Marketing plan †Huawei Essay

This marketing plan is specially measured to the company Huawei. Huawei is an international company which produces devices for telecommunication, with their phones being the most important product. Their vision is to deliver electronic communicating solutions to make the life of their consumers better. This marketing plan is requested by Huawei to find a way to accelerate the sales of Huawei’s phones internationally, with a targeted 10% raise in market share in Europe. In this report the proposition of the marketing plan can be found, with specific data about the different subjects and explanation of a market winning approach. We will start by analysing the company and the environment, to define the SWOT of the organization. Afterwards we will introduce these conclusions into a matrix where it will be visible what the company’s best aspects are. Then we will choose strategic options and further instruct on the matter. Next, we will create a mix of strategic marketing as pects that will further help to develop the importance on how and where to place the advertisements and stores and so on. Finally, a financial analysis will be done in order to predict the costs Huawei is going to make on this venture, and whether or not their new mission seems feasible. This report has been created by Quirijn, Ruben, Robbert, Amine and Erim. Management summary This marketing plan gives answers to the question whether it is feasible for Huawei to increase brand awareness in Europe by launching a market campaign and to increase market share with 10% within 4 years. The research phase had various angles. Based on micro, macro and meso level some interesting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are revealed. The most important ones are: (Strength )Huawei has a great cost advantages in comparison with the competition. (Weakness) Inability to maintain high quality professional service and sales support in western markets (Opportunity) Huawei offers low priced phones, which can be very attractive for people affected by the financial crisis. (Threat) A lot of competition in the western markets. The internal analysis consist out of various models. The canvas model was created to analyse Huawei as a company. Within the BCG-matrix, Huawei’s smartphones are placed as a question mark. And the computed Abell matrix shows that Huawei targets students and the most important need is the price and the most important technologies are calling and texting, internet and connectivity. On external level a survey is conducted within this marketing plan. The most striking result is from the question; â€Å"Do you know Huawei?†. 53% of the surveyed audience was not aware of what Huawei is as a brand. Within the Meso level, Porter’s five forces is analysed. The most important findings are: The power of the customers is not particular strong. The threat of new entrants is not very impactful as Apple and Samsung are the undisputed leaders. If done right the power of substitutes can have an impact on the market. There is no threat in the power of the suppliers Huawei operates within a highly competitive market, the rivalry is massive. After doing research on 5 strategies, the best strategy proven is the low-cost strategy. The reason it is a perfect match for Huawei is because they are able, because of their cost-saving combined with their excellent financial situation, to sell their products for a lot less than the competition The BCG matrix is an analytical tool for companies to evaluate their business units and their business potential. With help from this matrix Huawei can create and adapt marketing strategies, product strategies and more, all to help the strategic management of a company. The BCG matrix connects a company’s market share with a company’s growth rate. The model is divided into four areas, the stars, dogs, cash cows and question marks. Huawei and its mobile phones are placed in the box of question marks. It’s put in this box because of the fact that the worldwide market share of Huawei’s mobile phone is relatively low, and the market growth rate, again worldwide, is relatively high, with expanding markets all over the world. Market leaders already have established and a lot of companies operate in this market, but because of the wide and depth of the mobile market there is still a lot of potential for Huawei. In the coming time they will find out if their question mark can become a star. Abell model The Abell model is a model for seeing in what kind of market a company operates. With segments, needs and technologies there is a quick overview of what a company or a product is about. The Abell matrix for smart phone Huawei Students, young starters and parents are the main segments that Huawei is targeting, excluding senior citizens and children. The most important needs are the price of the phone, together with its appearance and the quality. Convenience is important but not a main objective. The technologies specific to the phone are being able to call and text, having internet, and being able to connect all around the world. Interactive display and such, are also not the main objective. Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths 1. Huawei has very strong financial position. Being financial healthy means that they can investment and start new projects. 2. They have great cost advantages in comparison with the competition, this allows them to produce against low prices and have low production costs. 3. Because of these great cost advantages Huawei is able to sell products against relatively low prices. This gives them a huge competitive benefit 4. Huawei has high brand recognition and is rapidly increasing their brand awareness in their new markets, such as Europe, which gives them fast closure to the big brands. 5. Superior technologies enable Huawei to come with fast efficient solutions, and gives the whole company effective process. 6. Huawei has a very high customer loyalty. Customers are satisfied and keep their preference for the brand, which allows Huawei to focus more on finding new customers. 7. R&D is a very strong department within Huawei technologies, having R&D centres all over the world, to create products that are needed by every person all over the world. 8. Their market share in the African markets is very high and Huawei invests a lot here, which pays off with a high return rate. 9. Huawei has a broad range in products, which give them the beneficial ability to provide end-to-end solutions, keeping more customer processes inside Huawei. 10. They have a strong connection with the Chinese government, which helps them to maintain their number one position in China. Weaknesses 1. the supply chain of Huawei has a lot of flaws, with late and insufficient deliveries occurring. This is partly because of the high amount of products and the market penetration in the US and Europe. 2. the customer service is not what it should be, not dealing with customer complaints properly, mainly because there starting services in Europe and the lack of integration with supporting services. 3. Inability to maintain high quality professional services and sales support in Western markets. 4. Except for China, Huawei lacks the strong global physical presence that a company needs to establish itself as a true market leader. 5. contracts with the most important and biggest server providers are not optimal, which prevents an efficient integration between product and server. 6. Huawei excels at telecommunication, but does not have much experience in their new services, and does not have the same knowledge to overcome difficulties that some of their big competitors do. 7. The brand image of Huawei is mostly focused on their mobile process and selling, and customers are on a large scale unaware of the other practices of the company 8. employee satisfaction is high within Huawei, but a lot of complaints arise from workers that operate in Huawei’s supply chain, which has a negative effect on how ethical Huawei is. 9. Huawei still depends on their low-pricing strategy, and has no alternative selling strategy’s for their products. 10. Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government are a strength, but is at the same time a weakness, as it complicates creating relationships with other specific governments, such as the US. MESO analysis Meso SWOT Strength: R&D, patent ownership, growing their innovative and advanced technological products which have earned their global recognition Weaknesses: Lack in transparency and image of secrecy, worrying companies and governments who might otherwise trust the brand to protect valuable security information. Huawei has failed to understand the US legal system and market demands, as well as its image as a risk to national security which has resulted in its failed acquisitions. Opportunities: Continued innovations and technology advances. The continued growth and expansion of technology usage and literacy offer both brands unlimited growth opportunities, so long as they stay ahead of the competition though continued improvement. Threats: R&D takes time, if the competition provides solutions first, the brand will struggle to compete. Development in this industry is simply risky as the business relies upon continued growth of the internet and internet-based-systems. Merger and acquisitions ha ve no assurance and are inherently risky, particularly in this industry due to the advanced, high-technology companies with particularly high overhead and sunk costs. Global politics and exchange rates are also a threat to international trade as a whole. Porter’s five forces Now that Huawei is entering the European market there are certain things to take note of. Porter’s Five Forces helps us define which types of pressures could be present that have to be identified before entering a competitive market like the smartphone business Huawei is entering on a regional scale. Power of customers The power of customers in the particular market is not that strong. There isn’t a lot of influence into the product directly by the consumers. Whatever features are implemented into the product is similar to those of the competition, and is mostly influenced by the R&D departments. So the customers will mostly decide on preference of design or depending on the price that is being offered. Altogether there are not endless choices for the customers to choose between. This means that the customers simply don’t have the power to strongly influence the market by demanding critical changes from a product or brand. Power of new entrants The threat of new entrants is also not very impactful for the market Huawei is entering. This is especially due to the reason that it takes a certain brand awareness to convince a large number of the (potential) buyers into buying the new product they are bringing to the market. However, when this product is offering a whole range of new features or improvements that seem very attractive, this may threaten the existing products on the market, making them harder to promote against a superior product. But in almost any case it doesn’t seem feasible to go up against popular brands like Apple and Samsung. This means that, overall, new entrants aren’t expected to be a huge threat. Power of substitutes Huawei is financially very strong and strives for operational excellence in which they score relatively high already. This means that they are able to offer considerably low prices compared to competitive brands on the market. At the same time they are able to offer stylish designs and similar features to other brands. This means that Huawei is able to give consumers a choice that they will most likely not regret, but before they do so they are going to have to decide to trust Huawei into offering them a worthy product. The marketing campaign must show the difference Huawei is bringing to the market, and with that they have to convince the consumers of something worth buying. This will prove difficult however, due to the fact that a lot of people have already been convinced by the flashy designs of Apple for instance. The brand is already widely-known and both Apple and Samsung enjoy a great deal or the market share today. This means that eventually the power of substitutes is rather high at this point and probably the biggest problem on the board for Huawei. Power of suppliers The power of suppliers doesn’t have to be seen as a threat to Huawei. They are importing from their region of origin, namely South-East Asia. They enjoy low labor and production costs overall, which goes in combination with high efficiency meaning they are able to keep costs very low. There are many different suppliers for the raw materials that needed for the production process which also lowers the power of the suppliers. Rivalry Eventually the market proves to be a highly competitive one, especially if we start talking about Apple and Samsung who are highly involved in the mix. They are offering high quality products, one for relatively high and one for relatively low prices. They have similar features but some small differences, mostly in handling the device. It mostly comes down to the design of a smartphone, as almost all brands offer pretty much the same features. This means that the product with the strongest marketing campaign offering the flashiest design will most likely hit the jackpot and win the hearts of most customers which means that this is going to be very challenging for Huawei to compete against. So basically the market growth is rather high as technology development is an ongoing process and there are several key players in the market meaning that they are calling the shots. Huawei has to gain trust in potential customers and attract them by offering as flashy as the newest model Apple has brought to the market, and give it some extra features in order to make the difference.

Founder/Ceo

Wangoh Dynamics Technologies Network and Telecommunication Services and Solutions Memo To: The Government of Sierra Leone (West Africa) From: Saa E. Fillie-Founder/CEO and Network Engineer Date: March 20. 2013 Ref: The Cost Benefit of Virtualization Technology Many enterprising companies are looking for ways to better IT departments, improve business models and create lower operating costs. Until a few years ago, it seemed as if an all-encompassing solution to those problems has been taken care of by virtualization that is now a reliable, efficient and customizable solution to those business requests and more.Whether used to provide better customer service, to be more eco-friendly or to gain more company memory, the virtualization technology of today offer many benefits to enterprising companies all over the world, creating innovative solutions to work based problems on a daily basis. Virtualization has not only captured the business world by storm with its innovative and creative so lutions but it also offers proven advantages in several areas of industry, IT and service. Below is a list of a few of the advantages and solutions that virtualization technology can offer the enterprise around the globe.Virtual Desktops Many corporations and enterprises are looking to reduce their footprint and create more efficient operating systems. This can be done with one aspect of virtualization, virtual desktops. Virtual desktops have the ability to create more space within a desktop computer or on actual desk space through the use of software which expands a desktops environment beyond physical limits through virtualization. This can create a more eco-friendly environment with less computers using energy and lower operating costs as well as offering continuous transitions between multiple operating system.Enhanced System Security A fear of many enterprises considering virtualization in their business is that all the advantages of this technology will compromise the security of sensitive, private and legal company information. However, that is not the case; in fact virtualization in business provides enhanced security, making it more difficult for hackers to find key information. Unlike other security systems, virtualization has the ability to single out and trace requests.If a request seems fishy or unsuitable, virtualization security technologies will reroute hackers to another location, securing and keeping enterprising business information safe from harm. Better System Reliability Non-virtualized networks and systems are more prone to crashes and memory corruption due to software installments such as device drivers. Through virtualization, I/O resources can be isolated providing better security (see above,) reliability and even availability across devices for business purposes. Disaster RecoveryAlong the same lines as better system reliability, virtualization also provides enterprising businesses with better, faster and more secure disaster recover y. This is possible because this technology is able to take a virtual image or information and transfer it to another server in the instance that the original server may be crashing. This prevents information loss and provides a constant stream of secure and safe information. Space and Server Consolidation When an organization has a physical database, it can take up to ten machines to provide the same amount of workload to one virtual machine.This means that up to ten applications can be ran on a solitary virtual machine, consolidating physical space as well as server use, therefore saving energy usage, operating costs and server expenses. Scalability One advantage of virtualization technology is its unique ability to be scalable. What this means is that unlike purchasing X amount of computer memory or RAM for a company, the possibilities with virtualization are endless. The workload and space needed one month may change in the next and virtualization accommodates those changes by f luxuating to fit the needs of an enterprise at the time of use.This also saves on energy consumption and operating costs because virtualization service providers oft will only charge for what was used. Endless Memory and Accessibilities One aspect of scalability is virtualization’s advantage of seemingly endless memory. Enterprising businesses can take advantage of limitless memory to house business information, client details, invoices and financial records all in an accessible, crash protected and secure place. Virtualization is accessible anywhere there is an internet connection, allow for access to important company information anywhere in the world.This is great for traveling business owners, work from home employees or access away from work. This also allows companies to offer better customer service to clients because of the ease of access as well as the quick pull up of saved information stored in a limitless memory location. Many enterprising companies are looking fo r ways to better IT departments, improve business models and create lower operating costs, all of which can be accomplished with the modern marvel technology that is virtualization.Whether used to provide better customer service, to be more eco-friendly or to gain more company memory, the virtualization technology of today offer many benefits to enterprising companies all over the world, creating innovative solutions to work based problems on a daily basis. Return on Investment School of thoughts have argued in various platform about the huge capital investment return in virtualization, there are multiple factors which determine how to go about deciding what type of monitoring an Information Technology (IT) department should embark on.In order to properly evaluate a specific IT environment, one must first determine whether or not to virtualize. Virtualization can be stressed as a life saver for countless IT departments over the past few years. What first needs to be determined howev er, is if in fact an organization really needs to virtualize. Perhaps database, application servers, network services, etc don’t truly need to become virtualized, maybe they do. What we are trying to determine today is the Return on Investment (ROI) for virtualization.Technologist, Researchers and Students helps quantify virtualizing an IT infrastructure. If an organization is in the process of acquiring a new company (or being liquidated) and subsequently moving locations, they must first take a look in their server room*. If it is overcrowded, under powered or outdated, then yes†¦ virtualization is probably important. What everyone in the IT department wants to know then, is virtualization right for my organization and more importantly my department? [pic]The resources being saved on just power and hardware along are staggering. Keeping costs lower for the overall organization is obviously crucial, especially when it comes to things such as never having to redeploy app lication solutions*. This will save you time and subsequently money: no server hardware refreshing costs, limited annual server-related power costs*. The greater questions then arise, how much time will it take a department to make the complete switch? Will the ROI be worth the increased labor hours to become fluent with the virtualized world?What types of challenges will come about from the overall business perspective? |Reducing Infrastructure Costs Through Virtualization | | |   | | |Introduction | | |Nowadays, we live in uncertain times all around the world.When it comes to architecture | | |and design, we must think a lot more in costs—unlike in other times, when we used to think| | |first of the solution and then in costs. If we had a streamlined and defined return on | | |investment (ROI), only then did the project get the green light. Today, if we think about | |projects, it is necessary to have a precise budget and defined cost first before we can | | |start to t hink about the project. | | |Upon brief reflection of what IT architecture is, one finds that the model that the whole | | |world favors (because of costs and the evolution of technologies) is the virtualization | | |model.Ten years ago, it was all about decentralization—both in data centers and servers, | | |and in communication and desktops. When we thought of an application, we always tried to | | |have the layers of such an application as close to the client as possible; data centers, | | |databases, and e-mail servers were distributed all over. | |This situation was the result of being unable to face the huge cost of having hardware | | |equipment of multiple large capabilities (such as an eight-processor server and lots and | | |lots of RAM gigabytes) or having redundant point-to-point communication links with good | | |bandwidth—the cost of which only large companies could consider including in their | | |architecture.All of this encouraged a decentralized IT ad ministration model that required| | |specialists in the different platforms of each site. | | | | |   | | |The Original Model | | |Although this model worked for years, many things were not considered that today have | | |rendered this model not as efficient as was initially thought. | |[pic] | | | | | |Figure 1.Typical scheme | | |   | | |Taking as an example the analysis of a distributed application that was devised 10 years | | |ago, there was an architecture in which it was important to have the data near the client,| | |which led to the following scheme: | | |A database in the central office in which the information from the different sites, the | | |database from each site, the application server from each site, and the local applications| | |that were installed on each desktop were all consolidated. | | |A replication scheme among the databases was used for the distribution of information. | |This drove us to have database administration for each site, besides havi ng on each site | | |an infrastructure administrator who had thorough knowledge. | | |Initially, this had (as variables within the equation) high communication-link costs, | | |large servers that represented a very high cost, and operative systems that were neither | | |very solid nor rigid with regard to changes and also had little functionality—that is, | | |they offered very few functions or roles within the operative system. | |For many of the needs of the company, it was necessary to add software that could comply | | |with that functionality. In addition, in order to carry out the tiniest of changes, it was| | |necessary to set the server offline and have IT personnel who represented an average cost. | | |The variable that was not really considered was the updating and maintenance of the whole | | |structure, which at the time—due to the fact that technology did not evolve in the way | | |that it does today—was not such an important aspect. | |If we consid er basic accounting principles (which I have learned during recent years), one| | |should always see the IT personnel as an asset to the company, with both amortization time| | |(which is the time that it takes to shape the person, according to the culture and needs | | |of the company) and an updating cost (which is what must be invested to have a person | | |trained in the different technologies as they evolve). | | |Over time, all of this changed; the variables in this equation also changed, and the | | |updating and maintenance variable (which in many cases had not been taken into account) | | |started to gain more and more importance. | |This is the equation that we face nowadays: | | |Average to low communication-link costs (taking into account the virtual private network),| | |large servers with many RAM gigabytes at average to low cost, operative systems that had | | |hundreds of embedded and flexible options and lots of functionality (many things already | | |come solved an d embedded in the operative system, so that in general it is not necessary | | |to set the server offline to make these changes), average to high personnel costs, and | | |average to high updating and maintenance costs. | |Within the scheme that is encouraged today, many things must be considered; it is | | |necessary, therefore, to have the whole scheme in mind—not just a part of it—to avoid | | |making the same mistakes that we incurred in the past. | | |Nowadays, when uncertainty (crises, corporate mergers, acquisitions, and constant changes)| | |is all around, it is vital to work toward an environment that would basically support | | |constant dynamic changes. More than ever, it is necessary to think about platform and | | |application updating, growth, and corporate and budget contractions.This, of course, will| | |highly influence the model that is to be chosen, and that model (taking into account the | | |aforementioned equation) should be based mainly on the up dating and maintenance variable. | | |When we consider all of the preceding, we will see that the model that best fits is the | | |virtualization model applied to all of the possible levels, where all of the equation | | |variables are considered in order to determine feasibility and total cost of ownership | | |(TCO). | |There will be infinite virtualization scenarios—from choosing cloud computing in specific | | |services and virtualizing (or outsourcing) the whole or part of the IT department to using| | |virtualization for servers, applications, or desktops. | | |   | | |Server Virtualization | | |Today, there are many important players and technologies that have been widely tested, | | |such as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMWare.The hardware costs have gone considerably down: If | | |we were to compare four- to eight-processor equipment of the past to one today, it would | | |result in an important cost margin that would be an improvement, and it would be necessary| | |to a dd the progress that has been made in technologies and redundancy within equipment, | | |board, hot-plug memories, and so on. | | |Generally speaking, almost all the components of the server can be changed without having | | |to take the server offline.The same thing applies to operative systems. This means that | | |we can do away with the theory that was used in the past, according to which we used to | | |divide into different hardware pieces the different business applications. In addition to | | |this, the advantages of tolerance to failure in the virtualization schemes that are used | | |today make it possible to take a physical server offline without affecting the virtual | | |server that is running in that physical server.This, of course, means that from a simple | | |technical point of view, there is already a huge advantage in the use of server | | |virtualization. | | |From an architectural point of view, this allows us to respond to organizational changes | | |quickly. A bove all (and this is something to consider nowadays), this also enables us to | | |achieve substantial savings at the time of shaping a data center. There will also be | | |savings in the electrical bill, refrigeration costs, physical space, and hardware. | | |Moreover, deployment and disaster recovery will be much simpler. | |All of this will result in lower maintenance costs—whether we have our own IT department | | |in 100 percent administration of this platform or a virtualized environment of the IT | | |department (later, we will develop the IT department cost, as well as the options and the | | |reasons behind virtualizing it). This all leads to there not being almost any scenario in | | |which virtualization is not applied and which will not result in a much lower TCO. | |   | | |Desktop Virtualization | | |In this regard, it is also possible to find very well-developed and well-tested | | |technologies, such as Microsoft Terminal Server, Citrix, and so on. This k ind of | | |virtualization was previously thought about for remote points or links that had a | | |relatively small bandwidth.Nowadays, it is used as a method to reduce | | |desktop-administration expenses, because (thanks to this technology) it is possible | | |technically to have tolerance to failures, add it to the server-virtualization scheme, and| | |create a pool of servers. There is substantial reduction of the desktop-maintenance cost | | |and the cost of desktops themselves, because with equipment that has smaller hardware, it | | |is possible to run any kind of application and still have centralized control and | | |deployment of applications and security policies. | |   | | |Virtualization of the IT Department | | |In the past, there was a relatively low or not-so-significant IT department cost, compared| | |to the one nowadays. Today, there is a high IT department cost, and it is necessary to | | |consider the following variables: training in new technologies, trainin g in the company | | |environment, the cost of personnel search, and the time during which the search takes | | |place. All of this leads to the IT department not being able to respond with the speed | | |that the company needs. In ddition, we currently experience a high labor turnover, which | | |means that many times this process has to start again—which, of course, drives the cost | | |upwards. | | |If we consider all of these factors, especially the costs and the time that the search | | |involves, we will see that having a virtualized IT department results in a lower TCO and | | |in every possible advantage. With virtualization, all of these IT-department problems are | | |moved to an external company that is exclusively devoted to IT, particularly as it refers | | |to specialists in technology or in specific technologies.This would mean that there is no| | |point in having a specialist as part of the internal IT department. | | |   | | |Cloud Computing | | |Currentl y, there an infinite number of services are available on the Web, from e-mail | | |services (as has been the case for a very long time) to CRM, ERP, Document Managers, and | | |other services.This solution naturally offers a world of advantages: It is unnecessary to| | |have a specialist in this technology within our IT department, it is equally unnecessary | | |to maintain that technology from either the hardware or the software point of view, and | | |keeping security copies of the information is no longer required. Depending on the kind of| | |hired service and service-level agreement (SLA), it will be possible to have a redundant | | |and always-online service. In some cases, the cost for this kind of service can be | | |high—depending on both the number of users within our organization who require this | | |service and the characteristics of the service—and is worth considering. | |   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Example of Archit ecture | | |(Example based on a company with 500 employees. ) | | |[pic] | | | | | |Figure 2.Current architecture | | |   | | |As an example, we will use a virtualization architecture that uses such Microsoft | | |technologies as Hyper-V and Terminal Server. Number of servers: 15. | | |Typical structure of IT department: One manager, two IT administrators, one database | | |administrator (DBA), and five Help Desk employees. | | |Based on everything that was explained previously, we will take the best of each | | |virtualization technology to carry out a cost reduction. | |Server Virtualization | | |It will be possible to reduce approximately 15 noncritical servers into 4 physical servers| | |that will be able to support these 15 virtual servers. It will be necessary to carry out a| | |load analysis and distribute the servers and business applications correctly. Nowadays, | | |given the kind of roles of a typical company server, there are not many servers that have | | |a high p rocessing consumption; thus, it will be necessary to isolate these kinds of | | |servers, so that a resource competition conflict is not generated.It will also be | | |necessary to include (if we do not already have it) an external storage in which our | | |virtualization scheme will be stored (so that it is possible to work on it in a cluster) | | |and which will have tolerance to failure of all of the virtual equipment. All of this will| | |be possible by using Microsoft Windows Server 2008 64 bits and Hyper-V System Center | | |Virtual Machine Manager to carry out the P2V conversions. | |Cost Reduction | | |Within this example, it will be possible to reduce approximately 70 percent of the energy | | |consumption, as a result of less consumption on the part of the servers. In addition, | | |there will also be a reduction of approximately 70 percent in the refrigeration | | |consumption, as a result of the use of storage. | | |The licensing cost will also decrease (when we use Micr osoft licensing) very | | |substantially. The Microsoft licensing scheme is based on Table 1. In the table, we can | |see that by using Windows Server 2008 data-center server licensing, it will be possible to| | |obtain a reduction in licensing from 15 servers (which will be able to use different | | |versions of Windows Server 2008, depending on the processor and RAM needs) to only 4 (with| | |data-center or enterprise licenses). Depending on the versions of Microsoft Windows that | | |are used, in the least favorable scenario, we will achieve a reduction in cost of 50 | | |percent. | |Version of Windows Server 2008 host | | |Covered virtual servers | | | | | |Standard | | |1 | | | | | |Enterprise | | |4 | | | | | |Data center | | |Unlimited | | | | | |Table 1.Microsoft Licensing Scheme | | |   | | | | | | | | |Desktop Virtualization | | |Depending on the memory consumption of the applications, it will be possible to implement | | |approximately five virtual servers for Terminal Server— typically, in five physical | | |servers to cover 500 work positions.The main advantage of having virtualized servers is | | |that this will automatically commute to any other, in case of a failure in any physical | | |equipment. | | |In this way, we will be able to have a desktop with fewer resources, and it will be | | |possible to update the applications more rapidly, as with deployment, management of | | |printers, and any other desktop problem. In turn, this will also enable us to make the | | |desktop of the user available to remote or external users. | |Cost Reduction | | |If we consider, on the one hand, the cost of updating 500 desktops as a result of the | | |installation of some business application and, on the other hand, the purchase of five | | |32-GB RAM servers and two Quad Core processors each, we will obtain a cost reduction of | | |approximately 90 percent. | | |Virtualization of the IT Department | | |It is first necessary to analyze the c ritical and noncritical applications; it is | | |important also to analyze the IT labor market in the country in which it is applied. | | |Generally speaking, the advice that is given is to virtualize whatever is difficult to get| | |in the market and to have partial virtualization of the IT department.For this | | |example—and considering the current work market—we will opt to virtualize (for example) | | |only one IT administrator and one DBA; the Help Desk, one IT Administrator, and the IT | | |manager will continue to be physical. By having an SLA with external suppliers and a | | |framework work contract, it will be possible to increase rapidly the IT department or | | |change swiftly the scheme without a great increase in initial costs. It will also be | | |possible to decrease training costs, hiring costs, and so on. | |[pic] | | | | | |Figure 3. Virtual-server scenario | | |   | | |Cost Reduction | | |If we consider the TCO, hiring costs, training costs, an d salaries, we will obtain a cost | | |reduction of approximately 55 percent. | |Cloud Computing | | |Let us take an application that will not be worth having internally, because of the size | | |of the company. For this example, we will use a CRM. Ten CRM licenses will be hired | | |online. In this way, no costs will be associated to the initial licensing, administration | | |training, CRM server deployment, disaster-recovery policies, or anything that pertains to | | |administration of the CRM. | | |Cost Reduction | |Based on online services, there will be a cost reduction of approximately 80 percent—based| | |on 10 licenses, and considering the initial cost of having a server, trained personnel, | | |backup policies, and so on. | | | | | | | | |Financial Benefits of Virtualization | | |. | |â€Å"Leveraging virtual computer environments has increased the opportunities for teaching and| | |learning. This particular solution is cost effective and sustainable in many diffe rent | | |ways. Tech related costs have reduced by a little over $250,000 a year. That is a | | |combination of lower software costs, app software costs, and extending the life of the | | |hardware. That in turn reduces the cost of the hardware by about 35-40% when they do | | |replace it.Computers can be renewed with hardware that is much more cost efficient | | |because it does not need to be the latest and greatest machine. The computers that are | | |replaced cost around $500 or less. | | |IT staff numbers are down, mainly because of a reduction in PC technicians. Everything is | | |moving back towards the data center and, because of the way they implement their | | |environment, every time a user accesses an app or a desktop they are actually accessing a | | |copy of a perfect image.Every time you open up Word it is a brand new fresh copy and when| | |you are done using it that image goes away so you are not really re-using it. SCC does | | |manage their profile information so if they create custom shortcuts it will be applied | | |over that virtual application. This way they still get that customized personalized | | |environment. Pooling resources reduced hardware and software costs while extending the | | |life of current hardware resources. This lowers the school’s total cost of ownership and | | |makes a very significant difference. | | |To read the rest of this report, Desktop Virualization for the Real World, IMF members can| | |log-in | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |   | | |Conclusion | | |The virtualization scenario makes it possible to make structural changes in the IT | | |department with the speed that the market actually needs. | | |We can have strong cost reduction, because with a physical structure, we often do not use | | |all of the resources—hardware, software, employees, and so on—at 100 percent.On the other| | |hand, with virtualization we have the opposite case: We use and push the resource | | |utilizat ion as far as possible, and then we add more resources to virtualize. | | |In our example, we can see the individual cost reduction; if we look at it globally, | | |however, the cost reduction is more significant. | | |   | | |   | |

Mexico Versus venezuela research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mexico Versus venezuela research paper - Essay Example Another economical problem is that most of the country’s commercial bank assets are by the financial institutions of the U.S. This shows that Mexico is solely dependent on their neighbors in the top. If the economy of U.S were to collapse then, Mexico is to experience a big economical problem of their history. Another big problem facing the economy of Mexico is the big existence of drug cartels in the country. Mexico has a reputation of being the hub of drug lords to the likes of Pablo Escobar, who controlled most of the Mexico. These drugs end up ruining the youth of the country hence not being able to discharge their duties bringing a stalemate to the economy. Drug cartels bring violence to the country hence discouraging investment from foreigners in the country. In addition, these drugs bring about money laundering and this as well becoming perilous for the economy of Mexico (Krugman, 25). However, the best economic policy to this issue is by surely investing in education, infrastructure, telecommunications, energy and agriculture. It is to protect the poorest if the U.S economy starts to slow down. The government has to come with a better way of taxing informal commerce with the financial system in order for a business to pay for public investment. Mexico should try to collaborate with other countries and stop solely depending on U.S. Venezuela is the preferred country of choice. It is that Venezuela is very conscious when it comes to environmental conservation since its most territory is dedicated to the national parks and reserves. (Soto, 47). Big airlines like Air France, British, Lufthansa, Alitalia, and Iberia all serve Venezuela hence being a good economic fare. Economic freedom score of Venezuela is at 36.3 Venezuela is also a big player in the petroleum industry. This gives it a major economic boost. The country is also the most urbanized in whole of South America (Middlebrook 98). Despite

Alcoholism Vision in the 20th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Alcoholism Vision in the 20th Century - Essay Example It can be judged it from the definitions like: â€Å"alcoholism is a disease that affects the part of the brain that controls your feelings, the way you make decisions, and the way you act† (Identifying alcoholism, 2003)   Keller called alcoholism a disease because of the disablement represented in behavioral manifestations. The same concept is offered by American Psychiatric Association which argued that a mental disorder is characterized by present distress, disability, or a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, or an important loss of freedom. (Mann, Hermann & Heinz, 1999)   In effect, deviant drinking became medicalized or cast in the perspective of a disease model. Scientists and physicians regarded the disease of alcoholism as congenital, progressive, developmental, and, while incurable, capable of treatment. (Lectures)   Since the dawn of 19th-century alcohol has become a ‘social problem’ in the USA. During the colonial era, drunkenness was common with per capita alcohol consumption being 4 times higher than at present. That’s why alcoholism has attracted much public attention and interest of the researchers.   The modern concept of alcoholism includes the psychosocial and neurobiological foundations and consequences of alcoholism. Neurobiological research explains addictive behavior by the dispositional factor of monoaminergic dysfunction, neuroadaptation, and sensitization.

Partitioned views Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Partitioned views - Research Paper Example The tables that take part in the partitioned view have either the same or extremely alike structures as far as the names of the column, the types of data, the precision and scale are concerned. These needs to be similar if one wishes to have a read-only view or they must be the same if one wishes to allow updates in the course of the view (Views- Partitioned, 2012). In this organization, each of the servers that take part in the partitioned view are required to be linked as servers on the servers present locally where the view is identified. Portions of the entire set of data are contained in the tables on each of the servers. Thus a table can be split horizontally through the use of partitioned views enabling the achievement of the most advantageous performance. Partitioning column is referred to the column that performs the task of splitting the larger table into the smaller ones. The partitioned views are put into practice all the way through remote that is distributed queries (Views- Partitioned, 2012). â€Å"Partitioning  enables you to decompose very large tables and indexes into smaller and more manageable pieces called  partitions. Each partition is an independent object with its own name and optionally its own storage characteristics† (Partitions, Views, and Other Schema Objects, 2011). With the use of a partitioned view, partitioned data that are arranged horizontally are joined from a set of member tables transversely one or more servers, making it appear as if the data comes from a single table.  Federation of database servers, referring to the group of servers controlled autonomously, is capable of being implemented through the use of distributed partitioned views (Creating a Partitioned View, 2012). The advantages of partitioned views can be understood as follows (Partitioned Tables and Indexes, 2002): Data management operations are enabled through partitioned views. These include data loads, index creation and rebuilding. This also

Choose for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Choose for me - Essay Example According to the annual report 1997-98 presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there was a decline in the birth rate for teenagers between the age of 15-19 between 1991 and 1996 in all states. During this period, the overall U.S. teen birth rate fell by 12 percent, by 12 percent or more in 28 states, by 16 percent or more in 13 states, whereas, decline in 4 states exceeded 20 percent. Although the figures show that there has been an improvement in teen birth rate but it’s still an issue which is creating a lot of problems for the young mothers, the government as well as the society. Teenage childbearing is associated with serious health risks. Adolescent mothers, especially who are less than 15 years of age have a higher rate of birth complications including anemia, hypertension, prolonged or premature labor, pregnancy related infections and abnormal bleeding etc. There are greater chances of having a low birth weight and neonatal death rate, which means that the infant dies within 28 days of the birth, as compared to adult pregnant women. Other medical problems associated with teenage mothers are poor maternal weight gain, premature birth and they are also more prone to contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Poor diet is another factor associated with negative pregnancy and so is the use of drugs, alcohol and smoking. The teenage mothers not only suffer from ill health and medical risks, but also face psychological problems which include school interruption, limited vocational opportunities, persistent poverty, separation from the child’s father and at times repeated pregnancies. In some cases if the school is not interrupted, it results in poor academic performance. â€Å"Teen mothers are in psychological jeopardy because they experience higher levels of stress, despair, feeling of helplessness, low self-esteem, a sense of personal

QUIZ QUESTION AND ANSWERS Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

QUIZ QUESTION AND ANSWERS - Outline Example ose of a sampling frame, which is to provide a method of selecting the particular individuals of a target population that will be subjected under interviews via the use of questionnaires. Before choosing this sample frame, one has to define the relationship between target population and the selected unit, since this unit is the one which determines the frame. A good sampling frame must have the following qualities. It should be accurate, complete and up-to-date. How well these properties relate to a target frame, will determine whether or not the sample frame is of good quality. Accuracy refers to a situation whereby an individual in a target population is incorporated just once. On the other hand, completeness refers to a situation whereby each and every individual of a target population is included in the sampling frame. Lastly, the quality up-to-date refers to a situation whereby the sample frame has to be current and not obsolete for it to be valid. Validity with respect to social research refers to the degree to which the set measures indicate what they had initially proposed to measure (KOTHARI, 2005). It can also be defined as the equivalence between the operational definition and the theoretical definition. For validity measurement, one has to first measure the reliability of that data. By contrast, reliability in social research refers to a situation whereby the same set of results is obtained irrespective of the time or place of survey, so long as the phenomenon being measured remains constant. Hence reliability focuses mainly on the consistency of the data taken from the target population. An in-depth interview refers to a dialogue between a trained interviewer and an interviewee, with the aim of exploring the interviewee’s feelings, views, behavior, experiences and perspectives. Some important characteristics of an in-depth interview include; open-ended questions, conversational, recording responses, recording observations, recording reflections an

Managing Change in the Urology Department of a National Health Service Essay

Managing Change in the Urology Department of a National Health Service Hospital in England - Essay Example It is clear from the discussion that the events that caused the need for change in the hospital were the combined financial crisis and the newly introduced regulations on the number of working hours for hospital personnel. Improving the situation will require the application of effective strategies and techniques that would change the current situation. The strategies and techniques require efficient processes and procedures. The hospital should be prepared to apply efficient change initiatives that are inclusive and address the needs of all the stakeholders. Otherwise, resistance will arise among the stakeholders. The three crucial areas that require the change include stakeholder/employee relationships, management of technological change, and worker motivation. This report begins with the summary of the organization that paves way for discussion on the issues that require close attention. The mission of the National Health Service Hospital in England is to sustain continuous improv ement in the delivery of health care services. The management seeks to ensure a healthy working environment for the employees as well as other stakeholders. The Department of Urology is struggling to respond to external pressures for change that have threatened its ability to offer efficient medical care. The hospital works with five consultant surgeons, a few middle-grade and junior doctors, a range of nurses and other clinical personnel. The hospital infrastructure is not efficient enough to offer competitive and efficient health care services. The events that triggered a need for change in the hospital were the combined financial crisis and the newly introduced regulations on the number of working hours for the hospital personnel. The introduced regulations on treatment duration made the hospital sub-contract some of the treatments to a private hospital, leading to financial losses. The factor that contributed to the shortage of medical staff is the conflict in the regulations in volving the working hours. The management of the crisis is loaded with many challenges such as the tension between managers and clinicians and failure to agree on the staff capacity, allocation of extra beds, and operating theater. Others include information overload, ineffective problem solving, disagreement on the number and qualifications of new entrants, and inefficient data collection. The current challenges facing the Urology Department of the National Health Service Hospital in England are related to the incompetence of the stakeholders in managing the changes facing the health care industry. Change Management Change management is a structured process designed to deal intentionally and directly with human

Inspirational Stories Essay Example for Free

Inspirational Stories Essay Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money. Then one of his wise servants dared himself to tell the king, â€Å"Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet? † The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a â€Å"shoe† for himself. There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story: to make this world a happy place to live, you better change yourself your heart; and not the world. Once there was a king who told some of his workers to dig a pond.  Once the pond was dug, the king made an announcement to his people saying that one person from each household has to bring a glass of milk during the night and pour it into the pond. So, the pond should be full of milk by the morning. After receiving the order, everyone went home. One man prepared to take the milk during the night. He thought that since everyone will bring milk, he could just hide a glass of water and pour inside the pond. Because it will be dark at night, no one will notice. So he quickly went and poured the water in the pond and came back. In the morning, the king came to visit the pond and to his surprise the pond was only filled with water! What has happened is that everyone was thinking like the other man that â€Å"I dont have to put the milk, someone else will do it. † Dear friends, when it comes to help the Religion of Allah, do not think that others will take care of it. Rather, it starts from you, if you don’t do it, no one else will do it. So, change yourself to the way of Allah to serve Him and that will make the difference.

Do Political Parties Help or Hurt America Essay Example for Free

Do Political Parties Help or Hurt America Essay Political parties have been in America since the very inception of the country. Political parties were originally designed to give voice to a group of peoples interests. But as the time has passed, the ideas being presented has been growing less about the people and more about the power and the longevity of the party and the people controlling it. The people are not voting for the candidate that they think will represent them the best but for the D or the R that appears on the side of the name. Should this be the main thing we look to when deciding the leaders of our government? The issue that people take with the concept and general structure of the modern day political parties is the reality of its inability to effectively govern with its supporters. The state must not be usurped by side interests or used as a means of dictating unpopular or even popular laws. In todays parliamentary and representative republics, it is the power behind the party, not necessarily the party itself that decides policy. The question is, in todays capitalistic world, will it be the people or the economic and financial advisers that hold the Party keys? Undoubtedly, it must be the people. However, here we encounter the question of how large a role any particular political party must take within the ideally reconstructed and redefined state. Lets not forget: the state is but a temporary structure devised and built by Man. It is little more than the regulatory body that encompasses the concept of the political party. As such, it stands to be reformed or, in certain cases, overhauled by the parties that reside within it. What the people behind the Party must do, is make sure that their needs and necessary wants be taken up by the Party itself. This is but one aspect of the political party; my concern lies in the eventual and it would happen eventually fostering of a broader party cult of personality. Examples of this can be seen from the U. S. to Asia, from Europe to S. America and Africa. When the people begin to support the idealized face of party politics more so than the spirit of the individual, they resign themselves to the dictatorship of the governmental coalition. Instances of these can be seen in Americas dual-party political system, as well as in certain European states. In essence, the Party becomes little more than a modified form of political and social dictatorship. I would argue that while political parties have their place within society, their role and importance should be greatly isolated and/or minimalized. They should be nothing more than mouthpieces for the people who make up their constituency; as a legislative and governing body, their role must be subjected to the democratic will of the people they represent. I would propose a Democracy from the bottom up instead of the more recognized Democracy from the top down. Because living in a government with no freedom, is a fate worse than death!

Underwater electromagnetic communications

Underwater electromagnetic communications Underwater communication using an em-wave:- Underwater electromagnetic communications have been investigated since the very early days of radio communication and again received considerable attention during the 1970s.in those days only the extremely low frequency (ELF) submarine communications system is believed to be the only successfully devolved subsea electromagnetic application. Its implementation was only one way communication to call individual at surface of higher bandwidth using terrestrial radio. Under water networking is a rather unexplored area although underwater communications have been experimented since 2nd world war. In 1945 an underwater telephone was developed in the United States to communicate with submarines. And also underwater sensors and nodes must possess self configuration capabilities like should b able to coordinate their operation by exchanging configuration, location and movement information, and relay monitored data to an onshore station. Water conductivity:- Water in its pure form is an insulator, but as found in its natural state, it contains dissolved salts and other matter which makes it a partial conductor, as so in case of the sea water its becomes more conductive medium than normal water. The higher its conductivity, the greater the attenuation of radio signals which pass through it. As the attenuation of the signal increases the signal strength decreases and its leads to difficulties in propagation of the signal. Conductivity of the water varies both with the salinity and temperature. Average conductivity of the sea is normally considered to be about 4 mhos per meter. What this means that one meter cube of sea water has a conductivity of 4 mhos or a resistance of 0.25 ohm, (its reciprocal). Attenuation:- Attenuation of radio waves in water (any conducting medium) increases both with increase in conductivity and increase in frequency. It can be calculated from the following formula: Attenuation (ÃŽ ±) in db/meter = 0.0173√ (fÏÆ') Where f = frequency in hertz And ÏÆ' = conductivity in mhos/metre From the figure below states Attenuation as a function of frequency for conductive saline water verses normal water .attenuation in saline or conductive water is very high. It is necessary to use very low frequencies (10 kHz -200 MHz) where attenuation would be very low as in order of 3.5 to 10db per metre. Underwater attenuation (VS) frequency Losses at the surface due to refraction or interfaces:- As the em waves had pass through the two different medium like water and air they undergo refraction when the wave travels from the air medium to the water medium and this are also important so they can be calculated as by the formula Refraction loss (db) = 20 log {(7.4586/106) x √ (f/ÏÆ')} As this losses plays a vital role in the performance of the system to avoid such looses we can connect an antenna to the terrestrial system hanging it into the water and could reduce the loose and in sea water this looses would be high and in the vicinity 60db for lower frequency. As compared in the sea and normal water the loss decrease with increase in frequency in the figure below we would illustrate the graph between the sea and normal related with the frequency. Air to water looses are very less in the normal water it would as lees as 27db and when in sea water it would be normally between 60 to 70 db. Wavelength in water:- The wavelength of the wave signal transmitted wouldnt be same in the water as would be in the air it would a fraction of the original expected signal as shown below Wavelength (ÃŽ ») in meters = 1000 √ {10 / (fÏÆ')} And hence taking all this effects on the wave due to the underwater communication. The communication through the underwater had been developing many process and methods to develop to communication underwater. either using the sound signal or the light signal as they the sound and light are used as means of communication in various fields and hence the method that is used with the sound signal is the acoustic communication and that used after the light is the optical communication they have got their own advantages and disadvantages due to several factors influencing them directly or indirectly. As to over the defects of each the other came into existence and the acoustic and the optical methods of communication would be referred later in our discussion and the latest and upcoming means of underwater communication is the electromagnetic wave propagation underwater. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=arnumber=1353478isnumber=29739 http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2867858/RF-Communications-under-water http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=5158896 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=arnumber=5158896isnumber=5158801tag=1 http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1350000/1347372/p23-partan.pdf?key1=1347372key2=7686568521coll=GUIDEdl=GUIDECFID=56483254CFTOKEN=36576706 http://its-nl.org/doc/OIL__GAS_WELLS_RF_PROPAGATION_1st_Edition.pdf http://www.docstoc.com/docs/12533584/Introduction-to-RF-propagation As electromagnetic propagation through water is very different from propagation through air because of waves high permittivity and electrical conductivity like plane wave attenuation is high compared to air and increases rapidly with frequency Through water, full bandwidth, low range, analogue voice communication was found to be impractical and so rapidly it developed an opinion as electromagnetic signals had no application in the underwater environment Re-evolution of em capabilities:- As both the acoustic and optical wireless subsea systems have the disadvantages and so the electromagnetic wave subsea system comes into existence. As the electromagnetic signaling transmission using different mechanism. Many of the investigation had proved that electromagnetic signaling coupled with digital technology and signal compression techniques would provide many advantages which can be suitable for underwater application. As the electromagnetic waves would be more attenuated in water than that of the air. Conductivity of the sea water would be 4s/m were in fresh water its mille-s/m range comparatively less than the sea water. Losses in the water are mainly due to the effect of conduction on the conductive field component. The below parameters shows the variation frequency parameters in fresh and sea water in conductivity. Water relative permeability = Â µ = 1 Water relative permittivity = ÃŽ µ = 80 Sea water conductivity (typ) = ÏÆ' = 4 s/m Fresh water conductivity (typ) = ÏÆ' = 0.01 s/m

Roman Mythology :: essays research papers

Roman Mythology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods. They had similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other and gave their people a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many gods; each given a personality, function, relationship to each other through family, and to be the subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for many of years to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called. ( Grolier)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods. Each having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some sort of worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek gods. They are directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman mythology consisted of the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana, daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva, son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto, brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the Greeks. He became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his brothers after they overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He was the keeper of the thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased. That is how he is portrayed through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was still the ruler of the gods and used his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the lord of life and death and he never visited mankind on earth.(www. hunt)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He was worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse and the user of his three-pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the ground and break any object at will, but in his Roman sense he was still the god of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed as it. He started out as a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the number of seamen increased. (www. hunt)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pluto the god of the underworld.

gender issues in jails :: essays research papers

The article I chose is titled Gender Issues in the New Generation Jail, by Patrick G. Jackson, and Cindy A. Stearns. The source for this article is the Prison Journal. The article explains how men and women in the new jails have adapted. The definition of the new jail is a fifty-person pod style jail. The old jail was considered to be inhumane, disgusting, and have many blind spots. The problems in the old jails were growing year by year. The new jail comes furnished with televisions, separate showers, a phone, and other recreations. The inmates used in the study were all surveyed six months before and six months after the jail was opened. The men and women both showed significant differences in each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There have been studies that show that inmate attitude and behavior improves in the different management style jail. An example of this is the recent study showed a reduction in assaults, graffiti, and contraband. (Jackson, P. & Stearns, C. 1995) This survey was compiled to get opinions from the inmates to help aid in jail research. The surveys were broken up into eight different categories to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Darcey 2 show their perceptions of the old and new jails. Privacy, safety, structure, support, emotional feedback, social simulation, activity, and freedom were the eight categories used. Privacy was defined as peace, quiet, and absence from environmental irritants such as noise and crowding. Safety was a preference for settings that provided a protection that minimized the chances of being attacked. Structure can be described as a preference for consistency in the rules, scheduled event, and impingement. Support is defined as the assistance from persons and services that facilitate self-advancement and self-improvement. Emotional feedback is the concern about being loved, appreciated, and cared for. Social stimulation is the preference for settings that provide an opportunity for social interaction and companionship. Activity is a distraction that fills time. Lastly freedom was the need for minimal restriction but maximum opportunity to govern ones own conduct. (Jackson, P. & Stearns, C. 199 5) I believe these categories chosen were very good and very well defined. This was a good method of research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of the inmates used in the survey most of them have prior arrests. Almost fifty percent of the inmates have   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Darcey 3 been in jail six or more times. Both the males and the females share this characteristic. The severity of the crime is higher in the males however.

Accounting As A Career Essay

As the decision of where I will attend college next year quickly approached, I decided to investigate the major I have chosen, Accounting. Because my goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), I would like to know more of what it entails. Dealing with numbers, and recording and projecting the earnings of a company, accountants are placed with the responsibility of keeping track of the moneys of a business. God has blessed me with skills in the areas of mathematics and organization, which caused me to look for an occupation that utilizes both. Accounting seemed a logical choice since they largely work with numbers and organize their clients’ money. In order to become a CPA, one must receive a bachelor’s degree and work for a prescribed number of hours for a top accounting firm. Covering a wide spectrum of business related specialization, accountants and those who act as auditors must be able to determine whether or not a company is using their resources effic iently and if they are correctly recording the moneys they come in contact with. I am aware that accountants work with money and the documenting of it but would like to ascertain exactly what else the job of a CPA consists of. Since the recent downturn of the American economy and job market, I began to ponder how easy it would be to attain a job as an accountant. According to Steve French, an accountant for the Calvary Satellite Network, it is easy to find an accounting job, regardless of the state of the economy, because every company needs an accountant. Also, in the opinion of Richard Schweppe, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of CorVel Corporation, the best thing about accounting is the option of working for any type of company an individual may find interesting. Because every business needs an accountant and many people use them for tax preparation, those with a degree in accounting can easily find a job after college. Furthermore, â€Å"with fewer students earning accounting degrees, organizations are devoting greater resources to attracting these candidates.† Having thus determined the ease and likelihood that I will be able to find an accounting job upon graduation from college, I decided to lo ok into exactly what an accountant does, how they attain the title of CPA, and how much money they make. While researching the job description of accountants, I discovered multiple  types of accountants, performing jobs ranging from banking to auditing. First of all, one can become a public accountant and work for a public accounting firm. â€Å"They perform a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting activities for their clients, who may be corporations, governments, nonprofit organizations, or individuals.† The majority of public accountants, however, work on taxes. With the constantly changing tax laws, many people hire accountants to prepare and file their income taxes. They execute tasks â€Å"such as preparing individual income tax returns and advising companies of the tax advantages and disadvantages of certain business decisions.† Tax accountants must be aware of the new tax laws and must be constantly learning and understanding all of the changes. Also, they have to face extremely hectic work schedules during the tax season. Debra Schill, who owns a Triple Check business, explained, â€Å"During tax season (January through April), I work seven days a week, from 6 to 18 hours per day†¦[and] evenings and weekends are dedicated to filling out [clients’] tax returns, getting them processed and out the door.† In addition to accurately filling out tax returns, tax accountants must be familiar with the types of businesses they are working for. â€Å"A thorough understanding of the clients’ business, investment, and personal objectives is required, as well as a thorough understanding of the tax laws and their applications.† Besides taxes, public accountants likewise perform audits. First of all, an audit can be defined as â€Å"examining a client’s financial statements and reporting to investors and authorities that they have been prepared and reported correctly.† â€Å"According to Barron’s Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms, an audit is ‘prof essional examination and verification of a company’s accounting documents and supporting data for the purpose of rendering an opinion as to their fairness, consistency, and conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.'† Although only about 15 percent of accountants actually perform them, auditing is the most widely known and the most important job of a CPA. Auditors must follow certain rules and report the facts without bias or other influences. Performing this necessary task is essential â€Å"because it ensures the integrity of the financial information on which our economic system depends.† As well as auditing, public accountants consult and offer advice to companies. â€Å"Consulting services provided by CPAs may range from brief discussions with clients in  the form of consultations or may involve larger initiatives such as implementation, transaction, or support services.† Consulting allows accountants to move from company to company, giving them a wide array of knowledge regarding the running of different companies and how to handle certain situations. Public accountants can choose to specialize in taxes, auditing, consulting, or a plethora of other opportunities. Another type of accounting that interested me was management accounting. Often referred to as industrial or private accountants, â€Å"management accountants analyze and interpret the financial information corporate executives need to make sound business decisions.† Although there are many different types of management accountants, the one that intrigued me the most was the internal auditor. â€Å"The internal auditor conducts an independent appraisal from within the organization by analyzing, criticizing, and recommending improvements to internal financial practices.† Allowed to work for a specific company, he still performs audits as he would if working for a public accounting firm. Being the company’s in-house â€Å"authority,† the internal auditor may â€Å"assist outside CPAs in their examination and evaluation of the company’s financial statements.† An internal auditor can help a company ensure that they are successfully and correctly utilizing, recording, and reporting their financial state before they are officially audited. As another alternative, an accountant can choose to work for the government. The largest employer of CPAs in the United States is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). â€Å"IRS agents examine and audit the accounting books and records of individuals, partnerships, fiduciaries, and corporations to determine their court federal tax liability.† Working for the government would prove to be an exciting job if one becomes an investigative accountant. For me personally, I am not particularly interested in working for the government. When I am looking for a job in accounting, the skills I possess will determine my eligibility and appeal. Many abilities and skills are necessary in order to work in the accounting field. For example, I have found that  accounting is not just about number crunching, but is also about helping a company run efficiently. Personal soft skills are needed in order to effectively work with others. As a recommendation, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) states that accounting professionals should â€Å"be able to work with others to accomplish objectives†¦[and] demonstrate an ability to work productively with individuals in a diversity of roles and with varying interests.† Because of the many sides of accounting, meetings are continuously attended relating to the different aspects of the business instrumental in the running of the company. Speech and communication skills are important to effectively inform, and â€Å"firms seek strong communicators who can explain complex financial information clearly and concisely to a diverse audience.† In addition, individuals must be able to deliver presentations and express information concisely and clearly, both in speech and writing. As a result of continuously changing technology, accountants, and all business employees, must be able to advance with these many changes. Accountants will always be learning as technology and laws change. Furthermore, â€Å"given the fiduciary nature of the work [they] perform, people will rely on the information [they] provide. Honesty and integrity are qualities which are highly valued.† Because they work with money and are trusted to report the truth about a company and its financial state, I believe accountants should have a high degree of moral integrity. In addition, business sense and an awareness of events transpiring in the world are key assets when working for any company that may be affected by any shifts in the global economy. According to the Robert Half and Accountemps 2002 Salary Guide, â€Å"Companies seek professionals who can manage a broad range of accounting responsibilities, including general ledger, cost control and financial reporting†¦Individuals proficient with spreadsheet applications and who possess excellent customer service skills are highly sought after.† A personable attitude and knowledge of technology can enhance one’s resume, as well as their odds for getting a job. When Robert Half International asked CFOs â€Å"Which of the following interpersonal skills is most valued in accounting candidates today,† they responded according to the chart below. An endless amount of skills and abilities are highly recommended for accountants. After learning what an accountant does and what skills are needed, I decided to research exactly how one becomes a CPA. Most of the requirements and information on becoming a CPA was provided on the website of the California Board of Accountancy provided me with. First of all, â€Å"a CPA is a certified public accountant and is licensed by the state. In California, to earn the prestige associated with the CPA license, individuals are required to demonstrate their knowledge and competence by passing an exam, meeting high educational standards and completing a specified amount of general accounting experience.† Becoming a CPA involves an approximately six year journey, including attending a college or university. Two pathways that may take to obtain the title of CPA have been created by the California Board of Accountancy. Pathway 1 is designed for those who will practice only in California. The education requirement is a bachelor’s degree, including  twenty-four semest er units in accounting-related subjects and twenty-four semester units in business related subjects. In addition to meeting the education requirements, one must pass the Uniform CPA Exam. Given over a two-day period twice a year, this exam consists of four parts: Business Law and Professional Responsibilities; Auditing; Accounting and Reporting-Taxation, Managerial, and Governmental and Not-for-Profit Organizations; and Financial Accounting and Reporting-Business Enterprises. â€Å"If all four parts are not passed on the first attempt, applicants may establish conditional credit by passing two sections with a grade of 75 or higher during a single sitting. Once conditional credit is established, [one] may take [their] remaining unpassed exam sections individually.† Next, one must have two years of general accounting experience supervised by a licensed CPA. During this period, it is expected that one â€Å"[has] participated in planning audits†¦[;] has written comments, observations and conclusions resulting from the work performed†¦[; and] has participated in the preparation of, and reporting on, full disclosure financial statements.† I see the two years of supervised experience as a benefit to those aspiring to become CPAs. Certainly, all people who are in the process of becoming a CPA should take full advantage of this aid by learning all they can through real job experience. Pathway 2 is similar to Pathway 1 and is recommended for those who may want to practice in another state. Differences include the requirement of only one year of general accounting experience supervised by a licensed CPA in addition to 150 semester units of education. Also, conditional credit on the CPA exam is only awarded to those who pass two or more sections with a grade of 75 percent or higher and earn a minimum grade of 50 percent on the remaining unpassed sections, and is valid for three years. Although it takes a long period of time to officially become a CPA, I anticipate the challenge. This information has verified my desire to become a CPA. Consequently, I researched the salary of an accountant to see whether it provides a good income. According to the 1998-1999 Graduate Status Report of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, the median salary of the graduates was $3083 per month and ranged from $1833 to $4333. Of the 69 students who responded to the questionnaire, 67 were employed full-time  within a year after their graduation. The Robert Half and Accountemps 2002 Salary Guide reports that novice general, audit, tax and cost accountants working in a large company ($250 million+ in sales) can earn $33,000 to $40,750, those working in a medium company ($25 to $250 million in sales) can earn $31,250 to $37,500, and those working in a small company (up to $25 million in sales) can earn $29,500 to $35.250 a year. These are only the starting salaries for those working up to one year, but those who become managers can earn anywhere from $47,500 t o $79,000 a year. Bookkeeping, an area of accounting that was of some interest to me, has relatively low salaries. Depending on the title and experience, one can earn from $24,000 to $48,500 per year. I discovered that the title that earns the most money is that of CFO or Treasurer, which can rise to $360,250. An accurate summary of the occupation of an accountant is that he â€Å"has the task of accumulating and dispensing needed financial information. Since his activities touch upon nearly every phase of business operation and financial information is communicated in accounting terms, accounting is said to be the ‘language of business.’ Anyone intending to engage in any type of business activity is well advised to learn this language.† After researching what accountants actually do, I discovered that they do much more than just crunch numbers all day. The variety and diversity of jobs available caused me to contemplate about what I would like to specialize in and what type of company I would like to work for. Moreover, interpersonal skills are important and accountants have interaction with a number of associates and clients frequently. Previously, I had thought that accountants were mostly bookkeepers, but have discovered that only a small percentage of them are and that they make the least amount of money out of the various specializations. While there are accountants who are not CPAs, becoming one will help ensure a higher income and the prestige associated with becoming a CPA. The road to becoming a CPA is longer than I had expected, but I believe it is worth the training and experience required. Since tremendous amounts of time and effort are necessary, a strong desire to become a CPA must be present in all who seek to become one. Unquestionably, the wide base of business knowledge that one studying accounting amasses allows them to work anywhere in the business environment. Accounting is a great foundation for  all business and is a great choice for anyone interested in numbers and working with people. Works Cited â€Å"Accounting: 1998-1999 Graduate Status Report.† Cal Poly Career Services. 4 April 2002 . â€Å"AICPA Career Paths.† 25 March 2002 . â€Å"AICPA Personal Competencies.† 24 March 2002 . Camenson, Blythe. Careers for Perfectionists and Other Meticulous Types. VGM Careers For You Series. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Carson, A. B., Arthur E. Carlson, and Mary E. Burnet. Accounting Essentials for Career Secretaries. 3rd ed. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co., 1972. French, Steve. Personal Interview. 10 April 2002. Goldberg, Jan. Great Jobs for Accounting Majors. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1998. â€Å"Licensing – Experience Requirements.† The California Board of Accountancy. 28 February 2002 . Messmer, Max. Next Generation Accountant. Robert Half International Inc. . – – -. Robert Half and Accountemps 2002 Salary Guide. N.p.: n.p., 2001. Schweppe, Richard. Personal Interview. 24 April 2002. Weinstein, Grace W. The Bottom Line: Inside Accounting Today. New York: New American Library: 1987. â€Å"What It Takes: a Guide to Becoming a CPA.† CalCPA Online. 15 April 2002 .

Promote Products Essay

1. 1 Choose a product or service that could be promoted. Explain how and why you would promote that product or service. Identify at least three types of personnel you could use to help you plan and organise the promotion. What role would they play? How would their skills and experience help you? At work we are currently promoting our GPS products. We have chosen to promote these via direct marketing and by targeting certain business types. I liaised with our sales consultants, who talk to these people on a daily basis, to advise on what language should be used and what information they felt was most relevant to put across. We needed a graphic designer to create and develop ideas for the letters and DL flyers being sent. I also needed to involve juniors in the business to assist with folding letters and stuffing envelopes as we had determined that this would be a cheaper option for the business than using a mail house. 1. 2 Make a list of resources you would need for the promotion and identify where you could get them. Explain any actions you would need to take in order to have the resources ready for promotion. The database we purchased contained 7,000 leads so we then needed to purchase paper, envelops, ink, return stamps and organise postage. Paper, envelopes and labels for return address were all ordered in advance from Staples. Ink was also pre-ordered to ensure we didn’t run out during the print job. We then liaised with Australia Post to determine the best way to post this number of letters. We chose their â€Å"clean mail† option which meant having to mark each envelope with a pre paid stamp before taking to the post office. This stamp was purchased through Australia Post.

Alfred Hitchcock’s film Essay

By referring closely to two scenes from Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘Psycho’ (1960), give your views in detail on how the director uses the soundtrack and the camera to create fear and suspense in the audience. ‘Psycho’ is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most well known and famous films. The film was made in forty-one days and at a cost of 80,000 dollars. It was shot in black and white to save money but also to create more impact. The film opens with a black background to create fear in the audience. We then see the director’s name, Alfred Hitchcock and the title of the film in the centre of the screen in medium, white text against a black background. The title then splits repeatedly, horizontally and vertically to reveal the rest of the credits. The horizontal and vertical splits suggest and already prepare us for the split personality of Norman Bates. Piercing, high-pitched notes of violins and the deep deafening notes of the cello are introduced to break the silence. The tempo of the music is rapid and frantic to generate terror in the audience. The staccato rhythm of the string instruments also adds to create tension and a perturb feeling. It also makes us feel alert and anxious. The credits and background fades with the music to unveil a panoramic view, which is at a high angle and an extreme close up shot of a city. The camera then pans across the skyline of the American city. Words are super imposed and displayed giving us the precise place, date and time producing the feeling that the audience are there and that it is actually happening, ‘ ‘Phoenix, Arizona, Friday December Eleventh, Two Forty Three pm. ‘ Numbers are displayed in letters to emphasise the date and time and to make sure the audience knows when this is occurring. As the camera pans over apartment blocks and rooftops of buildings, the camera steadily zooms in from a long shot to a medium shot to a close up on apartment block windows. Then the camera zooms in into one particular window, which is slightly open, making the audience curious. It gives the audience a question, where are we being led? We are made to be voyeurs as we are invited and entering the lives of a middle aged man and woman. In this scene, we see the relationship between Marion Crane and Sam Loomis. Alfred Hitchcock gives us the impression of ‘normal behaviour’ in which Marion and Sam present love and affection towards each other. Marion wears white underwear to symbolise purity and innocent whereas later on in the film after she has stolen the money we see her wearing black underwear to symbolise deceit and betrayal. It is in this scene we enter Marion Crane’s life and see everything from her eyes and her point of view. We observe her world and are put into her world. Hitchcock lets us see, hear and think what she sees, hears and thinks. Later in the film, we see Marion driving away from Phoenix with the stolen $40,000. The camera views her face as a close up where we hear a voice over of her thoughts and fears. This technique allows us to enter her mind and feel what she is feeling. As she carries on with her journey, we hear the penetrating and piercing rhythm of the string instruments from the theme tune. This creates awareness and alertness in the audience. In this scene we see an extreme long shot of Marion’s car, which is parked at the roadside in the countryside. She has stopped for a rest. The car is positioned in the bottom right hand corner of the frame. There is no one or nothing to be seen. This makes her seem isolated and deserted and where anything could happen. There is nothing to be heard but the natural sounds of the countryside. We suddenly hear an unknown car coming into the frame from the bottom right hand corner. The unknown car appears to a police car. The car drives past Marion’s car however, reverses behind Marion’s car. The next shot is a medium shot, which is filmed from a low angle and is shown from the side of Marion’s car. As the police officer opens his car door, we see the police badge printed on it. As the officer exits his car, he is walking towards the camera. This effect makes the audience feel that he is walking towards us. The low angle shot is used to convey his authority. This creates fear and makes the audience feel threatened. This scene is made up of many short, sharp cuts, mainly in big close ups. All natural sounds are heard to build up tension and suspense. As the police officer is at Marion’s car side, he knocks on her window. In this shot Marion is lying down. As she hears the knock, she wakes up immediately and abruptly with panic. As she looks at the officer, she appears to very nervous and overcome with anxiety. Her eyes are extremely wide and bold as she is filled with fright. This scene cuts to Marion and then to the officer many times. The camera shows a subjective shot, from Marion’s point of view so when he is looking at her it appears to the audience that he is looking at us. This makes us feel what she does. Dark sunglasses blank the police officer’s eyes out so we cannot tell what he is looking at. This suggests that his eyes are emotionless. As the officer questions Marion, she portrays herself as being nervous by giving short, breathless answers. She acts suspicious when saying ‘why do you want my licence’. The camera then films a privilege shot, so we can see everything that the officer cannot, Marion hiding the stolen money. Again, the camera moves into a subjective shot, when we can see the view from her point as Marion watches the officer look at her licence, to feel her fright and distress. This scene took seven days to film and only lasts forty-five seconds. It opens with Marion taking off her robe for a shower. She is located in a white tile bathroom, which is brightly lit. All the natural sounds are emphasised; toilet being flushed, soap packet being open, movement of shower and shower curtain. This makes the audience watch attentively and be very observant. The first shot is a long shot. Marion having a shower, suggests that she is washing away all her wrong doings to make herself feel unburdened and that she is deciding to put things right. She portrays herself to the audience as being deeply relaxed as she is smiling. A subjective shot of the shower is shown to make us the audience feel as if we are being showered. Hitchcock gives tranquillity and calmness in the audience as he makes us enjoy her shower. As she is showering, she is located in the bottom right corner of the frame, to prepare us for the attack, so we can see what she cannot. The camera films Marion in a close up from the wall side, she was in the centre, however, cuts to another shot which is a privilege, close up to leave the left side of the frame empty with the shower curtain behind. The curtain is translucent, this gives a dramatic effect and lets the audience see the figure approaching. Suddenly, in the left hand corner of the frame, a large, silhouette figure appears to make the audience feel uneasy and tense. It gives us a feeling of wanting to warn Marion of what is behind her. The powerful noise of the shower prevents Marion hearing the figure approaching. The shot remains constant, and then slowly zooms into the mysterious, menacing figure. Marion disappears out of the frame making the audience focus and concentrate on the dark, disturbing figure. Hitchcock makes us believe that the figure is the mother of Norman Bates because the shape of the hair is shown in silhouette. This shot is designed in such a way that the camera shows the figure in shadow because the audience should not be able to see the figure’s face. When the shower curtain is thrown aside, we still see the figure in shadow. A montage of shots is used when we see Marion being attacked. Horror fills the audience as screeching, violent sounds of the violins are introduced. We hear Marion’s terrifying, fearful screams, the sound of Marion being stabbed, the knife against the skin and bone to let the audience know what it feels like. A subjective shot of the knife is shown to produce the feeling that the figure is almost stabbing at us. Rapid shots are shown of the killing, twenty-eight shots in twenty seconds. Several shots are used of Marion moving from side to side and struggling to defend herself to show that she cannot stop the killer. The camera swoops in with a high angled shot of Marion’s blood draining away in the bath. A big close up of Marion’s hand is shown as she slides down the wall. As this is taking place, the deep, heavy sounds of the cello is heard. We see Marion turn around and slide down further, as she does this she reaches out her hand. This suggests she is maybe reaching out to us or to the shower curtain. In the final shot, we see the camera panning to show the blood of Marion draining down the plughole to suggest that her life is draining away. The camera zooms into the plughole where an extreme close up of it is shown and is mixed with Marion’s eye. The eye then becomes a staring, lifeless, emotionless eye. This suggests that we see, hear and think no more from her eye. For its time ‘Psycho’ was one of the most frightening, psychological thrillers ever made and even by today’s standards still has the power to terrify.

Costco Wholesale in 2012 Essay

Analysis and Evaluation Since the inception of Costco in 1983, one of its drawbacks is, they have 4,000 selections of merchandise compared to their competitors. In addition, customers can only purchase merchandises in bulk. Consumers who shop at Costco do not have the choice to pick up one single item, for instance a can of soup. Although Costco prices are low and the consumers get more for their money, more consumers are wasting food because they no longer have the big families. Costco needs to look at the demographics and re-evaluate their business model, as this could be detrimental to the company. In today’s society, more families are getting divorce and are becoming single parents. The big families are almost none existent; therefore, most consumers do not need to purchase in bulk. Many consumers want to have choices when it comes to the amount of food they purchase. One may say there are other shopping establishments a consumer may visit to get exactly what they want; however, that is beside the point. Giving consumers the choice to purchase individual merchandise will not only bring in more business but also an increase in cash flow, which will also increase profits for Costco. On the other hand, Costco competitors such as Wal-Mart stocked up 40,000 to 150, 000 items for shoppers to choose from and Sam’s Club have over 16,000 items. Sam’s Club have the treasure-hunt items but tend to be less upscale and carry lower price tags than those of Costco. Both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club give shoppers more choices than Costco even though Costco offers a cheaper price on their merchandise. Costco spends very little in advertisements and they totally rely on their name and word of mouth by their customers. Compared to Sam’s Club they spent about $50 million annually advertising and direct mail promotions. Furthermore, Costco does not have a Public Relation department, which is not good business practice, even though they have been around for years and they are doing well financially. However, there are many opportunities for one of its competitor to come in take away their market share. Costco does not attract people who are below the poverty line; they cater to the business consumer and urbanites that have an annual income of $100,000; therefore, people who are impoverish cannot afford the membership fees and bulk purchase. In addition, Costco membership fee is more expensive compared to Sam’s Club. Recommendation Costco needs to improve the variety of choices by giving the consumer more than 4,000 items to choose from while their competitors are actually giving customers what they want. Costco needs to take into consideration the economy; people have lost their jobs and the recession, as customers are looking for cheaper prices and ways to saving money. Furthermore, if Costco does not come up with new and innovative strategies to entice low income and single household family to their establishment they are giving their competitors the upper hand. Costco should also focus on the advertisement because number of its rivals is already doing intense advertisement. In today’s global and technological world, many businesses are being aggressive and are taking advantage of investing heavily on the marketing. Costco cannot continue to use the concept of sitting back and waiting for their customers to spread the word by mouth. Costco needs to move in the direction of the 21st century by being more proactive by utilizing technology and a PR department for marketing purposes. It is true that company like Costco are doing good in economic downturn but competitors like Sam’s club is outperforming Costco in pricing which could be biggest threats to the Costco even though Costco keeps relatively branded and qualitative product than that of Sam’s Club The Five Forces Model of Competition Substitutes Strong threat Good substitutes everywhere Price not significantly higher Comparable product features More variety of features Low switching cost Potential new entrants Low threat Small pool entry candidates High barriers to entry Expanding market Attractive profits Buyers Weak bargaining power Some switching cost Large membership base Costco has the best value Suppliers Weak bargaining power Many suppliers Low switching cost Many substitutes exist Large quantities are needed Competing sellers Fierce Competition Costco is on top Quality is slightly better Buyer demand is growing Buyers switching cost is low SWOT Strength| Weakness| Low product and services†¢ Strong brand†¢ Excellent merchandise†¢ Exceptional employees†¢ 54 million members†¢ Economics of scale†¢ Efficiency| James Sinegal is 79†¢ Maintain high wages†¢ 42% higher than Sam’s Club†¢ Comparatively less attractive store layout for luxury items†¢Ã‚  Declining or inconsistent profit margins†¢ Primary focus on business customers rather than individual customers| Opportunities| Threat| Recession- Easier to find bargain luxury-items- Increased popularity of Costco†¢ Expanding foreign markets- Europe- China – India †¢ Positive image in terms of employees pay and social responsibility†¢ Increasing brand awareness| Fierce competition†¢Costco cannot attract people who are below poverty line due to its membership fees and bulk purchase†¢High competition from Sam’s Club and BJ†¢Political problems in other countries| References Thomspson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & Strickland III, A. (2012). Crafting & Executing Strategy (19th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irvin.