Philosophy Of Aesthetics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Philosophy Of Aesthetics - Article Example To some, aesthetics is thought to be a study of critical language, or criticism of works of art. In critiquing works of art, it is suggested that a better question than 'Is it Art' would be 'Is it important' or 'Does it matter' (Burke, et al. 1993). According to An Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "criticism, and aesthetics, involve a sort of arduous thinking that isn't usually asked of people, and is produced normally only by artists . . .". The values irrevocably linked to works of art, as well as the choices that have to be made (Burke, et al. 1993) help us to understand how works of art travel through time to reach our eyes and ears. Understanding the values creates more understanding about the choices that have been made in the art's history. A painting by Rembrandt may be set aside or even discarded if it doesn't measure up to the values of the artist's body of work, or the times in which they are shown. Once that choice is made, the history of the artwork changes completely. Values are also about the 'norms', implied or not, of the art world. As in any part of human endeavor, trying to achieve the norm, the standard, often becomes only successful in achieving mediocrity. Values are the guidelines that great works of art must step outside to achieve greatness. ... History has watched art that has found great popularity and success become invisible when it becomes the 'norm' or is standardized. It becomes wallpaper. So what makes art last Is it beauty What is beauty In Webster's dictionary, aesthetic is defined as an appreciation of beauty. It is the only definition of aesthetic. In philosophy, aesthetic has no definition, only description., many descriptions. As for beauty, it is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. But this does not stop critics from deciding what is beautiful and what is not, which helps some to feel the security of those boundaries, while infuriating others who are imprisoned by them. For who hasn't stood at a window on a gray, rainy day and appreciated the dim, dreary landscape as beautiful in its way Yet there are many who will look out the window and simply say, "I don't like rain." Interpretation of art is different from evaluation, critique and judgements. Interpretation involves explanations of things that are not obvious to the viewer, or listener. Evaluation is more objective and might be thought of as having more to do with the actual piece of art and its explicit components. Critique and judgements are the defining remarks that are based on many factors, which include interpretation, evaluation, personal taste, historical reference, and many others. A tertiary conversation within the realm of aesthetic philosophy is the question 'Is Art Dead', Rosenstein (2002) puts forward the idea that not art but art theory is dead. The pallbearer has been brought to the art scene many times before and been disappointed to find it still breathing. Art is not dead but there are eras that are so lacking in originality that they

Calculate the ratios for Ace Limited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Calculate the ratios for Ace Limited - Essay Example Earnings per share ratio have been calculated to determine the ability of company to generate earning on each share outstanding. Since the company does not have any preferred shares therefore, all earnings have been generated on outstanding shares. The earning per share is $0.223 which means that company has generated $0.223 on each share outstanding. It shows the profitability of Ace limited because the company has been able to generate positive earnings for its shareholders. In order to determine how Ace Limited is leveraging its debt against the capital employed by the shareholders, this ratio has been calculated. The ratio shows that debt of the company is 0.0763 times of shareholders equity. In other words, Ace Limited has $0.0763 of debt and $1 in equity to meet its obligations. It means that the capital structure of the company primarily comes from the capital employed by shareholders and company is very less dependent on debt. The interest coverage ratio has been calculated to show the ability of the company to cover its interest expenses on outstanding debt. The value of the interest ratio is 254.3, which has been calculated by dividing the earnings before interest and tax with interest expense or finance cost. The higher ratio shows that Ace Limited does not have any debt burden and company is efficiently managing its debt expense. The major reason of this coverage is the profitability of the company and less dependence on debt. Based on the above calculated ratios, it can be concluded that Ace Limited is a profitable company and the capital of the company primarily comes from the capital shared by owners. The company is less dependent on loans and debts, which has helped the company to keep its interests expense low. The company has generated $0.223 per share outstanding this year and paid out the dividend of $2 on each share outstanding. Therefore, Ace Limited is a profitable company

Teaching and Learning Approach Essay Example for Free

Teaching and Learning Approach Essay Every learner has their own strengths and weaknesses that are reflect in the group. As a Teacher I must understand and focus on utilizing each learners strengths and work to improve on their weaknesses. All learners learn in a different ways and also from one another. The ideas and views of each learner brings to the classroom can bring insight into what is being learned. The classroom is a safe zone that appreciates individuals’ views and allows room for mistakes. Learners have to be allowed to explore new ideas, try them to see if they work, and sometimes fail. When learners are encouraged to explore, they begin to learn. Being a teacher means teaching students new information, drawing on their experiences and about being successful in life. â€Å"A session plan is a detailed breakdown of your scheme of work. It will outline all the teaching and learning activities, with allocated timings, assessment activities and resources required. It will also take into account the individual requirements of your students.† (Gravells, 5th Edition, p.63) A learner can have several different ways of learning style depending on the situation and task, a students learning style for on task may not be the same for a topic, subject or task. If a difference between the students learning style and a teachers teaching style occurs, this could lead to boredom, frustration at not understanding, low self-esteem (both learners and teachers), poor grades and dropouts. It is important to include a range of different teaching styles into the lessons, to help all students learn more successfully. To meet learners’ different needs a variety of interactive teaching and learning approaches need to be employed. Active learning engages and motivates learners to learn and achieve Good statement. There are hundreds of teaching and learning methods to choose from when deciding on the method to use for a particular class. Skills are needed in identifying and classifying those methods that could be of use to the individual teacher and students and in a evaluating the outcome achieved. I would plan my lessons, embedding the driver’s handbooks (PCV/HGV) and Highway Code and various driver’s rules and regulations: (embedding them within the learning). There are various factors that will limit the way people use the information effectively. I would also draw on the learners experiences as a useful tool as periodic training is about, Revision of what you know, Updating with changes and Sharing information between drivers. The goal of teaching is to develop proper and positive attitudes towards driving needs and to prompt lifelong skill. There are many learning styles and I used Affective Learning style, (Activities are designed so students are able to develop skills that will allow them to gain the full understanding of developing their skills and responsible behaviours), Allowing students to have a chance to participate having students understanding that they are allowed to try, fail, and then try again this will help them understand they cant be perfect every time they do something. Positive help from the teacher will keep the learner focused on the goal of developing their skills. Promote the use of working together in completing a task or goal. Using peer instruction where students teach each other and provide accurate and helpful feedback. (http://cstiles5.tripod.com/id6.html) With active learning is the time-spent teaching an understanding and development of the learner’s skills and the abilities of the individuals. I used group discussions, multiple questions. This would help to improve learner’s skills and there understanding road safety. At the end I gave out hand-outs to my learner to help them remember the main points of the session. At the end of session my peers complete a feedback so I can evaluate the session and complete reflective journal as how this session went.

A business analysis project for Amazon.com

A business analysis project for Amazon.com INTRODUCTION Business analysis, a process of finding the needs and problems in business and generating solutions to cater to those problems. These Solutions should focus to achieve improvements in the process, incorporation of organisational change, planning and development to set a system of operation that is result oriented and effective. There are numerous tools and techniques used depending on the situation and requirement; few are PESTEL, PORTERs model, SWOT analysis, HEPTALYSIS, MOST, CATWOE, DeBonos six thinking hats, MoSCoW, five whys, VPEC-T and more; however only few of the above tools are used, very frequently in critical analysis at the initial stages. ABSTRACT In this case we analyze as how Amazon.com has been performing off late, using the tools mentioned above. The advantages and disadvantages Amazon.com has over their competitors, where they have been lagging, their financial performance and strategic approach. Critical analysis will be done on their business environment and strategic approach to highlight any possible shortfalls and to provide with appropriate recommendations for improvements. Internal and external analysis will be undertaken to determine their marketing strategy, their response to global e-retailing industry. COMPANY PROFILE Amazon.com based in Washington and found by Jeff Bezos in 1994 is global leader in e-commerce and it was the first company to introduce the concept of selling goods on the Internet. Initially Amazon.com started as an online bookstore and its success led Amazon to diversify into other products such as gifts, music, electronics, groceries, toys and many more. Probably today there is no product that Amazon.com doesnt sell. Amazon.com has developed different internet portal sites for different countries such as Canada, UK, Germany, France, China and Japan. Amazon.com was named after worlds largest river Amazon and was assigned with a logo of an arrow starting from A to Z representing the customer satisfaction as the highest priority and fill their store houses with every product in the alphabet. Amazon.com was open for trading under NASDAQ with a symbol AMZN for the first time on 15 may, 1997 by issuing initial public offering at a price of US $ 18/share. Amazon.com in its early stages was not very successful and did not produce any profits, which made investors rethink about their portfolio, major business and process restructuring was required; they had to cut down their costs to increase the profits and were tied up from diversifying into more products, however Amazon.com survived the dot com bubble in 2000 which was the core reason for many e- businesses to close down and this was the turning point for Amazon.com after which they finally in the fourth quarter, 2001 they made their first profit which generated revenues of more than a billion$ and $ 5million profits in just 1 quarter. This led Amazon.com to prove to the world that their business model was profitable and also they popularized online shopping which was recognized by time magazine and awarded Jeff as the business person of the year. 1.3. MISSION VISION STATEMENTS Amazon.com vision: Our vision is to be earths most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online. (Amazon.com, 2010) Above statement reflects that amazon.com wants to be global leader in e-retailing business by providing the quality products at affordable price using latest technology to build the customer database and gain their loyalty towards the brand; thereby catering to the stakeholders interests and generating profits to the company. Expand themselves all over and build a virtual market place where customers can shop comfortably from at home. ANALYSIS 2.1. EXERNAL ANALYSIS The external environment also referred to as the macro-environment, plays a very important role in the operations of any business. Key environmental factors such as political, economical, social, technological, legal, etc. affect the organisations at various levels. It has become the need of the hour to consider the potential impact of the external factors on the individual organisations. (Johnson et al, 2006). 2.1.1 PESTEL analysis PESTEL analysis is conducted to determine current and future trends in political, economical, social, legal, environmental and technological environments, might influence the performance of business and what measures to be taken to avoid any shortfalls. PESTEL Factors Key Points Relevance to Amazon.com Political Government policies incorporate competition and promotion by liberalizing telecom and e-commerce legislation Increase in affordability and internet usage. Investing in national ICT infrastructures by government (Euro monitor) Reliable, faster and better internet usage for the national users. Relaxation of competition policies in industry as compared to heavy industries in EU and North American regions Expansion of markets at greater a pace by mergers and acquisitions. Economic To control inflation, interest rates varied which slows down the consumer spending in UK. Off late spending has seen a downfall in US and rise in Asian markets due to economic growth; main reason being the credit crunch and tightening the housing loan (The Times online, 2008) Opens the gates to other global markets to such as India and china. Between 2006 and 2011 e-retailing grows tremendously by rising sales over 100%. This growth is backed by increase in the number of internet users in US, which has increased approximately by 85% after 2000. (Euromonitor International from national statistics) Increase in potential customers for Amazon.com The annual disposable income exceeds US$5,000. by 2011 covering around 620 million households; of these majority will be in Asia- Pacific next to western Europe. (Euro monitor International from national statistics) Increase in potential customers for Amazon.com leading to the concept of globalization. Social Popularity and increased use of online social networking. Added advantage to market the product and the website Interface available for users to shop and the increase in number of products lead to drop in online shopping. Has to come up with a solution to reduce the security and financial risks to users. Growth of internet from 2002 to 2011 is 288.7%. 28.9% of world population use the internet (Internet World Stats, 2009) Huge market available to exploit and establish. Technological Innovation of latest technologies increased broadcasting, internet access at cheaper cost. Increase in number of users of technical devices such as mobile, iPods, TV, led for increase in internet access for online shopping. Innovations and development of high-speed internet services (broadband) has increased usage rich media applications. Rich media applications are easily available to shoppers on internet. Environmental Awareness about pollution and global warming. Reduced travel and more shopping online. Corporate social responsibility and global pressure to go green. Can incorporate concept of green within postage and packaging, methods. Legal No standard regulations governing e-retailing covering entire globe. Eg. Federal trade commission in USA and data protection act in UK. Should be well aware of both domestic and international legal laws. European E-retailing directive Could impact the cross continental growth of e-retailing considering strict regulations (Jacobson, 2008 as cited in Zugelder et al, 1999). The invention of electronic signatures Law. Removes traditional legal methodologies and instate more secure and transparent legal environment. Summary of PESTEL PESTEL factors indicate attractive global market to be exploited by Amazon.com. Asian markets have reflected tremendous growth opportunities in recent past. Advancement and usage of internet for social networking has led to new opportunities to be exploited. Amazon.com should support environment friendly actions as increased importance is been given to environment these days, also to be a true global company Amazon.com has to incorporate single global strategy which involves legalities common to all of the globe. 2.1.2 Industry competitor analysis (PORTERs Model) For any organisation the industry and competitor analysis is important as it comes handy for businesses to understand the competitive forces, market status, factors influencing, competitive strategic implementations. Porters Five Forces analysis is used to assess the attractiveness of different industries, and therefore, it can help in illustrating the sources of competition in a particular industry (Johnson et al, 2006). Porters five forces High Low Power of suppliers Suppliers retain the control as few brands and special products increase the cost down the network. For example Harry Potter books are exclusive from publisher which is an advantage for Amazon.com E- Retailing sets a stage and makes it much easier for businesses to sell products directly to consumers without any third party in-between. Power of suppliers rise if the control of certain type of products rests with one supplier than fragmented. Products available easily pose low power to suppliers and they have to act to a mower margin. Wider the market, wider is the scope for suppliers thereby increasing number of suppliers. Power of buyer Increased market competition has increased the power of buyers. Increase in number of online stores and comparison sites makes e-retailing business even more difficult. Threat of new entrants Initial capital required for such a business is very low as it doesnt involve any inventory and storage costs and will only need to implement technology Strong brand image incorporates good customer relations and trust. Since the competition is very tight the suppliers who emphasize on economies of scale and consider business turnover over profits make more business and profits in the long run Leaders in the online retail industry hold the advantage of customer loyalty and database while giving edge over the cost. Threat of Substitutes Latest marketing factors such as feel, touch, hear physical stores; makes an effect. One of the major threats to Amazon.com is online rentals instead of purchase as posed by texbookflix.com, bookrenter.com which reduces cost and pile of trash to a major extent. Internet is a global marketplace where consumers can get information and products which are much better in quality and from overseas online for no or very little cost. E-libraries, $ and pound shops mark greater threat nowadays. Mail orders, network marketing, catalogues although not very popular and effective yet pose threat to online buying Competitive Rivalry Search engine plays a major role at the consumer end for it acts as interface between seller and buyer which generates opportunities and PR to other e-retailers. Due to low initial investment costs there are a numerous affiliate online stores which are smaller still increase the competition. Summary of key findings from Porters Five Forces The competition in e-retailing industry is intense. There are number of small organizations adding frequently making the situation even worse. Main competitors to Amazon.com are BN and E-bay. The threat posed by small players and new entrants who can equally compete directly with Amazon.com is very low. When consumers consider prices of goods they also consider brand image and if they are reliable, most of customers expect quality service than just quantity and lower priced service. 2.1.3 Competitor analysis / Benchmarking Amazon.com has a wide product range and equally wide number of websites that compete with Amazon.com. Most of the e-retailers concentrate on introducing variety of products in the current available market or entering the new markets across the globe or both in order to maintain economies of scale which helps catch up with the pace of e-commerce industry. If we consider how diversified the product line is and the geographical markets catered, eBay poses direct competition to Amazon.com. However Amazon.com is the market leader in current trend and they have immediate urgency to expand both their product line and geographical reach to remain as leaders. As we can notice in the above graph, in 2006 Amazon.coms growth rate as compared to that of walmart was very low because walmart was a strong brand by then and had advantages of cross channel synergies and in-store pick up. In 2007 we observe the amazon getting closer to walmarts growth rateas they diversified into products such as music, cds, dvds, mp3 players and more; due to increased competition from these players walmart has been losing its market share continuously and however once can see that by 2008 Amazon.com is almost overtaken the walmart by providing with various offers such as free delivery and customer reviews. (Source: Data monitor) The above table shows position of Amazon.com but they are more diversified into the product line and geographically well spread. Companies like apple, hp, and dell do online retailing only for focussed group of products. However store based companies grew very strongly in 2008, but due to economical, hit not too many companies was able to survive. Amazon.com did by lowering delivery charges and provided with best offers. They also introduced ad-free TV and own download service and film streaming service in 2008 to outplay all of their competitors. Through competitor analysis it can be concluded that BN.com is the leading competitor to Amazon in lifestyle goods and books. However, Amazon has a diversified product range. Wal-Mart.com has almost similar prices as compared to Amazon but they have better product range such as pharmacy, photo printing and etc. Ebay.com also has a wider product range and better geographical reach but their concept is different to Amazon.com More competitive threat posed by Tesco, Wal-Mart as they have physical stores and eBay has better geographical reach, but however Amazon.com has option to develop the strategic alliances as they did in Japan with Lawson to capture the market. Amazon.com has to design its strategies to address these competitive threats. 2.1.4 Global internet trends Internet Usage: china, US, Germany, India, Brazil, Japan are amongst the top 5 countries where internet is used the most; Amazon.com has made its impact in all the above countries except for India. This implies and directs Amazon.com to exploit hidden opportunity in Asian market and huge business potential for future. Graph below shows the popularity of internet in the 21st century, which indicates the future of e-commerce as trends keep changing. C:UsersWELCOMEDesktoptop202010.jpeg (Source: Worldinternetstats.com) The graph below shows the dominance of Amazon.com sector wise. The balloon shows of all the business done by amazon.com majority has been in internet retailing; direct selling, vending and home shopping is almost void. This reflects the influence of internet on the business of Amazon.com. It is also seen below emerging markets and present markets where currently Amazon.com has its presence. Of all the retail sales value Amazon.com holds a very small share but then future trends look brighter as the CAGR expected is highest in India by 2011. This lays a pathway to Amazon.com as to establish themselves without any delay in India. (Source: Data monitor) (Source: Data monitor) 2.2. INTERNAL ANALYSIS Internal analysis can be conducted to determine relationship between the organizations available resources and its application to generate value proposition to the customer, it can also be used to determine the limitations, advantages and disadvantages within the organizations. 2.2.1 The Value Chain The value chain analysis helps determining the effectiveness of actions that makes organizations standout from their competitors and take a lead; i.e. activities that are difficult to duplicate. Applying the framework laid by Amit and Zott (2001) analytical objective of value chain is attaining of transaction cost economies value creation. Amazon.com focuses on reducing the costs in creating unique value to its customers. Support Activities Value creation Firm Infrastructure All of the business units are provided with central customer data warehouse; and planning functions from headquarters. Human Resource Management Amazon.com employees enjoy benefits such as stock grants, relocation allowances, paid Time off medical. Such an approach invites warehouses to be in cheaper locations yet attract skilled labour. Technology Development Amazon.com implements latest technology to leverage opportunities in digital sales such as videos, music, eBooks (The Economist, August 2006) Being able to digitize media for online download or for Search inside the book service. Usage of hardware systems to reduce cost of maintenance and compatibility Procurement Using the SBU-Book bank to maintain inventory of digital copies of books so as to make it available readily for customers on-demand and reduce time of delivery (The Economist, August 2008). Usage of recyclable cardboards for packaging. Primary Activities Inbound logistics Robust forecasting technology ensures no or very returns of goods to suppliers. Collection of customer feedback and experiences to defragment inventory and delivery controls. Operations Secure and fast online payment systems. Employ 24/7 warehouse services to meet consumer demands. Outbound logistics Built in close proximity of a robust transport system e.g. Bedfordshire fulfillment centre located next to M1. Ability to collate orders from around same locations. Marketing Sales Live customer interaction to offer suitable products at discounted prices and product mix, leaving customer feel more valued. Robust shipping price calculation and shipping all the products for the price of one. Service Free consumer friendly returns policy within 30 days on unsatisfaction, inviting consumers to try more new products. Provision to select between old and new products with price comparison 2.2.2 Financial analysis In Q4 2009, Amazon reported 42%, $9.52b rise in sales as compared to worldwide sales of previous year which was $24.51b, a mere 28% rise under the economic pressure; they also benefitted from the investments into customer services in Q3; however rise in their revenues all over the world doesnt imply high profit margins. As compared to the consistent rise in sales, the profits have been fluctuating, however their margins are very low as compared to the turnover, reason being the economies of scale and competition. (Source: GMID) Amazon.com did see a drastic rise in number of active customers in latter half of 2009, in the final quarter the average revenue/ customer rise more than $90, a mere 63% hike as compared to previous quarters. However rise in sales and number of active customers also rise their expenses significantly except for technology costs. $274m, 84% more as compared to previous quarter was spent on marketing activities. They invested money on paid search engine marketing, search engine optimization and content development. Also they entered into price war with their competitors to tie-up consumers by reducing their prices of electronic goods persuading consumers to buy from them which raised the revenues and number of customers. Amazon Global Revenue and Active Customers 2009 (www.365daysofretail.com) Amazon 2009 Expenses: Fulfillment, Technology, and Marketing (www.365daysofretail.com) Below shows a summary of balance sheet and income statements for 10 years, as we can observe amazon.com has been adding value to its stakeholders year on year where EPS has rised to 2.04 from 1.49 previous year. Amazon.com has been very consistent ear on tear however between 2005-2006 their EBIT dropped because they had high budget on marketing and investment in systems which allowed them to stay ahead of competitors. C:UsersWELCOMEDesktop11.bmp C:UsersWELCOMEDesktop12.bmp (www.msnfinance.com) Debt, Capital and gearing ratio indicates the ratio of debt to capital invested. 82% of the finance was from borrowing in 2005 which reduced to 68% in 2006 and has further reduced dramatically. Debts lead to the interest payments decreasing the profit margin, however if the cost of debt is less than capital cost then one can opt for debt, but Amazon has been continuously reducing their debt cost year o year and is just $109m in 2009. New projects has to be financed which emphasizes amazon.com to borrow, this can be justified by the data where interest cover has increased regularly concluding amazon.com ability to pay interest by 33.1 times is profitable. Amazon has huge financial reserves and can used for innovative research and development programs and technological implementations where they can incorporate single global strategy and also penetrate more geographic markets to create value to the stakeholders and customers. 2.3 SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS 2.3.1 SWOT analysis From a detailed Internal and external analysis we can conclude and summarize the Amazon.com strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities from the following SWOT analysis. Strengths Globally recognised brand Research and development programmes Geographical presence Customer focussed vision Diversified product line Incorporation of latest technology Amazon.com affiliate and merchant Program Highly skilled employee base Best inventory and logistics. Huge economies of scale Weaknesses No physical stores Lower profit margin due to high competition Low cash flows Lower market share in countries like India and china. Opportunities Tremendous growth in digital downloads Popularity of social networking Increase of online shoppers in Asian markets Open options for expansion via MA. Increase in e sales and growth of e-retailing Advancement of digital technology Rise in consumer spending across the globe Threats Vastly dependent on vendors Huge competition as it requires low capital Applicable Patent regulations. Piracy Concentrated business vision. CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 CONCLUSIONS Analysis tool Key point Strategic essence PESTEL Rise in number of internet users. High priority to environmental issues Various government policies aiding now than before. Rise in internet usage opens new markets like china and India. Environmental issues can be utilized to advantage by incorporating proper CSR. Legal and government policies usually are havoc. Porters 5 forces Rise in competition levels taking into consideration the porters five forces. Amazon.com has the competitive advantage and the value proposition. Competition Competition from new entrants and stores are growing at a very high pace and geographically. Amazon.com strategy and diversified business focus leading to innovation should be implemented. Future internet trends USA, China, Japan, Germany, Brazil and India are the top internet users between 2006-2011. Amazon.com has a presence in all these countries except in India. The value chain Amazon.com is equipped with global IT, high investments in technology and systematic logistics with a centralized management. This stands out Amazon.com from other players in the market hence they should hold the competitive advantage of brand image. Resource Based View Biggest asset of Amazon.com is customer base, web personalization and value proposition they offer to their customer. Utilize the available resources, technology and global strategic reach to outplay competitors. Financial Analysis Rise in revenue every year and %CAGR growth has not led to high profits. Manage costs, resources and economies of scale more effectively to generate more profits 3.2 RECOMMENDATIONS Long-term focus Internet retailing presents a challenge to traditional retailing to see increased investments from store based retailers such as wal-mart making it more crucial for amazon.com to maintain a long term vision and invest in innovation, customer experience, diversified product range in spite of profit maximization expectations. Exploit New Markets Amazon.com should consider entering into more new markets especially Asian where the buying power, standard of living and the demand has rised dramatically over past few years as global economic changes take place. Downloads Expansion Amazons core business in future will be digital downloads, although they were latecomer in the field of film, music, TV downloads they have to cater to the demand in a highly competitive market along with their diversified product line. Also they have to concentrate on eBooks media division. Sensitivity to changing variables It is very important for amazon.com to be sensitive to the minor particulars such as changing trends, tastes, preferences of consumers from time to time as the purchasing power and changing lifestyles generate more demand leaving companies like Amazon.com to respond hence such a market research and imagination will be an advantage. Build selling opportunities Amazon.com should seek ways to sell products to customers with less havoc, instantly and securely as they did in text message selling without internet. In order to achieve this they need to have high end technical skills. Recently released kindle can also be used as a tool to increase the download sales.

Free Gullivers Travels Essays: Hypocrisy in Government Exposed :: Gullivers Travels Essays

Free Gulliver's Travels Essays - Hypocrisy in Government Exposed Corruption of political systems in one of the primary themes in Gulliver's Travels. This corruption is a result of selfishness as well as the inability to see things from any other perspective rather than one’s own. The first voyage of Gulliver takes him to the isle of Lilliput. There, he must play to a petty and ineffectual government. Swift uses several devices to highlight the Lilliputian stupidity. First, they are physically agile and graceful in comparison to Gulliver, who is portrayed as cumbersome and brutish. When I found myself on my Feet, I looked about me, and must confess I never beheld a more entertaining Prospect. The Country round appeared like a continued Garden, and the inclosed Fields, which were generally Forty Foot square, resembled so many Beds of flowers. These Fields were intermingled with Woods of half a Stang, and the tallest Trees, as I could judge, appeared to be seven Foot high. I viewed the Town on my left Hand, which looked like the painted Scene of a City in a Theatre. This passage is quickly followed by one expressing Gulliver's needs to "disburdenth" himself: I had been for some Hours extremely pressed by the Necessities of Nature; which was no Wonder, it being almost two Days since I had last disburthened myself. I was under great Difficulties between Urgency and Shame. The best Expedient I could think on, was to creep into my House, which I accordingly did; and shutting the Gate after me, I went as far as the Length of my Chain would suffer, and discharged my Body of that uneasy Load. By setting up this contrast (it is interesting to point out that this is the only time that Swift makes any reference to Gulliver's "needs") the reader begins to expect the Lilliput to have a higher form of society. When, later in the book (that is the first book of four), the Lilliputians show their true selfish nature it is more of a surprise to the reader because of the great buildup. The very fact that this book is put into an adventure format is to lull the reader into believing Gulliver... of course, because Gulliver is Gullible this takes the reader straight to insanity at the end. Swift challenges the reader to make their own decision by taking them from right to wrong and asking them to, at some point, begin disagreeing with Gulliver.

The Musician :: essays research papers

The Musician There are many styles of music and many various ways in which to enjoy them. This is only rivaled by the number of people on the planet that have invented them. Through out history the various evolutions of traditions have used music as part of their cultures, ceremonies, and religions. However, one thing has always been unique to all of these things - the musicians themselves - the ones making the music. These unsung misfits have endured time and are the common thread throughout history that has taken the time to ponder this wonderful realm. The thinkers that have invested much of their lives to inventing and reinventing the muse. Many people listen to music in many different ways. They create a style or listening pattern that brings out the most enjoyment for them. However, just being a listener of music only scratches the surface of the music enjoyment experience. There lies another layer or ‘dimension’ if you will underneath. This dimension is reserved for the one who receives ‘the spirit thought to inspires poets’. The musician creates as well as listens. He will ponder the music with a deeper appreciation, more feeling, and all done for the love of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Musicians are born just like anyone, but somewhere they notice something happening in their heads, like an inner orchestra that begins to play. It begins with one or more instruments, ringing distinctly and clearly inside their ‘third ears’. With time, this develops into a need to express that what is being played in their heads outside their heads. They become a player. Thus begins the road of learning to express, on a ‘physical device’ all the wonderful sounds and melodies they have invented and have yet to invent still in their heads. The ear begins to develop a different way of listening. It becomes able to separate the sounds of various instruments and various melodies very precisely. The more the individual practices the better this gift becomes. Otherwise, frustration may set-in when the music inside, cannot be reproduced ‘physically’ on the outside.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mozart could hear entire symphonies playing in his head with the ability to write down every note with out ever picking up or hearing an instrument.

Pros and Cons of Attending School Online or on Campus

My Pros and Cons of Attending College Online or On Campus Lavesha Dailey Eng 121 Elizabeth Hoyle July 10 ,2011 Throughout America people often tend to compare things. Some of the things that are being compared are more important to some peoples than the other. I love to compared thing like online schools or on campus schools. These two schools are often compared by the time consuming, less work and may even by the time being able to spend at home. But first the most important thing about these two schools would first be the time consuming. Time consuming is very important when going to school. Going to school online you don't have to work about getting up and getting dress or even finding something to wear. You can simply go to school in your pjs because you are in the privacy of your own home. And you don't even have to worry about being late for class. But on the other hand when attending an on campus college you have worry about all types of things like to get up and get ready for school and also worrying about things such as finding something to wear, combing your hair or making sure that you are on time for school before getting count absent. In other words going to school on campus really takes more effort and time then just simply just going to school online. But another way going to school online is better than going on campus is that there seems to be less work in class to do. Ok, I have notice a lot of things about going to school online and going to school on campus. I personally prefer going to school online mostly because there is less work to be done. I remember when I use to attend Alabama Southern Community College, I was always pack with more things then I can handle. I would start my day off by getting up, finding clothes, combing my hair, showering ect†¦ Then after that I would have to go gas up my car because it was costing me twenty dollars a day to drive to school from where I lived. Gas is another factor when attending an campus college because it can get to be really expensive. But when attending I would always have a lot of books for different classes that I was taking. And when you are a full time student in school you have to have at least twelve credits or more so that like three to four or more classes a week in order to get all of your credits. Even after all of this homework tend to be giving in some of the classes. Also tests in different classes on the same day are giving too. When on the other hand I notice now that I am currently attending Ashford University Online, I have one class and I am consider to be full time. The school work is aslo spaced out and I am not all giving piles of work at one time and only one test is given a week instead of a lot of test in different classes at one time. But the best thing of all about college online is being able to spend time at home. Being able to spend time at home is the important factor about attending school online. In fact this is one of the main reason for a lot of people not finishing college. Most people when are ask while they are not in school or still attending school they tend to say that they can't find the to or If they have kids they say that they don't have anyone to keep them. Well this is all true and by attending a college on campus this is bad process to worry about but by attending college online you don't have to worry about any of these things because you can do your online course any where, as long as you have your laptop or a desktop computer and internet service. You can also take your kids along where ever you go. When on the other hand when you attend college on campus you have different times to be in a class and you can't bring your kids, that means than know you would have to worry about finding someone to keep the kid and that also going to cost extra money. In other words no matter what people seems to compare in life everything is going to have there own pros and cons. Even if it something you like or dislike. But whatever you compare just make sure the answer you come up with is something you are sure to enjoy.