Analyse Ways Essay

The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto has five main themes or concerns. They are; History and Memory, Power and Control, Heroism and Relationships and War and Atrocities. John Misto explores all these ideas while telling the story of Bridie and Shelia’s reunion fifty years after they last saw each other. The play is about the histories of the women and the nurses that were captive of the Japanese during World War Two; their individual histories and joint suffering. The stories of these women were never made official and there is no government recognition of their plight and few, if any, official records. These painful memories are not part of any ‘official’ history and this is made clear in the play. â€Å"The British didn’t want anyone to know about us. They’d have lost prestige if people found out how women of the Empire had lived in the war. So for the sake for King and Country, they burned out diaries. Every last one.† Shelia, Scene Thirteen. Misto makes it clear in the course of the play that the memories of the women are accurate. The oral stories from these fictional characters have juxtaposed over them the factual images to confirm and extrapolate the stories of the women. The visual images of the thin, starving people are very strong and clear to an audience, for example, Scene Seven opens with a photo of some women POW’s Ââ€" â€Å"emaciated, haggard and impoverished†. This is shown while Bridie explains how thin Sheila and herself got while at the Japanese camps, â€Å"The lightest I got was exactly five stone…† The visual images show exactly what the women are talking about and add to the sense of theatre around the play. They heighten the audience’s understanding of the enormity of the issue. There is use of background sounds throughout the play, for example in Scene Five when Bridie explains what happened on Radji Beach on Banka Island there is â€Å"sounds of machine gun fire and cries of women on the soundtrack†. The dues ex machine effect of these amplified sounds further highlights the theme of memories and history, linking both the action and the memories of the two women on stage. The Shoe-Horn Sonata explores power relationships at a number of levels. The most obvious power play on stage occurs between the interviewer and the women he is interviewing. This power play has an ambiguous moment in which the women are uncertain as whether Rick has overheard a ‘private’ conversation in Scene Ten. This is also explained in the stage directions: â€Å"Bridie and Shelia look up, startled. Then they both realise they are wearing small microphones. They both wonder whether every word has been overheard…† Rick also has the power to choose what questions to ask, and what to edit out of his documentary film. On another level we can see the role of power between the prison guards and prisoners. The guards abuse their power physically, sexually and emotionally and many seemed to enjoy the pain they inflicted. Lipstick Larry’s comment in Scene Eight, â€Å"Plenty of room in the graveyard for her…† is typical of the cruelty the guard’s exhibit. The prisoners had little choice but to cooperate and be humiliated and abused, this in turn had a large physiological effect on both women. This is shown when Shelia explains that she still has nightmares about Lipstick Larry in Scene Ten â€Å"[haunted] Every night when I fall asleep, Lipstick Larry’s waiting. He calls to me and I go to him Ââ€" and no one can change that. Not even you.† The Japanese dominated the women in every aspect; they even made them bow to the Japanese flag every morning. In Scene Nine, the two characters are reminded of this power by the presence of the Japanese flag that is being projected on the back screen. It doesn’t move and dominates the stage; a continuing reminder of how the women lived their lives in the camp and the power and control that continues to affect them. This emphasises to the audience just how horrible the camps really were for the women and how they continue to affect them today, fifty years on. Misto’s play revolves around the heroic deeds and relationships that are up held by the women during the war. The heroic deeds were acts of physical courage of the highest order. For Sheila, the supreme sacrifice of selling her body to the Japanese in order to obtain the necessary drugs for her friend’s survival is all the more poignant as we understand the cultural and social background that she had come from. Misto focuses on the ‘unsung’ hero’s of the war, for example the Australia nurse that washed the bed pans of the women on the way to Belalau. â€Å"It was the bravest act I have ever seen. She didn’t get a medal for it butÂ…all of us loved for of that…† (Sheila) The stories of the two women are expanding the conventional view of heroism to include acts of sacrifice beyond simple physical courage. The Shoe-Horn Sonata shows clearly that relationships are able to survive the toughest of times. The relationship of Bridie and Shelia survives not only the horror of the prisoner of war camps but also the pain of their reunion decades after the war. Misto uses a variety of theatrical techniques to convey this relationship to the audience and show that survival and growth are features of the relationship. Misto gives evidence of how tough times were in the camps with a combination of dialogue and screen images being used to illustrate what had happened to these people, for example, the slides of the women POW’s at the open of Scene Seven. These slides portray the starving bodies, rough conditions and brutality yet through all this the relationship gets stronger. The music played throughout the play symbolises the stage at which Bridie and Sheila’s relationship is. For example, Scene Ten closes with Anne Shelton’s â€Å"I’ll walk alone† displaying to the audience that at this point in the play Bridie and Sheila’s relationship is at its most fragile point because the truth about Sheila’s sacrifice has just been revealed. The play highlights the horrors of war particularly for women and civilians. The atrocious way in which human beings treat fellow human beings in a wartime situation is not restricted to the Japanese, but seen to be central to war itself. The atrocities are seen to have affected both women’s lives ever after. For example Bridie’s fear of the Japanese people in David Jones. What is particularly significant for these women is the requirement to ‘keep  smiling’ (Scene Nine) and to repress the memories. For these women the memories of the atrocities are tinged with guilt and shame. In some respects this amount to an even worse atrocity to plague the lives of these women after the war. The humour used by Misto in the play, derives not only from the way in which the women used the power of the human spirit to laugh at adversity, but also from the way in which the playwright has juxtaposed those moments of recounting of comic events with the horrors of the memories of the reality. The light and dark in this play allows us to be both horrified and entertained. As in any great tragedy, the comic allows not simply relief from the pain, but help us to question the reasons for the horror. John Misto believes that the women victims of this defeat of the British deserve to have their stories told and their sufferings recognised by a wide audience. Having talked to ‘real survivors’ he wrote the play in the hope that more people would be exposed to their suffering and above all to their courage. The dialogue, music, the sound effects and the projected images work together to shape the audiences response and to tell the powerful story of the women’s memories, raw vulnerability, strong relationships and heroism.

Information Systems and Operations Management

Please read the article: Zara: Fast fashion from savvy systems available for free at http://www. flatworldknowledge. com/pub/gallaugher/41128#pdf-7 This article makes up Chapter 1 of the free, open access book titled, Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology, by John Gallaugher. Please ensure that you read the entire Chapter 1 of the book consisting of 3 parts (Part 1 Introduction; Part 2 Don’t Guess, Gather Data; and Part 3 Moving Forward). Now answer the questions below: Question 1: The Zara case shows how information systems can impact every single management discipline.Which management disciplines were mentioned in this case and how does technology impact each? (50% of the total mark) The case study mentioned management disciplines including information gathering, processing, storing, distributing and use of information. Gather market information One of the successful factors in Zara is they know the market trends. Zara deploys the latest information technology tools to facilitate the information exchange and collect market data through both formal and informal channels – the PDA and POS systems.The Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) system Zara’s store managers were given personal digital assistants (PDAs) so they could gather customer input outside an office setting. The staff in Zara would regularly gather information from customers, such as the trend of fashion customers preferred and feedbacks of garment that they would like to see more in the shop. The range of information collected included colours, length and even small detail of the clothes were collected from customers through front line shop staff.Besides getting information directly from customers, they staff have another channel to gather customers’ preferences. The staff will investigate the unsold items that customers tried on but didn’t buy, to find out their preferences in cloth, color, or styles offered among the products in stock. T he Point-of-sale (POS) system Besides the informal channel to gather customers needs (through conversations), the head office will collect information through a formal channel, the store’s point-of-sale (POS) system.This system is a transaction process that captures customer purchase information, in order to show how garments rank by sales. Since the POS system is linked with the PDA system, in less than an hour, managers can send updates that combine the hard data captured at the cash register with insights on what customers would like to see. Information on customer needs and trend information collected daily are fed into a database at head office regularly. The PDAs support the connection between the retail stores and head office.Each store managers are assigned with market specialists, they will communicate regularly through PDAs to transmit all kinds of information to head office. [1] Zara store management and staff use PDAs and POS systems to gather and analyze customer preference data to plan future designs based on feedback, rather than prediction. Data driven product development The data collected from PDA as well as POS system formed a valuable marketing database and provided data allows the design teams to plan styles and issue re-buy orders based on feedback rather than hunches and guesswork.The goal is to improve the frequency and quality of decisions made by the design and planning teams. The designers from â€Å"The Cube† follow evidence of customer demand. When they deign new garments or decide which kind of fabric, cut and price points to be used or modify existing designs, they will base on information from PDAs and POS rather than create trends by pushing new lines via advertisements or catwalk fashion shows. Vertically integrated value chain Inditex is a vertically integrated group, it owns several layers in its value chain.The distribution center in La Coruna equipped with up-to-date equipment for fabric dyeing and processing , cutting and garment finishing. The vertically integrated ability allows the group to response faster against the latest fashion trend including provide the appropriate for new lines. Zara’s IT expenditures are low by fashion industry standards. The spectacular benefits reaped by Zara from the deployment of technology have resulted from targeting technology investment at the points in the value chain where it has the greatest impact, and not from the sheer magnitude of the investment.This is in stark contrast to Prada’s experience with in-store technology deployment. Inventory control Zara uses Toyota-designed logistics system and overnight parcel services to manipulate items stocked in the five-million-square-foot distribution center in La Coruna, or a similar facility in Zaragoza in the northeast of Spain. About two and a half million items were handled every week and none of them stayed in the warehouses more than 3 days. Before sending to each store, clothes are i roned in advance and packed on hangers, with security and price tags fixed beforehand.This system helps staff in Zara utilize their time efficiently with the inventory during busy periods. Just-in-time manufacturing (JIT) The JIT approach to manufacturing involves timing the delivery of resources so that they arrive just when needed. Inventory optimization models help the firm determine how many of which items in which sizes should be delivered to each specific store during twice-weekly shipments, ensuring that each store is stocked with just what it needs.Trucks serve destinations that can be reached overnight, while chartered cargo flights serve farther destinations within forty-eight hours. And the firm can coordinate outbound shipment of all Inditex brands with return legs loaded with raw materials and half-finished clothes items from locations out-side of Spain thanks to the revised shipping models through Air France–KLM Cargo and Emirates Air. Zara’s products are manufactured for a limited production run. This approach encourages customers to buy right away and at full price.The constant parade of new, limited-run items also encourages customers to visit often. Staff allocation Headquarter of Zara uses software to arrange staff’s roster. The manpower is allocated based on each store’s forecasted sales volume, with locations staffing up at peak times such as lunch or early evening. The firm claims these more flexible schedules have shaved staff work hours by 2 percent. This constant refinement of operations throughout the firm’s value chain has helped reverse a prior trend of costs rising faster than sales.Zara’s combination of vertical integration and technology-orchestrated supplier coordination, just-in-time manufacturing, and logistics allows it to go from design to shelf in days instead of months. [pic] Question 2: Do you think information systems are a strategic liability for Zara? Give reasons. (50% of the total mark) Porter’s five forces analysis To understand the business condition of fashion industry, we need to use Porter’s five forces model. It is shown how the market behaved at the very beginning of the company according to the Porter’s 5 forces analysis.Bargaining Power of Suppliers This is how much pressure suppliers can place on a business. If one supplier has a large enough impact to affect a company’s margins and volumes, then they hold substantial power. †¢ There are many suppliers for raw material †¢ There are many substitutes †¢ Presence of substitute inputs †¢ The nature of the products allow to storage them long time, unless the trends conditions. Bargaining Power of customers This is how much pressure customers can place on a business. †¢ Switching to another (competitive) product is simple The product is not extremely important to the buyer; they can do without it for a period of time. †¢ Customers are price s ensitive †¢ Buyer do not have switching costs †¢ Many availabilities of existing substitute products †¢ Buyer is price and style sensitive †¢ Low purchase volume per customer. †¢ Highly dynamic, customers preference changes frequently in short time Competitive rivalry within an industry This describes the intensity of competition between existing firms in an industry. Garment industry is highly competitive generally earn low returns.For many industries, this is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as innovation, marketing, etc. †¢ It is a mature industry with very little growth. Companies can only grow by stealing customers away from competitors. †¢ It has a lot competitors in the industry about the same size †¢ Little differentiation between competitors’ products and services. Key competitors include Gap,, Benetton, H, Forever 21 , etc.Pfeifer, (2008); Rohwedder and Johnson, (2008) H has increased the frequency of new items in stores, Forever 21 and Uniqlo get new looks within 6 weeks and Benetton, a firm that previously closed some 90 percent of US stores, now replenishes stores as fast as once a week †¢ The barriers to get out of the industry are low in distribution and high in manufacture †¢ Since the chances of clothes getting damaged before sold is very little, the storage costs would be low †¢ High manufacture costs because of high raw material cost and manpower cost Threat of new Entrants No distribution barriers to entrance because it only consists on low costs of renting a shop, no administrative restrictions, low initial capital to start †¢ Reduced reaction possibilities in front of new entrants †¢ In production, there are barriers for the existence of economies of scale. †¢ The start up capital needed is high †¢ Need time to build up relationship wi th supply chain and suppliers Threat of substitute products What is the likelihood that someone will switch to a competitive product or service? If the cost of switching is low, then this poses to be a serious threat. Buyer can easily found substitute †¢ Relative price performance of substitutes †¢ Buyer switching costs is low †¢ Perceived level of product differentiation †¢ Fad and fashion †¢ Technology change and product innovation The main issue is the similarity of substitutes. For example, if the price of coffee rises substantially, a coffee drinker is likely to switch over to a beverage like tea because the products are so similar. If substitutes are similar, then it can be viewed in the same light as a new entrant. Zara’s success factorsThe success factors/ competitive advantages include always producing the style that customers are looking for, short production time from design stage and limited quantities. Information system plays strategic l iability in the following: – Collecting Market Data & customer’s needs – Product development – JIT production Considering the information technology investment helping Zara to maintain it’s competitive advantages, it is strategic liability for the firm. ———————– [1] Zara's Secret for Fast Fashion, Kasra Ferdows, Michael A. Lewis and Jose A. D. Machuca (http://hbswk. hbs. edu/archive/4652. html)

Christianity verses islam Essay

The attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants and trade are similar yet different. Over time Christian and Islamic attitudes towards the merchants and trade have changed.  The attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants and traders are similar. A way that these two religions attitudes towards their merchants and trade was that they both allowed being treated better under god easier for merchants to achieve if they were honest about what their trade. In the Muslim Qur’an it states â€Å"On the day of judgment, the honest, truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith† (Doc 2). This statement proves that merchants could be treated better under god if they were honest. Also in the Christian Bible, New Testament (Matthew) it states â€Å"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of god† (Doc 1). This means that it is easier for the honest merchants to enter t he kingdom of god than the rich upper-class Christians. All in all, the Christian and Islamic attitudes toward the merchants and trade are similar. As well as the attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants and trade being similar they were different. A way that Christianity and Islam attitudes were different was that some Christians thought that if they gave away their money earned to charity they would be able to become closer to God by serving him, but in Islam they only thought that honesty could get you closer to God. In The Life of St. Godric by Reginald it states â€Å"now he had lived sixteen years as a merchant, and began to think of spending on charity, to God’s honor and service† (Doc 3). Although this statement proves the difference it may be bias because it was written by a colleague of a merchant, this could mean that he was experiencing things different than what they were really supposed to be by law. In the Qur’an it states â€Å"On the day of judgment, the honest, truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith† (Doc 2). The statements from these two wr itings together prove that the attitudes towards merchants and trade were different between Christianity and Islam. Over time both Christianity and Islam attitudes towards merchants and trade  changed. Christianity started off with the Christian merchants not bidding with the traders to bidding with the traders. Thomas Aquinas wrote â€Å"the seller must not impose upon the bidder† (Doc 4). And this change was presented when a letter was written placing an order for English wool saying â€Å"with god always before us, we will carry out your bidding† (Doc 6). Both these statements could be bias due to the writer, the first quote from Aquinas could be bias because he was a theologian which means he studied gods and so he could have wrote more about what the bible states and not what actually happened. Then the letter was written by a merchant which means they could have had different experiences with trade than other merchants. Islam started off with their merchants needing to be honest and ended up with their merchants seeking to make profits and gambling, and gambling for more money is not very truthful. The Qur’an it states â€Å"On the day of judgment, the honest, truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith† (Doc 2). Ibn Khaldun a leading Muslim scholar wrote â€Å"We have already stated that traders must buy and sell and seek profits† and he wrote â€Å"they come under the heading of gambling† (Doc 5). All in all both Christianity and Islamic attitudes toward merchants and trade changed over time. In conclusion Christianity and Islam had attitudes toward merchants and trade that were similar and different, and that both religions attitudes changed over time. A document that was not present that would have been helpful would be a document written by Muslim or Christian merchants because the documents that were written by merchants were written by British and Italian merchants.

Finance and Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Finance and Management Accounting - Essay Example No commercial entity runs an R & D department to conduct in fructuous basic research ((ICMR), 2003). Management accounting is the process of identification, measurement, accumulation, analysis, preparation, interpretation and communication of information that assists managers in specific decision-making within framework of fulfilling the organizational objectives (The ICFAI University Press, 2004). Like water, this rising tide of data can be viewed as an abundant, vital and necessary resource. With enough preparation, we should be able to tap into that reservoir -- and ride the wave -- by utilizing new ways to channel raw data into meaningful information. That information, in turn, can then become the knowledge that leads to wisdom. The idea is that information, knowledge, and wisdom are more than simply collections. Rather, the whole represents more than the sum of its parts and has a synergy of its own. In an organizational context, data represents facts or values of results, and relations between data and other relations have the capacity to represent information. Patterns of relations of data and information and other patterns have the capacity to represent knowledge. ... Without on-demand access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed based on what the individual or group brings to the situation with them. With on-demand access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed with the sum total of everything anyone in the organization has ever learned about a situation of a similar nature. Management accounting --- Importance of Stakeholders In the highly competitive environment, the survival of an organization may depend on how well stakeholders are managed. However, when managers delegate this responsibility of managing the stakeholder interests, there is no systematic way to evaluate their performance. With an evaluation method, such as a report card, managers no longer rely on observations regarding the outcomes of stakeholder management; they receive direct information from their stakeholders and can plan interventions accordingly (Slovensky, 2002). Management planning and control system is related to accounting system. Suitable goals are set based on the information provided by the accountants. Projections of futures sales, expenses, incomes and estimation of profit are made depending on the accounting information. After setting goals while examining alternatives, information about these alternatives comes from accounting system and the accountant is made to combine the data and produce meaningful reports. Though, implementation of chosen alternative is done by the mangers alone without the intervention of accounting system, the accountant is required to collect and summarize data about the success of the chosen plan. The evaluation of performance depends heavily on the accountant accumulates and reports. Though, accounting system is helpful in the process of

Critique in rehabilitation model of nursing Essay

Critique in rehabilitation model of nursing - Essay Example According to Orem’s theory, in order to maintain optimal health and wellness, each person not only has need for self-care, but also has ability and responsibility to care for themselves and dependants. This theory encompasses three concepts, self care, self care deficits, and the role of nursing system in this. Self care, therefore, is the ability to perform activities and meet personal needs. These personal needs will have a goal to maintain health and wellness of physique, psyche, and spirit. Self care can, hence, be visualised as a product of person, environment, health, and above all, nursing. It again has three components universal self-care needs, developmental self-care needs, and deviation from normal health. Universal self-care consists of essential minimal activities for health and vitality. The elements known to influence the conditions of self-care are air, water, food, elimination, activity and rest, solitude and social interactions, prevention of harm, and normal ity promotion (Moore, J.B. and Pichler, V.H., 2000). The developmental self-care need include interventions and educations designed to help a person to return to the optimal state of health and maintain it so that the person is able to sustain health and wellbeing. The part that can be directly applicable to rehabilitative care is health deviation self-care. This consists of variations or deviations in self-care as a result of disability, illness, or injury. In this situation, nursing plays a major role in planning and implementing an individualised care to maintain health and wellness (Taylor, S.G., 1998). This gives rise to the concept of self-care deficits since every matured individual has ability to meet self-care needs. When a person experiences inability or disability due to any limitation, may it be physical or mental, there arises a situation of deficit that demands nursing care to supplement the individual’s self-care scheme. When

Theory and Practice Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theory and Practice Paper - Essay Example However, the primary function of the United States Department of Education is to formulate federal funding programs involving education and to enforce federal educational laws involved with privacy and civil rights. The quality of educational institutions and their degrees is maintained through an informal private process known as accreditation which the Department of Education has no direct public jurisdictional control over. However, there are reading intervention programs that have been developed to help struggling readers to improve reading in kindergarten and first grade students. This paper will discuss three early reading intervention programs that are designed to prevent early reading problem from developing rather than trying to correct a problem after it is established. These programs have been applied in first and second grade and have proved very effective. The early reading intervention to be discussed is The Scott Foresman Early Reading Intervention Program. The paper w ill also show the current assessment practice of the early intervention program in Ocean View School District in California. Early reading intervention programs refers to early school intervention programs that are designed to prevent early reading problem from developing rather than trying to correct a problem after it is established. These programs have been applied in first and second grade and have proved very effective. The early reading intervention to be discussed is The Scott Foresman Early Reading Intervention Program. The paper will also show the current assessment practice of the early intervention program in Ocean View School District in California. Early Reading Intervention Early reading intervention programs refers to early school intervention programs that are designed to prevent early reading problem from developing rather than trying to correct a problem after it is established. (Pikulski, 1997) To improve reading in kindergarten and first grade students, a number of early reading intervention reading programs have been invented. The programs are used in within the regular classroom to help the struggling readers and the classroom teachers carry out the program with the help of instructional aides or older students. They help struggling readers succeed in school and make good progress in reading especially in grade 2 through 4. In Scott Foresman Early Reading intervention, the program was designed to provide kindergarten and first grade children with an intervention to improve their reading. A teacher is supposed to deliver daily lesson of 30 minutes to small groups of 2-5 students. The intervention is comprised of 126 lessons distributed across 30 weeks of instruction. The Scott Foresman Early Reading Intervention Program is organized in a carefully planned sequence of skills; the explicit instruction and systematic review are intended to ensure student success. The teachers' guide provides a detailed lesson plans that are easy to follow and the instructional materials are well organized. The lesson takes 30-minute that consist of seven activities, with each activity designed to last only three to five minutes. In the first 15 minutes of the lesson, the emphasis is on the phonological awareness and alphabetic understanding while the next 15 minutes focuses on writing and spelling. To help teacher pace instructions, each activity is labeled with the amount of time it should last. For the sake of the students who do not grasp anything, the lesson provides immediate re-teaching strategy. It is recommended that a formal screening assessment, such as Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), during the fourth to sixth week of the school year should be administered in the Scott Foresman Early Reading Intervention program. A comprehensive assessment plan is an important part of this intervention program. The intervention prog

Research on Target Corporation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On Target Corporation - Research Paper Example Other than food items and household essentials, all merchandise categories found in physical stores are available for sale on the online shopping site. The credit card segment offers credit and debit cards under the â€Å"REDcards† brand to qualified customers. Currently there are three â€Å"REDcard† options: Target Visa and Target Card credit cards and Target Debit card (Target 10–K Part 1). Therefore, the company’s revenue model is on sales markups from retail sales and credit card fees and interest. In the retail segment, Target’s biggest competition is Wal-Mart and Costco. However, due to the broad category of merchandise that the company offers, all other forms of retail commerce are potentially competitors. Nevertheless, Target has been able to compete successfully by differentiating itself through a combination of price, merchandise assortment, convenience, customer service and marketing efforts. An example is how Target has deployed diffe rent store formats – CityTarget, SuperTarget, Target Greatland and Target stores – to capture different customer segments. ... Networking ensures that all Target stores are interlinked such that supply chain management is effectively managed to match consumer demand. This way the company can maximise on its mark-ups while it keeps its inventory costs at a minimum. On the other hand, CRM is vital for Target’s online business as it enables the company to perform customer analytics to improve targeting and customer segmentation. Order Fulfillment Process Analysis As an online shopping site, order fulfillment is a major process at target.com. In this study we selected the most straightforward way for making an online purchase at target.com as a new customer. Order fulfillment starts immediately after online shopper has selected the item he/she wants to buy. This item is added onto a virtual shopping cart. The first input in order processing is the item to be procured. Once an item is selected Target’s system checks if the item is available within its inventory. The output is immediately delivered w ith the publishing of either â€Å"in stock† or â€Å"not available†. When you add an item on the shopping cart, target.com opens a mini-window with three options: checkout, continue shopping and view and edit cart. The next input, strictly speaking, is the selection of any of these three options by the customer. The site always provides customer with the option of returning items to cart and continue shopping as one proceeds to checkout. The next set of inputs is customer shipping address, selecting form of payment and billing address. Repeat customers may opt to create an account with target.com, in which case they would not have to keep entering any of these three sets of data each time they want to make a

Mind of Great Companies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mind of Great Companies - Research Paper Example This is exactly what the present development of the organization has been about. Writing on â€Å"What is on the minds of great companies?† Blanchard (2007) noted that â€Å"many companies develop a corporate culture over time, but if it wasnt actively sculpted with the companys long term vision in mind, it may not reflect the companys ultimate mission† (p. 11). What this means is that the organization’s vision is very key to judging the company’s development rate. In this, it would be said that Marriott has developed positively because the company has been able to live within its goal and vision of making customer satisfaction a central focus of their service, where the turnover received in terms of customer patronage has confirmed such an expanded form of customer satisfaction. Due to the fact that customers generally patronage the services of a company of which they are pleased with their service, it can be said that the company’s stage of development is reflected in its vision and value statement because the customer has had a long standing vision of using customer satisfaction as a competitive advantage. Meanwhile, customer satisfaction is the product of high customer patronage and thus high revenue turnover for the

IC responces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IC responces - Essay Example The accuracy of this strategy has also been cited as exceptional. This particular intelligence would also be the most suitable INT system to be used in the denied areas in China. Cyber intelligence has been on the rise in the modern century. Traditional organizations to war are easily being replaced by the modern means of approach to war and intelligence. However, CYBINT has not yet been recognized as a mandatory requirement in gathering intelligence. Most governments still value the use of the traditional disciplines to war or gathering intelligence. CYBINT has however been created but nations are reluctant to put it into practice. With the globe experiencing technological change, it won’t be long until CYBINT becomes the most significant security agency in the United States. Channeling this change would be the increased in high tech crimes and advanced threat to security. Sternberg argues that technological advances will permanently replace the tactical approaches used today

Essay Example for Free

Essay The objective of this paper is to compare the major players in the beverage/soft drink industry, Pepsi Co. Coca Cola Co. This paper will give you sound information on which company to invest in as well as taking a deeper look at both companies over all. My analysis will be made based on the company’s income statements, horizontal, vertical analysis, balances sheets and financial statement ratios. This along with other information should give you a clear picture of which company is the best company to invest in. Researching this analysis is needed find the soundest corporation for investment. Out of the myriad of sodas, Coca Cola and PepsiCo. are the most recognized name and the most known rivalry in the soft drink industry. Coca-Cola owns the somewhat disputed title as being the best cola brand worldwide. Some on the other hand know PepsiCo as the rival brand because Coca Cola has had such great marketing and advertising. In 2004, PepsiCo achieved marginally growth rate in net profit and sales, where Coca Cola has maintained profit margin. The PepsiCo. presented lower short-term liquidity risk to investors compared to Coca Cola. Coca Cola and PepsiCo. There was low long-term solvency risk with PepsiCo’s risk being marginally greater than Coca Cola’s. PepsiCo’s overall asset in my opinion was more proficient than Coca Cola. These and other companies help investor confidence and market share with their sales margins. PepsiCo stock is dividend-generating stock, but Coca Co la has had a higher yield and payout. Coca Cola has had a superior profit margin and dividends are lucrative to investors in this industry but PepsiCo’s diversification, low short-term liquidity risk, low long- term solvency risk, make it a proficient asset application for PepsiCo stock look like a better investment. The competition between these two soda giants is strong. Having said that, there is still a point where price is not the issue but taste. Some people swear by the taste in this loyal brand market. These two corporations have concentrated on cultivating brand management through applicable advertising, marketing campaigns. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, â€Å"Coca-Cola remains the best globally recognized brand across all industries for ages, while PepsiCo’s brand ranked number 26 in year 2008.† PepsiCo has been able differentiate itself from competitors by tapping into other markets like chips and healthy alternative foods. While PepsiCo is known for their soda, their expansion is clear in showing there is a need for other things being non-soda. The time for vitality comes with diversification because there are true signs of a shift in consumption. The decrease in soda consumption raises PepsiCo. has positioned it to continue to remain profitable for its shareholde rs. The income statement of PepsiCo’s COS to sales percentage slightly rose from 43.31% in year 2004. Coca-Cola’s five-year average COS to sales percentage was only 35.26%, much lower than PepsiCo. Coca Cola was able to achieve a higher gross profit margin with lower COS to sales percentage. PepsiCo is the consequence of its tougher pricing structure. â€Å"PepsiCo arguably has the most diverse set of distribution systems of any consumer product company, including direct store delivery (DSD) at Frito-Lay and our bottling partners, warehouse delivery for Quaker products, and warehouse delivery and chilled DSD at Tropicana. The reach and scale of these systems provide considerable cost efficiency and system effectiveness in driving value. Our systems deliver product freshness and quality for the consumer; generate cash flow for our retail customers, and pro- vide economic value for PepsiCo. Our products respond very well to merchandising, and need to be replenished ofte n because they sell so quickly. By having our DSD associates deliver products and stock the shelves themselves, we save retailers money by doing this labor for them, and help make sure our products are fresh, available and displayed to our advantage.† http://www.pepsico.com/Download/2004-Annual-English.pdf According to the Business Insider, Coca Cola has 42% of the market share while Pepsi Co. has 31%. The annual revenue for two companies is $35.2 billion and $57.8 billion respectively. Coca Cola spending roughly $2 billion on advertising while their rival spend around $1.1 billion. http://www.businessinsider.com/coca-cola-vs-pepsi-timeline-2013-1?op=1 â€Å"PepsiCo is the largest food-and-beverage company in the United States, and the second-largest in the world, after Nestlà ©. If PepsiCo were a country, the size of its economy—sixty billion dollars in revenues in 2010—would put it sixty-sixth in gross national product, between Ecuador and Croatia. Many studies point to the ubiquity of high-calorie, low-cost processed foods and drinks as one of the major drivers of this condition. Snacks, in particular, play a role in childhood obesity, which is growing even faster than obesity in adults. Americans consume about fifty gallons of soda a year, more than four times the a verage per-capita consumption sixty years ago. Americans also ingest about thirty-four hundred milligrams of sodium per day, twice the recommended amount; sodium has long been linked to high blood pressure. almost half of PepsiCo’s business is overseas (thirty per cent of it in developing countries), foreign markets eventually tend to follow U.S. trends. The markets of the future may well be in â€Å"packaged nutrition†Ã¢â‚¬â€in enriched products like PepsiCo’s SoBe Lifewater, which contains vitamins, and in its pricey Naked line of fruit juices and smoothies, which contain antioxidants. Another growing category is â€Å"functional† foods and beverages, like varieties of the sports drink Gatorade, which PepsiCo markets for specific physiological or metabolic attributes. (Thanks to Gatorade’s new â€Å"fit series,† you can drink G1 Prime before you work out, G2 Perform during your workout, and G3 Recover when you’re cooling down.† http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/16/110516fa_fact_seabrook?currentPage=2 The above quote taken from the New Yorker shows that diversity in such a highly competitive beverage market, diversity is needed. Coke depends on the consumption of their product. That is still their main source of revenue for the company. It could be said that maybe PepsiCo is too diverse. I would say I see this as an example of ensuring a proper return to the investor and keeping the integrity of the company. PepsiCo displayed advanced long-term affluence risk due to its higher debt to equity ratio of 1.24 and higher long-term debt to equity ratio of 0.68 on average, compared to Coca-Cola’s 0.90 and 0.29. The soda industry is wide and there are always new players but PepsiCo has managed its debt obligations more so than Coca-Cola by the measure of times interest earned ratio. PepsiCo had a better average return on common equity of 33.92% than Coca-Cola’s 30.29%, whereas both companies had similar return on assets with Coca-Cola’s 16.54% average only being slightly better. PepsiCo and Coca Cola are the leaders in the caramel color soda market. There earning regardless of the company you select show the investor that their staying power is evident. References Books Brigham, E, F, Erhhardth, M, C (2005). Financial Management Theory and Practice. Eleventh Edition. South Western Publishers Thomas, A, (2002). Introduction to Financial Accounting. Fourth Edition. McGraw Hill. Websites Kulawik, A (2009), The development of Coca Cola Advertising Campaigns, retrieved on November 29th, 2010 from, http://images.nexto.pl/upload/publisher/All%20Free%20Media/public/the_development_of_coca-cola_advertising_campaigns_(1886-2007)_demo.pdf Andrew (2002), A brief Pepsi History retrieved on November 29th 2010 from, Day, J (2008), Theme: Analyzing Financial Statements, retrieved on 30th November 2010 from Gattis ,C,G.(2009).Using Financial Ratios http://bluepointstrategies.com/uploads/White_Paper_-_Using_Financial_Ratios.pdf [30th November 2010]

Making a Central Bank Independent

Making a Central Bank Independent Why has the idea of enhancing the independence of a central bank gained such popularity in recent years around the globe? Do accompanying accountability arrangements matter? The desirability of Central Bank Independence (CBI) has snowballed since (Alesina, A 1988) stated that his paper argues tentatively that independent Central Banks have been associated with a lower average inflation rate and may have been responsible for reducing politically induced volatility of monetary policy and inflation. As a result, we may be lured into the assumption that CBI was the brainchild of Alesina or Rogoff (who produced literature with similar results around the same time) and that it is a brand-new, groundbreaking concept. However, the issue of CBI is as old as central banking itself with David Ricardo arguing its benefits (or certainly the drawbacks of non-independence) in a paper written in 1824. Keynes articulated his thoughts on central bank independence while testifying to the 1913 Royal Commission into an Indian central bank. He stressed that the ideal central bank would combine ultimate government responsibility with a high degree of day to-day independence fo r the authorities of the bank. Clearly, as it is government legislation that created and gave powers to the central banks, there has always been a relationship between the two and they cannot be entirely distinct. Debate surrounding CBI considers the appropriate level of distinction (if any) and the potential benefits to the economy at large that such a separation would provoke. So if the theory behind the benefits of independence is almost two centuries old, then why has its popularity only soared in the last few decades? (Goodhart, C.A.E 1994) utilises Friedmans analysis of the Phillips Curve (1950s) to suggest that stagflation in the 1970s is a primary factor behind the surge towards CBI. The Phillips Curve displays the apparent inverse relationship (when the pressure of demand in an economy is low) between inflation and unemployment. Thus, Phillips suggested that the authorities were able to choose an optimal combination, or find a sufficient trade-off between the two, which is exactly what Governments attempted to do in the 50s and 60s. However, this theory was shot to pieces in the 1970s when the rate of inflation consistent with a given level of unemployment kept rising: stagflation. Friedman explained this by stating that the inverse relationship only ran true in the short-run. In the medium and long-run, he argued that the Phillips Curve would in fact be vertical and that there was no trade-off between inflation and unemployment. The implication of this was that those in charge could now use m onetary policy as an instrument to control inflation in the medium and long term without compromising growth or employment within the same time horizon; thus enabling fiscal policy and supply side measures to be utilised in stabilising shocks in the short term. Governments soon adopted medium-term financial strategies for bringing down inflation and began to use supply-side measures for promoting growth. Herein lay the problem, in that now a conflict of interest arose for those in charge. In the short-run, with expectations given, expansionary monetary and fiscal policies would raise employment and allow excess growth above the long-term level. However, Ministers were aware that although it may take some time to show up, higher inflation will be the inevitable result in the long-run. (Goodhart, C.A.E 1994) holds a very cynical view of politicians and suggests that they may forgo their medium-term economic responsibilities and lower taxes or raise expenditures before elections to ind uce a feel-good factor that would get them re-elected. The resulting inflation would only rear its ugly head after the election when they could tackle it by raising interest rates and thus maintain the boom/bust cycle. If they did not get re-elected it would be the next Governments problem and hence political short-mindedness and lack of credibility is laid bare for all to see. (Fraser, B.W 1994) is a lot less sceptical of politicians and argues that it is uncertainty rather than exploitation of the short-term inflation/unemployment trade-off that can inject inflationary bias into the policy making process. He argues that because no-one knows with any confidence what the long-term growth capacity limits are or what the natural rate of unemployment is, it is very difficult for politicians to heed warnings about operating above these limits whilst under pressure from the electorate to maintain or stimulate growth. Similarly, they do not know the length of the lags between policy chang es and their impact on growth and inflation, thus Fraser implies that it is only natural for politicians to believe that they can push the economy a little bit further. Or, as William McChesney-Martin, the Governor of the US Fed from 1951 to 1970, said They may be reluctant to take away the punchbowl just when the party gets going. Irrelevant of your personal degree of cynicism towards politicians, it is clear that an independent authority with a long-term vision of price stability and no inclination towards inflation is the only remedy to rescue the electorate from a spiral of inflationary doom inflicted by governments. Pre 1971 a large degree of price stability was autonomous in the developed world with first the Gold Standard, then the Bretton-Woods system anchoring prices to a fixed level. (Fraser, B.W 1994) proposed that the earlier arrangements had imposed an international discipline on countries but when those arrangements passed into history, the responsibility for maintaining price stability reverted to national authorities. This perhaps adds more credibility to Frasers lack of scepticism as for example, (excluding war times) the UK government had not had this burden since 1717, a completely incomparable financial era. Coupling this 250 year knowledge gap, with the temptation of short-term benefits at long-term costs, it is of no surprise that Government-managed monetary policy was doomed to collapse. After this was realised, the move towards an Independent Central Bank evolved naturally as it solved both the politicians and publics concerns. Following over a decade of failure, politicians wanted rid of the price stability burden and someone else to blame for its failure (Kane, E 1980) and the public wanted monetary policy to be controlled by an institution with credibility (Rogoff, K 1985) so that their expectations were met. Despite conveniently tying together, these two arguments are not exhaustive in explaining the rise in popularity of CBI in recent times. Under the Maastricht Treaty, all states wishing to enter the European Union must have an independent national central bank so as to complement the ECB and the European System of Central Banks, whose job it is to ensure that the Euro area benefits from price stability. The EU has adopted such a hard-line stance on the basis that the success of the German economy of maintaining low inflation has arisen from the independent nature of the Bundesbank. Therefore, the installation of an independent central bank (the scope of independence is not legislated) has been forced upon all twenty-seven member states regardless of whether they had previously suffered inflationary problems. However, it must be noted that by applying to join the EU, each member state is already willing to concede its control over monetary policy in the long-term to the ECB, so an inte rmediate step to a national independent central bank would not present a significant hurdle. Many commentators have looked at who in the economy benefits most from CBI and have drawn conclusions on the reason for the growth of central bank independence from there. Those emphasising the interests of the financial sector as key are perhaps the most logical. (Posen, A 1993) and (Bowles, P White, G 1994) suggested that independence has been encouraged by financial interests and global institutions taking advantage of a crisis of governance in the 1980s and 1990s. The benefits for such institutions are obvious; a credible monetary policy allows for accurate expectations within a business plan and low inflation maintains real wages and ensures low interest rates for accessing credit. Therefore we can accredit some popularity of central bank independence to the shift in political power towards large corporations, with the most notable example being the USA. Linked to this, (Maxfield, S 1997) proposed that Governments in some fast-growing economies hold the perception that foreign investment from such large corporations will therefore be more forthcoming if they have an independent central bank. Other commentators have looked elsewhere in society with (Piga, G 2000), suggesting that the aging of some populations has promoted creditor interests. However, this is not supported by the speed of reform as although populations are aging, they do not do so suddenly whereas the popularity of central bank independence took off very rapidly. So it can be seen that there may be many different reasons behind the surge in popularity of CBI and as a result it seems natural to conclude that different levels or types of independence would be more suitable for these different variations. Similarly, the different nature of governance and democracy in countries dictates the need for a reasonable amount of flexibility and varying accountability within central bank independence. The norm within the literature is to follow Fischers (1994) dichotomy between goal and instrument independence, although many different measures of independence have been investigated and published; most notably (Cukierman, Webb, and Neyapti, 1992) and (Grilli, Masciandaro, and Tabellini, 1991). Goal independence refers to the central banks capacity to choose policy goals without being under the direct influence of the fiscal authority (usually the Government). The Bank of England lacks goal independence because the inflation target, which is very specific measure, is set by the government. In the USA, the Humphrey-Hawkins Act requires the Federal Reserve to conduct monetary policy to promote the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. These goals are described in vague terms providing the Fed some leverage to translate these into operational goals and thus allowing it a high level of goal independence. Instrument independence alludes to the central banks ability to freely adjust its policy tools in pursuit of the goals of monetary policy (Walsh, C 2005). Despite lacking goal independence, the Bank of England has instrument independence: it is provided its inflation mandate by the government and then it is able to choose its instruments without any further direction. However, the Federal Reserve has complete instrument independence in addition to having a large degree of goal independence. How can a nation that prides itself for being democratic justify handing over complete control of monetary policy to a group of un-elected officials? In addition, such a system would surely not resolve the issue of uncertainty regarding inflation policy as the public, who clearly distrusted them before, now have to rely on politicians to choose suitable people to control monetary policy. The simple solution is accountability; if central banks make their decisions transparently and/or are held acco untable for their actions, the public can feel a lot more confident in making expectations. The reputation of a central bank plays a key role in how much accountability is required; the longer the CB has delivered its promises/targets, the more trustworthy it is deemed to be and the less accountability is required. The empirical evidence seems to support this assertion. The German Bundesbank, often compared to Rogoffs Conservative Cental Banker (Rogoff, K 1985), has a very high level of independence but almost no accountability and this is sustainable only because of its reputation. Since the hyperinflation of the 1920s the Bundesbank has been careful to reflect, or even cultivate a public acceptance of the need for price stability (Bank of England 1996). This means that the inflation-averse German people are happy to trust the Bundesbank to deliver low inflation because of its impeccable track record over the last 50 years. This suggestion is strengthened by the following graph, where low inflation is related positively to low accountability: At the other end of the spectrum, the Bank of England and even more so the Reserve Bank of New Zealand are held accountable for their results, despite their comparative lack of independence. This may be explained by their relative infancy within the realms of CBI (The BoE became independent in 1997 and the RBNZ in 1989) and so in either case there has not been enough time to build a reputation. With regards to the UK, the terrible collapse of the Medium-Term Financial Planning system under Thatcher may remain a coal stoking the fire of the publics political cynicism, adding further need for a high level of accountability. There are three main channels by which the BoE demonstrates its transparency and accountability to both the Government and the public at large. Primarily, the inflation target itself is the cornerstone of the authorities medium-term price stability objectives and provides an indisputable measure of failure or success that is simple to understand. This is in stark contrast to the MTFS where numerous measures (e.g. Â £M3, M1, PSL2), which were not immediately recognisable to the man on the street, were used and muddied the water if targets were missed. In addition the minutes of the meetings between the Chancellor and Governor, where monetary policy decisions are made and discussed, are published each month along with the Inflation Report, detailing the Banks own scrutiny of inflationary patterns. In comparison to The New Zealand Approach, where the Governor can be sacked for missing an inflation target, having the Governor of the BoE write a letter for the same crime seems particular ly soft. However, if we compare the relative successes of the two banks since they adopted independence, we see that until 2007 the BoE never missed a target and that in 1990 New Zealand had 8% (RBNZ Website) inflation when its target was 0-2%. This evidence seems to add credence to the suggestion that more accountability is required with a lesser reputation. The 1990s saw both developed and developing countries move in their droves towards increased central bank independence. This trend was sturdily influenced by empirical analysis of the relationship between macroeconomic performance and independence [see Alesina and Summers (1993), Jonsson (1995), andEijffingeret al. (1998)], which among the developed countries suggested a negative relationship between independence and inflation. For this reason alone it is of no surprise that CBI popularity grew, but coupled with the earlier stated reasons it seems to have become a necessity to successfully run a modern Government and economy. By adopting independence, a restriction on government interference in monetary policy is imposed; while making the central bank transparent and accountable imposes a restraint on how it utilises this independence. Both of these constraints are desirable as they allow those more knowledgeable to influence policy and provide those responsible for making policy someone else to blame if it fails. However, transparency by itself is not necessarily adequate for a monetary institution; after all, what good is the CB missing its objectives but just being very honest about it after? Instead, transparency can help the institution combat inflation bias and promote confidence in expectations, either by itself or in conjunction with central bank independence or even a formal central bank contract (Bank of England 1996), as in New Zealand. Finally, the empirical evidence linking independence, accountability and low inflation is conclusive. From the graphs above we note the inverse relationship between accountability and independence, which suggests that they are substitutes rather than compliments (Bank of England 1996). Hence, we can conclude that in terms of inflation targeting, accountability is equally as important as central bank independence, as one or the other (not necessarily both) is required for success. In addition the positive relationship between accountability and inflation history suggests that, at least for a short time period, accountability can be used as a substitute for a reputation of low inflation. Thus providing an instantaneous removal of the problems associated with the rational expectations model and allowing low inflation to be enjoyed by all. References: Alesina, Alberto. Macroeconomics and Politics. In NBER Macroeconomics Annual, pp. 17-52. Cambridge, 1988. Alesina A, Summers L.Centralbankindependenceand macroeconomic performance: some comparativeevidence. In Journal of Money, Credit and Banking 25: pp 151-62(1993) Bank of England. Central Bank Independence Accountability: Theory and Evidence. In Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, February 1996, pp-63-68 Bowles, P and White, G. Central bank independence: A political economy approach.In The Journal of Development Studies31(2) (1994), pp. 235-264 Cukierman, A., S. B. Webb, and B. Neyapti. Measuring the Independence of Central Banks and its Effects on Policy Outcomes. In The World Bank Economic Review, 6, pp. 353-398. 1992 Fischer, S. Modern central banking. In The future of Central Banking (1994), Eijffinger SCW, Schaling E, Hoeberichts M.Centralbankindependence: a sensitivity analysis. In European Journal of Political Economy 14: pp.73-88 (1998) Fraser, B.W. Central Bank Independence: What does it mean? In Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin, 1994. Grilli, V, D. Masciandaro, and G. Tabellini. Political and Monetary Institutions and Public Financial Policies in the Industrial Countries. In Economic Policy 6, pp 341-392. 1991 Goodhart, C.A.E. Central Bank Independence. In Journal of International and Comaparative Economics, 3. 1994. Jonsson G. Institutions and macroeconomic outcomes theempiricalevidence. In Swedish Economic Policy Review 2: pp.181-212. (1995) Kane, E. Politics and Fed Policymaking: The More ThingsChange, the More They Remain the Same,In Journal of Monetary Economics,6,2(April 1980), pp. 199-211 Maxfield, S. Gatekeepers of Growth: The International Political Economy of Central Banking in Developing Countries 1997 Piga, G. Dependent and Accountable: Evidence from the Modern Theory of Central Banking,In Journal of Economic Surveys vol. 14(5), December 2000, pp 563-95 Posen, A. Why Central Bank Independence Does Not Cause Low Inflation: There is No Institutional Fix for Politics. In R. OBrien (ed.), Finance and the International Economy. 1993, pp 40-65. Rogoff, K. The optimal degree of commitment to an intermediate monetary target.In Quarterly Journal of Economics100(1985), pp. 1169-1189 Walsh, C. Central Bank Independence Prepared for The New Palgrave Dictionary December 2005 RBNZ Website: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/keygraphs/Fig1.html

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Star Topology Computer Science Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Star Topology Computer Science Essay Many home networks use the star topology. A star network features a central connection point called a hub that may be a hub, switch or router. Devices typically connect to the hub with Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Ethernet. Compared to the bus topology, a star network generally requires more cable, but a failure in any star network cable will only take down one computers network access and not the entire LAN. (If the hub fails, however, the entire network also fails.) Star Topology is the most common type of network topology that is used in homes and offices. In the Star Topology there is a central connection point called the hub which is a computer hub or sometimes just a switch. In a Star Network the best advantage is when there is a failure in cable then only one computer might get affected and not the entire network. In a Star Network the entire network is dependant on the hub so if the entire network is not working then there could be a problem with the hub. This feature makes it easy to troubleshoot by offering a single point for error connection ad at the same time the dependency is also very high on that single point. Star Topology Advantages à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Star Network Topology is very easy to manage because of its simplicity in functionality. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The problems can be easily located logically in a Star Topology and therefore is easy to troubleshoot also. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Star Topology is very simple in format so it is very easy to expand on the Star Topology. Star Topology Disadvantages à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Star Topology is fully dependant on the hub and the entire working of the network depends on the hub or the switch. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If there are many nodes and the cable is long then the network may slow down. Since all the computers on the network have independent control of their networks and only dependant on the central hub computer, the failures in transmission and other possible problems in this area are less likely. Also if the hub is safe then every computer in the network is safe. This type of network also offers more privacy than any other network. All the computers in the network are communicating with one main centrally located computer and there is no peer to peer coordination. If the peer to peer coordination takes place it is routed through the central hub. This way the privacy of each and every computer on the network is maintained. b). UTP Cable Advantage: 1. The main advantage of cable lan is that it is capable of transmitting data at very high speed rates : even much faster to that data that can be transmitted over telephone. 2.It is cost effective as no excess hardware is required. 3. It is secure way of communication as no external virus interrupt. 4. It is stable as it show irs effect in smaller area. Disadvantage: 1.The Disadvantages to a twised pair cable (AKA A Cross Over Cable): 2.It will require direct p2p (peer to peer) connections , e.g. straight from one computer to another (Mostly Via Ethernet or Com) 3.It will be incompatiable if talking to more then 1 computer by going throught a switch or hub. 4.Cross Over Cables should only be used when one computer needs to talk to another one right next to it, or if you are connecting to a router (via the console port) to configure it. Wireless advantages and disadvantages One of the major problems that presents itself is the already limited spectrum available for communications. The remaining free spectrum has to be used to its maximum potential, spread spectrum technology presenting itself as a suitable means of increasing performance. Splitting up of the environment into a number of small cells also increases the overall accessible bandwidth of the communication system, but also increases the cost as more cell sites are required. Techniques such as diversity combining can also be used to increase the available bandwidth through improved reception capabilities. Where a large number of devices, each being of a low power, are transmitting, a sizable amount of radio power is being generated. The effects of radio communication on human health are being examined , however much more work is required in this area before large scale communication systems are developed. The unconstrained nature of the communication medium of radio requires the issue of network security to be addressed. Verification of communication entities must also be performed to ensure that only registered devices may communicate using the network, and that only registered devices may receive the data. c). Reason for why I choose star topology: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Star Network Topology is very easy to manage because of its simplicity in functionality. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The problems can be easily located logically in a Star Topology and therefore is easy to troubleshoot also. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Star Topology is very simple in format so it is very easy to expand on the Star Topology. Task-02 a). The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail. Most traditional communications media including telephone, music, film, and television are being reshaped or redefined by the Internet. Newspaper, book and other print publishing are having to adapt to Web sites and blogging. The Internet has enabled or accelerated new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. Online shopping has boomed both for major retail outlets and small artisans and traders. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries. b). Banglalion starts the shopping mall activation. you can know about Banglalion WiMAX enjoy our subscription at your nearest shopping Mall. following is the activation Calender. Shopping Mall Date Dhaka Pink City, Gulshan 5 June, 2010 Anam Rangs Plaza, Dhanmondi 11 June, 2010 Shah Ali Market, Mirpur 12 June, 2010 North Tower, Uttara 18 June, 2010 Eastern Plaza, Hatirpool 19 June, 2010 Multiplan Center, Elephant Road 25 June, 2010 Concord Twin Towers (Shantinagar) 26 June, 2010 Metro Shopping Mall 2 July, Qubee is a new and exciting company from Augere providing fast and reliable broadband internet services to residential and business customers across Bangladesh. We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy trouble-free access to the internet and the world of opportunities that it brings. Our aim is to make a magical internet experience available to everyone, everyday, without exception. Qubee is the creation of a group of global telecoms professionals who saw that a new technology called WiMAX could really change the internet experience for millions of people worldwide. WiMAX means that you dont need telephone lines or cable to get connected: all you need is to live close enough to a transmitter to receive the internet wirelessly. As you read, were busy building a network of base stations to offer our brand of internet access right across Bangladesh. Were starting in Dhaka, but quickly plan to do the same in cities nationwide. c). Bangla Lion Advanced Data Network (ADN) Qubee d). Qubee introduces range of new packages to suit your monthly need. Be it speed, volume; Qubee has the solution which is fast and reliable. Now you can enjoy the fast and reliable 512 kbps speed @ Tk 1250. Enjoy Skype, streaming YouTube, download and browse your Facebook profile faster. Qubee offers 5 GB, 10 GB and Sky solution for all three speeds. Whether you use email, Skype, connect through social network, browse information, listen to internet radio, and download movies or songs: you can choose the volumes according to your need. Monthly Usage Allowance* Speed 5GB 10GB Sky ** 256 Kbps BDT 850 BDT 950 BDT 1,250 512 Kbps BDT 1,250 BDT 1,450 BDT 2,250 1Mbps BDT 2,250 BDT 2,750 BDT 5,250 *Additional charge of BDT 0.15/MB beyond Usage Allowance is applicable in all packages except Sky. BDT figures in above table indicate monthly fee. Task-03 a). Frequencies: A recent innovation in assessing community vitamin A status is the Helen Keller International food-frequency method, which is based on weekly intakes of key foods among pre-school children. Since it excludes breastmilk, we investigated whether the amount of breastmilk received by 40 children aged one to three years in a rural area of Bangladesh contributed significantly to their vitamin A intake. Vitamin A intake was indirectly calculated from the consumption of breastmilk, which was quantified over a 9-hour period by a test-weighing technique. The estimated mean 24-hour milk intake was 548 g for the 97% who were breastfed at 12 to 23 months and 312 g for the 73% who were breastfed at 24 to 36 months. This represents an average daily intake of 41% and 23% of the safe recommended daily intake (400 RE) for vitamin A, respectively. The Helen Keller International food-frequency method should be revalidated for settings where breastfeeding is sustained beyond infancy. The Helen Keller International food-frequency method approach has certain advantages. The Helen Keller International food-frequency method has been validated against serum retinol in three countries: the Philippines, Guatemala, and Tanzania [16]. However, the majority of vitamin A deficiency is located in South Asia, where such studies have not yet been conducted. At the same time, the tradition of sustaining breastfeeding beyond the first year is stronger in this region than anywhere else in the world. In Bangladesh, for example, the 1996-1997 Demographic and Health Survey found that the mean duration of any breastfeeding was 28 months, based on current status data for children less than three years of age [17], and the median was 36 months. This is comparable to the mean of 27 months reported in 1975-1976 [181, suggesting that no decline in duration has occurred since then. Half Duplex: A duplex communication system is a system composed of two connected parties or devices that can communicate with one another in both directions. (The term multiplexing is used when describing communication between more than two parties or devices.) Duplex systems are employed in many communications networks, either to allow for a communication two-way street between two connected parties or to provide a reverse path for the monitoring and remote adjustment of equipment in the field. Systems that do not need the duplex capability include broadcast systems, where one station transmits and the others just listen, and in some missile guidance systems, where the launcher needs only to command the missile where to go, and the launcher does not need to receive any information from the missile. Also, there are spacecraft such as satellites and space probes that have lost their capability to receive any commands, but they can continue to transmit radio signals through their antennas. Some early satellites (such as Sputnik 1) were designed as transmit-only spacecraft. Pioneer 6 has transmitted for decades without being able to receive anything. Full Duplex: A full-duplex, or sometimes double-duplex system, allows communication in both directions, and, unlike half-duplex, allows this to happen simultaneously. Land-line telephone networks are full-duplex, since they allow both callers to speak and be heard at the same time. A good analogy for a full-duplex system would be a two-lane road with one lane for each direction. Examples: Telephone, Mobile Phone, etc. Two-way radios can be, for instance, designed as full-duplex systems, which transmit on one frequency and receive on a different frequency. This is also called frequency-division duplex. b). This Site and our business change constantly. As a result, at times it may be necessary for BD to make changes to this Privacy Statement and Consent. BD reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Statement and Consent at any time and from time to time without prior notice. Please review this Statement periodically, and especially before you provide any Personal Data. This Privacy Statement and Consent was last updated on August 1, 2002. Your continued use of the Site after any changes or revisions to this Privacy Statement and Consent shall indicate your agreement with the terms of such revised Privacy Statement and Consent. User Data includes all information passively collected from users of the Site that does not identify a particular individual, including, by way of example, statistical information on Site usage.The terms you, your and yours when used in this Privacy Statement and Consent means any user of this Site. Information That You Give Us: We collect Personal Data such as your name, date of birth, e-mail or mailing address from you when you voluntarily choose to register for or use certain BD Services at this Site. We use the Personal Data that we collect in an effort to provide you with a superior customer experience on the Site and to improve and market BD Services. BD may store such Personal Data itself or it may be stored in databases owned and maintained by BDs affiliates, agents or service providers. BD retains its rights to these databases and the information contained in them. If you register with BD or use certain other of the personalized options we offer, we will create a profile that includes your name, mailing address, e-mail address, and other information that you provide that is pertinent to your specific situation. We may combine such information with data gathered from other sources. For instance, if incorrect postal codes are received, we may use third party software to correct them. We also may collect e-mail or other addresses from prospect lists of other companies, for example, in connection with a joint marketing effort. When we do so, (1) we acknowledge in our correspondence how the recipient was added to our list and (2) we provide a means for recipients to opt out of further communications from us. In addition we may ask you for Personal Data if you enter an educational program, contest or promotion sponsored by BD. c). The Microsoft Volume Licensing program agreements are refreshed annually. This years changes, effective October 1, 2010, will help clarify language, bring alignment among Volume Licensing agreements, and implement significant program enhancements that will help simplify licensing and improve the customer and partner experience. Your existing agreement remains unchanged, as the changes apply to agreements signed after October 1, 2010 (December 1, 2010 for all Select Plus for Academic, Select License for Academic, and Open Program agreements). No action is required until your agreement renewal. See your Microsoft reseller for additional information on the program updates. d). UTP Cable Limitation 1.The Disadvantages to a twised pair cable (AKA A Cross Over Cable): 2.It will require direct p2p (peer to peer) connections , e.g. straight from one computer to another (Mostly Via Ethernet or Com) 3.It will be incompatiable if talking to more then 1 computer by going throught a switch or hub. 4.Cross Over Cables should only be used when one computer needs to talk to another one right next to it, or if you are connecting to a router (via the console port) to configure it. Wireless Limitation: One of the major problems that presents itself is the already limited spectrum available for communications. The remaining free spectrum has to be used to its maximum potential, spread spectrum technology presenting itself as a suitable means of increasing performance. Splitting up of the environment into a number of small cells also increases the overall accessible bandwidth of the communication system, but also increases the cost as more cell sites are required. Techniques such as diversity combining can also be used to increase the available bandwidth through improved reception capabilities. e). Ever notice how you can speak to a dog in a happy, sing-song tone, but tell them something horrible, and they will still be really happy youre talking with them?   Tone of voice is often more important in communication than we realize. The way we send the message is often just as important as the content of the message itself, even to those of us with opposable thumbs and the ability to understand more than a few words of language. When training animals, consistency is key. Similarly, in order to train ones customers about ones brand, a company needs to have a consistent message to all customers in every interaction with every part of the business. Dealing with a company that is always changing its look, sound, and values can be confusing. If part of a businesss marketing materials are very serious, and part of it is surfer talk or chatty girl-talk, it can create accessibility problems for current and potential patrons and partners. How can you trust the company, or trust that it knows who it is and what it is doing, if it doesnt have a consistent message? The tone of voice should communicate your brands values and qualities. A company needs to decide not only the message it wants to get across, but the best way to deliver that message. Task-04 a). A good portion of this web site is devoted to mapping locations and the identification of cellular transmission equipment across Canada. This includes the maps for Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Whistler, Windsor, Halifax, plus new maps planned for the near future (e.g., Edmonton and Calgary) as well as the Cellular Equipment Identification Guide. Although I show each wireless providers locations on these maps, I do not mention the steps that each of the wireless providers took to establish their network in each of these locations. This article deals with why a wireless service provider would set up a wireless network in a particular market and the steps required to setup a new network. b). If youve looked into setting up, or have set up a home office, or a small business, youre probably aware of how far technology has come in terms of whats available to the average consumer. What used to take up a whole room can now fit neatly under a desk. You can have a multi-server wireless network with a handful of workstations and all the bells and whistles. But is this right for you? Maybe not, but a wireless network may be the key to making your Workplace more efficient. c). Wireless networks, also known as Wireless LANs (WLANs), allow for wireless communication between computers and the Internet without the need for cables between the networked devices. Simple wireless networks can be set up for the home or small office using ones existing Internet access. Typically, a person who is familiar with setting up a computer can install a home wireless network in about an hour by following the guides and manuals.   Typical costs: Wi-Fi technologies conform to several wireless standards that allow the network devices to communicate and interact with one another. There are currently four wireless standards: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. Every wireless networking device will list what standards it follows on the box. 802.11g and 802.11n are the prevalent wireless technologies, though most routers still support older standards. Wireless-G (802.11g) broadband routers typically cost less than the newer and faster Wireless-N (802.11g) ones. These 802.11g routers range from $40 to $60. The Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G Broadband Router is well-reviewed option in this price range. Wireless-N broadband routers cost more and offers the fastest speed and longest range. These routers cost anywhere from $70 to $170 depending on what features and capabilities get implemented. The D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router at $90 is good choice. The higher priced Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700 Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router at $160 offers twice the bandwidth using Netgears RangeMax technology. What should be included: The wireless broadband router and a network cable to connect to your home internet cable or DSL modem. User manuals and quick start guides to help install and set up the router for the wireless network. Additional costs: In order for ones computer or laptop to communicate to the newly set up wireless network, network adapters such as wireless USB adapters, PCI cards or laptop PC adapters may also be needed. Most newer laptop and notebook computers already have built-in wireless capabilities. Discounts: TIP: Sometimes bundles will be offered at a better price and these often include a wireless router and a USB adapter to be used on a computer. TIP: Many of the networking companies also provide some online or telephone support if there are installation issues, thus saving on any outside professional servicing costs. Shopping for a wireless network: The companies Linksys by Cisco, D-Link, Netgear and Belkin are major manufacturers of wireless routers and adapters. Store retailers such as OfficeMax, Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot all sell wireless networking equipment. Online retailers such as Amazon.com, Newegg.com and CompUSA also sell wireless computer components. TIP: All of the various networking companies also offer their products for sale on their websites. However, the prices there are often not as discounted as what one would find either in a store or from online retailers. d). Almost as important as properly sizing hvac equipment, is the estimation of annual heating and cooling costs. Most prospective hvac system buyers dont really care what size of a unit they need, they only care about costs, both initial and annual operating costs. To remain competitive, todays hvac contractor must be able to present a credible analysis showing the probable operating cost of a proposed system. A quick, ballpark estimate of operating costs can now be obtained for standard air conditioners and heat pumps listed in the directory published by the American Refrigeration Institute (ARI). In an attempt to compare all models on an equal basis, the ARI directory shows an average national operating cost for each unit listed. As expected, units with low estimated cooling costs also have high SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios) values. And heat pumps with low heating costs have high HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factors) values .Using the guidelines given above, an have a contractor should be able to find a number of operating cost programs that can greatly aid equipment sales. The biggest difference a contractor can look forward to is the situation where a customer is facing the decision to repair an old, inefficient unit or buy a new, high efficiency model. . Task-05 Mobile Technology For the place where no electrical power and fixed telephone line: Here you will learn about mobile technologies, mobile phones, wireless communication introduction, overview to gsm, gprs, sms and mms reviews. A cellular or mobile phone is a long range portable electronic device for communication over long distance. Current Mobile Phones can support many latest services such as SMS, GPRS, MMS, email, packet switching, WAP, Bluetooth and many more. Most of the mobile phones connect to the cellular networks and which are further connected with the PSTN (Public switching telephone network). Besides mobile communications, there is a wide range of mobile products available such mobile scanners, mobile printers and mobile labelers. Mobile Network Technology Mobile phones and their network vary very significantly from provider to provider and country to country. However the basic communication method of all of them is through the electromagnetic microwaves with a cell base station. The cellular companies have large antennas, which are usually mounted over towers, buildings and poles. The cell phones have low-power transceivers that transmit voice and data to the nearest sites usually within the 5 to 8 miles (8 to 13 kilometers away). When a mobile device or phone is turned on, it registers with the mobile telephone exchange or switch. It is a unique identifier and is alerted by the mobile switch when there is an incoming phone call. The handset listens for the strong signals from the nearest base stations. When a user moves, the mobile device handoff to various nearest sites during phone calls or while waiting between calls it reselect the nearest cell phone sites. Cell sites have relatively less power radio transmitters. They broadcast their presence and relay communications between the mobile handsets and the switch. On the other hand, the switch connects the call to the same or another mobile network or subscriber. The dialogue between the mobile phone handset and the cell phone site is a stream of the digital data, which includes the digitized audio. This technology depends on the same system as of mobile phone operator. Some mobile phone technologies have adopted the AMPS for the analog communication and D-AMPS, CDMA2000, EVDO, GSM, UMTS, and GPRS for the digital communication. Each mobile phone network has a unique radio . Task-06 In Task-01 I will try to describe the star topology, advantage and disadvantage of star topology, advantage and disadvantage of medium and why I should like star topology. Star networks are one of the most common computer network topologies. In its simplest form, a star network consists of one central switch, hub or computer, which acts as a conduit to transmit messages.[1] Thus, the hub and leaf nodes, and the transmission lines between them, form a graph with the topology of a star. If the central node is passive, the originating node must be able to tolerate the reception of an echo of its own transmission, delayed by the two-way transmission time (i.e. to and from the central node) plus any delay generated in the central node. An active star network has an active central node that usually has the means to prevent echo-related problems. The star topology reduces the chance of network failure by connecting all of the systems to a central node. When applied to a bus-based network, this central hub rebroadcasts all transmissions received from any peripheral node to all peripheral nodes on the network, sometimes including the originating node. All peripheral nodes may thus communicate with all others by transmitting to, and receiving from, the central node only. The failure of a transmission line linking any peripheral node to the central node will result in the isolation of that peripheral node from all others, but the rest of the systems will be unaffected. Advantages Better performance: star topology prevents the passing of data packets through an excessive number of nodes. At most, 3 devices and 2 links are involved in any communication between any two devices. Although this topology places a huge overhead on the central hub, with adequate capacity, the hub can handle very high utilization by one device without affecting others. Isolation of devices: Each device is inherently isolated by the link that connects it to the hub. This makes the isolation of individual devices straightforward and amounts to disconnecting each device from the others. This isolation also prevents any non-centralized failure from affecting the network. Benefits from centralization: As the central hub is the bottleneck, increasing its capacity, or connecting additional devices to it, increases the size of the network very easily. Centralization also allows the inspection of traffic through the network. This facilitates analysis of the traffic and detection of suspicious behavior. Simplicity: This topology is easy to understand, establish, and navigate. Its simplicity obviates the need for complex routing or message passing protocols. Also, as noted earlier, the isolation and centralization it allows simplify fault detection, as each link or device can be probed individually. Easy to install and wire. Easy to detect faults and to remove parts. No disruptions to the network when connecting or removing devices. Disadvantages High dependence of the system on the functioning of the central hub Failure of the central hub renders the network inoperable The performance and scalability of the network depends on the capabilities of the hub Network size is limited by the number of connections that can be made to the hub Other nodes may see a performance drop if traffic to another node occupies a significant portion of the central nodes processing capability or throughput. Wiring up of the system can be very complex and expensive. In Task-02 I will try to describe the service for the new system and also Internet connection speed and the requirements of ISP. An Internet service provider (ISP), also sometimes referred to as an Internet access provider (IAP), is a company that offers its customers access to the Internet.[1] The ISP connects to its customers using a data transmission technology appropriate for delivering Internet Protocol packets or frames, such as dial-up, DSL, cable modem, wireless or dedicated high-speed interconnects. ISPs may provide Internet e-mail accounts to users which allow them to communicate with one another by sending and receiving electronic messages through their ISPs servers. ISPs may provide services such as remotely storing data files on behalf of their customers, as well as other services unique to each particular ISP. End-user-to-ISP connection ISPs employ a range of technologies to enable consumers to connect to their network. For users and small businesses, the most popular options include dial-up, DSL (typically Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, ADSL), broadband wireless, cable modem, fiber to the premises (FTTH), and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) (typically basic rate interface). For customers with more demanding requirements, such as medium-to-large businesses, or other ISPs, DSL (often SHDSL or ADSL), Ethernet, Metro Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Frame Relay, ISDN (BRI or PRI), ATM, satellite Internet access and synchronous optical networking (SONET) are more likely to be used. In Task-03 I will try to describe how each method works legal requirements of my country to operating the new system, cost estimate for operating and install the system, Limitation of the method and how voice communication established. Operating systems Quick links Operating System ABCs Operating System types Operating System overviews Troubleshooting

The Characteristics of Florentine Painting as Reflected in the Work of

The Characteristics of Florentine Painting as Reflected in the Work of Masaccio The Italian Renaissance was one of the most productive periods in the history of art, with large numbers of outstanding masters to be found in many centres and in all the major fields painting, sculpture, and architecture. In Florence, in the first half of the fifteenth century, there were great innovators in all these fields, whose work marked a beginning of a new era in the history of art. These innovators included Masaccio in painting, It was Masaccio (1401-28) who, in his brief and amazing career, was the real successor of Giotto and revolutionized Florentine painting. He too gave his figures a grave and noble dignity. His frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence did much to determine the course of painting from that time on. There are eight main classical characteristics of Florentine art, which are displayed by both Masaccio and other artists are clearly displayed in a variety of paintings of which I shall go into more detail of three of them, although I will briefly refer to the other eight for a wider knowledge and understanding of the revelation of the Florentine work from the fifteen century. There is a greater anatomical study to produce a higher standard of naturalism of figures this is displayed my Masaccio in the baptism of Christ. Light is exploited to give a sense of volumes to the figures; this is depicted in the Masaccio’s Peter hea...

Digital Home Convergence Essay -- Technology Technological Essays

Digital Home Convergence Overview As technology and entertainment converge inside the home, major players in various industries are taking different strategies in planning for the future. The concept of the â€Å"digital home† will likely take one of two forms: a closed wired entertainment network (PVRs, OnDemand) or an open wireless data network (web, email, VOIP, IPTV). The closed model is already being offered in many homes across the country, but as technology advances, the open model will become the standard. It is important to understand how both technology and entertainment are companies are strategizing to control the â€Å"digital home†. Based on research in this report, it appears that four things are likely to occur. First, convergence of technology will create the need for standards in the digital home network. Much in the way it took some time before the Wintel model became standard, we will have to wait and see which model takes hold in home entertainment. Once a model is chosen as standard, there will be an explosion of products and services catering to that model in the market. Second, increasing competition will lead to alliances between companies in different industries. PC technology companies that have no presence in home entertainment might look to deal their way into the â€Å"digital home†. For example, Microsoft is currently striking deals with several major phone companies to provide the platform for IPTV. Many people also suspect that Apple might acquire TiVo in order to gain a presence in TV and create a service platform for video-on-demand. Third, the successful companies in the battle for t he digital home will be the ones who earn customer loyalty. Consumers are reluctant to change their behaviors, especially ones like TV watching that are so entrenched. Companies need to deliver products and services reliably in order to facilitate a consumer shift to the â€Å"digital home†. Finally, major content providers will hold up the process until they see digital distribution as a way to increase their long-term profits. Home video divisions of entertainment companies are extremely profitable. They do not want to jeopardize this profitability just to be at the front of the technology curve. The infrastructure behind the â€Å"digital home† will have to be in place before the major studios choose to participate. Hardware - PCs Companies in the ... ...cess is due to a combination of factors, including â€Å"pricing, infrastructure, demographics, geography, deregulation, and clear user benefits.† Conclusion In conclusion, we expect to observe significant convergence of technology and entertainment, which will either be in the form of a closed wired entertainment network (PVRs, OnDemand) or an open wireless data network (web, email, VOIP, IPTV). We predict that the open model will become a standard in the future. In support of our thesis, we would like to recapitulate four major trends that will likely happen in the near-term future. 1. A standard(s) will be created in the digital home network. Once a model is chosen as a standard, we can expect to see a proliferation of products and services that are compatible with that standard. 2. Increasing competition will lead to increased synergies and alliances amongst hardware, software and distribution companies. 3. The companies successful in the digital home entertainment space will be the ones who earn customer loyalty. 4. Major content providers (e.g. movie studios) will hold up the process until they see digital distribution as a way to increase their long-term profits.