United States Dollar and Arbitrage Opportunity

5 Questions 2. What is the difference between the retail or client market and the wholesale or interbank market for foreign exchange? 3. Who are the market participants in the foreign exchange market? 5. What is meant by a currency trading at a discount or at a premium in the forward market? 6. Why does most interbank currency trading worldwide involve the U. S. dollar? 7. Banks find it necessary to accommodate their clients’ needs to buy or sell FX forward, in many instances for hedging purposes.How can the bank eliminate the currency exposure it has created for itself by accommodating a client’s forward transaction? 8. A CD/$ bank trader is currently quoting a small figure bid-ask of 35-40, when the rest of the market is trading at CD1. 3436-CD1. 3441. What is implied about the trader’s beliefs by his prices? 9. What is triangular arbitrage? What is a condition that will give rise to a triangular arbitrage opportunity? Problems 1. Using the American term quote s from Exhibit 5. , calculate a cross-rate matrix for the euro, Swiss franc, Japanese yen, and the British pound so that the resulting triangular matrix is similar to the portion above the diagonal in Exhibit 5. 6. 4. Restate the following one-, three-, and six-month outright forward European term bid-ask quotes in forward points. Spot1. 3431-1. 3436 One-Month1. 3432-1. 3442 Three-Month1. 3448-1. 3463 Six-Month1. 3488-1. 3508 8. A bank is quoting the following exchange rates against the dollar for the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar: SFr/$ = 1. 5960-70 A$/$ = 1. 7225-35An Australian firm asks the bank for an A$/SFr quote. What cross-rate would the bank quote? 9. Given the following information, what are the NZD/SGD currency against currency bid-ask quotations? American TermsEuropean Terms Bank QuotationsBidAskBidAsk New Zealand dollar . 7265 . 72721. 37511. 3765 Singapore dollar . 6135 . 61401. 62871. 6300 10. Doug Bernard specializes in cross-rate arbitrage. He notices the fo llowing quotes: Swiss franc/dollar = SFr1. 5971? $ Australian dollar/U. S. dollar = A$1. 8215/$ Australian dollar/Swiss franc = A$1. 1440/SFrIgnoring transaction costs, does Doug Bernard have an arbitrage opportunity based on these quotes? If there is an arbitrage opportunity, what steps would he take to make an arbitrage profit, and how would he profit if he has $1,000,000 available for this purpose. 11. Assume you are a trader with Deutsche Bank. From the quote screen on your computer terminal, you notice that Dresdner Bank is quoting â‚ ¬0. 7627/$1. 00 and Credit Suisse is offering SF1. 1806/$1. 00. You learn that UBS is making a direct market between the Swiss franc and the euro, with a current â‚ ¬/SF quote of . 6395.Show how you can make a triangular arbitrage profit by trading at these prices. (Ignore bid-ask spreads for this problem. ) Assume you have $5,000,000 with which to conduct the arbitrage. What happens if you initially sell dollars for Swiss francs? What â‚ ¬/SF price will eliminate triangular arbitrage? Operations Management Assignment 1 Due Date:1 April 2013 Q1. David Upton is president of Upton Manufacturing, a producer of Go-Kart tires. Upton makes 1000 tires per day with the following resources: Labor: 400 hours per day @ 12. 5 per hour Raw material: 20000 pounds per day @ $1 per poundEnergy: $5000 per day Capital cost: $10000 per day (a) What is the labor productivity per labor-hour for these tires at Upton Manufacturing? (b) What is the multifactor productivity for these tires at Upton Manufacturing? (c) What is the multifactor productivity if Upton can reduce the energy bill by $1000 per day without cutting production or changing any other inputs? Q2. The monthly sales for Telco Batteries, Inc. were as follows: Month Sales Jan 20 Feb 21 Mar 15 Apr 14 May 13 June 16 July 17 Aug 18 Sep 20 Oct 20 Nov 21 Dec 23 Forecast January Sales using each of the following: ) A 3 – month moving average b) A 6 – month weighted a verage using 0. 1, 0. 1, 0. 1, 0. 2, 0. 2 and 0. 3 with the heaviest weights applied to the most recent months. c) Exponential smoothing using an ? = 0. 3 and a September forecast of 18 d) A trend projection With the data given, which method would allow you to forecast next March sales? Q3. Income at the law firm Smith and Wesson for he period February to July was as follows: Month Feb Mar Apr May June July Income 70. 0 68. 5 64. 8 71. 7 71. 3 72. 8 (a) Use trend-adjusted exponential smoothing to forecast the law firm’s Aug income.Assume that the initial forecast for February is $65000, and the initial trend adjustment is 0. The smoothing constant selected are ? =0. 1, and ? = 0. 2. (b) Resolve the problem with ? =0. 1, and ? = 0. 8. (c) Compute the MAD and MAPE. Which forecasting, part (a) and part (b) performs better? Why? Q4. Attendance at Los Angeles’s newest Disneylike attraction, Vacation World, has been as follows: Quarter/year 2007 2008 2009 Winter 73 65 89 Spr ing 104 82 146 Summer 168 124 205 Fall 74 52 98 Compute seasonal indices using all of the data. United States Dollar and Arbitrage Opportunity 5 Questions 2. What is the difference between the retail or client market and the wholesale or interbank market for foreign exchange? 3. Who are the market participants in the foreign exchange market? 5. What is meant by a currency trading at a discount or at a premium in the forward market? 6. Why does most interbank currency trading worldwide involve the U. S. dollar? 7. Banks find it necessary to accommodate their clients’ needs to buy or sell FX forward, in many instances for hedging purposes.How can the bank eliminate the currency exposure it has created for itself by accommodating a client’s forward transaction? 8. A CD/$ bank trader is currently quoting a small figure bid-ask of 35-40, when the rest of the market is trading at CD1. 3436-CD1. 3441. What is implied about the trader’s beliefs by his prices? 9. What is triangular arbitrage? What is a condition that will give rise to a triangular arbitrage opportunity? Problems 1. Using the American term quote s from Exhibit 5. , calculate a cross-rate matrix for the euro, Swiss franc, Japanese yen, and the British pound so that the resulting triangular matrix is similar to the portion above the diagonal in Exhibit 5. 6. 4. Restate the following one-, three-, and six-month outright forward European term bid-ask quotes in forward points. Spot1. 3431-1. 3436 One-Month1. 3432-1. 3442 Three-Month1. 3448-1. 3463 Six-Month1. 3488-1. 3508 8. A bank is quoting the following exchange rates against the dollar for the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar: SFr/$ = 1. 5960-70 A$/$ = 1. 7225-35An Australian firm asks the bank for an A$/SFr quote. What cross-rate would the bank quote? 9. Given the following information, what are the NZD/SGD currency against currency bid-ask quotations? American TermsEuropean Terms Bank QuotationsBidAskBidAsk New Zealand dollar . 7265 . 72721. 37511. 3765 Singapore dollar . 6135 . 61401. 62871. 6300 10. Doug Bernard specializes in cross-rate arbitrage. He notices the fo llowing quotes: Swiss franc/dollar = SFr1. 5971? $ Australian dollar/U. S. dollar = A$1. 8215/$ Australian dollar/Swiss franc = A$1. 1440/SFrIgnoring transaction costs, does Doug Bernard have an arbitrage opportunity based on these quotes? If there is an arbitrage opportunity, what steps would he take to make an arbitrage profit, and how would he profit if he has $1,000,000 available for this purpose. 11. Assume you are a trader with Deutsche Bank. From the quote screen on your computer terminal, you notice that Dresdner Bank is quoting â‚ ¬0. 7627/$1. 00 and Credit Suisse is offering SF1. 1806/$1. 00. You learn that UBS is making a direct market between the Swiss franc and the euro, with a current â‚ ¬/SF quote of . 6395.Show how you can make a triangular arbitrage profit by trading at these prices. (Ignore bid-ask spreads for this problem. ) Assume you have $5,000,000 with which to conduct the arbitrage. What happens if you initially sell dollars for Swiss francs? What â‚ ¬/SF price will eliminate triangular arbitrage? Operations Management Assignment 1 Due Date:1 April 2013 Q1. David Upton is president of Upton Manufacturing, a producer of Go-Kart tires. Upton makes 1000 tires per day with the following resources: Labor: 400 hours per day @ 12. 5 per hour Raw material: 20000 pounds per day @ $1 per poundEnergy: $5000 per day Capital cost: $10000 per day (a) What is the labor productivity per labor-hour for these tires at Upton Manufacturing? (b) What is the multifactor productivity for these tires at Upton Manufacturing? (c) What is the multifactor productivity if Upton can reduce the energy bill by $1000 per day without cutting production or changing any other inputs? Q2. The monthly sales for Telco Batteries, Inc. were as follows: Month Sales Jan 20 Feb 21 Mar 15 Apr 14 May 13 June 16 July 17 Aug 18 Sep 20 Oct 20 Nov 21 Dec 23 Forecast January Sales using each of the following: ) A 3 – month moving average b) A 6 – month weighted a verage using 0. 1, 0. 1, 0. 1, 0. 2, 0. 2 and 0. 3 with the heaviest weights applied to the most recent months. c) Exponential smoothing using an ? = 0. 3 and a September forecast of 18 d) A trend projection With the data given, which method would allow you to forecast next March sales? Q3. Income at the law firm Smith and Wesson for he period February to July was as follows: Month Feb Mar Apr May June July Income 70. 0 68. 5 64. 8 71. 7 71. 3 72. 8 (a) Use trend-adjusted exponential smoothing to forecast the law firm’s Aug income.Assume that the initial forecast for February is $65000, and the initial trend adjustment is 0. The smoothing constant selected are ? =0. 1, and ? = 0. 2. (b) Resolve the problem with ? =0. 1, and ? = 0. 8. (c) Compute the MAD and MAPE. Which forecasting, part (a) and part (b) performs better? Why? Q4. Attendance at Los Angeles’s newest Disneylike attraction, Vacation World, has been as follows: Quarter/year 2007 2008 2009 Winter 73 65 89 Spr ing 104 82 146 Summer 168 124 205 Fall 74 52 98 Compute seasonal indices using all of the data.

Being A Student Essay

Being a student is a full time job. Students work five days a week, seven hours a day. There is a constant load of work that is given to us, and there is a strict set of rules. Being a student is similar to working at a full time job in many ways. Like working adults, students follow a grueling daily routine, which includes waking up early in the morning, focusing for long hours at a time, having to complete a strenuous work load, dealing with unfair teachers or bosses, an extremely high level of stress, a lot of procrastination, and loss of sleep, among others. These are all problems that students and working adults must deal with on a daily basis, but not all similarities between the day of a student and the day of a working adult are negative. Both students and most working adults go through similar ups and downs throughout a typical day, but there is one profession in particular that is so similar to the job of a student that both students and this specific type of working adult are doing their jobs in the same buildings every day. Students and teachers are alike in so many different ways. If one were to observe the similarities in the days of students and teachers, the observations would include both arriving at a school some time between seven o’clock and eight o’clock in the morning, both going to class throughout the day, both having lunch breaks in cafeterias, both being involved in athletics after school, both having the weekends off, as well as spring break, winter break, summer break, and most holidays, both facing daily academic challenges, and both going home at night to do work in order to prepare for the next day. Students and teachers work together in harmony on a daily basis, learning from each other and becoming better people. Neither could prosper in a school environment without the other. Without teachers, students would not be able to learn, and they would have no one to keep them in line when necessary. Without students, teachers would not have a purpose for working in their profession because they would not have anyone to teach. They depend on each other, and, while learning is a full time job for students, and teaching is a full time job for teachers, both bond over their time spent working and learning together at school every day.

BASF

BASF has managed to focus its efforts on non-cyclical products to broaden its market base and increase the company’s growth potential globally.   The diversification and innovative technologies used by BASF has enabled it to sustain a large market presence, particularly in the non-cyclical product areas such as vitamins, crop protection, petrochemicals and plastics and fibers. In the past, vitamin companies were involved in a scandal with price fixing.   The scandal resulted in a loss in the market for all natural vitamins and many pharmaceutical products.   When BASF took over American Cyanamid the companies were able to produce herbicides that were competitive in price and betterment of crops.   Using this new process enabled BASF to get a jump on the vitamin competitors because the company was offering modified crops that were resilient against plant diseases, mildew and other harmful environmental factors. With the higher yielding plants, BASF is able to derive natural and quality ingredients needed to produce the vitamins and other pharmaceutical products.   Global competitors such as Roche have been challenged and no longer can claim the majority of the market with BASF’s innovative technologies as the new competition. In addition to the takeover of Cyanamid, BASF also took over the vitamin business from Takeda.   With the takeover, BASF has managed to capture the markets in Europe, North American and Asia.   Plans are being integrated for BASF to eventually takeover the pharmaceutical division of Takeda.   With the proposed changes, BASF could potentially corner the market on pharmacy drugs to compliment its already strong market presence for the vitamin industry. With growth and innovative technologies, BASF has been able to increase its market value for the vitamins and pharmaceuticals while decreasing the operating costs for the products.   This change in growth instills an even stronger presence in the market place for BASF.   Many of the primary ingredients that go into vitamins and nutritional supplements are produced by BASF thus reducing cost and making the company yield higher volumes of the products. In addition to crop protection, pharmaceutical plans and vitamin mergers, BASF has also focused its attention on the sale of petrochemicals.   BASF merged as a very strong market force for its colorants and finished products used in the automotive industry.   In this division of BASF record sells were achieved and anticipated to only increase in the following months and years.  Ã‚  Ã‚   BASF colors are of lasting quality and used as the primary protective coating for car dealers.   In addition, petrochemicals created by BASF have been used as safe and environmental friendly cleaning agents. Complimenting the development of environmentally friendly and easily disposable petrochemicals, BASF has used its innovative technologies to capture a wide range of the plastics and fibers market.   Many of BASF plastic and fibers are used as household products as well as in major companies.   Many of the plastic and fiber products manufactured by BASF are used for safe and quality packaging materials.   BASF focuses its efforts on producing plastics and fibers that are cost efficient to use for packaging materials as well as biodegradable has given BASF a jump on the market competitors for this part of the global market. As BASF continues to expand its resources into producing innovative and environmental friendly products, BASF is sure to do nothing but grow as a company.   Instead of focusing its investments and technologies strictly in one area, the company’s diversity enables BASF to obtain a substantial amount of profits in its non-cyclical parts of its operations. The company’s growth has been boosted tremendously.   The protection of crops, vitamin and pharmacy mergers, marketing of petrochemicals and increased environmentally friendly plastics and fibers has enabled BASF to not only be a diversified but also a competitive global company within the market place.

Workers and capitalists in Argentina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Workers and capitalists in Argentina - Essay Example The slogan "Occupy, Resist, and Produce" is aimed to attract government attention to their problems and 'force' legislative bodies to incorporate laws for newly developed recuperated enterprises. Also, under this slogan workers fight for government subsidies and financial support which are essential for technological development and innovations. Only in this case, factories will remain competitive on the market. The slogan vividly portrays the the established political-economic order where citizens 'occupy' factories, 'resist' government tension, and only then 'produce'. At each level the focus is confined: at the first, to relations of production (more specifically, ownership of the means of production); at the second, to the worlds of work and politics; and at the third, to industrial and political action. The workers employ "self-management" system of control and supervision based on traditional management.

Ergonomic Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ergonomic Problems - Essay Example These are all influenced by the psychological/physiological and psychosocial capabilities, limitations, and dimensions of the person; layout, design, position, control, and distance of machine; temperature, lighting, humidity, noise, and vibration of the environment. Explain the role of anthropometrics when solving ergonomic problems Anthropometrics enables the customization of machine controls, position, and design to adapt to the worker’s physical built, equivalent capability, and movements. Explain the role of biomechanics when solving ergonomic problems. Biomechanics help the worker or humans properly adhere to the capabilities of machines through adaptable dynamics modified to the body components. List the categories of workstations Workstation categories vary depending on the industry from engineering, manufacturing, business, robotics, and even homes. There are the computer workstations and music workstations. In the construction industry, these are Architectural Structures, Bricklayer, Building From Blueprints, Carpenter, Cement Mason, Construction Measurement, Drafting (Mechanical), Drywall Installer, Electric Motor Repair, Electrical Wiring / Electrician, Floor Coverings Installer, Glazier / Window Installation & Repair, Hydraulics, Insulation Installer, Landscape Design, Machinist, Painter, Plumber, Pneumatics, Power Mechanics/Small Engine Repair, Residential Plumbing, Residential Wiring, Roofer, Sheet Metal Worker, Telecommunications Technician, Tile Setter, Wall Coverings Installer, Welder, and Woodworker stations.

The marketing strategies of Heinz Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The marketing strategies of Heinz - Assignment Example This report is designed to have an insight about an organization that is about to conduct some market research into consumer buying habits for the products and services that this company has for sale. Moreover, this research will address the obstacles in the way of the operations of Heinz and their competitors in order to clarify the current and future market standing of the company. Henry John Heinz, the founder of this company said that he learned from his parents’ idea of business which was, â€Å"Deal with the seller so justly that he will want to sell to you again.† He believed in fair play in the business and this quality of him had made him a successful businessman. He founded Heinz almost 150 years ago. Heinz was formed in Sharpsburg (a suburb of Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, in 1869 by entrepreneur Henry John Heinz. To this day the company has become a global business dealer in the consumer food industry. Heinz is a $10.7 billion global company. The products of He inz enjoy #1 or #2 market share in more than 50 countries. Every year the company sells 650 million bottles of its iconic Ketchup. Heinz's top 15 power brands are counted as more than two-thirds of its annual sales. There are about 35000 people that are employed by Heinz in almost 50 countries around the globe. Heinz is a liable corporate citizen dedicated to safe practices, environmental stewardship and giving back to the society. The basic task required in this report is to find the appropriate research procedure and outlines its merits and de-merits. Further it is required to analyze the research by proper sampling procedure for accumulating substantial and real results. 4 External or in-house research

Gay, Lesbians, and Mental Illness Research Paper

Gay, Lesbians, and Mental Illness - Research Paper Example This is so because mental health personnel and society at large were given biased information, to begin with. The resultant conclusions were biased too because some time ago, only those gay/lesbians undergoing medical treatment were involved in the studies. But it soon became apparent that homosexuality was not a mental syndrome when researchers studied data of those who were not undergoing therapy. It was not only the mental health professional themselves who were guilty of this belief. Until 1973, even a prestigious organization as the American Psychiatric Association was guilty of this practice for they used to include homosexuality in the official manual that listed mental and emotional disorders. And it took American Psychological Association another two years to pass the resolution supporting the action of the APA. Some people still cling to the idea that mental illness is associated with homosexual orientation. It was the new and better-designed research methods that helped turn the tables in reaching this momentous decision on behalf of the gay/lesbians. Now, all concerned are in agreement that homosexuality is not an illness, mental disorder or an emotional problem. But it was not until more than three decades have passed that the situation was finally remedied. It is gratifying to note that much research has been done on the subject. Tori DeAngelis is a writer who is based in New York. She writes prolifically on homosexuality and related issues. She unearths valuable data on the lesbian/gay and bisexual (LGB) mental health and states that new findings overturn beliefs that were held previously inviolable. She reports on some of the new ‘breakthrough studies’ that offer fresh insights into the mental state of gay/lesbians. According to her, many such studies indicate that compared to heterosexuals, gay/lesbians seem to have higher rates of mental disorders.  Of course, this does not rise to the levels of serious pathology.  Ã‚  

Structural analysing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Structural analysing - Essay Example Today, an SEM has become an indispensible instrument for any R&D or production set up dealing with advanced materials science. In the subsequent sections interaction of electrons with matter, basic principles of electron microscopy, architecture and working of scanning electron microscope, different attachments to an SEM and applications of SEM in materials science will be discussed in brief with special emphasis on specifications of a modern SEM. Interaction of Electrons with Matter Electrons as a probe are extremely versatile as they generate a wide range of signals which can be detected and processed to get useful and meaningful insight about surface topography, microstructure, microchemistry and micro-texture of the material being probed. Different kinds of signal generated as a result of interaction of electron probe are shown in Fig. 1 [1]. Fig. 1: Schematic Drawing Showing Electron – Matter Interaction When thickness of the specimen is less than ~ 100 nm only then the i ncident electron beam is able be pass through it and generate different kind of transmitted signals. However, the transmitted signals are relevant for Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and not for Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM); therefore, we will not discuss about transmitted signals here. Among the reflected signals secondary electrons (SE) and Back Scattered Electrons (BSE) are relevant for SEM for imaging and characteristic X-rays are useful for chemical analysis in SEM. Besides, BSE is also useful in micro-texture analysis using Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) attachment. Therefore, we will limit our focus to these signals only. Secondary Electrons (SE) These are low energy electrons (less than 50 eV) generated after the incident beam hits the substrate. Back Scattered Electrons (BSE) These are high energy electrons (more than 50 eV up to beam energy) generated after the incident beam hits the substrate. Characteristic X-Rays When electron beam strikes the s pecimen, it knocks out the inner shell electrons and the vacancy thus created is immediately filled by an electron from higher shells. This electronic transition leads to generation of X-rays which are characteristics of the element. Thus these X-rays can be used for micro-chemical analysis using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and / or Wavelength Dispersive Spectroscopy (WDS). Basic Architecture of SEM Basic architecture of an SEM is presented in Fig. 2 [2]. It is a column always under vacuum consisting of different subcomponents. It consists of an electron gun or electron source. This can be different types, which will be discussed afterwards. This is followed by condenser lenses to focus the beam. There are apertures in the path to allow only and an aperture to allow only the useful (central) portion of the beam to the subsequent stages. The focused beam is double scanned and made to pass through an aperture to fall onto the specimen. The beam is scanned over the specimen in a raster and the generated signals – secondary or back scattered electrons are collected, amplified and again scanned in a raster onto a CRT screen in synchronized manner. Thus image is formed pixel by pixel. The magnification is ratio of

Accountability of Public Finances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accountability of Public Finances - Essay Example 2006). In case of financial statement, fraud or any the crime involving financial statements in the government organizations then the PAC is expected to carry out an investigation and table its report to the Parliament on debate and provide recommendations for the government (Kang et al. 2008). Members of the committee are expected to obtain information or evidence from public officers and even managers of the public organizations. They are expected to examine the Director of Audits report concerning any organization. The president, however, is not a member of the committee, and the committee is independent of any control by the executive. In China the process of reporting involves preparation of the audit report, then preparation of the tax reconciliation report and finally preparation of foreign exchange reconciliation for foreign companies operating in China. There is also profit Repatriation of the financial statements depending on tax clearance completion. The financial reporting process in China is coded as it was borrowed heavily from Germany. Previously, most of the companies were owned by the government, but after the 80’s they reduced though the government still has some control over their reporting. The source of capital is debt thus the reporting is inclined towards the requirements of their equity providers that is the government and banks. The management is responsible for the financial statements of an entity in China be it government’ public or private organization. Accountability of the financial statements is at the hands of the Chief Financial Officers and the top management who acts a s the agents of the owners. It is expected that all financial reports must be audited before getting published so as to show a true and fair view of the financial position of the firm. The must comply with the reporting standards issued by Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Shah

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics - Essay Example Taking into this account, how might my personal behavior patterns show a different type of decision process? I was at a fast food place once grabbing a burger to eat. Inevitably, â€Å"upselling† at the end of the transaction occurs where they offer fries and a drink. I almost instinctivey said â€Å"Yes†, then began to do marginal analysis. I would save money, but how much? Looking at the menu, I found that the a la carte cost would be thirty cents more. I didn't really want fries and a drink, I would only have purchased it out of an irrational desire not to miss a deal even when the deal is not necessary. I ended up changing my mind and saying no and was very glad to have saved the two dollars. The marginal benefit of the additional food and the beverage did not eclipse the marginal cost, even though I had lost an opportunity and therefore incurred opportunity cost by not pairing the meal. Normally, I would have chosen such a meal: I just happened to be thinking about it. I might even have ingested the calories happily, not realizing I actually hadn't been that hungry, causing me to eat more than my plan for the day. The fast food place thus already has a powerful incentive: The desire for people to avoid a missed opportunity combined with a nominal discount on associated items.

The American Revolution Essay Example for Free

The American Revolution Essay The American Revolution was a momentous event that changed the face of the whole world. Though the Revolutionary War lasted only a few short years, the American Revolution was a process that started long before the first shots of war were fired. The rebellion was permeated with the legacy of colonial political ideals, aggravated by parliamentary taxation, escalated by the restriction of American civil liberties and ignited by British military measures. England had a hard time controlling its American colonies from the very beginning, leaving them to develop relatively on their own for several generations. The North American continent is close to 3,000 miles away from England and the trip from England to American by boat in the 1600s took six to eight weeks if not longer. The trip was not easy and many died along the way, but when immigrants did reach the New World they arrived a bit changed by their harrowing journey. These new immigrants were met with a clean, new, virgin land, virtually unchanged for thousands of years. It was as if they had landed on a whole separate planet. These immigrants, then, established new societies based on whatever personal religious or political values they had, far from the shadow of England. Over 150 years later these values still lived strongly in the descendants of these original settlers. The rights of the individual were dominant in every aspect of American life in 1763. From the relative religious freedom, to the independence of the press, to the coveted public town meeting, Americans, unlike many Europeans at the time, enjoyed the right to choose how they lived their lives. Theoretically, under the concept of mercantilism, which affirmed that the sole purpose of a colony was to provide for its mother country, Americans were restricted economically. But, until 1763, with Englands practice of salutary neglect, Americans enjoyed economic freedom and were able to trade covertly with whomever they wished. In 1763, England won the French/Indian War at a heavy financial. The high cost of the war forced England to take a firmer hold on its North American colonies. Since the French/Indian war was fought on American soil for the protection of the American people, the English government thought it elementary that the colonists should help pay off some of the debt incurred by the war. But the Americans were outraged.  When the Stamp Act of 1765 was passed colonists reacted with widespread anger and violence. Mobs attacked the homes of government officials, looting their property and giving the poor stamp collectors a good coat of tar and feathers. With the Townshend Acts of 1767, the colonists unified and began widespread boycotts of British goods, rallying around the motto No taxation without representation. For the English the final straw came in 1773 when a group of young colonists, dressed as Indians, boarded three vessels docked in Boston Harbor and dumped hundreds of cases of British East India Company tea into the ocean. England could not ignore such a blatant slap in the face, and in 1774 passed the Coercive Acts, closing off Boston Harbor and holding the colonists responsible for the cost of the tea. Many Americans saw these acts as direct infringements on their civil liberties and the conflict escalated to new heights. When England tried to dissolve several state legislatures, colonial leaders assembled in secret, organizing such military groups as the Sons and Daughters of Liberty and the Minutemen. As tempers ran high, the British started to tighten their military control over the major cities of America. In April 1775, a regiment of British redcoats on their way to seize rebel gunpowder clashed with a group of colonial minutemen at Concord, Massachusetts. This encounter was the beginning of the Revolutionary War and appropriately called by contemporaries the shot heard round the world. The Revolutionary War, then, was a conflict that had roots deeply intertwined in a generations old colonial sense of autonomy and personal liberty. This well developed sense of individual freedom, combined with the English policy of taxation without representation, the eventual restriction of colonial civil liberties, and British military actions, led to what is now known as the American Revolution.

Descriptive Beach Essay Example for Free

Descriptive Beach Essay The smell of the salt when deprived of water, a sponge becomes hard and brittle. It can shrivel up like wilted flowers, lifeless. Water relaxes sponges as they fill up and make them soft and supple. But at times, it’s hard for me to be in need of something to fill me up and restore my deadened senses, too, if you will, water me. The ocean satiates my senses and rejuvenates my spirit within me. I’m awakening from my trance and imposed upon the insensibility of the world. For me, the ocean has always been my escape with new beginnings and a brand new adventure. The vast ocean is filled with tides that come and go and waves that break in different parts of the ocean. It was like the water was dancing or showing a fit of anger daring a person to look on. The ripples of the bubbles remind me of a bubble bath. Even the warmth of the sun gives off the mood of summer festivities after a long and frigid winter. It’s a calming getaway from the stress and pressure of everyday life. The sounds of the waves coming from the massive deep blue sea washes up on the shores or crashing up against the sharp jagged rocks of the coast line are soothing. Something about the rhythmic timing of each wave is a relaxing sensation that can almost put you into a deep sleep. Although it may sound extremely annoying to some individuals, I completely enjoy the sound. And the sound of the slight breeze rustling through the palm trees is calming to the ears. Though there are many tastes and smells present at the beach. There is something about the smell of the salty sea that makes you wish that summer was endless. You can almost taste the scent of the flowers as the sent blows towards you with the wind. Or the sensation of lying on the hot but soft sand that melts away any stress. The bright sun’s warm ray instantly puts you in a gratifying mood. And as a bonus it is an opportunity to get a nice dark tan. Also the slight crisp breeze that comes off the ocean keeps your body at the most perfect temperature. But if the sun provides a bit too much heat for you and the wind just doesn’t cut it, you can always cool down with a dip in the fresh cool waters of the ocean. Many of the mesmerizing sights are quite peaceful and just by lying down and looking at the bright blue sky seeing a wide variety of clouds is enjoyable. Watching the clouds move across the immense sky as it changes size and shape. Wave after wave systematically reaching the shore and dissipate never gets old. And watching the waves come to sandy shore and wipe away the foot prints just like the thoughts in your mind. The warm air and the never ending cool waters of the ocean all of which are peaceful. Walking down the beach on soft white sand like snow in the winter makes you feel care free. The stress and pressure are taken away by the crisp breeze and the warm sand in-between your toes. That careless feeling makes you want summer to be endless and just enjoyable to your life and memories.

Development Of Ecommerce In China Information Technology Essay

Development Of Ecommerce In China Information Technology Essay E-commerce usually indicates that the traditional sales channel is moved to the Internet by the means of electronic techniques. E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet, especially the World Wide Web. (Coppel, 2000)With the development of e-commerce, the buyers and sellers conduct various business activities on the basis of the application of browser and server. E-commerce is a new type of commercial business model, which can achieve the consumer online shopping, transaction activities, financial activities and activities related to integrated services. However, e-commerce could break the national and regional barriers and make the enterprises realize globalization. E-commerce is a process that optimizes various activities continuously by adopting digital information technology. E-commerce covers a wide range. Generally speaking, e-commerce can be divided into two forms, including Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer. Recently, new models of e-commerce are in a growth stage, including Consumer-to-Consumer, Business-to-Manager, Business-to-Marketing and Manager-to-Consumer. (Kohavi, 2001) With the increase of domestic Internet users, online shopping and bank card payment consumption in Internet are becoming more popular. At the same time, market share is rapidly growing and e-commerce web sites become more and more. The most common security system of e-commerce has two types, including SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and SET (Secure Electronic Transaction). E-commerce is an evolving concept. IBM Corporation, as the pioneer of e-commerce, proposed the concept of Electronic Commerce E-commerce owns three stages in the whole development. The first stage is the electronic mail stage. This stage started from 1970s and the average communications capacity grew at the speed of several times every year. The second stage is the information promulgation stage. Since 1995, the information promulgation system grew rapidly. Web technology is an obvious representation. At present, the information promulgation system becomes the main application technology of the Internet. The third stage is electronic commerce. Electronic commerce just developed in U.S.A. The ultimate objective of Internet is the commercial purpose, which is electronic commerce. (Yannis, 2001) From the three stages of e-commerce, it can be seen that the application of Internet plays a critical role in the development of e-commerce. 2.1.2 Development of E-commerce in China The e-commerce in China began in 1997. If the e-commerce in U.S.A is business push model, e-commerce in China relies more on technology pull push. This is a large difference between Chinese e-commerce and American e-commerce. In the U.S.A, the practice of e-commerce originated from the concept of e-commerce. The business demands of enterprises push the advancement of network and e-commerce technology, finally contributing to the formation of the concept of e-commerce.  When the Internet age comes, the United States has owned a more advanced and developed e-commerce foundation.  In China, the concept of e-commerce emerged earlier than the application and development of e-commerce. Torchbearer of e-commerce is IBM and other IT vendors. (Scott, 2006) The network and e-commerce technology requires continuously to pulling the business demands of enterprises, thereby causing the application and development of Chinese e-commerce.  It is very important to know the difference and this i s a major feature of e-commerce development in China. Meanwhile, knowing the difference between Chinese e-commerce and American e-commerce is also a key to understand the development of Chinese e-commerce. In 1997 and 1998, the main body of Chinese e-commerce is the IT vendors and the media. The IT vendors and media implemented the elementary education concerning e-commerce. As a result, this could inspire and guide peoples understanding, interests and needs towards e-commerce.  After this stage, in 1999 and 2000, the e-commerce service merchants that feature the websites became the first application under the involvement of venture capital. With the deepening application and development of e-commerce, the website e-commerce began to fall into the bottom. At the same time, enterprises, especially large-scale traditional enterprises, started to enter e-commerce field. Since 2001, Chinese e-commerce entered the third stages. Since then, the enterprises e-commerce becomes a new subject in China. In recent years, Chinese e-commerce has the rapid development. In 2007, the total volume of national e-commerce transactions achieved RMB 2.17 trillion yuan, increasing 90% than the past year. The online shipping in China also has a rapid development. By the end of June 2008, online shopping users reached 63.29 million subscribers and increased by 36.4% within six months. Till December 2008, the entire users of e-commerce websites have been covered from 90,000,000 to 98,000,000.  (Gregory, 2008) 2.1.3 Developed Stages of E-commerce in China Generally speaking, e-commerce in China can be divided into six stages. These six stages are starting stage, adjusting stage, resuscitating stage, rapid developing stage, upgrade stage and maturity stage. Starting Stage This stage lasted from 1997 to 1999. The first scale of e-commerce websites were established within these three years in China. At that time, the concept of new Internet encouraged the first scale of business owners. These business owners thought the traditional business would reply on the Internet to communicate. (Angelov, 2001) Therefore, they believed that the e-commerce would have a large potential in the future. From 1997 to 1999, some famous e-commerce websites emerged. Of the current e-commerce websites, 5.2% were established in 1990s. Adjusting Stage The adjusting stage lasted from 2000 to 2002. Under the background of Internet bubble, the development of e-commerce suffered large shock. Under this circumstance, the confidence of business owners experienced serious challenge. Within these three years, few business owners established new e-commerce websites. Resuscitating Stage The resuscitating stage lasted from 2003 to 2005. Since 2003, the e-commerce in China has resuscitated. However, parts of e-commerce websites were more careful to treat the profit model and reduce the operation cost. According to the investigation by B2B researching center, 30.1% of e-commerce websites were built from 2003 to 2005. During this period, the enterprise members who adopt the e-commerce enhanced increasingly. Rapid Developing Stage The rapid developing stage lasted from 2006 to 2007. The improvement of Internet environment and popularization of e-commerce in China brought large opportunities to the e-commerce. In this stage, the members of various e-commerce platforms increased sharply. Most of B2B e-commerce websites realized the profits. The dream of IPO, good competition in the industry and investment emotion stimulates the e-commerce industry in China to enter in rapid development stage. (Kenneth, 2003) Within two years, the numbers of e-commerce websites increased largely. It is investigated that the e-commerce websites built in 2007 exceeded 30.3% of current websites. Upgrade Stage The upgrade stage lasted from 2008 to 2009. Between 2008 and 2009, global financial crisis influenced many industries. Under the guidance of expanding domestic demand and reducing the costs, B2B gained more development. However, C2C field made online users own more choice spaces. It is researched by B2B researching center that the e-commerce websites in this stage took up the 22.3% of current total quantities. Maturity Stage Maturity stage started since 2009. After 2009, e-commerce in China will meet new development. With the economic development and technology development, e-commerce will deeply change the consumer behavior in future. 2.2 Online Shopping 2.2.1 Introduction of Online Shopping Online shopping  is the process that the consumers purchase the products by the Internet without any intermediary. In this situation, the consumers do not go to the shopping centers and spend much time. An online shop, e-shop, e-store, internet shop, web-shop, webstore, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying  products  or  services  at a  bricks-and-mortar  retailer  or in a  shopping mall. (Bigne, 2005) This process is known as Business-to-Consumer (B2C) online shopping. Business-to-Business (B2B) online shopping is formed when a business purchases from another business. Both B2C online shopping and B2B online shopping are the main forms of e-commerce. History In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser. (Jarvenpaa, 2007) In 1991, the commercial use has been created and was applied to the business. With the technological development, more improvement in Internet was adopted in the business. For example, online banking was opened and brought the convenience to the consumers. Pizza Hut opened an online pizza shop. In 1994, Netscape fetched in a secure system to maintain the online shopping, which is called SSL encryption of data transferred online. In 1995, e-Bay emerged in the online shopping. During the same year, Amazon enlarged the online shopping. Recently, Overstock has also become one of the worlds largest and reliable online shopping stores. (Davis, 2001) As a result, online shopping is in a continuous developing process. Web-shop The emergence of web-shop appears with the development of online shopping. The web-shop refers to an online retailer. Web development, hosting and other activities related with web are known as web-shops. (Falk, 2005) The growth of online shopping is mostly because transportation costs went up and telecom costs went down. (Chaudhury, 2001) Therefore, as time goes past, the Internet is a commonplace. Online shopping provides consumers with large ranges of selection and thus consumers could choose the goods and services with an optimal price. However, online shopping has the limitations that consumers can not see the actual goods what they want to buy. Sometimes there are some differences between the pictures shown on the Internet and the goods consumers finally receive. Customers Online shopping is very popular in recent years. Online shopping usually caters to the middle and upper class. (Bucklin, 2002) The premise of online shopping is that one must be access to a computer, a bank account and a debit card. Online shopping can not leave with the advanced technology. According to research which focused on the demographic characteristics of the in-home shopper, in general, the higher the level of education, income, and occupation of the head of the household, the more favorable the perception of non-store shopping. (Moe, 2003) Initially, the main target audience of online shopping was young men with a high level of income and education. In the process of social development, women became more independent in the value. Today, the online shopping was used by both men and women in the middle class. 2.2.2Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Shopping Nowadays as the rapid change of technology, e-commerce has developed fast. Unlike with the bricks and mortar retailing, online shopping has only virtual stores. Due to the development of e-commerce, online shopping has become a new business and gone to maturity. It is necessary for the marketers to know the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping respectively. Advantages No Space and Time Limit Traditional retailing business is based on fixed locations and time. It is few that the stores could do business in the whole 24 hours. However, online shopping business is no time limit, operating 24 hours a day. Its time is decided by the online users who are consumers. Therefore, online shopping business has the advantage of the new space-time, which could be an even greater extent on the wider internet to meet the needs of users and consumers. In addition, online sales can be carried out in the world with the internet, and there are no geographical barriers. In the face of the global market, without having to spend exorbitant costs of international marketing conditions, it may create an international brand, launching the least costs or services to the world. (Andy, 2004) Services of All-round Display of Product For the common daily use product, there are no advantages for e-commerce. But for other durable goods or complex and industrial goods, online shopping will be able to use on-line multi-media performance to display products appearance, performance and quality. Meanwhile, online shopping could determine the function of internal structure in order to help consumers fully understand the goods or services, then buying it. Specific Information and Convenient Comparison Internet provides comprehensive, specific, effective and strong information and reliable low-cost. It is easy to use search technology and fast transmission of the process to make consumers acquire access to information simply. 4) Close Relationship with Consumers and a Better Understanding of Consumers As the Internets interactive communication, there is no outside interference about expressing their feelings. It makes consumers to express more evaluation about product or service. This kind of the evaluation, on the one hand, let on-line retailers can be better understanding of the internal needs of internet consumers; on the other hand, consumers interactive communication with online retailers could promote their close relationship. Cheaper Products As the online shopping retailers are virtual intermediary agencies, they do not need stores, decorating, and the display of goods on the shelves, attendants and so on. It leads the costs of their products to be cheaper. Therefore, their price is lower that the products price in the traditional stores. It is also an advantage that can attract more consumers. Disadvantages 1) A Lack of Feeling and Human Communication In traditional shopping, consumers judge and choose products through looking, hearing, smelling, touching and other sensor. But in the process of online shopping, it only offers two waysto look or hear. For a number of people, the feeling of shopping is a social practice and a kind of social contact with the opportunity to enjoy a kind (Christopher, 2005). Online shopping has lost the fun of wandering the streets, meanwhile, the fun of shopping process will greatly discounted. 2 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Lack of Psychological Satisfaction In traditional shopping, as the relationship between population, people like to display their personality and life situation in costume and make-up to enjoy and appreciate other peoples envy. In the way of online shopping, no one know the consumers appearance, dress, wealth, so that shoppings psychological satisfaction can not be attained. 3) The Limited Scope of Application Although in theory, any product can be on-line transactions, in actual operation, there is still not suitable for many products sales. This involves products attributes and characteristics. Some products are easy to be damaged in the process of transportation. For these products, consumers would not purchase online. 2.2.3 Online Shopping Development in China With the application of Internet, online shopping gradually becomes one of online activities for Chinese. The online shopping development in China can be divided into four stages, including flush stage, growth stage, rapid developing stage and maturity stage. Flush Stage Before 1999, the prophets of Chinese Internet began to establish the B2C websites, which contributed to promote the online shopping. However, this action was questioned by the economic field at that time. The questions were sourced from three aspects. Firstly, economic filed thought there were no enough consumers to select the online shopping. It was investigated that the Internet users only reached 8.9 million till 2000 in China and most of people have not formed the habit of online shopping. Therefore, many economists thought the online shopping would not have large market in China. Secondly, they believed that online shopping could not solve the logistics problem at that time. The online shopping requires national logistics distribution system. But the express industry in China before 1999 was just in a starting stage. Thirdly, online shopping could not solve the Internet payment problems. Before 1999, Chinese were used to cash transactions and did not form the habit of bank card. As a result, online shopping was really difficult to develop in China before 1999. Growth Stage The growth stage lasted from 2003 to 2005. In 2003, SARS shocked China seriously. However, SARS explored a new era of online shopping in China. Attacked by SARS, most people trapped in the house. If they wanted to go out to buy things, they needed to rely on the network. Even people with a strong sense against online shopping began to try.  Then more and more people realized the convenience of online ordering, home delivery. (Frieden, 2006) At the same time, more and more people would like to accept online shopping.  After SARS in 2003, consumers in China increasingly participated in online shopping.  Online shopping business has gradually established the market in China and entered into the growth phase. Rapid Developing Stage This stage lasted from 2006 to 2007. Going through the growth stage, online shopping in China entered into the rapid developing phase. Many people experienced the online shopping and the entire e-commerce environment was broke. After 1999, some problems related to the online shipping were improved continuously, including the logistics distribution, payment and so on. In 2006, logistics distribution system was already mature and became a critical role in the Chinese online shopping. The online payment also made the large advancement. The third party payment tool could ensure the payment safety of consumers. During this time, the original stumbling block to online shopping did not exist. (Miller, 2002) According to the official statistics, in 2006, the market size of online shopping in China reached over RMB 20 billion. 2007 is the year when online shopping developed the most rapid. In 2007, the market size of B2C online shopping achieved RMB 4.3billion. Meanwhile, the market size of B 2B online shopping reached RMB 51.8 billion. Above statistics meant the online shopping in China has been very optimistic from 2006 to 2007. Maturity Stage Since 2008, the online shopping entered into a maturity stage. With the promotion of Olympic Games, the online market kept 95% of increasing rate. From 2008 to now, the online shopping is in a stable increasing process. In the future five years, the market size of online shopping will expand stable. 2.3 Consumer Behavior 2.3.1 Introduction 2.3.2 Characteristics of Consumer Behavior 2.3.3 Factors that Impact on Consumer Behavior 2.4 Cultural Factor 2.4.1 Introduction 2.4.2 How Cultural Factors impact on Consumer Behavior

The Case Study Concerning Joelle Essay -- Business Ethics

Ethics plays a very important role in one social system and basically on how the people will make their actions or decide on a particular thing on whether it is the right or the wrong thing. Ethical consideration is very important. It helps a person or a group of person understands whether the actions are right or wrong. Ethics is a very critical factor most especially when considering where the ethical standards are to applied. Aside from it, weighing results of actions or decision is also another major concern because of the fact that a person has critically analyze whose side is needed to satisfied. There are instances that moral obligations are also considered, in which moral is defined as a universal accepted personal human behavior that allows a person to decide whether an action or decision is good or bad. In the case of Joelle, this study will significantly identify the different ethical principles that can be applied in the case. In addition to it, the study will also arrive in one ethical theory that Joelle can be applied in her situation in order for her to effectively determine what she will do and if her decision and action can be considered ethical or the right thing. UTILITARIANISM Utilitarianism is an ethical theory in which determining the rightness or wrongness of action or decision is based on determining whether the greatest benefit or happiness will be provided in the highest or greatest number of population. This simply means that action or decision must be based on the highest amount or number of beneficiary (Martineau, 2006). However, this ethical theory has two major types. First is the â€Å"act utilitarianism† and second is the â€Å"rule utilitarianism.† Act utilitarianism specifically adh... ... the pollution, it can be concluded that total external population has the most number of population that will benefit from the decision. Generally, the position that Joelle must take is to mention the illegal dumping modus operandi of her company. Works Cited Dooley, D. (1996). Equality in Community: Sexual Equality in the Writings of William Thompson and Anna Doyle Wheeler. Ireland: Cork University Press. Frederick, R. (2002). A companion to business ethics. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Gardiner, S.M. (2005). eVirtue Ethics, Old and New. New York: Cornell University Press. Kaufman, A. (1999). Welfare in the Kantian State. New York: Oxford University Press. Martineau, J. (2006). Types of Ethical Theory, Volume 1. New York: Cosimo, Inc. Reese, C.D. and Eidson, J.V. (1999). Handbook of OSHA construction safety and health. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press

Free Song of Solomon Essays: Biblical References :: Song Solomon essays

Biblical References in "Song of Solomon" Under the recorded names were other names, just as ‘Macon Dead,’ recorded for all time in some dusty file, hid from view the real names of people, places, and things. Names that had meaning. No wonder Pilate put hers in her ear. When you know your name, you should hang on to it, for unless it is noted down and remembered, it will die when you do. - Song of Solomon Hagar- Sarah’s Egyptian maid. God had promised Sarah and Abraham many children, however they remained childless. If the wife was childless, it was custom to permit the maid/slave to substitute as the wife. Hagar bore Abraham a son, Ishmael. When Sarah gave birth to her own child, she became jealous of Hagar, and forced Hagar and Ishmael to the desert. Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the desert and would have died from thirst, but God directed them toward a well. Genesis 16,21,25 Magdalene called Lena/Mary Magdalene- Jesus healed her of seven demons; these included physical, emotional, and moral problems. She was one of the group of women who gave money and provisions to Jesus and the disciple band, and she accompanied them on some of their preaching and healing tours. She witnessed the Crucifixion. Mary Magdalene was one of the first to meet Jesus after he rose from the dead. She was the first to know of the Resurrection. Matthew 27, 28 Mark 15,16 Luke 8,24 John 19,20 Pilate/Pontius Pilate- He was the Roman governor of Judea. The New Testament portrays him as generally weak and poor at making decisions. Jewish sources depict him as a strong figure of authority. Both sources, however, claim that he was unjustly hostile toward Jews. Jewish leaders took Jesus before Pilate. They said Jesus claimed to be The Messiah (King of Jews) and charged him with treason. Pilate discovered Jesus was from Galilee and sent him to Herod Antipas, Galilean ruler. Herod mocked Jesus and sent him back to Pilate. It was custom for the Roman governor to release one Jewish prisoner at the Passover season. Pilate took Jesus and another condemned Jew, Barabbas, onto the palace steps and told the crowd to choose who was to be freed. The crowd chose Barabbas, and Pilate then sentenced Jesus to die on a cross. Before he ordered the crucifixion, Pilate washed his hands in public to absolve himself of Jesus’ murder.

The Radical Changes Resulting from the American Revolution Essay

All of us alive today have grown up learning about the American Revolution. Although it contains the word â€Å"revolution† in its name, there are many who don’t consider the American Revolution a real revolution. After considering the definition of a revolution – a radical change of an entire system, usually by war, resulting in a change of the way of life of the people involved – and the American society before and after the American Revolution, it is obvious that those who don’t consider the American Revolution a revolution are mistaken. Among the many aspects of colonial society affected by the American Revolution, those most greatly affected by the revolution were the attitude towards slavery, the role of women, and the role of trade. The Civil War, as well as events associated with it, being a large part of our history, is taught to all children in America at an early age. Growing up, we are taught the evils of slavery and how slaves were treated poorly. The evils about which we’ve been taught were actually occurring prior to the American Revolution. Over the course of the revolution, the attitude toward and treatment of slaves changed. Before the American Revolution, many people, though not all, thought of slaves as â€Å"subhuman† or as animals. Even among those who gave the slaves the good treatment they deserved, there was still a feeling that the whites were better than the slaves. How many black people did could have been seen living in their nice house with a few white slaves? None; that sight was non-existent. The few black people who were free had little money. Had they been wealthy, there was still no way they ever would have found a white person who would have been their slave. Nor would that have been allowed. ... ...heir own laws about trade (once the Constitution was written). The colonies, not Britain, could decide who they traded with and what taxes they charged; they had complete control over the system of trade. The term â€Å"revolution† requires a radical change of an entire system that changes people’s lives. Slavery, the attitudes toward women, and the trade system were only a few parts of the entire system that changed during the American Revolution. Not to mention the change in government from a Monarchy to a Democracy! People’s lives have been different ever since the American Revolution. Had the colonists never broken away from Britain, we wouldn’t be studying American history. Rather, we’d be studying British history. The large step of breaking away from England has radically changed the way the colonists lived and has had a huge influence on the way we live today. The Radical Changes Resulting from the American Revolution Essay All of us alive today have grown up learning about the American Revolution. Although it contains the word â€Å"revolution† in its name, there are many who don’t consider the American Revolution a real revolution. After considering the definition of a revolution – a radical change of an entire system, usually by war, resulting in a change of the way of life of the people involved – and the American society before and after the American Revolution, it is obvious that those who don’t consider the American Revolution a revolution are mistaken. Among the many aspects of colonial society affected by the American Revolution, those most greatly affected by the revolution were the attitude towards slavery, the role of women, and the role of trade. The Civil War, as well as events associated with it, being a large part of our history, is taught to all children in America at an early age. Growing up, we are taught the evils of slavery and how slaves were treated poorly. The evils about which we’ve been taught were actually occurring prior to the American Revolution. Over the course of the revolution, the attitude toward and treatment of slaves changed. Before the American Revolution, many people, though not all, thought of slaves as â€Å"subhuman† or as animals. Even among those who gave the slaves the good treatment they deserved, there was still a feeling that the whites were better than the slaves. How many black people did could have been seen living in their nice house with a few white slaves? None; that sight was non-existent. The few black people who were free had little money. Had they been wealthy, there was still no way they ever would have found a white person who would have been their slave. Nor would that have been allowed. ... ...heir own laws about trade (once the Constitution was written). The colonies, not Britain, could decide who they traded with and what taxes they charged; they had complete control over the system of trade. The term â€Å"revolution† requires a radical change of an entire system that changes people’s lives. Slavery, the attitudes toward women, and the trade system were only a few parts of the entire system that changed during the American Revolution. Not to mention the change in government from a Monarchy to a Democracy! People’s lives have been different ever since the American Revolution. Had the colonists never broken away from Britain, we wouldn’t be studying American history. Rather, we’d be studying British history. The large step of breaking away from England has radically changed the way the colonists lived and has had a huge influence on the way we live today.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 12

â€Å"Thetis,† he said after several more moments of silence, â€Å"talk to me here.† I looked up sharply. â€Å"What do you want me to say? You already know the answer. They wouldn't lie. Well, actually, they lie all the time but not about something like that.† He nodded and set the bowl and spoon on the coffee table. Slouching back on the couch, he didn't look at me, instead staring off across the room in thought. I could guess what was going through his mind. He knew what I was and what I did. But it was one thing to have a superficial knowledge of it and another to suddenly know there was tangible evidence each time I had sex. He would recognize the glow now and know that I had just come from someone else's bed, that not so long ago I'd been in someone else's arms doing the most intimate things two people could do. Things I couldn't do with him. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, not knowing what else I could say. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"For†¦this. For doing what I do.† â€Å"Why? It is what you do. It's what you have to do, right? There's no need to apologize for your own†¦uh, nature.† â€Å"So†¦what? You're okay with that? Knowing what I'm doing with other guys? Or rather, when I'm doing it?† â€Å"‘Okay' is a funny word, but yeah, I guess. What I'm not okay with is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, as always considering his words before speaking. â€Å"What I'm not okay with is you being afraid to tell me about this. You must have seen how†¦entranced†¦I was. But you never brought it up or explained it to me.† â€Å"What was I supposed to say? ‘Thanks for noticing how pretty I am. It's because I just went down on some stranger in a sleazy club.'† Seth flinched, and I immediately regretted my example. â€Å"Maybe†¦maybe it could be phrased a bit more, uh, tactfully than that, but yeah. I guess essentially that's what you could tell me.† I poked at the melted remains of my ice cream. â€Å"It's not that easy, and you know it. It's got to be hard enough for you to accept that I'm sleeping around on you, so to speak, without real evidence to confirm each time it happens.† â€Å"Why don't you let me decide what I can or can't accept.† He didn't sound angry exactly, but I'd never heard him so sharp and assertive. The arrogant part of me didn't like being spoken to like that, but I knew he was justified in the comment. And, I had to admit, that confidence was kind of a turn-on. Alpha males. Yum. â€Å"I know what you are,† he continued, â€Å"and I know what you do. I had to acknowledge that from the beginning of the relationship. It bothers me, yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't go on with the knowledge.† He laid his hand over mine, his fingertips absentmindedly stroking my skin. â€Å"But you can't be afraid to tell me the truth. Not ever. Even if it's ugly. What we have isn't about sex – like that wasn't already perfectly obvious. But if we don't have honesty either, then there's nothing left.† I forced my eyes up to him and smiled. â€Å"How can you be so young and so wise at the same time?† â€Å"I'm not that wise,† he said, pulling me to him so I leaned against his shoulder. He didn't challenge the â€Å"young† comment. Looking at our ages objectively, one could practically accuse me of cradle robbing. I sighed and snuggled into him. â€Å"It means nothing, you know. All that stuff I do. I don't even remember their names.† â€Å"I know. You've told me. Although†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† â€Å"Sometimes that's not exactly comforting. Sex isn't supposed to be about ‘nothing.' I don't really like the idea of you being with guys you don't want to be with. Even if you're technically my girlfriend†¦I'd rather you at least liked what was going on. â€Å" â€Å"Well†¦in the ultimate heat of it, I sort of do like it. The energy I get from sex†¦well, you can't really understand it. But it†¦it's literally what I live for. So even if I don't want to be with someone before and after the deed, there's still that one moment, no matter how brief, when I want them.† I tried to give him a reassuring smile. â€Å"Besides, don't feel too bad for me. Things are a lot better than they used to be. I have more of a choice about who I'm with now, which makes a big difference. It's not like I just take whoever comes along.† â€Å"What do you mean you have a choice now} Haven't you always?† I laughed uneasily. â€Å"Oh, come on, Seth. You know women didn't start getting any real rights until about a century ago. Men haven't always been kind or considerate in their relations with the fair sex – especially those in the lower classes.† He stared at me, shocked, and pulled back a little. I loved how expressive those eyes were, even if their current emotion wasn't exactly positive. â€Å"You're talking about†¦it†¦it sounds an awful lot like rape.† I shrugged, immediately realizing we needed to steer out of these waters. â€Å"It's hard to rape a succubus. In the ultimate climax, the succubus is the conqueror – especially if the guy ends up blacking out.† â€Å"You aren't really answering my question.† â€Å"And you aren't really asking it.† We lapsed into silence. A moment later Seth took me back into a tight embrace, burying his face in my shoulder this time. â€Å"Hey, now. Don't let it bother you. Don't judge the past by the standards of today. It won't work. They're incompatible.† â€Å"I don't like the idea of you doing things you don't want to do,† he said gruffly. â€Å"I wish I could do something†¦wish I could, I don't know, protect you.† â€Å"You can't,† I whispered, kissing the crown of his head. â€Å"You can't, and you have to accept that.† We went to bed together after that, the first time since the kissing incident. Seth held me tightly all night, even in his sleep, clinging as though I might slip away if he let go. Again, I marveled at his understanding. And again, I questioned whether I was in love yet. How would I know? What was love anyway? I ticked off a list as my hands held tightly to his back. Affection. Connection. Understanding. Acceptance. All these things he gave me. Those were parts of love. All these things he offered freely, no matter how terrible each new discovery about me was. I wondered whether I returned as much as I received. Did I have any right to be in this relationship? Somehow I doubted it, yet it made me want him all the more. When we drove to the bookstore the next morning, he held my hand with a thrilling possessiveness. He didn't let go until we actually cleared the bookstore's door. â€Å"Did Doug come in today?† I asked Beth after I'd made a sweep of the store. â€Å"Yeah. He was here earlier. I think he's in your office.† I walked to the back. The office was dark. When I turned on the light, I found him hunched in a corner, his body curled up in a tight ball. I immediately dropped down beside him. â€Å"What's wrong?† After several seconds, he lifted his eyes up to mine. They were dark and troubled. â€Å"Nothing.† To contradict him seemed both obvious and pointless. â€Å"What can I do to help?† He laughed bitterly, a terrible sound. â€Å"Don't you get it, Kincaid? Nothing helps, that's the problem. There's no point to any of this. You know that as well as I do.† â€Å"Do I?† He gave me a cynical smile. â€Å"You're one of the most depressed people I know. Even when you're smiling and flirting and all of that. I know you hate this life. This world. I know you think it's all stupid. â€Å" â€Å"Not true. There's good in the bad. There's always hope. What's gotten into you?† â€Å"Just reality, that's all. Just woke up and realized how stupid it all is. Dunno why I even bother.† I touched his arm. â€Å"Hey, you're kind of freaking me out here. Did you get any sleep? Do you need something to eat?† He leaned back against the wall, face still bleak and full of snide humor. â€Å"Kincaid, I need so many fucking things, it's not even funny. But you know what? We don't get them. That's how it is. What's that saying? Life is brutish and short?† â€Å"Er†¦close enough.† I sat there with him for a long time, listening to him go on. His words were an outpouring of bitter anger and black despair. A frightening combination. I'd never heard him like this. Not upbeat Doug, always ready with a joke. Doug, the guy who never took anything seriously. His bleak face reminded me of Casey's when I'd found her in the caf? ¦, but she hadn't been this down. As the clock ticked, I wondered what I should do. He certainly couldn't work today, yet I feared sending him home. Who knew what he might do in this mood? Previously, I would never have worried about him hurting himself, but all bets seemed to be off now. â€Å"I want you to stay here,† I finally said, standing up and straightening the kinks out of my legs. â€Å"I've got to get back out there, but I'm going to check on you later, okay? Promise you'll find me if you need me. We'll eat lunch later on. I'll get us some falafels from that place you like.† He only gave me a twisted half-smile, face stormy and mocking. I left, taking the letter opener with me. His mood didn't change as the day wore on; even the falafels did no good. Once more, I wondered desperately what I should do. He had no family in the city I could call. I knew the hospitals had psych emergency services; should I contact one of them? Shortly after lunch, Alec showed up. He avoided Casey's pleading eyes and gave me a smile that tried too hard. â€Å"Hey Georgina, is Doug around?† I hesitated. I didn't like Alec, but he was sort of Doug's friend. Maybe that would help. I led the drummer to the back. When Doug saw him, he leapt up with an astounding burst of energy, his face both desperate and rapt. â€Å"Jesus Christ, man! Where have you been?† â€Å"Sorry,† said Alec. â€Å"I got held up.† They huddled together, then looked uneasily over at me. Sensing I was unwanted, I backed out of the office but not before I saw Alec reaching into his coat and Doug looking very eager. It was Alec, I realized. Alec was feeding Doug whatever drug he was addicted to. The realization made me want to go in there and throttle him, wipe that stupid grin off his face. Yet, when the two emerged a half hour later, the change in Doug was so marked that I couldn't bring myself to act. A swagger had returned to his step, the normal cheery grin back on his face. Janice passed by, and he made some playful remark that caused her to laugh. Seeing me, he pranced up and saluted. â€Å"Ready for duty, boss. What do you have for me?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stared stupidly, which only made him smile more. â€Å"Rein it in, Kincaid,† he said with mock severity. â€Å"I know that as a good groupie, you're ready to take me anytime, anywhere. But, as literary professionals, we've got to control our passion until after hours.† I was still staring. â€Å"Um†¦why don't you, uh, grab a register?† He saluted again and clicked his heels together, military style. â€Å"Can do.† He turned to Alec. â€Å"I'll see you at the rehearsal tonight?† â€Å"Yup.† Doug flashed both of us a grin, then sauntered off. I stood there alone with Alec. He waited expectantly, like I was supposed to say something. The words â€Å"fuck off† seemed appropriate, but I changed my mind. I smiled at him. It was a slow, sweeping smile that started with my lips and then shone in my eyes, the kind of smile that said I'd just noticed something I'd never seen before. Something I suddenly liked – and wanted. Alec's own smile faltered. I think hitting on me had become so automatic, he didn't expect a response anymore. He swallowed and then turned his own grin back on. â€Å"A rehearsal, huh?† I said. â€Å"You guys got another show coming up?† â€Å"Next weekend. You going to come?† â€Å"I'll try. Are you going to have another party after?† â€Å"Probably. Wyatt's having one tomorrow if you wanna go to that.† â€Å"Are you going to be there?† I asked silkily, catching his eye meaningfully. â€Å"You bet.† â€Å"Then I'll be there.† I turned to go, still giving him the hypnotic smile. â€Å"See you then.† As soon I was out of his sight, my smile lapsed into a grimace. Ack. I hadn't thought it was possible to loathe that guy anymore, but I'd been proven wrong once again. Still, flirting with him, I'd realized, might be the best way to figure out what was going on with Doug. I felt pretty sure Alec had tried to push whatever he had on Casey. If I appeared to fall prey to his so-called charm too, he might let me share in the goods. Doug, as I soon discovered, certainly wasn't going to provide any help in the matter. â€Å"You've got something,† I teased later when he and I ran into each other in the fantasy books. I gave him the lethal smile. He returned it. â€Å"Magnetism? Sex appeal? Intelligence? Babe, I've got it all.† I stepped forward and pulled playfully on his shirt, looking up into his face. â€Å"That's not what I mean. You've got something good, something you aren't sharing.† He stayed close to me and tugged on a lock of my hair in return. â€Å"Don't know what you're talking about.† â€Å"The hell you don't. Do you know how many hours I've been working for you and Paige lately? Good lord. It's driving me crazy. Grey Goose only goes so far. If you've got some stash, you need to spread the love.† â€Å"Hey, I'll spread as much love as you want. Name the time and place.† â€Å"I thought we were friends.† I pushed lightly on his chest and stepped back with a pout. â€Å"You're holding out on me. No way could you have perked up so quickly. Not after how you were this morning. You took something. â€Å" â€Å"Bah, mood swing. You're a woman; you understand. Just woke up grumpy, that's all. A little falafel and some Kincaid charm, and now I'm good to go. Great even.† He took a step back toward me, apparently hoping I'd renew the flirtation. Heat burned in his eyes, something a little darker and more intense than our typical bantering called for. â€Å"In fact, I'm downright unstoppable now. A god, babe. Come on back to the office, and I'll show you.† I walked away, giving him a taunting look over my shoulder, still playing it light. â€Å"Not my religion, babe.† He laughed as I left him. We'd been flirting for years, and I knew he'd probably take no offense at my teasing or baiting. I, on the other hand, was pissed. Bad enough this shit of Alec's could push Doug into over-the-top exuberance and inappropriate behavior at work. Dragging him into the pits of despair, however, was an entirely different matter. I was going to find out what was going on and put an end to it – even if it meant cozying up to that sleaze, Alec. Remembering one of the other complications in my life right now, I called Bastien later that night for a status check. â€Å"Don't even ask, Fleur .The clouds of failure are gathering.† â€Å"What the hell is it with you depressed guys today? Why do I have to be everyone's goddamned cheering-up committee?† I ordered him to drive to Queen Anne immediately. When he arrived, he was still whining. â€Å"Dana's being really nice to me,† he conceded, â€Å"but nothing intimate. She can't ever come over alone either. She's always got Jody with her or some other CPFV freak. My odds are probably better at getting her sidekicks into bed as a group than ever nailing her. They're all trying to get me to join their cult. I suppose making the gesture can't hurt, but I think I'll see more of her if I pretend to be a hesitant convert. You know, she also asks about you a lot.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"Random stuff. Last time she wanted to know how the clothes you bought were working out. What's that about?† â€Å"Not a clue,† I lied. It was ironic, really, because just then Bastien noticed the Victoria's Secret bag still sitting on my counter. My privacy apparently not a concern, he emptied it out and looked through the lingerie with approval. â€Å"You want to try something on?† I asked wryly, noting his scrutiny. â€Å"You always did have good taste.† He held up the black mesh bra and peered at me through it, as though imagining how it would look on. â€Å"Although I still don't know why you buy this stuff. Just shape-shift it.† â€Å"I have a respect for ‘intellectual property.' Whoever designed this deserves their pay.† â€Å"Even if it was constructed by third-world labor?† I made a face. â€Å"Come on, let's get out of here.† â€Å"Where to?† â€Å"A piano bar.† Surprise put his malaise on hold. â€Å"Are those still around?† â€Å"Yup. There's actually a couple of them in Seattle.† In fact, one was even nearby, less than a fifteen-minute walk away. As we went, however, Bastien wouldn't stop worrying about the Dana thing. It drove me crazy. I hated her too, believe me, but I couldn't figure out what was making this such a maniacal obsession for him. Fortunately, the piano bar was just wacky enough to distract him – as I'd hoped it would be. We ate yummy bar food and drank froofy drinks like Midori martinis and Sex on the Beach. Meanwhile, dueling pianists sang everything from Eminem to Barry Manilow. As the evening passed, getting a request played cost more and more money. However, the patrons grew drunker and drunker, so they didn't mind putting the cash down. Knowing this in advance, I had brought a stack of bills, and Bastien and I took great amusement in seeing just how well the piano players could keep up with our increasingly older and more obscure requests. Bastien and I sang along beautifully. Shape-shifting, in addition to so many other benefits, could modify one's voice and vocal cords. The piano players had an astounding knowledge of our requests, and we were so impressed – and drunk – by the end of the night that we gave them a hefty tip. Before we could leave, however, Bastien made me wait to hear one more request. â€Å"I slapped a fifty down with it,† he said. â€Å"They've got to play it soon. I picked it just for you.† â€Å"If it's ‘Superfreak,' I walk,† I warned. He laughed. â€Å"You'll know it when you hear it. It reminded me of you and your writer. â€Å" Sure enough, I immediately knew which song his silly sense of humor had led him to. The smile cracking his face was sort of a giveaway too. Pulling half of me onto his lap, he sang along loudly with Fiona Apple's lyrics: â€Å"I've been a bad, bad girl I've been careless With a delicate man And it's a sad, sad world When a girl will break a boy Just because she can. â€Å" â€Å"You're truly a creature of hell,† I told him, trying to wiggle away. â€Å"You know that, don't you?† â€Å"I just tell it like it is.† He held onto me and kept singing. â€Å"Heaven help me For the way I am Save me from These evil deeds Before I get them done†¦Ã¢â‚¬  When we finally left the bar, both of us laughing and humming, we passed a group of girls even more drunk than us. A few of them gave Bastien open looks of invitation, and I glanced at him expectantly. He shook his head. â€Å"Too easy. Besides, I'd rather go home with you. So to speak.† He walked me back toward my apartment, holding my arm as he had once done when social mores dictated it for anyone of good breeding. The pavement was slick from earlier rain, and a moist chill hung in the air. Not far away, the Space Needle gleamed watchfully above the nearby buildings; it would have Christmas lights on it soon. Bastien tightened his hold on my arm and turned his gaze absentmindedly toward the cloudy sky for a while before looking over at me. † Fleur ,do you want to know why I'm so gung-ho about this Dana business?† I willed myself to sober up, suspecting something big was about to come. â€Å"You mean other than your righteous fury at her?† He smiled gently and looked down at the pavement, watching our feet. â€Å"I'm in trouble. Big trouble.† He sighed. â€Å"You ever heard of a demon named Barton?† â€Å"No. Should I have?† â€Å"Maybe. He works in Chicago. Very high up. Very powerful. He's one of those who expects ‘favors' from his staff.† I nodded in understanding. It was one of the occupational hazards succubi and incubi faced, and probably something else Seth would be happier not knowing about. As workers in the sex industry, so to speak, our demonic supervisors often thought we wouldn't mind one more â€Å"customer.† Many saw it as our duty. Whatever his other failings, Jerome at least had never demanded anything of that nature from me. â€Å"So†¦anyway, Barton has this succubus named Alessandra. Relatively new. You know, a century or so. Beautiful. She has as good an eye for exquisite physical detail as you. And she's bright. Wicked sense of humor. Outgoing.† I stared at him in astonishment. â€Å"Are you in love, Bastien?† â€Å"No, but I was – am – very attracted to her. Hard not to be. We got to know each other, and well, one thing sort of led to another†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"As it often does with you.† â€Å"Yes,† he admitted ruefully. â€Å"But let me tell you, it was amazing. That woman†¦wow.† â€Å"So how are you in trouble?† â€Å"Well, the thing is, Barton's kind of possessive about his people. He expected Alessandra's body to be exclusively for his use – mortal business aside, of course.† â€Å"And he found out?† â€Å"Yes. He turned unbelievably jealous.† Contempt filled Bastien's voice. â€Å"Stupid emotion for our kind. Of course, demon or no, I suppose he might have had reason to feel insecure knowing his girlfriend had been with a sex-master like myself. I mean, once you go Bastien†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Keep telling the story, ego-master. What happened?† â€Å"Well†¦to say he was pissed off would be an understatement. Honestly, I don't think I'd be enjoying your lovely company today if Janelle hadn't done some serious intervening.† Janelle was Bastien's archdemoness in Detroit. â€Å"But mostly she just protected me from physical torture. Everything else is a mess. My career is in shambles. Barton has powerful friends, and Janelle's made it clear she's not going to cover my ass anymore.† We had reached my building and stood outside it now. He ran a hand through his dark curls, face suddenly weary. â€Å"I'm on everyone's shit list all of a sudden. Plans are already in motion to transfer me somewhere else, and I know it's going to be horrific. Like Guam. Or Omaha. That's why I need this Dana thing. A big hit like this – a public humiliation for the other side. It'll put me on top again. They won't be able to punish me, not if I've got a takedown like that on my record.† I started to understand his obsession with the radio host. â€Å"But the takedown isn't exactly taking.† â€Å"I don't know what else to do. I've tried all the old tricks, all the textbook moves plus a few exclusive Bastien moves. None of it's working.† I reached out to him. â€Å"You might have to accept that she's got a strong will,Bas.It happens.† â€Å"I know.† He sounded so miserable, it broke my heart. â€Å"Hey, come on. Don't give up the fight yet. I taught you everything you know, remember? We'll find a way out of this. We'll get that wench wet yet.† He laughed and brushed a finger against my cheek. â€Å"You always make me feel better when I'm around you, you know that? It's one of the wonderful things about you. That and – if the rumors are true – your mouth. â€Å" â€Å"The rumors are true, and I'm going to help you with this, you'll see. Besides, nothing else works on her, there's always hard liquor, right?† â€Å"Ah yes, the old standby.† He hugged me tightly and kissed each cheek. â€Å"Good night, my sweet. Thanks for a lovely evening.† I kissed him back. â€Å"Anytime.† I had my hand on the door handle when I thought of something. â€Å"Hey, Bastien?† He turned from where he'd been walking away down the sidewalk. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Why'd you do it?† â€Å"Do what?† â€Å"Alessandra. You must have known how Barton felt about her, right?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"So why risk it?† He looked at me like he could scarcely believe I had to ask. â€Å"Because I could. Because she was beautiful and wonderful and I wanted her.† I knew better than to argue with that. It was textbook incubus logic. Smiling, I went inside.

Pyramus and Thisbe Essay

A first-time encounter with the yarn of Pyramus and Thisbe would already send your heart disruption with a hundred different emotions headed earlier of a lovers want for his/her partners touch and the take of passion the both had shown. Pyramus and Thisbe were childhood lovers that carried with them an cursed love layer when they were forbidden by their parents to be together. Fortunately, the love between our twain lovebirds had been so strong that they discovered a way on how they could communicate twenty-four hours and night.A common crack in their walls allowed this to happen, and being neighbors, they were able to keep in touch with one another and qualify sweet thoughts. Until the day when they pott bear the silent distance between them anymore came, they finally decided to fall away from home and so, they had set up to meet under a mulberry tree near Ninus tomb. Come nighttime, Thisbee, who arrived first, sight a fierce lioness and immediately ran for her life. enchantment on escape, she accidently dropped her cloak which the lioness viciously tore into pieces.Pyramus arrived at the chance with the sight of Thisbes cloak and abruptly concluded that his break off half had died already. With this thought in mind, he took his own life, thinking that he cant live with the fact that he had left the love of his life to wait alone in the woods. Thisbe arrived minutes subsequent and upon seeing her lovers expiry state, she decided that she would not let cobblers last separate them and she took her own life too. The infrastructure of this love story would probably be unconditional love that was unimaginable apt(p) Pyramus and Thisbes circumstances.Even death was not powerful enough to separate the two ill-fated lovers. I believe the story only shows how there may be hope for everything. They believed in the love they had and stock-still took the risky choice of leaving everything stooge even their own families. This part of the bulk was really to be well-commended. The love stories were sweet to read and Edith Hamilton told the stories in a mien where you can completely visualize scene after scene and really added vividness to ones imagination. The narrations were easy to heed and her choice of language was not buy at all, but rather bang-up and blithe.

Process Strategy and Analysis: Toyota Motors Case study Essay

Toyota Motor Corporation, Japans largest and the worlds 4 carmaker by cc3 gross sales (after universal Motors, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler), had a wide range of returns and fast cross off names with high tonus image. Toyotas outgrowth reputation for timber and very sm every(prenominal)(prenominal)(a) amount of technical problems in its vehicles generated interesting node truth and a evolution charter for its growths. Toyota management was managing the bon tons catalogue, be and capacity very supremacyfully and was applying cost reduction programs very well. Toyota had riving ambition to break greener. The company make a hybrid-powered (gas and electric) sedan- the prius- that had already being snapped up in U.S. and European markets.Toyota exchangeablewise made huge investments in jumping fuel-cell technology for its vehicles. Its gas-powered cars, pick-ups, minivans, and SUVs include much(prenominal) models as the Camry, Celica, Corolla, 4Runner, Echo, L and Cruiser, Sienna, the luxury Lexus line, and a full-sized pick-up truck, the v-8 Tundra. Toyota also was make forklifts and manufactured housing, and was offering consumer pecuniary dishs. With its wide diffusion bring, strong channel aptitude and effectiveness, Toyota was both succeederfully competing with the worlds hurrying three auto makers and poised to replace GM in the top spot this decade.Toyota was kn testify world-wide for its current vehicles, strong vehicle excogitate, cherishableness, safety, strong resistance to face-lift and rolloer, low fuel consumption, presence of electronic and separatewise devices in the vehicles, and strong reputation for luxury. Surveys, however, rated the attractiveness and comfort of its passenger cars as mediocre. Also rated mediocre was the off-road in effect(p)ness of its SUVs. Toyota was a leader in technological progresss, much(prenominal) as drive, coiffureance and vehicle construction technology and had a solid a bility to design and innovates bracing convergences, to differentiate its returns, to innovate parvenue vehicle lines, or to extend existing vehicle lines.Global sales of Toyota vehicles were increasing every year beginning in 2001. Toyota showed a growth of 20% in its sales from March 2002 to March 2003 and growth of 49.6% in its sugar income for the same period. This increase reflected non only(prenominal) the bore of its vehicles, but also Toyotas strong competency in sale trading trading operations, applying angiotensin converting enzyme-to-one marketing, entering into partnership and joint ventures with other companies world-wide, being price competitive, potently applying sales incentives such(prenominal) as warranty extensions, and applying publicizing tools such as TV commercials, ads in magazines and newspapers and show readations. Toyota fatalityed little use of financing packages and receiving set commercials in its sale incentive programs. Also, Toyot a was known for strong after-sale avails that helped the company to streng therefore relationships with its customers and quality of service provided to them.Toyota had a strong, unique corporate culture that helped the company remain very well organised and thoroughgoingly competitive. Toyota also had strong co-operation with its partners and among its divisions that allowed Toyota to further co-ordinate interdivisional operations.In comparison to its big three competitors, Toyota had strong manufacturing operations with the ability to produce exceedingly innovative products, winning advantage of low cost social plaques, ability to pass around new manufacturing externalisets, benefiting from economies of scale. Transplant assembling. Availability of technology for its labor, and accessibility and standards of sources, the ability to enter new markets, and the similar, Also, Toyota had strongly match its activities both domestically and internationally.There ar phoeb e bird basis agencys in approve (1) issue resources, (2) reduce defects, (3) cooperate or exceed expectations of downstream customers, (4) make the do by safer, and (5) make the ferment much satisfying to the person doing it.First, a process that uses more(prenominal) resources than infallible is wasteful. Reports that are distributed to more people than requirement wastes copying and diffusion clock time, material, user read time, and, eventually, flavour space.Second, for the most part, flaws are a sign of scurvy drubmanship and accept rework. Typing errors that are discover after the computer printout require opening the file, making the correction, and printing the revised document. trey, meeting or surpassing expectations of downstream customers improves the process. For example, the better the weld, the less grinding required, making the appearance of a finish paint moreThe fourth way a process pot be improved is by making it safer. A safer workplace is a more productive one with fewer lost-time accidents and less workers compensation claims.The fifth way to improve process is to increase the satisf action of the man-to-man performing the process. Sometimes a little win over, such as an ergonomicallyMake a substantial change in a persons commit toward their work.Manufacturing cycleThe manufacturing cycle typically occurs at the distributor/ producer for retailer/ shaper) interface and includes all processes abstruse in replenishing distributor (or retailer) inventory. The manufacturing cycle is activateed by customer says or by the forecast of customer aim and current product availability in the manufacturers perfect-goods warehouse.One extreme in a manufacturing cycle is an integrated steel mill that collects orders that is resembling enough to enable the manufacturer to produce in large quantities. In this case, the manufacturing cycle is reacting to customer demand (referred to as a pull process). Another extreme is a consumer products firm that essential produce in anticipation of demand. In this case the manufacturing cycle is anticipating customer demand (referred to as a push process). The processes twisty in the manufacturing cycleOrder arrival from the finished-goods warehouse, distributor, retailer, or customer overlapion programingManufacturing and shippingReceiving at the distributor, retailer, or customerOrder arrivalDuring this process a finished- goods warehouse or distributor sets a replenishment order trigger based on the forecast of future day demand and current product inventories. The resulting orders are then conveyed to the manufacturer. In some cases the customer or retailer may be rescript adoptly from the manufacturer. In other cases a manufacturer may be producing to stock a finished products warehouse. In the latter spotlight, the order is triggered based on product availability and a forecast of future demand. This process is similar to the retail order trigger pr ocess in the replenishment cycle. toil schedulingThis process is similar to the order entry process in the replenishment cycle where inventory is allocated to an order. During the production scheduling process, orders (or forecasted orders) are allocated to a production plan. addicted the desired production quantities for apiece product, the manufacturer essential decide on the precise production sequence. If in that respect are multiple lines, the manufacturer must also decide which products to allocate to each line. The objective of the production scheduling process is to maximise the proportion of orders change on time while keeping be down.Manufacturing and ShippingThis process is analogous to the order boundary process described in the replenishment cycle. During the manufacturing stagecoach of the process, the manufacturer produces to the production schedule. During the shipping phase of this process, the product is shipped to the customer, retailer, distributor, or f inished-product warehouse. The objective of the manufacturing and shipping process is to develop and ship the product by the promised due realize while meeting quality destinys and keeping be down.DistributionToyota used the traditional statistical distribution channels vehicles from the production places were distributed to national or regional distribution, which then distributed the vehicles to the local dealers. The three units of Toyota that produced passenger cars, SUVs, light trucks, and mini vans. Toyota was also entering into partnerships with other carmakers world-wide, such as South Korean Hyundai and Chinese carmakers, and used their distribution channels to enter the markets where these partners were predominant. With these activities, Toyota was trying to balance its distribution channels world-wide and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their distribution channels.ManufacturingToyota had manufacturing facilities in 37 countries and sold its products i n 200 countries around the world. As the situation deteriorated in 2003, manufacturers were increasingly experiencing inventory problems as they were unable to shift their growing stockpile of cars into the saturated fleet market. With the increasing cost of product storage and reduced retail revenues, bring together with relaxed consumer demand, production cuts was likely to occur in the company. Also, Toyota was feel for ways to open production places in regions like China and Mexico, in order to benefit from meretricious labour repulse and march on competitive advantage.In this process the product is received at the distributor, finished-goods warehouse, retailer, or customer and inventory records are updated. Other processes think to storage and fund transfers also take place.few companies in the world excel at unvarying improvement on a corporate-wide basis like Toyota MotorCorporation. Toyota is perhaps best known for its highly effective production arranging, dubbed l ean manufacturing by an MIT hire in the 1980s (Womack et. Al, 1990). But interestingly, historys most efficient method of production was not born from a sudden brainstorm by an ingenious individual (although Toyota has had plenty of those over the years). Rather, it evolved into its present state over decades of sustained, high level of around-the-clock improvement activity (Cusumano, 1985).Toyotas efficiency extends not only to the production floor, but also to product development, prototyping, testing, and all other railway line operations. Manufacturers the world over have been emulating Toyotas practices, and have done so with much succeeder (Liker, 1998). However, unlike Toyota, much of the success has been confined to the production floor and little success elsewhere.Toyotas product development arrangement, the first germ found this tool to be used pervasively and with incredible power and effectiveness (Sobek, 1997). Toyota uses it to systematically turn over problem-s olvers through a rigorous process, document the lynchpin outcomes of that process, and propose improvements. The tool is used so pervasively that it forms a revealstone in Toyotas world-famous unbroken improvement program. Toyota calls this tool the A3 report.The A3 Problem-Solving ReportThe A3 report is so named because it is written on an A3 sized paper (metric equivalent of 11 x 17). Toyota has developed some(prenominal) kinds of A3 reports for different applications. every(prenominal) report starts with a etymon or title. The guinea pig indicates the problem being addressed, and is sanely descriptive. The theme should tension on the problem, and not suggest a extra solutionThemeEvery report starts with a theme or title. The theme indicates the problem being addressed, and is fairly descriptive. The theme should strain on the problem, and not advocate a particular solutionAs Spear and Bowen (1999) elucidate, Toyota indoctrinates its people with its own version of the s cientific methodevery improvement is designed as an experiment. The A3 problem-solving process is a structure to implement the scientific method. The current consideration and bag cause constitutes the infallible background research, the target condition and implementation plan outline the experimental design and the follow-up plan states the hypothesis.TQM is based on a number of ideas. It means thinking somewhat quality in terms of all functions of the enterprise and is a start is a start-to-finish process that integrates interrelated functions at all levels. It is a systems approach that considers every fundamental interaction between the various elements of the organisation. Thus, the overall effectiveness of the system is higher(prenominal) than the sum of the individual outputs from the subsystems. The subsystems include all the organisational functions in the life cycle of a product, such as () design, (2) supply, (3) production, (4) distribution, and (5) field service.T he management subsystems also require integration, including (1) strategy with a customer focus, (2) the tools of quality and (3) employee familiarity (the linking process that integrates the whole). A corollary is that any product, process, or service mint be improved, and a successful organisation is one that consciously seeks and exploits opportunities for improvement at all levels. The load-bearing structure is customer felicity. The watchword is constant improvement. (Ross, 2)Hence TQM requires sise basic conceptsA pull and involved management to provide long-term top-to seam organisational support.An unwavering focus on the customer, both interiorly and externally.Effective involvement and utilisation of the inherent work force.Continuous improvement of the business and production process.Treating suppliers as partners.Establish performance measures for the processes. (Besterfield, Michna, Besterfied & Sacre, p.2)(Crosby, 1979) presented the following steps in order t o undertake TQM in effect. oversight Commitment clear management must become convinced of the need for quality and must clearly communicate this to the entire company be written policy, starting that each person is expected to perform according to the requirement or cause the requirement to be officially changed to what the company and the customers really need.Quality improvement team From a team composed of department heads to carry off improvements in their departments and in the company as a whole.Quality measurement Establish measurements enamor to every activity in order to identify areas in need of improvement.Cost of quality Estimate the costs of quality in order to identify areas where improvements would be pelfable.Quality cognisance Raise quality awareness among employees. They non-conformance.Corrective action Take corrective action as a result of steps 3 and 4.Zero defects planning From a committee to plan a program appropriate to the company and its culture. supe rvisor training entirely levels of management must be trained in how to implement their part of the quality improvement program.Zero defects day Schedule a day to signal to employees that the company has a new standard.Goal setting Individuals must establish improvement goals for themselves and their groups.Error causes removal Employees should be encouraged to say management of any problems that prevent them from performing error free work.Recognition Give public, non-financial appreciation to those who meet their quality goals or perform outstandingly.Quality councils make up of quality professionals and team chairpersons, quality councils should meet on a regular basis to share experiences, problems, and ideas.Does it all over again double steps 1 to 13 in order to emphasize the never-ending process of quality improvement. (Ross, p. 6-7)Management must participate in the quality program. A quality council must be completed to develop a clear vision, set long-term goals, and direct the program. Quality goals are included in the business plan. An annual quality improvement program is established and involves input from the entire work force. Managers participate on quality improvement teams and also act as coaches to other teams. TQM is a continual activity that must be entrenched in the culture- it is not bonnie a one-shot program. TQM must be communicated to all people. The key to an effective TQM program is its focus on the customer. An slender place to start is by satisfying informal customers. We must listen to the voice of the customer and emphasise design quality and defect prevention.Do it right the first time and every time, for customer satisfaction is the most important consideration. TQM is an organisation-wide challenge that is everyones responsibility. All personnel must be trained in TQM, statistical process control (SPC), and other appropriate quality improvement skills so they can effectively participate on project teams. Including internal customers and, for that matter, internal suppliers on project teams are an excellent approach. They rede the process better than anyone else does. Changing behaviour is the goal. commonwealth must come to work not only to do their jobs, but also to think about how to improve their jobs. People must be appoint at the lowest possible level to perform processes in an optimum manner.There must be a continued effort to improve all business and production processes. Quality improvement projects, such as on-time delivery, order entry efficiency, billing error rate, customer satisfaction, cycle time, scrap reduction, and supplier management, are good places to begin technical techniques such as SPC, benchmarking, quality function deployment, and designed experiments are excellent for problem solving. On the average 40% of pounds is purchased product or service therefore, the supplier quality must-be outstanding.A partnering relationship alternatively than an adversarial one mus t be developed. Both parties have as much to gain or lose based on the success or failure of the product or service. The focus should be on quality and life-cycle costs rather than price. Suppliers should be few in numbers so that true partnering can occur. Performance measures such as uptime, percent non-conforming, absenteeism, and customer satisfaction should be immovable for each functional area. These measures should be posted for everyone to see. numerical data are necessary to measure the unbroken quality improvement activity. (Besterfield, Michna, Besterfied & Sacre, p.3)The purpose of TQM is to provide a quality product and/or service to customers, which leave, in turn, increase productivity and lower cost. With a higher quality product and lower price, competitive position in the marketplace will be enhanced. This series of events will allow the organisation to achieve the objectives of profit and growth with greater case. In addition, the work force will have job sec urity, which will stimulate a satisfying place to work. As previously stated. TQM requires a cultural change. The change is substantial and will not be accomplished in a short period of time. Small organisations will be able to make the transformation much high-speed than large organisations. (Besterfield, Michna, Besterfied & Sacre, p.3)Hence summarising the key points discussed above, productivity is a major concern of managers. It implies measurement, an essential step in the control process. The productivity measurement of skill workers is loosely easier than that of knowledge workers such as managers. Yet managerial productivity is very important, especially for organisations operating in a competitive environment.Production management refers to those activities necessary to manufacture products it may also include purchasing, warehousing, transportation, and other operations. Operations management has a similar meaning, referring to activities necessary to produce and deliv er a service as well as a physical product.The operations management systems model show inputs, the transformation process, outputs, and the feedback system. A variety of tools and techniques make operations more productive. seven steps are often involved in planning and designing a product and its production. Companies can choose from six different kinds of production layouts. In order to operate the system, the managerial functions of organising, staffing, and leading must be carried out effectively. Controlling requires an information system often supported by computers. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994 p.653)Among the various tools for planning and controlling operations is operations research, which is the application of scientific methods to the study of alternatives in a problem situation to obtain a quantitative basis for arriving at the best solution. The operation research procedure consists of six steps. Examples of tools are linear programming, inventory planning and control, the just-in time inventory system, and distribution logistics. Other tools and techniques are time-event inventory system, engineering, work simplification, quality circles, total quality management, and a variety of computer-aided approaches. (Koontz and Weihrich, 1994 p.653)ReferencesBesterfield, D. H., Michna, C. B., Besterfied, G., H., & Sacre, B. S., (no date available). bring Quality Management, Third Edition, pp. 1-3.Crosby, P., (1979). 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Roos, 1990, The Machine that Changed the World The Story of LeanProduction, HarperPerennial, New York.