The Past America and Beyond

The end of the Second World War has brought so many changes in international relations, political, economical and social changes. The most important and most influential of these is the rise of two super powers in the world: the United States of America and the USSR. The emergence of these two states has brought so many political and economic changes that became influential from the past decades until the present.The rise of the US government into power has become massive and became the indicative factor in settling international relations. The events that took place after the Second World War created massive impact on policy formations in the international arena. The Cold War for example, has been the biggest offspring of the war. Consequently, from the Cold War emerged different political and economic changes that from the past decades until now have still served their purpose, and until this era have played as decisive factors in creating foreign and domestic policies.  For the purpose of this paper, we shall be studying events that happened in the following decades: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The events that will be tackled are those events that tool place that have had great and influential changed in American policy, and those that are until now still prevalent in international relations.1950: The Rise of the American DreamThe years from the 1950s have highlighted the growth of the American community. Central to this interval is the modernization of the American life, the development of more modernized society, and the peak of what they called the â€Å"American dream†. During these years were the improvement in technology, infrastructures, and the rise of mass cultures.The emergence of this abrupt modernization in American society was a response to the slump that was caused by the war. This response created a boom in American economy. High consumer spending became the coping mechanism of the civilians to recover from the war, which in turn also brought in higher government spending, a booming military industrial sector, which became the offset for a prosperous economy (Leffler, 1994).The rise of this modern industry for the American society was a fulfillment for their American dream. Every society and every individual were accountable for their own changes and emancipation. Their goal was to create a society that was free, modernized, superior and on top of every nation. Moreover, this economic boom and high consumer spending brought in the development of new innovations and quality inventions that enhanced not only the purpose that it must serve, but also took note of its aesthetic factors.The rise of the automobile industry for instance is a good example of the general idea that this occurrence has made a strong impact on. The emergence of their automobile industry is a starting point and an important facet in the current economic trend that the US has subliminally inculcated towards the people around the glob e. (McKinlay, 1993) This emergence has brought in the culture of planned obsolescence, which is now an important factor in the success of globalization and modernization, not only of the American society, but as well as to their allies that follow their trails.1960: The Era for Civil EmancipationFollowing the modernization of the American society, was the rise of the various legal fights against racial discrimination. The postwar era created an avenue for greater equality for the black Americans. This era highlighted the establishment of various associations that fought for civil rights and equality. Further, aside from the African American rights, the Latin civil society also gained consciousness towards their own civil rights.Aside from the civil anti-segregation fight of the blacks and the latinos, their political and economic power were also empowered in the new era of southern racial relations. The rise of several personalities highlighted this fight during the era. Martin Luth er King Jr., served as an influential icon in the fight for justice and equality among the blacks and the whites. And consequently, his influence became rampant that further rallies turned into crusades of trying to overpower the black discrimination. (Badger and Ward, 1996)Following the strong movements for civil rights, John Kennedy upon the start of his term as president legalized a civil rights act. The Civil Act Right of 1964 embodied provisions that prohibited any display of discrimination by race, color, religion, sex and nationality. In addition, the Voting Acts Right of 1965, which increased black voting by a large percentage. (Branch, 1988).This challenge of fighting racial discrimination during this era encouraged a lot of changes in the society, politics and economics. This era exemplified strong resistance of the blacks from further discrimination. However, even though the efforts were strong, nonetheless, the black community has never achieved full redemption against d iscrimination. Although in this contemporary era where there are black personalities that emerged triumphant and successful within the fields that they chose, today, discrimination against blacks is rampant and their economic conditions are never emancipated as most of the black population still lives in poverty.1970: The Economic Turmoil and Political DeteriorationThe 1970’s was an advent of return to conservatism. During the administration of Richard Nixon, he administered policies that were geared towards the establishment of countering running liberal programs. In contrast to liberalist programs, he favored â€Å"income strategy† which initially encouraged individual initiative, personal freedom and lessened government bureaucracy.However, Nixon’s attempt in reversing liberal ideas became detrimental to the economy. The stagflation in the economy forced Nixon to adopt liberal remedies. This economic recession in US caused a decrease in the demand for goods, workers were laid off resulting to an increase in the unemployment rate, and manufacturers were forced to cut prices in their products and reduce wages for their workers in order to preserve profit margin.   During his first term was mostly concerned with finding solutions on how to end the Vietnam War. As a whole, his first term was satisfactorily carried out. And despite the economic stagflations that US experienced during his term, the American community was nonetheless contented with his regime.Despite the moral controversies and the economic downfall that US experienced during Nixon’s administration, nonetheless he still won the presidency during the next held elections. However, this triumph has caused Nixon to become complacent in running his government, and abuse of power rendered him detrimental setbacks in his governance. His second term however was battled with controversies including the Watergate scandal. He used his powers to eliminate radical counterculture à ¢â‚¬â€œ from media practitioners who criticized them to anti war activists. (Nixon Presidency).These occurrences during the era marked certain importance in the US history. The lesson of how they dealt with the Vietnam aggression is an important benchmark in their history. It has proven significant policy changes that are currently affecting how US has played with regards to foreign aggressions.1980: New American InfluxThe 1980s was highlighted by international migration. At the peak of this era, America was occupied by â€Å"Americans† of international decent. A large percentage of America was occupied by Asian Americans, as well as Latinos which enlarged the foreign immigration.This influx in fact prompted the government to legislate acts that shall restrain illegal migration to control the influx of foreign nationals inside the borders of the US. The Immigration and Control Act of 1986 limited and tightened border security. However, the law also provided amnesty for immigr ants who arrived earlier than 1986 and allowed them to become legal residents. (Immigration and Control Act of 1986)This event lead to the internationalization of the American community. This further opened links towards global relations, it shaped American society in such a way that they can directly create relationships amongst neighboring countries. This paved the way for an easier connection in the global world which made it easier for them to penetrate and dominate international relations. In addition, the end of the cold war became beneficial to the American community as it increased global responses in the Americanization of the world. And thus, the fall of the Soviet Union nonetheless provided a larger array of development and opportunities for political and economic domination around the globe.1990: The New Globe1990s was started at the height of Bill Clinton’s leadership. During his administration he focused more on domestic issues rather than following the usual in ternationalist trend. And during this era, America has experienced a rather powerful economic expansion, with little economic inflation. This economic rise in the country allowed them to decrease public debts and budget deficits.Clinton pushed his leadership towards the independent states of American communities. During his leadership, he passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The organization of NAFTA linked US closer to Canada and Mexico which provided larger trade opportunities and generated greater jobs (Remarks from President Clinton†¦)These occurrences eventually lead to the strengthening of US economic and political relationship with other allies. This created a world order that is closely linked towards one another. The improved ties between countries made specific changes and opened up better opportunities for their market.The turnouts during this era were important and delicate part of the developments that the US has gone through in the following yea rs. The end of 1990s marked the start of the Bush era which turned out to be an offset for the start of the 19th century. The series of events that took place in the 1990s are still prevalent in the contemporary times, wherein the global community that were started in this decade eventually elevated to form a stronger link in global relations. Hence, the 1990s was a starting point for the current trend of globalization.2000 and BeyondThe events that took place from the 1950s towards the 1990s proved to be benchmarks for the current international trend. The modernization in 1950s, the emancipation of civil rights in 1960s, the economic downfall of 1970s, the influx of international immigrants in the US during the 1980s, and the establishment of the new world order in the 1990s became integral to the emergence of US as they developed to become the international leader and authority based on economic, political and military supremacy.These occurrences are pillars of the economic and po litical activities of the current US society. The continuing influence of the US over other countries shall prove their supremacy and moral ascendancy in the international relations. The 1990s most importantly had a very distinct impact on the US development and how they were able to gain world power.Globalization as an offspring of the establishment of new world order is the most significant factor in the world domination. The US’ continuing influence in the globalized community shall always prove to be beneficial to their existence. The US policies and impositions towards their allies are so integral that these policies are geared towards further empowerment of their society.   In the future, America is still seen to post political, economic and military supremacy over other countries. Although there are current aggressions against several nations posting ideologies different from that of the Americans, still, the American prevalence is still evident and their allies have been expanding and further growing in strength in the absence of a strong contender that shall challenge their world leadership.ReferencesBadger, Tony and Ward, Brian. (1996) The Making Of Martin Luther King And The Civil Rights Movement. Washington Square: New York University.Branch, Taylor. (1988) Parting the Waters: America in the king Years, 1954-1963. New York: Simon and Schuster.Immigration and Control Act of 1986. Retrieved November 16, 2007 from http://www.oig.lsc.gov/legis/irca86.htmLeffler, Melvyn and Painter, David. Ed. (1994) Origins of the Cold War: An International History. London: Routledge.‘Remarks of President Clinton in Signing of NAFTA† The White House: Office of Press Secretary. (14 September 1993) Retrieved November 16, 2007 from http://www.multied.com/Documents/Clinton/SigningNaFTA.htmlMcKinlay, Alan. (1993) Strategy And The Human Resource : Ford And The Search For Competitive Advantage. Oxford: Blackwell.Nixon Presidency. Retrieved November 16, 20 07 from http://nixon.archives.gov/thelife/apolitician/thepresident/index.php

Computer programs Essay

Computer programs that reside in a host computer’s memory and control its functionality, in order to obtain information residing on the host computer, are known as hostile code. Viruses like the Melissa, The Love Bug, Hybris, and CIH are the best examples of hostile code. The development of the internet has helped the release, transmission and effectiveness of hostile code and its rapid development (Robert J. Bagnall, March 14, 2001). Hostile code has been classified into three categories, namely, Viruses which are computer programs usually hidden within other seemingly harmless programs. These malicious programs reproduce and get embedded in other programs with the intention of performing some harmful action (Merriam-Webster OnLine, n. d). They spread from file to file on the same computer and not to other computers from that computer (Symantec, n. d). Worms, which are self contained programs that spread copies of it to other computer systems, via networks connections like the IRC or as email attachments. They replicate like viruses, but spread from computer to computer. They are much more dangerous than viruses because they spread faster and affect entire computer networks. Trojan Horses, which contain hidden commands within code resembling a useful program. They make the computer do what was not intended to be done by the user. They erase specific files; format hard disk drives, steal passwords and install server programs onto the infected computer in order to permit remote access. In order to tackle hostile code attacks, forensics use intrusion detection and incident response. Intrusions are suspicious computer activity these are dealt with by the following step wise procedure, preparation, detection, investigation, eradication, recovery and follow up. That such an attack is taking place can be assumed whenever, there are service slowdowns or malfunctions, web defacements, anonymous tips, etc. The aim will be to isolate and contain the attacker by setting up a so called victim machine or target subnet on the network. Once the IP Address is determined, then the source of the attacks can be determined. A few of the methods used in this process are the ping and traceroute facilities, suppose the IP Address is known but it is not in quad format then one can use the ping or traceroute detect the IP Address in the normal quad format. In case the domain name is known but not the IP Address or vice versa, then one can use the nslookup tool. This tool works with UNIX, Windows NT and Windows 2000. While, registering the domain name it is essential to furnish details of name and contact address. The whois utility is used to obtain contact information on a specific domain to obtain the contact details of all persons registered with them. One of the more well known of such utilities are provided by the Sam Spade Web site (http://samspade. org) and the one provided by Network Solutions. After the contact information is obtained a traceroute is run to determine the route that the data packets are following. In this manner the source of the hostile code can be determined (Heiser and Kruse, 2001). Sources Bagnall, Robert J.Computer Viruses & Security WARNING: Visual Basic, Active X, Java and other Mobile Code, Retrieved March 29, 2006 from http://membrane. com /security /java_and_cookies/notes/mobile_code_malware. html Merriam-Webster OnLine. Retrieved March 29, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www. m-w. com/cgi-bin/dictionary? virus Symantec. Retrieved March 29, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www. symantec. com/avcenter/virus. backgrounder. html Heiser, Jay G. and Kruse II, Warren G. Computer Forensics: Tracking an Offender. Addison – Wesley Professional. Boston MA.

Food advertisement Essay

1. How many members are there in your family? a) 3 b) 4 c) 5 d) More than 5 2. How man y children are there in your family? a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 3. Children ask you money to buy the product which they like. a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 4. Children rush in to watch their favourite advertisement a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 5. Children listen to minute sounds in the advertisement a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 6. Children are stubborn to buy a product a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 7. What type of food product do they prefer ↠ Noodles ↠ Soft drinks ↠ Chocolates ↠ Fruit drinks ↠ Snacks 8. Children often prefer junk foods instead of healthy food a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 9. Children often talk about advertisement after watching it a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 10. Children forget the advertisement when they see the next advertisement a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 11. Children are attracted towards an advertisement because of the background music a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 12. Children are attracted towards advertisement when they show children of their age group a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 13. Children select the product by their own which they use a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 14. Children prefer only tasty food and not healthy food a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 15. Children are attracted when cartoon characters are shown in advertisement a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 16. Children health is spoiled because of advertisement of junk foods a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 17. Children get diverted in studies due to advertisement a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 18. Children force you to buy the product immediately a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree 19. Children prefer product when any free gifts where given which are useful for playing a) Strongly agree b) Agree c) Neither agree nor disagree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree

Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instructions Essay

Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instructions - Essay Example Ralph Tyler’s contributions to the rationale came from his experience as a teacher, a maker as well as an evaluator of the curriculum. He was actively involved in designing the methods of measuring changes in learners in relation to efforts by the schools to help learners in developing interests and ensuring their appropriate performance in society. In the manuscript, Tyler formulated questions that he believed that any practitioner in curriculum inquiry should try to answer. Do the questions include what educational purposes the school seeks to attain? What educational experiences are needed for the effective attainment of the purposes? How educational experiences could be effectively organized? And lastly how the determination of whether the purposes are being attained can be effected (Tyler, 2010).  Tyler laid emphasis on educational purposes, on which he meant few targets which are set at high levels of generalizability. Tyler also suggested that the school objectives wo uld be valid enough if their selections are in consideration to information about the learner's contemporary life, psychological interests, and needs, as well as useful aspects of the subject matter in relation to everyone including the discipline specialists. The schools in the selection of the effective and attainable objectives should screen in line with the school's educational philosophy as well as their beliefs about the psychology of learning (McNeil, 2009).  After the formulation of the purposes, highlighting the necessary educational experiences is vital. The learning or educational experiences, according to Tyler, refer to the plan for the provision of learning situations with considerations to both the previous viewpoints and experiences brought to the situation by the learner and the likely response of the learner; emotionally, mentally, and physically in action.  Ordering the goals, objectives or targets to ensure that they share the focus on the same outcome would then be very vital. Tyler was fascinated with how the curriculum could be structured to generate a maximum cumulative effect. This was in line with his efforts to develop a cumulative plan for an organization that would assist students in learning more effectively (McNeil, 2009).

Should the Ruler Always Keep His Word Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Should the Ruler Always Keep His Word - Essay Example It is possible to present power from an unusual perspective. This task was the most relevant to Machiavelli and he managed to open the eyes of his fans and follower and the coming generations on the real essence of power, and on power of the words. In the majority of cases Princes are focused on their own interests. They are selfish and prudent; they do not care about their people at all. Machiavelli has been focused on the relevance of the ruler and the meaning of his word. Further on this paper considers controversial and challenging moments of the statement that a ruler should not keep his word. A word of a ruler Machiavelli inspires readers. They love him for sincerity, unexpected expressions, feelings and emotions. Machiavelli claims: â€Å"One ought not, of course, to call it  virtu  to massacre one’s fellow citizens, to betray one’s friends, to break one’s word, to be without mercy and without religion. By such means one can acquire power but not glor y† (Prince online). Nowadays, the majority of politicians are focused on power. They consider it as an enormous blessing and there is no doubt that even the modern politicians cannot look further than their nose. Machiavelli and his feeling of patriotism, multiplied by a possibility to exist among other politicians and clerk were the main triggers for further developments of his political ideas. Actually, Machiavelli described people as masters and slaves. A former group of people is more powerful and it is appropriate for them to take care about themselves only. Slaves, or common people, in accordance with Machiavelli, are narrow-minded and follow the laws of the ruler, like an obedient herd of ships (Bagley, 1989). Therefore, it is possible to suggest, that Machiavelli wants to describe a dual nature of a human being. There are two origins in the nature of every man: on the one hand, we choose: "What [classical writers] intended to convey, with this story of rulers’ b eing educated by someone who was half beast and half man, was that it is necessary for a ruler to know when to act like an animal and when like a man; and if he relies on just one or the other mode of behavior he cannot hope to survive" (Prince online). This explanation can be correlated with a developed system of people, i.e. Masters and Slaves (Alter, 1999). Masters know how to behave with their slaves; they impose perverted laws on them and they have no doubts that their Slaves would follow all their needs and wants. When it goes about Masters’ words or the ways of behavior, they have sharp minds and can easily choose appropriate strategies and the ways of behavior. A Master uses beasty features, turns into a lion and can easily conquer his enemies. A Master turns into a fox, when he wants to conduct his cunning laws and create traps for his Slaves. On the one hand, it is appropriate for a ruler to choose different strategies of behavior. Otherwise it is impossible to reig n. On the other hand, what can be said about a ruler if he does not keep his word? He can lose respect and trust of his people. Only a feeling of fear can prevent people from real protesting. In this case, the Prince can behave in whatever he wants, because he will get no resistance from people around him. There are many things, which are permitted for the king, but these deeds are forbidden for a slave. Machiavelli claims that there are many sins and every man

Peer to Peer Lending Scheme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Peer to Peer Lending Scheme - Essay Example The following are some of the roles Mr. Campbell McBain should expect (Mostafa, 2014).The facilitator should ensure that the functions are given are fulfilled by the right people with the proper experience and authority. The facilitator is the task of developing clear objectives and agenda that are in line with the company goals. He should also decide the workshop process and briefing process. The facilitator should also ensure that logistical arrangements are. During the workshop, the facilitator ensures that objectives are, and benefits are realized. He also ensures that all relevant information is available to the group so that strategic decision-making is facilitated. After the workshop, the primary role of the facilitator is to produce and deliver the workshop report. He also reviews the report with the management of the company. McBain is not qualified for the role of facilitator although he has all the relevant knowledge about the company. McBain has been in the business for a long time and understands the role that the proposed software is supposed to play. McBain is very excited about the progress of the program. Thus, he will be available to the programmers at London Agile (Shankar et al.,2014). Despite his qualifications, it might be difficult for him to be impartial which is a quality required for the facilitator role. He should ensure he facilitates the workshop rather than dictate what is to be. A facilitator plays his role with no alignment or stake in the company, and there Campbell will not be suited for the role (Kafilongo et al, 2014) The company ambassador is the person given the responsibility of ensuring he or she embodies the cooperate identity of the company. The company ambassador has the ability of the to use promotional strategies that will strengthen the customer product relationship. It will influence a large number of organizations into using the products of the organization (Turk et al, 2014). The

Finance - British Petroleum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Finance - British Petroleum - Essay Example There were many reasons that affected the BP share prices during beginning of 2011. The issue that had highly impacted the BP share prices was the decision taken by Transocean Ltd after conducting an internal investigation. Transocean Ltd is the world’s largest offshore drilling contractor whom the BP had contract with. They provide the most versatile fleet of mobile offshore drilling machineries to assist customers find and utilise efficiently oil and natural gas reserves. Transocean Ltd announced on June 22, 2011 the release of an internal investigation report illustrating the reasons behind the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010. Transocean operated and owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that was drilling on the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico and their report had an impact on the BP prices the following weeks. In the opinion of Transocean, HP was to be held accountable for the disaster at the rigs as HP was controlling the drilling process at the oil well . The report explains that some of the inaccurate decisions made by HP resulted in the massive explosion on the oil well. According to the findings of the report the reason behind the explosion was the preparing a wrong design of the well, which was carried out by BP, together with an ineffective cement program. The guardian reports this; â€Å"the explosion and the oil spill was the result of a succession of well design, construction, and temporary abandonment decisions that compromised the integrity of the well and compounded the risk of its failure; the Swiss firm, Transocean Ltd, also said that many of the decisions were made by well owner BP in the two weeks before the incident† (The Guardian, 2011). Lacombe (2011) said that the report of Transocean can affect the BP share prices as it indicated that the decisions of BP included narrowing of the geological window in order to keep the drilling safe. Moreover, at the end of the week the BP share prices had declined to arou nd 437.15p (Yahoo Finance, 2011). However, after the sudden decline in the BP share price due to the Transocean report, the company was seen prospering in the market. Weatherford International was the first contractor whom the British Petroleum had been in association with at the Macondo oil well, and the business association continued for quite a long time. And when the financial management of the Weatherford International had taken the decision to clear all the settlement claims with the British Petroleum, the decision created a great effect on the PB share prices. In fact, Weatherford International was the first contractor whom the company was intending to make settlement with, and it was of great significance as the settlement process was moving forward and would potentially create a positive effect on BP share prices. Moreover, the financial management of the company decided to clear all its association at the Macondo oil well which has been the prime target at the oil spill at the Gulf of Mexico during last year. As Lacombe (2011), points out, when the good news about the Weatherford International’s settlement with British Petroleum at Macondo oil well was spread around, the BP share prices increased by 16.1p and was closed at 445.7p. Apart form these, Mitsui of Japan, one of the minority partners of the BP Company at the oil well, also made the decision to settle its claims with the company soon after the Weatherford I

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 106

Summary - Essay Example This development saw music change into an interesting artistic industry, which changed the Africans lives through the information carried in these songs. Garvey and entertainment columnists used music concerts to urge the blacks to develop the black music to another level characterised by slow and low sound beats (Titon, 199). The purpose of advertisements included informing the public of new releases and improvement of the existing ones. This resulted to increased sales. For instance, a national dance made immense contribution to the sharp increase in record sales between 1913 -1915. (Titon, 196). The primary purpose of these records included entertainment and identifying with the music. During the World War, more black people moved to the urban ghettos. It became evident that, the immigration did not hasten the black integration into the white civilised society, however, it emerged that two types of separatism came into existence. The black’s perspective on the establishment of the ghettos formed the belief that the ghettos should grow and become self-sustaining economic and political components. This belief developed to become the black metropolis. The Africans wanted to participate in politics and develop a society where they are recognised (Titon, 98). The advertisement and press coverage in conjunction with capitalist forces from the recording companies defined the down-home blues in such a manner that they have accompaniment voices from the men in the studio and with the aspect of advertisement and live performances, increased the sales. However, the capitalist forces took a lion’s share leaving the artists or owners of the records poor (Titon, 211). For instance, the artist had to incur an expense for recording, copyrights and production. The recording and production companies would only give the artist travelling allowances in return. This made the capitalist rich and the artists poor.

Business Systems Analysis and Decision Support Essay

Business Systems Analysis and Decision Support - Essay Example following three ways will go a long way in ensuring the development of a satisfactory MIS; Business System Planning (BSP), Critical success factor (CSF) and then we have the End/Means (E/M) Analysis (Lotfi & Pegels 1986 pg. 86-102). This is one and the most vital way of determining the requirements of an MIS in MagiCo operations and in any other multinational organization. This methodology is pre-formulated by IBM itself and therefore it is standard for any form of organization that intends to use its applications. This methodology goes a long way in first establishing and listing down all the priorities in terms of Information System of the organization. One of the ways it does this is by identifying the way data is maintained in the system. To arrive at this important requirement, the relevant parties will use data architecture supporting applications (Lotfi & Pegels 1986 pg. 86-102). This will go a long way in defining the classes of data by employing the use of different matrices. As a result, relationship is established within the organization and its processes as well as the data requirements. Because of this approach, MagiCo will be able to find and establish the requirements of its system in the broad c ategorical approaches. The approach as developed by John Rockart takes the dimension of identifying the key business goals and the strategies as are planned to be applied by each manager. These are combined with those of the overall business and a comparison is thereafter made. The business and the management goals are then evaluated and this results into the establishment of the Critical Success Factors that underlie these broad goals and objectives. The identification of the CSFs will mean that the irrelevant factors are eliminated forthwith leaving the analyst with the next step of the CSF analysis (Lotfi & Pegels 1986 pg. 86-102). This is the measure of the effectiveness of CSF an activity which will go ahead in defining the requirements of the

No tpoic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No tpoic - Essay Example There are chances of redundancy when using cellular phones especially for low volume or emergency calls. Mobile satellite transmission can serve as a backup or diverse routing while microwave transmission is a way of promoting redundancy-building connections in either town or colleges. Lower-frequency radio and infrared transmitters connect desktop and server networks. In deed, time and cost of reconnecting networks after a crisis occurs is saved. For communication to continue, transfer of calls to another company location is the solution. However, this is possible if the equipment has the capability of accommodating the extra volume and the existence of enough operators. Commercial call centers help in preventing overflow traffic and most of them operate like data center hot locations whose fee structure resemble each other. This helps in the possibility of receiving messages, forwarding calls, explaining situations, and if with the qualification, taking orders and answering technical questions. Kobe earthquake affects majority of United States and Japan firms directly in reference to raw materials thus reducing production in a notable rate. Further, there is reduced suppliers, inflation, and mismanaged delivery schedule. To solve this problem, a sole supplier must be identified and equip warehouse to handle any delays in supply resulting from any crisis. Another problem is limited manufacturing machinery and knowledgeable personnel majorly because of unpredictable weather and natural calamities. If the possibility of transferring operation to another site within the company is inhibited, it is advisable to arrange with contract manufacturing company to produce and resemble the product. These arrangements should be made early enough and the vendor informed in time. Vendors should be used to supply small quantities for quality checking, minimize ramp-up time, and make the vendor informed

Tuition Fees in United States Essay Example for Free

Tuition Fees in United States Essay Introduction In their best-seller book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki and his co-author Susan L. Lechter encourage people to grow their assets instead of liabilities. In other words, they suggest that we, anyone who wants to be rich, should not spend our money in any way that is no relation with assets creation. While some parts of capitalism idea are true in assets creation, Robert gives hints what to invest in today ever changing market situation. They say that knowledge is the important thing everyone should invest to succeed as his â€Å"Rich Dad† told me when he was a teenager. Knowledge does not mean that we pursue doctorate degree; instead, he suggests that we keep our eyes, ear, and other senses to any changes that we encounter everyday. In this manner, we could obtain knowledge from books, chat with a friend, magazines, pages on the Internet, and even from a barking dog. In compliance with the importance of having appropriate knowledge, in this paper we discuss the increasing number of international students who pursue their study into graduate schools and college in the U.S. To be specific, this paper discusses why international students pay more tuition fee than the U.S. citizen. Aims and Objectives Concerning the discussion of discrepancy of tuition fee between U.S. citizen and international students, this paper will discuss three aims and objectives as following: This paper intends to discuss why many international students eagerly pursue their college and graduate degree in the U.S Using the non-participant observation method, collecting data and analyzing qualitative information from journal, books, magazine and other online materials, this paper aims at discussion factors-factors that cause the tuition fee for international students are larger than the U.S. counterparts. In addition, the paper aims at highlighting the benefits that international student would obtain when they have U.S college or universities degree Attractiveness of U.S Education Institution According to Riley (2008), about 500,000 students coming from various countries in the world pursue their degree in the U.S. universities and college. There are many driving factors that encourage international students to go to the Uncle Sam land instead of to other universities in other part of the world like Europe and Japan. Currently, there are about 4,000 public and private colleges, universities, and community colleges in the U.S. This number includes more than 600 public four-year college and more than 1,650 private four-year colleges and universities (Riley, 2008). According to Riley (2008), the reason behind the increasing number of international students into U.S. education institutions is because they provide very high quality of education standards. This long-time quality is built by a strong partnership between students and their families, the federal government, individual philanthropists, and the states has created sustainable and recognized model of educational standard in the U.S. Since the quality of education can be better if they are challenged with cultural diversity, U.S. educational institution also race for attracting more international students to pursue their study in the U.S in order to create high quality experience and enrich the diversity of the universities. Figure 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Top Universities in the World Source: Paked, 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another factor that encourages international students to pursue their graduate in the U.S is because many times U.S. universities and college are listed as the best universities in the world. This fact becomes the main basis for students since the pride of having U.S. graduates is valuable and saleable when they return to their home countries and chase for new attractive jobs and positions. High Tuition Fee for International Students One interesting fact behind the increasing number of non-resident (international) student that comes into the U.S. to obtain a degree is the difference amount of tuition fees that they should pay to a university compared to those of U.S. residents. For example, in the Idaho State University, students from the U.S. (residents) only pay $2,580.00 per semester. Meanwhile, other students coming from outside the U.S. (Non-residents) would pay about triple than those of the residents, about $6,922.00 per semester. Figure 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   UCLA Tuition Fees for Resident and Non-Residents (International) Students Source: http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees/gradfee.htm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another example of the discrepancy of tuition fee for U.S residents and Non U.S. residents is on the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) that charge U.S. residents about $8,967 and $23,955 for U.S. residents (Figure 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Similarly, the fee for international students at University of California Berkeley is also higher than those of U.S. residents. At UC Berkeley, the tuition fee for U.S. resident is about $4,190.75 per semester. Meanwhile the tuition fee for non-U.S resident is $14,000.75, representing three times higher than the U.S. resident. Figure 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   UC Berkeley Tuition Fees for Resident and Non-Residents Students Source: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Registration/feesched.html Reasons of High Tuition Fee for International Students There are many reasons underlies the decision to charge international or non U.S. resident a much higher tuition fee. They are as following Tax Subsidy According to Idaho State University (2008), the one-third tuition fee for U.S. residents can occurs since two-third of the tuition fee is paid by tax subsidy. By definition, tax subsidy refers to any kind of subsidy that recipients or students in case of tuition fee receive the benefits according to the tax system in the U.S. The origin of tax subsidy is from consumption tax, profit tax, or income tax. Law of Demand According to Open Doors, an organization that focuses on organizing and monitoring the promotion of US educations to foreign students, the number of international students enrolled in United States higher education institution decreases notable during the last 3 years. The last available data however, was regarding the number of international students enrolling in US universities in the academic year of 2003/2004, which is 2.4% lower than the previous year. The decrease in said to be caused by a variety of reasons, some of them are: Difficulties in obtaining student visas Rising of US tuition costs Vigorous recruitment activities by other English-speaking nations (International Students, 2004) This paper is dedicated to discuss the second cause, which is the rising tuition cost in United States. It has been a common knowledge that international students in United States pay two to three times tuition fees as much as those paid by US students. Thus, a considerable portion of these international students rely on grants and loans from US government or other foundations. Others rely on personal loans. The center of attention of this paper is in the persisted increase in the cost of tuition for foreign students due to inflation and decreased percentage of study cost covered by government and other grants. This continuous increase in study costs for international students raise questions on the necessity of charging such a higher tuition fees on international students compare to local students. Economic Matters The study tuition and fees in United States varies from $ 5,000 to $30,000. This does not include the cost of living which is quite high, particularly in areas around Washington, California and New York. For the particular Asian students, the cost of living varies from $ 4,000 to $ 9,000, assuming that the students will live in share apartments, live out of the campus and have less telephone bill other expenses than US students. Students receiving any type of help like TA/RA/Fellowship of GA do not need to worry about costs, but student lacks of those aids must come prepared for the considerable amount of tuition fees and living costs (Spencer, 2005). In 2005, the average cost of tuition rose to $ 5,491, which is a 7% increase from previous year. Including the costs of room and board, the average annual cost of attendance is basically increased to $12,127. Furthermore, if the costs of books, transportation and additional fees are added, the average costs become more than $15,000 nationwide. In some universities, like the University of Miami, the tuition fee alone is $35,000 per semester, with boarding, books and additional costs included, the total costs of education in the University for foreign students is approximately $ 50,000 per semester. These continuing trends of tuition fees enhancement are not without notable effects. The cuts in tuition aids programs along with increased tuition fees have put many low-income students out of college. There are even more notable phenomena where foreign students perform sexually-oriented work to pay for their tuition fees in US (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2008). Attentive Support Just like a service company, the more benefits a customer obtain, the more expensive the price might be. This condition is also true for U.S. universities since about one-third of students (about 1.2 million students) that choose to take study abroad will land in the U. S. The reasons are because U.S. universities provide better services to their students including the Leading Technology to fast track of the student success in the future (Hyperstudy, 2007). Another reason is because education in America represents a high value in most of home-country students. This situation is somewhat similar to branded and non-branded clothing, which means that as branded universities, they charge higher tuition fees for international students (Hyperstudy, 2007). Conclusions This paper elaborates the increasing number of international students who pursue their study into graduate schools and college in the U.S. To be specific, this paper is to answer the follow why international students pay more tuition fee than the U.S. citizen. According to the analysis, the reasons behind this issue is because there are many incentives and benefits that international student may obtain from attending school in the U.S. Reference: Gorski, Paul. (2001). Multicultural Education and the Digital Divide. McGraw Hill. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/multi/philosophy/4divide.html Hyperstudy. (2007). Study Abroad in America. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://www.hyperstudy.com/study-in-usa/study-guide/why-study-in-america.php Idaho State University. (2008). Non-Resident Tuition Fee Waiver. Retrieved April 4, 2008 from http://www.isu.edu/iso/feewaiver.shtml International Student Enrollment declined by 2.4% in 2003/04. 2004. Network. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=50137 Kiyosaki, Robert T., and Susan L. Lechter. (1997). Rich Dad Poor Dad. Paked. (2006). World University /College Rankings. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://www.paked.net/higher_education/rankings/times_rankings_2004.htm Riley, Richard W. (2008). The US college/university experience: An opportunity worth exploring. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://www.paked.net/higher_education/rankings/times_rankings_2004.htm Spencer, Naomi. (2005). University students in US face higher tuition and loan debt. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/aug2005/tuit-a03.shtml . (2005). US colleges and universities increase tuition again. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/oct2005/tuit-o27.shtml Study in the USA. Understanding American Education. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://www.studyusa.com/articles/understanding.asp The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2008). French Students Increasingly Become Prostitutes to Pay Tuition, 2 Books Suggest. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://chronicle.com/news/article/3780/french-students-increasingly-become-prostitutes-to-pay-tuition-2-books-suggest

Runaway Girl by Carissa Phelps Essay Example for Free

Runaway Girl by Carissa Phelps Essay In Runaway Girl by Carissa Phelps the reader knows from the beginning that the main character, Carissa, cant stand discipline and runs away when authority steps in her way. Nevertheless, she creates friendships with people she thinks she can trust, but only ends up getting hurt by their dishonesty and greediness. Carissa is a rebellious, stubborn, independent child who grows into something amazing after all the dramatic tragedies that took part in her life. Carissa is rebellious from the start. She transitions from being scared to go to school on the first day, to yelling a few weeks later, â€Å"Fuck you†, to a substitute teacher. Not to mention Carissas hormones are kicking in and shes crushing on this kid Fernando on the football team and, ends up staying out all night just to come home to getting yelled at and getting grounded. Carissa doesnt agree with such punishment so in turn , she ends up running away. The worst of Carissas deception is her plan on figuring out wheres shes going to stay, what shes going to eat, her struggle of fighting to stay alive, and more importantly what the cops have to say about her running away. As a child Carissa had poor judgment on the real world. When she was on her own, she thought that she was invincible and nothing bad could ever happen to her until, she met Icey. He changed Carissas life in less than a heart beat. Carissa went from being the boss of herself while being a runaway to being a black mans prostitute at the age of 12. Carissa wasnt in control of her own well-being anymore, Icey was. Carissa merely followed Iceys instructions especially because she despised him so greatly, but she thought that he cared about her because he fed her and bought her things and talked to her ever so sweetly, compared to the other girls. All of this was stopped when the people Carissa despised ,for busting her every time she ran away, came to her rescue when Icey screwed up by stealing a car. She soon learned that authority was just there to help her and free her of Iceys control. At juvenile hall Carissa met someone that helped change her life forever. His name was Ron. He was the counselor at Wakefield and just by handing a spiral notebook over to Carissa and telling her to write in it and â€Å"tell her story†, Carissas life was soon on its way to a new beginning.

History Of The Frame Relay

History Of The Frame Relay Frame Relay is a high-performance WAN protocol that operates at the physical and data link layers of the OSI reference model. Frame Relay originally was designed for use across Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) interfaces. Today, it is used over a variety of other network interfaces as well. Frame Relay is an example of a packet-switched technology. Packet-switched networks enable end stations to dynamically share the network medium and the available bandwidth.  [1]  The following two techniques are used in packet switching technology: Variable length packets Statistical multiplexing Variable-length packets are used for more efficient and flexible data transfers. These packets are switched between the various segments in the network until the destination is reached. Statistical multiplexing techniques control network access in a packet-switched network. The advantage of this technique is that it accommodates more flexibility and more efficient use of bandwidth. Most of todays popular LANs, such as Ethernet and Token Ring, are packet-switched networks. Frame Relay often is described as a streamlined version of X.25, offering fewer of the robust capabilities, such as windowing and retransmission of last data that are offered in X.25. This is because Frame Relay typically operates over WAN facilities that offer more reliable connection services and a higher degree of reliability than the facilities available during the late 1970s and early 1980s that served as the common platforms for X.25 WANs. As mentioned earlier, Frame Relay is strictly a Layer 2 protocol suite, whereas X.25 provides services at Layer 3 (the network layer) as well. This enables Frame Relay to offer higher performance and greater transmission efficiency than X.25, and makes Fram e Relay suitable for current WAN applications, such as LAN interconnection.  [2]   History of Frame Relay Over the last decade, packet switching technology has been dominated by X.25, one of the oldest and most widely used communication transports in the world. Many sources describe frame relay as the next generation of packet switching. Frame relay derives its origins from the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) specifications developed in the 1980s. The first contributions to the standards communities on the frame relay protocol appeared in late 1984. However, it was not until 1988 that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Technical Committee T1 approved the initial frame relay specification. Frame relay services started to become generally available in late 1993.With the rapid evolution of reliable data communications equipment and transmission facilities, frame relay has become more and more popular as the next step in packet technology transport.  [3]   What is X.25 Protocol X.25 is an International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) protocol standard for WAN communications that defines how connections between user devices and network devices are established and maintained. X.25 network devices fall into three general categories: data terminal equipment (DTE), data circuit-terminating equipment (DCE), and packet-switching exchange (PSE). Data terminal equipment devices are end systems that communicate across the X.25 network. DCE devices are communications devices, such as modems and packet switches, which provide the interface between DTE devices and a PSE. PSEs are switches that compose the bulk of the carriers network. They transfer data from one DTE device to another through the X.25 PSN. The figure above illustrates the relationships among the three types of X.25 network devices.  [4]   X.25 versus Frame Relay Frame relay is a telecommunication service designed for cost-efficient data transmission for intermittent traffic between local area networks (LANs) and between end-points in a wide area network (WAN). Frame relay puts data in a variable-size unit called a frame and leaves any necessary error correction (retransmission of data) up to the end-points, which speeds up overall data transmission. Frame relay is provided on fractional T-1 or full T-carrier system carriers. Frame relay complements and provides a mid-range service between ISDN, which offers bandwidth at 128 Kbps, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), which operates in somewhat similar fashion to frame relay but at speeds from 155.520 Mbps or 622.080 Mbps. Frame relay is based on the older X.25 packet-switching technology which was designed for transmitting analog data such as voice conversations. Unlike X.25 which was designed for analog signals, frame relay is a fast packet technology, which means that the protocol does not attempt to correct errors. When an error is detected in a frame, it is simply dropped. (thrown away). The end points are responsible for detecting and retransmitting dropped frames. (However, the incidence of error in digital networks is extraordinarily small relative to analog networks.) Frame relay is often used to connect local area networks with major backbones as well as on public wide area networks and also in private network environments with leased lines over T-1 lines. It requires a dedicated connection during the transmission period. Its not ideally suited for voice or video transmission, which requires a steady flow of transmissions. However, under certain circumstances, it is used for voice and video t ransmission. Frame relay transmits packets at the data link layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model rather than at the Network layer. A frame can incorporate packets from different protocols such as Ethernet and X.25. It is variable in size and can be as large as a thousand bytes or more. Frame relay relies on the customer equipment to perform end to end error correction. Each switch inside a frame relay network just relays the data (frame) to the next switch. X.25, in contrast, performs error correction from switch to switch. The networks of today are sufficiently error free to move the burden of error correction to the end points. Most modern protocols such as SDLC, HDLC, TCP/IP, stat mux protocols do that anyway.  [5]   How Frame Relay Works When looking into frame relay, most people raise the following question: How can one router with a single direct link into a frame relay network establish connection with multiple routers or CPEs? To answer this question, lets first define some terms. The discussion following these definitions will give you a better understanding of how PVCs, DLCIs and LMI function together to enable and manage frame relay links to other routers. PVC Permanent Virtual Circuits are one example of connection-oriented service. Most protocols operate in connection-oriented mode. This makes more efficient use of the circuit by bringing down the link when not in use. DLCI the Data Link Connection Identifier distinguishes separate virtual circuits across each access connection. It allows the frame (packet) to be routed to the correct destination within a frame relay network. This is similar to X.25 implementation of the LAP-D core protocol functions. Frame Relay Packet Format Like other bit-synchronous protocols, frame relay uses a frame or packet structure as the basis for transmission. The frame format used by frame relay is based on Link Access Protocol for ISDN-D channels, which defines the functions for the OSI Data-link layer. (The frame structure for frame relay is derived from the high-level data link control or HDLC procedure.) Frame relay was originally defined by the CCITT as a network service within the framework of ISDN. Because hardware already provided support of ISDN, using the derivative of the LAP-D protocol cuts down on protocol implementation and the need to change hardware. Structure of a frame relay Packet. Explanation of Packet. The fields in the frame relay packet are as follows: The Flag fields delimit where the data frame begins and ends.The Frame Relay Header contains the DLCI, the FECN and BECN bits, and other information (see the Operation section for a description of how the header is used).The Information field holds the actual data being transmitted (the payload). It can hold from 262 to 1600 or more octets (equivalent to a byte). The FCS (Frame Check Sequence) is an error checking field. Frame relay uses a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). If Frame Relay detects an error here, it drops the frame. The Network-layer protocol must request a retransmission. The DLCI fields in the frame relay. The fields in the frame relay address header contain the Data Link Connection Identifier, described earlier. These fields can store two octets containing a 10-bit DLCI.The EA (Extended Address) bits make it possible to extend the header field to support DLCI addresses of more than 10 bits. The FECN (Forward Explicit Congestion Notification) bit may be used to notify the user that congestion was experienced in the direction of the frame carrying the FECN indication. The BECN (Backward Explicit Congestion Notification) bit may be used to notify the user that congestion was experienced in the opposite direction of the frame carrying the FECN indication. The C/R field in the header contains Command/Response information. These bits relate to congestion information stored if the network is experiencing congestion because several data sources are contending for the same bandwidth. The DE (Discard Eligibility) bit allows the network to determine which fram es may be discarded under congestion situations. Example of how DLCI addresses are used in sending packets across a frame relay network. When the network becomes congested to the point that it cannot process new data transmissions, it begins to discard frames. These discarded frames are retransmitted, thus causing more congestion. In an effort to prevent this situation, several mechanisms have been developed to notify user devices at the onset of congestion, so that the offered load may be reduced. Two bits in the Frame Relay header are used to signal the user device that congestion is occurring on the line: They are the Forward Explicit Congestion Notification (FECN) bit and the Backward Explicit Congestion Notification (BECN) bit. The FECN is changed to 1 as a frame is sent downstream toward the destination location when congestion occurs during data transmission. In this way, all downstream nodes and the attached user device learn about congestion on the line. The BECN is changed to 1 in a frame traveling back toward the source of data transmission on a path where congestion is occurring. Thus the source node is no tified to slow down transmission until congestion subsided. Frame relay places the responsibility of ensuring data delivery on the end-point devices that are operating with multi-level protocols. End-points can be devices such as networks, workstations, and hosts. To ensure that all packets have been received, the Transport layer (layer 4) of the OSI model places a sequence number on the frames that are sent. As with X.25, this functionality is performed in the Data-link layer. Special management frames, with a unique DLCI address, can be passed between the network and the access device. These frames monitor the status of the link and indicate whether the link is active or inactive. They can also pass information regarding status of the PVC and DLCI changes. This frame relay management protocol is referred to as the Local Management Interface (LMI). Its function is to provide information about PVC status. Originally, the frame relay specification did not provide for this kind of status. Since then, a method for LMI has been developed and has been incorporated into the ANSI and CCITT standards. Advantages of Frame Relay The main advantage of Frame Relay over point-to-point leased lines is cost. Frame Relay can provide performance similar to that of a leased line, but with significantly less cost over long distances. The reason is the customer only has to make a dedicated point-to-point connection to the providers nearest frame switch. From there the data travels over the providers shared network. The price of leased lines generally increases based on distance. So, this short-haul point-to-point connection is significantly less expensive than making a dedicated point-to-point connection over a long distance. The three main areas in which frame relay demonstrates significant advantages over other WAN protocols are: Reduced internetworking costs (in both hardware and carrier tariffs) Increased performance with reduced network complexity Increased interoperability via international standards Increased Performance with Reduced Network Complexity. Frame relay reduces the complexity of the physical network without disrupting higher-level network functions. Frame Relay functions using only the bottom two layers of the OSI model, as compared to X.25 which includes the Network layer. By reducing the amount of processing required, and by efficiently using high-speed digital transmission lines, frame relay can improve performance and response times for most applications. Disadvantages of Frame Relay Although frame relay has many advantages, there are two areas within frame relay that can promote potential problems: congestion control and frame discard. Congestion Control. As with most WAN services, without careful design, a frame relay network can quickly become congested. When frames are being sent beyond the agreed CIR,(Committed Information Rate) there is eligibility for discarding frames due to congestion. Frame Discard. When a problem is experienced with a single frame, frame relay simply ignores the problem and discards the frame. If a large number of problems occur, a significant number of frames are discarded and the end user system must recover from the situation. These errors cause retransmissions, thus placing additional bandwidth demands on the frame relay network. ANSI applied specifications for Congestion Notification Mechanisms to allow frame relay devices to indicate the existence of congestion in the network. In the frame relay packet header, two bits are used for explicit congestion notification: Forward explicit congestion notification (FECN) Backward explicit congestion notification (BECN) When a node on the network approaches a congestion condition caused by a temporary peak in traffic, the node detects the onset of congestion and signals all the downstream nodes. All attached devices learn that congestion has occurred and minimize until the network traffic subsides, as shown in the Figure below. The FECN and BECN bits can be used for congestion control in a frame relay network. In the case of traffic going in one direction (that is, from Florida to California), frame relay standards prohibit the network from generating any frames with the DLCI (Data Link Control Identifier) of a particular virtual circuit causing the traffic. Therefore, the congestion notification must wait for traffic in the reverse direction. Frame Relay Applications The most popular frame relay application provides companies with local area network (LAN) to LAN communication. This allows companies to integrate their information systems in order to have employees throughout the enterprise to access specific information residing on a LAN somewhere in the enterprise. The devices on the LANs can communicate over the frame relay network regardless of their native protocol. For example, native protocols that can traverse frame relay networks include SNA, DECnet, IPX, TCP/IP, and AppleTalk. Therefore, frame relay has the ability to make the users perceive that the entire company is on one large LAN. Application software such as groupware, e-mail, document sharing, database and many other LAN applications can utilize frame relay technology. Companies are also integrating communication for legacy systems, such as SNA, onto frame relay networks (Thyfault, 1995B). This allows companies to connect devices such as cluster controllers and front-end processors directly to FRADs in order to use the frame relay network for communications. Frame relays ability to support both the legacy applications and LAN applications provides an excellent backbone for those companies that are in the process of migrating their information systems from centralized mainframe processing to distributed client/server systems. Companies can turn up legacy applications on the frame relay network and slowly migrate the LAN applications as they are developed. Conclusion Frame relay is a simplified form of packet-mode switching, optimized for transporting todays protocol-oriented data. The result of this simplification is that frame relay offers higher throughput, while still retaining the bandwidth and equipment efficiencies that come from having multiple virtual circuits share a single port and transmission facility. Thus, the use of frame relay can: Reduce the cost of transmission facilities and equipment Provide increased performance, reliability, and application response time Increase interoperability through well-defined international standards A major reason for the high level of interest in frame relay is that it is a technology that has been developed in response to a clear market need. With the proliferation of powerful end-point devices (such as PCS and workstations) operating with intelligent protocols (such a TCP/IP, XNS and DECnet), users are seeking WAN communication methods that offer higher throughput and more cost-effective use of digital transmission lines. With that need in mind, frame relay has been developed and standardized to have precisely the combination of characteristics needed by todays corporate networks. Coupled with the NetWare MultiProtocol Router, frame relay provides customers a flexible, highly manageable solution at a reasonable cost. Frame relay is just one of many WAN alternatives available. Given the right planning, it will provide users with efficient high-bandwidth connectivity now and into the future. Endnotes

President Bill Clinton :: William Jefferson Clinton Essays

As Americans we feel we have the right to know everything about everyone. Yet, when it comes to our own personal lives, we don’t want people sticking their noses in our business. All over the United States of America you can turn on the television and see some talk show about â€Å"Who’s the babies Daddy,† or something that has to do with some obscene incident that no one would ever want to admit to have happening. As people we thrive off of other people’s bliss and misery. It is a trait that every person possesses; we all want to hear about other lives. Sometimes this trait can cause problems, for example, when former president Bill Clinton was questioned on incidents involving Monica Lewinsky. Why do we allow our country to make other people’s issues our own? Clinton was a victim to our countries belief of thinking that it is there â€Å"RIGHT† to know about the president’s personal life. Although Clinton originally lied to our country about having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, the manner that he was questioned in was wrong. The press and media put him in an uncomfortable situation. Clinton knowing that what he had been doing was wrong, he hadn’t told his wife or family, and wasn’t ready to admit to cheating on his wife in front of the nation. Being as the embarrassment was too much to handle. Clinton went many months telling lies on the happening with Lewinsky. Finally on August 7, 1998 Clinton came out before the Office of Independent Counsel and a grand jury and gave his presidential address from the Map Room of the White House. Clinton stated that he had misled people into believing he did not have sexual relations. He came out and told the world that he did in fact have these relations with Lewinsky. The questions were not all answered and there was still more that the American public wanted to know. Although Clinton told the truth about Lewinsky, there were many whispers going around about drug usage in the Oval Office. Jack Christy of the USA Radio Network had an exclusive interview with Clinton and there were many questions asked that were not answered and for good reason. When Clinton was asked about the drug issue he was â€Å"surprised and hostile† when asked about â€Å"a matter that was not public.† Bill Clinton. There were many questions involving Lewinsky bringing drugs into the Oval Office.

Practice Commentary :: English Literature

Practice Commentary This passage taken from Denton Welch’s Maiden Voyage, introduces the readers to the main character (whose name is not mentioned) in a place that is not well known to the main character. Through the use of foreshadowing, symbolism, effective setting and characterization the author is able to successfully display a situation where an adolescent’s rebelliousness leads him into trouble and unexpected events. This passage begins with one of the characters, Mr. Butler, telling the main character, â€Å"Foreigners are not very popular here.† This very first line of the passage acts as a great opening sentence as it foreshadows the horrifying event that follows and it sets up the ominous and menacing mood of the passage. However this sentence is written so that it is an understatement and thus even though it still foreshadows the event that follows in a subtle way, it does not decrease the effect of that event has on the readers. If the foreshadowing had been made more obvious like, â€Å"Don’t go outside or else they will kill you.† then the readers would not be so surprised when the identity of the object found by the main character is revealed and when the main character finds himself trapped. The author also uses symbolism in order to reveal the identity of the object found by the main character. It is first mentioned as a â€Å"black speck† and because the color black is usually associated with death and evil it catches the reader’s attention and arouses suspicion. Next as the main character gets closer to the object he wonders, â€Å"if it could be a cat crouching in the middle of the road,† or even a dark boulder. By this time the readers are sure that the object being mentioned is going to be an unusual yet scary thing because it is being compared to a black cat (which is seen as an omen) and a boulder (which is seen as an obstacle in ones path). The most important aspect of this passage is its setting as through the setting, the situation of the main character feeling imprisoned in the villa and then becoming trapped is made to seem more realistic and is also made easier to imagine. In the starting the villa in which the main character is staying is said to be surrounded by poplar trees that are tall and thin and are planted in straight lines. This gives the readers the feeling that these trees act as barriers between the villa and the Chinese city that lies outside and maybe even guards the people living inside the villa from the outside dangers. Apart from this it gives a sense of why the main character

Essay --

1.0 INTRODUCTION This report will attempt to critically analyse and assess the internal and external factors which effected the strategic decisions made by eBay. These strategic decisions consisted of the acquisitions with Skype and PayPal coupled together with an analysis on why eBay failed may have failed in expanding their online presence in eastern parts on the globe such as China. 2.0 BACKGROUND EBay is an American internet based co-operation with its main headquarters in California. It was first set up in 1995 and has become one of the world’s most successful companies ever with ebay.com being the company’s main area of focus. Ebay.com is an online auction and shopping website where people and business have the opportunity to sell and buy goods and services worldwide. 3.0 THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT E-marketing is a fast growing and rapid platform for any form of business. EBay has been highly successful over recent years and this is a perfect example of an online business. The internal and external environments are constantly changing and in order to keep up with these changes, businesses and organisations must make relevant changes, and generate new strategies to keep up with contemporary developments in e-marketing and to also maintain their position in their market in comparison to their competitors. The strategic decision to form an acquisition with Skype in 2005 was made and the deal was said to be worth $2.6 billion. It is argued by eBay that with Skype it is able to create an â€Å"un-paralleled e-commerce engine†. This acquisition was a follow up of purchasing PayPal in 2002. Acquiring these prominent companies has allowed eBay to forge greater links on order to dominate specific regions of the world. Thes... ...ount of untrustworthy and reliable sellers. EBay could counteract this problem by implementing a strategy where eBay would have the authority to terminate a user’s account if their rating in percentage dropped below 60%. This strategy may help the organisation to reduce the amount of unreliable seller resulting in a much more safer and reliable market platform where people would be able to purchase products at ease without any hassle. 6.0 CONCLUSION In light of the analysis made above; an attempt has been made construct a critical analysis of the internal and external environment which influenced eBay’s strategic decision to form acquisitions with Skype and PayPal along with its performance in eastern countries. These factors were supported through various forms of research and background reading in order to support the validity of the points raised in this report.

Plastic Cups Industry

{draw:frame} December 8, 2009 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 2 Industry/Product Category Overview 2 Market Size 2 Growth of Product Category 3 Recent Product Innovations 3 Market Sub-Segments 4 MARKET SECTOR RESEARCH 4 Differentiation 5 Value to Consumers 5 Fit in the Market 5 Pricing Strategies within Market 6 NEW PRODUCT INFORMATION 7 PRICING STRATEGY, TACTICS, AND THEORY 8 CONCLUSIONS 9 BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 Introduction Industry/Product Category Overview The Foodservice Packaging industry deals with plastic products such as plastic bowls, cups, plates and cutlery. The industry encompasses packaging for the home, commercial use and government institutions, such as schools and correctional facilities. Specifically, the product being developed belongs to the reusable cup category, in which the primary national competitor is Solo Cup Company. Although the Foodservice Packaging Industry was impacted by the economic situation, the challenges proved beneficial for the industry as they led to increase in product innovation. More notable, the â€Å"greening† of products, making them less harmful to the environment, has become a signal of the changing times. Additionally, the reason for the resiliency in some product categories in the industry, is the result of consumers downgrading their, spending on dining out and increasing their spending on home cooked meals. As consumers continue to downscale they will be looking for more disposable items to use in their homes. The foodservices packaging industry contains already established firms, such as Solo Cup Company, however, our product will service a niche in the market not effectively reached by other vendors. Market Size Recycled, reusable plastic wear finds its place in the disposable sector of the industry under the segment, â€Å"Cups and Lids. This market accounts for several segments of plastic ware: Cups and Lids, Containers, Dinnerware and others. In addition, the market includes several â€Å"end-use† markets such as restaurants, retail stores, and various institutions. With respect to the â€Å"cup and lid† market the U. S. is predicting increases over the course o f a four-year layout. It has been speculated that between now and 2012, demand for this respective segment will continue to grow by approximately 4. 3 percent to a figure of $7. 8 billion. Looking further ahead, we see predictions that this industry is expected to eventually reach $16. 52 billion by year 2015. This growth has been associated with increasing away-from-home expenditure, and dual-income families with reduced time for making elaborate home cooked meals, finds immense applications in restaurants, institutions, and retail stores among others. Increase in the number of working women and changing trends in ethnicity have also led to greater indulgence in foodservice disposables. While these aren’t figures directed at the cup market in its entirety, research has noticed a close correlation between purchasing plastic dinnerware (i. e. plastic plates and eating utensils) and the significant increase in plastic drink ware. It’s been noted, however, that of the foodservice market, cups and lids are anticipated to produce the quickest growth in profit from now until 2015. This is expected to be fueled by the increasing demand in environmentally friendly cups, such as compostable cups or recycled content cups, will add value gains as these cups tend to be higher in price than conventional cups, thus generating a respectable profit. Growth of Product Category The Solo cup company was founded in 1936. Solo was and still is one of the biggest companies in the plastic disposable cup industry. In 2006, the company posted sales of over 2. billion dollars. Since the founding of the consumer packaging industry, growth has been exponential. The industry is multi-billion dollar commerce and one that most consumers contribute to at one point or another. Plastic cups are now an everyday item in many people’s lives and have literally countless uses. With the modern, fast-paced lifestyle, convenient, disp osable plastic cups are practical. There are also niche products that are still plastic disposable cups but they have a bit of flare to them. Some of these products include insulated plastic cups and cups that have hand grips added to them. The first Solo red, basic cup that most people know was introduced in late 1972. Since then, the popularity has grown exponentially. What used to be just a family consumer product has now morphed into a product that is used by some of the biggest corporations in the world. 80% of Solo’s sales come from these large corporations such as Starbucks and fast food restaurants who use other, smaller containers as condiment holders. What started out as just simple cups has evolved into something much more broad and diverse. The aforementioned condiment containers are an example. Another example would be the lines of complete tableware that some companies now offer. They are entirely plastic and disposable, just like the cups. The industry has grown from just a simple singular product into completely separate lines and product trees. The expansion from the beginning is enormous. Recent Product Innovations In the plastic tableware industry, lines have blurred between â€Å"disposable† and â€Å"reusable. † With many disposable cups now being marketed as dishwasher safe, low-grade dinnerware has become single-use for some market segments, but multiple-use for others. The â€Å"Green† movement has also influenced this industry. Increasingly, consumers are willing to spend more on products made from recycled or biodegradable materials. Several companies have taken advantage of this new market segment by promoting â€Å"green† product lines. MicroGreen Polymers, for example, is a Seattle-based company that manufactures disposable coffee cups produced from recycled pop bottles. The company uses a thermoformed plastic technique that infuses tiny bubbles into the plastic, resulting in a â€Å"more bang for your buck† product. In addition to resisting temperatures up to 400 degrees, the product also costs fifteen to twenty percent less than competing products. Another eco-friendly tableware producer is EcoProducts, which makes plastic-looking cups that are made from compostable corn. The cups require less energy than a traditional plastic cup to produce, resist heat up to 145 degrees, and compost in only 45 days. Solo Cup Company, the market share leader in plastic cup manufacturing, has also come out with a line of â€Å"green† products called â€Å"Bare. † It is the first nationally available full line of food service and consumer products made of recyclable or renewable materials, and because Solo has the brand recognition that emerging companies don’t, it has a unique advantage over the competition. Another recent product innovation is the beveled cup design that allows for a slip-free grip of the beverage. Solo has released products with this feature called â€Å"Grip Cups†, while Hefty released a similar product called the â€Å"Easy Grip Cup. † Advancement in the industry is the development of color-changing plastics which are being used in the production of low-grade cups. The company MoodCups uses this technology to produce customizable cups for large-scale customers that change color in response to contact with cold temperatures. MoodCups is one of a variety of companies which currently utilize this technology, but thus far the products are only available in mass orders of 250 or more rather than in family-size quantities. Market Sub-Segments There are two main market sub-segments for this product: college students and home users. College students (24 and under) are often price sensitive, with less sensitivity to quality. Additionally, this segment already uses this type of cup for playing drinking games, keg parties, and everyday cup use. Kooler cups will be a draw to this segment because of their unique color-changing technology, low price, and versatility. Home users, generally classified as those consumers 25 and older, are interested in value rather than price alone. The ability to use the product we have created, Kooler Cups, at dinner parties or in everyday settings will add value to the product for this segment. As with college students, these cups will draw in home users looking for that little extra bit of flare to throw in at a home party or with the kids. Market Sector Research The presence of myriad â€Å"off-brands† offering substitute products to the classic Solo cup creates a unique challenge in this product category. While Solo remains the number one competitor in this product category, almost identical products are available to consumers at a lower cost that are packaged under generic and store brands. Throughout our in-the-field pricing research, we found that the store brand alternatives to Solo cups were consistently priced much lower than comparable name-brand products. Differentiation Our product will compete with existing products in the market sector through characteristic differentiation rather than low cost. Kooler Cups will be considered somewhat of a novelty item by offering consumers the ability to own a disposable cup that is more fun and different that other items they see by major competitors. Kooler Cups are temperature activated cups that change colors which add excitement and allows for the consumers to see that the beverage is the perfect temperature. This feature is currently not part of the market our product is entering and this is a main reason it will be successful. Additionally, Kooler Cups are made of a harder plastic that is both inexpensive and manufactured of a higher quality material than competing products. By producing Kooler Cups with a higher quality material, we can ensure that the product is dishwasher safe. Value to consumers These unique features bring a whole new set of desirable and valuable traits of disposable cups to the consumer. The higher quality material establishes a large part of the value of the product as consumer will pay less for a reusable cup that is able to be disposed at the consumer’s discretion. This feature allows for a range of uses at an affordable price which leads to a decrease in consumer disappointment with the accidental destruction or loss of the product. Additionally, the products material provides value by being dishwasher safe which will decrease the spread of germs or residue that may occur with hand wash only cups offered by major competitors. The new material will also add to the ease of cleaning the product, saving the consumer time as well as money because they will need to purchase the cups as frequently. The color change features adds value by bringing an element of surprise and excitement to whatever event the product is used at. For the inexpensive nature of the product, this feature will be a major selling point and will lead to a higher perceived value by consumers. Fit in the market Kooler Cups will participate in the disposable food service products market with products manufactured by major companies like Solo Cup Inc. Kooler Cups will be available at a comparable price to other products in the market because they can be considered disposable even though they are not necessarily one-time use cups. We will package and sell Kooler Cups in comparable quantities to its competitors in the market to encourage the selection of this product for gatherings where many cups are required. Pricing Strategies within Market With several outside factors affecting the profitability and bottom line of a firm, pricing plays a crucial role in reaching that yield. Understanding the costs associated with the product (cost of goods sold and operating expense) is the first step before determining an appropriate pricing strategy. The cost of goods sold accounts for the various costs that go into production of the good as well as shipping and handling expenses. In addition, operating expense takes into consideration the costs associated with overhead, marketing, payroll, and office supplies. The pricing strategy used should more than cover these expenses to result in a respectable profit. With respect to the Palouse region, it appears that our main competitor, Solo Cups is employing a promotional pricing strategy. This strategy is best used as new products are introduced into the market, or in our case, to stimulate demand for an already-established product. The demand for this well established product comes with respect to seasonal changes, given the â€Å"special events† occurring during those seasons. During the fall and winter months, Solo cups are found on sale because of the influence of the two most common sports in our area, football and basketball. With the multitude of residents who tailgate as well as attend or host pre-game parties, breakeven on sales of cups are surely met and exceeded with the use of effective promotional efforts. Also, it was noticed that during off seasons such as late spring throughout summer, the plastic cup industry aims to target the outdoor enthusiast crowd. This group includes those involved with barbequing, casual camping, outdoor sporting events, as well as general picnicking. With this, Solo can maximize reach of its target audience under various shifts, both seasonally as well as activity-based by providing a recognizable price during these respective months as well as using other products to help promote their cups. Upon visiting local stores such as WinCo, Wal-Mart, Rosauers, and Safeway, we observed that Solo Cup places a significant emphasis on product positioning as they are determined to set an inviting, yet profitable price. In WinCo, Rosauers and Safeway, they take advantage of end-cap displays generally strategically positioned with complementary products such as America’s â€Å"beverage of choice,† Busch Light and Keystone beer. This type of strategy grabs the consumer’s attention through use of effective signage, as they are stocking up on supplies for any given event. Given the availability of wide aisles, such as the bordering aisles at Wal-Mart, Solo can position its cups at conveniently located product islands. These islands are also generally shared with other complimentary items, namely Busch Light and Keystone beer as well as twelve pack cases of soda. This is especially effective because people will pass these islands on their way to satisfy their regular shopping lists, being reminded of their need for cups and beverages, if not already realized. New Product Information Our product is a sixteen ounce plastic cup. The features that distinguish Kooler Cups are that they are reusable, dishwasher safe, and color-changing. We believe that by adding these, our product will have value associated with it that the products we are competing with do not have. These features add extra cost to the production of the cups; however, these will be strong selling points to the consumers and will bring in the volume of sales needed to counter the extra costs. By having Kooler Cups made as reusable and dishwasher safe cups, they are more appealing to a broader market, ranging from the household parent who is purchasing to entertain guests, to the college student who is looking for an affordable option as a party cup, and everyone else in between. If a consumer were to go to the grocery store and purchase a pack of Solo brand cups, they would use them for the evening, and throw them away at the end of the night just like any other trash. However, with Kooler Cups, the consumer is able to use the time after time, making our product a much better value over the life of the cup. Kooler Cups will be the life of the party with the color changing technology. This feature will appeal especially to college students looking something extra to have at their party, as well as being a strong selling feature to mothers who go hopping with their children. It is a feature that is sure to be determining factor in the minds of potential consumers, and will result in Kooler Cups gaining a sizable amount of market share from the product launch. Kooler Cups will be positioned on the shelf where all of the other plastic party supplies are located. They will be at a higher price point than most of the competing products because of the reusability a nd color changing features of the cups. Kooler Cups will be offered in packs of twelve, even though many of the competing plastic cups come in packages of twenty. Our product cost would be too high if we offered packs of twenty, so at packs of twelve, the price will seem closer to the competing cups, even though the price per cup will be much higher. The Kooler Cups will sell in packs of twelve cups, and made so that they are stackable. The design of the cup will have a more modern of a look, with a slight outward curve on the upper half of the cup. It will be constructed out of Polypropylene plastic (No. 5), which is a food safe plastic that is dishwasher safe and more durable than Polystyrene (No. 6) that Solo brand cups are made out of. Polypropylene plastic is also able to be engineered to have thermodynamic qualities. Forecasting the demand of our product has proven to be somewhat of a difficult task. After looking at many different factors, the estimated monthly demand in the first year of Kooler Cups is 155,000 packages of Kooler Cups. This was found by looking at the total amount of college student in the United States which is about 14 million. We estimate that probably about 3/5’s of college students participate in drinking, which would bring the number of college age drinkers to 8,400,000. Assuming that each drinking college student consumes about 3 plastic cups a month that would bring the number of cups used monthly to 25,200,000. We are estimating an initial market share of 5%, which would equal 1,260,000 cups purchased monthly. That is 105,000 packages of cups sold per month, and we added an additional 50,000 cups to be consumed by other markets such as households. This gives us a monthly demand of 155,000 packages of Kooler Cups. Pricing Strategy, Tactics, and Theory Our plan is to implement a price-skimming strategy to establish Kooler Cups as a competitor in the market. By pricing the cups slightly higher than our primary competitor, Solo Cup, we will communicate high product value and capture the price insensitive market first. While the price for a package of thirty sixteen oz. Solo cups ranges from $2. 67 to $5. 49 (depending on the distribution channel), we will package our product in twelve cup packages for approximately $3. 99. Because our production cost per cup is much higher due to the higher-grade plastic used for raw materials and the thermodynamic technology, offering the same package size as Solo would make the price per cup difference obvious. However, packaging the cups in sets of twelve accomplishes two goals: 1) increasing the customers’ propensity to purchase the product because the package price is within an acceptable range of competitors’ prices, and 2) reinforcing the reusable feature of the cups (i. e. , if they’re reusable, why buy thirty of them? ). Once the price insensitive market is saturated, we will lower the price slightly to capture more price sensitive markets. Logistically, this strategy makes sense for a company starting with limited production capacity. As a result of high startup costs and little brand awareness (and, consequently, low initial revenues), we will only have the capital to produce limited quantities of the product in the beginning. Then, as brand awareness increases and we begin to re-coop our startup costs, we will generate enough cash flow to increase production capacity and decrease our cost per cup. With a lower cost per cup, we can lower the price without eroding our margins. Because our product has a differentiating feature (the color changing technology), we won’t be forced to compete on price. Additionally, since there are no comparable substitutes for this product’s differentiating feature, we can be the ones to determine its value. Rather than choosing between a name brand Solo cup and a store brand cup that looks virtually identical, customers are choosing between a commodity (the classic disposable cup) and a whole new product entirely. Firms often times find too much comfort in their pricing strategy, and are too optimistic, that they fail to realize what could go wrong with regards to sales or driven demand. As a business, it’s crucial to analyze these â€Å"what-ifs,† if you will, to determine the next plan of action. It becomes entirely necessary during the initial stages of product development and marketing, to come up with something known as a worst case scenario. So, with this scenario in mind, what if the demand for Kooler Cups plummeted during the first three to six months, creating a significant decrease in our sales figures? Would we just â€Å"call it quits,† and bail before too much of our time, money, and efforts are wasted? Well, the primary strategy behind price-skimming doesn’t say to bail, but instead reduce price if that initial market isn’t purchasing our product. The idea behind this strategy resides in the fact that there are different pricing phases over time to generate profits with respect to various price-sensitive markets. If, in our case, consumers aren’t buying during the initial phase of pricing [first 3-6 months], we will reduce the price to try and capture the next segment, using an effective promotional strategy. For example, we would attach a $. 50 off coupon on the outside of the package, as to not degrade the price or brand of the cups, but increase the value leading to higher sales volume. This will keep broadening the consumer base until, eventually, we have maximum market potential given our product. Looking on the other end, if sales skyrocket given a drastic increase in demand, there are a couple different options to consider: increase capacity while maintaining (or even lowering) price, or implement a slight price-increase to counteract demand. Seeing as the product is rather new into the market and un- established, most would agree that the appropriate strategy to take would be to slightly increase price without coming across to customers as charging an unreasonably high price. A brand new business, such as ours, would not hold the necessary resources needed to expand and increase capacity (i. e. purchasing new equipment or hiring additional people). The next best alternative at hand would be a slight price increase until demand starts to level off again. *Conclusion * The disposable sector of the Foodservice Packaging industry is comprised of single-use products such as plastic bowls, cups, lids and cutlery for the commercial, government and home use sectors. The specific product category that Kooler Cups will be competing in is titled â€Å"Cups & Lids†, and includes disposable beverage products made from various grades of plastic, Styrofoam and molded paper. This category is projected to have the highest revenue growth between now and 2015, due largely to innovations in environmentally friendly products such as compostable cups and cups made from recycled materials. Solo Cup Company, the primary competitor in this product category, has overwhelming market share and posted sales of $2. 4 billion in 2006. Created in 1936, Solo enjoys well-established brand equity and has the advantage of low production costs due to its high volume manufacturing. These factors allow Solo to retail its products at a premium price, resulting in high profit margins. By differentiating our product based on its unique characteristics, we will enter the market as a high-quality alternative to the classic Solo cup. With its color changing technology and durability, Kooler Cups will compete in the market by providing the customer with a uniquely valuable product. Bibliography â€Å"Ammended Annual Report. Solo Cup Co.. N. p. , 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. . â€Å"Cold Cups & Lids. † EcoProducts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. . â€Å"Cups & Lids to 2012 – Market Research, Market Share, Market Size, Sales, Demand Forecast, Market Leaders, Company Profiles, Industry Trends and Companies including Solo Cup, Dart Container and Georgia-Pacific. † _ The Freedonia Group – Market Resea rch _. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Nov. 2009. http://www. freedoniagroup. com/Cups-And-Lids. html. â€Å"Cups & Lids. † Market Research Reports – Business Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis. N. p. , n. d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. http://www. marketresearch. com/product/display. asp? productid=2021950. Dunn, Collin. â€Å"MicroGreen: Recycled Plastic Cups Cut Heat and Waste : TreeHugger. † TreeHugger. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. http://www. treehugger. com/files/2006/02/microgreen_recy. php. â€Å"Our Values, Vision and Mission. † Foodservice Packaging Institute. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. http://www. fpi. org/EXPAGES/ourvalues. asp. â€Å"Packaging Industry Related News. † IDS-Packaging – Online Information Resource, Exhibition, Conference, Packaging White Papers, Suppliers, Products, and much more. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Sept. 2009. http://www. idspackaging. com/packaging/us/newsrelease. html. â€Å"REVOLVER. † ONESHOT CORPORATION. N. p. , n. d. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. http://www. one-shot. com/solocup_r. html. â€Å"Solo Cup Company | Company profile from Hoover's. † _Hoovers | Business solutions from _Hoovers. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. http://www. hoovers. com/company/Solo_Cup_Company/hsxrti-1. html. â€Å"US Census Press Releases. † Census Bureau Home Page. N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. http://www. census. gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_