Nora in A Doll’s House Essay Example

Nora in A Doll’s House Paper The rapid change in the character of Nora in A Doll’s House, between Acts 1 and 2, and Act 3 have been noted as â€Å"startling† by critics, however the believability of this transformation has been argued. Looking at it from a Realist perspective, Nora’s final words of â€Å"I’ve stopped believing in miracles,† apparently seems to prove that her characterization in Act 3 is in itself unbelievable. However, when analyzing the text it becomes evident that her change in character only seems sudden from Torvald’s perspective, and that there is in fact subtle dramatic irony within Acts 1 and 2 foreshadowing this transformation. Throughout the play Ibsen shows Nora’s gradual development into a more determined and self-assured woman. This character development is guided and made evident through her growing courage and direct attempts to become more equal to Torvald. Her serious tone at the end of the play is also diminished by her contrastin g childish actions within Act 3, shown primarily through her final act of door slamming. Throughout Acts 1 and 2, Nora’s develops to be increasingly more courageous, firstly shown through her demanding Torvald to hire Mrs. Linde, which contrasts to her previous stating that â€Å"[she] should not think of going against your wishes]† suggesting a foreshadowing an ongoing change within her character. Due to the form being a play and therefore the lack of descriptive settings, it is the character’s actions and their contact with the objects that surround them that defines them. For example, at certain moments in the play Nora â€Å"moves towards stove,† and it is argued that these action convey her need for emotional warmth. In Act 1, when Nora expresses her sweet tooth by sneakily eating the macaroons, it shows Nora is deceitful and manipulative from the start, and thus her â€Å"sudden† transformation into a woman who can tell her husband to â€Å"stop† and â€Å"listen to me,† has in fact previously been suggested to. It i s also hinted that Nora acquires an idealistic intention; to become an equal to her husband. She states that â€Å"last winter I was lucky enough to get a lot of copying to do; so I locked myself up and sat writing all evening until quite late at night it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.† The use of the verb â€Å"locked,† suggests entrapment, and her desire to be like man and to earn money and work thus shows her unhappiness with her own life. This is further proven by the adverb â€Å"enough,† which sarcastically suggests woman having a set and concrete place in life. We will write a custom essay sample on Nora in A Doll’s House specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nora in A Doll’s House specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nora in A Doll’s House specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Throughout Act 3, Nora’s transformation and â€Å"new† serious tone is also diminished and made to seem less extreme through her use of action. As mentioned before, due to the text type, the actions of the character become extremely important to their characterization. Nora leaves the stage on a serious note of â€Å"I’ve stopped believing in miracles,† completely contrasting to her first lines to Torvald of â€Å"Yes, Torvald, we may be a wee bit more reckless now, maynt we? Just a tiny wee bit! You are going to have a big salary and earn lots and lots of money.† The harshness of the word â€Å"stopped† contrasts to the smoothness and removal of harsh consonants in â€Å"mayn’t we,† and together with the idiomatic expressions such as â€Å"wee† and the repetitions of â€Å"lots and lots,† shows that her dialogue undergoes a dramatic shift in tone, however it is Nora’s actions during act 3 which prove that N ora still carry’s through her childish mechanisms. For example, upon leaving the set, Nora â€Å"slams† the door suggesting that nothing she had said needed to be taken seriously as slamming has the effect of showing Nora is still childish and also ends the play on a more humorous note. Nora evidentially portrays different personalities depending on the character she is interacting with, creating doubt in the audience’s mind to if they ever have, during acts 1 and 2, had the privilege of meeting Nora’s true self. Even in her more serious roles; when in the company of Doctor Rank, Nora engages in rather childish activities. It is ironic that she herself has been labeled as a doll and yet repetitively plays with the Doctor by continually asking him to look at her stockings, all in an attempt to see how strong her hold over him is. This lack of a completely serious character in Acts 1 and 2 again hint that there are underlying, still childish characteristics to Nora in Act 3. Throughout the different personalities she plays out, she continuously takes them to the extreme, shown through her repetitive use of the language of absolutes as in â€Å"tore everything apart,† and â€Å"understand myself and everything about [her].† The reader is thu s not surprised that when Nora starts to play a serious role with Torvald, she takes it to an extreme. In fact, the audience is expecting it. Throughout Acts 1 and 2, Nora’s serious side is often hinted at as she becomes increasingly courageous, and it is often hinted that she is unhappy with her current stance in life – thus foreshadowing that an inevitable change will occur for her. Though her sudden serious use of speech occurs in Act 3, her childish and still foolish actions suggest that she is yet again merely playing a part, however playing it to an extreme, which was previously foreshadowed by her repetitive use of the language of absolutes. Throughout her characterization, dramatic irony was created through the audience’s knowledge of her rapid and fluid change in personalities, depending on the character she was interacting with. It therefore comes as no surprise when Nora stops â€Å"believing in miracles† and starts taking on yet another persona, thus making her characterization in Act 3 completely believable.

Free Essays on Mars

Mars The planet Mars is nicknamed the god of war. The Planet probably got its name from its red color, Mars is sometimes called the red planet. Mars’ orbit is significant because it is elliptical. Mars average temperature is about -55C and at the winter poles it is almost about 27 C. There are four major land forms on Mars. Olympus Mons is the largest mountain in the solar system rising 24 km above the surrounding plain. Its plain is more than 500 km in diameter and is rimmed by a cliff 6 km high. Tharsis is a huge bulge on the Martian surface that is about 4000 km across and 10 km high. Valles Marineris is a system of canyons 4000 km long and from 2 to 7 km deep. Hellas Planita is an impact crater in the southern hemisphere over 6 km deep and 2000 km in diameter. Most of the Martian surface is very old and scattered, but there are many other valleys, ridges, hills and plains. The most likely contrast of the sun is that its dense core is about 1700km in radius, a molten rocky mantle a little denser than the earth’s and a thin crust. With Mars relatively low density compared to the other planets its appears that its core probably contains a relatively large fraction of sulfur in addition to iron. Mars also appears to lack active plate tectonics . Having no lateral plate motion, hot spots under the crust stay in a fixed position relative to the surface. There is no evidence of volcanic activity on the planet Mars. There lots of erosion and small floods that happen on Mars. There is other possibilities of other fluids besides water on planet Mars . The age of erosion channels is estimated to be about nearly 4 billion years. Doing to Mar’s plate tectonics it is not able to recycle any of this carbon dioxide back into its atmosphere and so cannot sustain a significant green house effect. The surface of Mars is colder than the earth would be at that distance of the sun. It has a thin atmosphere composed of tiny amount of Ca... Free Essays on Mars Free Essays on Mars Mars The planet Mars is nicknamed the god of war. The Planet probably got its name from its red color, Mars is sometimes called the red planet. Mars’ orbit is significant because it is elliptical. Mars average temperature is about -55C and at the winter poles it is almost about 27 C. There are four major land forms on Mars. Olympus Mons is the largest mountain in the solar system rising 24 km above the surrounding plain. Its plain is more than 500 km in diameter and is rimmed by a cliff 6 km high. Tharsis is a huge bulge on the Martian surface that is about 4000 km across and 10 km high. Valles Marineris is a system of canyons 4000 km long and from 2 to 7 km deep. Hellas Planita is an impact crater in the southern hemisphere over 6 km deep and 2000 km in diameter. Most of the Martian surface is very old and scattered, but there are many other valleys, ridges, hills and plains. The most likely contrast of the sun is that its dense core is about 1700km in radius, a molten rocky mantle a little denser than the earth’s and a thin crust. With Mars relatively low density compared to the other planets its appears that its core probably contains a relatively large fraction of sulfur in addition to iron. Mars also appears to lack active plate tectonics . Having no lateral plate motion, hot spots under the crust stay in a fixed position relative to the surface. There is no evidence of volcanic activity on the planet Mars. There lots of erosion and small floods that happen on Mars. There is other possibilities of other fluids besides water on planet Mars . The age of erosion channels is estimated to be about nearly 4 billion years. Doing to Mar’s plate tectonics it is not able to recycle any of this carbon dioxide back into its atmosphere and so cannot sustain a significant green house effect. The surface of Mars is colder than the earth would be at that distance of the sun. It has a thin atmosphere composed of tiny amount of Ca...

What are the key differences between the two major political parties Essay

What are the key differences between the two major political parties Democratic Party vs Republican Party - Essay Example Even though the issues affecting Americans have been recognized by the leadership of the two parties, it is the way to tackle such issues that has created two distinct categories of leadership styles all these years. This paper will closely examine the two parties’ policy approaches in the history of American democracy and find out the major differences that the said parties exhibit through the leaders they have often elected. The paper will try to establish if the two parties have influenced the way a democratic or a republican party elected presidential candidate is bound to approach the implementation of certain issues of public interest or even act on matters that face the country during their reign. There are quite a few of ideological differences based on the Republicans’ and the Democrats’ policies. Such differences were recently cited to have polarized the nation in the recently concluded elections in the United States that saw president Obama clinch a second term in office. To begin, the democrats have in a way tried to create a favorable environment for economic expansion, expanding individual opportunity and assisting the poor so that it has reduced the gap between the rich, the middle income earners, and the poor. The Republicans, however, believe that by the government creating a conducive environment or benefits, so to speak, only help in creating ‘a nation of takers’ (Harwood, 2013). This brings out the Republicans as those interested in making the richer become richer while the middle class and lower class citizens continue to find their path to economic empowerment. If this fact is anything to go by, then this might explain the incumbent pr esidents â€Å"coalition† that made his re-election possible. It is mostly the low income earners and the youth who formed a formidable force that propelled the presidents’ efforts for a second term in the White House. Steinhauer (2013) further elaborates this and states that due to subsequent victories by the Democrats for the presidential race that has been largely sparked by the voting pattern influenced by the rich Hispanic votes in favor of the Democrats, the Republicans have attempted to formulate a plan. For instance, they were pushing immigrants to immigrate to the U.S. or reside permanently if their stay was illegal. The Democrats, on the other hand, have discouraged immigration due to pressure on the existing resources. This push might be unrealistic but is a good indicator of the approaches the Republican Party has taken in reaction for the response such voters have always given to their initial policy stance (Fried, 2008). They have been known to push for s trict measures like deportation and use of electric fences and even use of excessive force to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country. The economy has been a major battle front for the two parties. It is evident that the two parties have approached spending, for instance, in a different way. Many have cited that the Democrats have often struggled to repair a broken economy inherited from their Republican counterparts who have promoted massive spending, especially on the military. While the Democrats believe that America should be a self-sustaining model of financial spending by the federal government, the Republican version of self-sustenance has been to enormously spend on the military so that

Jet Blue Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Jet Blue Airways - Essay Example The company’s shares performed well since the IPO due to JetBlue’s perceived successful business model and its strong financials results (JetBlue). Jet Blue has been a reputable company in the airline sector within USA since its launch in year 1998 due to being a low cost airline company; the company achieved low operating costs while offering customers a pleasant flying experience. Jet Blue has not only survived but also performed well during difficult industry period i.e. 2000-2003, this period can be deemed as a recession period for the airline sector due to the September 11, 2001 bombings. Jet Blue prepared a different response to these recessionary times in the airline industry to achieve its positive result (Rovenpor & Michel 2009) The company flew new airplanes and its flying experience included reliable on-time performance, comfortable and roomy leather seats, free 24-channel satellite TV service through TV screens installed in the back of each seat, pre-assigned seating, and friendly service by crew members. JetBlue generally chose to fly between densely populated cities and chose airports that were undeserved by existing airline carriers. The company’s markets tended to be large metropolitan areas with high average fares. Once it entered a new market, JetBlue’s comparatively low airfares stimulated new demand from passengers who may otherwise not have flown and often resulted in JetBlue capturing market share from the incumbent carrier (JetBlue, Newsweek 2001 & Rovenpor & Michel 2009) JetBlue aims on providing the customers the best possible service at a low cost. These services include point to point route to save the time of the consumers and a high quality consumer service. This high quality consumer service is maintained by their employees who are recruited only after passing tough tests. JetBlue makes sure that their service does not get affected even if they

World of Global and Knowledge Economies Literature review

World of Global and Knowledge Economies - Literature review Example As the report declares the classical perspective is also more relevant to the current knowledge based economy that the improvement in the performance of the employees and resultantly that of the organization depends upon how knowledgeable the employees are. This is also relevant because knowledge based economy concepts advocate that in order to reduce the impact of diminishing returns on the capital, it is important that new ways of doing things are created. Classical perspectives therefore is relevant in the sense allow knowledge based economies to gain access to the more qualified and high performing employees. According to the paper findings organic perspective is critical in the sense that it advocates the formation of networks and hubs where people work in an informal manner. Knowledge based economies are also based upon the informal networking of the individuals through digitization which has been made possible with the help of globalization. What is also critical to note that organic perspective directly asserts the impression that the knowledge workers need not be concentrated in one place? Thus the current derive in digitization and globalization actually allowed the organizations to harness the power of the competencies of their employees while transcending the traditional borders. Organic perspective is significantly more critical due to the fact that it focuses on the understanding the needs of the employees and allow the emergence of concepts like group leadership.

Factors to Consider Before Merger and Acquisition

Factors to Consider Before Merger and Acquisition CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1.1. Background to the research According to the Chambers 20th Century dictionary the research could be defined as a â€Å"Systematic investigation towards increasing the sum of knowledge†. It was also stated as â€Å"An endeavor to discover new or collate old facts by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation† in the Concise Oxford Dictionary. (The Concise Oxford Dictionary) Research can also be defined as the process which helps to find something new or it helps in clarifying certain doubts about the research that was being done already. This research looks in to the factors that encourage business organization all over the world to engage in the process of mergers and acquisitions (MA). It also examines the factors and incentives on the basis of which the MA have been a continuous popular strategy for the firms for expanding their businesses. Why and what type of firms will engage in this process. This research also helps the firms to understand the benefits that they can get from the MA process. There are various other growth and diversification strategies like franchising, licensing and Joint ventures which are popular amongst the business organizations. This research also discussed the challenges that firms face while engaging in the process of MA. MA is not an easy process because it is difficult for the organizations that are previously competing with each other to join and work together as one new entity. Organizations have different culture; they are using different management practices. It is very difficult for the employees to adjust to the new culture of the organization. In this research it is also going to be found out that what benefits that a firm can get after a successful MA process. Mergers and acquisitions is an issue of great academic interest. There are studies about this issue in the field of industrial economic and strategic management as well as on organizational theories. Especially in the current economic situation, where companies are facing liquidity problems and facing tough competitions from their rivals, MA is an important survival strategy as well for the organizations. With the globalization and the world is being a global village, the need for companies to join together and to cater the needs of the customers have to work together. The phenomenon of MA is equally popular amongst the firms with same kind of business as well as for the organization in different business. The firm that is discussed as a case study in this research is a big pharmaceutical company of the world. After the merger the company became the biggest pharmaceutical company of the world. In year 1998 the volume of business through the MA process was 2.4 trillion. This increases every year with more and more companies are entering the process of MA. In this research the case study GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was discussed. It is going to be evaluated in this research that how the organization benefitted from the merger and acquisition process and whether it was a successful merger or not. In this research the definitions of MA given by different authors and the types of mergers were also discussed. The motive that attracted the organization to involve in the process of mergers and acquisition and the benefits that they got from this process was also discussed. MA is a complex process that involves two different companies, having their separate identity, so the problem arises in the integration process after the MA. In order to measure the performance of GSK the financial statements are analyzed. 1.2. Significance of the Study This research will help in finding out the factors that encourages companies to engage in the process of mergers and acquisition (MA). What are the factors that firms have to consider while starting the process of mergers and acquisitions? It is also going to be find out in the research that why companies are using MA as business expansion strategy for the growth of their business both in the International as well as local markets. This research will help in better understanding of the issues that are involved in the process of MA. The firms have to look at the human resource aspect of the mergers and acquisitions instead of just considering the financial and business aspect. Apart from the factors and parties involved in the process of mergers and acquisitions it is also going to be find out that what are the factors that have to be managed in the process, otherwise they will result in the failures of the whole process of MA. This study will also help the companies who are planning to engage in the process of MA about the relationship between the parties involved in this whole process. Globalization has made it easy for the firms to interact with each other, share their experiences about the markets, made strategic alliances to expand their businesses. This study will help in understanding the fat that how firms are using the mergers and acquisition as international business expansion strategy. It is also going to be find out in this study that why companies adopt the MA to expand their businesses in the international as well as national market when they have other business expansion strategies available to them like Strategic Alliances and joint ventures. 1.3. Statement of Purpose The purpose of this study was to find out that what were the factors that encouraged firms to engage in the process of mergers and acquisition? This research was going to evaluate the different business growth and expansion strategies that firm are using in order to expand their businesses. As GSK was taken as case study for discussing the mergers and acquisition as a business growth strategy, it was also going to be discusses that why GSK selected MA as a growth strategy to expand their business. This research also looked into the factors that encouraged firms in general and GSK in particular to involved in MA process. It was also going to evaluated that what were the positive points, that GSK would get after their merger and what were the challenges that GSK faced in the during merger and pre merger phase . In order to evaluate the performance of the GSK in this research the financial statement of the GSK was evaluated so as to saw the performance of the company in the post merger stage. This research looked at the annual turnover of the GSK after their merger so as to see that how much growth company had after the merger. In this report the earning per share (EPS) of the GSK was discussed and compared over few years in order to get the feel of that how well the company was working and how much benefit, the shareholders of the company had of their MA. The purpose of doing this research to help the students, researchers and companies to understand that how they can merger and acquisition effectively in order to expand their businesses. This research is really helpful full for the companies who are interested in doing mergers as they come to know through this research that what are the benefits they can get after the MA process. They will also come to know through this research that what will be the challenges that they will have to face if they want to be a part of mergers and acquisition process. This research will provide will help the firms who are interested in the process of mergers and acquisition to understand that how they will face with the problem of cultural differences if they are going for mergers with organizations from others cultures. They will also come to know that how important is the proper integration of cultures and integration of different department of the organization in the successful process of MA. 1.4. Aims and objectives This research will help the companies who are planning to engage in the process of mergers and acquisitions. They come to know through this research that what factors they have to take into consideration while going for mergers and acquisitions. What are the benefits and what are the negatives of MA. Who are the parties that are involved in merger and acquisition? The research has several aims regarding mergers and acquisitions of companies, especially Glaxo and SmithKilne. Merger and Acquisitions are never easy as many companies fail in their initial steps but some of them succeeding as well although number of failure is high. They fail because they could not recognize the actual factors on which they are doing mergers and acquisition. There are several factors upon which merger and acquisition takes place like HR, lack of capital, IT, lack of expertise, need for globalization and it is not necessary that companies do merger and acquisition on all factors but it depends on companies strategies and requirements as well. But in todays dynamic environment companies do merger and acquisition for increase their efficiency and effectiveness; companies have increasingly used mergers and acquisitions to change the scope and/or competitive environment of their business. Other factors which are useful in successful mergers and acquisitions are communication, corporate culture and change for surviving. In this project the researcher will discuss the factors that have impact on before, during and after merger and acquisition. Researcher will also look into the financial statement of the GSK for the last three years to determine that whether the company grows in its market price per share and price earnings ratio. That is the main indicators that determine the performance of the company. 1.5. Research Questions What factors encourages firms to adopt mergers and acquisitions as an international business strategy? What are the other international business expansion strategies available to firm? What benefits are likely to be gained by the firm, under the international business expansion strategy in mergers and acquisitions? What factors encouraged GSK to engage in merger and acquisitions? What are the benefits of MA? What are the challenges faced by the firm while engaging in the process of mergers and acquisitions? What strategies could be implemented to enhance the international business operations? CHAPTER 2 Literature Review 2.1 Business Expansion and Growth Strategies Businesses can expand or grows by number of ways. Whatever type of choice there may be, the business owners are on the hot seat because they have to make judgments, they should consider the best available choice that are in line with their main objective of expanding or growing business. In order to provide an initial understanding of the basic business growth and expansion strategies, some of them are discussed here. Directly exporting, Indirectly exporting with the help of middle man, producing product in the target company, Franchising and joint ventures, strategic alliances are some of the methods that companies all over the business world are using to expands all over the world. Apart from methods mentioned above, Mergers and acquisitions are the method that big multinational companies in all business sectors are using to expand their businesses internationally as well as in domestic market. Firms are using MA as an expansion growth strategy in order to cut down their cost of unnecessary advertisement and other marketing programmes that they are using in order to capture new markets with the help of MA. Companies diversifies their businesses so that they can enter new markets. 2.1.1 Business expansion through Geographical expansion It is the first and foremost aim of every business to grow in term of capturing new markets as well as in the financial terms. It is easy with the help of MA process, two companies that were previously competing with each other and spending a lot of their financial resources on un necessary marketing their products, can join their hands with MA process to capture new geographical markets. GSK after their mergers captures big market of Europe, Asia, USA and Japan. In most of the world GSK, after their merger became the biggest pharmaceutical company of the world. It is important to know that what are the methods, modern small, medium and large businesses are using in order to expand their businesses internationally. Some of the methods that organizations are using to expand internationally and in the local markets are as follows; 2.1.2 Ansoffs Growth Matrix (Product Market Mix) In order to understand the growth strategies, one of the common business strategy frame work is called as Ansoffs Growth Matrix. This matrix is developed by H. Igor Ansoff, a strategic management guru. This matrix helped organization in establishing a direction for the growth. In this growth matrix product and market are taken against vertical and horizontal axis. It helped organizations to understand the factor that how they grow their business. They can either enter the existing market with new product or they can enter the new market. (Campbell and Craig 2005) 2.1.3 Market Penetration In this kind of growth strategy the firm actually wants to sell more of its product in to the existing market. The firms want to grow their business by capturing more market share, for that firm allocates more of its resources to product development. This is less risky because the firm already knows the market. (Campbell and Craig 2005) 2.1.4 Market Development In this strategy the firm tries to enter the new market with the existing products. This happens when the firm wants to sell their existing product to new geographical markets in order to capture them. In this strategy firm has to invest highly on the marketing and sales department, in order to pursued customers to purchase their product. (Campbell and Craig 2005) 2.1.5 Product Development This strategy necessitates on the development of new product for the existing markets. In this strategy the organization had to invest highly on the research and development. Firms have to come up with new products that are in accordance with the current trends and needs/tastes of the customer. (Campbell and Craig 2005) 2.1.6 Diversification Diversification is the highly risky strategy. In this strategy firms want to sell entire new product in the entire new market for entire new customers. Diversification is of two types, related diversification and unrelated diversification. Related diversification is the one in which firms stick to the business in which it already are working. Unrelated diversification refers to the strategy where firm enters in to the entirely new business. (Campbell and Craig 2005) 2.1.7 Franchising Franchising is a business growth model in which the franchisor not only sells the its trademarks to the franchisee but despite of that he provides the franchisee with the whole business model that includes, accounting system, processes, training and technical and marketing support as well. This kind of business expansion model is very common in retail, food business, as well as in the service sector. As GSK is a big multinational company that is involved in the pharmaceutical industry so, business expansion models like Franchising are not suitable for them. 2.1.8 Licensing Licensing is another form of business expansion strategy that is very similar to the franchising. It worked the same way as franchising but in licensing licensor only allow licensee to use their intangible assets and in return gets royalty fees on monthly or annual basis. Intangible assets include patents, formulas, designs, copyrights and other intangible assets. This type of strategy was also not feasible for big company like GSK. 2.1.9 Strategic Alliances Strategic alliances are a kind of business expansion strategy in which two potential or actual competitors enters into a cooperative agreement. This is usually used by the companies, that are interested in entering the markets with less risks and they want to divide their initial fixed cost for starting a business. There are few other methods apart from the ones that are discussed above. Some companies used to expand their businesses by exporting, some like to go for joint ventures. 2.1.10. Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisition is the method that is used by the firms all over the world in order to expand their businesses. According to a research, the total volume of mergers and acquisition business in year 1998 was 2.4 trillion. Mergers and acquisition is the kind of business expansion strategy that was used by GSK. Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham were the companies that are in the same business of pharmaceutical and healthcare products. GSK selects mergers and acquisition because it is easy for the manufacturing companies in the same trade and having almost same culture. A major factor in the mergers of the two firms was the suitability of the process for both the organization. After the MA of the two organizations they became the largest pharmaceutical company of the world. 2.2 Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) Merger and Acquisition have been discussed by the Strategists and been at the centre of management research as a quick and efficient way to expand their business and to get into new unknown markets, to create competitive advantage, to have spread risk and dominate existing market as well. 2.2 Definitions of Mergers and Acquisition Merger and acquisition is usually defined as a coming together of two companies however although people thought merger and acquisition to have same meaning but technically its different. An acquisition can be defined as the process of taking over of another, firm in which firms develops its own current situation by acquiring other firms resources and competencies (Johnson and Scholes 1999). Acquisition could also be defined by (Bowman and Asch 1996) as a process in which a firm acquired the shares and assets of other companies, liabilities and as well as its trading activities. Business all our the world are learning the fact that they have to find strategic partner, if they expect to be successful in todays globalized business world even big huge multinational companies are looking for companies in national as well as international markets with whom they can make strategic alliances. In order to operate in another country a firm has to get license for its product; get raw material or other stuff from local suppliers to meet the requirement of â€Å"local or domestic content† and so on. In order to overcome and avoid those difficulties firm develop global strategic alliances and strategic networks (Coffey, Cook and Hunsaker, 1994). Companies, Firms are always looking for partners with whom they can balance their strengths and counterbalance their weaknesses. This thing helps companies to achieve greater sales and economies of scale (Coffey, Cook and Hunsaker, 1994). Concept of merger and acquisition is not, new in Europe. This concept is reforming the financial landscape of the global business world from the last three decades and the most number of businesses grouped together in USA. It was shown from the data available that in 1998 more than $1 Trillion were spent on the activities of MA. Banking industry occupied the major part in the activity (Hitt et al, 1998). Acquisition is usually seen as a part of the growth of particular firm but some also believes that it was also often used by firms to save their dyeing and diminishing industries. Business growth could either be external or internal. Internal growth was in the form of investment in new or second hand plant or machinery or acquiring an existing going concern organization i.e. the example of external growth. A firm would choose amongst the internal and external growth according to its own requirements by thoroughly studying it as which one was more profitable. An acquisition is a bilateral agreement where the owner accepted the cash and securities or the mixture of both of these in returns of the shares in existing company. (Chiplin and Wright, 1988). Chiplin and Wright (1988) stated that, merger could also be defined as a process in which two companies decided to come together to shape a new legal body. Sian Herbert Jones (1982) defined merger â€Å"as a marriage between two companies of roughly of the same size†. The bigger company in the process usually controlled the assets of the new entity. The shareholders of the companies will have to exchange their shares with the newly created companies. A merger can also be defined as a process in which one firm amalgamate with another firm and disappeared in the new company. All mergers were accepted by the governments as they were in accordance with the laws of the states where they actually happened as well as they were also on the official scale. (Reed S. etal 2007). The number of mergers in 1980s has far exceeds the number of mergers in 1960s. Usually in 1960sthe mergers took place between companies of same sizes and in most of cases doing the same business. But in 1980s and 1990s the trends have with eased the MA of companies of different size of business and of dissimilar type of business (Tetenbaum 1999). The tendency of the organization to present in the mergers of vertical nature and the diversification type does not seem to be stop in future. Yet firm that starts merger usually attained small economic profits but value created by MA and that benefitted mostly to the small firm that was reached (Barney 1997). Lubatkin (1983) defined the main reason of acquiring and merger a novel firm to get better overall performance by attaining the synergy effect which is also normally described as â€Å"2+2=5†effect (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993, Hover 1971) between two organizations and that at the end helps them in gaining competitive advantage (Porter, 1985, Weber 1996). (British Institute of Management, 1986, Hunk 1988, Marks 1988, Weber 1996) stated that the successful rate for the firms in the process of MA were around 20 to 60 percent. 2.2.1 Different Types of Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions can take various forms. It depends upon the firm, a firm may choose to invest its recourses away from its current firm but within same type of business or it can decide to move to a complete new industry and invest in the area that is entirely new to it. There are following types of mergers and acquisition (MA). Different authors defined them as 2.2.2 Horizontal Mergers Horizontal merger can be defined as merger between companies that produce identical or closely related products. It can also be defined as a combination of two or more competitor working within the same geographic locality. The merger of Carlton and Granada television on UK as both are television companies to form ITV plc was a horizontal merger same as the example of Daimler and Chrysler link up. Other examples of horizontal merger in Europe in airline industry is the Lufthansa-Swiss International Linkup, Air France-KLM merger and the takeover of Buzz by Ryan air are the examples of horizontal merger in recent past.(Smart and Megginson 2008) 2.2.3 Vertical Mergers Merger in which companies with current or potential buyer relationship combines to create a more integration company, that type of merger can is called as vertical merger (Scott, Megginson, 2008). Vertical merger can be of Forward Integration or Backward Integration. Vertical merger can also be used as a marketing tool like Ford has acquired a financial subsidiary that has make it easy for their customer to obtain finance to purchase their products (Ford Motor Credit). 2.2.4 Conglomerate Mergers Conglomerate Mergers can be defined are of two types. One is called as product extension merger in which firms with similar but exact line of business joins. On the other hand a pure conglomerate merger occurs between companies involved in completely different line of businesses. Pure conglomerate merger is also called as classic conglomerate mergers. Pure conglomerate mergers were very popular in 1960s but it started to decline from 1980s onwards. In year 1984 the merger of car maker General Motors and that of computer consulting firm (EDS) Electronic Data System is a prime example of pure conglomerate mergers. 2.2.5 Concentric Mergers In the concentric mergers the companies might not moved to the different kind of business as they does in conglomerate merger. In this firm expands its activities at the same time measuring of unity of existing activities. This can be done by acquiring technologies that can help the firm in marketing customer type (concentric marketing) or it can also be done by acquiring customers for existing technologies (concentric technology) Jones 1982. The merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKlineBeecham was a concentric merger as both companies were in the business of pharmaceutical and health care products and their merger at that time created the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world. 2.2.6 Strategic Merger All merger are in some aspects are strategic mergers because they starts with having a particular strategy in mind. It can be define by authors and strategist to create an efficient merged company than that of its remerged companies. As it was explained in the definition of strategic merger that all mergers are strategic mergers, similarly the merger GSK was a pure strategic merger because they management of GSK was aware of the fact that they was going to be the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world after that MA process and they were able to reduce their cost of producing new medicines and formulas by economies of scale after merger. They were also expecting to capture the world market by geographically expanding their business. 2.2.7 Non value maximizing Motives and different theories of Mergers The basic motive of merger should be of maximizing shareholders wealth but unfortunately not all mergers are motivated towards the maximization of shareholders wealth. Different authors have given different theories related to non value maximizing motives. According to this theory poorly monitored managers will pursue mergers that will not create value maximization for the shareholder but they are of the view that this will increase the asset value of the company. They think that remuneration is linked with the size of the company, so in order to pursue their motive they initiate and do mergers. Michael Jensen (1986) hypothesizes that the mergers will use free cash flow to the process of merger that will have a negative NPV in order to expand the assets of the firm. So that they will derive greater remuneration from the firm because they are of the view that larger the firm larger will be their remuneration and they can also get personal benefits from the organization. Shleifer and Vishny (1989) purposed that the unmonitored managers try to pursue the projects that have negative NPV so as to increase the size of the firm in order to make them indispensible to the organization because they have the team that has expertise in managing the large organizations. 2.2.8 Hubris hypothesis of corporate takeover Richard Roll (1986) contends that some managers overestimates their qualities and pursue takeovers because they are of the belief that they have capabilities that can manage their takeover targets better than the people who are already managing that. 2.3 Value Maximization and Realistic Benefits of Mergers Numbers of theories are discussed regarding the benefits of MA. Some of theories and the important benefits that firms think that they are getting from MA are as follows. 2.3.1 Synergy Donald (2008) describes synergy as a simple phenomena that suggested that joining together of two companies can helped the organization in creating more share holders value than they have created while working separately. Synergy can be of two types. 2.3.2 Operating Synergy: (Economies of Scale and Scope) Economies of scale and economies of scope were both considered as the part of operating synergy that any organization had after mergers. Studies revealed that both these studies are important determinants in the creation of shareholders wealth (Houston, James and Ryangaert 2001). 2.3.3 Economies of Scale It can be defined as the spreading of the fixed expenses that any firm had over the manufacturing level. The expenses that were considered as scale in this case were the fixed cost in the form of rent, maintenance cost of machinery, depreciation of building, lease payments, interest expenses, and property taxes. that you have to pay, no matter how much production you have. So here the cost is decreased with every unit produced e.g. if fixed cost for producing one unit id  £2 and the firm is producing 1000 units per month. The cost decreased to  £1, half as it was in previous month, if the firm starts producing 2000 units per month in a month and so on (Donald 2008). 2.3.4 Economies of Scope This synergy is refers as by using specialized set of skills or assets that are already there for production related services and products. Like Honda already has infrastructure to produce engines, so they are using those infrastructure to produce items like lawn mowers, snow blowers apart from making engines for cars (Donald 2008). 2.3.5 Financial Synergy (Lowering cost of Capital) The financial synergies helps the organizations in the way that they can either creates higher cash flows or it can low the cost of the capital. Synergy is a stated motive in almost all the mergers and acquisition. Bide (1993) examined the motives of 77 mergers and acquisition in 1985 and 1986 and he stated that in one third of the takeovers synergy is the primary motive. 2.3.6 Diversification Diversification can be refers to the act of a company to buy a firm that was currently out of its previous main business. There were normally two reasons that encouraged firm to go for diversification. The first the acquiring company wants to take advantage of financial synergy that can help them in reducing their costs second being that with the help of diversification firms wants to enter the new product line or new product so as to spread its operation. If a firm is having slower growth rate it can increase its market share as well as increase and expands its market. Investor often perceived companies in unrelated business areas as riskier because it is difficult for top management and they are sometime reluctant and did not have enough financial resources to finance the golden opportunities available to them. (Morck, Shleifer and Vishny 1990). 2.3.7 Strategic Realignment The strategic realignment theory that firms engaged in the process of mergers and acquisitions because they think that this is the easiest way of getting used to of the external environments. Changes came from various sources but the change that is related to the regulatory environment and technological innovation is considered as the most. 2.3.8 Regulatory Changes In recent years companies, where deregulation occurred are seen to have more MA activities. This includes financial industry, healthcare, defense utilities, media telecommunication. There is proof which shows that the takeover activity is more in deregulated industries than that of regulated industry (Jensen 1993, Mitchell and Mulherin 1996, Mulherin and Brooke 2000). Deregulation helps in breaking down of the artificial barriers that exists in these companies. This can be evident by the facts that in now days ba

Michael Moores Bowling for Columbine Essay -- Films Movies Michael Mo

Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine In Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore, an award winning writer and director takes a look at some of the many social problems that plague America to this day. Moore starts his documentary by briefly talking about the Columbine High School shooting and then moves on to discuss things that may have truly been a factor in some the aggression that the two students so aggressively took out on their peers. Many issues are talked about in this movie including but not limited to: The Oklahoma City bombing, the presence of a leading tactical weapons provider located near the small town of Littleton, and many others. Not all of the things brought up in the film directly relate to the incidents at Columbine High School but rather provide a broader idea on the state of America today. Issues of the white man's ever growing fear of the African-American are traced back to the roots and then brought into ideas applicable to present day. Along with such ideas, the main point of this film is th e influence of government and the media to instill fear in our people as a whole. Moore is somewhat of an extremist but brings his points to the surface in a way that people can relate with and understand. After seeing this film I walked out of the movie theatre feeling more enlightened on some of the political topics at hand in this country and I agree wholly with what Mr. Moore has to say on these issues. Michael Moore, as mentioned before, is a controversial writer/director that aims at bringing topics to light that are either overlooked or ignored by the American people. He has previously released films that bring to light, the corporate leaders of America and their ability to get away with just ab... ...e tone of sarcasm that he presents his views, it almost brings about a sense of seriousness, as you know that what he said is in a sense somewhat amusing but not laughable. When something like that is presented the only thing left for you to do is to think about what is being said. Moore is an influential person that knows how to deliver a point and when he has said what he has to say you will sit back and ponder his ideas for sometimes days, if not weeks. Moore takes a film that would seem to focus on one particular incident and broaden it to the problems that plague America as a whole today. This film was one of the most thought provoking insightful pieces of work that I have seen in a long time. Source Bowling For Columbine. Michael Moore, Charles Bishop & Charles Donovan. Theatre Film. United Artists, Alliance Atlantis, and Dog Eat Dog Films, 2002.

Flawless Tips on Selecting Your PhD Thesis Topic

How to Choose the Right PhD Thesis Topics? our site Dissertation TopicsSelecting the right PhD Thesis topic is challenging, but if you get this step right, you are on the right path to completing your studies and getting your degree. Deciding on your PhD topic has to be a result of thorough research and multiple consultations with your student support team. You need to know exactly what your university’s requirements are and what your professors are expecting of you. If you know the research field or area of your professor, you might choose a topic that is related to it, so you get plenty of support from your supervisor when trying to locate recent publications or completing your literature review.What to Ask Yourself Before You Choose Your PhD Thesis TopicTo be successful at shortlisting the most appropriate doctoral thesis topics or PhD thesis topic, you need to ask yourself the following questions: Is the PhD thesis topic relevant to recent trends in research, and related to your studies You need to check research projects submitted in your department in the past few years. If you need help finding these in the archives, ask your supervisor’s help. Is there enough preliminary literature to support your doctoral thesis or PhD thesis topic You need to perform a quick literature research in order to find out if your topic is current, whether or not you can add to the existing literature, and build on existing research. What are the current hot trends in your subject area You will need to select a PhD thesis topic that will provide value for researchers and those who work in the field. Check for current issues, trends, using a journal search of recent publications. If you find a topic that attracts an intense debate, you might just have found a winning doctoral thesis topic. Which theories you would like to apply? You, as a PhD student, are likely to have a favourite theory or approach. Look for topics that allow you to utilise your advanced knowledge in the theory. Which research approach an philosophy would you like to use? You need to make sure that your doctoral thesis is feasible, and can be completed in the given time. As an example, if you are planning to create a longitudinal study, you might need years to complete your dissertation, as all the results need to be analysed. Will you get access to the data and research tools? Once you shortlist your PhD thesis topics, you need to make sure that you will have access to the software needed to analyse the results and you can gain access to the information. For example, if you are an MBA student, and would like to research a company, you need to gain consent from the management to carry out the research. How will the research enhance your future career? You need to pick your doctoral dissertation topic according to your interest and future career. Your research will show your potential employers your interest in the given topic and you will be more likely to get the job. A PhD dissertation should also summarize your knowledge of the topic you studied during your course. However, showcasing academic skills and theoretical knowledge is only half of the job. You need to add loads of creativity, and develop a unique approach that will create value for researchers and professionals working in the field. Remember that your PhD dissertation should highlight your research skills and show the university that you can work on your own initiative, develop ideas, and add value to the literature.Tips on Selecting Your PhD Thesis TopicBefore you start, familiarize yourself with current literature and trends, and make sure that you know which topics have research gaps you can build your PhD thesis on. Engage in discussions on your selected topics in your faculty, to gain even more insight. Talk to your librarian or student support staff about your ideas. They will be able to crystallize your thoughts and clarify your research approach and direction Make sure that yo ur topic is manageable. Start with a broader research thesis, and narrow it down to a more specific one. This will make your topic easier to manage. Ensure that your topic will remain relevant and interesting for a long time. You do not want to write about a technology that might be outdated in a few years or an issue that is being resolved by government legislation. The research has to fill a gap in the existing literature. It is important that you check that your research is unique in the field, and no similar studies are in progress or have been published. It is a good idea to start your own dissertation topics file and take it with you to seminars and supervisor meetings. Add to it, eliminate items from the list, and you will be on the riht path to developing your perfect PhD thesis topics. Create a timeline estimate for each topic. This way, you can decide which doctoral dissertation topics are feasible, and which will be challenging to complete in a given time. Look for sugges tions from your university or ask your supervisor. Remember that your university receives and judges plenty of dissertations every year, and they have plenty of experience. Try to contact other researchers and experts in the field when considering a subject area. They will be happy to support your research and provide you with practical and academic advice. Deciding on your doctoral dissertation topic is one of the most important decisions you will face during your studies. Do not feel overwhelmed by the number of options and the requirements. If you are in doubt, you can always seek further guidance from your university or individual professor. If you still find it difficult to decide, you can look through our site’s Free Dissertation Topics section that has a list of subjects for various disciplines, from project management to health and social care. Alternatively, you can contact our site with your question and get professional advice from our professional academic writing experts. Also, don’t forget to checkout our site article on how to structure a Dissertation Chapters & Sub ChaptersDo you need help writing your Dissertation? Order Dissertation Today OR Call Now 855-997-2158Summary Reviewer John Review Date 2017-08-18 Reviewed Item Tips on Selecting your PhD Thesis Topic Author Rating 5

The Mysterious Moons of Pluto

The Mysterious Moons of Pluto Planet Pluto continues to tell a fascinating story as scientists pore over the data taken by the New Horizons mission in 2015. Long before the tiny spacecraft passed through the system, the science team knew there were five moons out there, worlds that were distant and mysterious. They were hoping to get a closer look at as many of these places as possible in an effort to understand more about them and how they came to exist. As the spacecraft whizzed past, it captured close-up images of Charon - Plutos largest moon, and glimpses of the smaller ones. These were named Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. The four smaller moons orbit in circular paths, with Pluto and Charon orbiting together like the bulls-eye of a target. Planetary scientists suspect that Plutos moons formed in the aftermath of a titanic collision between at least two objects that occurred in the distant past. Pluto and Charon settled into a locked orbit with each other, while the other moons scattered out to more distant orbits. Charon Plutos largest moon, Charon, was first discovered in 1978, when an observer at the Naval Observatory captured an image of what looked almost like a bump growing out the side of Pluto. Its about half the size of Pluto, and its surface is mostly grayish with mottled areas of reddish material near one pole. That polar material is made up of a substance called tholin, which is made up of methane or ethane molecules, sometimes combined with nitrogen ices, and reddened by constant exposure to solar ultraviolet light. The ices form as gases from Pluto transfer from and get deposited onto Charon (which lies only about 12,000 miles away). Pluto and Charon are locked in an orbit that takes 6.3 days and they keep the same face toward each other all the time. At one time, scientists considered calling these a binary planet, and there is some consensus that Charon itself could be a dwarf planet. Even though Charons surface is frigid and icy, it turns out to more than 50 percent rock in its interior. Pluto itself is more rocky, and covered with an icy shell. Charons icy covering is mostly water ice, with patches of other material from Pluto, or coming from under the surface by cryovolcanoes. New Horizons  got close enough, no one was sure what to expect about Charons surface. So, it was fascinating to see the greyish ice, colored in spots with the tholins. At least one large canyon splits the landscape, and there are more craters in the north than the south. This suggests that something happened to resurface Charon and cover many old craters. The name Charon comes from the Greek legends of the underworld (Hades). He was the boatman sent to ferry the souls of the deceased over the river Styx. In deference to the discoverer of Charon, who referenced his wifes name for the world, its spelled Charon, but pronounced SHARE-on.   The Smaller Moons of Pluto Styx, Nyx, Hydra and Kerberos are tiny worlds that orbit between two and four times the distance that Charon does from Pluto. Theyre oddly shaped, which lends credence to the idea that they formed as part of a collision in Plutos past. Styx was discovered in 2012 as astronomers were using Hubble Space Telescope to search the system for moons and rings around Pluto. It appears to have an elongated shape, and is about 3 by 4.3 miles. Nyx orbits out beyond Styx, and was found in 2006 along with distant Hydra. Its about 33 by 25 by 22 miles across, making it somewhat oddly shaped, and it takes nearly 25 days to make one orbit of Pluto. It may have some of the same tholins as Charon spread across its surface, but New Horizons didnt get close enough to get many details. Hydra is the most distant of Plutos five moons, and New Horizons  was able to get a fairly good image of it as the spacecraft went by. There appear to be a few craters on its lumpy surface. Hydra measures about 34 by 25 miles and takes about 39 days to make one orbit around Pluto. The most mysterious-looking moon is Kerberos, which looks lumpy and misshapen in the New Horizons mission image. It appears to be a double-lobed world about 11 12 x 3 miles across. It takes just over 5 days to make one trip around Pluto. Not much else is known about Kerberos, which was discovered in 2011 by astronomers using Hubble Space Telescope. How Did Plutos Moons Get Their Names? Pluto is named for the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. So, when astronomers wanted to name the moons in orbit with it, they looked to the same classical mythology. Styx is the river that dead souls were supposed to cross to get to Hades, while Nix is the Greek goddess of darkness. Hydra is a many-headed serpent thought to have battled with the Greek hero Heracles. Kerberos is an alternate spelling for Cereberus, the so-called hound of Hades who guarded the gates to the underworld in mythology. Now that New Horizons is well beyond Pluto, its next target is a small dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. It will pass by that one on January 1, 2019. Its first reconnaissance of this distant region taught much about the Pluto system and the next one promises to be equally interesting as it reveals more about the solar system and its distant worlds.

Starbucks Business Strategy Example

Starbucks Business Strategy Example Starbucks Business Strategy – Coursework Example Starbuck Industry affiliation Starbuck Industry Starbucks coffee industry has employed various business strategies, which have enabled it to stay on top of its growing and volatile industry. The industry employed strong differentiation strategy in an attempt to service a wide number of customers with different tastes and preferences. The strategy has been successful, as differentiation has lowered the threat of customers. To this end, the business has been able to drive consumer’s preferences and play a significant role moving a product upscale. On the other hand, the pricing strategy executed by the company has rationally transferred its prime product from being perceived as an exclusive luxury goods. In this perspective, the transition has made it possible to be purchased by all customers irrespective of their social status (Selby, 2012, p. 126). The company’s brand exudes an understanding of people’s lifestyle, values, and need. The company’s focus to t he experiential factors has been pivotal to its success. The pricing strategy employed only suit high-income countries. This therefore makes it a luxury product in less developing countries such as India and China. This is evidence as customers can obtain a cup of coffee for a portion of what the company charge in those countries. This strategy needs modification to incorporate relatively low-income countries. The company has a generic competitive strategy that enables it to earn a competitive advantage over its rivals. To help it achieve this position the company focuses on lower-cost and differentiation strategies. Starbuck targets two markets and employs different competitive techniques. To a board cross section of buyers, the company utilizes overall cost provider and broad differentiation strategies (Scott, & Rouleau, 2011, p. 55). On a market niche, the company focused, low-cost and focused differentiation strategies are implemented. Starbuck is one among very few companies th at have created awareness for specialty coffee category, while maintain the supremacy of the product. Despite efforts seem more connected to the community, Starbuck continue to struggle with backlash. Its presence and acquisition has destroyed local coffee houses (Selby, 2012, p. 157). ReferencesScott,  K., & Rouleau,  A. (2011). Starbuck. United States: Films Christal. Selby,  J. (2012). Starbuck. Farrar & Rinehart, Inc.

Individual assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual - Assignment Example The company operates based on a plethora of global brands thereby endeavouring to touch each and every aspect of the lives of its global consumer force. Under its global umbrella Unilever tends to embrace brands pertaining to product categories ranging from consumer foods to other non-durable products relating to skin and fabric care. On an average the company with the use of its total 400 different brands tends to enhance the living of around two billion people around the world (Unilever, 2012). Hindustan Unilever Limited operates as a subsidiary of Unilever pertaining to the Indian market. The company encompasses the lives of the Indian consumers through its operation based on around 35 brands covering different product categories ranging from food to consumer non-durables pertaining to skin, hair, fabric care and also wellness products. Unilever which has a 52 percent stake in Hindustan Unilever accounted for â‚ ¬46.5 billion where its Indian subsidiary accounted for Rs. 21,736 Crores relating to annual sales for the financial year 2011-12 (Hindustan Unilever Limited, 2012). Description and Analysis of Principles and Practices of Strategic Marketing Planning-800 Strategic Marketing Planning The strategic marketing planning contains a set of principles and practices required to be followed by a company initiating with defining the objectives and the mission of the company. Further the marketing planning should also render an overall view of the respective market along with reflecting on the financial potential of the concern. The company having gained a rough overview of the market and thereby highlighted on its marketing objectives must focus on conducting a set of internal and external audits. Through the use of Internal Audit the firm can conduct an effective analysis to understand and reflect on its key strengths and weakness in relation to the opportunities and threats reflected in the external environment. Along with the same the company is also requ ired to make forecasts at least for coming three years relating to its revenue and sales paradigm and thereby allocate financial and other resources for its effective accomplishment. Similarly the external audit function of the company must endeavour to focus on the macro environment of the firm relating to its social, economical, political, legal, technological and natural environment. This external audit conducted would help in reflecting on the market acceptability of the products and policies rendered by the company based on the current and future status. With the help of the audit conducted the firm can gain adequate knowledge of the marketing and environmental situation of the firm based on which strategies can be formulated. Strategic formulation holds to be a significant exercise in this direction where the management body of the firm in the light of the situational demand tends to reduce the prices of products or renders discounts and coupons to gain market penetration. Sim ilarly the company can also focus on introduction of new products and thereby relate potential

Manuel Castells perspectives on the challenges of the network society Essay

Manuel Castells perspectives on the challenges of the network society - Essay Example This paper is a response to the final chapter of Manuel Castells’ work The Internet Galaxy. It will provide an overview of the author’s perspective on the challenges imposed by the network society and Castells’ judgment will be analyzed by comparing with other scholarly sources on the same topic. Manuel Castells has no qualms in admitting the fact that the network society â€Å"offers as many opportunities as it raises challenges† (2001, p.275). In his opinion the beneficial aspect of this network society were features like innovation and freedom of thinking that it encouraged but these were gradually overtaken by oppressive and restrictive ways. Instead of encouraging freedom of expression, it provides the means of controlling information as well as prompts the biased and monopolized use of the data (2001, p.277). This is an honest take from the author regarding the potential and somewhat long-term aftereffects of network society. Chris Kitchen argues by assuring that the most incredible fruit of network society â€Å"is the role of social media in the recent social movements and uprisings, particularly the momentous events of 2011 starting in North Africa and the Middle East† (2012). From this perspective rapid information sharing and globalization that is primarily regulated by information technology has induced awareness among people regarding their human, civil and political rights. On the contrary, Luke Tredinnick disagrees by providing the example of the democracy protests in Buran during 2007.