The Past, Present, and Future of Los Angeles Research Paper

The Past, Present, and Future of Los Angeles - Research Paper Example Even though oil was discovered well before the beginning of twentieth century, significant oil production started in Los Angeles only in the beginning of the twentieth century. In the 1920’s Los Angeles was able to produce one quarter of the world's total oil supply. Wilmington oil field in Los Angeles is still one of the largest oil fields in the world. With the exception of Wilmington oil field, all of the large oil fields in the Los Angeles area were discovered between 1920 and 1930. These include Huntington Beach in 1920, Long Beach and Santa Fe Springs in 1921, and Dominguez in 1923. Another important discovery during the decade was Kettleman Hills oil field in Kings County in 1928. The development of these fields caused a flood of oil to reach the market, reducing the price (Oil And Gas Production: History in California, p.6). The oil revenue helped Los Angeles to develop rapidly which is evident from the fact that it hosted 1932 summer Olympics. The stadiums built for t his Olympics had around 100000 seating capacity, which are still used for conducting various sports events. Because of the rapid developments in Los Angeles in 1920’s and 30’s, people from all over the world started to migrate to California in general and Los Angeles in particular. â€Å"By 1920 southern California’s population had surpassed that of northern California, and in the next several years Los Angeles experienced â€Å"the largest internal migration in the history of the American people†(Los Angeles). The development of industry in general and automobile industry in particular took place during this period in Los Angeles. Even though migration caused huge diversity in Los Angeles population in 20’s and 30’s, whites were the dominant community still. Racism and discrimination were visible in Los Angeles’s social life during this period. The Great Depression caused huge problems in Los Angeles in 1930’s. Unemployment r ate was grown significantly during this period. However, Los Angeles was able to conduct the 1932 Olympics successfully amidst huge economic problems. Being the second largest city in America, present face of Los Angeles is entirely different from that in 1920’s and 30’s. In 1920’s, population size in Los Angeles was around 600000 whereas at present it is around 4000000. Even though automobile industry was one of the prominent employment sectors until recent times, 2007 global recession caused problems in this sector and many of the prominent automobile manufacturers forced to close down their units. Even though unemployment rate was dropping until 2007, it again started to increase from 2007 onwards because of recession. It should be noted that unemployment rate in Los Angeles was in between 6 to 7% at the beginning of 2000 whereas at present it is around 11 to 12%. â€Å"Once the whitest city in America, Los Angeles is now the most multicultural city in the h istory of the world†(Los Angeles Now). The ethnic face of Los Angeles has changed a lot in the past. As mentioned earlier, Los Angeles was a White dominated city in the past whereas at present it is a Latino dominated or Black dominated city. â€Å"According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 46 percent of the city’s population identifies as white, 46 percent as Latino, 11 percent as African American and 10 percent as Asian. (Total percentages add up to more than 100 because many people identify as being multiracial)† (Los Angeles: A century of Change). The above statistics clearly

Enterprise Rent A Car Case Analysis Commerce Essay

Enterprise Rent A Car Case Analysis Commerce Essay With a vast network of over 6,000 rental locations and 850,000 cars, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the largest rental car company in the United States. In fact, based on these statistics alone one can evaluate Enterprise as a success story. Indeed, the company offers a unique and customer friendly service such as picking up customers and taking them to the rental office. Enterprise has developed many assets that provide competitive advantages, such as proprietary computer applications. The company carefully cultivates and trains its employees in a methodology that is highly useful for its business while also receiving accolades from peer organizations. By focusing on local rental opportunities, Enterprise has successfully continued growing its business against rivals such as Avis and Hertz, while keeping up with current trends. At the same time, the company has been able to open up more opportunities through its recent growth of the car sharing market. Additionally, the business model tha t Enterprise runs can be deemed largely successful as it has been able to accomplish many of the goals that Enterprise has established. Moreover, as popularized through its now famous commercials, Well pick you up Enterprise has been able to demonstrate its philosophy to its customer base. This slogan clearly states that at its core, Enterprise is all about customer service, making rental easier for its customers by picking customers up and taking them to the rental office. Yet this only scratches the surface in terms of understanding the broad and effective customer service programs that Enterprise employs. In fact, through extensive research, Enterprise has learned that customer loyalty was driven not only by just the idea of customer satisfaction, but by ensuring that customers were indeed completely satisfied. This distinction between satisfaction and complete satisfaction was as result of Enterprises customer service researched that revealed local renters ranked ratings for completed satisfaction based on three criteria such employees attitude and helpfulness, speed of the transaction as well as the cleanliness of the vehicle. If 70% of the customers were completely satisfied (checking off all three criteria) then such customers were deemed as completely satisfied and likely to be repeat customers where as if the satisfaction figure was at 22%, this meant these customers are less likely to be repeat customers of Enterprise. Thus in this way, complete satisfaction meant repeat business for Enterprise. In fact, a total commitment to complete customer satisfaction is engrained within the Enterprise culture, and is best exemplified by the Enterprise Service Quality Index, a proprietary evaluative tool designed by Enterprise to measure customer satisfaction. Enterprise also has sought competitive advantage by developing tools and assets that its competition failed to duplicate. In fact, from early in its history, Enterprise has chosen to focus on local rentals, leaving airport rentals as the focus of a large number of its rental competitors. Enterprise has dominated the insurance rental market not only by applying for and becoming preferred providers, but also because the company has provided its clients insurance companies a direct interface into Enterprise reservation system, empowering the insurance companies to make reservations for their customers. Thus, in this way, the company essentially has invested heavily to create its clients insurance companies their own proprietary software reservation system, allowing them to supply the specific features most needed tailored to their needs while also avoiding the licensing fees and other challenges associated with a third party software application. The company is very choosy with the types of employees it hires, and considers its employees and training program to be of critical importance. The training of personnel by Enterprise begins at recruitment, with an expectation that each employee will slowly rise through the ranks of the company by earning each step they take. This provides the employees with a full understanding of how Enterprise prefers to do business and a full commitment to the eight founding values of the company. There is a clear promotion path that is laid out before them, so employees understand at all times that they have a future with the company as long as they are willing to work for it. Employees are empowered at Enterprise, as the company views each branch location as a separate, semi-autonomous little company within their network. Although a high turnover rate would be of concern to most companies that experience the level of turnover that Enterprise does, the Enterprise business model is such that beca use the company places its employees in such a competitive environment, higher turnover is expected and is accounted for through additional recruitment efforts. Thus Enterprise feels that this makes its employees more driven to succeed, thereby attaining higher levels of performance as a result. From a competitive standpoint, both Avis and Hertz have made efforts to enter the local car rental market that Enterprise dominates. It is hard to see how these two companies can be nearly as successful in this market as Enterprise because of the companys unique positioning with insurance companies as a preferred provider. As long as Enterprise maintains this position and continues to tap into new growth strategies such as shared car rentals, it should be successful in maintaining its leadership status within the local rental category. In addition, car sharing is a current growth market that many companies such as Enterprise and Hertz and investing into in order to grow. There are multiple considerations that explain the interest of this segment to customers, such as environmental considerations of reducing car ownership, less expense for renting a few hours versus days, and convenience for those who do not wish or need to have a car full time. In areas such as large cities or college universities, the appeal is very clear and significant. With the largest network of local car rental offices, Enterprise should have easier access to this new market since the can easily offer car sharing option as an added service to customers from their existing locations. In fact, both Hertz and Enterprise are developing contracts with universities, corporate campuses, and municipalities. Therefore, Enterprise should continue this expansion in order to achieve a leadership status within this rental category. In order to properly evaluate the Enterprise Rent-A-Car business model and determine its success, the Enterprise Service Quality Index (ESQi) was developed through extensive customer research. ESQi evaluates each location branch in its ability to deliver complete customer satisfaction. This index provides a specific measurement for each location branch through surveying of customers. In this way, the branches are essentially put into competition with each other, and compensation is based partially on performance criteria. Enterprise strives to achieve balance across its branches to remain consistent with respect to customer service. The main goal of the company is to increase the number of customers who are described as completely satisfied. Therefore, based on both criteria, Enterprise is considered to be effective in its customer service efforts. In fact, within a ten year period, the ESQi index increased from 67% to 80% for those customers considered completely satisfied. In addit ion, the gap between the best service and worst service branch locations narrow from twenty eight points to nine points over the same time period. Moreover, tools and assets can be evaluated based on the success of sales and achievement of customer satisfaction. Human resources methodology such as hiring and training were also assessed through employee retention, industry accolades and employee achievements. Furthermore, Enterprise has continued successfully in forging ahead in the local car segment based on the companys market growth and penetration. Of course, how effective Enterprise will be in the growing car sharing market remains to be seen, although at this point the success rate can easily be determined by what has been accomplished, and how well Enterprise is positioned to move forward. Based on the current evaluation, the company has been successful thus far in these areas as well. Other tools and assets that are considered to have made a difference at Enterprise such as linking and empowering insurance companies that use Enterprise as its preferred provider to the companys reservation system, proprietary software that runs the Enterprise reservation system, and the companys focus on customer service through proprietary software applications. Enterprise holds a dominant position in the insurance car market, enabling insurance companies to better serve their customers. The proprietary software better services customers as it is totally customized to the Enterprise business model. This proprietary software also provides additional services to the insurance companies by providing direct access to the status of repair work on vehicles, notifying them when repair work is complete and lowering their car rental expenses as a result. In these ways, Enterprise has indeed effectively reached its objective. Employee retention is a potential issue for Enterprise. While the company does compensate through additional recruitment efforts, twenty five percent of new hires leave the company after six months, undoubtedly increasing recruitment costs. On the other hand, Enterprise is considered among the top 50 companies to launch a career by Businessweek magazine, and the company has articulated a clear career track that provides employees with knowledge that there is a future at Enterprise. Another important consideration is employee achievements. The company does provide many awards and recognition for those employees who are considered to have achieved excellence and it is notable that many of the companys service innovations were created by branch managers and their teams. One such innovation that was created in the field is what arguably Enterprise is best known for, which is picking up customers and bringing them to the rental office. Enterprise is considered effective in this category a s well, although it would be a good idea for Enterprise to increase its effectiveness by exploring ways to increase employee retention, perhaps through additional management training and conducting internal surveys to determine the right course of action in this realm. Additionally, Enterprises continued success in the local car market is virtually ensured through its close partnership with insurance companies and status as a preferred provider. The additional services Enterprise has provided to the insurance companies, such as access to its reservation system and the ability to check on the status of car repairs, augment their position in this market. Indeed, in this way Enterprise has a fundamental strength in the local car segment and its business model has been very effective. Moreover, the car sharing market has proven to be an area of growth for Enterprise, having successfully brought on dozens of partners such as universities, corporate campuses, and cities. There are competitors such as Zipcar that are larger in this segment, yet such competitors are currently not profitable. Hertz is also growing in this area and they appear to have a larger presence at this point than Enterprise. Of course, although Enterprise has been effective at expanding into this new area whether the company can continue to be effective still remains to be seen. While not a direct part of the evaluation, there are other tangible advantages within the business model of Enterprise. As the largest rental car company in the United States, Enterprise enjoys the status of industry leader, and perceptually there are advantages to this status. Historically Enterprise has maintained very low overhead in many types of expenses, which is achieved through limited national advertising and employee incentives to keep operational costs down. Finally, in conjunction to insurance local rental market, Enterprise also has enjoyed a large share of the leisure discretionary rental market. Enterprises fleet management program is also unique and advantageous, as this program handles the sales of its own used rental cars without being locked into a specific car manufacturer for new car purchases like most of competitors.

Essay --

A volcano erupts, and lava spews everywhere, burning every living thing it touches. By the time the eruption is over, not a single blade of grass is still living in the area. Volcanoes and their magma have always been viewed as chaotic, uncontrollable objects. But what if humans could use them for their own advantage? Geothermal energy is energy from Earth’s heat. Geothermal energy has some advantages over other types of energy. One is that it is available over 90% of the time compared to coal plants only getting 75%. That means that while many power plants, like solar plants and wind turbines, and even coal plants can’t be producing energy anywhere near all of the time, geothermal energy plants can be working nearly all of the time. Recently, scientists drilling into the Krafla volcano in Ireland, led by Gumunder Omar Friedleifsson accidentally discovered that magma can be a useful way to get geothermal energy. This happened when the scientists found magma 7,000 feet into the earth. They soon realized that the water heating the drill they were using, and the extremely hot magma made a superheated steam tha could be chemically altered to power a turbine. After the discovery, scientists estimated that geothermal energy from magma could produce 25 MW of power, which is 5 times more t han current geothermal energy wells makeInterestingly enough, this more powerful energy would also be cheaper, because conventional geothermal energy needs expensive perforated piping down the entire hole, while geothermal energy from magma would only need it for about 100 meters. Also, unlike fossil fuels, another cheap energy source, geothermal energy is renewable, and it does not harm the environment a lot. This one accidental discovery the scient... ...many of the island country's economies, because they wouldn’t have to import a lot of fossil fuels for their energy. This would help the whole world in general, and could keep them from going any farther into debt. Geothermal energy from magma will be extremely useful, especially to countries with a lot of volcanoes that are in debt. Scientists have discovered that magma can be used to make geothermal energy. This would be very useful, as it is much more efficient than conventional geothermal energy, and it is better for the environment than fossil fuels, and it is renewable. There are, however, some bad parts about the energy. The plants could cause minor earthquakes, and could be destroyed by the volcano erupting. However, the advantages of geothermal energy from magma outweigh the risks, and it probably will become a very important energy type in the near future.

A Woman’s Place and a Man’s Duty Essay

The writer Maria Del Carmen Triana explains the huge difference between the pay income spread over the old ages between work forces and adult females. and how it plays an of import function in today’s competitory society. Gender income spreads have become a hot argument subject for many. Gender income spreads can impact a matrimony and household every bit good as cause clash in the work topographic point. Sexual favoritism besides plays an of import function in Gender income spreads every bit good. In most Corporate and White Collar occupations. stereotypes and pay earner position have an consequence on work forces and adult females. Triana explains what she calls â€Å"home related spillover discrimination† which is. adult females being primary pay earners in families. Triana besides goes on to explicate that a major pay difference between work forces and adult females could be a new signifier of sexual favoritism. Because this is one of the first surveies demoing pigeonholing functions. it can merely be an premise. Harmonizing to Triana. research in the work topographic point are being penalized thru pay gaining for gender function playing. ( Dipboye 1985 ; Heilman 1983 ) . Triana Proposes that the thought of what feminine and masculine behaviour in the work topographic point should be can really work against the female primary pay earner. She feels that this gender behaviour could act upon people to â€Å"under- award† the female to maintain them from wining excessively far in front of their hubbies. Gender Deviance and Household Work In this article about Gender Roles. Daniel Schneider studies that twosomes passing a significant sum on housekeeping such as fixs around the house. shopping. cookery and cleansing could be defined as â€Å"Gender Work. † Housework was one time referred to as a â€Å"Woman’s occupation. † Studies show that work forces are stepping into the place to assist in the place and watch the kids while the female parent fulfills her occupation demands in Corporate America. The writer claims that â€Å"predictions† have been concentrating on married womans that earn more than their hubbies. which stereotype the staff of life victor as normalcy. The writer refers to this as â€Å"Gender Deviance. † Harmonizing to his research. married twosomes have been known to neutralize the gender aberrance by spliting the work burden at place. An illustration of this would be: work forces rinsing dishes. turn uping cloths cookery and cleansing. while supplying less income and adult females working long hours at work to supply the bulk of the income for the household. Schneider besides argues that what work forces and adult females do in the occupation market may really good impact family work and hours. Schneider goes on to province that work forces who work in businesss stereotyped to be feminine could be seen as a signifier of gender aberrance every bit good. Schneider uses informations gathered from the National Survey of Families and Households ( NSFH2 ) to carry on his research. He goes on to explicate that gender aberrance is the† merchandise of societal behaviors of some kind. † and that if adult females did non gender themselves some actions would non do any sense. Over a period of clip adult females have reduced the sum of clip spent on housekeeping and increased societal activities with the childs to assist balance of a parent being absent from school events. Surveies besides show an addition in the work forces actively take parting in parent/teacher conferences and after school patterns while the adult females are in the work force. MentionsSchneider D. Gender aberrance and family work: the function of business. American Journal of Sociology. January 2012 ; 117 ( 4 ) ( p. 1029-1072. )Triana C. del M. ( 2011 ) . A woman’s topographic point and a man’s responsibility: how gender function incongruence in one’s household life can ensue in home-related spillover favoritism at work. Journal of Business and Psychology. 26 ( 1 ) . ( p. 71-86. )

Gender Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace Essay

Traditionally, women have been considered to be the weaker sex and subordinate to men. Moreover, their roles have been assigned to domestic and childrearing duties. The job market is male dominated, and women are often considered to be out of place therein. Women face considerable sexual discrimination in the world of work, significantly limiting their employment prospects and subsequent advancement in their careers. Women generally find it more difficult than men to acquire a fulltime job. What is more, when they can successfully find work, they often struggle to extend their reaches and advance to higher positions. The jobs women are granted are very often those with low status and correspondingly lower income. As Harolambos (Sociology: Themes and Perspectives) says, â€Å"Women face a number of disadvantages in paid work. Firstly, they tend to be lower paid than men. Secondly, they are more-likely to be in part-time work. Thirdly, they tend to concentrated in the lower reaches of the occupations in which they work. Fourthly, women tend to do particular types of jobs, usually those with low status.† In aquiring a job, it must be remembered that more often than not, the employer is male. Men are the ones in the job market with power and authority, and thus make the majority of the decisions – including who gets hired. As Peter Worsley (The New Introducing Sociology) puts it, â€Å"Within the gendered workplace, it is invariably men who are overwhelmingly in positions of power and authority. It is men who, by-and-large, make decisions.† When prospective female employees are being considered for employment, several biases tend to come into play in the minds of the employers. Firstly, male applicants for the job are often given more preference because it is assumed that they have a wife and family to support. In the view of many employers, the role of women as breadwinners is a subordinate one to that of their husband (if she is married). Added to this fact, women lead more complex social lives than that of men. They often must balance their roles as financial providers and child caregivers. Employers often ask personal questions to female applicants. They aim to obtain background information. This may include her marital status, whether she has any children and their ages, or if she is a single mother. Then they interpret these pieces of information in several, prejudiced lights. For example, if she is married, they assume that her husband is the primary breadwinner and her role will be subordinate. This puts the female applicant at a disadvantage when compared to a male applicant with a â€Å"wife and family to support.† Or they may assume that a single parent mother with a young child may need too much personal time to fulfil her parental roles at the loss to the employer (manifesting as a loss in â€Å"man-hours†). Women – both single and married – may even be asked if they intend to have children at a job interview, perhaps informally. And if they say â€Å"yes†, thoughts of maternity leave, subsidized childcare and their costs immediately spring in the minds of the employer. A woman who leaves her job on maternity leave often runs the risk of not having a job to return to. â€Å"Britain for example, has the lowest rate of maternity leave in the European Union. Sixty percent of women in the United States have no adequate access to such leave.† (David Bender and Bruno Leone, 1989) In Trinidad and Tobago, women had virtually no protection from such discrimination until 2001, when the Maternity Leave Act was passed – guaranteeing that their job would still be available on their return. Many mothers are at pains to find fulltime work. Their parental demands make it difficult to pursue a fulltime career. Employers often make no provisions for them, as well as women returning from maternity leave, in the way of workplace creche and nursery services. Their part-time status means that they earn significantly less. Ironically, they earn less just at the time when they need more funds to support adequate childcare. The jobs women are usually able to get tend to be of low status, and low paying. â€Å"Society has made it such that even if a woman wanted to go against the norms and get a job in the work force she would not get very far. About 75 percent of the jobs in the well paying professions are held by men and even if women are able to get equal jobs as men they still get paid considerably less.† (David Bender and Bruno Leone, 1989) In the professional world, women seem to be trapped in the clerical field, with very few ever reaching managerial positions, even and despite of their having adequate qualifications. In 1950, women composed 30 percent of the workforce. Over 50 years later, this number has increased to 47 percent. Yet, today, women who work full-time, year-round earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. This is in part due to the limited career options of women compared to that of men, in addition to the usual disparity in pay. Many jobs are so designed, that their â€Å"qualifications† are deterrents to female applicants and favour males. For example, to be a firefighter, you have to pass a strength test – and even if a woman passes, she may still be denied access if she is not of the required height and weight. Thus, such jobs tend to be male oriented. Increasingly however, women are being granted them as old attitudes and norms change. But this has lead to yet another ill – workplace violence against women is on the increase in such careers. It seems that in traditionally male dominated fields, such as the armed forces and the utilities, women earn less only to suffer more. In 2001, 14,170 lost-time injuries or illnesses resulting from assaults and violent acts on women in the American workplace were reported, whereas men suffered from 9,464. Although women compose 47 percent of the workforce, they suffer 60 percent of these attacks. About 36,500 rapes occur in the workplace annually, approximately 80 percent of which occur against women. In 2001, female fatalities in the American workplace as a result of assaults and violent acts numbered 30.8 percent. Men however, had only a 13.9 percent workplace fatality rate due to assaults and violent acts. Without doubt, women are the ones who suffer more from workplace violence. Unquestionably, women experience discrimination in the world of work. Although the prospects for improving the current state of affairs may seem bleak, there is hope. As increasing numbers of workingwomen and their supporters lobby for change, those in authority have started listening. The gender disparity in pay is decreasing and women now have a greater range of career opportunities. Progress has been slow. But considering it requires the changing of norms established from the dawn of society, the advancement has been significant. While gender discrimination may exist for quite some time to come, it can be expected to decrease as time goes on.

Macolm X essays

Macolm X essays A man was brought into this world on May 19,1925 to serve his people and help them open many doors. This man started of as a nobody and is now known to the world as being one of Americas greatest Civil Rights leaders. Malcolm X Little was the 4th child born to Reverend Earl and Louise Little. He also had 3 half siblings. His dad believed in self-determination and worked for the unity of black people and tried to teach Malcolm the same way. His dad tried to raise Malcolm to be aware of his ethnic background and dignity. Violence was always sparked by white people that were trying to stop black people such as Rev. Little. (Malcolms father) After he was born his family quite a few times before he they finally settled in Lansing, Michigan. His father became active in the University of Negro improvements Assoc. he also go involved in the Black Baptist Church. Throughout Malcolms life he was dedicated to black people. I guess you could say that he followed in the footsteps of his father. Even though Malcolm, his brothers, sisters, and parents were all shot, burned out of their homes, harassed, and threatened they still fought for their freedom and for what they believed in. This culminated in the assassination of his father by the white people. When Malcolm was only 6 years of age his father was shot and died. Although all this happened to Malcolm throughout his life he still continued to go to school. HE graduated 8th grade with good grades, just as he thought his father would have wanted him to do. At the age of 15 Malcolm dropped out of school and began to learn the ways of the streets. He became acquainted with hoodlums, thieves, dope peddlers, and pimps. When he was twenty Malcolm was convicted of burglary, and he remained in prison till he was 27. While he was in prison he began to educated himself and he learned about and joined the Nation of Islam. He studied the teachings of Elijah Mu...

Wave Power essays

Wave Power essays Visual Impact - Depending on where the conversion facility is placed the visual impact can range from high impact close to the shoreline to a much smaller impact when the facility is placed further from the shoreline. Hydrodynamics - effects on wave climates due to conversion facilities may lead to changes in the shore and shallow sub-tidal areas, and subsequently the plants and animals living in the area. Navigation - the facilities may present navigation hazards to shipping Noise - there is likely to be a noise impact from conversion facilities. This will be more significant for shoreline devices than those situated offshore. Installation Construction - construction of wave energy conversion facilities could lead to the loss of species on the seabed. However, this is not likely to be a long-term impact. Whilst tidal power generation can offer some advantages, including improved transportation due to the development of traffic or rail bridges across estuaries and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by utilising non polluting tidal power in place of fossil fuels, there are also some significant environmental disadvantages which make tidal power less attractive. The construction of a tidal barrage in an estuary will change the tidal level in the basin. This change is difficult to predict, and can result in a lowering or raising of the tidal level. This change will also have a marked effect on the sedimentation and turbidity of the water within the basin. In addition, navigation and recreation can be affected as a result of a sea depth change due to increased sedimentation within the basin. A raising of the tidal level could result in the flooding of the shoreline, which could have an effect on the local marine food chain. The construction of a tidal barrage in an estuary will change the tidal level in the basin. This change is difficult to predict, and can result in a lo ...

Pompeys Wives

Pompey's Wives Pompey the Great appears to have been a faithful and passionate husband. His marriages, however, were probably made for political convenience. In his longest lasting marriage, he sired three children. Two of his other marriages ended when Pompeys wives died in childbirth. The final marriage ended when Pompey himself was killed. Antistia Antistia was the daughter of a praetor named Antistius whom Pompey impressed when he defended himself before the praetor against a charge of possession of stolen property in 86 B.C. The praetor offered Pompey his daughter in marriage. Pompey accepted. Later, Antistias father was killed because of his connection with Pompey; in her grief, Antistias mother committed suicide. Aemilia In 82 B.C., Sulla persuaded Pompey to divorce Antistia in order to remarry his stepdaughter, Aemilia. At the time, Aemilia was pregnant by her husband, M. Acilius Glabrio. She was reluctant to marry Pompey but did so anyway and soon died in childbirth. Mucia Q. Mucius Scaevola was the father of Pompeys 3rd wife, Mucia, whom he married in 79 B.C. Their marriage lasted until 62 B.C., during which time they had a daughter, Pompeia, and two sons, Gnaeus and Sextus. Pompey eventually divorced Mucia. Asconius, Plutarch, and Suetonius say Mucia was unfaithful with Suetonius alone specifying the paramour as Caesar. However, it isnt clear why exactly Pompey divorced Mucia. Julia In 59 B.C. Pompey married the much younger daughter of Caesar, Julia, who was already engaged to Q. Servilius Caepio. Caepio was unhappy so Pompey offered him his own daughter Pompeia. Julia miscarried a few days after she had fainted in shock at seeing blood-stained clothing that made her fear her husband had been killed. In 54 B.C., Julia was pregnant again. She died in childbirth as she gave birth to a daughter who lasted only a few days. Cornelia Pompeys fifth wife was Cornelia, daughter of Metellus Scipio and widow of Publius Crassus. She was young enough to have been married to his sons, but the marriage appears to have been a loving one like the one with Julia. During the civil war, Cornelia stayed on Lesbos. Pompey joined her there and from there they went to Egypt where Pompey was killed. Source:The Five Wives of Pompey the Great, by Shelley P. Haley. Greece Rome, 2nd Ser., Vol. 32, No. 1. (Apr. , 1985), pp. 49-59.

The harm of the banking concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The harm of the banking concept - Essay Example till exams, after which a student forgets what he had studied. ii) The confidence level in students deteriorates due to lack of exposure and the tension and nervousness of remembering all the stuff written in textbooks during exams. iii) Intense pressure of memorizing and learning the textbooks without understanding it properly may divert the interest of students away from studies. Among all the bad results, these three are the worst because the students are said to be educated when they understand what is being taught instead of merely memorizing their syllabus. But, education has now become a concept of â€Å"remembering† more than â€Å"understanding†, educators have lost the meaning for teaching students. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who has left a significant mark on thinking about progressive practice wrote in â€Å"The ‘Banking Concept’ of Education† his idea of two different education methods which are the â€Å"banking† concept and the â€Å"problem posing† concept. In banking education, teachers usually assume that the students know nothing at all and then take full advantage of this assumption. They just simply feed the students with information and students are forced to swallow it all up. On the other hand, problem posing education encourages the students to develop the habit of gaining knowledge by doing practical experiments and research works rather than just noting down the lecture of the teacher without pondering on the topic. This process involves an interaction between the teacher and the students, which eventually leads to a stronger teacher-student relationship. This helps a student to be more frank with a teacher to clarify all the confusions that usually evolve in a student’s brain. It also helps a student to develop keen interest in any topic that is being taught. Freire thinks problem posing is better than the banking concept, and I am also in favor of problem posing method. Problem posing enables the students to talk, think and hold discussions among each other within the class as well as even after the class timings, which no doubt can be listed among the healthy activities. On the contrary, banking concept develops the habit of â€Å"instant memorizing† just before the exams. The knowledge students gained through the method of banking concept is usually temporary in their memory and does not benefit the student in the future. This is because the teachers don’t care whether the students really understand the text or not, even if they care, they pay no attention to communicate with the students to make themselves clear. Students force themselves to accept the information and memorize it only for the sake of getting good grades instead of having a passion to learn. The students can easily forget all the memorized information

Complementary therapies in the health care system Essay

Complementary therapies in the health care system - Essay Example [3] According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), CAM is defined as "a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine". [4] Complementary medicine suggests treatments in conjunction with Western medicine, for example, aromatherapy can be used to lessen patients discomfort after surgery, and eucalyptus can complement antihistamines for allergic rhinitis. Alternative therapies suggest replacements for western medicine, for example, when a special diet is used for cancer patients instead of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. [2] Integrative medicine combines conventional Western medical therapies and CAM, for which there is some high-quality substantiated evidence for safety and efficacy. A very popular form of integrative medicine is seen in immune enhancement products, such as vitamins A, B6, C, zinc, Echinacea, and eucalyptus oil. [2] Cassileth (2001) initially observed that only 8% to 10% of patients with biopsy-diagnosed malignancy use alternative treatments. [6] However, the growth in the nutritional supplement industry indicates that there is a significant rise in the use of complementary/integrative nutritional therapies (CINTs) for disease treatment as well as for prevention in general. [7]CINTs are being sought by 30% to 80%of cancer patients during cancer treatment and for prevention. The most frequent users are those with breast cancer (80% to 85%)[8][9],pediatric cancers(46%)[10],prostatic cancer(27% to 43%)[11][12],and head and neck cancer(25%)[13]. A study reported by Kao and Devine (2000) observed that 37% of prostate cancer patients were using complementary nutritional modalities concurrently with radiation treatment. These ongoing studies indicate that complementary medicine use is much more prevalent among cancer patients than has been previously believed. Although patients,

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Cover letter - Essay Example My lecturer recommended my work and asked me to assist him in some of his private assignment to gain more experience in the business world. I have taken internship exercises in two companies as indicated in the resume. The internship programs sharpened my financial skills by introducing me to the real world. In one firm, the firm assigned us an outdoor job description that required us to work in groups. As chairperson for the group, I ensured that every member committed to his assignment as described. In return, the firm awarded me with a certificate and a good recommendation for future endeavors. I have attached the certificates with the resume. I thank you in advance for considering my interview request. I would highly appreciate if you reach back on me after considering my request. Please feel free to reach me through my cell phone on 555-5678-786 anytime. I will follow up at the website to see the way forward decided by the firm in a week’s

American Government Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

American Government - Personal Statement Example After the approval of the bill by both the chambers, the bill is sent to the president to be signed by him. President Obama has implemented his agenda and passed many bills to support his agenda. He developed strategic plans for the defense, signed a number of economic acts, signed act to reduce pollution and resolve energy and environmental crises and done almost everything to implement his agenda (The White House, 2010). Still he is unable to fully implement his agenda. Past presidents have done a remarkable work for the development and prosperity of United States. To implement their agenda they worked hard and signed may acts, bills and agreements in favor of the United States (The White House, 2010). Although they were not fully succeeded in implementing their agenda but they succeeded in implementing most of the agenda. Former President Bill Clinton tried to implement his agenda but faced a harsh opposition led by former President Jimmy Carter (The White House,

The Importance of Customer Care Service and the Effect of It on Our Essay

The Importance of Customer Care Service and the Effect of It on Our Culture and Society - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that most people would agree with the fact that customer service accounts for one of the most important component of an organization’s overall business strategy. Without customers organizations cannot go forward to continue their businesses. Every organization generally has the thought that they provide good customer service; however, inadequacy of certain necessary steps to ensure this can make the situation far worse than their present perceptions. However, the commitment towards customer service must begin at the top and trickle down towards the lower levels of the organization. It is crucial that business leaders buy into the fat they are not only required to meet customer expectations but must also strive to gain excellence in the domain. For this it is important that they must create an organizational culture which strives to understand, execute and implement high quality customer service in the system. In today’s world of cut throat competition, organizations regard high quality service customer service as a prerequisite for having an extra edge over competitors. When customers are not satisfied with the service provided by a company they have ample choice to choose from another company. Initiative from the top management coupled with proper training and development program, a company would be successful in developing a culture which is conductive and embraces excellent customer services. Proper training and development program is an excellent way of creating a culture in which employees understand organizations; expectations of them whole interacting with customers. The need for customer feedback for tracking and measuring business performance through the level of service is considered to be equally importance. The present assignment seeks to bring forth critical analysis regarding the use and importance of customer care services in organizations. This is done in the light of previous research on the subject, empirical evidences and examples of such electronic companies such as Apple and Samsung. It brings forth the impacts of such services in these organizations o their businesses and customer perceptions. The importance of customer care service and the effect of it on our culture and society- Critical Analysis The present study synthesizes and builds on efforts for conceptualizing the impacts of quality, value and satisfaction on the behavioural intentions of customers. The study depicts recent advancement made in the areas of customer care services in organizations in the light of service marketing theories and also puts forth notable findings on the subject. One of the key features noted by researchers to stay competitive in the market is to deliver a product or level of service which is unique or, which distinguishes the company’s business from the others. The idea is to draw a distinct line between one’s own services from that of the other firms. This mu st be in terms of catering to customers’ needs and requirements, maintaining quality of the services and also providing after sales services to customers. Extensive research has been conducted on the subject and they typically are of the opinion that customer satisfaction can have a positive opinion on the profitability of an organization. Because of this reason, the reasons for customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction must always be considered. Research shows a positive correlation between customer satisfaction, loyalty and customer retention. Thus the three aspects of satisfaction, loyalty and retention are some of the key factors on which organizational success depends (Singh, 2006, p.1). According to

Basic knowledge of Contract Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Basic knowledge of Contract Law - Case Study Example Shiny Ltd. faces the prospects of grappling with breach of contract cases after three separate retailers found the orders delivered to them deficient. The purpose of this paper is to advise Shiny Ltd. of its legal position on these cases, which suggest breach of contract. Retailer 1 - Mohammed personally placed an order for 75 pieces of the orange plastic buckets that he saw at the display room of Shiny Ltd. He specified that he wanted the handles of the same buckets to be replaced with metal ones. The retailer learned that these buckets were the last items of that type and color that Shiny Ltd. had in stock. When Shiny Ltd. agreed to the additional specification, Mohammed paid for the order in cash with the understanding that delivery will be made the following week Retailer 2 - At about the same time, another retailer by the name of Navraj telephoned Shiny Ltd. to order 120 black buckets. The supplier had 180 of such black-colored buckets stored in its warehouse and informed Navraj that his order would be sourced from that stock. Delivery was arranged for the following week with payment to be made within 10 days of delivery. Immediately after the telephone call, the manager of Shiny Ltd. went to the warehouse and made a separate stack of 120 black buckets from the 180 in stock. The stack of 120 black buckets was then labeled: "Property of Mr. Navraj." Before any delivery was made to either Mohammed or Navraj, however, there was a fire at the supplier's warehouse that, before it was put out in time, completely burned the 120 black buckets destined for Navraj and partially destroyed the 25 orange buckets ordered by Mohammed. The stack of 60 black buckets that was separated from Navraj's order was rescued from the fire. When informed of the accidental fire, Navraj and Mohammed indicated that they wanted Shiny Ltd. to fulfill their orders. Retailer 3 - The third retailer, Oliver, ordered and paid for 100 lightweight plastic buckets without specifying any color, to be delivered the very next day. Shiny Ltd. duly loaded the buckets onto a lorry owned by an independent carrier for delivery to Oliver. When the buckets arrived at Oliver's premises he found that a number of the bucket handles had been damaged. The buckets apparently sustained the damage because they were not properly secured in transit. Oliver wanted to return his order to Shiny Ltd. and get his money back plus damages. Legal Principles The term breach of contract is defined in law as the "failure without legal reason or legal excuse to comply with the terms of a contract or to perform any promise which forms the whole or part of the contract." Shiny Ltd. definitely has the "legal excuse" for failing to meet the terms of the three aforementioned purchase orders, which represent the breached contracts. The firm may have fallen short of the retailers' expectations on three counts, failing to deliver the orders of Mohammed and Navraj on time and having partially damaged goods delivered to Oliver. However, no willful conduct and gross negligence were involved at all in these shortcomings of Shiny Ltd. In the US and many other countries, punitive damages are awarded on breach of

The Importance of Customer Care Service and the Effect of It on Our Essay

The Importance of Customer Care Service and the Effect of It on Our Culture and Society - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that most people would agree with the fact that customer service accounts for one of the most important component of an organization’s overall business strategy. Without customers organizations cannot go forward to continue their businesses. Every organization generally has the thought that they provide good customer service; however, inadequacy of certain necessary steps to ensure this can make the situation far worse than their present perceptions. However, the commitment towards customer service must begin at the top and trickle down towards the lower levels of the organization. It is crucial that business leaders buy into the fat they are not only required to meet customer expectations but must also strive to gain excellence in the domain. For this it is important that they must create an organizational culture which strives to understand, execute and implement high quality customer service in the system. In today’s world of cut throat competition, organizations regard high quality service customer service as a prerequisite for having an extra edge over competitors. When customers are not satisfied with the service provided by a company they have ample choice to choose from another company. Initiative from the top management coupled with proper training and development program, a company would be successful in developing a culture which is conductive and embraces excellent customer services. Proper training and development program is an excellent way of creating a culture in which employees understand organizations; expectations of them whole interacting with customers. The need for customer feedback for tracking and measuring business performance through the level of service is considered to be equally importance. The present assignment seeks to bring forth critical analysis regarding the use and importance of customer care services in organizations. This is done in the light of previous research on the subject, empirical evidences and examples of such electronic companies such as Apple and Samsung. It brings forth the impacts of such services in these organizations o their businesses and customer perceptions. The importance of customer care service and the effect of it on our culture and society- Critical Analysis The present study synthesizes and builds on efforts for conceptualizing the impacts of quality, value and satisfaction on the behavioural intentions of customers. The study depicts recent advancement made in the areas of customer care services in organizations in the light of service marketing theories and also puts forth notable findings on the subject. One of the key features noted by researchers to stay competitive in the market is to deliver a product or level of service which is unique or, which distinguishes the company’s business from the others. The idea is to draw a distinct line between one’s own services from that of the other firms. This mu st be in terms of catering to customers’ needs and requirements, maintaining quality of the services and also providing after sales services to customers. Extensive research has been conducted on the subject and they typically are of the opinion that customer satisfaction can have a positive opinion on the profitability of an organization. Because of this reason, the reasons for customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction must always be considered. Research shows a positive correlation between customer satisfaction, loyalty and customer retention. Thus the three aspects of satisfaction, loyalty and retention are some of the key factors on which organizational success depends (Singh, 2006, p.1). According to

Role of Unions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Role of Unions - Research Paper Example ition, the unions’ role in shielding workers from increased inflation, growing unemployment and in influencing government policies in issues as health and other social factors is necessary (Serrano, 2011). Every organization has a HRM department that is mandated with the duty of hiring and looking at the welfare of the policies. In executing this role, the department influences the relationship between the employees and the organization. The department therefore has a role of achieving a cordial relationship between the organization and the employees by designing fair compensation, ensuring better working conditions, having better bargain, adhering to the labor laws and involving the employees’ emissaries in the formulation and implementation of organizations polices (Serrano, 2011). Through these, the employees’ relationship will be enhanced and their loyalty to the origination will be improved. Besides, the government also plays a significant role in ensuring workers plight are upheld. The government has a role of setting fair wage rates by altering minimum wage and in promulgating laws that protect the rights of the workers. The role will include that of penalizing organizations that breach the set regulations (Serrano, 2011). Simultaneously, the government should take interventionary measures between organizations and their workers in resolving labor disputes. In conclusion, the HRM department, government and the workers representatives must all play their roles in ensuring smooth relationship in the work force. Failure by any party to perform their tasks may result into labor disputes that will impair the functioning of the general

Machiavelli And Friedrich | A comparison

Machiavelli And Friedrich | A comparison It is interesting to note that Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) share a great deal of similarity, so that in fact, both have at one time been referred by the clergy of their times as the herald of the antichrist. Nevertheless, the similarity that exists between the two is mainly underpinned by their philosophical standpoints, given that Machiavellis and Nietzsches philosophical postulations were characterized by their antithetical standpoints towards Christian values, ethics and doctrines. Particularly, a case in point is Machiavellis maxim that the end justifies the means. In his II Principe, Machiavelli sees man as a political animal, but not because of mans gregarious tendencies as seen by Aristotle. To Machiavelli, man is a political animal in that in the quest for power, he has to act swiftly and be very cunning. Therefore, this brings in the concepts of competition which ensures that only those who are really determined and enthusiastic on whatever they are doing are able to keep up with the stiff competition. The divergence between Machiavelli and Christianity is further widened when he maintains that to seize and consolidate political power, it is necessary for the prince to move faster than his real and perceived enemies and crush them. The rationale behind this standpoint is that the person who moves fast and first emerges the victor, whereas the slow paced are victims (Machiavelli, 175). The similarity between the above standpoint and Nietzsches ideas is that both advocate against Christian ethics such as modesty and justice. Similarly, both disagree with the very fundamentals of Christian ethic as they both see man as an animal, whereas Christianity sees man as the most important being, with this importance being underpinned by rationality and morality. Therefore, the concept of seeing human being an important being they are regarded as civilized and are not intended to act like animals such as being not thoughtful. The main difference between human beings and animals is that human beings have conscious and are able to think and reason out in whatever they do unlike animals. Nevertheless, Nietzsches animal instincts of man is covertly mentioned, as he only refers to it, by critiquing Christianity for shutting its doors on pleasure, self, the natural and appetitive elements of man. In so assuming their controversial standpoints, both Machiavelli and Nietzsche postulate that the need to act towards self preservation, self actualization and self aggrandizement is paramount. This relegates man into likeness with the animal kingdom, given that the animal kingdom is merely driven by the need for self preservation, through instincts. As it were, the place for rationality in lieu of pure pleasure and self seeking is not given a big berth by both Nietzsche and Machiavelli. This is well proven by the fact that Machiavelli casts aspersion on the importance of values such as trust and mutual respect or agreement. Machiavelli argues that after fatally closing in on political enemies, the Prince must later on turn to his friends and eliminate them, since friends as confidants will have accrued a lot of political and administrative secrets adequate to turn against the Prince. However, it is important to take note of the fact that Nietzsche and Machiavelli had somewhat different reasons for assuming their controversial standpoints. While Nietzsche maintained his standpoint on the account that he saw Christianity a curse and God as being dead [non-existent] as the basis of his standpoint, Machiavellis concern was not concerned with atheism, theism or the concern over the existence of a deity. Machiavelli did not write his radical standpoint for the sake of dethroning Christianity, unlike Nietzsche. In respect to the above development, as a matter of fact, by conjoining ethics to Christianity, and criticizing Christianity for its moralist stands and its shunning of pleasure, debauchery and self seeking, Nietzsche basically made a dereliction on the importance of ethics and morality as important constructs that hold the society together. It is at the same time, this juncture that Machiavelli and Nietzsche part ways, as far as their philosophical standpoints are concerned. Despite his radical political standpoints Machiavelli sees the need for tampering political administration and rule with some elements of ethics. This standpoint is seen explicitly when Machiavelli urges the Prince to always make sure that he did not amass wealth and affluence by rapine. Similarly, Machiavelli argued that in order that the Prince realizes a peaceful and stable administration, it is important that he stayed away from mens women and wives. To Machiavelli, the failure to steer clear of mens wives and the failure to shun the temptation of wealth acquisition through larceny are the very factors that would drive men into vengeful tendencies and thereby sparking off a political resistance, and subsequently, instability. To any one analyst or careful reader, this is indeed a moralist standpoint. So moralist it is that many a world leader has not been able to keep. This is not the case with Nietzsche. In almost the same vein, Machiavelli does not see religion as being retrogressive or disposable to the domains under the Prince. As a matter of fact, Machiavelli reiterates to the need by the Prince, to desist from interfering with the Church and religious matters. To Machiavelli, the failure to do so would warrant the loathing by the masses. As a corollary to this standpoint, Machiavelli advised the Prince on the need to acquaint himself with the clergy, so as to be able to rule effectively. However, it must be remembered that Machiavelli advised the Prince on the need to ensure that the Church remained under the control of the state, since the Church existed under the auspices of his domains, and the Prince ought to know the developments taking place within his jurisdiction. On the other hand, Nietzsche in his condescending criticism against the Christian religion or faith, becomes blinded to the point of disposing off, any need for morality, ethics and self restraint. To him, the fact that God is dead has given man the liberty to indulge himself. This is the fatal mistake of Nietzsches works (Nietzsche and Mencken, 139). Conclusion There is no civilization that can exist in the absolute absence of ethics. In the same vein, it is not tenable, the idea of governance and administration of a people who have a totally laissez faire condition to do as they please. The veracity of this concept is well established by the law which seeks to control and ward off the excesses of man. Nietzsche fails to realize that removing the concept of absolute authority to which all are accountable is to issue a blank check on mans actions. On the other hand, handing man absolute rights will make life intractable, given that in seeking to exercise these absolute rights, the rights of others and the authority of the state to exercise its powers will have been compromised. In summation, it is important to realize that the main difference that lay in Machiavellis and Nietzsches works was that of purpose. While Machiavelli only sought to advise the Prince on the technicalities of politics, Nietzsche mainly sought to produce an atheistic t reatise.

A Brief History of Aesthetics Essay -- essays papers

A Brief History of Aesthetics Aesthetics is the theoretical study of the arts and related types of behavior and experience. It is traditionally regarded as a branch of philosophy, concerned with the understanding of beauty and its manifestations in art and nature. However, in the latter 20th century there developed a tendency to treat it as an independent science, concerned with investigating the phenomena of art and its place in human life. Yet, what in a field with a hazy line in between being classified as a science or study of beliefs is considered data for determining what can be studied? It can simply be drawn to the only three things involved in the process of art : The creator, the person experiencing, and the art itself. Now this leads us to understand what exactly, is art. studies all the typical â€Å"arts†. This includes music, literature, theatre, dance, film, as well as painting, sculpture, and architecture. This directs the student towards a very broad field. For example, architecture may involve the Sistine Chapel, considered one of the world’s most loved works of art. However, it may also include the landscaping in a small town square. So then, art is defined as something that deals with both the â€Å"useful† and â€Å"fine† arts, insofar as they appeal to aesthetic taste, or as long as they are created with the specific intent to cause a reaction, whether it be positive or negative. Some disagreement about the proper definition of survives from the conflict of rival schools of thought in philosophy and art criticism during the 18th ad 19th centuries, when first achieved recognition as a distinct field of knowledge and examination. The turning point which influenced most scholars to believe that leaned toward the sciences, rather than towards philosophy began with Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Aesthetic Judgment. The approach to beauty and art became more metaphysical and transcendental. A leader in the renewed attempt of art as science was Hippolyte Taine, who proposed that styles of art should be studied in the same way as plants are studied by botanists, and are subject to the same evolutionary development. At the same time in Germany, the name Kunstwissenschaft was applied to the historical writings of Semper, Fiedler, Burckhardt, and Riegl. In their writings, they strove for neutrality in comparative analysis i... ...took place. Through , an area of its own had been set aside for man’s artistic creativity. Now independence turned into domination, and the tendency towards differentiation gave way to desire for total inclusiveness. Art, after liberating itself from service under alien powers, (namely the repression of artists and their art, or the lack of education in the arts) aspired in its turn to embrace life in its entirety. In everything, there is art, and in art, there is everything. Or so it was in German romantic thought. Throughout the history of , which is arguably the length of time held within the universe, not much has been distorted. Art, along with is an incredibly difficult subject to comprehend, due to the varying nature of themes, opinions, and judgments. Not to cite all the societies, time periods, ethnicities, age and gender biased opinions. It is neither a science, nor a philosophy. It is both. within itself is a beauty, which will forever perplex the minds of the world. Art, placed in the neighborhood of philosophy and science reveals its innate inclination, (although undefined) to forever intrigue and perplex both the scientific and philosophical minds.

Swingers Not Just On Playgrounds Anymore :: essays research papers

Swinger's Not Just on Playgrounds Anymore Dave's marriage had hit the rocks. His wife had lost interest in sex, and Dave did not know how to deal with it. He did not know whether she was bored with him or simply bored with sex. In his search for an answer Dave and his wife attended a swinger's party. This would eventually end Dave's marriage, but it would also lead him to greener pastures. "She did not want to share the lifestyle with me, and sharing is an important part of swinging. Swingers swing to enhance the relationship with their mate, not to destroy it," Dave said. Dave met his second wife more than 15 years ago at a swinger's party. The couple has now turned their lifestyle into their business. For the past nine years Dave and his wife Dawn have run their own swing club in the Chicago suburbs. "We own Couples Choice, and though it's listed as a swing club it's a lot more social than people imagine," Dave said. This socialness includes dances, special theme parties, dinners and vacations. The couples who attend are also interested in learning about relationships, meeting new friends and for exposure to something new. One of the most common misconceptions is that people come just to have sex. However, this is an option at Dave and Dawn's club. Their club is known as an ‘on-site' club. This means that Dave and Dawn provide bedrooms for their members' enjoyment. "Ours is an on-premise club. We have bedrooms where sex does take place, but only if it is consensual. We do not force our activities on anyone," Dave said. Dave adds that having sex is something most people associate with a swing club, but often this is not true. Bob McGinley, whose self-given title is the grandfather of swing, believes many people have misconceptions about swinging. He says swinging cannot be categorized as mate swapping or as group sex. In fact McGinley believes swinging cannot be put into a category at all. "Putting a label on the activity is wrong. People call us swingers because we have sex with someone other than our mate, but you don't call someone a tenniser because they enjoy hitting a ball over a net. Someone involved in swinging is also involved in many other things . . . it's really unfair to label that person a swinger," McGinley said. McGinley has been involved in the swinging lifestyle since 1969. He has since founded Lifestyles Organization in Anaheim, Calif. His organization holds a swing convention every year and this year he expects more than 3,000 to attend.

Developing the Marketing Plan Case: Gillette Indonesia Essay

I. BACKGROUND In October 1995, Chester Allan, Gillette’s country manager in Indonesia, was developing his unit’s 1996 marketing plan. Once completed, it would be forwarded to Rigoberto Effio, business director in Gillete’s Asia-Pacific group based in Singapore. Each year Effio received and approved marketing plans for the 12 countries in his region, which reached from Australia to China. Once approved by Ian Jackson, Asia-Pacific group vice president, the overall marketing plan-for the region would be reviewed subsequently, along with other regional plans, by Robert King, executive vice president of Gillette’s International Group. Allan’s plan projected a 19% increase in blade sales in Indonesia in 1996 from 115 million to 136 million. This seemed reasonable given a 17% increase in 1995 over the previous year. With a population of almost 200 million, Indonesia represented an important country in the portfolio of markets for which Effio and Jackson were responsible. Effio wondered whether investment spending in marketing beyond the 1995 level of 12% of sales might further accelerate market development. Given the growth rates of Gillette’s business in other Asia-Pacific countries, Effio believed that a 25% to 30% increase in blade sales could be achieved in Indonesia in 1996. II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM How rapidly the Indonesian market for blades and razors could or would expand. Should the Indonesian market be allowed to just move along at its own pace? If so, what would that pace be? III. OBJECTIVE Gillette’s mission was to achieve worldwide leadership in its core product categories by developing marketing plan. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTH| WEAKNESSES| * The company emphasized geographic expansion along with research and development, advertising, and capital spending as drivers of growth. * Upgrade the market to higher value products and shaving systems.| * The poorer rural shavers cannot afford Gillette products and buy low-price, low-quality brands such as Tiger and Tatra. * Problems with customs clearances could impact the entire manufacturing cycle. * Shaving was still underdeveloped in Indonesia, but the incidence of shaving was increasing. OPPORTUNITIES| THREATS| * New-product activity and entry into and development of new markets were considered essential. * Research showed that higher-income, urban consumers were increasingly shopping in supermarkets. Most sales of Gillette’s higher priced shaving products were through these outlets.| * The production team carefully planned the timing of materials inputs. Because of distribution and transportation inefficiencies, the need for buffer inventories was substantial. * with rising incomes and improved Gillette distribution and display, consumers are moving to Gillette.| IV. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION 1. There was increasing awareness of Western grooming practices, especially in urban areas, as a result of exposure to foreign media and the increasing presence of multinational companies and their overseas personnel. 2. The liberalization of foreign investment policy had increased private sector involvement in the economy; the central government focused on developing infrastructure in the poorer regions and on human resources. V. RECOMMENDATIONS 3. Improving education system ensured that foreign companies would be attracted to the major urban areas, fueling further growth. 4. Gillette headquarters developed television advertisements for use worldwide, with the intent that local voiceovers and local package shots would be superimposed.

Background & The Evolution of the Internet

The Internet has undergone explosive growth since the first connections were established in 1969. This growth has necessitated an extremely large system scale-up that has required new developments in the technology of information transfer. These new developments allow simplified solutions to the problem of how to reliably get information from point A to point B. Unfortunately, the rapid pace of the required technological advancement has not allowed for optimal solutions to the scale-up problem.Rather, these solutions appear to have been the most convenient and practical at the time. Thus, the information transfer technology of today’s internet does not guarantee the ‘best path’ for data transmission. The definition of the best path may mean the most cost effective or the fastest path or some path based on optimization of multiple protocols, but the current technology used in the internet cannot guarantee that the best path for data transmission will be chosen. The result is a reduction in economic and system resource efficiency. The Evolution of the InternetThe Internet has become integrated into the economic, technological and security infrastructure of virtually every country in the world. However, the internet had quite a humble beginning. It was originally designed as a back-up military communications network (MILNET) and as a university research communications network (National Science Foundation Network, NFSNET / Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, ARPANET). The original technology developed for these limited systems was not designed for the massive scale-up that has occurred since inception.Moreover, the original design of the internet system was based on the sharing of resources. The recent applications of the internet for commerce and proprietary information transfer processes make resource sharing an undesirable aspect. A more recent development is resource usage based on policies limiting what part of the internet can use a specific service or data transmission line. An Introduction to Networks and Routing What is a network? A network is a group of computers linked together by transmission lines that allow communication between the computers.Some of these computers are the equipment used by people on their desktop. Other computers in the network are computers that are designed only to direct traffic on the network or between different networks. Computer scientists often think of networks as large graphs with lines used to connect dots. The dots are called nodes and correspond to computers and the lines correspond to the transmission lines that connect the computers. The Internet is a giant network of smaller networks, called autonomous systems, that allows computers to be connected around the globe.What is routing? The process of transmitting information from a source computer to a destination computer is called routing. The way this is done can greatly effect how quickly the information is transmitte d between the two computers. What is a router? A router is a computer with more than one connection to the rest of the network that is programmed to choose which transmission lines to send information. Some routers or designed to route information between networks, as on the Internet, while other routers work to route information between computers on the same network.How do routers route? In order for routers to choose the best route (or path) from the source computer to the destination computer, it is necessary that the routers communicate with each other about what computers and networks they are connected to and the routes that can be used to reach these computers and networks. Often these routes must go through other routers. What are advertisements? Advertisements are the messages sent between routers to communicate information about routes to reach each destination. What is convergence?Convergence occurs on the network or internet when all the routers know all the routes to al l the destinations. The time required for all the routers to agree on the state of the network, the network topology, is known as the convergence time. When convergence does not occur, then data can be transmitted to a router which does not know how to get to a destination and this data is then lost. This is called a black hole. It is also possible that the data can be passed around a set of routers continuously without getting to the destination. This is called a routing loop. What is a data packet?When a large message is being transmitted, the message will probably be broken up into smaller messages called data packets, and these data packets may not all be sent by the same path across the Internet, although they will hopefully all reach the same destination What is a metric? A routing metric is a measure associated with a particular path between a source and a destination used by the router to decide what path is the best path. Typical metrics used by routing algorithms include p ath length, bandwidth, load, reliability, delay (or latency) and communication cost.Path length is a geometric measure of how long the transmission lines are. Bandwidth is used to describe the available transmission rate (bps) of a given section the possible transmission path. The load is the data packet transmission per unit time. The reliability of a data transmission path is essentially the number of errors per unit time. The delay in data transmission along a certain path is due to a combination of the metrics that have already been discussed, including geometric length of the transmission lines, bandwidth, and data traffic congestion.The communication cost is essentially the commercial cost of data transmission along a certain transmission line. What is a router protocol? A router protocol is the way the router is programmed to choose the best path for data transmission and communicate with other routers. This algorithm will consider path metrics associated with each path in a way defined by the by the manager of each AS. What is an internet address? In order for routers to identify the destination of a data transmission, every destination must have an address.The internet protocol (IP) method of addressing destinations uses a series of digits separated by dots. An example of an Internet address is 227. 130. 107. 5. Each of the 4 numbers separated by a dot has a value between 0 and 255. This range of values is set from the amount of computer memory designated for addressing at the beginning of the internet. The internet addressing scheme is similar to a scheme for international telephone calls. There is a ‘country code’ which is a fixed number for each country, and then there are other numbers which change on the phone number to refer to specific locations within the country.The numbers on the IP address for a network on the internet correspond to what would be the country code on an international phone number are referred to as ‘prefix ’. The other numbers on the IP address change to refer to individual computers on that particular network. A ‘netmask’ can also be used to specify which numbers on the IP address for a given network are fixed and which ones can be changed. A netmask is a series on ones and zeroes that can be put over the IP address. The part of the IP address under the ones is fixed as a network address.The part of the IP address under the zeros can be changed to indicate specific computers on the network. What is a Domain Name System (DNS), the domain name and the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)? The DNS is a combination of computer hardware and software that can rapidly match the text specification of an IP address, like www. helpmegetoutofthis. com, to an IP address. The part, helpmegetoutofthis. com, is called the domain name. The whole text, www. helpmegetoutofthis. com, is called the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).When you send an e-mail or use the Internet, you use the doma in name and the URL to locate specific sites. This allows people to type in the text name, or domain name, of an internet site into the Netscape browser instead of trying to remember the numerical IP address. The DNS automatically matches the text name to the IP address for the user when the transmission request is submitted. What are servers and clients? All of the computers on the Internet are classified as either servers or clients. The computers that provide services to other computers are called servers.The computers that connect to servers to use the services are called clients. Examples of servers are Web servers, e-mail servers, DNS servers and FTP servers. The computers used at the desktop are generally clients. How the internet works. Although the details of routing and software are complex, the operation of the internet from the users’ perspective is fairly straight forward. As an example of what happens when the Internet is used, consider that you type the URL www . helpmegetoutofthis. com into the Netscape browser.The browser contacts a DNS server to get the IP address. A DNS server would start its search for an IP address. If it finds the IP address for the site, then it returns the IP address to the browser, which then contacts the server for www. helpmegetoutofthis. com, which then transmits the web page to your computer and browser so you can view it. The user is not aware that of the operation of an infrastructure of routers and transmission lines behind this action of retrieving a web page and transmitting the data from one computer to another.The infrastructure of the internet can be seen as a massive array of data relay nodes (routers) interconnected by data transmission lines, where each node can service multiple transmission lines. In the general case where information must be sent across several nodes before being received, there will be many possible pathways over which this transmission might occur. The routers serve to find a p ath for the data transmission to occur. The routing of a file or data packets of a file is either be done by the technique of source routing or the technique of destination routing.In source routing, the path the data transmission will follow id specified at the source of the transmission, while destination routing is controlled by the routers along the path. In the modern internet, almost all routing is done by destination routing because of security issues associated with source routing. Thus, the routers must be programmed with protocols that allow a reasonable, perhaps optimum, path choice for each data packet. For the routers to choose an optimum path also requires that the interconnected routers communicate information concerning local transmission line metrics.Router communication is thus itself a massive information transfer process, given that there is more than 100,000 networks and millions of hosts on the Internet. When viewing the enormity of the problem, it is perhaps e asier to understand why engineers have accepted a sub-optimal solution to the problem of efficiency in data transfer on the Internet. When initially confronting a problem, the practical engineering approach is to simplify the problem to the point where a working solution can be obtained and then refine that solution once the system is functional.Some of the simplifying assumptions used by engineers for the current internet data transmission system include 1) A transmission line is never over capacity and is always available as a path choice. 2) The performance of the router and transmission line does not depend on the amount of traffic. These two assumptions do simplify the problem of path choice considerably because now all the transmission lines and nodes may be considered equal in capacity and performance completely independent of traffic. As such, it is a much simpler optimization problem consisting of finding the route with the shortest path length.To simplify the problem even further, another assumption is made: 3) Consider that an â€Å"Autonomous System† (AS), is a small internet inside the Internet. An AS is generally considered to be a sub-network of an Internet with a common administrative authority and is regulated by a specific set of administrative guidelines. It is assumed that every AS is the same and provides the same performance. The problem of Internet routing can now be broken down into the simpler problem of selecting optimum paths inside the AS and then considering the optimum paths between the AS.Since there are ‘only’ around 15,000 active AS’s on the Internet, the overall problem is reduced to finding the best route over 15,000 AS nodes, and then the much simpler problem of finding the best route through each AS. There is an important (to this thesis) set of protocols which control the exchange of routing information between the AS’s. The sort of routers in an AS which communicates with the rest of the internet and other AS’s are called border routers. Border routers are controlled by a set of programming instructions known as Border Gateway Protocol, BGP.A more detailed discussion of computer networking principals and the Internet facts can be found in e. g. [7]. An Introduction to Router Protocols. Routers are computers connected to multiple networks and programmed to control the data transmission between the networks. Usually, there are multiple paths that are possible for transmission of data between two points on the Internet. The routers involved in the transmission between two points can be programmed to choose the ‘best path’ based on some metric. The ‘protocols’ used to determine the path for data transmission are routing algorithms.Typical metrics used by routing algorithms include path length, bandwidth, load, reliability, delay (or latency) and communication cost. Path length. Path length is a geometric measure of how long the transmiss ion lines are. The routers can be programmed to assign weights to each transmission line proportional to the length of the line or each network node. The path length is then the sum of the weights of the nodes, lines or lines plus nodes along the possible transmission path. Bandwidth. Bandwidth is used to describe the available transmission rate (bps) of a given section the possible transmission path.An open 64 kbps line would not generally be chosen as the pathway for data transmission if an open 10 Mbps Ethernet link is also open, assuming everything else is equal. However, sometimes the higher bandwidth path is very busy and the time required for transmission on a busy, high bandwidth line is actually longer than on a path with a lower bandwidth. Load. This data packet transmission per unit time or the percent of CPU utilization of a router on a given path is referred to as the load on this path. Reliability.The reliability of a data transmission path can be quantitatively descri bed as the bit error rate and results in the assignment of numeric reliability metrics for the possible data transmission pathways. Delay. The delay in data transmission along a certain path is due to a combination of the metrics that have already been discussed, including geometric length of the transmission lines, bandwidth, and data traffic congestion. Because of the hybrid nature of the communications delay metric, it is commonly used in routing algorithms. Communication Cost.In some cases, the commercial cost of data transmission may be more important the time cost. Commercial organisations often prefer to transmit data over low capacity lines which they own as opposed to using public, high capacity lines that have usage charges. The routing algorithms do not have to use just one metric to determine the optimum route; rather it is possible to choose the optimum route based on multiple metrics. In order for the optimum path to be chosen by the routers between the data source and the data destination, the routers must communicate information about the relevant metrics with other routers.This nature of this communication process is also defined by the routing algorithm and the transmission time is linked to the time required for the routers to have the necessary information about the states of the surrounding routers. The time required for all the routers to agree on the state of the network, the network topology, is known as the convergence time and when all routers are aware of the network topology, the network is said to have converged. Some of the common routing algorithm types can indeed affect the convergence of the network.Some of the different algorithms characteristics that must be chosen when designing are static or dynamic routing, single path or multi-path routing and link state or distance vector routing. Static Routing. Static routing is done by use of a static list of attributes describing the network topology at the initiation of the network. This list, called a routing table, is used by the routers to decide the optimum routes for each type of data transmission and can only be changed manually. Therefore, if anything changes in the network, such as a cable breaking or a router crashing, the viability of the network is likely to be compromised.The advantage is that there is no communication required between routers, thus the network is always converged. Dynamic Routing. In contrast to static routing, dynamic routing continually updates the routing tables according to changes that might occur in the network topology. This type of real time information processing allows the network to adjust to variations in data traffic and component reliability, but does require communication between the routers and thus there is a convergence time cost associated with this solution.Single Path vs Multi-path Routing. Single path and muli-path routing are accurate descriptive terms regarding the use of either a single line to send multip le packets of data from a given source to a given destination as opposed to using multiple paths to send all the data packets from the source to the destination. Multiple path algorithms achieve a much higher transmission rate because of a more efficient utilization of available resources. Link State vs Dynamic Routing Protocols.Link-state algorithms are dynamic routing algorithms which require routers to send routing table information to all the routers in the network, but only that information which describes its own operational state. Distance-vector algorithms, however, require each router to send the whole of its router table, but only to the neighbouring routers. Because the link-state algorithms require small amounts of information to be sent to a large number of routers and the distance vector algorithm requires large amounts of information sent to a small number of routers, the link state algorithm will converge faster.However, link state algorithms require more system reso urces (CPU time and memory). There is a new type of algorithm developed by CISCO which is a hybrid of the link-state algorithm and the distance vector algorithm [8].. This proprietary algorithm converges faster than the typical distance-vector algorithm but provides more information to the routers than the typical link-state algorithm. This is because the routers are allowed to actively query one another to obtain the necessary information missing from the partial tables communicated by the link-state algorithms.At the same time, this hybrid algorithm avoids communication of any superfluous information exhibited in the router communications of the full tables associated with distance-vector algorithm. Switching. The distance vector, link state or hybrid algorithms all have the same purpose, to insure that all of the routers have an updated table that gives information on all the data transmission paths to a specific destination. Each of these protocols requires that when data is tra nsmitted from a source to a destination, the routers have the ability to ‘switch’ the address on the data transmission.When a router receives a data packet from a source with the destination address, it examines the address of the destination. If the router has a path to that destination in the routing table, then the router determines the address of the next router the data packet will ‘hop’ to and changes the physical address of packet to that of the next hop, and then transmits the packet. This process of physical address change is called ‘switching’. It will be repeated at each hop until the packet reaches the final destination.Although the physical address for the forwarding transmission of the data packet changes as the packet moves across the Internet, the final destination address remains associated with the packet and is a constant. The internet is divided up into hierarchical groups that are useful in the description of the switching process. At the bottom of this hierarchy are network devices without the capability to switch and forward packets between sub-networks, where an AS is a sub-network.These network devices are called end systems (ESs), because if a packet is transmitted there, it cannot be forwarded and has come to the end. At the top of the hierarchy are the network devices that can switch physical addresses are called intermediate systems (ISs). An IS which can only forward packets within a sub-network are referred to as intra-domain ISs while those which communicate either within or between sub-networks are called intra-domain ISs. Details of Routing Algorithms Link State AlgorithmsIn a link state algorithm, every router in the network is notified of a topology change at the same time. This avoids some of the problems associated with the nearest neighbour update propagation that occurs in the distance vector algorithms. The ‘Open Shortest Path First’ (OSPF) protocol uses a graph topolo gy algorithm like Dijkstra’s Algorithm to determine the best path for data transmission between a given data source and a data destination. The metric used for route optimisation is specific to the manual configuration of the router.However, the default metric is the speed of the interface. The OSPF uses a two level, hierarchical network classification. The lower level of hierarchy is groups of routers called areas. All the routers in an area have full knowledge of all the other routers in the area, but reduced knowledge of routers in a different area. The different areas organized within the OSPF algorithm are connected by border routers, which have full knowledge of multiple areas. The upper level of the hierarchy is the backbone network, to which all areas must be connected.That is, all data traffic going from one area to another must pass through the backbone routers. Distance Vector Algorithms In order for data to be transmitted from a source to a destination on the Inte rnet, the destination must be identified using some mechanism. That is, each possible destination for data transmission must be described with an address. The scheme currently used to address the internet space is the Internet Protocol (IP) version 4. The IP version 4 uses an address length limited by 32 bits. An example of an Internet address is 227. 130. 107.5 with the corresponding bit vector 11100011 10000010 01101011 00000101. An initial difficulty in managing the available address space was the implementation of a class structure, where large blocks of internet address space was reserved for organisations such as universities, leaving commercial applications with limited address space. Routing of data transmission in this address environment was referred to as class-full routing. To alleviate this problem of limited address space, the internet community has slowly evolved to a classless structure, with classless routing.In distance vector protocols, each router sends adjacent routers information about known paths to specific addresses. The neighbouring routers are sent information giving a distance metric of each one from a destination address. The distance metric could be the number of routers which must be used to reach the destination address, known as the ‘hop count’, or it could be the actual transmission distance in the network. Although this information is advertised only to the adjacent routers, these routers will then communicate the information with their neighbouring routers, and so on, until the entire network has the same information.This information is then used to build the routing table which associates the distance metric with a destination address. The distance vector protocol is implemented when a router receives a packet, notes the destination, determines the path with the shortest distance to the destination and then forwards the packet to the next router along the shortest distance path. One of the first distance vector protocols implemented on the Internet was the Routing Information Protocol (RIP). RIP uses the distance metric of hop count to determine the shortest distance to the destination address.It also implements several protocols to avoid having data packets pass through the same router more than once (router loops). The path vector protocol is a distance vector protocol that includes information on the routes over which the routing updates have been transmitted. It is this information on path structure which is used to avoid routing loops. Path Vector Protocols are also somewhat more sophisticated than RIP because an attempt is made to ‘weight’ each path based on a locally defined criteria that may not simply reflect the highest quality of service, but rather the highest profit for an ISP.The implementation of these types of router algorithms may be different in different parts of the Internet. When the algorithms are implemented inside an autonomous system, they are called Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP). Because the different autonomous systems that make up the Internet are independent from one another, the type of routing algorithm used within the autonomous systems can also be independent of one another.That is, the managers of each autonomous system are free to choose the type of algorithm which best suits their particular network, whether it is static or dynamic link-state or dynamic distance-vector. When the algorithms are implemented to control data transmission between autonomous systems, they are referred to as Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGP). The EGP connect all autonomous systems together to form the Internet and thus all EGP should use the same algorithm.The specific algorithm currently used as the EGP on the Internet is the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), which is a type of distance vector algorithm called a path vector algorithm [9]. A path vector algorithm uses information about the final destination of the data transmission in additio n to the attributes of the neighbouring links. It should be noted that the BGP algorithm can also be used as a router protocol within an autonomous system and is called an interior BGP (IBGP) in that instance. This necessitates calling the BGP an EBGP when it is implemented as an EGP.