Discourse Analysis Essay

Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, vocal, or sign language use or any significant semiotic event. The objects of discourse analysis — discourse, writing, conversation, communicative event, etc. — are variously defined in terms of coherent sequences of sentences, propositions, speech acts or turns-at-talk. Contrary to much of traditional linguistics, discourse analysts not only study language use ‘beyond the sentence boundary’, but also prefer to analyze ‘naturally occurring’ language use, and not invented examples. Text linguistics is related. The essential difference between discourse analysis and text linguistics is that it aims at revealing socio-psychological characteristics of a person/persons rather than text structure.[1] Discourse analysis has been taken up in a variety of social science disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, anthropology, social work, cognitive psychology, social psychology, international relations, human geography, communication studies, and translation studies, each of which is subject to its own assumptions, dimensions of analysis, and methodologies. Topics of interest Topics of discourse analysis include: * The various levels or dimensions of discourse, such as sounds (intonation, etc.), gestures, syntax, the lexicon, style, rhetoric, meanings, speech acts, moves, strategies, turnsand other aspects of interaction * Genres of discourse (various types of discourse in politics, the media, education, science, business, etc.) * The relations between discourse and the emergence of syntactic structure * The relations between text (discourse) and context * The relations between discourse and power * The relations between discourse and interaction * The relations between discourse and cognition and memory Discourse Analysis Deborah Tannen Discourse analysis is sometimes defined as the analysis of language ‘beyond the sentence’. This contrasts with types of analysis more typical of modern linguistics, which are chiefly concerned with the study of grammar: the study of smaller bits of language, such as sounds (phonetics and phonology), parts of words (morphology), meaning (semantics), and the order of words in sentences (syntax). Discourse analysts study larger chunks of language as they flow together. Some discourse analysts consider the larger discourse context in order to understand how it affects the meaning of the sentence. For example, Charles Fillmore points out that two sentences taken together as a single discourse can have meanings different from each one taken separately. To illustrate, he asks you to imagine two independent signs at a swimming pool: â€Å"Please use the toilet, not the pool,† says one. The other announces, â€Å"Pool for members only.† If you regard each sign independently, they seem quite reasonable. But taking them together as a single discourse makes you go back and revise your interpretation of the first sentence after you’ve read the second. Discourse and Frames ‘Reframing’ is a way to talk about going back and re-interpreting the meaning of the first sentence. Frame analysis is a type of discourse analysis that asks, What activity are speakers engaged in when they say this? What do they think they are doing by talking in this way at this time? Consider how hard it is to make sense of what you are hearing or reading if you don’t know who’s talking or what the general topic is. When you read a newspaper, you need to know whether you are reading a news story, an editorial, or an advertisement in order to properly interpret the text you are reading. Years ago, when Orson Welles’ radio play â€Å"The War of the Worlds† was broadcast, some listeners who tuned in late panicked, thinking they were hearing the actual end of the world. They mistook the frame for news instead of drama. Turn-taking Conversation is an enterprise in which one person speaks, and another listens. Discourse analysts who study conversation note that speakers have systems for determining when one person’s turn is over and the next person’s turn begins. This exchange of turns or ‘floors’ is signaled by such linguistic means as intonation, pausing, and phrasing. Some people await a clear pause before beginning to speak, but others assume that ‘winding down’ is an invitation to someone else to take the floor. When speakers have different assumptions about how turn exchanges are signaled, they may inadvertently interrupt or feel interrupted. On the other hand, speakers also frequently take the floor even though they know the other speaker has not invited them to do so. Listenership too may be signaled in different ways. Some people expect frequent nodding as well as listener feedback such as ‘mhm’, ‘uhuh’, and ‘yeah’. Less of this than you expect can create the impression that someone is not listening; more than you expect can give the impression that you are being rushed along. For some, eye contact is expected nearly continually; for others, it should only be intermittent. The type of listener response you get can change how you speak: If someone seems uninterested or uncomprehending (whether or not they truly are), you may slow down, repeat, or overexplain, giving the impression you are ‘talking down.’ Frederick Erickson has shown that this can occur in conversations between black and white speakers, because of different habits with regard to showing listenership. Discourse Markers ‘Discourse markers’ is the term linguists give to the little words like ‘well’, ‘oh’, ‘but’, and ‘and’ that break our speech up into parts and show the relation between parts. ‘Oh’ prepares the hearer for a surprising or just-remembered item, and ‘but’ indicates that sentence to follow is in opposition to the one before. However, these markers don’t necessarily mean what the dictionary says they mean. Some people use ‘and’ just to start a new thought, and some people put ‘but’ at the end of their sentences, as a way of trailing off gently. Realizing that these words can function as discourse markers is important to prevent the frustration that can be experienced if you expect every word to have its dictionary meaning every time it’s used. Speech Acts Speech act analysis asks not what form the utterance takes but what it does. Saying â€Å"I now pronounce you man and wife† enacts a marriage. Studying speech acts such as complimenting allows discourse analysts to ask what counts as a compliment, who gives compliments to whom, and what other function they can serve. For example, linguists have observed that women are more likely both to give compliments and to get them. There are also cultural differences; in India, politeness requires that if someone compliments one of your possessions, you should offer to give the item as a gift, so complimenting can be a way of asking for things. An Indian woman who had just met her son’s American wife was shocked to hear her new daughter-in-law praise her beautiful saris. She commented, â€Å"What kind of girl did he marry? She wants everything!† By comparing how people in different cultures use language, discourse analysts hope to make a contribution to improving cross-cult ural understanding. How to do a discourse analysis The first point to note is that in order to do a discourse analysis you need to have read a handful yourself first. By reading published articles that use the method, you will have a better understanding of (1) how to do an analysis and (2) some of the theoretical orientations that you will need to know to do your own analysis. Having identified a theory and a chosen item (text or recorded conversation) to analyse, you need to transcribe it in one of the accepted/published ways. The transcript must always appear in the appendices. There are many different forms of discourse analysis, so here we will focus on thematic analysis as an example. What is thematic analysis? Thematic analysis is about trying to identify meaningful categories or themes in a body of data. By looking at the text, the researcher asks whether a number of recurring themes can be abstracted about what is being said. For example, on one level you might find an inconsistency, an attempt to assign blame, an attempt to cite others to support one’s views, a regular interruption of other people, an attempt to make one’s account of some event sound more authentic, and so on. On another level, you might idenitify a regulalry occurring attribution of blame or the repeated reference to some specific cause of an event. The reference might take slightly different forms but refers to the same cause. An example might be football fans blaming various aspects of a player’s motivation for the failure of their team (e.g., â€Å"he gets so much money, doesn’t need to try†, â€Å"he looked as though he wasn’t bothered†, â€Å"he didn’t want the ball†, and so on). In the results section of the report, the themes abstracted are collated and reported on. In doing so, it is usual to cite from the transcription examples of the points you are trying to make. A summary of the findings can be offered but also a critique of the author’s own interpretations – this refers to the concept of ‘reflexivity’, that the author’s is only one interpretation of the text.

Why Did the Founding Fathers Create a Constitution Based

Why did the founding fathers create a constitution based on the ideas of separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism and the bill of rights? The founding fathers wanted to create a constitution because many believed that the national government had to be stronger than what it had been with the use of the Articles of Confederation. But at the same time they were fearful of human nature and how often it could be seen in the history of other countries such as Britain, for people in the position of power to infringe on the rights of others, by becoming hungry with power.Taking this into account, they wanted to create a government with another power to keep order and to govern. But also make sure there were sufficient checks put in place so that the government could never exercise power that threatens individual liberties. The constitution created a government with a written set of rules to follow which it could not infringe upon. This in itself was one way to create a limited g overnment, which is a main factor in why the founding fathers created a constitution.The Founding fathers also wanted to divide power in different ways, in another attempt to prevent its future abuse. The three main concepts within the constitution are separation of powers, cheques and balances, and federalism. The founding fathers originally debated where power should ultimately lie; Alexander Hamilton suggested that a unitary system would be the best. This is where the power lies with the central authority; many knew that this would never work, as the country is far too big and diverse. There were even hints at a monarchy but George Washington quickly made his feelings on the idea open. It is an idea I must view with adherence and reprimand with severity’ George mason on the other hand was in support of a confederate system, this is where the states would be split up , and then all have to agree on individual issues. There are very few examples of a confederate system worki ng, and it is clear to see why it would not work in in America, as it would be very difficult to get all the states to agree on individual issues, due to the diversity of the country.The solution to this problem was suggested by James Madison, which was quite simply a mixture of the two systems unitary and confederate. This is where power is divided between central and state government. National or delegated powers are powers only exercised by the national government, examples of this today would be the right to print money, and the right to declare war. Some examples of concurrent or shared powers are the right to borrow money, and make and enforce law. An example of a state or reserved power is the right to regulate intrastate commerce or create corporation laws.This was done for two main reasons, the first being to limit centralised power, and presidential power, and secondly so that states would agree to the constitution. The states also agreed for two other reasons , one being the Connecticut compromise, and the other being the Bill of rights , which most American historians just count as part of the original constitution, but it wasn’t actually added till 4 years later, Madison claimed it was important as ‘You must specify your liberties’. The Connecticut compromise was created to keep the small states happy, so that they would agree to the constitution.The geographically small states wanted representation based on population, not on size of state, when the biggest states with the smallest population wanted it to be based on the flat rate. So the political compromise was that in the House of Representatives, representation was based on population, and in the senate it was based on the geographical size of a state. The bill of rights is a document that American historians claim is part of the original constitution, although it was sent off to the individual states 4 years later.It was there to clearly show the rights of the people, so that they could never be taken away. The 1st amendment included freedoms such as freedom of assembly and free speech or the 2nd amendment which is the right for everyone to bear arms. It is often shouted out by gun associations when the government tries to put restrictions on the ownership of guns. The founding fathers put this in place so that it would outline in more the detail the precise freedoms of the people, which also helped to convince the smaller states.The constitution splits the power given to national government into three branches, which are separate from each other: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The separation of powers was based on the ideas of Montesquieu, with him ‘L’esprit de lois’ which means the spirit of the law. The executive plays the role of administrating law. The president does this in many ways , for example he; executes federal laws and programs, conducts foreign policy , commands the armed forces, negotiates trea ties and other such roles.Checks and balances another main factor of the constitution comes in here, as the people get to keep a check on the president every 4 years with the presidential election, which stops any tyranny of powers. This can also be seen in another branch of government. The legislature passes law, this is done through congress. Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Its roles include; regulating interstate and foreign commerce , creating and maintaining the armed forces , printing money, declaring war , and other such roles.The power here is limited in two ways, which is exactly what the founding fathers wanted; it’s done through a 6 year change of the senate, which rotates 1/3 of its members for election every 2 years. This is also done in the House of Representatives, as they have to run for re-election every 2 years, this means that representatives have to get things the public want done, or they can just be kicked out. This ke eps power in the hands of the many, which is also how they wanted to constitution to work. The last branch is the Judiciary, its role is to interpret and enforce the law.It is able to stay separate from the other branches, as it operates heavily outside the government, but also because ‘nothing maintains the independence of the judiciary more than its permanency in office’. It is also tied to the other two branches, as if the president wants to pass a law, it must get through congress and through the Supreme Court, as they can rule it unconstitutional, so the founding fathers created a system so that every branch was a check on each other, this also creates a system, where politics becomes the art of compromise.This system of checks and balances means that all the branches have to work together, and have to compromise. Congress holds its check on the president in different ways, such as; Congress is able to impeach and remove a president, although impeachment does requi re a 2/3 majority of house, and removal 2/3 of the senate. Congress can also override a presidential veto, this also requires a 2/3 majority in both houses, but this system means that no one branch can hold far more power than another which is another example of why the founding fathers chose such a system.It also holds other powers such as rejecting treaties which limits presidential foreign policy. Congress also holds checks over the judiciary. It can do this by proposing constitutional amendments, and impeaching and removing judges with the 2/3 majority in the senate. This also shows us that the judiciary can never hold too much power over the president or congress, which is another example of how the founding fathers wanted the constitution to work. There are also powers given to the other two branches of government, which help to keeps checks, so that they can all counter each other with enough majority.But a problem with this is that it can lead to political gridlock, and this means very little can get done, which is not what the founding fathers intended. To conclude, the founding fathers created a constitution that meant that power could never be held within the hands of the few, but with the many. It also created checks on power in every branch of government, not just from the people, but from the branches themselves acting as checks against each other.They had wanted to create a system that worked this way, because of the tyranny that could be seen in other countries. This is why George Washington destroyed any idea of a monarchy, he wanted the United States of America to be founded on principles the promoted compromise, and freedom, and equality. It was also meant to act as a block on any future tyranny, or corruption of power, but it also creates problems in itself, as it can lead to political gridlock, but no political system is perfect.

Art Opinion

When the word â€Å"art† comes to mind, I think about a painting. I think about the colors blending together to create an image. However, thinking a little more I think about a sculpture and its smooth, about the story and emotions it expresses. Art in general for me is something beautiful and expressive. Although beautiful as well, I never thought about architecture in the category of art until this week’s reading. In this week’s reading about the Parthenon, it is interesting to learn the background of classical Greece and the great efforts that were made to create art in order to reflect the greatness of Greece. All throughout, the Parthenon has been referred to and analyzed as a work of art. At first, I thought it was strange because I would never think of a building itself as art. I was just saw see it as some physical location. However, I realized that my definition of art might have been faulty. I realized art can be any product of creativity that was meant for one to observe visually and analyze. It was meant as a means of expression. The Parthenon, in my opinion, definitely falls into that category. In the reading Art and Experience in Classical Greece, I learn that the Parthenon incorporates different modes of art from architecture to sculpture deliberately for political, cultural, and religious purposes. It is a reflection and â€Å"glorification of Athens as a political power and cultural ideal† (Pollitt 65) through its grandeur. Such grandeur is evident in things such as the â€Å"thickening of its corner columns†¦and the curvature of horizontals† (Pollitt 66). Each part from the columns to the sculpting on it seems to have a purpose. I think especially for its time as J. J. Pollitt appears to be conveying, this was and still is an impressive work of art.

Principles and Practice of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principles and Practice of Marketing - Essay Example Feedback is also obtained from agents or dealers about toilet paper products offered by competitors, by studying the new products of the competitors. ii)Idea screening constituted undertaking studies of ideas carefully. Good ideas were selected while the fake ones are rejected. The basis of selection or rejection of the idea is informed by the necessity of the toilet paper. The possibility of current plant and machinery to proliferate the new product. The confidence that the existing marketing network sells the new product and easily breaks even. Positive answers mean that the idea of a new-product development is selected, to avoid product failure. iii)The Idea screening concept testing was carried out later to find out the possibility of consumers understanding the product idea. Demand and acceptance of the product were also investigated. A small group of consumers was selected and provided with full information on the tissue paper product. Their perceptions, feelings, and reactions to the product were obtained. Over 85% liked the product. iv)After establishing that a significant percentage preferred the product, commercial profitability was determined. It involved assessing the anticipated costs, demand, seasonality, competitors and expected level of projected sales. Also, investigated were profits, advertising, and sales promotion expenses. The product was found to be profitable, thus accepted. v)At this point, the company made a decision to introduce the tissue paper into the market.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 115

Assignment Example The maximum values however shown that while North Utsire does not high wind speeds most of the time, there are a few instances where it experiences the highest wind speeds. Like is the case with other measures, Rockall experiences a marginally higher lower quartile as compared to North Utsire showing reduced prevalence of low speed winds for Rockall. It further exhibits a higher upper quartile showing high prevalence of high speed winds. This finding is reflected in the box and whisker plot whereby for the case of Rockall, the whisker plot shows closeness of the highest value and the upper quartile. However, for North Utsire, the plot shows a big difference between the upper quartile and the maximum value. The graph further shows that wind speeds in North Utsire are mainly concentrated at the lower speeds with spontaneous occurrence of high speed winds. The calculations and graphical presentations reveal that measures of central tendency are not in themselves, sufficient enough to draw conclusions with reference to a particular weather condition. While the means of the two stations fall closely, it is evident that the areas exhibit marginally different weather conditions. In essence, it highlights the importance of looking at all the measures before drawing conclusion about the weather of a particular

Managing new ventures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing new ventures - Essay Example Happy Pet Supplies will participate in social and community development activities with an aim of building its reputation as a socially responsible organization. The organization will engage in rigorous marketing of its products both within and outside London even for the first year of its operation. Marketing campaigns will be carried out at various times depending on the seasons and convenience to potential customers. 12. As earlier stated, the initial capital needed to establish the business is $33, 000. This amount is expected to be enough to support the company fully in its initial stages of establishment. This amount was contributed by various parties as outlined below. 13. It is estimated that on average, the company will sell feeders worth  £ 6,000, feeds worth  £ 2,000, Kennels worth  £ 5,000 and Shampoos worth  £ 3,000. The company also expects to sell accessories worth  £ 4,000 per month its total daily revenue amounting to about $834. The expected monthly revenue is  £ 20,000. The second year is expected to bring a pretax profit plus interest totaling  £ 181,000 and a closing balance of  £ 102,000. The third year is expected to have a pretax profit plus interest of  £ 220,000 and a closing balance of  £

Using Marx's concepts and methodology, analyze a specific news story, Essay

Using Marx's concepts and methodology, analyze a specific news story, feature article, column, editorial, cartoon, advertisement, video, etc. published since January 1, 2014 - Essay Example According to unofficial but reliable information, the Argentines are currently faced with a nearly 30% increase in prices from 2013. It is however, estimated that things will move from worse to worst with a further projection to 45% in this year and further 56% in Venezuela occur. Interestingly it has also been noted that women have been taking their men to court as a way of seeking for alimony payments due to the tough economic times. Moreover, the informal sector has not been left behind from this wind as it is reported that even the extortion racket has doubled its fee of its so called protection over the past year. The president of the central bank in this country also confirms the case of rising inflation as he reported a 25% increase in monetary supply in 2013 alone which aimed at cushioning the government’s budget deficit. From the above sentiments it is possible to connect some of the Marx’s theories. For example, it is evident that human society is progressing through class struggle as a conflict between an ownership classes that controls the production is existing with those poor citizens who provide labor for production. It is no wonder Butros Sandra a 50 years old businesswoman running a market stall says, â€Å"they are toasting Champagne while the people become divided†. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie who are wealthy control the wealth at their own benefit and this would definitely lead to tensions something that is already eminent. This idea is further supported by Tucker-Marx-Engel reader (Karl Marx Friedrich Engels Robert C. Tucker pg 78). This is also the central argument proposed in this article and theorists Marx, Engel and Tucker. From the case study we are made aware of Venezuela which is already suffering from social unrest. According to Marx these are the tensions that accrue when a few wealthy personalities control the economy. To support this

Two or More Sample Hypothesis Testing Paper Essay

Two or More Sample Hypothesis Testing Paper - Essay Example In this case, we want to test whether the average salary of a person who has been to school for less than 16 years in less than that of another who spend more than 16 years in school. In hypothesis testing, there is the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the assumed truth while the alternative is what the researcher/analyst will settle for if the assumed truth (null hypothesis) if found to be false. The hypothesis is below. A sample is used instead of using the whole population to draw inferences about the population since it is cheap, it takes a shorter while and has scope like a complete observation of the whole population. In this case, the People who spend less than 16 years in education were 79 while those who had spend more than 16 years in education were 21. Thus, a total of 100 were selected for this study. The people who spend less than 16 years are denoted by 1 while those who spend more than 16 years are denoted by 2. This is a single tailed test to the left, the average salary for those who have been in education for less than 16 years is 26,998.68 with a standard deviation of 13,305.31. The average salary for those who have been in education for more than 16 years is 45,259.52 with a standard deviation of 21,322.18. For those who spent less than 16 years, the salary range was 72,604 with a minimum of 10,997 and a maximum of 83,601 while those with more than 16 years, the range was 73,690 and a minimum of 9,879 and a maximum of 83,569. The maximum and minimum of both less than and more than 16 years are almost he same. From the above results, it is evident that the calculated value for Z lies in the critical region; is not in the acceptance region but in the rejection region as shown above. The null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative accepted. We conclude that, the average salary for those who have been in education for less than 16 years is less than the

Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Governance - Essay Example This is whereby the firm is able to bargain and receive discounts on the account that it is able to buy more at once. Since the firm has the capability of buying large stocks at a go those involved are able to negotiate easily in terms of buying price. The firm will later sell at a higher price that will result in the making of profits within it. There is combining of complementary resources. For instance, these two firms were complementing each other in terms of resources and in exchange both get money, that will now be over and the acquiring company will not pay any individual. If Frankfurt stock exchange took over the London stock exchange, this simply means that it will not be incurring the expenses for the complementary services it used to receive from the London counterpart. Another advantage is garnering tax advantages. In this context the, only the acquisition firm will pay tax. Conversely, the acquired firm will not pay any tax. Therefore, this means that expenses towards ta xes will reduce and hence more money is left that will be counted as profit for the firm. There is also the advantage of elimination of inefficiency within the firms. Merging may mean acquiring the best employees who would carry out their duties efficiently and this may eliminate ineffectiveness that is associated with losses. This will result into more profits being made by the firm. Merging may also lead to purchasing customers and therefore increasing market share. This will directly translate to increased sales and hence more profits since the completion has been eliminated and activities are being done jointly. Subsequently, merging may enable the firm to obtain any proprietary rights that are associated with goods and services of another company. For instance if the London based... The intention of this study is corporate governance, a broad term that encompasses many aspects as concerns the business. It may be said to be the way in which any business that exists is run and conducted and includes the rules and laws by which the partners of the firms must abide which are not a choice but an obligation. Any firm constitutes stakeholders who may be the management, directors and shareholders. Within them, a relationship is simply corporate governance. It also may mean the structuring of the objectives and goals of the firm and how to achieve them. All these are aimed at creating business merger or simply a takeover. A merger occurs one firm presupposes all the liabilities and all the assets of another company. This is usually aimed at a financial gain to the acquisition firm. Usually the acquiring firm retains its name while the acquired firm is eliminated and thus no longer exists as a firm or an entity. There exist many advantages of making a merger in the busine ss world. These advantages are all directed at making financial gains. This has been prompted by the high competition that exists in the market. Therefore, firms seek to have a bigger market shares that will definitely translate to higher profits and hence financial gains. In as much as the merging process looks and in that matter seems profitable, it has gotten disadvantages that represent the negative part of it. Therefore, such issues though few, they may never be ignored. Among them is that there may be overestimation associated with the valuation progression.

Providing Guidance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Providing Guidance - Assignment Example A third day could have the parents come to school and talk about family heritages. A fourth day could be when families have a special talent day. A fifth day could be a day where parents and children talk and show what their favorite thing is or are. On the day of the family favorites day they can discuss favorite foods or even favorite hobbies or whatever they want to for the class. On the day they discuss family culture or histories they can discuss what nationalities they happen to be. Through all of these parent days children can learn that mom and dad are more than just their parents. They can learn more about the community and how things work. I was a part of a family culture day and the parents and the children really seemed to like it especially when some of the families had food. A culturally diverse preschool classroom should always work with the parents about particular food needs, cultural needs, or if there are any other kind of family rituals or traditions that need to be followed. Teachers can have parent conferences to discuss what they have to do to make preschool an enjoyable time for both the parents and the children. If you would happen to have a Jewish child in your classroom you may have to understand how some of them eat different kinds of foods and there maybe some Hindu children who wear special clothing to school at certain times. You as a teacher should also know that certain rituals like handshaking are forbidden. They should also ask the parents if there are any special holidays that their children will not be in school due to religious reasons and various rituals will be followed. You as a preschool teacher may also see children who may have same sex parents. When dealing with family involvement and/or cultural diversity preschool teachers should have regular parent conferences to keep a check on school and family matters that could affect school happenings. Preschool teachers and parents should

Operating System and Microsoft Corporation Essay Example for Free

Operating System and Microsoft Corporation Essay Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational software corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. Microsoft is the worlds largest software maker measured by revenues.[3] It is also one of theworlds most valuable companies.[4] Microsoft was established to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computeroperating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. The companys 1986 initial public offering, and subsequent rise in its share price, created an estimated three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market and has made a number of corporate acquisitions. In May 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion in its largest acquisition to date.[5] As of 2012, Microsoft is market dominant in both the PC operating system and office suite markets (the latter with Microsoft Office). The company also produces a wide range of other software for desktops and servers, and is active in areas including internet search(with Bing), the video game industry (with the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles), the digital services market (through MSN), and mobile phones (via the Windows Phone OS). In June 2012, Microsoft announced that it would be entering the PC vendor market for the first time, with the launch of the Microsoft Surface tablet computer. In the 1990s, critics began to contend that Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies includingrefusal to deal and tying, put unreason able restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both the U.S. Department of Justice and European Commission found the company in violation of antitrust laws. Microsoft is the undisputed leader in the market for operating systems (Sheremata 1997). The Microsoft Corporation has produced the vast majority of operating systems for all personal computers (PCs); moreover, operating systems that Microsoft has created are Windows95, Windows 3.1, and DOS. They also have produced the leading spreadsheet and word processors for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. They own 85% of the market share with their office software Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft Access. Not surprisingly, most of us have used some if not all of these products and/ or services provided by the Microsoft Corporation. How did the Microsoft Corporation develop into a software monopoly? For the most part, one or several combinations of the following forge monopolies: an amalgamation of smart business decisions, mistakes by competitors, and at times some shady tactics that a company might employ to become a market leader and monopoly of today. Microsoft had its beginning during the 1970s when IBM was the computer hardware giant of the industry. In 1975 Microsoft was the producer of programming languages for MIPS Altair 7500 (Conigliaro1996). In 1981, Microsoft purchased an operating system for an Intel based 8086 chip from a small company named Seattle Computer Products and redesigned its product to sell it to license it to IBM for its new personal computer (PC) (Conigliaro1996). The redesigned product was released under the name MS DOS 1.0. IBM being a monopoly at that time in the hardware department, by allowing Microsoft to provide the operating system to its PCs, then an outside source, relinquished control of the software industry to this up-and-coming powerhouse. Microsoft retained the right to license their operating system to other manufacturers and helped spur the massive IBM clone industry. Microsoft became one of the leaders in the computer industry during the 1980s with the help of technologies that help provide PCs for an information hungry age and with Microsoft providing the operating systems for a high percentage of the PCs sold. By the late 1980s, Microsoft controlled the operating system market; versions of MS-DOS ran over 80% of personal computers (Conigliaro1996). However, Microsoft did not control any of the application markets, this honor went to Lotus, which at the time had the top spreadsheet, 1-2-3 and WordPerfect had the leading word processors, WordPerfect. When Microsoft introduced Microsoft Windows 3.1 in the 1990s, it locked in Microsoft in the driver seat for what is now the software monopoly that exists. Soon after, Microsoft introduced Excel 3.0 for Windows and Word for Windows 2.0. Lotus and WordPerfect did not realize the effects that Windows 3.0 would have on the industry and did not plan ahead for the evolution (Gleick 1995). The claim has also been made that Microsoft used its control over the operating system and graphical user interface markets to help growth in the applications market. Some executives spoke of the â€Å"Chinese Wall†, that is some of the developers learned to take advantage of the operating system before other companies could who did not have the access (Gleick 1995). They were also accused of when introducing new technology called object linking embedding (OLE) in Windows, they would provide the technology to Excel 3.0 developers to incorporate it into Excel before the technology was available to other companies. Making it possible for applications on a system to work with other applications made by Microsoft before competitors could have a chance to compete and provide the same or a comparable application. With the introduction of Windows 3.1 (an update on 3.0) and Microsoft having the edge, Microsoft’s Excel, Word and Office started to dominate the application market. The dawn of Microsoft the monopoly empire was on the horizon. In the 1990s Microsoft began to diversify with its dominance over the application and operating systems it began to get into producing products for multimedia, business operation systems, and now even games and online services. They have been accused of shady business practices when they attempted to purchase Intuit, the software company that owns Quicken, the world’s most popular personal finance manager. And Microsoft’s pairing Windows 95 with The Microsoft Network, both moves are threatening to new competitors because of the barriers they create. They also generate risks to innovation and competition through the entire industry. Microsoft has used its power as the leader in the market with operating systems to grow into the power that it is now. A combination of good business tactics, regretful business choices by competitors, and finally Microsoft using its new power has made Microsoft untouchable by competitors. We have several examples of monopolies in our past as a nation, and we have found that monopolies have a tendency to stiffen innovation. With computer systems innovation is important to continue and stay ahead of the market. The example we can think about is IBM, when IBM split its business it opened the door to several new businesses that have only helped society. Is Microsoft going to help society if it is ordered to split? We can only wait and see. By making Microsoft split it will open the door to new ideas from small entrepreneurs that might have the next great operating system. # Microsoft has long enjoyed Olympian profit margins, using its monopoly power to maintain prices on its software even in tough times. But now, amid a terrible downturn and rising competition, CEO Steven A. Ballmer is shifting to a scrappier approach. He is cutting prices on a variety of fronts, from flagship Windows and Office products to newfangled Internet services. The idea is to accept lower margins in some businesses but boost overall earnings by going after a grab bag of growth opportunities. These range from expanding its share of big companies software purchases to lowering the price of Office software so consumers in emerging markets pay for it rather than pirate it. With the outlook so cloudy, were focusing on gaining share in those areas that are most critical, says Stephen A. Elop, who heads the business division. On July 13, Elop demonstrated the new Office 2010 in New Orleans. While Microsoft expects most customers to pay for the program the way they always have, less powerful, ad-supported versions will be available free on the Web. The company is also charging a monthly fee for online applications, such as the e-mail program Exchange, which is about a third as profitable as selling the software on CDs. And on Oct. 22, Microsofts new Windows 7 PC operating system will go on sale in stores for $40 less than the $240 it charged when it launched its Vista program in 2007—the biggest price cut on a new version of Windows in years. All of these moves amount to a risky experiment in price elasticity. By lowering prices, the company hopes to increase sales of existing products while making fast headway with new ones. If the company can gain enough market share to cover its massive costs in Web services and Internet search—notably, its vast data centers—every extra dollar will be pure profit. Im not saying it will be easy, says Ballmer. But we have great opportunities to grow total profit dollars. ONLY $29 IN CHINAMicrosoft is cutting the price of Office and offering the free versions of Word, Excel, and other programs to head off competition from Google and other rivals that offer similar software at little or no cost. Microsoft has so many promotions for Office that its effective price is $100, down from $150, and even lower in such countries as Brazil and India. But the experience is sparking optimism at Microsoft about the new strategy. The company says unit sales of Office surged 415% in the second half of last year. The most aggressive price cut has come in China, where Microsoft says 95% of Office installations have been pirated. Since it began testing a $29 offer in China last September, sales have soared morethan 800%. The low price was like taking firewood from under the cauldron of piracy, says Liu Tianxiang, a vice-president with Beijing Federal Software, a Chinese software distributor. He figures Microsoft has sold 80,000 copies of Office in China since the trial started. Now Microsoft intends to make the low price permanent. Not surprisingly, Microsoft continues to hunt for ways to offset price cuts. It hopes to boost the bottom line by encouraging Windows 7 software users to upgrade more often. Since the program CD will come loaded with multiple versions, users who buy the cheaper Starter edition can easily pay later to get premium features. Of course, that risks annoying users—when rivals such as Google are trying to lure customers with cheaper alternatives. But in the current economy, theres no risk-free way to stay ahead.

The Principle Role of Financial Intermediaries Essay Example for Free

The Principle Role of Financial Intermediaries Essay There are evidences that â€Å"financial intermediaries play a key role in improving the performance of the economy†. (Morawski 4) Not to mention that they â€Å"could even act as a good predictor of long run rates of economic growth, capital accumulation and productivity improvement† (King and Levine cited in Chakraborty 1). However, what –exactly- is the principle role of financial intermediaries? This is what this essay tries to answer. This essay aims at discussing the principle role of financial intermediaries (banks, investment companies, financial advisors or brokers, credit unions, mutual funds, and insurance companies). The best approach to achieve this goal is to search the literature to study what is written concerning financial intermediaries’ different roles and assess these roles to come up with the principle role of these institutions. However, first of all, it was necessary to study different definitions for financial intermediaries in case these definitions could give an idea about the principle role of them. For example, -according to Claus et al. financial intermediaries â€Å"‘channel funds’ from those who have savings to those who have more ‘productive’ uses for them† (2). Also, Jalan defined financial intermediaries as â€Å"institutions which ‘transfer funds’ from economic agent with surplus funds (surplus units) to economic agents (deficit units) that would like to utilize those funds. Then, Morawski provided a better definition to ‘Financial intermediaries’ term as institutions which provide â€Å"‘channeling’ or efficiently ‘transfer funds’ between lenders (surplus units) and (deficit units) borrowers that are brought together in order to achieve higher production and efficiency for the economy as a whole. † or in another word, as she mentioned institutions which â€Å"pool ‘resources’ from various small investors so that they can be able to later lend those ‘funds’† (2, 3) Then, it was clear that these definitions actually give the financial intermediaries’ principle role. However, to be sure that the principle role is what mentioned in definitions of the term, it was logical to move to other research findings that discussed basic or vital roles of financial intermediaries. Corrigan mentioned that the vital and indispensible role of financial intermediaries is in â€Å"helping societies ‘economies’ achieve a broad range of public policy goals, including, but not limited to- ‘mobilizing’ and ‘allocating savings’ in an effective and efficient manner† (10) According to Chakraborty, financial intermediaries â€Å"perform the roles of (a) resource mobilization and allocation, (b) risk diversification and (c) liquidity management to foster development of the real sector† (1) and that’s exactly what Morawski assure â€Å"The low transaction costs allow those institutions to offer liquidity services as it is simpler to sell financial instruments to raise cash and in the same time reduce the exposure to potential risks by sharing risks among various investors† (3) Diamond and Dybvig summarized these roles when they showed that financial intermediaries â€Å"can enhance risk sharing, which can be a precondition of liquidity, and can thus improve welfare† (cited in Claus et al. 2). And through these two financial services –provision of liquidity and risk sharing- they â€Å"reduce the costs of ‘moving funds’ and help in overcoming information asymmetry between borrowers and lenders, leading to more ‘efficient allocation of resources’ and faster economic growth† (Claus et al. , 2) Claus et al. mentioned two channels through which financial intermediaries â€Å"can have an effect on economic growth, capital accumulation and technological innovation†. (7-8) While â€Å"this ‘supply of funds’ provided by financial intermediaries –according to Goldsmith- through loans or through the purchase of securities is an essential if not the primary economic function of financial interm ediaries† (180) Finally, based on these definitions and research findings, the principle role of financial intermediaries is in achieving the efficiency and effectiveness in supplying funds to the market by mobilizing and allocating resources or funds -with (a) low transactions costs and (b) overcoming information asymmetry- between borrowers (surplus units) and lenders (deficit units) -through two main services, the (1) provision of liquidity and (2) risk sharing-; and as a result to this better utilization of these funds (more investments and higher production- leads to economic growth or welfare (through (1) capital accumulation, (2) improved or enhanced productivity, and (3) technological innovation).

Franklin D. Roosevelts Foreign Policy

Franklin D. Roosevelts Foreign Policy An encyclopedia on Franklin D. Roosevelts Foreign Policy. Democratic Politician, Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), started his presidential career as the 32nd President of the United States on Nov 8, 1932. He would go on to serve four terms as President and would introduce key Government programs such as The New Deal and Social Security. Prior to his presidency, he was the governor of New York from 1929 to 1932, an Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 to 1920 and Member of the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913. Before the election of Roosevelt, the United States of Americas isolationist foreign policy -under the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928 -forbade war as a tool to resolve conflicts; it also forbade the distribution of arms and munitions and implements or other articles for use in war to any country which the President declared was a violator of the Kellogg Pact -this pact was signed by Germany, France, the U.S. and many more.[1] In contrast to Roosevelts victories was his unfortunate choice for the U.S. ambassadorship to Germany (William E. Dodd) on August 30, 1933[2]. Dodd, who did not possess the finesse it took to be a diplomat and knew little about American international policy or European problems, did not speak German well, and spoke too harshly and impulsively of the Nazi movement in the pre-war years; he was also described as a babe-in-the-woods in the dark forests of Berlin,[3] -his appointment is considered as one of Roosevelts biggest political mistakes. After the League of Nations reticence to handle the second Italo-Ethiopian war, Roosevelt, on August the 1st of 1935, urged Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy, to accept arbitration on the conflict and maintain peace -this declaration was meet with appreciation by Ethiopias Emperor, Haile Selassie, however, the U.S. was very careful not to intervene in the matter.[4] Moreover, In January of 1936, Roosevelt, in response to the injustices of the Treaty of Versailles not being resolved by the League of Nations, said wicked dictators -referring to Germany, Italy and France -have impatiently reverted to the old belief in the law of the sword, or to the fantastic conception that they, and they alone, are chosen to fulfill a missionI recognize that these words which I have chosen with deliberation will not prove popular in any nation that chooses to fit this shoe to its foot.[5] This speech strained the already sensitive relationship between the U.S. and Japan.[6] Upon hearing this, Japanese diplomat and future Japanese Prime Minister, KÃ…Â ki Hirota, said that Americans spoke like they possessed a mandate from God.[7] This sentiment by Hirota was also strengthened because the Roosevelt Administration did not possess the same fear about communism that the Japanese had about a communist Soviet Union.[8] Still clinging to neutrality in European matters, on January the 3rd, 1936, he chided the aggressive spirit of Italy directly and stated earlier that they lacked the finer instincts of world justice.[9] This statement by Roosevelt was met with fury by numerous Italian editors who stated that Mussolini had delayed action in vain for many years and wanted a just allocation of colonial territory.[10] After the German invasion of Poland on September the 1st, 1939, Roosevelt was more inclined to an isolationist strategy that would keep the U.S. out of the European conflicts -the U.S. declared its neutrality on December 5th, 1939.[11] Just four days before the U.S. declared its neutrality, Roosevelt appealed to Finland and the Soviet Union to stop cruelly bombing civilians in defenseless cities/locations during their conflicts.[12] Following the invasion of Poland, Roosevelts foreign policy placed an emphasis on withholding the U.S. from European war while trying to ensure the downfall of Hitlers administration; this approach proved to be popular among Americans who preferred to show solidarity to their European allies, but remain removed from the battles.[13] This conflict would later become known as World War II. With the war raging, Roosevelt still upheld his foreign policy of neutrality, but he also reproached the Italian government. In his popularized Stab in the Back Speech on June 10, 1940, he stated, The people and the Government of the United States have seen with the utmost regret and with grave disquiet the decision of the Italian Government to engage in the hostilities now raging in Europe.[14] During this neutrality, Roosevelt campaigned under the banner of noninvolvement for his third term as President, and he won with 54.7% of the popular vote.[15] The United States neutrality would soon come to an end after the Japanese bombed the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, and due to this attack, On the evening of December 7, 1941, following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, FDR dictated the war message that he read to Congress the next day.[16] Roosevelt also signed Executive order 9066 which imprisoned numerous Japanese-Americans li ving in the U.S.[17] A year after the Pearl Harbor attack, Roosevelts approval rating was at 75% -this was around a 20-point increase from his rating in 1938 (57%), additionally, Roosevelts policies did not noticeably help the Democratic Partys identification figures because identification figures stood around 50% in the late 30s and were back up to 50% in 1945.[18] During the battles of WWII, key events such as the Normandy Landings (D-Day) -in which almost 3 million Allied soldiers landed on the northern coasts of France on June 6th, 1944 -helped turn World War II into a victory for the U.S. and the Allied Powers.[19] On November the 7th, 1944, Roosevelt won the presidential election for the fourth time with 53.4% of the popular vote,[20] and on February the 11th, 1945, Roosevelt met with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill to discuss the future of post-war Europe.[21] On April the 12th, 1945, Roosevelt died from a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, and his Vice President, Harry S. Truman, then became president.[22] Word Count: 1061 words References Bell, M. (2008). Reappraising FDRs Approach to World War II in Europe. 1st ed. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center, pp.138-145. Berinsky, A., Powell, E., Schickler, E. and Yohai, I. (2011). Revisiting Public Opinion in the 1930s and 1940s. PS: Political Science Politics, 44(03), pp.515-520. Erdelja, K. (2005). The Second World War. 1st ed. Thessaloniki: CDRSEE. Peters, G. and Wolley, J. (2017). Franklin D. Roosevelt: Appeal to Russia and Finland to Stop Bombing Civilians. [online] Presidency.ucsb.edu. Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15845. [Accessed 8 Feb. 2017]. Tansill, C. (1952). Back door to war. 1st ed. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company. University of Virginia, (2017). Stab in the Back Speech (June 10, 1940)-Miller Center. [online] Millercenter.org. Available at: http://millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/speeches/speech-3317 [Accessed 8 Feb. 2017]. Bibliography Erbelding, R. (2016). FDR4Freedoms: The Life, Times, and Vision of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Journal of American History, [online] 103(3), pp.1-9. Available at: http://fdr4freedoms.org/wp-content/themes/fdf4fdr/DownloadablePDFs/II_HopeRecoveryReform/12_FranklinDRooseveltNewYorker.pdf [Accessed 5 Feb. 2017]. [1] Tansill, C. (1952). Back door to war. 1st ed. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 218. [2] Ibid, 46. [3] Ibid, 46. [4] Ibid, 148. [5] Ibid, 152. [6] Tansill, Back door to war, 152. [7] Ibid, 152. [8] Ibid, 130. [9] Ibid, 244-245. [10] Ibid, 245. [11] Bell, M. (2008). Reappraising FDRs Approach to World War II in Europe. 1st ed. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center, pp.138. [12] Peters, G. and Wolley, J. (2017). Franklin D. Roosevelt: Appeal to Russia and Finland to Stop Bombing Civilians. [online] Presidency.ucsb.edu. Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15845. [Accessed 8 Feb. 2017]. [13] Bell, Reappraising FDRs Approach to World War II in Europe, 138. [14] University of Virginia, (2017). Stab in the Back Speech (June 10, 1940)-Miller Center. [online] Millercenter.org. Available at: http://millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/speeches/speech-3317 [Accessed 8 Feb. 2017]. [15] Bell, Reappraising FDRs Approach to World War II in Europe, pp. 139. [16] Ibid, 143. [17] Bell, Reappraising FDRs Approach to World War II in Europe, 144. [18] Berinsky, A., Powell, E., Schickler, E. and Yohai, I. (2011). Revisiting Public Opinion in the 1930s and 1940s. PS: Political Science Politics, 44(03), pp.518. [19] Erdelja, K. (2005). The Second World War. 1st ed. Thessaloniki: CDRSEE, 25. [20] Ibid, 27. [21] Ibid,27. [22] Ibid, 28.

Sleep and Dream :: essays research papers

Sleep and Dreams Sleep is a behavioral state characterized by little physical activity and almost no awareness of the outside world. Sleep is actually made up of two separate and distinctly different states called REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement). With NREM sleep it is further divided into stage 1-4 based on the size and the speed of the brain waves. Step one is the stage when you drift off to sleep or doze off. For example people doze off in class because you are bored and have nothing to do but listen to the teacher talk. Some parents may call it a cat nape when their kids go to sleep for about ten minutes or so. The second stage is called an intermediate stage of sleep. That is when the sleeper will gradually descend deeper into sleep, becoming more and more detached from the outside world and progressively more difficult to awaken. Stage three is the beginning of deep sleep, occurring about thirty to forty five minutes after you first fall asleep. The deepest sleep occurs in Stage four. Stage three and four has the biggest and slowest brain wave. REM sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists found that brain activity during REM sleep begins in the pons, a structure in the brainstem, and neighboring midbrain regions. The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. There are several myths about sleep. For one, how much sleep a person should get? According to our text book people should sleep for at least eight hours to maintain sound mental and physical health. But every one doesn’t get the chance to slee p for that amount of time. There is no normal amount of time you should sleep. Everyone is not the same. For one I might sleep for five hours and feel refreshed enough to work another shift. Other hand my cousin might need more then eight hours of sleep to feel refreshed. Another myth is that you can learn complicated things, like a new language, while you are sleep. Personally no, because the only way you can learn something is to be awake. When a person fall to sleep while listening to a cd player or tape player while they are sleeping they are not going to hear what is said when they are in a deep sleep. Sleep and Dream :: essays research papers Sleep and Dreams Sleep is a behavioral state characterized by little physical activity and almost no awareness of the outside world. Sleep is actually made up of two separate and distinctly different states called REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement). With NREM sleep it is further divided into stage 1-4 based on the size and the speed of the brain waves. Step one is the stage when you drift off to sleep or doze off. For example people doze off in class because you are bored and have nothing to do but listen to the teacher talk. Some parents may call it a cat nape when their kids go to sleep for about ten minutes or so. The second stage is called an intermediate stage of sleep. That is when the sleeper will gradually descend deeper into sleep, becoming more and more detached from the outside world and progressively more difficult to awaken. Stage three is the beginning of deep sleep, occurring about thirty to forty five minutes after you first fall asleep. The deepest sleep occurs in Stage four. Stage three and four has the biggest and slowest brain wave. REM sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists found that brain activity during REM sleep begins in the pons, a structure in the brainstem, and neighboring midbrain regions. The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. There are several myths about sleep. For one, how much sleep a person should get? According to our text book people should sleep for at least eight hours to maintain sound mental and physical health. But every one doesn’t get the chance to slee p for that amount of time. There is no normal amount of time you should sleep. Everyone is not the same. For one I might sleep for five hours and feel refreshed enough to work another shift. Other hand my cousin might need more then eight hours of sleep to feel refreshed. Another myth is that you can learn complicated things, like a new language, while you are sleep. Personally no, because the only way you can learn something is to be awake. When a person fall to sleep while listening to a cd player or tape player while they are sleeping they are not going to hear what is said when they are in a deep sleep.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a Metaphor in Mrs. Dalloway, By Virgi

When WWI was over, many people questioned the brutality that carried on over the four years that the war was happening. The Europeans trust in authority and in their country began to collapse, and Modernism was a way they could respond to the damage of those beliefs. It was obvious that the old world was gone and a new one had started to arise. In this new world, while other aspects of Europe were advancing, improvement in the psychiatric treatment of mental conditions, for example shell-shock, fell short. Most of British society remained unaware and uninterested in the problems that these illnesses forced on the veterans. This insensitive attitude toward the soldiers inspired Virginia Woolf to write Mrs. Dalloway. In this novel she shows us society’s attitude towards mental illness by featuring a post war veteran named Septimus Smith. The author uses Septimus’s struggles with post traumatic stress disorder as a symbol to illustrate the problems of a modern society tha t doesn’t understand how deeply the damage of World War One has affected people. An example of the difference between Septimus and the modern world as a whole is when the airplane flies above the people in the city as it spells out the word toffee. Most of the people watching were amazed by this new technology. â€Å"‘Glaxo,’ said Mrs. Coates in a strained, awestricken voice†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Kreemo,’ murmured Mrs. Bletchley, like a sleepwalker†¦as they looked the whole world because perfectly still†¦(and the car went in the gates and nobody looked at it)† (20-21). The people were so enthralled with the plane; they didn’t even care about the royal car coming in to the palace. Septimus on the other hand is completely lost in his own thoughts and interprets the plane differently. â€Å"So, t... ...g to grasp the legitimacy and severity of the disease. From this unfortunate reality emerged a Modernist novel in which Virginia Woolf sets out to juxtapose the ‘sane’ and the ‘insane’ in an attempt to express her disgust of society’s lack of sympathy and blindness towards those who suffer with mental illness. Work Cited Berman, Jeffrey. Surviving Literary Suicide. Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 1999. Print. Korte, Barbara, and Ralf Schneider. War and the Cultural Construction of Identities in Britain. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2002. Print. Levenback, Karen L. Virginia Woolf and the Great War. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse UP, 1999. Print. Ronchetti, Ann. The Artist, Society, and Sexuality in Virginia Woolf's Novels. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print. Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981. Print.

Protecting your Privacy from the Government Essay -- Politics Persuasi

Protecting your Privacy from the Government Privacy and the Government, for century’s people have debated the conspiracy theory that the government is always watching you.With integration of information System, this fear is fast becoming reality.Since September 11, the Government has developed a completely new understanding of information the individuals that live in the United States.They are now focusing on the any and all potential threats to national security.The Government’s big imitative, which is part of Homeland Security, is Total Information Awareness (TIA) also known as Terrorism Information Awareness.This campaign is the closest thing to ‘Big Brother’ that the United States has ever seen.It is a focus on pulling as much information together on as many people as possible into a single database, making the information available to government officials to weed out and find potential people involved in terrorism.On the surface this would seem to be a good thing, but if you look at the situati on closer, you will find that they are gathering information on anyone and everyone.This means that they are gathering information on people for future purposes.They are gathering information on the pretense that they may use it in the future in the name of Homeland Security.The TIA is not the only mode of extraction of information from our privacy; the airlines in conjunction with the government have developed a similar system for airline passengers.The government is also purchasing information from other companies on its customer to gain more data on potential wrong doers.We will discuss basic points on all three later on this site.In essence many believe that they are violating our privacy. The Total Information Awareness ... ...ng the awareness of privacy within its agencies.They have begun to create positions called Private Contact Officers (PCO), which have the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the implied privacy agreement with its citizens.Of the government agencies polled over 74% respondents thought that privacy was extremely important to their agencies.Some of the main focuses of the agencies are on Internet security and personal information security and integrity.Most of the agencies polled expressed that privacy was a priority; it did not rank as one the top priorities.The issue of privacy and the government is getting better but at an extremely slow pace.Once people understand that when you lose your privacy you can never get it back, they will guard themselves and there personal information better.The only one that can help prevent invasion of privacy is ourselves.

Energy Conservation Mitigation Plan

Energy is one of the world’s greatest inventions of all time. We use energy on a daily basis for just about everything. Our way of life is based upon energy and how we use it. We use large amounts of energy for transportation and electricity. Due to the limited supply of resources available to us we need to make sure that we conserve them wisely so that these resources will be around for future generations. It is imperative that consumer start to take responsibility for their actions. There are two ways to conserve energy; one is by using energy efficient technologies and the other is by changing our habits. Individual efforts combined with governmental support will assist in decreasing energy usage which will in turn create a better environment for everyone. According to the EIA, the U. S energy consumption is 100 quadrillion btu/year and is projected to rise by 37 percent within the next 20 years. The U. S is also currently building 151 coal-fired electrical generating plants in order to keep up with the current demand (Holness, 2008). In 2003, 422 quads of energy were used in the world and 92 quads within the U. S alone. According to the report â€Å"Cutting Global Energy Demand Growth,† it is predicted that in the year 2020, the world will be at 613 quads. This report also states that by becoming energy efficient we can reduce this number to 478 quads in 2020 (Schirber, 2008). Some non living factors that contribute to energy consumption are the sun and the earth’s atmosphere. The sun produces large amounts of heat which creates heat. Humans tend to elude the heat by turning up their air conditioners. This increases energy use. Energy emissions that are released into the earth’s atmosphere can cause major health problem to humans and are very harmful to animals and plants. Living factors that contribute to energy consumption are plants and animals. If plants are affected by high energy consumption, than it will create a problem for the animals, which will than create a problem for the humans. The whole food chain could be distorted. Humans are the main living factor that contributes to energy consumption. We are dependent upon certain items such as fossil fuels for heat and energy. This is affecting our atmosphere causing problems for all types of living organisms. The greatest positive impact that energy conservation has is that natural resources will still be around for future generations if we start conserving now. Energy conservation will also have positive effects on our environment. It will also prevent health problems associated with burning fossil fuels and coal needed for energy. Humans also have a negative impact on energy usage. Most people do not realize the amount of energy they waste in any given day. Simple steps such as fixing lighting structures, planting trees around your house, and by driving less will help curve the energy abuse. All of these are very important steps in energy conservation. Leaving lights on when not in use is a negative impact on energy consumption. According to Laird (2009), people from all different occupations have been trying to find a way to better use our resources. For 20 years, our nation has been trying to come up with a plan to reach sustainability. The government is only a part of the equation. Everyone including innovators, government, firms, and nonprofit organizations need to come together. Simply put, they are not doing enough to make sure that energy sustainability is feasible for average consumers. Laird states that they need to create policies that are flexible and create institutions that can learn and change from mistakes. According to Laird (2009), â€Å"The level of funding, public and private, for renewable energy R&D is abysmally low, when seen in the context of the size of the energy market. † One of the most recent programs, Cash for Clunkers, was initiated by the government to assist individuals in buying more energy efficient vehicles. According to CARS (2009) over 700,000 clunkers were traded in for more fuel efficient vehicles in less than 30 days. My sustainability plan will primarily focus on citizens and what they can do to help conserve energy. I believe that in order to reduce energy consumption, we first need to start at the bottom which is in your homes. My plan will include researching the affects of energy abuse, educating citizens on how to conserve energy, plan meetings to distribute literature, and last but not least, showing citizens how they can help our environment and save them money as well. The first step in my sustainability plan is to do research to find out what basic steps can be taken at the consumer level to conserve energy. In the first two months I will gather all of the data necessary to present to citizens on how to conserve energy. In month two I will do informational surveys to see how many citizens are aware of the energy problem. This survey will also help me see how many people already are conserving energy in particular areas so that I can focus on areas that need more assistance. In month 3, I will than present the information to the citizens at a meeting. I will show them the following chart so that they can see how energy is consumed in the typical household. This chart will also assist me in showing residents where they can start making a difference at. This will show them areas they need to concentrate on in order to conserve energy and save them money. EIA. (2005). U. S household electricity report. Retrieved November 3, 2009, from www. eia. doe. gov I would make it imperative to the citizens to follow some basic guidelines in order to conserve energy. Some examples would be to use less wattage bulbs or even switch to fluorescent light bulbs that last ten times longer than other bulbs. Make sure you turn off lights when leaving a room. To cut energy on heating, residents can close curtains, lower thermostats, and seal out drafts. Some ways to conserve in the kitchen is to use adequate size pots and pans and turn down the flame if it is visible. Try not to preheat and use microwaves when feasible. If you have older appliances, replace them with newer, energy efficient appliances. Hang dry clothes when the weather permits. Other areas that you can improve energy consumption in are by lowering air conditioner temperatures. If you plant trees outside your home, it will create shade, making the temperature in your house cooler. I would end this meeting letting citizens know that they can always call their utility companies to come and do a home audit to show you how you can conserve energy. My final part of my plan would be to assist anyone who needed personal assistance with energy saving techniques. In this last month I would go to homes to see that they are doing their part in making sure they are conserving energy. If they needed help or additional information I would make that available to them. The biggest challenge in my plan is to show how purchasing these energy saving technologies is cost efficient to the buyers. Some people look at the initial cost and think that it is too high and don’t want to do anything about it. I would have to argue that some of the techniques are free and only require determination. Another challenge is gaining interest. I have to make sure that I get everyone involved. My goal would be to get one community started and then work on another community. I would need advocates to speak on behalf of energy conservation. The more people involved and committed to the plan, the better it will work. Benefits of my plan are obvious. We will not only be saving ourselves some money in the long run, but we will also be helping the environment out in a major way. We need to save our resources so that we have enough to last us a life time. Not to mention, we will be cutting down on pollution which is another environmental problem. In order to make a difference in our communities, we need support from not only the residents, but from the government as well. The government needs to step up and start mandating that certain codes are in effect on buildings. One successful program available to consumers and business is the ENERGY STAR Program. This program enables Americans to purchase products that saves them money and helps the environment. â€Å" In 2008, Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2008 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 29 million cars — all while saving $19 billion on their utility bills† (ENERGY STAR, n. d. ). ENERGY STAR is a program of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U. S. Department of Energy. Their mission is to help us all save money and protect the environment by offering energy efficient products. More programs such as this need to be implemented in order to achieve our goal. We need to conserve energy to save money, especially in a struggling economy. The best part about doing this is that we are also doing something for our environment. Implementing plans to lower energy consumption is a difficult task, but not a task that is unachievable. Our nation cannot afford to waste natural resources that are rapidly diminishing. We need to change our way of life to conserve what the Earth has given us. Our Earth can no longer tolerate the misuse of energy if we want it to be around for many generations to come. Energy conservation is essential due to the limited supply of natural resources. Jenny Powers of NRDC states â€Å"The cheapest, cleanest energy is the energy you don’t use. † Let’s help break the cycle. As citizens we need to do our part by embracing an energy efficient lifestyle and slow down our demand for more electricity. References CARS. (2009). Cars allowance rebate system. Retrieved November 3, 2009, from www. cars. gov ENERGY STAR. (n. d. ). About ENERGY STAR. Retrieved November 3, 20009, from www. energystar. gov Holness, Gordon V. (2008). Improving Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings. ASHRAE Journal, 50(1), 12-14, 17-18, 20, 23-24, 26. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1415301201). Laird, F. (2009) A Full-Court Press for Renewable Energy, Issues in science and Technology, 25 (2), 53-56. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from MasterFILE Premier Database. EBSCO Schirber, Michael. (2008). Whatever happened to energy conservation? Live Science. Retrieved November 1, 2009, from www. livescience. com

ZARA’s IT for Fast Fashion

Ezra, a trendy Spanish clothing retailer founded in 1975 by Manioc Ortega in La Curran. It is a flagship retail store of Inedited Group, a holding company that owns other fashion brands such as Misaims Audit, Berserk, Pull and Bear, Strabismus, Kiddy's Class, and Shoo. The company still lives by the simple idea of Amoco Ortega to link customer demand to manufacturing and link manufacturing to distribution, which ultimately able to respond very quickly to the demands of targeted customers, who are young and fashion-conscious city dwellers.Inedited operates 1,558 stores in 44 countries, of which 531 stores are part of Ezra chains. Ezra generates a majority of Indies's sales accounting for 73. 3%. Of the three departments inside Ezra, Women accounted for 60% of sales, with the rest evenly split between Men and Children division. In 2002, Inedited posted a net income of ? ¬ 438 million on revenues of ? ¬3,974 million, which is a net margin of 1 1. 02%. Overall, the company shows net margin continuously growing indicating profitable growth. As a result, the company's earnings have tripled since 1996. To reach consumer's demands quickly and accurately, Ezra established a recurring process of ordering, fulfillment, and design and management. Each section (Women, Men, and Children) of a Ezra store places an order to headquarters twice a week on the store's PDP devices. The orders include both replenishment of an existing item and requests for a new items. Store managers determined replenishment quantities by walking around the store and determining what has been selling by counting garments and talking to salespeople.Fulfilling each store's demands of clothes involves group of commercials from headquarters, who are responsible to match up the supply of finished clothes coming from factories to distribution centers then finally to the stores. The commercials works with two types of information – aggregated orders from all stores and the total supply of invent ory in the distribution centers at the same point in time. Finally, Ezra introduces new design collections at the start of fall/winter and spring/summer buying periods. In addition to that, they continuously introduce new items throughout the year, allowing them to be ahead within the industry.Note: Detail information for design and management is in â€Å"Competition† Section). SUPPLIERS: Ezra owns a group of factories in and around La Corona to do the initial production of dyeing and cutting cloth. However, they sent out the cut fabrics that needs to be sewn into garments, to network of small local workshops (not owned by Inedited) in Galatia and northern Portugal, which guarantees quick turnaround time. Finally, the sewn garments are sent to a Ezra facilities, where they are ironed, inspected, tagged, and sent to a distribution centers.COMPETITION: Ezra faces competition from multinational clothing retailers such as Gap, H&M, and Benton, Combined, these companies has over 2 00,000 employees, operating in 140 countries with net income of ? ¬1,067 million or a net margin of 15. 3%. What separate's Ezra from its competitors is it's unique approach to its marketing and business operation. Unlike its competitors, Ezra virtually does no marketing. The company place ads twice a year promoting sales and to announce the opening of new stores. As a result, their marketing expenditures average 0. % of revenue, instead of 3%-4%, which is typical for competitors. They also always make sure their stores are located in a city prime retail district and the prices for their items are established for the Spanish market. Prices for other countries is set at a fixed percentage of this baseline, taking into account distribution costs and market condition. Ezra also priorities time-to-market through vertical integration enabling them to constantly introduce new items throughout the year in a short period of time.In a typical year, Ezra introduces approximately 11,000 new items, were as its competitors average 2,000 – 4,000 items. Consequently, Ezra does not try to produce classics† clothes that would always be in style. They intend their clothes to have a fairly short life span. About 75% of the merchandise in the average store is changes over three to four weeks, resulting in their experience shoppers to visit the stores often to purchase the new items. Furthermore, Sara's senior managers takes advantage of their employee's intelligence and trust their Judgment in decision making.Store Managers are given responsibilities to deal with customers, contractors, landlords, and decisions in garments should be on sale at their individual stores. They place orders for the teems they think would sell, rather than simply accepting and displaying what headquarters decide to send them. Ezra has minimum invested in IT budget and has no formal process to set decisions for specific technology investments or projects. Usually senior management decides what new systems, if any, is required.Overall, there is very little Justification for IT efforts, which results in having no cost/benefit analysis for current and future projects. Also, Sara's business model uses POS terminal that runs on an outdated DOS operating system, which is not supported by Microsoft. This makes the operations such as ordering, fulfillment, design and manufacturing, and in-store operations inefficient. They also use handheld Pad's for ordering and for tasks such as handling garment returns to distribution centers and conveying information from headquarters to all stores. This causes redundancy.The POS terminals also makes it difficult to check in-store inventories, check inventories in other stores, and share information. The store managers would have to call to check for available SSW, which is a time consuming process. Finally, Ezra makes no use of the internet to make sales. The website is only there to maintain a presence. The issue for lack of internet sales is because the company's distribution center is not configured for picking up small orders and shipping to consumers. And, it is complicated to handle returns of merchandise bought online.The challenges above shows where Ezra can make the use of proper IT/IS infrastructure. Currently, Ezra has continued to use their systems without any changes to it. However, they have the opportunity to improve its infrastructure by investing in new IT systems. This proper implementation can also provide great opportunity for Ezra to improve its value ham operations. Before Ezra makes any decision regarding the upgrade of their old information system, they need to analyze the costs and benefits of the new system.A new operating system such as Linux, Windows, or UNIX, it will allow Ezra to develop capabilities on the outdated DOS software for POS terminals. As they install the new operating system on all the computers, they need to consider the costs of each operating system. For example, Linu x does not have one-time license cost, while Windows has a one-time license cost of ? ¬140 and UNIX of ? ¬160 per CUP]. Linux may offer the cheapest implementation costs for Ezra, but they have a higher ongoing costs, such as service contract cost that ranges from ? ¬10-? ¬150 per CUP].To upgrade the system Ezra will also have to install new hardware and replace the old POS terminals. The cost of POS terminals is ? ¬5000 per store, which will also require installation of new cables, routers etc. The wireless routers and Ethernet cost, staff training cost, software installation and maintenance cost, and the connectivity cost per store, will also add to the upgrade costs. Overall, if Ezra decides to use Linux operating system, the total cost for the initial year will be ? ¬ 56 million.This includes ? ¬ 379 thousand of operating cost and ? ¬ 2,777 million for non-operating (fixed), which is purchase of new POS terminals, wireless router and wireless Ethernet. If they us e Windows or UNIX, total initial cost will be ? ¬ 3,167 million or ? ¬ 3,175 million, respectively. This may be a very costly for the company, but it is a direct expense, which meaner the cost will depreciate over the years. For example, the total operating cost for Linux, Windows, and UNIX will decrease to ? ¬ 371 K, ? ¬ KICK, and ? ¬ ASK in the second year, respectively.The benefit of a new system will improve Sara's efficiency, which will directly influence their revenue. With the smooth communication among the stores and the headquarters, Ezra can better predict the future needs of material, and save cost by hedging them at a low cost. The system will also allow them to make clothes prototypes at a quicker rate and get a faster response from the customers. Therefore, there will be more sales, less cost, more revenue, and ultimately more profit. RECOMMENDATIONS I would recommend Ezra to upgrade their current system gradually. In the short term, there is no immediate nee d to upgrade the system.However, they need to make the changes over a long period of time. First, senior management should develop a formal IT department by hiring a COT to set decisions. Second, the new IT team should develop a strategy for the change. Third, they should develop a budget for implementing the whole upgrade. Once they have the strategy and budget in place, they should stop any more investments in the current systems and conduct a pilot test at one of their flagship store to collect data of its outcomes. Ezra should make the investments in stages. For example, the current Pads used for ordering are inconvenient.They should be replaced with convenient equipment such as the PC's. In addition, the Pads and POS are not connected. In order to improve the networking capabilities at each store, Ezra should switch from modem-based network to a broadband-based network. This will allow them to stay connected with the other stores as well as with the headquarters. POS terminals that operates on the outdated DOS system needs to be updated with a more modern and compatible operating system. As a result POS should have the customer based functionalities that will scored sales, returns, exchanges, etc.POS system should also handle functions such as inventory control, purchasing, and receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations. After the final stages, I strongly recommend to run the old and the new systems side by side, until the new system is operating smoothly. Finally, Ezra should use the internet to make online sales, and take advantage of the social media to promote itself. This can enhance their operations and ultimately increase revenue. Also, it will give them more competitive edge with the new competitors and the existing competitors. ZARA’s IT for Fast Fashion Ezra, a trendy Spanish clothing retailer founded in 1975 by Manioc Ortega in La Curran. It is a flagship retail store of Inedited Group, a holding company that owns other fashion brands such as Misaims Audit, Berserk, Pull and Bear, Strabismus, Kiddy's Class, and Shoo. The company still lives by the simple idea of Amoco Ortega to link customer demand to manufacturing and link manufacturing to distribution, which ultimately able to respond very quickly to the demands of targeted customers, who are young and fashion-conscious city dwellers.Inedited operates 1,558 stores in 44 countries, of which 531 stores are part of Ezra chains. Ezra generates a majority of Indies's sales accounting for 73. 3%. Of the three departments inside Ezra, Women accounted for 60% of sales, with the rest evenly split between Men and Children division. In 2002, Inedited posted a net income of ? ¬ 438 million on revenues of ? ¬3,974 million, which is a net margin of 1 1. 02%. Overall, the company shows net margin continuously growing indicating profitable growth. As a result, the company's earnings have tripled since 1996. To reach consumer's demands quickly and accurately, Ezra established a recurring process of ordering, fulfillment, and design and management. Each section (Women, Men, and Children) of a Ezra store places an order to headquarters twice a week on the store's PDP devices. The orders include both replenishment of an existing item and requests for a new items. Store managers determined replenishment quantities by walking around the store and determining what has been selling by counting garments and talking to salespeople.Fulfilling each store's demands of clothes involves group of commercials from headquarters, who are responsible to match up the supply of finished clothes coming from factories to distribution centers then finally to the stores. The commercials works with two types of information – aggregated orders from all stores and the total supply of invent ory in the distribution centers at the same point in time. Finally, Ezra introduces new design collections at the start of fall/winter and spring/summer buying periods. In addition to that, they continuously introduce new items throughout the year, allowing them to be ahead within the industry.Note: Detail information for design and management is in â€Å"Competition† Section). SUPPLIERS: Ezra owns a group of factories in and around La Corona to do the initial production of dyeing and cutting cloth. However, they sent out the cut fabrics that needs to be sewn into garments, to network of small local workshops (not owned by Inedited) in Galatia and northern Portugal, which guarantees quick turnaround time. Finally, the sewn garments are sent to a Ezra facilities, where they are ironed, inspected, tagged, and sent to a distribution centers.COMPETITION: Ezra faces competition from multinational clothing retailers such as Gap, H&M, and Benton, Combined, these companies has over 2 00,000 employees, operating in 140 countries with net income of ? ¬1,067 million or a net margin of 15. 3%. What separate's Ezra from its competitors is it's unique approach to its marketing and business operation. Unlike its competitors, Ezra virtually does no marketing. The company place ads twice a year promoting sales and to announce the opening of new stores. As a result, their marketing expenditures average 0. % of revenue, instead of 3%-4%, which is typical for competitors. They also always make sure their stores are located in a city prime retail district and the prices for their items are established for the Spanish market. Prices for other countries is set at a fixed percentage of this baseline, taking into account distribution costs and market condition. Ezra also priorities time-to-market through vertical integration enabling them to constantly introduce new items throughout the year in a short period of time.In a typical year, Ezra introduces approximately 11,000 new items, were as its competitors average 2,000 – 4,000 items. Consequently, Ezra does not try to produce classics† clothes that would always be in style. They intend their clothes to have a fairly short life span. About 75% of the merchandise in the average store is changes over three to four weeks, resulting in their experience shoppers to visit the stores often to purchase the new items. Furthermore, Sara's senior managers takes advantage of their employee's intelligence and trust their Judgment in decision making.Store Managers are given responsibilities to deal with customers, contractors, landlords, and decisions in garments should be on sale at their individual stores. They place orders for the teems they think would sell, rather than simply accepting and displaying what headquarters decide to send them. Ezra has minimum invested in IT budget and has no formal process to set decisions for specific technology investments or projects. Usually senior management decides what new systems, if any, is required.Overall, there is very little Justification for IT efforts, which results in having no cost/benefit analysis for current and future projects. Also, Sara's business model uses POS terminal that runs on an outdated DOS operating system, which is not supported by Microsoft. This makes the operations such as ordering, fulfillment, design and manufacturing, and in-store operations inefficient. They also use handheld Pad's for ordering and for tasks such as handling garment returns to distribution centers and conveying information from headquarters to all stores. This causes redundancy.The POS terminals also makes it difficult to check in-store inventories, check inventories in other stores, and share information. The store managers would have to call to check for available SSW, which is a time consuming process. Finally, Ezra makes no use of the internet to make sales. The website is only there to maintain a presence. The issue for lack of internet sales is because the company's distribution center is not configured for picking up small orders and shipping to consumers. And, it is complicated to handle returns of merchandise bought online.The challenges above shows where Ezra can make the use of proper IT/IS infrastructure. Currently, Ezra has continued to use their systems without any changes to it. However, they have the opportunity to improve its infrastructure by investing in new IT systems. This proper implementation can also provide great opportunity for Ezra to improve its value ham operations. Before Ezra makes any decision regarding the upgrade of their old information system, they need to analyze the costs and benefits of the new system.A new operating system such as Linux, Windows, or UNIX, it will allow Ezra to develop capabilities on the outdated DOS software for POS terminals. As they install the new operating system on all the computers, they need to consider the costs of each operating system. For example, Linu x does not have one-time license cost, while Windows has a one-time license cost of ? ¬140 and UNIX of ? ¬160 per CUP]. Linux may offer the cheapest implementation costs for Ezra, but they have a higher ongoing costs, such as service contract cost that ranges from ? ¬10-? ¬150 per CUP].To upgrade the system Ezra will also have to install new hardware and replace the old POS terminals. The cost of POS terminals is ? ¬5000 per store, which will also require installation of new cables, routers etc. The wireless routers and Ethernet cost, staff training cost, software installation and maintenance cost, and the connectivity cost per store, will also add to the upgrade costs. Overall, if Ezra decides to use Linux operating system, the total cost for the initial year will be ? ¬ 56 million.This includes ? ¬ 379 thousand of operating cost and ? ¬ 2,777 million for non-operating (fixed), which is purchase of new POS terminals, wireless router and wireless Ethernet. If they us e Windows or UNIX, total initial cost will be ? ¬ 3,167 million or ? ¬ 3,175 million, respectively. This may be a very costly for the company, but it is a direct expense, which meaner the cost will depreciate over the years. For example, the total operating cost for Linux, Windows, and UNIX will decrease to ? ¬ 371 K, ? ¬ KICK, and ? ¬ ASK in the second year, respectively.The benefit of a new system will improve Sara's efficiency, which will directly influence their revenue. With the smooth communication among the stores and the headquarters, Ezra can better predict the future needs of material, and save cost by hedging them at a low cost. The system will also allow them to make clothes prototypes at a quicker rate and get a faster response from the customers. Therefore, there will be more sales, less cost, more revenue, and ultimately more profit. RECOMMENDATIONS I would recommend Ezra to upgrade their current system gradually. In the short term, there is no immediate nee d to upgrade the system.However, they need to make the changes over a long period of time. First, senior management should develop a formal IT department by hiring a COT to set decisions. Second, the new IT team should develop a strategy for the change. Third, they should develop a budget for implementing the whole upgrade. Once they have the strategy and budget in place, they should stop any more investments in the current systems and conduct a pilot test at one of their flagship store to collect data of its outcomes. Ezra should make the investments in stages. For example, the current Pads used for ordering are inconvenient.They should be replaced with convenient equipment such as the PC's. In addition, the Pads and POS are not connected. In order to improve the networking capabilities at each store, Ezra should switch from modem-based network to a broadband-based network. This will allow them to stay connected with the other stores as well as with the headquarters. POS terminals that operates on the outdated DOS system needs to be updated with a more modern and compatible operating system. As a result POS should have the customer based functionalities that will scored sales, returns, exchanges, etc.POS system should also handle functions such as inventory control, purchasing, and receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations. After the final stages, I strongly recommend to run the old and the new systems side by side, until the new system is operating smoothly. Finally, Ezra should use the internet to make online sales, and take advantage of the social media to promote itself. This can enhance their operations and ultimately increase revenue. Also, it will give them more competitive edge with the new competitors and the existing competitors.