Frustation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Frustation - Research Paper Example llelism in the poems of Charles Baudelaire in ‘Le Fleurs Du Mal’ (The Flowers of Evil) and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Gambler’ in how the persona of the poems and the narrator of the novel experiences frustration. The titles themselves present an almost negated perception from even before prospective readers read them. And above all both contain stories and retelling of love. Baudelaire’s suggests a dark and borderline macabre insinuation of unrequited or unfulfilled love through his liberal use of the words ‘flowers’ and ‘evil’ while Dostoevsky’s classic novel gears the reader to sympathize with the main character Alexei and his often foolish actions to gain the love of the cunning Polina. she paid me no attention; until eventually I became so irritated that I decided to play the boor† (Doestoevsky, p.5). As Alexei sounds off his resentment and goes into an almost foolish attempt to gain the audience of everyone at the dinner table, playing at his being Russian to coerce them into a conversation directed his own way. This was among the first incidences in the novel for which his folly in wanting to gain respect despite his stature among the guests was deliberately shown. He was an intelligent man but he was but a mere tutor. His knowledge in all the dirty little secrets of the aristocrats surrounding him leads to his confidence that there is some inkling for a way to balance their positions even at just the dinner table. This he also found at the roulette table. The game provided him with a way to level the playing field between him and the rich folks by winning. The reverence for the beauty of women as only devotional love signifies is present also in Baudelaire’s. â€Å"The real, true head, the sincere countenance/ Reversed and hidden by the lying face./ Poor glamorous beauty !/ the magnificent stream/ Of your tears flows into my anguished heart ;/ Your falsehood makes me drunk and my soul slakes its thirst/ At the flood from your eyes,

Environmental issues Essay Example for Free

Environmental issues Essay It was not yet realized by the public the seriousness of the environmental problems we face if not for the issue on global warming. Dozens of organizations, many of them with international memberships, are now working on everything from saving wildlife to developing new sources of energy. But pollution, energy consumption and economic growth are independent problems. Effective programs for dealing with one of them often aggravate the others. For example, devices that clean automobile exhaust and reduce air pollution also decreases fuel economy, thereby using up our limited reserves more rapidly. Similarly, banning the burning of household trash reduces air pollution but increases environmental pollution, as land, animals and scenery are sacrificed for strip mines and oil wells, and the wastes produced by the fuel are dumped into the environment. On the other hand, ignoring the need for more energy retards the economy, thereby increasing unemployment and possibly reducing food production. Nature is fighting back against the abuses we have inflicted upon it! Due to human carelessness that damaged the environment, many communities are now suffering from environmental crises. The air that you breathe contains gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide in certain amounts. But many people live in areas where the air contains pollutants that are harmful to their health. Air pollution is a common problem in congested and urban areas (The Washington Times 2006, p.26). Food, air and water needed for life’s processes which the environment provides unfortunately contain harmful substances called pollutants. The presence of air, water and soil in the environment is of waste materials or pollutants which the environment cannot handle, degrade, disperse or diffuse so that it becomes unclean and unhealthy is called pollution (Colla 2002, p.125). Â  There are four general types of pollution, namely: 1. Air Pollution – It is an undesirable change in the physical and chemical characteristics of air. Industrial plants, motor vehicles, indiscriminate throwing and burning of refuse everywhere make the air polluted. Cigarette smoking contributes to air pollution, most especially in enclosed places. Foul smell from waste and methane gas emitted through the combustion of refuse contributes to the problem of air pollution (Kemp1994, p.23). Prolonged exposure to air pollution may cause/aggravate respiratory and other diseases as well as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. 2. Water Pollution – this results when water contains more harmful substances such as harmful bacteria and poisonous chemicals, than it can naturally get rid of. The dumping of domestic and industrial wastes into the rivers, canals, and other water bodies causes pollutants to be introduced into waterways. Frequent flooding which carry topsoil and sewage into the water supplies pollute the water, too. Sugar mills, distillers and mining firms without proper waste disposal systems are among the principal polluters of the nation’s waterways. Soap and water detergents produce enormous persistent layers of suds on the surface of receding waters. Substances such as harmful bacteria and poisonous chemicals are likely to cause gastro-intestinal diseases, cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, infectious hepatitis, food poisoning and even death. Mercury in sea water is absorbed by tiny plants that provide food for small fish, which is eaten by a larger fish. When they are eaten by men, mercury is deposited in the kidneys and brain which may cause death when accumulated (Kemp 1994, p.23). 3. Land Pollution – This takes place when harmful substances are introduced into the soil making it unable to sustain plant life. Dumping areas are breeding places of disease carriers such as flies, rodents, mosquitoes and cockroaches. Uses of excessive amounts of fertilizer, pesticides and other toxic chemicals can destroy the ability of the soil to self-generate. They deplete the nutrients, harden the texture, and increase toxicity, making the soil less productive. Other causes of land pollution are atomic fallouts and mine tailings which poison agricultural lands. Toxic residues from the accumulation of chemicals in the land can cause cancer and other diseases (Kemp 1994, p.24). 4. Noise Pollution (Persistent noise) – This refers to the presence of too loud, too sudden or very unpleasant sound that becomes an assault to the body causing mental or physical harm. The roaring of motor vehicles, grating sound of jackhammer, squeaking of tires, screeching brakes, blaring television sets, radios and stereos and even loud shouting are some types of dangerous noises when one is continuously exposed to them. Noise pollution affects not only the ears but also directly or indirectly impairs the mind and the whole body. Directly, it can cause deafness; indirectly, it may lead to increased heart beat and high blood pressure that eventually cause cardiovascular disease (Kemp 1994, p.24). Most pollution is caused by man, pollutants will increase as population grows, and hence, minimizing the production of pollutants and managing its proper disposal must be the goal of every human being. But the air pollution must be given extra attention by the government, society and each individual to protect people from this environmental danger, not only for ourselves but for future generations. Air Pollution, Environmental Hazard There are five basic pollutants of air are carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, hydrocarbons (organic compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon) and small particles that float in the air (Jordan 2005, p.12-20). Sources of Air Pollution 1. Automobile exhausts The poisonous carbon monoxide in the air comes from automobiles. Nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons are also produced as by-products of engine combustion. The more vehicles there are on the road, the greater is the possibility of pollution. Unleaded gasoline and some anti-pollution automobile parts cut down the amount of pollutants in the air. But transportation vehicles are still a major cause of air pollution. 2. Industry Industries are responsible for the second largest amount of pollution in the air, next only to vehicles. Fuels that are used in some industries may give off large amounts of sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide and harmful particles of dust and ash. Sulfur oxide is made when fuels containing sulfur like coal are burned. Certain industrial processes may give off more of one pollutant than another. This depends on the kind of fuel used and the product that is being made. 3. Individuals People pollute the air in many ways. Each time a person smokes a cigar/cigarette, the air is being polluted when he burns trash, air pollution is increased. More pollution is added when he uses wood for cooking or to keep warm during the cold months or cool during the hot months. Effects of Air Pollution 1. Respiratory disorders If you have breathed polluted air, the eyes may water, the nose may run and a cough may develop. Serious illnesses are likely to happen to people long exposed to polluted air. Chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer are common in air polluted areas. Cigarette smoking is closely related to the development of long cancer. Heart diseases, especially heart attacks occur more in places where there is a high level of carbon monoxide in the air. 1. Accidents Vehicle accidents happen more often in places where air is polluted. These accidents may be caused by poor visibility in the polluted air. Or they may be caused by increased exposure to carbon monoxide. People with watery eyes, headaches and breathing problems often find it hard to drive in air polluted areas. 2. High economic cost The government may spend billions of pesos per year to control air pollution. However, little has been done by the government to control air pollution due to the struggling economy and the low economic growth. The United States spends around 4o billion dollars a year to control air pollution. The cost of air pollution is about 200 dollars per year for each person. Air pollution can also add to the rusting and corrosion of vehicles and machinery. Even farm crops may be harmed or stunted in growth by air pollution. There is a way out of this trap. In a word, it is sacrifice. The fact that there is no way both to clean up the environment and conserve natural resources without changing the life-style of people in the industrialized nations. The challenge is that of motivating people to make the necessary changes now, before a worldwide disaster forces much more difficult adjustments upon us. Preventing of Air Pollution Everyone needs to care more about the problem of air pollution. Car exhausts and air conditioning systems can be checked at regular times and kept in good working condition. Air conditioners, if not working properly, may give off harmful hydrocarbons. Vehicles should not be allowed to idle for more than a few minutes because idling lets carbon monoxide escape in the sir. Use of public transportation would also lower the number of vehicles on the road and in return would also lower air pollution. Strict laws on transportation and industry must be enforced. Instead of burning trash, it should be allowed to decompose in pits. The decomposed materials can be utilized as fertilizer for plants and at the same time minimizes smoke in the air. Stricter laws on cigarette smoking should also be enforced. The end result of this is lesser lung and heart ailments and cleaner atmosphere (Cline 1992, p.35-37). Political Action The real problem comes from the wealth the power of the opponents of environmental protection. On the local level, environmentalist face rich land developers who can make large campaign contributions to the politicians who decide what land may or may not be developed. At higher levels of government, environmentalists face even more powerful foes: multinational corporations that stand to make big profits from despoiling the environment. Included here are some of the most powerful corporations in the world, such as petroleum and mineral companies that want to sink wells and mines in fragile wilderness areas, the manufacturers that spew pollutants into the air and water, and the firms that sell products such as polluting automobiles and unsafe pesticides. Such corporations have spent hundreds of million dollars to persuade the government not to outlaw their destructive activities (Diehl, p.20-21). The environmentalists and the concerned public simply do not have that kind of money. If we are to preserve the natural environment for ourselves and the generations to come, two things must be done. First, a stronger educational campaign must be launched to make more people aware of environmental problems. Second, more ordinary citizens must join together and become involved in the political action necessary to strengthen anti-pollution laws, increase the enforcement effort, and protect our natural resources. Conserving Resources There is no doubt that our existing resources can be used far more efficiently. It is possible for a large-scale, multiple-stage recycling program to be introduced in imitation of natural ecosystems. To take a simple example, garbage could be used as fuel to run the mills to make recycled paper, the wastes from which could be burned as fuel. Similarly, it is possible that community water districts will some day become closed systems, meaning that the water would be used again and again, never being discharged into an ocean or river. Some factories already have such closed systems (Sarewitz 2000, p.55). It is possible to envision larger closed systems designed so that no industrial material would ever be discarded as either waste or pollution. Energy conservation can also stretch our natural resources. Insulating homes, driving smaller cars at slower speeds, riding trains and buses instead of driving cars, recycling the heat used in factories, and restricting the manufacture of energy-wasting gadgets are obvious ways of eliminating waste. The immediate task is not to develop technologies that are more energy sufficient; the challenge is to find ways or persuading people to use the conservation measures that are already available. Better Technology A growing number of scientists and concerned citizens are coming to see solar system as the best answer to the world’s energy problems. Solar power units use the endless supply of energy from the sun, are nonpolluting, and pose no threat of radiation or explosion. Other promising approaches use specially prepared ponds of water to trap solar energy or mirrors to concentrate it on a single location, where it can be used to generate electrical power (Tennesen 2004, p.85). Limiting Growth Technological solutions are attractive, but it is doubtful that they alone can resolve the environmental crisis. It is often argued that industrial growth is necessary to create new jobs for a growing population. The argument that economic growth is necessary to eliminate poverty and create a more egalitarian society is also misleading. Despite decades of rapid economic growth, the industrialized nations continue to show enormous inequalities of wealth and power (1991, p.12). Conclusion The environmental crisis does not mean everyone should return to hunting and gathering; the world’s current population is too large to even consider such an idea. Keeping a clean environment is the responsibility of the government, society and each individual. Today, air pollution must be given extra attention to protect people from this environmental danger. All of us must have aknowledge of this environmental menace. The young generations today, like us, crave for the total preservation of our natural resources, earnestly begging to put an end to wastage and preserve the natural wealth intended by our Mother Earth for the future. Yes, there is still gleaming hope to save our Mother Earth from total destruction. There is still a chance to regain the lost paradise we unscrupulously abused. We must do our part to make this world a safer place to live in, not just for ourselves and our neighbors but our future generations. The will to dynamic implementation to this urgent call lies in your strong and sustainable support, giving once more Mother Earth a chance to care for our lives now and in the future generations.

Amazon Com An E Commerce Retailer Marketing Essay

Amazon Com An E Commerce Retailer Marketing Essay Aggressive competition, along with the external factors of a poor economy and possible repeal of the Internet sales tax exemption, has forced Amazon.com to reevaluate its current strategies and redevelop an effective differentiating strategy in order to make the company a consistent money maker in the short and long-term time frames, while still continuing to pursue corporate objectives of expanding at reasonable costs and staying ahead of the companys competition. 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Develop and implement a competitive business-to-business (B2B) exchange for suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and distributors. B. THE SITUATION Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and was , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦considered to be the premier online retailer in the world (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 2, 2003) in 2003. The company originally only started with selling books, but later expanded into several other product lines such as: CDs, DVDs videos, electronics, toys, apparel, and home garden supplies. Amazon.com also offered services which included: online auctions, partnerships with retailers (i.e. The Gap Eddie Bauer,) Zshops (store hosting) and website management. In 2003 the company reported its first operating profit of $64.1 million, which was an 115.55% increase from 2001s $412.2 million operating loss, for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2002. Amazon continued to meet its internal goals, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦of focusing on increased market share, expanded product offerings, and overall sales growth, the company was still facing pressureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to produce consistent operating profits and t o prove that its business model worked financially over the long-term. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 3, 2003) The pressure the company was facing, combined with a decreasing consumer confidence, an increased unemployment rate, and competitive threats from other online companies, like eBay and Yahoo!, who had started to expand into Amazon.coms current markets, left Bezos à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with the task of developing an effective differentiating enterprise strategy if Amazon.com was to survive and prosper against aggressive competitionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 2, 2003) II. ANALYSIS A. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION 1. Management In Amazon.com first year as a company, they focused completely on increasing market share and superior customer service, but when the dotcom bubble burst happened and Amazon.coms stock prices fell Bezos and his management team struck a good balance between their goal of increasing market share and their goal of producing a profit. This shows that the management team for Amazon.com is rather flexible one and is willing to change strategies when the opportunities arise and the company is willing to modify its business model if it feels that an opportunity to expand in a new area will be profitable. 2. Operations Amazon.com has a corporate headquarters, which is located in Seattle, WA, and several distribution centers that are located in New Castle Delaware, Coffeyville Kansas, as well as in Campbellsville and Lexington Kentucky. Having these distribution centers allow for a better ability to regionally segment the United States, which allows for faster order fulfillment and higher customer satisfaction. Since they operate online, they have also expanded their website operations into several different countries including: Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. 3. Marketing Amazon.com, in 2002, was available in only five international geographic regions including: Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. The company needed effective ways to reach out to its markets and in 1999 and 2000, Amazon.com spent a good amount of money, like many online retailers of the time, on advertising/marketing. They sacrificed short-term profits in order to acquire a greater chance of market share. At this time, online retailing was a fairly unfamiliar way of doing business, and the company felt that spending money on advertising/marketing its goods and services was the best way to give them a competitive edge. In the 2002 holiday season alone, Amazon.com spent about $5 million on TV and radio ads, but due to increased pressure of producing an operating profit while still being able to offer low prices combined with free shipping, the company was forced to cut advertising/marketing expenses and decided to suspend all of its TV an d radio advertisements. The company then invested in much more forms of online advertising/marketing (i.e. search engine ads and email ads), as well as direct mail and newspaper advertisements. This allowed for successful cutbacks in the budget. 4. Finance Amazon.coms first company goal was to gain market share, and the companys management team was willing to sacrifice potential profits in order to allow for potential growth. The company focused on this goal up until the dotcom burst and then switched gears and focused on controlling expenses in order to produce an operating profit according to general accounting principles. If one exams Amazons financial sheets from 2000 to 2003, one can clearly see how hard it is to sustain operating profitability and why the company is seeking to take a different course in several areas, including cutting costs. While Amazon had operating profits of $52 million in the third quarter of 2003-its first operating profit in a quarter that doesnt include the holiday season-it was a mute accomplishment. Once interest payments of $30 million are subtracted, Amazon is left with just $22 million in operating profits. With numbers like this, it makes for a rather weak financial portfolio. 5. Administration (Human Resources) A big part of Human Resources is customer service, which was a tremendous emphasis for the company, and because of that emphasis Amazon.com had outstanding customer service. This is one of the primary reasons the company become so successful. Their customer service allowed for the empowerment of the companys customers, and made maintaining a high level of customer service completely necessary, as well as pivotal to the companys survival. The company was able to accomplish such outstanding customer service in five ways: 1. Their customer service informed customers of predicted and actual shipping times, and gave the option of allowing customers to piece out large orders. 2. It allowed customers to review products. 3. Emails were sent to customers offering suggestions on other products based on past orders. 4. Numerous ways to search for products were offered making for an easy to use interface. 5. Using cutting edge technology, like 1 Click Ordering , making for an easy shopping experience. These reasons, along with things like Amazon.coms A to Z and Safe Shopping Guarantee (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 10, 2003), allowed them to differentiate themselves from their competition. 6. SWOT Analysis a. Strengths The companys strengths include: economies of scale, strategic alliances, broad customer base, internet storefront, variety of products and services, first mover advantage, customer loyalty, technological advantages, and distribution capabilities. b. Weaknesses The companys weaknesses include: difficulties of handling large number of customers, limited operating history, security awareness, and low margins in the sector. c. Opportunities The companys opportunities include: building alliances with other companies, concentrating on emerging segments, and concentrating on developing markets. d. Threats The companys threats include: the unknown future of online commerce, more offline companies becoming online companies (new competition) and heavy investments. 7. Products or Services Amazon.com doesnt actually manufacture any of the products that it sells; however, they do warehouse and ship books, videos, music/DVDs, electronics, home garden, apparel and toys. The company has several services that include: online auctions, Zshops, and Website Management. Zshops offer smaller business the opportunity to be able to sell on Amazon.coms interface. This increases the small businesss customer base as well as their product reach. This allows Amazon.com the ability of hosting and managing their websites. The companys website management service gives smaller businesses that dont have adequate websites to use Amazon.coms technology on their own web interfaces. B. PROBLEM DEFINITION 1. State the problem symptoms: The problem that Amazon.com is presenting is that the company, tremendous growth and increase in revenues, must grow and expand their business in innovative ways in order to stay ahead of their competitors, while maintaining the level of excellent customer service they have become so well known for. Due to the increase of competitors, along with the possibilities of taxes levied against online transactions, if Amazon.com cannot find a feasible and low cost expansion solution, the company might have to cut products or services they offer in order to maintain profitability. If this takes place the company could find itself with less global corporate positioning, a potentially tarnished reputation or they could even end up being the receiving end of a buyout from a competing company. 2. Define what is intended to be accomplished by correcting the problem: If Amazon.com successfully corrects their current problem, the company can continue to different themselves from their competition and hold onto the top spot of global online retailers. The company also will not have to make any reductions in their product or service offerings, allowing them to continue with their initial company mission of making book (as well as other products as this point) buying, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦into the fastest, easiest, and most enjoyable shopping experience possible. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 4, 2003) 3. Examine the causes of the problem: There are several possible causes to Amazon.coms dilemma. Aside from: economic downfalls, increasing unemployment rates, issues of diverse cultures and languages, legal and regulatory differences, localization issues, and technology and infrastructure expansion concerns. The markets are flooded with millions of products and various options are available for customers to switch their loyalties. Hence the product life cycles are considerably shorter. Shorter product life cycles have denied companies the sustained and reliable growth, as well as financial benefits, and posed a challenge of survival to many others in the same market as Amazon.com. III. SYNTHESIS A. ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS 1. The first alternative solution is to, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦expand Amazon.coms business in online auctions. Because of the continued need for an intermediary in these types of transactions, Amazon.com would be able to market this additional service to both its current customer base, through the use of personalized eà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmails, and to new customers, through a general advertising campaign, including television and print ads. The benefit of this alternative was that Amazon.com would be expanding on an existing service offering and would not incur any developmental or startup expenses. An additional benefit would be that by aggressively promoting this service, Amazon.com would be able to attract new visitors to its web sites, and these customers might also purchase additional goods and services, such as new books and music that Amazon.com offered. This alternative was feasible because of the prior experience Amazon.com had developed in expanding and marketing other product lines and services. By learning from past mistakes and successes, Amazon.com would be able to formulate the correct marketing campaign to attract additional traffic to its web sites. The alternative could work because Amazon.com had become one of the premier online brands and had a large enough customer base to compete against eBay and other established online auction services such as Ubid.com and Yahoo! Auctions. In addition to its name recognition, Amazon.com would look to use its large number of customer service programs, such as Amazon Payments and Safe Shopping Guarantee, to address buyer and seller concerns about privacy, fraud, and security while also expanding the number of payment options available to both parties. The first drawback within this alternative was that Amazon.com would be competing against its own product offerings, as well as those of its retail partners. A second drawback was the fact that it was going headà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhead with one of th e few other profitable online companies, eBay. eBay had built a considerably large base of loyal customers who would possibly be reluctant to go to a competitor. A way around the first drawback was to either set up the auction services in a separate and distinct section on the web site, away from the retail aspect, or set up a new web address for this service line. A way around the second drawback was for Amazon.com to market itself as a less expensive alternative to eBay, setting its pricing structure at a level that was lower than eBays. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 15, 2003) 2. The second possible alternative solution is to, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦develop and implement a businessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbusiness (B2B) exchange for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. Because the largest percentage of eà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcommerce sales resulted from transactions conducted on 13213 exchanges, this opened up a large potential market for Amazon.com to expand into. The benefit of this alternative was that Amazon.com could easily market this service to its large number of affiliates and partners that it conducted business with. Having its partners suppliers and distributors participate in this online exchange would allow their affiliates to achieve greater operational efficiencies in their supply chain. These efficiencies would translate into lower prices for Amazon.com. A second additional benefit for Amazon.com would be the steady cash flow it would receive through the charging of hosting fees and commissions on completed transac tions. This alternative was feasible because Amazon.com would use its past experiences and patented technology to develop a secure, easyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœuse platform that its customers would be comfortable with. It was also feasible because of the large number of midsize to small companies that did not have the necessary capital to develop or run their own exchanges but wished to participate in these auctions in order to increase their own sales and market coverage. This alternative could win against the competition because these additional offerings would be available to all companiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnot just companies from one specific industry, which most existing B2B exchanges did (for example, Covisint in the automotive industry). And because Amazon.com would only be acting as an intermediary with these exchanges, costs would be kept to a minimum because Amazon.com would only be the host of the exchange and would not have to hold any inventory. The drawbac k to this was that Amazon.com would be entering a business that would require more intense customer service than its other lines of business. This was due to the high dollar amounts of the transactions, as well as the issue of product specifications. An additional drawback would be the issue of payment processing and concerns with the shipping and receiving of goods. A way around the first drawback was to assign specific customer service personnel to each exchange category. By having an assigned customer service representative handle all aspects of the exchange transaction, Amazon.coms employees would be able to build an excellent relationship with the involved parties, which would help to address any issues that might occur. The way around the second drawback could be broken down into two categories. First, Amazon.com would use its escrow payment service to hold all movies until the goods were received and all parties were satisfied. To help address shipping concerns, Amazon.com, b ecause of its relationship with shipping companies, could negotiate discounted deals with them for their exchange partners to use. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 16, 2003) B. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION According to the evidence in this case study, the recommended solution is to seek growth through implementation of a business-to-business (B2B) exchange for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. Business-to-business (B2B) exchange is increasing rather rapidly and it will offer the chance to enter a new market. This solution can provide a number of benefits, including the fact that growing Internet technology allows for a level of collaboration between affiliated partners in the supply chain, which would have been difficult and/or rather expensive in the past for anyone but the biggest producers or retailers. Implementation of a business-to-business exchange would benefit Amazon.com by allowing the company to, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦easily market this service to its large number of affiliates and partners that it conducted business with. Having its partners suppliers and distributors participate in this online exchange would allow their affiliates to achieve greater operational efficiencies in their supply chain. These efficiencies would translate into lower prices for Amazon.com. A second additional benefit for Amazon.com would be the steady cash flow it would receive through the charging of hosting fees and commissions on completed transactions. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 16, 2003) It could also allow for additional functions that could be performed which have been previously unaddressed:       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Providing a starting point where buyers and sellers enter the market either through a web browser/interface, or supply chain optimization solution.       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Gathering buyers and sellers of a specific industry in one centralized marketplace.       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Facilitating and enabling transactions by building trust in the online market through credit verifications, reputation ratings and various decision making support tools.       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Post-transaction customer service support such as: warranty and maintenance, asset management, etc. which would promote recurring participation. However, even though à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Amazon.com would be entering a business that would require more intense customer service than its other lines of business. This was due to the high dollar amounts of the transactions, as well as the issue of product specifications. An additional drawback would be the issue of payment processing and concerns with the shipping and receiving of goods. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 16, 2003) There is an easy way around this problem, which is to, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦assign specific customer service personnel to each exchange category. By having an assigned customer service representative handle all aspects of the exchange transaction, Amazon.coms employees would be able to build an excellent relationship with the involved parties, which would help to address any issues that might occur. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 16, 2003) In conclusion, implementing a business-to-business strategy would allow Amazon.com to remain competitive even in a, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦poor economic environment, and the possible repeal of the sales tax exemption afforded eà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcommerce transactionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 16, 2003.) The benefits and advantages of this solution outweigh the disadvantages as, this alternative would win against the competition because these additional offerings would be available to all companiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnot just companies from one specific industry, which most existing B2B exchanges did (for example, Covisint in the automotive industry). And because Amazon.com would only be acting as an intermediary with these exchanges, costs would be kept to a minimum because Amazon.com would only be the host of the exchange and would not have to hold any inventory. (Collins, P., Mockler, R., Gartenfeld, M., p. 16, 2003)

Comparing Violence in Kanes Blasted, Bonds Lear and Pinters The Home

Displays of Violence in Kane's Blasted, Bond's Lear and Pinter's The Homecoming In Sarah Kane's Blasted, a woman and a man are raped on stage, eyeballs and dead babies are consumed and a man shoots himself through the head. In Edward Bond's Lear, several men and women are shot, a man is severly beaten and another is blinded, and the body of a woman is disected on stage. Both Kane and Bond claim that the use of violence on stage is vital for the message they want to get across. Harold Pinter, however, seems to deliver the same message by referring to violence without actually displaying it on stage. By looking at the authors' reasons for staging violence, questioning the effect on the play's audience and the plausability and necessity of the violent acts on stage, it can be said that the portrayal of physical violence on stage is a hallmark of shallow melodrama, gratuitously pandering to the sensationalism of the audience. Sarah Kane's intention was to present her audience with the horrors of real life : war, cruelty and death, in the hope to bring it closer to the audience and to get people to think about what was happening beyond their safe homes, for instance in Jugoslawia, by drawing comparisons between local and global violence. She felt the horror of the war in Jugoslawia very strongly herself, and suffered from depressions that drove her to suicide in 1999. In the preface to Lear, Edward Bond says that it would be 'immoral not to write about violence' (v). He claims that violence originates through unnatural circumstances, and that this can be proven by comparing the behaviour of animals in their natural surroundings with animals in captivity. '[...] in normal surroundings and conditions, members of the same spec... ...al executions on stage would hade made : it shows the human side of violence, namely that of the victims. As a conclusion it can be said that, although the violence itself is well-argumented by the authors and serves its purpose in the plot, the actual act of violence needs not be shown on stage. It does not contribute to the plot, and its shockeffects are questionable. Furthermore, it might even make people aggressive. Staging violence turns the action into melodrama : it can no longer be distuinguised from the violent actionfilms meant to entertain and lure people to the cinema. Works Cited Bond, Edward. Lear. London : Eyre Methuen LTD, 1972. Abelard. Children and Television Violence ; Gerbner. Online. Internet. 2 July 2002. Kane, Sarah. Blasted. London : Eyre Methuen LTD, 1995. Pinter, Harold. The Homecoming. London : Eyre Methuen LTD, 1965.

Look into a Psychotic mind

Not for the faint hearted. As a child I'd always been curious. Starting when I was six, I would spend hours doing my â€Å"experiments† It began with frogs and worms but soon I went on to bigger animals, mammals. The family cat, a little boys puppy, the school gerbils. The police never knew who took them although they did find the bodies†¦ When I was done with them. I'm twenty six now and quite the normal city girl if you don't count my experiments. I work for Poise magazine as a photographer and part time interviewer but my passion still lies in the biology of a body.Did you know humans can continue to live after the removal of the stomach, spleen, 75% of the liver, 80% of the intestines, one kidney, one lung, and virtually every organ from the pelvic and groin area. You might not feel too great, but the missing organs wouldn't kill you. I wonder who was lucky enough to do this experiment, I'd love to be them. The surgeon or scientist†¦ Not the subject missing his o rgans. This is what inspired my latest question and led to the idea for my new â€Å"experiment† I picked up my subject outside a local club.It's quiet skinny but still a healthy looking packmen, the shaggy brown hair is really what pulled me to it. Eve always loved light brown hair for some reason. Anyway, my specimen spent the morning in my car trunk while I was at work, I made sure he was knocked out properly. I don't need my co-workers hearing noises from my car and investigating†¦ I'd probably lose my Job. Who am I kidding? My Job would be toast. I drove up to my old family house in the country, having taken the week off I had time to come out here.No one knows about the old house and it was so far away from anything you could scream your head off without anyone showing up. Perfect for hat I needed. I dragged the still unconscious specimen into the large garage, his chloroform nap would be the last peace he had so he may as well enjoy it. I'm a relatively small woma n so dragging him to the garage wasn't the easiest thing to do. Why the heck didn't I park closer? I sighed to myself. Break time is over and I need to get back to work. I walked across the dusty floor and stared at the tools lining my wall.I looked at each one and grinned at the damage they could each do. Hammers for smashing, saws for sawing, pliers for pulling, knives for slicing and blowtorches for†¦ Well you get the point. The collection was large and helped quell my curiosity. I grabbed a length of thick rope from one of the hooks and walked back to where my specimen lay. My shoes made clanking noises against the floor but there was no reason to be quiet†¦ So I wasn't. Spotting a sturdy beam above me, I tossed the rope over it and watched as thick braided cord fell far enough down so I could reach it if I Jumped.You'd think I'd done this before. After I made sure I could reach both ends of the rope I turned to my subject. He looked so peaceful, I don't think he remem bered his abduction or understood what was to come. My first human specimen was a cutie, I had to admit. It's almost a shame, almost. I pulled his unconscious body into place and wound the rope around his ankles after removing the man's boots. I made sure my knots were tight and would not slip undone as that would ruin the experiment.Grabbing the other end of dangling rope I pulled it over my shoulder and began to walk towards the pillar near the edge of my garage where I could tie off the rope, leaving my specimen hanging from the rafters like meat in a butcher shop. While waiting for my subject to awake I decided to record my progress in the book I pet with me at all times. It was filled with notes on all my experiments, granted they were all animal experiments. Subject: â€Å"Humans† Experiment: Skin Skin is a thin layer of tissue acting as a perimeter around the internal body keeping unwanted germs out.It is also the largest organ in the body and arguably the most importa nt. How important? After skinning subject â€Å"Humans† I hope to answer that question. Hypothesis: Without the outer layer the body should succumb to bacteria, viruses and disease. I am anticipating that dehydration will be my biggest obstacle. I heard a groan come from behind me and suppressed a grin. He's awake! I dropped the knives I'd brought with me behind him noisily. The man was now flailing around uselessly. The grogginess from being knocked out prevented him from succeeding, it was actually quite humorous!When he finally gave up, I walked behind him and gave his hair a playful tug, pulling his head back slightly. â€Å"What!? Wait-Who are you? Where am I!? † He yelled in fury. The anger was to be expected. He flailed some more until he faced me and tried to grasp at the edge of my Jeans. I stood Just out of his reach, these are designer Jeans! â€Å"Why? † I finally repeated back at him. Sees you crazy bitchy! Why am I here!? † He screamed. †Å"Because I have a question, no need for vulgar language. † I added sweetly. â€Å"Huh? Fine. What's the question? † He huffed. â€Å"Do you remember how you got here? Not my actual question but still needs to be answered. â€Å"l- l†¦ No. † He looked thoughtful and I smiled, Just what I wanted to hear. I slipped my hand into my pocket and withdrew the needle filled with liquid chloroform, enjoying the look of horror on his face. Before he could yell or thrash around I slipped it into his neck, further than necessary and he yelped in pain. The Heimlich soon entered his blood and the struggling stopped. Carefully I made the first incision in his back with a fillet knife, being careful not to go too deep as I ran the blade down his back.I pulled up the skin and slid my knife between the skin and his back watching as the external organ was removed from his back. I did my task in silence working my way up his shoulders and arms. I wasn't concerned with the smal l amounts of skin under the bindings as it would be rubbed raw by the friction of his movements and there was no time to work on such tediousness. Next I worked on my subject's chest and torso. By the time the crimson map of internal workings was shown on his top half, or bottom since he is upside down. A decent sized puddle of blood had collected on the stone floor.The thick red liquid ran down his still unharmed neck and landed with a trickling plop on the ground. The neck proved an easy part. The fingers and toes gave me some difficulty as the skin between the digits was at an awkward angle and hard to reach with in the small spaces, I succeeded in the end. Skinning his â€Å"manhood† was excruciatingly tedious. The skin covering the gender based organ was already so thin, it was nearly impossible to get rid of. I'm thankful the member is so small or I may have lost my patience and chopped the damned thing off completely.I gave my subject a shot of kill, a chemical compoun d used to help blood clotting and thicken the blood. I want to see how long my subject will survive without skin and blood loss cannot be a factor! His neck and head was all that was left. As I passed over his features carefully, I ruined one of the eyes by accidental cutting an eyelid off. Careless but not a huge mistake, I hope. I finished off removing the rest of the skin from his head. He isn't cute anymore, that's for sure. There, perfect. I thought as I stood back to admire the exposed muscles and tendons.The blue of his veins reminded me of a road map, twisting and turning throughout his rosy red form. Fresh blood oozed from his body but not to an extent that would cause the subject's demise, thanks to the kill . I placed a large mirror in front of him so when he awoke he'd see himself. I want him to appreciate the time I put into his death. When my subject awoke there was much swearing so I left him alone for a day to calm down and accept his fate. Its day 2 of the skinless man and time to feed him. I can't let starvation or dehydration influence my answer. His death has to be due to loss of skin.He didn't speak while I fed him, no swearing or begging. I found it unusual but I think he must be feeling some despair. I'd noticed his drying form and the way most of his body had scabbed over, leaving it looking rough and deformed. I suppose that all I can do now is wait Day 5. Five and make sure he has enough water. Day 3. The subject is growing weaker, diseases starting to take over his skinless form. Some disconsolation can be seen in his tissue as well as a mixture of sores that seep a yellowish puss. The eyelid that I accidental cut off has now dried out, it now rerouted from his face slightly.His body is also admitting a sour smell. Like a mixture of dried urine and rotting flesh. The dour attracts all sorts of flies, gnats and mosquitoes. Both feeding on his decaying tissue and laying eggs in the warm gore. I watch in fascination as his flesh seems t o crawl and wiggle with the bugs devouring him slowly. It's exciting, I did not for see this in my experiment. Day 4. The eye without its lid popped at some point last night, its insides became a comfortable bed for flies. Putrid, dark greenish purple glop dried in a strip down his face. Disgusting. â€Å"Why don't you Just kill me? The man asked weakly. L am killing you silly! It's Just taking a while longer than expected. † I smiled at how naive he is. â€Å"Why? † He wept. â€Å"l told you, I'm curious. † Then I thought of something, â€Å"What's your name? † â€Å"Connors, My name is Connors. You? † Him should I tell him my name? â€Å"I'm Reggae. † After that I left him hanging. Literally. He's still strung up from the roof, I'm surprised he hasn't complained off head-AC. Days, I thought as I stood in front of his lifeless body. His muscles and tissues were one giant, inflamed red scab with large areas of purple, blue and even yellow du e to extreme infection.

30 Quotes by Aristotle

30 Quotes by Aristotle Aristotle was an Ancient Greek philosopher who lived from 384-322 BCE. One of the most influential philosophers, Aristotles work was the foundational building blocks of all Western philosophy to follow. Courtesy of translator Giles Laurà ©n, author of  The Stoics Bible, here is a list of 30 Aristotle quotations from his Nicomachean Ethics. Many of these may seem like noble goals to live by. They may make you think twice, especially if you dont consider yourself a philosopher, but simply want age-tested ideas on how to live a better life. Aristotle on Politics Politics appears to be the master art, for it includes so many others and its purpose is the good of man. While it is worthy to perfect one man, it is finer and more godlike to perfect a nation.There are three prominent types of life: pleasure, political, and contemplative. The mass of mankind is slavish in their tastes, preferring a life suitable to beasts; they have some ground for this view since they are imitating many of those in high places. People of superior refinement identify happiness with  honor, or virtue, and generally the political life.Political science spends most of its pains on forming its citizens to be of good character and capable of noble acts. Aristotle on Goodness Every art and every inquiry, and similarly, every action and pursuit is thought to aim at some good, and for this reason, the good has been declared to be that at which all things aim.If there is some end in the things we do, which we desire for its own sake, clearly this must be the chief good. Knowing this will have a great influence on how we live our lives.If things are good in themselves, the goodwill appears as something identical in them all, but the accounts of the goodness in  honor, wisdom, and pleasure are diverse. The good, therefore, is not some common element answering to one idea.Even if there be one good which is universally predictable or is capable of independent existence, it could not be attained by man.If we consider the function of man to be a certain kind of life, and this to be an activity of the soul implying a rational principle, and the function of a good man to be the noble performance of these, and if any action is well performed when it is performed in accordance with the appropriate principle; if this is the case, human good turns out to be activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. Aristotle on Happiness Men generally agree that the highest good attainable by action is happiness, and identify living well and doing well with happiness.The self-sufficient we define as that which when isolated, makes life desirable and complete, and such we think happiness to be. It cannot be exceeded and  is, therefore,  the end of  action.Some identify happiness with virtue, some with practical wisdom, others with a kind of philosophical wisdom, others add or exclude pleasure and yet others include prosperity. We agree with those who identify happiness with virtue, for virtue belongs with virtuous  behavior  and virtue is only known by its acts.Is happiness to be acquired by learning, by habit, or some other form of training? It seems to come as a result of virtue and some process of learning and to be among the godlike things since its end is godlike and blessed.No happy man can become miserable, for he will never do acts that are hateful and mean. Aristotle on Education It is the mark of an educated man to look for precision in each class of thing in so far as its nature admits.Moral excellence is concerned with pleasure and pain; because of pleasure we do bad things and for fear of pain we avoid noble ones. For this reason, we ought to be trained from youth, as Plato says: to find pleasure and pain where we ought; this is the purpose of education. Aristotle on Wealth The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion since wealth is not the good we are seeking and is merely useful for the sake of something else. Aristotle on Virtue Knowledge is not necessary for the possession of the virtues, whereas the habits which result from doing just and temperate acts count for all. By doing just acts the just man is produced, by doing temperate acts, the temperate man; without acting well no one can become good. Most people avoid good acts and take refuge in theory and think that by becoming philosophers they will become good.If the virtues are neither passions nor facilities, all that remains is that they should be states of character.Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, being determined by rational principle as determined by the moderate man of practical wisdom.The end being what we wish for, the means what we deliberate about and we choose our actions voluntarily. The exercise of virtues is concerned with means, and therefore, both virtue and vice are in our power. Aristotle on Responsibility It is absurd to make external circumstances responsible and not oneself, and to make oneself responsible for noble acts and pleasant objects responsible for base ones.We punish a man for his ignorance if he is thought to be responsible for his ignorance.Everything done by reason of ignorance is involuntary. The man who has acted in ignorance has not acted voluntarily since he did not know what he was doing. Not every wicked man is ignorant of what he ought to do and what he ought to abstain from; by such errors, men become unjust and bad. Aristotle on Death Death is the most terrible of all things, for it is the end, and nothing is thought to be either good or bad for the dead. Aristotle on Truth He must be open in his hate and in his love, for to conceal ones feelings is to care less for truth than for what people think and that is the cowards part. He must speak and act openly because it is his to speak the truth.Each man speaks and acts and lives according to his character. Falsehood is mean and culpable and truth is noble and worthy of praise. The man who is truthful where nothing is at stake will be still more truthful where something is at stake. Aristotle on Economic Means All men agree that a just distribution must be according to merit in some sense; they do not all specify the same sort of merit, but democrats identify with freemen, supporters of oligarchy with wealth (or noble birth), and supporters of aristocracy with excellence.When a distribution is made from the common funds of a partnership it will be according to the same ratio which the funds were put into the business by the partners and any violation of this kind of justice would be an injustice.People are different and unequal and yet must be somehow equated. This is why all things that are exchanged must be comparable and to this end, money has been introduced as an intermediate for it measures all things. In truth, demand holds things together and without it, there would be no exchange. Aristotle on Government Structure There are three kinds of  constitution: monarchy, aristocracy, and that based on property, timocratic. The best is  monarchy, the worst timocracy. Monarchy deviates to tyranny; the king looks to his peoples interest; the tyrant looks to his own. Aristocracy passes over to oligarchy by the badness of its rulers who distribute contrary to equity what belongs to the city; most of the good things go to themselves and office always to the same people, paying most regard to wealth; thus the rulers are few and are bad men instead of the most worthy. Timocracy passes over to democracy since both are ruled by the majority. Source Laurà ©n, Giles. The Stoics Bible Florilegium for the Good Life: Expanded. Paperback, Second, revised and expanded edition, Sophron, February 12, 2014.

The Scarlet Letter Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays

The Scarlet Letter Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, delivers a powerful novel invoked with symbolism. Centered on Hester, a woman branded with a scarlet A as a mark for adultery, much of the Scarlet Letters symbolism grows from the cruel, and shameful letter. The A symbolizes the walking emblem of shame. (Hawthorne 6). Throughout the novel, the brand of disgust evolves around the characters influenced by Hester, including her illegitimate child Pearl. Even Pearl is subject to the shame her mother has bore, and is also shunned from the strict Puritan society. The close of the novel reveals that the symbol has given Hester strength to redeem her sin, rather then brake her spirits. The adulterous mark is almost replaced by the community as able due to Hesters deeds to the community. Scarlet Letter also uses nature's flowers as a way to symbolize growth in the novel. The opening chapter describes a rosebush growing by the prison. It shows how even a beautiful flower like the rose can be judged as sacrificial, with its petals near the jail. This relates to Hester, as her beautiful character is judged by sin, not by actions. Later in the novel, Chillingworth, Hesters husband, expresses to let the black flower blossom as it may. (Hawthorne 14). This reoccurrence of the flower shows how Chillingworth accepts his tortuous soul. The flower's bloom is a direct symbol for the growth of character in Scarlet Letter. Clothing is a final source Hawthorne uses to symbolize. In chapter 7, Pearl is dressed in a red gown, with gold trim. The dress of Pearl is almost identical to the brand Hester must endure, with her scarlet brand. Chillington is dressed in black, which gives an insight into his sinister character, as revealed in chapter 14. Also, the use of bright color, like red, and gold expresses how different Hester and Pearl are viewed by the Puritan society, which mainly dresses in plain, emotionless colors. The brand of sin is reflected in all the aspects of Hesters life, which show how clothing in Scarlet Letter drastically reflects situation, and character. Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter gives a tremendous impression on the reader, filled with oppression, and historical opinion of the Puritans. Unfortunately, as the novel appears to mirror reality, situations in the storyline leave the reader skeptical about the actual ability to perform these actions. Hesters sudden removal of the scarlet brand bestowed upon her seems very unrealistic, considering it took seven years to remove it so quickly, and carefree. It almost makes the symbol of the scarlet letter obsolete at the end of the chapter 18, leaving insinuation that the letter did not have as much influence as formerly expressed. The Scarlet Letter also confuses the reader during chapters after 20. The final pages of the novel give a completely different perspective. Generally focused on the main characters, during chapter 21, and 22, the market gives a more broad insight into the community. While it makes for interesting reading, the sudden change of perspective leaves the reader strayed from the main characters, like Hester, and Pearl. The Scarlet Letter is a very intriguing novel, for anyone looking to find a tale of Puritan life, and the harsh reality of the times. Overall, the Scarlet Letter delivers an exciting, and interesting view for all readers.