robot is an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes, which may be either fixed in place or mobile for use in industrial automation applications  [2]  . The technologies needed to build a robot are: teleoperators and numerical control.  [3]  A teleoperator is a mechanical manipulator that is controlled by humans from a remote location.  [4]  Numerical control (NC) is a method of controlling machine tool axes by means of numbers that have been coded on punched paper tape or other media.  [5]  The manipulator is controlled by a computer system, which is divided in two sections: arm-and-body and wrist with a gripper. In this way the robot can be taught by the computer system to perform some standard tasks. In the last decades the life of humans has changed a lot. In todays world there are many domestic robots, many of which we didnt even image. Task (chore) robots can be divided in the following groups: vacuum cleaners, pool cleaners, washing machines, window washers and lawn mowers. As time passes new models come on the market, with new qualities, more tasks to perform. Moreover anything that can be programmed to do a chore, doesnt require our presence, and responds to environmental conditions can be categorized as a simple type of robot.  [6]  The interactive robot is the simplest kind of domestic robot. Examples of this kind are coffee maker, washing machines, microwave etc. All these devices use the timer to notify the user when the process is finished, meaning when the food is cooked when the clothes are washed or when the coffee is ready. A more advanced version of domestic robots consists of support robots and house surveillance, helping people to monitor their homes. For al l these reasons, it is not difficult to understand why many big companies such IBM, Microsoft, Sony invest in the development of robotics. Many interactive robots such as automobiles, refrigerators, video records, washing machines, use a microprocessor so they can work as a computer controlling device. If the consumer wants something he pushes the corresponding button. So, the use of automated appliances is user-friendly. The automobile is the most widespread example of an automated object used in our everyday life; it uses microprocessors to operate a variety of functions, including engine control (fuel-air ratio, for example), the clock, the radio, and cruise control.  [7]   Trilobite 2.0 was the first vacuuming robot launched in 2001 by AB Electrolux. The designers of the Trilobite thought of everything when they designed it. They used a sonar system that detects obstacles like walls and stair cases. In 2003 another vacuuming robot was launched by a German company called Kaercher GmbH. They called the robot Robocleaner RC3000. The difference between the latter one and Trilobite is that RoboCleaner RC3000 uses random motion pattern to clean. RoboClenear is equipped with a sensor that monitors the pollution of the air and detects how dirty an area is. Moreover, whenever the battery of the robot is running low it returns to its charging position and in the mean time it also empties his dustbin. The most popular tasks robots built until now are produced by an American company called iRobot Inc. The company is the producer of two other famous robots Scooba and Roomba. Scooba is a floor washing robot while Roomba is a vacuuming one. The real success of these products is not their high quality, but their price. Until now there have been three generations of Roomba. The first generation had three buttons for the size of the room, while their robotic technology consists on a spinning brush on the side and a rotating cylindrical brush at the bottom. The second generation came out in July 2004. It was much more sophisticated than the first one. It had a larger dust bin, better software that calculates room size, fast charging in the home base (or wall hanger in the Discovery SE), and dirt detection.  [8]  The Roombas of the second generation had the same functions, though some of them could have more accessories and all updated features after mid 2005. The third generation call ed 5xx was a whole new level. It was introduced for the first time in 2007 and it had an infrared sensor to detect obstacles, a dock button, and improved mechanical components.  [9]  . Scooba as said before is a floor cleaning robot. Even though we might think that it is different from Roomba actually they are not. They use the same navigation system and the same driver. The difference between them is the cleaning technology. Moreover, IRobot Inc. thought of new models of Roomba called (Dirt Dog and Model 401). These models are really simple to use and they are also cheap to buy. Dirt Dog has a larger dust bin and sweeping brushes but it lacks the vacuum motor. This model is designed for large environments like home garage and home shop. Model 401 is similar to Dirt Dog but it has a standard size dust bin. They are similar in fast charger and extended- life batteries. . The downside of this robot is however that its performance is not up to the level of every other cleaning robot. This household device is slower and does not clean as efficiently as its competitors. One of the companies that competes with IRobots is The Sharper Image Inc. This company launched in the market a vacuum robot called eVac. The only difference between Roomba and eVac, is the eye-catching design of eVac. They both have the same technology with some minor differences. The first difference is that eVac has a touch sensor, when it hits something it backs up and turns. Another difference is that eVac does not have the technology behind the virtual walls like Roomba has. The Sharper Image Inc. included remote control and a traffic cone  [10]  in eVac. On the market there are many types of customers, so to satisfy all of them Black Decker Inc. thought of a cheap robot. It is called Zoombot. Although it costs less than the others, Zoombot has more or less the same technology. The problem of Zoombot is its cleaning is not too efficient. The wide spread of domestic robots made companies produce new models, which were more expensive and much more sophisticated. Ottoro is one of them. It was launched on the market in 2003 by a South Korean company called Hanool Robotics. It is todays most expensive cleaning Robot. Ottoro identifies its own position and objects in any places in the house. The cleaning zone is set according to the map of house and completes the zone in order without missing any spots  [11]  . It also detects the clean or cleaned areas so it does not clean the same area twice. Another feature of Ottoro is its suction spout. It helps Ottoro to reach spaces that other robots cannot reach. LG, another South Korean company, released on the market a cleaning robot called RoboKingV- R400. It is not as stylish as Ottoro but it is well created. Its system is based on odometers. Furthermore its positioning system uses a 32 bit gyro sensor. Robokings effective operation under the control of 22 sensors attached on 32bit Microprocessor, moves in 4 smart patterns such as Gyro-Matrix, Variable-Matrix, and Spiral, Random, depending on the structure and space of the area. Especially, Gyro-Matrix controlled by Gyro sensor does what vacuum cleaner ROBOT has to do. This allows the LG Roboking to drive around the house without getting stuck on furniture.  [12]   Nowadays people do not have enough time to take care of everything, especially the outdoors tasks. It is not a surprise that the popularity of the outdoor operating robots has increased a lot these years. The most popular ones are the pool cleaning robots. These robots are seen as necessary gadeget rather than luxury tools. Aqua Products is an American company that produced one of the most popular pool cleaning robots called Aquabot. It has two powerful motors that share the load and provide a longer service life than other cleaners.  [13]  Aquabot can be put in the pool without any installation. It moves in two different patterns. The first pattern is a rectangular movement, using the walls of pool as a navigation tool. The second pattern is based on a zigzag movement- when Aquabot touches the walls, it starts moving towards the center of the pool. It also has brushes that clean the sides and the bottom of the pool. Aquabot, its power Supply and Floating Cable are ETL Listed to UL Standard 1081. No other robotic cleaner is this safe.  [14]  Dolphin Diagnostic is a pool cleaner robot manufactured by Maytronics, an Israeli company. It uses the same system as Aquabot. It can cre ate the most efficient cleaning pattern by itself. The distinguishing feature of this robot is that it can determine if it left the pool or not. It does that by using an air sensor. If the sensor turns on it will go back into the pool. Another benefit is that Dolphin Diagnostic is able to conduct a self diagnostic analysis, which makes it easier for technicians to receive information about its operations.  [15]  Tigershark is another pool cleaning robot, produced by Aquavac Company. It uses the same system as the previous examples. Tigershark has ASCL (adaptive seek control logic) microprocessor. The processor can determine the size of the pool and it programs a motion pattern in order to clean of the spots of the pool. Other robots than can perform domestic chores are the window-cleaning robots. The downside of this product is their cost of production. There are several problems related to this product. One of them is gravity. Another problem is the surface on which they operate, since window is really fragile. Moreover people use more pool cleaning robots than window robots, which also explains their meek success. For all these reasons these robots are not highly commercialized. Racoon is an exmpale of window cleaning robot. It is developed by Procter Gamble together with Fraunhofer IPA. It was introduced in 2002. After Racoon another window cleaning robot was produced, called QUIRL. Like Racoon, QUIRL relies on vacuum cups to hold to the windows. The difference between the two devices is that QUIRL is smaller and lighter. QUIRL races around the window without any wheels to drive it. The direction and the speed of its path can be controlled by varying the turning motion of the suction paths, caus ing the robot to execute linear or rotational movements.  [16]  Nevertheless, QUIRL is not yet commercialized.  [17]   All cleaning robots have the same problems. They have 3D range cameras used as sensor. The problem with the 3D cameras is that they are really expensive, summing the price of the products. Two German companies came up with a new idea of positioning and navigating the robot, called smart floor. Smart floor contains RFID transponders and it is easy to install. It can be put below all types of floor materials. Robots that have the RFID as a navigation system can operate on this kind of surface. The first cleaning robot which used this kind of navigation system is called Robo40. NorthStar project presented by Evolution Robotics is a solution to the same problem. The device uses these models much like old sailors used the stars in the sky.  [18]  The solution that both projects provided was just for small space, it could not cover large spaces. As the world today is using more technology and less labour it is hard for us to restrain our imagination from thinking the possible effects on our life. Maybe a couple of years from now everything will be computerized. In the supermarkets the customers will be welcomed by a robot similar to Robovie-II. There will be robots driving cars, serving food in restaurants and maybe who knows they could even teach our children in school, even though not everyone is e enthusiastic about all these changes. According to some studies made in South Korea, students were pleased when a robot taught them English. The children like the robots because they never get angry or make sarcastic remarks-unlike their human counterparts.  [19]  However, the future still remains a mystery. For Bill Gates this huge expansion of robotics industry is the same with that of computer business decades ago. As the processing power rises every day and the cost of producing hardware decreases, the growth of robotics industry will speed up. This offers the basis for a future in which robotic devices will become a nearly ubiquitous part of our day-to-day lives.  [20]  Nevertheless, an affordable, open platform that allows robot developers to readily integrate hardware and software into their designs must be established, allowing the further development of the industry.  [21]   The rehabilitation robotics technology is now focusing more in systems that are efficient for handicap people, helping them to conduct a normal life. The advantages of these robots are stability and flexibility. The perfect examples of such devices are the robots Handy1 and Manus. Manus is the leader of these kinds of robots in todays market. The disabled people use Manus to do tasks like drinking, pouring drinks, eating, washing, etc. Another type of robot that helps the disabled people is the mobile manipulator. An example of this kind of robot is Kares II. It is more efficient and has more advantages than the static robots. Karess main task is to do domestic work. In the last few years, EU developed a project called MATS. The goal of this project was to increase the number and quality of the existing human skills in robots. Over these years, we have witnessed the greatest developments of technology, even though there is more to come. If we think of the time that we needed to reach this level of production and efficiency, makes us raise the question if our generation is going to see the beginning and the development of a new industry. Half a century ago we could not even image our lives like they are today. Although, now human beings have passed to a whole new level, that of searching new things. Our laziness is unquestionable. Even though, in this world, where everything is computerized, where inventions are made every day the last thing that we needed to disperse was the labor force. It is very hard to find any industry that hasnt adopted the robotic technology nowadays. In a world where all the industry is based on the new technologies, new start-up companies that produce new gadgets, new toys projects are complex, progress is slow, and practical applications are relatively rare. In fact, for all the excitement and promise, no one can say with any certainty whenor even ifthis industry will achieve critical mass. If it does, though, it may well change the world.  [22]  The best example of these is Smart House; it is made of elements such as network of sensors and actuators.  [23]  The technology of this house contains environment control, health monitoring, fall detector, video monitoring, motion detectors, body temperature and many other devices. A more innovative Smart House would be one that has a keyless system. The doors will be unlocked with fingerprint scanners. Based on the information of the person that opens the doors a robot dog called AIBO would welcome the person. AIBO is produced by SONY. Furthermore, other functions in the house such as turning lights and air conditioner on, opening the curtains would be controlled remotely. From an experiment conducted by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), the possibility of integrating robotic system in a house resulted successful. This house was designed mainly for elderly people and it was equipped with heartbeat sensors. In case the person living in the house had a low or irregular heartbeat, the system would send a text message to his familiars. These kinds of devices are really important in cases when the elderly live alone. A distinguishing feature of this house is that it adapts the habits of the person living in it. Another house like this was built by the University of Florida. They called it Gator Tech. As the houses mentioned before, Gator Tech addresses the needs of aged people. It has smart devices like smart mail box, smart doors, driving stimulator, and smart blind, smart bed, smart refrigerator etc. The smart refrigerator can monitor the food; the consumption and it can detect expired food. It has an integra ted preparation meal advisor and also can create a shopping list. The Smart House is not used only for aged people; it is also used for the disabled or mentally ill like schizophrenic people. The usage of such house would help them have a normal life. As we know, the Smart House is equipped with sensor. Data transmitted by sensors can be analyzed for the immediate purpose of detecting critical situations or for the longer-term purpose of understanding the pathology in question.  [24]  The house can help the person prevent dangerous situations; it can remind the owner to take his or her pills. The devices should also be user-friendly in cases when the person has bad memory or poor management skills. One of the symptoms of schizophrenia is the distortion of the reality. In the case the person already believes that in his house there are hidden microphones or video cameras. The most challenging thing here is to create a balance to improve outside cognitive support without aggravating or inducing delusions.  [25]   Even though, the Smart House helps the elderly and disabled people to have an independent and happy life, it also raises many ethical questions. These ethical questions concern all the co-builders of the society. It questions the dignity and the privacy of the people who will use this technology. Another question is: who will be responsible for that person since he or she is no longer under medical care, lives in a neighborhood and in apartment that she or he can leave and return to? What will be the measures of support in case of an accident or emergency? Furthermore, will these people create dependence since most of the tasks in the house will be done by the devices?  [26]   As all this questions concern us in just one technological development, what is going to happen when every project comes to life? Many people said that the ethical rules should be imposed before any positive effect of technology sweeps away. Another development that raises ethical questions is a robot that works as a babysitter. This can have many advantages, but can a robot react in case of emergencies as a human being. This kind of robot was developed for the first time by South Korean and Japanese companies. The child minding robot offers other facilities for video-game playing, conducting verbal quiz games, speech recognition, face recognition, and conversation.  [27]  Beside all this, we dont know the psychological effect that all this could have on a child who is left for hours with no human contact. Because people cannot conduct experiments on infants, research is conducted in monkeys. The result of the search showed that severe social dysfunction occurs in infant animals allowed to develop attachments only to inanimate surrogates.  [28]   It is shown that the use of robotics in our life has its benefits. On the other hand, an excessive interaction with the robots can lead the persons to a social isolation. Another problem is the robotic pets. The most vulnerable are the small children who are the main target of the manufacturers. They misperceive the relationship with the robot. It looks like all these concerns about the use of robots in our life are still unnoticed by the public. Due to their high price, robots are used only domestically. Since the costs of production are decreasing, this trend is going to change a lot; people will start to buy all kinds of robots. Despite all the problems and concerns that the usage of robotics rises there is no ethical code to tell us who to react in certain case. There is no Convention on the Rights of Children and there is no ethical code on Nanny. Society should discuss and decide the limits of the robots in our life before before the industry and busy parents make the decision themselves.  [29]   Work Cited Industrial Robot. Science Daily: News Articles in Science, Health, Environment Technology. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. Industrial Robots IFR International Federation of Robotics. Home IFR International Federation of Robotics. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . Abry, Vincent. Domestic Robots Today. Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . automation. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. 14 Nov. 2010 Automation Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . Roomba. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . Cleaning Robot Named OTTORO | Korea IT Times. Home | Korea IT Times. 31 Dec. 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. . LG Roboking. Consumer Robots Advice, News, Reviews and Prices. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. . Key Features of the Aquabot Pool Cleaners. Probotics- Official Dealer for Robomower Lawnbott Aquabot Repair and Service Automatic Lawn Mower Lawnbot Accurain Aquaproducts Robot Pool Cleaner Friendly Robotics Mowers Robotic Makes a Great Gift Parts and Repairs. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. . Siciliano, Bruno, and Oussama Khatib. Springer Handbook of Robotics. Springer International Publisher Science, Technology, Medicine. 1254- 260. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . Drexler, Janine. Robot Workers with a Head for Heights. Fraunhofer Magazine. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Bilton, N. The Robots Among Us NYTimes.com. Technology Bits Blog NYTimes.com. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Gates, Bill. A Robot in Every Home. Scientific American. 16 Dec. 2006. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Statistics IFR International Federation of Robotics. Home IFR International Federation of Robotics. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. . Sharkey, Noel. The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics. Academic Search Premier. Science 322.5909 (2008): 1800-1801. EBSCO, 19 Dec. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. Helal, Sumi, et al. The Gator Tech Smart House: A Programmable Pervasive Space. Computer 38.3 (2005): 50-60. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, Mar. 2005. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. Stip, Emmanuel, and Vincent Rialle. Environmental Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia: Ethical Implications of Smart Home Technology. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 50.5 (2005): 281-291 Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, Apr. 2005. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. Gade, Lisa. Review: Sharper Image E Vac. Everyday Robots. 19 Aug. 2004. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. .

Essay on Gregor as Christ in Kafkas Metamorphosis -- Metamorphosis es

Gregor as Christ in Kafka's Metamorphosis In his "Metamorphosis", Kafka utilizes an allegorical technique to compare Gregor's sacrifices to those of Jesus in the Bible. Ultimately, both Gregor and Jesus sacrifice their lives so that they can help their loved ones, despite betrayal.   Kafka uses this biblical allegory to illustrate Gregor's Christ-like actions. In the Bible, God, sacrifices his only son, a respectable, revered "heavenly" figure, allowing Jesus to live amongst sinful people. In human form, Jesus treats the common people's illnesses and performs miracles to help them; above all, he cares for them and loves them.   Jesus is selfless, endlessly devoting himself to helping and serving others, and ensuring that they will have a better life by showing them "the way" to God.   Jesus sacrifices his life in heaven to come to Earth and help his people. Just as Jesus makes personal sacrifices to help his people, Gregor similarly sacrifices his dreams and happiness to provide a good life for his family.   Gregor's life revolves around his job as a travelling salesman.   He is committed to his work, although he dislikes his job, "what a gruelling job I've picked.   If I didn't hold back for my parents' sake, I would have quit long ago" (4).   Gregor's life lacks comfort and joy; he is constantly travelling, and is unable to form quality relationships.   However, he sacrifices his dreams for future happiness so that he can provide for his family.   As the sole 'breadwinner' of his family, Gregor keeps only a few dollars from his paycheque each month, using the rest to pay family debts and sending the money home to his parents.   His family is completely dependent on him for financial security, and Gregor's generosity preven... ...trayed by his family, he is imprisoned in his room; however, he "thought back on his family with deep emotion and love".   His affection for his family results in his conviction that he must disappear, so that he can bring them happiness and peace.   Gregor sacrifices his life and dies during the night to save his family from hardship.   He loves them unconditionally, like Jesus loves his people, and does not criticise them for betraying and mistreating him. Gregor's final sacrifice of his life is the strongest comparison of his Christ-like attributes. In Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" Gregor's sacrifices are shown to be Christ-like by the horrible treatment he receives from others, his betrayal by his family, and his selfless reactions and eventual death. Works Cited: Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: Bantam, 1972.

Haidt Happiness Hypothesis

Ch. 5 The Pursuit of Happiness (Haidt) pp. 81-102 1. Compare the main ideas of The Consolation of Philosophy from Ch. 2 and of Ecclesiastes on pp. 81-82. 2. How do we experience pleasure differently from the animals? Why don’t we enjoy life more than they do? What’s the problem or trick with reinforcement as a source of pleasure? 3. Explain and give examples of 2 types of positive affect according to Davidson. Which one gives us more happiness? 4. What is the progress principle? 5. Explain the adaptation principle, habituation of neurons, and the hedonic treadmill. . Describe early happiness hypotheses (Buddha, stoics). Do these theories of happiness suggest that we hide from the world in order to find peace? 7. Describe the relationship between marriage and happiness. What’s the â€Å"reverse correlation† between marriage and happiness (â€Å"reverse† does not mean â€Å"negative†)? 8. List factors which are strongly associated with happines s and the ones which are not but most of us believe that they should lead to happiness (pp. 88-89). 9. Explain the main components of happiness formula and describe the research that it is based on. 10.Name the external conditions that have strong effect on happiness according to Haidt (pp. 92-94). 11. Describe the experience sampling method. 12. What are the characteristics of flow? How is flow different from physical pleasures? 13. What’s the difference between pleasures and gratifications according to Seligman? 14. How can we increase pleasures and how can we find our gratifications? 15. Why do people pursue goals that work against their happiness? 16. What is the difference between conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption? 17. Explain the paradox of choice.

A Class Divided Personnel and Industrial Psychology

In the classic film, â€Å"A Class Divided†, schoolteacher Mrs. Jane Elliot devised and conducted a lesson plan to show her students exactly how discrimination comes about. Outraged by what she saw occurring in the nation, Mrs. Elliot conducted this lesson with a class of third graders the day following the assassination of Martin Luther King.Mrs. Elliot set the stage for differentiating between blue eyed and brown-eyed children. Her goal was to have her students experience what it felt like to be discriminated against. She had previously discussed the issue of discrimination with her students and thought the seemed to understand and was in fact upset by Dr. King’s death; they did not recognize the discrimination in her class exercise until it was over and pointed out to them.Mrs. Elliott’s lesson divided her class by eye color. She had two groups, the brown eyes students and the blue eyed students. She told the students at the start of the day, that the blue eye s group was comprised of the smarter and nice students. She gave them special privileges as a result of their favored designation.The students in the brown eyed group were treated poorly, with negative comments and unfair rules. She was surprised to see how the children accommodated these roles. The brown eyed students suddenly did poorer on tests and acted differently. The blue eyes group took on a posture of superiority and was mean to the brown eyed students.In class she purposely commented on the superiority of blue-eyed children in order to set them against the brown-eyed students. She then reversed her statement the following day. When she revered her treatment of the students, the student’s behavior reversed. The brown eyed students became superior and the blue eyed students began doing poorly. It became clear that as an authority figure, what she said was believed. Even parents did not question her statement.The thesis of this experiment was that people accept and act upon what people of authority or social stature. The film depicting her classroom experiment was mad in 1985 for the PBS show FRONTLINE. The film was entitled A Class Divided. The film included a follow-up on Mr. Elliot’s students, who were young adults at the time the film was made. Thee film was followed by similar stories of experiments in other settings.The implications of this film on psychology are broad based. It demonstrates the impact of authority and social stature. The lessons learned as a result of this film help us to understand how the influence of authority and socials stature can be used in both positive and negative ways. It helps us to understand why and under what conditions people will blindly follow others.2. Malcolm Gladwell, New York archives: Personality plus Overview of the articleThis article, written by Malcolm Gladwell, was printed in the September 2004 edition of the New Yorker critiques the use of personality tests. The tests discussed are those largely used in the employment arena. Gladwell gives the history of the development of various tests and then their common uses, his personal experience and his assessment of the test as an employment tool.The article is extremely easy to read and interesting. Gladwell provides background on some of these commonly used tests, which would be of surprise to employers using them.   The backdrop for the testing assessment is the story of a lieutenant in the US Army, Sandy Nininger.He explains that Niniger was an unlikely soldier given his calm, thoughtful demeanor. Nininger however, developed into a fierce soldier and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his WWII service.   Gladwell goes through the various personality tests and wonders how any of these tests might have noticed the trait in Nininger that made him such a warrior, when he was better known for drinking tea and listening to classical music.The history of the Myers Briggs is somewhat comical as Gladwell write s. He explains that the test was the brainchild of mother-daughter socialites, seeking to better understand the men in heir life and relationship between men and women. The Myers brigs was developed based on Jung, but according to Gladwell, these woman knew or understood very little about Jung’s theories. In fact, he makes it clear that Jung would have never agreed with the basic tenant of the Myers Briggs.Gladwell met with a psychologist and underwent the Thematic Apperception Test which required him to compose stories for pictures. The psychologist then looked and themes in Gladwell’s stories and gave him a report. While Gladwll understood the assessment and found the psychologist to be quite perceptive, he expresses concern regarding the amount of subjectivity in this test assessment. A different psychologist could have come to an entirely different conclusion.Finally, he discusses the services of a company called Developmental Dimensions International (DDI). This c ompany assesses prospective employee’s strengths and weaknesses by spending a day with the person in a simulated workday. There person is given a job for the day and then assessed on a variety of levels. Gladwell spent a day with the company and received an assessment that again, he could understand but questioned the subjective nature of the assessment.Gladwell, in summary reminds us that while personality tests are frequently used by employers, there is much subjectivity and room for interpretation. He acknowledges the fact that these tests are fun and the results are interesting, he cautions the use of them as meaningful assessments. He concludes by asking if any of the test he reviewed, would have been able to predict Sandy Nininger's personality traits.

How to Get Job Offers †Not Just Interviews †With Your LinkedIn Profile

How to Get Job Offers – Not Just Interviews – With Your LinkedIn Profile Is Your LinkedIn Profile Getting You Job OFFERS? Last week, I spoke with a technology executive about working with us on his LinkedIn profile and resume. Upon investigation, I discovered that he was getting interviews for positions that interested him- but not job offers. At first glance, it might seem like the problem was his interviewing skills. After all, isn’t the job of the LinkedIn profile and resume to get an interview, and after that it’s up to you? Well, that’s partially true, and it’s certainly possible that this client could use some interview coaching. But a freaky fact of human nature suggests that something else could be at play. It’s called â€Å"impression formation† or â€Å"priming,† and it’s not to be overlooked or taken lightly. Do you think that if you’re getting interviews with your LinkedIn profile and resume you don’t have to worry about whether you need to change them? You might be wrong. A study of students’ perceptions of their professors, and how these perceptions can be formed, is a case in point. Consider these excerpts that illustrate how much our preconceived notions affect our experience of another person: †¦[I]n one of the earliest studies on impression formation, Kelley (1950) found that when students were told a guest lecturer was â€Å"very warm†, the central trait produced more favorable evaluations of the instructor than when students were told the guest lecturer was â€Å"rather cold†. In a more recent replication and extension of Kelley’s experiment, Widmeyer and Loy (1988) had students evaluate a lecture presented by a visiting professor. Prior to the lecture, students received background information about the instructor; some received information suggesting that the visiting professor was warm while others were presented with information that suggested the professor was cold. Analyses revealed that students perceived the visiting professor as a more effective teacher and more pleasant to have for class when he was described as a warm rather than a cold person. †¦Those who read the syllabus written in an unfriendly tone rated the hypothetical adjunct candidate as being colder than those who read the syllabus written in a friendly tone. †¦Those who received the syllabus written in a friendly tone rated the target as being warmer than those who read the syllabus that was written in an unfriendly tone. †¦Those who read the syllabus written in a friendly tone rated the instructor as being more motivated to teach the course. Harnish, Richard J. and K. Robert Bridges, Effect of syllabus tone: students’ perceptions of instructor and course Did you read that?!! Wow. Extrapolating to interviews, if the interviewer has a preconceived notion of the candidate as warm or friendly, it’s more likely he or she will experience the candidate as warm, and even as more motivated, in the interview! Conversely, if the interviewer thinks ahead of time that the candidate will be cold, it’s unlikely that the interview itself will change this impression. Interviewers Make Unconscious Conclusions You might be thinking, â€Å"But these were students being studied. They are young and impressionable! Surely an interviewer, who has more maturity and experience, would not be swayed as much by past judgments.† I’m afraid that’s not the case. In 2008 study, Williams and Bargh staged job interviews with study participants and found that if interviewers drank hot coffee before the interview, they would perceive the candidate as warm. Iced coffee? You guessed it. Cold candidate. Interviewers’ perceptions were also influenced, disturbingly, by the comfort of their seats and the weight of their notetaking folders. There are many conclusions that can be drawn from these studies, from â€Å"Make sure you have a warm hand when you shake hands with your interviewer† to â€Å"Don’t hire candidates based on interviews since your unconscious mind is ruling the decision. Use psychological testing instead.† The conclusion I want to draw, however, is about your LinkedIn profile. And maybe your resume too. Conveying Warmth with Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume You have a huge opportunity in your LinkedIn profile and resume to prime the pump for your job interview. People respond to warmth. So look for ways to appear warm! Show some of your personality in addition to showcasing your accomplishments. Even if you’re not as warm in person as you are in your job marketing collateral, chances are you’ll be seen as warmer than someone who doesn’t communicate warmth in their LinkedIn profile and resume. Here are some examples from profiles written by The Essay Expert. Note that while we generally encourage first person for LinkedIn summaries, warmth can come through in the third person as well. Also note that your photo is a huge way to convey warmth! LeeAnn Dance: My journalism background gave me the ability to distill a large amount of material and hone in on what’s true and important. I can pinpoint the real message that needs to be conveyed, creating a human story that moves and inspires an audience. Ted Schoonmaker: Ted knows that people hire people, not resumes. Companies are not just looking for a set of qualifications that match a job description. To ensure a complete match, Ted extensively interviews both companies and candidates to find out who they are and what they are looking for – as companies and as people. Ted is most fulfilled when helping people to grow professionally. His vision and ability to nurture relationships lead to long-term solutions and success. How warm are you in your LinkedIn profile and resume? Are you priming readers to perceive you the way you want to be seen? If not, consider a rewrite. If you want assistance, please consider our LinkedIn Profile Writing Services and Resume Writing Services. We’ll make sure you look great- and warm- online and on paper. Want to do it yourself? Don’t miss the latest version of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. The e-book is fully updated for 2018 and available now!

Vought F4U Corsair in World War II

Vought F4U Corsair in World War II The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a noted American fighter that debuted during World War II. Though intended for use aboard aircraft carriers, the F4U experienced early landing issues that initially prevented its deployment to the fleet. As a result, it first entered combat in large numbers with the U.S. Marine Corps. A highly-effective fighter, the F4U posted an impressive kill ratio against Japanese aircraft and also fulfilled a ground-attack role. The Corsair was retained after the conflict and saw extensive service during the Korean War. Though retired from American service in the 1950s, the aircraft remained in use around the world until the late 1960s. Design Development In February 1938, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics began seeking proposals for new carrier-based fighter aircraft. Issuing requests for proposals for both single-engine and twin-engine aircraft, they required the former be capable of a high top speed, but have a stall speed of 70 mph. Among those who entered the competition was Chance Vought. Led by Rex Beisel and Igor Sikorsky, the design team at Chance Vought created an aircraft centered on the Pratt Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. To maximize the power of the engine, they selected the large (13 ft. 4 in.) Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller. While this significantly enhanced performance, it presented problems in designing other elements of the aircraft such as the landing gear. Due to the propellers size, the landing gear struts were unusually long which required the aircrafts wings to be redesigned. In seeking a solution, the designers ultimately settled on utilizing an inverted gull wing. Though this type of structure was more difficult to construct, it minimized drag and allowed for air intakes to be installed on the leading edges of the wings. Pleased with Chance Voughts progress, the U.S. Navy signed a contract for a prototype in June 1938. Chance Vought XF4U-1 Corsair prototype during tests at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Langley Research Center at Hampton, VA, in 1940-41.   NASA Langley Research Center Designated the XF4U-1 Corsair, the new aircraft quickly moved forward with the Navy approving the mock-up in February 1939, and the first prototype took flight on May 29, 1940. On October 1, the XF4U-1 made a trial flight from Stratford, CT to Hartford, CT averaging 405 mph and becoming the first US fighter to break the 400 mph barrier. While the Navy and the design team at Chance Vought were pleased with the planes performance, control issues persisted. Many of these were dealt with by the addition of a small spoiler on the leading edge of the starboard wing. With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the Navy altered its requirements and asked that the aircrafts armament be enhanced. Chance Vought complied by equipping the XF4U-1 with six .50 cal. machine guns mounted in the wings. This addition forced the removal of fuel tanks from the wings and an expansion of the fuselage tank. As a result, the XF4U-1s cockpit was moved 36 inches aft. The movement of the cockpit, coupled with the aircrafts long nose, made it difficult to land for inexperienced pilots. With many of the Corsairs problems eliminated, the aircraft moved into production in mid-1942. Chance Vought F4U Corsair GeneralLength: 33 ft. 4 in.Wingspan: 41 ft.Height: 16 ft. 1 in.Wing Area: 314 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 8,982 lbs.Loaded Weight: 14,669 lbs.Crew: 1PerformancePower Plant: 1 Ãâ€" Pratt Whitney R-2800-8W radial engine, 2,250 hpRange: 1,015 milesMax Speed: 425 mphCeiling: 36,900 ft.ArmamentGuns: 6 Ãâ€" 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gunsRockets: 4Ãâ€" 5 in High Velocity Aircraft Rockets orBombs: 2,000 lbs. Operational History In September 1942, new issues arose with the Corsair when it underwent carrier qualification trials. Already a difficult aircraft to land, numerous problems were found with its main landing gear, tail wheel, and tailhook. As the Navy also had the F6F Hellcat coming into service, the decision was made to release the Corsair to the U.S. Marine Corps until the deck landing problems could be resolved. First arriving in the Southwest Pacific in late 1942, the Corsair appeared in larger numbers over the Solomons in early 1943. Marine pilots quickly took to the new aircraft as its speed and power gave it a decisive advantage over the Japanese A6M Zero. Made famous by pilots such as Major Gregory Pappy Boyington (VMF-214), the F4U soon began to rack up impressive kill numbers against the Japanese. The fighter was largely restricted to the Marines until September 1943, when the Navy began flying it in larger numbers. It was not until April 1944, that the F4U was fully certified for carrier operations. As Allied forces pushed through the Pacific the Corsair joined the Hellcat in protecting US ships from kamikaze attacks. F4U Corsair attacks Japanese ground targets on Okinawa, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration In addition to service as a fighter, the F4U saw extensive use as a fighter-bomber providing vital ground support to Allied troops. Capable of carrying bombs, rockets, and glide bombs, the Corsair earned the name Whistling Death from the Japanese due to sound it made when diving to attack ground targets. By the end of the war, Corsairs were credited with 2,140 Japanese aircraft against losses of 189 F4Us for an impressive kill ratio of 11:1. During the conflict F4Us flew 64,051 sorties of which only 15% were from carriers. The aircraft also saw service with other Allied air arms. Later Use Retained after the war, the Corsair returned to combat in 1950, with the outbreak of fighting in Korea. During the early days of the conflict, the Corsair engaged North Korean Yak-9 fighters, however with the introduction of the jet-powered MiG-15, the F4U was shifted to a purely ground support role. Flown throughout the war, special purpose-built AU-1 Corsairs were constructed for use by the Marines. Retired after the Korean War, the Corsair remained in service with other countries for several years. The last known combat missions flown by the aircraft were during the 1969 El Salvador-Honduras Football War.

Globalization and Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Globalization and Poverty - Essay Example The political and military repercussions of this schism can significantly change the complexion and direction of inter-capitalist competition. The end of the Cold War and the powerful wave of Globalization vastly reconfigured the world order. We have seen the end of the old colonial world and the rise of Islamic militancy in the mid-90s. Post-Cold War globalization served to unleash many pent-up social contradictions previously held hostage by the Cold War, like racial and ethnic clashes both within the North and South alike. The most profound changes, however, are in the economic realm. Globalization-the accelerated expansion and heightened contradictions of international capitalism-is bound to intensify even more within the decade. (Hirst & Thompson, 2000) Vicious international competition among highly industrialized capitalist nation-states animates the world order. Economic globalization was mainly corporate-led. Incessant retooling of knowledge-based or high-tech corporations, including the mighty armaments industry and the rest of the multinational corporations in industrialized countries, keeps on accelerating the pace of globalization even more. Big corporate interests are more and more taking over the foreign policy directions of their respective governments. Alongside globalization is the concept of "neoliberalism". Neoliberalism has the same essence as the classic liberal economics. The latter was in vogue between the Industrial Revolution around the early 1900s and Keynesian economics around the 1930s Great Depression. Laissez faire ("free competition", to some) is at the core of both classical liberalism and neoliberalism. Laissez faire oppose Keynesian solutions that require vigorous state economic intervention. (Fischer 2003). Neoliberalism, ironically, is forced to adopt Keynesian solutions through the active manipulation of interest rates to keep inflation at bay. Furthermore, the US government as well as the Western European states actively subsidize their agricultural sectors, and even intervene politically in rearranging trade and financial mechanisms in their favor. These totally negate whatever "liberalism" or "free competition" there is in neoliberalism. Revolution in Productive Forces, Trade Wars, Uncertainties in the World Financial System The Second Word War and the military requirements of the Cold War ironically kicked off the revolution in science and technology, specifically in the fields of electronic computing, communications, air and space transport, biological warfare, and nuclear technology. Capitalist production techniques immensely benefited from these developments. The technological race seethes with greater intensity. A war over the control and monopoly of knowledge-intensive capital-especially information-communications-technology (ICT) and biotechnology-still rages among capitalist firms and nation-states. New, better, and increasingly cheaper commodities now flood the world market. The fight to open up more markets is the order of the day, not only to realize greater profits, but to stave off the increasing pressures of capitalist overproduction. (Robertson, 2003) Quite predictably, protectionist trade wars erupted between the large markets in northern America, Europe, and Asia. In an effort to secure commodity markets, tariff-cutting regional free trade associations sprouted along the continents, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European

Critically analyse the evidence for changing patterns in sustainable Literature review

Critically analyse the evidence for changing patterns in sustainable consumption and production of clothing. Looking at the evid - Literature review Example In addition, the report not only examines individuals but also businesses. It assesses the way in which businesses are changing their production strategies in order to take care of the environment too. It investigates on how clothing industries are changing their production ways to keep a pure environment while also producing long term clothes (Ha, 2012, 62). The report also seeks to give evidence of the conservation strategies that have already been put into use; such as the greener business models. The other purpose of the report is to give the approaches that can be used to encourage consumers to adopt better lifestyles that conserve the environment (Henderson & Sethi, 2006, 13). The data used in the report was obtained from the society and reports given by different consumers and cloth industries. Online sources have also been used in order to analyze the reports of individuals who could not be easily reached. Other data sources include journals by scholars about people’s lifestyles in relation to environmental conservation. Different research approaches have also been used in order to obtain the information used. For instance; questionnaires were issued to consumers in order to find out how they had changed their lifestyles in order to conserve the environment. ... The research seeks to give the pattern of the changing lifestyles of people. Outline of the content The report begins with a literature review of past studies made about environmental conservation. This section gives the process that businesses have used in the past in order to achieve their goals about environment. The section also gives the strategies that were used in the past by both producers and consumers. The next section gives the findings of the report. It mainly outlines the evidence for change of consumption patterns of consumers and production patterns for producers. Finally, the section outlines the strategies that can be used to encourage consumers to adopt sustainable lifestyles. The last section of the report gives a conclusion with the key strategies that can be used and the principal findings of the current situation in the economy. This section also gives the recommendations that are to be followed in order to achieve the set objectives. Literature Review Many scho lars have done a lot of research concerning the issue of green clothing and change of individuals’ lifestyles to conserve the environment. Some scholars provide that in order to ensure a green economy, human consumption would have to change (Milani, 2000, 20). Consumption would have to be planned in order to be in accordance with the production so as to keep the markets in operation. This will ensure that while consumers strive to conserve the environment, they will be able to obtain products that help them to accomplish their goals. For instance; consumers can change into renewable energy sources (Gunkel, 2006, 24). This is mainly argued from the point of view that; consumers can decide to change their lifestyles into more

Costing Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Costing Principles - Essay Example A cost purpose is an action or product for that the total or unit cost is to be computed. A cost objective may be the product manufactured or the service delivered, or it may be a department, a course, or a function, all of that are referred to as cost centers. The cost axis is the least unit for that costs are mounted up for reporting and analytical functions. Organisations whose products or batches of products are treated as individual jobs use job-order costing systems. Airplane producers and parts suppliers for large manufacturing Organisations, such as tool and die shops, are examples of the users of this system. Organisations use process-costing systems with homogeneous products such as crude oil, chemicals, and grains. Both job-order and process costing systems function to build up unit costs of production, but since of the inherent disparities in the physical characteristics of the products the two methods vary. Standard costing systems absorb standard direct materials, standard direct labor and standard company overhead into production costs. Standard costs are estimated costs that may have a close relationship with budgeted costs. Standard costing systems are widely used by manufacturing organisations. (Shank, 1993, 32-33) The official statement of generally accepted accounting principles, demands that the assessment of inventories by manufacturing firms for external reporting include the full cost, that is, direct materials, direct labor and total company overhead. This system of product costing is called absorption costing or full-absorption costing. (Antos, 1998, 13-14) GAAP also requires that for external reporting actual costs should be used except where the estimated costs are not materially different from actual costs. Direct Costing Direct costing differs from full-absorption costing only in regard to one category of costs, fixed company overhead. Direct costing includes direct materials, direct labor, and variable overhead in the product costs. Fixed company overhead is charged directly to the accounting period. Ending inventory, therefore, never includes any fixed overhead. This system of costing has not been approved for external reporting purposes by GAAP, but may be used for internal purposes. Activity-Based Costing A management tool named activity - based costing (ABC) has turn out to be one of the more extensively clinch of new management styles over the period of the last ten years. Though its nucleus lies in cost accounting, ABC has engrossed the consideration of business managers in general, and has been the focus of researches in the Harvard Business Review and Fortune. Not simply is it a foremost subject matter in business, it has been accepted in parts of government like USA, such as the Department of Defense and the IRS. What commenced as effectively an

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization Essay

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization - Essay Example Layout for all new stores is developed on computer with software for cost estimating. This not only reduces costs for development, but also helps regional managers to keep costs of new locations below target figures. Planning of new Starbucks spaces down to the last square foot, including layout of cases and brewing equipment allows managers and company representatives to work more efficiently. Starbucks is continuously looking for new ways to offer its products and expand its product lines. Developing partnerships with other food companies such as Kraft, PepsiCo and Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream has allowed the company to reach more customers with more channels for product sales. Starbucks also has established licensing agreements with United Airlines, Marriott Host International, Aramark, Nordstroms and Barnes and Noble to offer products in Hotels, airports, book stores, department stores and college campuses. Strategies for global expansion include choosing â€Å"a reputable and capable local company with retailing know-how in the target host country to develop and operate new stores† (Thomson & Gamble, 1999). Starbucks seeks talent within its organizational structure, so that executives can continue to focus on specific tasks such as buying and planning. Once a hub is established in a major city, managers known as zone vice presidents are relied upon for regional development.

Using ICT When Presenting a Research Project Essay

Using ICT When Presenting a Research Project - Essay Example With reference to ICT, its aim while presenting or preparing a research project is given below: ICT endures the capability to transcend time as well as space at anytime and anywhere. Its presence makes it probable to initiate asynchronous learning. Availability of the materials and relevant information becomes possible for 24 hours on a particular day and 7 days in a particular week. Advanced techniques of ICT for instance teleconferencing enables the instructions to be acknowledged concurrently to numerous learners who are disseminated geographically (Mehta & Kasnia, 2011) †¢ With the advent of ICT, it has become easier to have access to the required information related to a research project at any time. Hence, the dependence on the availability of books, materials and physical media such libraries has decreased (Kirkwood & Price, 2005) Application of the techniques used in ICT while researching a project helps in gathering the current and latest information from the online sources. With respect to global market scenario, the effective application of ICT helps in the sustainability within the competitive market scenario (Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 2013) With the advent of emerging features incorporated with ICT, numerous ethical issues are rising within the modern day scenario.... With respect to global market scenario, the effective application of ICT helps in the sustainability within the competitive market scenario (Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 2013) Ethical Considerations Related to the Use of ICT While Presenting a Research Project Along with Outlining Ways of Addressing Them With the advent of emerging features incorporated with ICT, numerous ethical issues are rising within the modern day scenario (Omogbadegun, 2010). ICT is a combination of the information and the communication facets, thus the combination of the two results in convergence, portability and personalisation. With respect to convergence, it reflects the multiple uses of ICT. Portability reflects mobility of the technical devices anywhere such as tablets and smartphones. Information created accordingly with respect to the preferences reflects the terminology personalisation (Tan, 2002). Ethical issues encompass privacy, property, accuracy and accessibility. ICT is pervasive a s it touches every aspect of an individual’s life (Salvi, 2011). Issues related with the use of advanced techniques are termed as technology manipulation. With the advent of modern technologies, there has been a considerable rise in ethical issues as well. Sound, video and photo manipulation has augmented significantly in the modern day scenario. Morphing is the term that is widely used for photo manipulation (Salvi, 2011). Source: (Slide Share, 2013) The above pictorial representation reflects an example of photo manipulation. In order to address such a critical ethical issue, effective measures and technologies must be implemented to reduce the ethical issues related to the ICT. Moreover, there should be a proper blockage with

Controlling Bureaucracy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Controlling Bureaucracy - Article Example At times one unit is seen superior when it implements its functions effectively. This makes its functions seen; thus people referring it superior than the others. As you put, none is more superior to the other, except only on the fact that which unit is carrying out its duties effectively. Otherwise, I totally agree that all have equal control powers. Your analysis is very exhaustive. It is true that a particular control unit may be ineffective to serve the people. Basing on the life examples you have given, it is true that people can impact a control system of a particular unit. This only is applicable when ordinary citizens vote wisely when electing their political leaders. In that case, your vote counts. This will limit the ineffectiveness of the popular control of elected officials. Each control unit has specific roles over bureaucracy. For instance, legislature may not have powers to overrule the president nor the elected officials. It carries its control duties as per the constitution. Likewise, the judiciary is superior by its own in executing its functions. Although the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces, he has to rule within his control limits. This shows that each control unit is superior in its side. However, one may be seen less effective, depending on the measure of power assigned to implement p articular duty. For your case you are right to say that this is more effective than the other, but with reference to executing particular

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization Essay

How is the Innovation impact in Starbucks organization - Essay Example Layout for all new stores is developed on computer with software for cost estimating. This not only reduces costs for development, but also helps regional managers to keep costs of new locations below target figures. Planning of new Starbucks spaces down to the last square foot, including layout of cases and brewing equipment allows managers and company representatives to work more efficiently. Starbucks is continuously looking for new ways to offer its products and expand its product lines. Developing partnerships with other food companies such as Kraft, PepsiCo and Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream has allowed the company to reach more customers with more channels for product sales. Starbucks also has established licensing agreements with United Airlines, Marriott Host International, Aramark, Nordstroms and Barnes and Noble to offer products in Hotels, airports, book stores, department stores and college campuses. Strategies for global expansion include choosing â€Å"a reputable and capable local company with retailing know-how in the target host country to develop and operate new stores† (Thomson & Gamble, 1999). Starbucks seeks talent within its organizational structure, so that executives can continue to focus on specific tasks such as buying and planning. Once a hub is established in a major city, managers known as zone vice presidents are relied upon for regional development.

Controlling Bureaucracy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Controlling Bureaucracy - Article Example At times one unit is seen superior when it implements its functions effectively. This makes its functions seen; thus people referring it superior than the others. As you put, none is more superior to the other, except only on the fact that which unit is carrying out its duties effectively. Otherwise, I totally agree that all have equal control powers. Your analysis is very exhaustive. It is true that a particular control unit may be ineffective to serve the people. Basing on the life examples you have given, it is true that people can impact a control system of a particular unit. This only is applicable when ordinary citizens vote wisely when electing their political leaders. In that case, your vote counts. This will limit the ineffectiveness of the popular control of elected officials. Each control unit has specific roles over bureaucracy. For instance, legislature may not have powers to overrule the president nor the elected officials. It carries its control duties as per the constitution. Likewise, the judiciary is superior by its own in executing its functions. Although the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces, he has to rule within his control limits. This shows that each control unit is superior in its side. However, one may be seen less effective, depending on the measure of power assigned to implement p articular duty. For your case you are right to say that this is more effective than the other, but with reference to executing particular

Unusual Characters Essay Example for Free

Unusual Characters Essay All Of Roald Dahls Stories You Have Studied Contain An Unusual Character. Write About The Ways Dahl Presents Any Two Or Three Of These Characters To The Reader Foundation Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales. He spent his first fifteen years of his life writing for adults. However, hes more famous for his childrens stories. Dahl said a little nonsense now and then is cherished by the widest man. He meant that everyone needs a little fun in their lives. Most people didnt know that Dahl scripted the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, and co-wrote the 1968 film of another Ian Fleming book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Also Dahls popularity with children and adults alike is enduring and in a recent poll he beat JK Rowling to the accolade of Britains favourite author. Dahls stories are so popular that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have been made into films several times. Mrs. Maloney Lamb to the slaughter At the start of the story Mrs. Maloney is a housewife who dotes on her husband. She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man. Its like sitting down with her husband is a treat for her, which means that she doesnt often spend time with her husband. She seems like a perfect wife and portrayed as an angel at the start when shes waiting for her husband. She had acquired a wonderful translucent quality. This illustrates further that she is very calm and content. When he comes home she notices that there is something wrong with her husband. He did an unusual thing. She becomes worried and starts asking questions. When her husband tells her the news, she seems in a trance. Watching him with a kind of dazed horror. She acts like a ghost afterwards, she cant control what she does and everything is automatic. She walked across the room she couldnt feel her feet touching the floor. When Mrs. Maloney hits Mr. Maloney with the leg of lamb and he falls to the ground its like she snaps out of the trance and then changes from her angel act to an unsettled character, leaving the reader intrigued as to how she will now start behaving and what she is capable of. She then comes to her senses and starts to think of an alibi for herself. She recites her act as she gets ready to go out. She rehearsed it several times more. She does this so that everything came natural and the grocer wouldnt suspect anything. When she walks home she told herself Keep things absolutely natural and therell be no need for any acting at all. This shows that she is trying to convince herself that she wasnt responsible for her actions. It is too fantastical that unordinary, loving housewife would be able to commit such an act. , it wasnt her who killed Mr. Maloney. When she sees her husband on the ground, her action was automatic. She felt all the old love and longing come back and her emotions were real. After she rings the police and they arrive, she acts like the devoted loving wife she was at the start. Mrs. Maloney acts smart and sophisticated style towards the end of the story. Knowing that the officers would be hungry she offers the lamb to them. She knew that they wouldnt refuse as her husband were good friends with them. Good friends of dear Patrick. Right at the end of the story Mary Maloney giggles to herself knowing that she got away with what shes done and will never get caught. Carlos Man From The South In the beginning Carlos is portrayed as an unusual, but pleasant person. He is dressed differently from everyone else. Immaculately dressed in a white suit. Its showing that e is standing out apart from everyone. He seems normal because his politely asks the man to sit down and starts a conversation about Jamaica. When the young man and woman come and sit with the men, things started to get peculiar. Carlos asks for a light, as the young man comments on his lighter, its as if Carlos saw this as an opportunity to turn nothing into something. You say dis famous lighter it never fails. Iss dat what you say? The reader asks why Carlos is so obsessed with the lighter. As soon as the man seems interested he put his car up as the bait, and asks the man for his finger if he loses. Why not? You win, you take de car. You lose, I take de finger. He says this as if it is normal and gets the reader thinking and keen to find out how this scenario will be played out. When the young man agrees to the bet, Carlos organises everything as if hes done it before like a childs game. As soon as they start the bet, everyone feels uneasy and they start counting down. Three! Four! Five! Six! Roald Dahl uses these short sentences for the suspense. As they counted 8 a woman comes in, probably his wife. She then realises whats going on and starts shaking him as a mother would to a child. She then apologises to everyone and they realises there thought was right, he had done this before. I come back and he is at it again. She then explains the reason why they were in Jamaica and what hes done. She knows his ways and guessed right that he bet a car. At this point the readers are thinking how she knows this. Towards the end she explains that she herself was one of his victims. As a matter of fact I myself won it all from him a long while ago. Conclusion The man from the south is more unusual than Mary Maloney in land for slaughter. This is because at the start of the story it seems normal and set in a realistic place. It only starts to get weird after they make the bet Carlos asks for his fingers if he loses. The story is better than Lamb For Slaughter because its written in first person, it makes the reader seems they are in the story. Roald Dahl makes the story more exciting by counting down the time the man flicked the lighter. The end of the story makes it more unusual because the reader would never expect his wife to one of his victims, losing three fingers. Kelsey Gutierrez English Language Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Air Asia Consumer Buying Process

Air Asia Consumer Buying Process Introduction The Slogan of AirAsia goes as Now Everyone Can Fly. It is now the leading airline that was established in the year 2001 with the dream of making flying possible and achievable by everyone around any corner of the world. AirAsia managed to become one of the leading airline service providers despite facing the difficulties during the period of recession. They managed to create route networks that cover more than 20 countries which enables the consumers to travel around the globe. The vision of the leading airline company AirAsia is to be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares. This shows that the airline is focusing on the middle income earners as their target market. The missions of the AirAsia will be inspiring to many companies. One of the core mission of the airline company is to be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family. Besides that, another mission of the company is to create a globally recognized ASEAN brand. This will be a proud statement for the company that originates from Malaysia which enables the country to rise higher in global arena. Another mission of AirAsia is to attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia. They are actually flying their talk because the one way tickets are sold at a remarkable price of RM 1 As the Marketing Director of AirAsia, the task has been given by the Managing Director to explain the impact of consumer buying process and its application to a marketer. 2.0 Definition of Consumer Buying Process Consumer buying process is simply the factors that influence the buyer to buy and consume certain product and services. The consumers will be facing some external and internal influence factors that make them to buy a certain product. The definition of consumer buying process goes as the buying behavior or the acts of people when it comes to buying a certain product or services. In this case, it is the consumer buying process or behavior when it comes to buying or using the AirAsia services. (Hammond, James. 2008) 3.0 Stages of the Consumer Buying Process. As there are phases when it comes to a product development, same goes to the consumer buying processes consist of six stages. The end result will be the purchase of the product or services but not all the consumers will be end up buying or purchasing the product but for a general assumption this is the stages that is involved when it comes to consumer buying behavior. The main six stages are problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, purchase and post purchase evaluation. (Hammond and James. 2008) 3.1 First Stage Problem or Need Recognition. As the name suggest it is the problem and the need recognition for the consumers in order to identify how to solve the particular problem or need. This is where they will be looking for a services or product that can solve their problem easily. The consumers will be facing problems such as the ticket price is very high. The price of the AirAsia ticket is cheaper compared to Malaysian Airlines and other airlines. Another problem that most consumers will face is the facilities that they can enjoy. Seem to be that the price is low for AirAsia ticket, the seats are too small and the consumers will not be able to sit comfortably. (Leventhal and Richard. 2006) 3.2 Second Stage Information Search It is the stage where the consumer will do his research about the product or services that can help to solve problem or the need of the consumer. A very good information research will lead the consumer to several alternatives of products or services. For an example, consumers can get more information about AirAsia through newspapers that have the advertisements of AirAsia. Besides that, consumers can find the information that they need through the website of AirAsia. Another form of information research that will be effective is through the Opinion Leaders where most consumers claimed to buy the tickets after hearing the experience of other consumers consuming the product or service. (Danziger and Pamela . 2006) 3.3 Third Stage Evaluation of Alternatives As the name suggests, the consumer will be evaluating all the possible alternatives or the services available through comparison method of price, quality and the services being offered in a way that can solve the need or problem of the consumer. There are many alternatives for consumers in the airline market such as Malaysian Airlines that can travel almost all parts of the world whereby the consumers who wants to travel to United States will not be able to enjoy the service through AirAsia because AirAsia does not offer route to that country. This will make the consumers to find an alternative such as Malaysian Airlines. (Danziger and Pamela . 2006) 3.4 Fourth Stage Purchase Decision This is where the consumer takes the decision to buy the services from a certain company after a deep evaluation and comparison. The consumers can buy the AirAsia tickets in a few methods such as through online purchase where the consumers can buy the ticket based on their preference and need. The consumer can even buy the tickets at their nearest AirAsia ticketing centre where the consumers can book the ticket and even purchase it with the information and support given by the salesperson. (Leventhal and Richard . 2006) 3.5 Fifth Stage Purchase This stage will be the part where the consumer buys the service or the product. The money is given for the service or the product that the consumer is going to consume. The consumers can buy the ticket of AirAsia by using their credit card where most consumers prefers online booking that allows them to choose the date with their own pace. The consumers can purchase the ticket months ahead of the date that can be done at the ticketing counter or online that is available in most parts throughout the country. (Wright and Len Tiu. 2006) 3.6 Final Stage Post Purchase Evaluation. To say it simple it is the outcome of the purchase of the product or services for the customer. Whether it is a satisfaction or dissatisfaction for the consumer. Consumers can even choose the meals that they prefer to have during their flight hours. This enables the consumers to make their journey a satisfactory journey that gives comfort and pleasure travelling by AirAsia. (Wright and Len Tiu. 2006) 4.0 Impact of consumer buying process. There are few impacts of consumer buying process or behavior. The impacts are from personal, psychological and also social. 4.1 Personal Impact From the aspects of personal there are many things that affect the consumer decision as their demographic factors, their sex, religion and also their race. Even their family also will affect their decision greatly. When it comes to buying AirAsia ticket, family members will tend to induce to buy for the low price. 4.2 Psychological Impact. There are few categories involved under the psychological impact as the motives of the consumer, the perception of the buyer, the ability and the knowledge of the user, the attitudes, the personality and also their lifestyle. This will be giving a greater impact to the decision process of the consumer. 4.3 Social Factors Social factors will be external factors that affect the consumer to buy a certain product or services. Some of the social factors are the opinion leaders, persons family, reference groups, social class and culture. They play an important role in the decision of the consumer to buy a certain product or services. 5.0 Application to a marketer. As a Marketing Director of AirAsia, there are several applications that can be made to ensure the consumers are satisfied and will buy the services more frequently. 5.1 Marketing Mix One of the ways of doing it is through the alteration of marketing mix according to the need and purpose of the consumers. The marketing mixes that as a marketer can use is the price, place, product and promotion. 5.2 Marketing Strategies Besides that, a very good marketing strategy will help the firm to attract more consumers. The marketer can analyze from where and what source of advertisements attracts the consumers and maintain the same concept which will be a guaranteed way of attracting more and more consumers that will lead to the profit and the success of the firm. 6.0 Conclusion Consumers have the rights to enjoy perfect and quality services for the price that they pay to companies. As the Marketing Director of AirAsia, the services that are being offered by AirAsia is solely for the satisfaction of the consumers and whenever there are some dissatisfaction in the service, immediately we will try to make changes to ensure the consumers get what they want. The buying process of the consumers have a greater impacts on marketing such as product price place and promotion. They way the consumers react to our services make us to be able to make changes and advertisements in the way that would ensure the consumers would like to get information. Therefore, besides profit, one of our ultimate goals is to give a satisfaction for more than what the consumers pay. By understanding the consumer buying process it will be able to reach AirAsia mission in future. Besides that Air Asia can accomplish their goal and objective by analyzing the consumer buying process which involves the six stages and the impact which consist of personal, psychological and social. Each stages able to identify consumer reaction or behavior towards the services. In addition by analyzing the trend and growth AirAsia can be a benchmark among the airlines industry. Moreover Air Asia will have greater improvement in terms of their weaknesses and focus on consumers needs and requirements by fulfill customer satisfactions.

Quantum vs. Classical Mechanics :: essays research papers

Classical and Quantum mechanics are the two main fields of mechanics in physics. Classical mechanics came a few hundred years before Quantum mechanics. Subsequently it is less accurate and less reliable then the more recent mechanic field of Quantum mechanics. Despite being outdated, Classical mechanics can still be used for many everyday problems with bigger and slower moving objects. However, when dealing with extremely fast moving or small subatomic particles a Classical approach will not produce sufficiently accurate results as was the case around the 19th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Difficulties with the Classical mechanics theory came right around the 19th century. First was the Ultraviolet Catastrophe. Experimental data when testing blackbody radiation was found to be inconsistent with Classical mechanics. The data showed that as the wavelength of the incoming radiation approaches zero, the amount of energy being radiated also approaches zero, whereas Classical mechanics says the emitted energy is infinite. The second difficulty with the theory was its inability to correctly describe the photoelectric effect. The photoelectric effect says that photons from a surface are released when light hits it. Classical mechanics says that electrons will be emitted from a metal by light waves with any frequency as long as the intensity of the light is strong enough, and even if it is weak over a long enough period of time electrons will eventually be emitted. The theory was proved incorrect after experiments showed that light under certain frequencies did not produce the photoelectric effect on the metal, which meant that the emitting of electrons is related not to intensity but the waves frequency. A new string of mechanics, Quantum mechanics, was created in order to resolve the incompatibilities of Classical Mechanics. A main difference between the two fields of mechanics is the make up of the atom. In Quantum mechanics electrons in an atom are outside of the nucleus in specific orbitals around the nucleus that they can jump from one to another only when a specific energy level is reached, and can never be in-between the specific orbitals. Also Quantum mechanics says that a photon is released only when an electron jumps from a higher energy level to a lower energy level, or a higher energy orbital to a lower energy orbital. Classical mechanics, contradicting this, says that an atom is constantly emitting radiation. Quantum mechanics describes light as both a wave and a particle, depending on the situation.

Japans Post War Economic Journey Essay -- Japanese History

On August 6th, 1945, America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later on August 9th, a second was dropped on Nagasaki. This effectively was the definitive end to World War II. The catastrophic damage caused by this vulgar display of power killed over 100,000 people in Hiroshima alone and left both cities as practically nothing more than radioactive ash. The unimaginable destruction caused by these attacks had obvious economic repercussions. Japan was a closed country that upheld a strict policy of isolationism. For nearly 300 years under the Tokugawa regime the country's population was not permitted to leave and foreigners were not welcomed upon its shore. There were instances when Europeans are known to have been on the archipelago, such as weapons dealers and religious missionaries, but these unwelcomed visitors usually met their demise at the end of a samurai's blade. The country was vehemently against any type of outside influence that could permeate and alter the traditional values and way of life the proud nation's occupants held so dearly to their culture. Any embracement of western ideals or beliefs was seen as an inexcusable betrayal of the very fabric of their national identity. This began to unravel however in 1686 with the Meiji Restoration, and the inevitable opening of ports along the eastern coast for trade with Americans that was brought about by the persistence of the American naval office, Commodore Matthew Perry. The cultural traditionalism was still intact to a large extent nearly 80 years later when the two of their cities were decimated by bombs dropped by the very foreigners who forced open their country with military intimidation. The subsequent US occupation that followed and their ... .... Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Frost, P. (2003). Postwar japan, 1952-1989. New York, NY: About Japan: A Teacher's Resource. Retrieved from http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/postwar_japan_1952-1989 Johnson, R. (2005). Six men who built the modern auto industry. Motorbooks. Katsu, K., & Craig, T. (1991). Musui's story, the autobiography of a tokugawa samurai. Univ of Arizona Pr. Nakata, Y., & Mosk, C. The demand for college education in post war japan. University of Alabama. Retrieved from http://www.cba.ua.edu/assets/docs/efl/WP_114.pdf Murata, S., & Stern, S. "Technology Education in Japan." Journal of Technology Education. Fall 1993. Web. 30 Mar. 2012. . "Sony History" Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20061128064313/http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-1/h2.html

Product Mix and New Product Development Strategies Essay

The Coca-Cola versus Pepsi competition is perhaps the most well known rivalry in the history of marketing. Coke has long enjoyed the home field advantage, having become entrenched as the most popular and identifiable cola throughout the world. Although it has carved itself a substantial portion of the market, Pepsi has struggled to match the sales revenue of Coca-Cola; until recently. Although Pepsi has never come close to equaling Coke cola market share, they have become more aggressive and adept than Coke in cornering the non-carbonated beverage market. It is in this market that Pepsi is seeking to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage over Coke. It their quest to acquire and develop new products, will the use of the PTSTP method help Pepsi develop new products in order to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage?A product is defined in three levels; core, actual, and augmented. The core of the product is the benefit it offers the consumer. For the example of colas, it could be refreshment, energy (sugar and caffeine), alertness, or just pleasure. The soda itself is the actual product. The augmented product for a cola could be the recognition and status gains perceived by drinking that particular brand. Or it could even be the weight loss from sticking to diet colas. For the development of new products, we first need to identify what consists of a new product. There are six categories of new products:1.New-To-The-World. This is a product that has no like product offered elsewhere. For example, when the first personal computer was offered to the public, this would be a new product. 2.New Product Lines. This is when similar products exist, possibly even under the same brand, but a new line of the product offers some tangible difference to those products already offered. For example, offering diet colas in addition to regular colas under the same brand. 3.Product Line Additions. This is the addition of a product that is directly related to one offered. For example, offering Vanilla Coke for sale alongside Coke. 4.Improvements/Revisions. This is a product which has already been offered,  but some change or revision has been made to the products properties. For example: New Coke, or anything labeled â€Å"new and improved.†5.Repositioned Products. The same product offered in a new market or directed towards a new target market. For example Pepsi bringing Sabritas chips into the US to target the Hispanic market. 6.Lower-Priced Products. This is simply reducing the price of an existing product to stimulate sales. New products affect the product mix of a company. Product mix is generally defined as â€Å"the total composite of products offered by a particular organization.† The product mix includes both individual products and product lines. A product line is a group of products which are closely related by function, customer base, distribution, or price range. To use Pepsi as an example, Pepsi’s product mix includes beverages and potato chips. The beverage product line consists of carbonated, non-carbonated, and water. Pepsi, Gatorade, and Aquafina all are individual products. PTSTP is a mnemonic for the five step process underlying Target Marketing and Positioning. The five steps are as follows:1.Identify competitive Products. 2.Define the Target market. 3.Determine the basis for Segmentation. 4.Determine if any Target markets are underserved. 5.Develop a Product for the underserved market. By using this method, a company can identify a gap in a particular market segment. This gap may be present because there is no product to fill it, or because the current product is reaching the end of its life-cycle, thus creating an opportunity for new growth. To answer the previous question, we will contrast the PTSTP method to Coca-Cola and Pespi’s development of the non-carbonated beverage market. Pepsi has continually struggled to match Coke’s market share in colas and other carbonated beverages. Coke enjoys a 44% slice of the market compared to Pepsi’s 32%. During their 108 year rivalry, Pepsi has never come close to selling as much soda as Coke. Much of this is due to Coke’s brand recognition. Although in 2006 Pepsi, for the first time, beat Coke in beverages sold. This was due to Pepsi’s embracement of the non-carbonated beverage market, where it led the market with a 24% share over Coke’s 16%. Pepsi was able to recognize and take advantage of the growing non-carbonized market much earlier than Coca-Cola. Although cola sales have recently stagnated to less than 1% growth, non-carbonated beverages grew 8% in 2004. Much of the failure of Coke to expand into this market can be traced back to the stubbornness of Coke executives to expand beyond the soda market. Coke had an opportunity to acquire Quaker Oats in the 1990’s, but passed on the opportunity. Instead, Pepsi acquired Quaker Oats in 2001. Among Quaker Oats assets were Gatorade and Snapple, both leaders in their markets. Although these product lines were already established, they represented new products to Pepsi, as they represented Pepsi’s introduction into the non-carbonated beverage market. As a result, Pepsi owns a commanding lead in the sports drink market, with Gatorade holding an 80% share to Coke’s Powerade at 15%. Until 2001, Coca-Cola had been reluctant to embrace new products. They were not willing to extend their company and take the chance in the non-carbonated market, until they saw the success Pepsi was having. In addition to passing up on Quaker Oats, Coke lost a bidding war for the Sobe line of enhanced juices, and their bid for the Planet Java line of coffees and teas was not embraced by their independent bottlers. However, since 2000 Coke has been actively seeking new products in this market, including the acquisition of the successful Minute Maid juice line. The difference in philosophy has made the difference for Pepsi. In fact, losing the cola wars may have been the best thing for Pepsi. This forced Pepsi to look outside the soda realm in order to increase profits. As Pepsi’s CEO, Steven Reinemund believes that his company’s growth is due to their constant quest for change, that â€Å"Innovation is what consumers are  looking for, particularly in the small, routine things of their life.† Pepsi’s willingness to embrace new product lines has given them the edge over Coke for the first time in history. Their offerings of Quaker Oats’ beverages, Sobe, and Aquafina have all been firsts for a soda company. As a result, they have gained the brand recognition over Coke’s subsequent offerings, leading to an increased market share. In order for Pepsi to maintain their competitive advantage over Coke, they need to follow the advice of Reinemund, by remaining innovative. PTSTP can help them sustain this advantage. By identifying potential markets, and developing products for these markets, they can continue to capture new market shares. The beverage market is saturated with options for the consumer, with new products appearing everyday. Many of these products are variations on existing products. For example, energy drinks have become very popular in the past few years. As a result the market has become flooded with options. It will become increasingly difficult to introduce new products in this category. By using PTSTP, Pepsi can identify a new niche in this market, or a different market to exploit. Using the energy drinks as an example, the competitors range from Fuze, Red Bull, and many others. By defining the target market, they can identify that the same demographics both tend to buy sodas and energy drinks. Pepsi can then segment the market into young males (18-30). They then determine that the target market of combined soda energy drinks is underserved. They then develop a product to serve this market. Thus Pepsi Max is born. By using PTSTP, Pepsi has created a new product in soda energy drinks, Pepsi Max. It is this type of creativity and innovation that is embraced by Reinemund, and will serve to keep Pepsi with a sustained competitive advantage over Coke. Only by using a method such as PTSTP, can underserved markets be identified and exploited. References 1. http://business.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/product-mix2. Brady, Diane (). A Thousand and One Noshes: How Pepsi deftly adapts products to changing consumer tastes. Business Week. 14 Jun 20043. Foust, Dean. Things Go Better With †¦ Juice: Coke’s new CEO will have to move quickly to catch up in noncarbonated drinks. Business Week. 17 May 20044. Brooker, Katrina. How Pepsi outgunned Coke: Losing the cola wars was the best thing that ever happened to Pepsi — while Coke was celebrating, PEP took over a much larger market. FORTUNE 1 Feb 2006http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/01/news/companies/pepsi_fortune/index.htm5. http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_three_levels_of_a_product.htm