Early Western Civilization Egyption Tomb 5 Egyptologists Had Lost Inte

Early Western Civilization Egyption Tomb 5 Egyptologists had lost interest in the site of tomb 5, which had been explored and looted decades ago. Therefore, they wanted to give way to a parking lot. However, no one would have ever known the treasure that lay only 200 ft. from King Tut's resting place which was beyond a few rubble strewn rooms that previous excavators had used to hold their debris. Dr. Kent Weeks, an Egyptologist with the American University in Cairo, wanted to be sure the new parking facility wouldn't destroy anything important. Thus, Dr. weeks embarked in 1988 on one final exploration of the old dumping ground. Eventually he was able to pry open a door blocked for thousands of years, and announced the discovery of a life time. "We found ourselves in a corridor," he remembers. "On each side were 10 doors and at end there was a statue of Osiris, the god of the afterlife." The tomb is mostly unexcavated and the chambers are choked with debris, Weeks is conv inced that there are more rooms on a lower level, bringing the total number to more than 100. That would make tomb 5 the biggest and most complex tomb ever found in Egypt, and quite conceivable the resting place of up to 50 sons of Ramesses II, perhaps the best known of all the pharaohs, the ruler believed to have been Moses'nemesis in the book of Exodus. The Valley of the Kings, in which Tomb 5 is located, is just across the Nile River from Luxor, Egypt. It is never exactly been off the beaten track. Tourism has been brisk in the valley for millenniums: graffiti scrawled on tomb walls proves that Greek and Roman travelers stopped here to gaze at the wall paintings and hieroglyphics that were already old long before the birth of Christ. Archaeologists have been coming for centuries too. Napoleon brought his own team of excavators when he invaded in 1798, and a series of expeditions in 19th and early 20th centuries uncovered one tomb after another. A total of 61 burial spots had been found by the time the British explorer Howard Carter opened the treasure-laden tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922. Britain's James Burton had burrowed into the site of Tomb 5 in 1820, and decided that there was nothing inside. A dismissive Carter used its entryway as a place to dump the debris he was hauling out of Tut's tomb. In the late 1980s, came the proposed parking area and Weeks' concern. His 1988 foray made it clear that the tomb wasn't dull as Burton said. Elaborate carvings covered walls and referred to Ramesses II, whose own tomb was just 100 ft. away. The wall inscriptions on the companion crypt mentioned two of Ramesses'52 known sons, implying some of the royal offspring might have been buried within. Then, came last month's astonishing announcement. For treasure, the tomb probably won't come to close to Tut's because robbers apparently plundered the chamber long time ago. No gold or fine jewelry has been found so far, and Weeks does not expect to find a ny riches to speak of. The carvings and inscriptions Weeks and his friends have seen, along with thousands of artifacts such as beads, fragments of jars that were used to store the organs of the deceased, and mummified body parts which tell historians a great amount about ancient Egypt during the reign of its most important king. "Egyptians do not call him Ramesses II," Sabry Abd El Aziz, director of antiquities for the Qurna region said. " We call him Ramesses al-Akbar which means Ramesses the Great." During his 67 years on the throne stretching from 1279 B.C. to 1212 B. C., Ramesses could have filled an ancient edition of the Guinness Book of Records all by himself: he built more temples, obelisks and monuments; took more wives(eight, not counting concubines) and claimed to have sired more children (as many as 162, by some accounts) than any other pharaoh in history. He presided over an empire that stretched from present-day Libya to Iraq in the east, as far north as Turkey an d southward into the Sudan. Today, historians know a great deal

Jellyfish Facts

Jellyfish Facts Among the most extraordinary animals on earth, jellyfish (Cnidarians, scyphozoans, cubozoans, and hydrozoans) are also some of the most ancient, with an evolutionary history stretching back for hundreds of millions of years. Found in all oceans of the world, jellies are made up of 90 to 95 percent water, compared to 60 percent for humans. Fast Facts: Jellyfish Scientific Name: Cnidarian; scyphozoan, cubozoan, and hydrozoanCommon Name: Jellyfish, jelliesBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: Bell diameter of two-tenths of an inch to over six and a half feetWeight: Under an ounce to 440 poundsLifespan: Vary between a few hours to a few yearsDiet:  Carnivore, HerbivoreHabitat: Oceans throughout the worldPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Not Evaluated Description Named after the Greek word for sea nettle, cnidarians are marine animals characterized by their jelly-like bodies, their radial symmetry, and their cnidocytes- cells on their tentacles that literally explode when stimulated by prey. There are about 10,000 cnidarian species, roughly half of which are anthozoans (a family that includes corals and sea anemones); the other half are scyphozoans, cubozoans, and hydrozoans (what most people refer to when they use the word jellyfish). Cnidarians are among the oldest animals on earth: Their fossil record stretches back for almost 600 million years. Jellyfish come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The largest is the lions mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), which can have a bell over six and a half feet in diameter and weigh up to 440 pounds; the smallest is the Irukandji jellyfish, several species of dangerous jellyfishes found in tropical waters, which measure only about two-tenths of an inch and weigh well under a tenth of an ounce. Jellyfish lack  a central nervous system, a circulatory system,  and a respiratory system. Compared to vertebrate animals, they are extremely simple organisms, characterized mainly by their undulating bells (which contain their stomachs) and their dangling, cnidocyte-spangled tentacles. Their nearly organless bodies consist of just three layers- the outer epidermis, the middle mesoglea, and the inner gastrodermis. Water makes up 95 to 98 percent of their total bulk, compared to about 60 percent for the average human being. Jellyfish are equipped with hydrostatic skeletons, which sound like they might have been invented by Iron Man, but are actually an innovation that evolution hit on hundreds of millions of years ago. Essentially, the bell of a jellyfish is a fluid-filled cavity surrounded by circular muscles; the jelly contracts its muscles, squirting water in the opposite direction from where it wishes to go. Jellyfish arent the only animals to possess hydrostatic skeletons; they can also be found in starfish, earthworms, and various other invertebrates. Jellies can also move along ocean currents, thus sparing themselves the effort of undulating their bells. Weirdly, box jellies, or cubozoans, are equipped with as many as two dozen eyes- not primitive, light-sensing patches of cells, as in some other marine invertebrates, but true eyeballs composed of lenses, retinas, and corneas. These eyes are paired around the circumference of their bells, one pointing upward,  one pointing downward- this gives some box jellies a 360-degree range of vision, the most sophisticated visual sensing apparatus in the animal kingdom. Of course, these eyes are used to detect prey and avoid predators, but their main function is to keep the box jelly properly oriented in the water. Wikimedia Commons Species Scyphozoans, or true jellies, and cubozoans, or box jellies, are the two classes of cnidarians comprising the classic jellyfish; the main difference between them is that cubozoans have boxier-looking bells than scyphozoans and are slightly faster. There are also hydrozoans (most species of which never got around to forming bells and instead remain in polyp form) and staurozoans, or stalked jellyfish, which are attached to the seafloor. (Scyphozoans, cubozoans, hydrozoans, and staurozoans are all classes of medusozoans, a clade of invertebrates directly under the cnidarian order.) Diet Most jellyfish eat fish eggs, plankton, and fish larvae, converting them to energy in an alarming pattern known as an energy-loss pathway. That kind of pathway consumes energy that would otherwise be used by forage fish who can be eaten by top-level consumers.  Instead, that energy is being communicated to animals which eat jellyfish, not part of the higher food chain. Other species, like upside-down jellies (Cassiopea species) and Australian Spotted Jellyfish (Phyllorhiza punctata), have symbiotic relationships with algae (zooxanthellae), and they obtain enough carbohydrates from them to not need additional food sources.   Lions mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) eating Sarsia tubulosa.   Cultura RF/Alexander Semenov/Getty Images Behavior Jellyfish practice what is called vertical migration, arising from the ocean depths to the surface in large aggregations known as blooms. In general, they bloom in the spring, reproduce in the summer, and die off in the fall. But different species have different patterns; some migrate once or twice a day, and some migrate horizontally following the sun. The jellies most injurious to humans, the Irukandji species, undergo seasonal migrations which bring them into contact with swimmers in the tropics. Jellyfish spend all of their time is seeking food, escaping predators, or finding a mate- some set a trap with their tentacles arranged in a spiral pattern, an impenetrable curtain for their prey, or array their tentacles in a big field around their bodies. Others simply drift or swim slowly, dragging their tentacles behind them like a trawler net.   Some species are pleustonic, meaning they live at the air/water interface year round. Those include the sailing jellies, like the Portuguese man-of-war, the Blue Bottle, and the By-the-Wind Sailor Jelly (Velella vellal), which has an oblong blue raft and a silvery vertical sail. Like most invertebrate animals, jellyfish have very short lifespans: Some small species live for only a few hours, while the largest varieties, like the lions mane jellyfish, may survive for a few years. Controversially, one Japanese scientist claims that the jellyfish species Turritopsis dornii is effectively immortal: Full-grown individuals have the ability to revert back to the polyp stage, and thus, theoretically, can cycle endlessly from adult to juvenile form. Unfortunately, this behavior has only been observed in the laboratory, and T. dornii can easily die in many other ways (such as being eaten by predators or washing up on the beach). Reproduction and Offspring Jellyfish hatch from eggs which are fertilized by males after females expel the eggs into the water. What emerges from the egg is a free-swimming planula, which looks a bit like a giant paramecium. The planula soon  attaches itself to a firm surface (the sea floor, a rock, even the side of a fish) and grows into a stalked polyp reminiscent of a scaled-down coral or anemone. Finally, after months or even years, the polyp launches itself off its perch and becomes an ephyra (for all intents and purposes, a juvenile jellyfish), and then grows to its full size as an adult jelly. Humans and Jellyfish People worry about black widow spiders and rattlesnakes, but pound for pound, the most dangerous animal on earth may be the sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri). The biggest of all box jellies- its bell is about the size of a basketball and its tentacles are up to 10 feet long- the sea wasp prowls the waters of Australia and southeast Asia, and its sting is known to have killed at least 60 people over the last century. Just grazing a sea wasps tentacles will produce excruciating pain, and if contact is widespread and prolonged, a human adult can die in as little as two to five minutes. Most poisonous animals deliver their venom by biting- but not jellyfish (and other cnidarians), which have evolved specialized structures called nematocysts. There are thousands of nematocysts in each of the thousands of cnidocytes on a jellyfishs tentacles; when stimulated, they build up an internal pressure of over 2,000 pounds per square inch and explode, piercing the skin of the unfortunate victim and delivering thousands of tiny doses of venom. So potent are nematocysts that they can  be activated even when a jellyfish is beached or dying, which accounts for incidents where dozens of people are stung by a single, seemingly expired jelly. Threats Jellyfish are prey for sea turtles, crabs, fish, dolphins, and terrestrial animals: There are some 124 fish species and 34 other species that are reported to feed either occasionally or mainly on jellyfish. Jellyfish often establish symbiotic or parasitic relationships with other species- the parasitic ones are almost always detrimental to the jellyfish. Many species- sea anemones, brittle stars, gooseneck barnacles, lobster larvae and fish- hitch rides on jellyfish, finding safety from predators in the folds. Octopuses are known to use jellyfish tentacle fragments on sucker arms as added defensive/offensive weaponry, and dolphins tend to treat some species like underwater frisbees. Jellyfish have been considered a delicacy for human diets since at least 300 CE in China. Today, fisheries raising jellyfish for food exist in 15 countries.   But jellyfish may have the last laugh. Far from being a threatened species, jellyfish are on the increase, moving into habitats that have been damaged or destroyed for other marine creatures. Increased blooms can have negative impacts on human economic activities, clogging cooling water intakes at coastal power plants, bursting fishing nets and contaminating catches, killing off fish farms, reducing commercial fish abundance through competition, and interfering with fisheries and tourism. The primary causes for habitat destruction are human over-fishing and climate change, so the reason for the uptick in jellyfish blooms can be assigned to human interference. Alastair Pollock Photography/Getty Images Sources Chiaverano, Luciano M., et al. Evaluating the Role of Large Jellyfish and Forage Fishes as Energy Pathways, and Their Interplay with Fisheries, in the Northern Humboldt Current System. Progress in Oceanography 164 (2018): 28–36. Print.Dong, Zhijun. Chapter 8 - Blooms of the Moon Jellyfish Aurelia: Causes, Consequences and Controls. World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation (Second Edition). Ed. Sheppard, Charles: Academic Press, 2019. 163–71. Print.Gershwin, Lisa-ann. Jellyfish: A Natural History.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016.Hays, Graeme C., Thomas K. Doyle, and Jonathan D. R. Houghton. A Paradigm Shift in the Trophic Importance of Jellyfish? Trends in Ecology Evolution 33.11 (2018): 874–84. Print.Richardson, Anthony J., et al. The Jellyfish Joyride: Causes, Consequences and Management Responses to a More Gelatinous Future. Trends in Ecology Evolution 24.6 (2009): 312–22. Print.Shikina, Shinya, and Ching-Fong Chang. Cnidaria. Encyclopedia of Reproduction (Second Edition). Ed. Skinner, Michael K. Oxford: Academic Press, 2018. 491–97. Print.

Presentation paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Presentation paper - Essay Example The company’s initial base of operations comprised of a basement of a Cadillac dealership. It needs to be mentioned that over the course of time, the company focused on the process of expanding its business operations. It can be said that the focus is largely on the lines of opening offices in various downtown locations. It needs to be mentioned that in order to keep the business model simple in the initial years, the company largely focused on the process of operating on the lines of the off airport locations. It can be said that in the year 1962, the company entered the daily market for rentals for the purpose of responding to the growing consumer demand. It needs to be mentioned that from the very early days, the company expanded its business operations by the process of opening offices in various neighbourhood locations. It can be said that the offices of the company in the multiple neighbourhood locations were operated through the process of providing high level of autono my to the highly entrepreneurial teams that are managing the respective locations. Strategy It needs to be mentioned that the company Enterprise Rent A Car is in the business of providing automobile services to the clients and customers. The company is a part of the US Automobile Rental industry and it is highly important to mention that there are multiple competitors of varying dimensions and strengths that exist in the particular sector. This automatically makes the auto rental sector largely competitive in nature. It needs to be mentioned that the company has adopted a string of strategies to attain growth in this particular sector. Firstly it needs to be mentioned that the company has focused on the process of targeting various market segments. As per the information provided in the passage, the company’s prime focus was originally the off airport and down town locations, where the needs of the masses was mainly to avail alternate and replacement vehicles in the case and event of unavailability of their own vehicles. Later, it can be said that the company focused on diversifying its operations in to airport locations. Also, as a part of the competitive growth strategy, the company focused on the process of entering different segments of the market by providing services related to carpooling, sales of high quality used automobiles, renting of trucks as well as operating on international locations. It also needs to be mentioned that in order to provide support to the customers, which was one of the key operational motto of the company, the company also used the strategy to operate and generate growth from the company’s locations related to selling of used cars and vehicles by tying up with various financial institutions. Score Card Talking on the issues of the factor of score card, it can be said that the focus is largely on the lines of providing auto rental services while providing high level of customer satisfaction to the users. It needs to be mentioned that one of the prime focus of the company’s values is to guarantee high level of customer satisfaction. It needs to be mentioned that the company attempted to measure the effectiveness of a recent delivered ad campaign. It is interesting to measure that while trying to gauge the effectiveness of the ad campaign, the focus is largely on the lines of assessing the satisfaction level provided by the customer service of the company. It was found that the experience of the customer serv

Comparing Two Similar Businesses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparing Two Similar Businesses - Essay Example Initially, the company commenced its operations as an online bookstore. Bezos adopted an unusual business plan initially and he did not expect a profit for first four to five years. Even though this ‘slow growth’ plan caused dissatisfaction among its stakeholders, it assisted that company to survive the dot-com bubble burst successfully. Finally, the company earned its first profit in 2001. Currently, Amazon.com is the largest online retailer in the world and it deals with a range of product lines including DVDs, CDs, MP3s, video games, software, electronics, furniture, food, jewelry, apparel, and toys (Kindle: The world’s best selling e-reader). Like Amazon.com; Borders Books, a US based company, was known for its dominance in international book and music retail sector. The company was founded by brothers Tom and Louis Borders in 1971.Later in 1996, a sister company called Book Inventory Systems was founded to support the operations of Borders Books. Initially, the Borders Books began its operations with used books and progressively it expanded the business. Although the Borders Book had been successful since its establishment, the company started to experience profitability declines since 2004. Although books and music were the core business of Borders Books, it also dealt with other business areas such as magazines, board games, encyclopedias, zunes, calendars, and gift packs. While analyzing Amazon.com, it is obvious that the company adopted Customer Relationship Management and Information Management tactics to promote its internet marketing and sales. In contrast, the Borders had not focused on a specific management approach to enhance its internet marketing operations. Borders Books just tried to increase its sales volume rather than ensuring customer satisfaction. Evidently, this difference in management approach assisted Amazon to survive all market difficulties whereas Borders Books filed for bankruptcy in 2011. As

How consumer behaviour principles can be applied to membership Essay

How consumer behaviour principles can be applied to membership retention of the Girlguiding Organisation - Essay Example Consumer behaviour is applied for searching goods, purchasing, evaluation, and disposing of products and services; which can satisfy the consumers. It also focuses on individual decision taking abilities to spend their valuable resources (time, money and effort). Sometimes, the peculiar characteristics of consumer behaviour is reinforced or punished. It can reinforce benefits obtained from products and services, or by social approval. It is also simultaneously punished because consumers have to surrender generalized conditions, reinforce entities such as money and rights, and spend time and effort in the purchasing process (Alhadeff, 1982). It also includes concepts of ‘they buy’, ‘why they buy’, ‘when they buy’, ‘where they buy’, ‘how often they buy’, ‘how they use’ and it evaluates the impact on future purchases and how they dispose it. Marketing criticism is applicable to the entire discipline of marketing, which is used for evaluation. It identifies shortages and surpluses, and understands the critical dimensions - focus, process and purpose (Seth, 1982). Today, the consumer’s needs and wants are the primary focus, and this consumer oriented marketing philosophy is known as the marketing concept. Non-profit social organizations use three forms of communication - management communication, marketing communication and organisational communication. Corporate communication encompasses marketing communication, organization communication and management communication. As per the reference to marketing function in the development sector (NPOs), social marketing seeks to influence social behaviour not to benefit the marketer but to benefit the target audience and the general society. In the context of social marketing, it is stated that a strong image building programme increases the visibility of NPOs. The World Association of Girl Guide and Girl Scouts (WAGGS) is one of the largest women’s organizations

Development of Language from Rituals

Development of Language from Rituals To what extent has language evolved from complex rituals? Is ritualistic behaviour a necessary step in the development of complex language? This essay will examine the possibility of a connection between rituals and ritualistic behaviour and the development of language, with some analysis of ritual behaviour in the animal world as well as briefly examining the extent to which human use of language today is itself ritualistic. The questions above are by no means simple to answer, nor indeed is any question relating to the origin of the spoken word. How exactly language itself came about is a question which countless historians, evolutionists, biologists and linguists have tried, over many years, to answer without conclusive success. J. G. Penner, in his book Evolution Challenged by Language and Speech, in the appropriately named chapter How did language and speech originate? A confession of ignorance demonstrates this most effectively by quoting no less than 35 eminent experts, renowned in their respective fields, all essentially saying the same thing; that an understanding of exactly how language evolved is beyond human comprehension. Any attempts to explain it, it would appear, can never be much more than speculation. The evidence (that there is no evidence) is certainly compelling. In light of this, it would seem appropriate and wise to proceed with an understanding that whilst we can attempt to answer these questions, the approach, will, by necessity, be purely theoretical in essence. That said, the lack of concrete scientific evidence should not be a reason to discredit all theories completely – this essay will attempt to explore some of the more persuasive theories in investigating the link between ritualistic behaviour and the development of language. In John Haiman’s essay Perspectives on Grammaticalization, he starts by positing the concept of a ritual’s evolution into signals using the example of a basic rite performed by insects – the mating ritual of the dancing fly. Originally the male dancing fly would present the female with a smaller dead insect wrapped in silk. The purpose was for the male to use the opportunity presented by the female’s preoccupation and engagement in unwrapping the bundle to mount her, achieving his instinctual aim of copulation and impregnation. Over many years, the dead insect itself became superfluous, and now, whilst the ritual itself remains the same, the silk parcel presented to the female is empty. This, Haiman explains, has transformed the nature of the ritual inasmuch as the presenting of the empty wrapping alone has evolved into a process which serves purely as a mating signal. The above example serves to demonstrate the evolutionary complexities and potential for development in ritualistic behaviour, however, in order to postulate the origins of the spoken word it would make more sense to consider our closest primate cousins. In The Talking Ape: How Language Evolved Robbins Burling poses the question: â€Å"How did we get from an ordinary primate that could not talk to the strange human primate that can’t shut up?† (p.4)[1] Chimpanzees and Bonobos are clearly also a great deal further along the evolutionary scale than the dancing fly, but Burling provides a very similar example of the development of signal, or ‘ritualisation’, in the evolution of lip-curling in primates. As he explains, the retraction of the lip as a precursor to biting would originally have been a simple movement in order to facilitate the action of biting itself and nothing more; were the lip not to be moved, the ape would bite it. Over millions of years, the curling of the lip would have been universally recognised as a precursor to aggressive behaviour; an imminent bite. Natural selection would favour a) those clever enough to recognise this warning sign of aggression and escape without harm, and b) those who were clever enough to curl their lips and repel aggressors without needing to fight; â€Å"The sign would have then evolved from a purely instrumental act into a stereotypic communicative signal. By evolving into a communicative symbol, the retracted lip became useful for both the aggressor and his potential victim†¦ after some thousands of generations, the behaviour became almost, or fully automatic.† (Burling pp.14-15)[2] Burling explains this process of ritualisation as a logical progression of what is widely considered to be an important concept in the development of language; comprehension. It is only when the significance of a given signal is understood that it becomes a sign of communication, and thus potentially an ancestor of spoken language: â€Å"The ritualization of the lip twitch turned an instrumental act into a communicative signal, but ritualization could not even begin until the twitch was understood. Other animal signals began much as did the retracted lip. Only after meaning is discovered in instrumental gestures or vocalizations can they be ritualized into stereotypic signals.† (p.15)[3] In what we mean by ritual, then, we may perhaps use John Haimans definition; A ritual is identified as one when it ceases to be a purely instrumental act and becomes a signthe ritualized activity is regularized so that its form is relatively independent of (emancipated from) its original stimulus. (p.5)[4] Using this approach then, the question arises, and it is one that has puzzled scholars from all disciplines for thousands of years: How did these signals evolve into spoken language? If we adhere to the logic of the argument presented by Burling, based upon comprehension and ritualisation, it can be put down to the process of evolution, namely natural selection. However, as Burling argues, there is a fundamental difference between the inheritance of basic animal signals, such as those described above, and the development of the spoken word. Natural selection may well have favoured those with the ability to comprehend visible or audible signs, but spoken language could never have been passed on genetically; it would have had to be learnt by the members of each successive generation. This is one of the most vital differences between us and our simian relatives. What distinguishes us from apes, more than anything else, is the ability to communicate via spoken language, as opposed to sig nals, or ‘visible language’ (p.122)[5]. Acknowledging all the while how difficult his task is, Burling attempts to answer the question of how audio signals developed from visual ones, going on to explore various theories including the beginnings of verbal communication as a development of vocal accompaniment to music, and â€Å"motherese†, the cooing vocalisation of mothers toward their children. Burling makes a significant distinction between human language and ‘human screams, sighs, sobs, and laughter’ (p.16)[6]. Our own ‘audible cries, howls, giggles and snorts, along with our visible scowls, smiles, and stares’, he argues, are directly descended from the ‘primate calls’ of the apes, and indeed bear far more relation to the latter than to spoken language. To Burling, our own ‘primate calls’ are, being solely based on instinct and governed directly and purely by emotion, inherent and genetically passed on from generation to generation (indeed, from our simian ancestors to us). Oral Language can only be learned anew. In Language in the Light of Evolution: Volume 1, The Origins of Meaning, James Hurford explores further the difference between learned and unlearned signals, but he takes a different tack to Burling when it comes to the significance of primate communication in the origin of spoken language. Whilst agreeing with the principle of the separateness of learned and inherent communication, Hurford does not draw quite such a radical division between primate calls and spoken language. He sees language as having evolved from a mixture of what is innate and what is learned: â€Å"†¦I see enough common ground between primate calls and human utterances not to give up the idea that the evolution of human language built upon the pre-existing use of arbitrary signals by animals to do things to each other† (p.119)[7] Indeed, Hurford sees the unlearned ‘primate calls’ themselves as a direct ancestor of spoken language. He uses the analogy of the modern wonders of nanotechnology having developed only as a result of the evolution of basic Stone Age tools. There would be no computers or spacecraft had it not been for those rudimentary early tools, however primitive they may have been. Hurford goes on to point out the role of emotion in governing the variance of spoken communication; â€Å"Human language is a unique naturally occurring case of learned and arbitrary symbolic communication, about objects and events in a shared external world. Alongside modern human language, and accompanying it in utterances, we find elements of the kind of non-referring communication that we have just surveyed in animals. Some aspects of speech, such as speed, loudness and pitch range, are iconically connected with the affective mood of the speaker, and these correlations are found across all languages with little variation. You can tell when a speaker is excited, even if you can’t understand a word he is saying. These aspects of human language behaviour are largely unlearned, and come instinctively. They have been called ‘paralanguage’, implying that they do not belong to a language system proper.† (p.120)[8] Hurford quite correctly draws attention to the fact that what he describes as ‘paralanguage’ can significantly alter the nature of the communication itself without changing a single word. A vast range of intonations can radically change spoken language, and these variances in pitch, expression and emphasis, which often serve to indicate an emotion on the speaker’s behalf, have, as Hurford says, been shown to be very similar in spoken dialects all over the world, which would appear to indicate that they are indeed inherent (i.e. non-learned). It is in increasing our use and knowledge of the ‘learned’ aspect of language that we have grown apart from our primate relations and their ritualised, instinctive, signal-based communication. Burling however, in his absolute insistence on the mutual exclusivity of learned ‘primate calls’ (human and simian) and spoken language, appears in effect to have shut himself off from being able to reach a decisive conclusion about how exactly language came to evolve from the early, ritual-based, genetically inherited form of communication into the complex dialects spoken by humans today. He does little to hide the obvious difficulty he finds in making the leap from the â€Å"ordinary primate that could not talk to the strange human primate that can’t shut up†. Hurford takes a more inclusive view, and whilst acknowledging that ‘language proper’ is undeniably distinct and separate from ‘paralanguage’, he declares that ‘uniquely complex human language could not have evolved without the social ritualized doing-things-to-each-other scaffolding found in many other social species, including our nearest relatives, the primates’ (p.120)[9]. Given the limits of this essay it is only possible to explore [to a certain depth] a limited range of theory on the ritualistic origins of language, but the conclusion Hurford reaches appears to be a rational [and intelligent] one. Burling may be himself unable to convincingly bridge the gap between pant-hoots and human verbal discourse, but like Haiman, he does at least acknowledge that the roots of human language lie in ritualised behaviour. Haiman casts an intriguing perspective on the extent of ritualisation in language today. Certainly we may take Hurfords paralanguage, the contextualisation of spoken utterances dependent on variables such as pitch, intonation and volume as an example of ritualisation occurring from instinctive signal transmission. Having demonstrated, with his example of the dancing flies, an example of ritualisation resulting from repetition, Haiman expands the concept and explores the phenomenon of ritualisation occurring from what he calls grammaticalization – the transformation of the significance of verbal markers. Quoting Brophy and Partridge, he provides an example of soliders so inured to the word fuck, that its effect is practically reversed: So common indeed was [the word fuck] in its adjectival form that after a short time the ear refused to acknowledge it and took in only the noun to which it was attachedIt became so common that an effective way for the soldier to express emotion was to omit this word. Thus, if a sergeant said Get your f***ing rifles! it was understood as a matter of routine. But if he said Get your rifles! there was an immediate implication of emergency and danger. (Brophy and Partridge 1931: 16f) (p.9)[10] This look at a handful of theories relating to one of the most widely considered topics of language does, for all the various differences within, seem to point towards the fact that ritualistic behaviour was indeed an important, if not necessary step in the development of complex language as we know it today. The terms ritual and ritualisation are widely open to interpretation, but a brief glimpse at some of Haimans theories and examples of the ritualisation of modern language goes at least some way towards demonstrating the presence and significance of ritual still present in our spoken language today. Bibliography Boysson-Bardies, B (1991) â€Å"How Language Comes to Children†: MIT Press, Cambridge Burling, R (2005) â€Å"The Talking Ape†: Oxford University Press, UK Ellis, A Beattie, G (2005) â€Å"The Psychology of Language and Communication†: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hove and London, UK Hurford, James R (2007) â€Å"Language in the Light of Evolution: Volume 1, The origins of Meaning†: Oxford University Press, UK Krebs, J.R Davies, N.B (Ed) (1984) â€Å"Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach†: Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford McWhorter, J (2001) â€Å"The Power of Babe: A Natural History of Language†: William Heinemann, London Pagliuca, W (Ed) (1994) â€Å"Perspectives on Grammaticalization†: John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam Penner, J.G (2000) â€Å"Evolution challenged by language and speech†: Minerva Press, London 1 Footnotes [1] Burling, R (2005) â€Å"The Talking Ape† [2] ibid [3] Burling, R (2005) â€Å"The Talking Ape† [4] Pagliuca, W (Ed) (1994) â€Å"Perspectives on Grammaticalization† [5] Burling, R (2005) â€Å"The Talking Ape† [6] ibid [7] Hurford, James R (2007) â€Å"Language in the Light of Evolution [8] Hurford, James R (2007) â€Å"Language in the Light of Evolution [9] ibid [10] Pagliuca, W (Ed) (1994) â€Å"Perspectives on Grammaticalization†

Nothing is free. Essay -- essays research papers

I definitely think the best things in life are not free. There are so many examples I can name. For one, every thing you want in life you have to work hard to earn it. Nothing is given to you for free. Everything in life costs you or someone else money, time, or effort. This includes all the important things in life like air, freedom, life, living, love, children, marriage, jobs, and friendships. However, if we consider the meaning of free, "without cost of any kind to anyone at any time--past, present or future", it would be hard to find anything that is free. Every aspect of life carries some sort of commitment. Freedom is not free. In order for this great country of ours to possess freedom that it offers, countless numbers of men and women have paid a high price to make it so. In order for us to go about freely in this great country, we have to follow certain guidelines or obedience of laws for the general welfare. If we insist on not doing so, eventually, our freedom will be lost and then placed under guarded control. Life is not free. One has to commit to life. Even though a child is brought into this world through no decision of his or her own, it costs someone to bring that child into this life, and it will further cost for life to be maintained for that child. In addition, in order to live, one has to commit to the idea of living, at whatever standards they choose or their circumstances dictate. Living is not free. Life consists of many elements and th...

Life Easier Today Than It Was 50 Years Ago Essay

When you write a paper, you use some information that you have read in books, journals, on the Internet, etc. Your teacher might have told you, â€Å"Use your own words.† In other words, even when you use someone else’s information, you are not allowed to use the words they wrote. You have to use your own. You have to say the same thing in a different way. This is called paraphrasing. For example, if the book you are reading from says, â€Å"John Adams, who was involved in winning independence for the United States, was the second President.† You cannot write those words in your paper. You cannot even write, â€Å"John Adams, a man involved in winning independence for the United States, was its second President.† One way that you could re-write it is to say, â€Å"The second American President, John Adams, was also influential in gaining freedom for the country.† However, in spite of being told to use your own words, you might not know how to do it. There are a variety of techniques you can use. You can change the words for words of similar meaning; you can change the grammar; you can change the grammar or grammatical forms. In this reading, you will learn about ways that you can paraphrase. Methods of Paraphrasing Before you even begin to paraphrase, you need to make certain that you understand what you are reading. If you do not understand what you read, you cannot paraphrase it. There are six ways that you can change sentences to paraphrase the information. You will probably not use all of them in the same sentence, but you can use ones that are appropriate. (In each of the examples, only one change is made. This is not enough if you are actually paraphrasing.) Read about each type of change, and look at the examples. Then make that type of change in the sample sentences that follow. Changing Word Order One way you can change a sentence for paraphrasing is to change the word order. For example, you might change â€Å"Because I slept too late, I missed my first class† to â€Å"I missed my first class because I slept too late,† or â€Å"In order to pass that class, I had to study very hard† to â€Å"I had to study very hard in order to pass that class.† It is sometimes necessary to change the wording of the parts of the sentences. For example, â€Å"Terry wanted more books, but he couldn’t afford them,† can be changed to â€Å"Terry couldn’t afford more books, even though he wanted them.† 1. If you’re going to New York for Christmas, be sure to take warm clothes. __Be sure to take warm clothes, if you’re going to New York for Christmas.___________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Even though the weather was good, Joan was in a bad mood. ___Joan was in a bad mood, even though the weather was good._____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. I had no money, so I borrowed some. __I borrowed some money, because I had none._____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Changing Parts of Speech You can also change parts of speech. If the sentence uses a noun, you can rewrite the sentence to use the verb or adjective form of the word, for example. You can change â€Å"Fifty-four men signed the Declaration of Independence† to â€Å"Fifty-four men put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence.† 1. The company needs to find a solution for this problem. __The company needs to solve this problem.______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. The poor economy has been the cause of high unemployment. ___The poor economy has caused high unemployment.______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. If you eat rabbit, you will find its taste like chicken. __If you eat rabbit, you will find it tastes like chicken.______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Using Synonyms English has many synonyms — words that have the same or similar meanings — so another way you can paraphrase is to change one word for a synonym. For example, you could change â€Å"Movies can be divided into three categories† to â€Å"Movies can be divided into three types.† 1. The way a person dresses affects the impression that other people have. __ The way a person dresses influences the image that other people have.___ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. That phrase means â€Å"in a happy way.† ___That expression means â€Å"in a cheerful way.†_____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. There is little chance that the situation will improve. ___There is little possibility that the circumstances will get better.__________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Using Negatives or Opposite Expressions Another way to paraphrase is to change a positive expression into a negative expression, or a negative expression into a positive expression. You could change â€Å"Rather than building a traditional memorial, the city built a park† to â€Å"The city did not build a traditional memorial; instead it built a park.† 1. Shaun was disappointed, because the movie wasn’t very good. ___Shaun wasn’t satisfied, because the movie wasn’t very good.______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Japan is not a small country, compared to European countries. __Japan is a large country, compared to European countries.________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Geri wanted some candy, but there wasn’t any in the bowl. __Geri wanted some candy, but the bowl was empty.________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Combining or Separating Sentences Long sentences can be divided, and short sentences can be combined with other short sentences. You can change â€Å"Ireland is a wonderful country, which has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history† to â€Å"Ireland is a wonderful country. It has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history.† You can also change â€Å"Ireland is a wonderful country. It has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history† to â€Å"Ireland, which is a wonderful country, has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history.† 1. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII. She is one of England’s most famous queens. __Elizabeth I, who was the daughter of Henry VIII, was one of England’s most________ __famous queens.________________________________________________________________ 2. This book is about a woman who pretended to be a man to join the army in World War II. It is one of Lynn’s favorite books. ___This book, which is one of Lynn’s favorites, is about a woman who pretended to___ ___be a man to join the army in World War II.______________________________________ 3. If you go to London, you should be sure to visit Westminster Abbey, where many of the kings and queens of England, as well as other famous people, are buried. __If you go to London, you should be sure to visit Westminster Abbey. Many kings and_ __queens of England are buried there. Other famous people are buried there, too.______ Using Different Grammar – Structure, Voice You can paraphrase by changing the grammar of a sentence, for example, but changing from active voice (â€Å"The dog bit the man†) to passive voice (â€Å"The man was bitten by the dog†) or by making other changes in the grammar. You can change â€Å"It is not unusual for June to be a rainy month here† to â€Å"June is often a rainy month here,† or â€Å"It is thought that this new plan will save money† to â€Å"Many people think that this new plan will save money.† 1. Various languages are spoken in this country. __The people of this country speak various languages._______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Frank studied French, and, as a result, he translated for our visitors from France. __Frank could translate for our visitors from France, because he had studied French.__ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Tom McGovern got married three times and had five children. ___Tom McGovern had three wives and was the father of five._______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Exercise Read the following sentences and paraphrase them, combining the techniques that you learned in this article. 1. Gone with the Wind, which was published in 1936, covered 12 years of the life of a woman named Scarlett O’Hara during and after the Civil War. It began when she was 16 year old and tells the story of her love for two men. ___Published in 1936, Gone with the Wind was the story of Scarlett O’Hara and the___ ___two men she loved. It covers Scarlett’s life from the time she was 16 until she was__ ___28, during the Civil War and the years that followed.____________________________

Global Business Strategy

Global Business Strategy Introduction The purpose of this business report is to analyze and evaluate Google, Inc’s marketing strategies through using several technical business models. The analysis and evaluation should explain how the business has achieved its phenomenal growth and outline whether the current strategies used are appropriate to help the organization continue with its future strategy.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Global Business Strategy Google Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It’s essential to understand the current intentional position of the company before appropriate strategies can be recommended and implemented. Thus, a professional investigation should reveal the following; the internal environment (strengths and weakness) and the external forces such as political and economical. Through understanding this breakdown, the current strategic position and management can be explained and understood tho roughly. Company Overview Google is an internet-based Multinational Corporation that earns profit through advisement and development of internet-based products. It was founded by two students from Stanford University namely Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1996 (New York Times 2007). As time passed by, the need to develop a relevant search engine on the internet became more apparent. The two PhD students registered the new search engine as Google, Inc in 1997. In 1998, it was incorporated as a private company until 2004 when it was held as a public company (Anon 2010). It is also simple and almost everyone who is internet literate can use Google to search anything over the internet. The term ‘Google’ was derived from ‘googol’ which refers to the use of a search engine to obtain information on the internet. Google, Inc derives most of its revenue through the use of advertisements. Since 2004, its stock price rose to $500 in 2007 with its revenues from advertisi ng rising tremendously every year. Its initial market was valued at 1.7 billion dollars but has increased substantially to over 150 billion dollars. Its success has been triggered by the many acquisitions it has had, which gives room for more innovations (New York Times 2007). Since its inception, Google has acquired over 30 individual companies, for instance, in 2003, it acquired Applied Semantics, Inc which made advertising easy and further developments were made on the advertising campaigns (Slawski 2007). In 2006, it acquired Writely. Later the same year, Google acquired YouTube for 1.65 billion dollars. Double-click was acquired in 2007 at 3.1 billion dollars.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was a large advertising company which was also a threat to Google in terms of competition. However, since it was acquired, there has not been much development as wou ld have been expected because of anti-trust issues that arose. In the same year, Tonic systems were acquired (Slawski 2007). Services and Products that Google Offers The company mostly offers free software, with some few exceptions. This software form the basis for end-users services which attract a large number of audiences, consequently attracting a large number of advertisers. As noted earlier, 99% of Google’s revenues come from advertising services, such as the use of AdSense, and AdWords. Google Adwords display advertisements which are relevant to the context of each specific web page. To place advertisements on AdWords, the advertising companies make some payments to Google. On the other hand, in AdSense, it is Google which pays publishers to entrench Adsense into their sites. It is worth noting that both AdWords and AdSense contain similar advertisements, the only difference is that when users click on advertisements in Adsense, the publishing company is paid whereas i n AdWords it is the users who pay Google for their adverts to be included on Google’s pages (Anon 2010). Other types of products offered by Google are two pieces of hardware referred to as the Google mini and the Google search Appliance. Google mini is preferred by small companies while medium and large companies prefer the other hardware. However, both hardware are borrowed by companies for easy searches within the company intranet, while others use them commercially on their websites. Most of Google’s products and services are offered for free which include but not limited to Gmail, YouTube, Docs spreadsheets, Google finance, and Google maps. Google is an innovative company and it is always developing new products and programs as it deems necessary. Market Analysis Google occupies almost 50% of the market share of all the search companies on the internet. Some of these companies are a threat to Google in terms of competition. For instance, Yahoo is one of the bigges t competitors and it occupies about 28% of the market share while Microsoft lags behind it with 10%. Other competitors are Ask.com and AOL, which occupies 5%market share combined (Slawski 2007).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Global Business Strategy Google Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most of the products offered by Yahoo are almost similar to Google’s products, although Google offers a wider variety of products and services than yahoo. Most of Microsoft’s products are on software and operating systems although it also offers search and limited online services. Google has been able to withstand competition in the ever growing global market because of its internal development and acquisitions of major companies. It is likely that Google will expand most of the products and services it is offering today in order to compete favourably in different markets in all types of products and services including software and web-based services. PESTEL analysis Political factors Government regulation of the internet services Taxation policies Regulation on excess capacity The world is in the process of employing a free trade policy whereby the market is the one that determines the price in the market as well the products to be supplied. The global financial crisis has compelled countries of the world to relax their trade barriers. This is good for the company since it can expand in other many countries. This will increase the market base (Shane 2003). Economic Factors affecting GDP – employment, inflation, government More disposable income –profitable countries amplify service demand High investment from foreign shareholders Competition In the past decade the economy of the world has been on the low pace with many countries recording a negative rate. The world has recorded a positive rate since the great depression Era. Even if the rate today is not so good there is hope and thus a risk taker can as well diversify its business. Socio-cultural Lifestyle trends and consumer preferences Demographic changes Leisure activities Increased spending The attitude the people has towards Google products is that they are of high quality and are reliable. They are however willing to trade with current technologically improved products (Shane 2003). There are no threats as far as the social environment is concerned if the correct technology is adopted. Technological Innovation capacity Changes in technology Improved infrastructure As stated earlier, there is a change in technology in the world. Technology is not stagnant and more is expected in the future (Atrill and Mclaney 2004). The competitiveness of the company will be dependent on the efficiency of technology that it will implement. Environmental Net work problems in some regions Poor terrain Legal Technical standards Competition regulation Licensing and patent rights The important thing is t o comply with the laws and regulations, which are set.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The external forces described above can help in the determination of the Google’s market growth (or decline) and the implication of its strategic business unit. If an economic recession occurs, the economic forces would have a considerable bearing on the future market strategies through ripple effects on the political and socio-cultural factors. Political factors put a restriction on the development of the industry by putting tough taxes and regulation requirements (Slowman and Sutcliffe 2004). Marketing Strategy Identifying the customer needs and exceeding them is achieved through several factors; Price Competitive international pricing strategy (Mowen 2004). Price-wars over internet products Price-ranges (customers select services the price range that suit them). Limit pricing strategies Promotion Cross-advertising advantage (vertical integration) Acquisition of smaller companies – boosts international promotion brand name Service promotion through corporate ima ge (efficient quality products) Products / Services Diversified range of internet products and services. Inter-linked products for customer use (Mowen 2004). Delivering the content that customers desire (identifying customer preferences and delivering it to them) Place Open market operations (expansion through acquisitions) Effective distribution channels through advanced technology Accessible (i.e. virtually every place) Online media content (worldwide access) People Skilled sales team to advertise, promote, and distribute services Effective allocation of H.R. (Correct people for the job) Google’s Superior Marketing Strategy Google’s superior marketing strategy complements its mission statement and has seen its product being well positioned in the market. The company’s reputable brand name is a source of competitive advantage as it lures customer traffic. It offers clean and user friendly products and services that attract a large number of end-users. M ost of its web pages are easy to use compared to other search engines. By a single a click, a user is able to access the information he is seeking for whereas other search engines provides complicated procedures. It does also provide relevant results on specific pages making it easy for end-users. This can be termed as Google’s superior marketing strategy that has enabled it to hold its current position. On top of easy to use services, it provides a wide variety of free products and services which increase its end-users (Slawski 2007). By efficiently controlling its cost drivers, Google has developed a cost and differentiation advantage over its competitors through: A high degree of technological innovativeness Economies of scale and scope in ability to reach customers Maximization of resources and capacity Linkages between value chain activities Interrelated business units Vertical integration Strengths and Weaknesses Strength Effective management– training, motiva ting reviewing staff. Also outsourcing Marketing power growth- strong brand creation through cross-promotion. Strong balance sheet- stable liquidity average debtor/creditor days reduced. 4. Tax advantage in different countries- lower corporate taxes. Strong capital base Strategic expansion through customer-focused innovations and acquisitions High turnover growth A strong market strategy Strategically placed to fight competition A strong brand name and good reputation among customers Weaknesses Lack of a well thought future market strategy High cost structure Lack of a succession plan Google Company’s strength is ventured in its strong brand name that is internationally recognized. There is a wide recognition of its products in all parts of the world. The strength of the company is undoubtedly engineered by its internal managerial mechanisms. In order to have a competitive edge in selling its product and services, it will be advisable for the company to take advantage o f its ability to compete favourably with equal players in the market (Hooley and Saunders 1993). Porter’s 5 Forces (Analysis) Porter came up with a structure for determining competition in an industry. His argument was that in every industry, there are at least five competitive forces which establish the nature of competition within that industry. These 5 forces are examined under: Buyer’s (bargaining) power Buyers determine the way products move. It is through buyers that a company realizes its competitive advantage in the market. Google has the following buyers’ power. High Buyer Concentration- leads to price wars high competition (Ketels 2006) Short Contracts- Buyers can switch to alternatives rapidly Inexpensive switching costs- customers can switch-over effortlessly Backward Integration- threat removed since industry is diversified Competitive Rivalry in the Industry Within an industry, there are businesses which compete with each other for the available market share. These businesses either specialize in the production of similar products or differentiated products (Ketels 2006). Google’s rival firms compete with one another on the basis of: Quality Performance High exit barriers Little product differentiation High investment intensity Though the company offers high quality and low cost services, there is still great rivalry in the industry as products are close substitutes to each other. Threat of Substitutes A substitute product is a product that meets the same needs as those met by a product produced by the industry. Google’s products have many substitutes in the market offered by the competing companies such as Yahoo and Microsoft. Threat of Entry This depends on the number of entry barriers available. The higher the entry barriers, the fewer the number of competitors will be in the industry. Google enjoys the following barriers: Brand loyalty of customers Strong capital cost on entry (Ketels 2006) Legal const raints Acquisitions Government restrictions on monopolistic firms Greater economies of scale- out performance Diversification- acceptable quality survives, can be easily imitated It stands to win over the threat of entry in the market because; the government has put strong entry barriers. Supplies’ Bargaining Power Flexibility to the industry’s request Volume and price provided Concentrated suppliers High switching cost The suppliers bargaining power is weak over the buyers’ and could always lower their prices to ensure a share of the buyers’ prospective profit. The Three Generic Strategies Market segmentation is the breaking down of the target market into small segments to make advertising easy. One of the benefits of market segmentation is that companies are able to target specific populations that would have not been reached if mass marketing was adopted. With this kind of marketing, companies are able to have a closer contact with their potential c ustomers and they are able to understand their tastes, interests, and preferences. The differentiation strategy is the use of a set of incorporated actions that are intended to improve the production and delivery of goods and services and customers are expected to recognize these goods and services as having different and unique importance. The cost leadership strategy is one of the key strategies in marketing (Earl 1996). Each producer in the industry aims at being the lowest producer at a given level of quality. Products are sold at an average price so as to attract a big market share and earn high profits. Most customers tend to prefer the low priced products if they guarantee them of quality (Hooley Saunders 1993). Urgent Issues The company already has a strong brand name. This is an upper hand in positioning itself in the new market. Other than the company itself, the companies that it has acquired are also doing well. There is the expertise that the company boosts of. This is gotten from the acquired companies and the developments that have been taking place over the years. Using this, the company should come up with measures that are aimed at countering competition by offering quality to the clients. Other urgent issues include; Close relationship between its suppliers and distributors Expansion of markets through social and cultural contexts An effective procedure to be followed in order to establish new and attractive ideas for the success of the organization. Strong marketing operations- through vertical horizontal integrations Google’s Strategic Position The success or failure of any business or organization depends on the organizational behaviour perceptions. The way the management team together with the employees handles these perceptions determines whether the organization will close its operations or it will continue. This is because management and employees are responsible for the future development of the organization. This is done through motivation, communication, politics, and power. Businesses have to develop a competitive advantage if they are to continue and failure to do so will lead to deterioration (Anctil 2008). For a relationship to exist, messages have to be sent and received between people such as employees and companies such as suppliers. Google endeavours to invest in differentiation and low prices in comparison to competitors. As a result, they have adopted the hybrid strategy, which has enhanced their competitive advantage. Google has realized a high turnover growth which offsets its low profit margins and enables sustainability of the cooperation’s price-based competitive advantage. In addition to reinvestment of margins, Google has achieved differentiation through its products as well as imperfect mobility of its brand name, which is inimitable. Hence, Google enjoys market dominance and first mover advantages through technological innovations. From its initial existence, Google has ca pitalized on its core competencies through vertical integration, horizontal, and geographical diversification. In line with its marketing strategy, Google has achieved diversification inorganically through acquisitions, strategic alliances and the associate programme, as well as organically through new product development and technological innovation. The internal expansion focused on improved products for existing customers and new markets. Recommendations Since the Google Company is growing fast and at the same time facing challenges, it is important that certain recommendations be proposed. The recommendations should be adopted with the sole reason of advancing the company’s global operations. To achieve this, the following recommendations are important; Restructure marketing techniques: the company is facing stiff international competition and is likely to lose out in case it remains with the same old marketing strategies; the company should consider drawing new market co mmunication strategies that will reposition its products in the market. In addition, the company should re-brand its products through careful and skilful innovation in order to attract new customers. To ensure that the operations of the company are successful, it is important that the company defines its operation principles of internal control. Moreover, the company should also establish ways of monitoring and evaluating the internal controls. The company should establish proper criteria according to which the process of risk management will be taking place. The criteria should be in such a way that potential risks are identified early enough and appropriate actions taken promptly. Financial strength is one of the most important core businesses of the company. To ensure that the company’s financial resource are well managed and utilized, it is recommended that the company gives a clear description on how the internal audit should function to avoid any form of Fraud or misapp ropriation of financial resource It will also be important for the company to enhance the flow of information from the top level to bottom level. The flow of information on crucial and sensitive matters should be effective and efficient. This should utilize the most current communication technology. The strengths and weaknesses of the company should be evaluated on a periodic basis in order to identify potential challenges that can affect the normal operations of the company. It is important to note that new challenges arise and can contribute to the company’s already existing weaknesses. Again, the company is likely to gain more strength in areas which, if well utilized, can help enhance the competitive advantage of the company. A definite period should therefore be set to be used in monitoring and evaluating the internal weaknesses and strengths of the company. Conclusion Google is the biggest and yet the most innovative internet firm. It was started as a research project b y PhD students from the University of Stanford. Since inception, it has been going through periods of growth and innovation. It has evolved to be an internet-based powerhouse and has been able to beat other internet firms, such as, Yahoo and Microsoft. It occupies about 50% of the market and offers a variety of products and services that attract a large population of users. Google offers relevant search results and it is also simple and user-friendly and this has facilitated its tremendous growth to become the most preferred search engine in the world. Google critical marketing strategies are the acquisition of small firms and the development of new services and technologies. Its revenue is entirely on advertising. What makes Google’s advertisement unique from others is that the ads displayed on a page are pertinent to the content of that specific page. Google also offers a wide variety of free services such as Gmail, Google maps, and other we-based services which attracts ma ny end-users forming a basis for increased advertising revenue. Reference List Anctil, E., 2008. Marketing and Advertising the Intangible. ASHE Higher Education Report, 34(2), 31-47. Anon. 2010. Google, Inc. Form 10-Q: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Web. Atrill, P. and Mclaney, E., 2004. Accounting and finance for non-specialists, 4th Edition. Financial Times Prentice Hall, pp. 152-72. Earl, P., 1996. Management, Marketing and the Competitive Process. Williston, American International Distribution Corporation. Hooley, J. and Saunders, J., 1993. Competitive Strategy: The Key to Marketing Strategy. New York, Prentice Hall. Ketels, C., 2006. Michael Porters Competitiveness Framework: Recent Learning and New Research Priorities. Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade Vol.6, no.2, 115-136. Mowen, C.J., 2004. Consumer Behaviour-A Framework. Beijing, Tsinghua University Press. New York Times, 2007. Google Deal Said To Bring U.S. Scrutiny. Web. Shane, S., 2003. A General Theor y of Entrepreneurship: The Individual-Opportunity Nexus. London, Edward Elgar. Slawski, B., 2007. Google Acquisitions. [Online] SEO by the Sea. Slowman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2004. Economics for Business, 3rd Edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall, pp. 84-94.

Spanish Plan for Colonization essays

Spanish Plan for Colonization essays When the Spanish decided that they were going to colonize various parts of Texas they did not realize the task they had before them. The Spanishs main goal was to convert the Indians into Christians or Spaniards. They decided to build missions to teach the Indians their way of life and religious beliefs. Although their goal was estimated to take ten years for each colony, they were not prepared for the realities of this uneasy assignment. Some of the main problems with colonizing the northern frontier were the conflicts between the settlers and the missionaries, the aggressive Indians, and the distance between the missions. There were many conflicts between the settlers and the missionaries. The settlers from the Canary Islands had many complaints about their way of life. The settlers complained they didnt like the church they attended and wanted a new one built. They also believed there werent enough jobs for them to make a decent amount of money. They said that the only work for them was farming and the profits were to small to benefit from because the missionaries sold the corn for cheaper. Another major problem was that the settlers wanted the Indians to be able to work for them and this wasnt allowed. Father Benito, one of the missionaries, disputed all of these things saying that they were ordinary problems that everyone has. He believed that the settlers could work together to finish the church if they wanted to. He also said there were plenty of jobs besides farming. Many of the settlers were many other things such as bricklayers, merchants, carpenters, and soldiers. The reasons that the missionaries didnt want the Indians to be day laborers with the other settlers was because this would take the time away from teaching them to be Christians. One of the main problems that hurt many of the missions was some of the more aggressive Indian tribes att ...

Water Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Pollution - Essay Example Furthermore, the waste materials lead to a decrease in the level of oxygen, that the wildlife inside the water have access to, and this weakens their body systems, as well as proves a significant problem for the coming generations of all these plants and animals. People living in and around the area also usually consume these fish and other types of sea food from the water bodies and fall sick due to eating contaminated food too. In the 1970s, the River Tees in England faced heavy pollution for over a decade which caused a great amount of problems including the absence of Common Seals and Grey Seals from the river. However, in recent times, the estuary has undergone major improvements and the seals can now be seen once again on the Seal Sands. The absence of flora and fauna speak volumes about the drastic levels of pollution that Tees was forced to face. (D.W. Pattenden) The water underwent a large number of changes including a difference in taste, colour and volume and this has caus ed a vast amount of problems for most of the people in the area too. The river Tees is situated in the Northern part of England, rising on the Eastern slope of Cross Fell in the Northern Pennies. It flows in the eastward direction and joins the North Sea near Middlesbrough between Redcar and Hartlepool. The river flows 120km from its source and many people say that the water that forms a part of the river is often very discoloured due to heavy pollutants present within it. A Hazen scale is now used in order to understand the colour of the water. The main cause for pollution of the river was heavy industrialization and thus contaminants in the form of industrial wastes and dumping, and over 500 tonnes of these toxic contaminants were being dumped into the river each day. This caused the river to become the most polluted water body in Britain. The main effects of all these wastes were that the water temperature of the river grew to a great extent, causing a decrease in the dissolved o xygen it contained. And thus, it was no surprise that no plants or animals were able to survive properly in the water of Tees. Due to the decreased levels of wildlife survival, the problem was sought to be tackled by the concerned government departments and the main solution that they brought to the scene was declining permits and tightening the discharge permits to industries and companies situated in and around the river. In the year 1972, these changes began to be adopted and the dirt in the area soon began to decrease. (Natural Britain, The River Tees, County Durham) A great part of the land from the river Tees had also been reclaimed in order to use for building businesses, bring about leisure development, as well as maintenance for public recreation. Various actions were taken in order to clean the environment around the river, cleanse the waste and garbage material as well as take initiative to treat the domestic sewage and industrial discharges coming from the factories and industries. The main idea was for industries to understand that they cannot be harming the environment or giving rise to new technology at the cost of wildlife and nature; the heavy pollution of the river has also caused problems for people eating the contaminated fish from the very water body and thus is a threat to not only the wildlife but also to the people who live in and around the area. (Biodiversity – Rivers) After having tested the water, it was found out that the water contained toxic levels of lead and lethal levels of bacteria and protozoa which were stemming the

Accountancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Accountancy - Essay Example Budgets are derived from the long-term strategies of any company or organization. Reames (2010) states that â€Å"its always important to figure out those areas of your budget where you tend to spend exorbitant amounts or unnecessarily and cut those out†. The annual budgetary process is a very lengthy process that takes several weeks in order to develop a valuable plan that is used for the whole year and is not revised until the next year. Peterson and Fabozzi (2002: 245) state that â€Å"Annual budgeting is one of the most important, and sometimes most difficult, parts of financing†. It is really helpful for the companies as it lists all planned expenses and revenues for the current year. Annual budgeting process is not just about the budget; it’s also about the growth of the business and performance improvement. Kirk (n.d.) states that â€Å"forecasting an annual budget for your business helps you determine where your needs are not only for funding, but personnel as well†. The factors which are needed to be taken into consideration while making an effective budget include the number of budget participants, competency levels, interdepartmental dependencies, diversity of skills, and individual roles. To develop an effective annual budget for a company, following steps are of critical importance: 1. Determining the amount of money which the company has made by gross sales in the previous business year, because that money will be used in order to represent the expenses of the company in percentage form. 5. Multiplying upcoming years projected gross sales volume with the percentage for each expense category in order to estimate the expenses that will be encountered by the company in the coming year as a percentage of the company’s gross sales which will be based on the percentages from the previous business year. A budget plan helps in decision making regarding use of money.