Managing Time Essay

In today’s society, many people are finding it difficult to find time for their family when they are so caught up at work. At times, it could also be that people are with their family more often that their work starts to slack off. In the story, â€Å"Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket† by Jack Finney, Tom has it difficult spending time with his wife, because he is caught up in his work. The theme of this story is time management between work and family can be complicated. A similar theme is shown in the short stories, â€Å"Double Daddy† by Penny Parker and â€Å"Diary of a Mad Blender† by Sue Shellenbarger. First of all, the theme of â€Å"Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket† is demonstrated throughout the story. When Tom decides to stay home, his wife, Clare, tells him, â€Å"You work too much—though, Tom—and too hard. † This shows that Tom has chosen his work over his wife. Later in the story, Tom realizes that his time may be short when he, â€Å"Wished, then, that he had not allowed his wife to go off by herself tonight—and on similar nights. † Tom realized that managing his time with his wife is more important than his work, which reveals the theme of the story. Secondly, in â€Å"Double Daddy† by Penny Parker, a similar theme is shown throughout the article. The author explains, â€Å"More is Expected of father at home these days†¦but the demands of the workplace, is anything, increased in the recent years. This comes to show that father are needed both at work and at home. Linda Dunlap, chair women of the psychology department at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, states that men say, â€Å"I’m working my tail off to get ahead†¦but I’m now spending time with my family. † So in recent years, fathers have realized that time management with their family is important, even though they must work to keep their family stable, which shows how complicated managing time between work and family time can be. In addition, Sue Shellenbarger, author of, â€Å"Diary of a Mad Blender,† writes about a similar theme in her article. Today, even if parents try to stay home with their kids and try to work at the same time can be challenging. As the author states, â€Å"I work from home, but there’s certainly more I could do to integrate my work and my personal life. † So, trying to balance this is a difficult task. Even though managing work and family time is tough, Shellenbarger says, â€Å"My brain just needs a little cross-training,† but she is still finding it tough to manage the time between her family work, which relates to the theme of the story. Finally, managing the time between work and family can be a difficult task for anyone, as explained in, â€Å"Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket† by Jack Finney. Also the demands of the workplace can be a struggle which was shown in â€Å"Double Daddy† by Penny Parker. Last, how it can difficult to bring work home, while trying to spend time with family, like the example in â€Å"Diary of a Mad Blender† by Sur Shellenbarger. The theme of this all is managing time between work and family can be difficult.

How to Read Like a Professor by: Thomas C. Foster

How to Read Like a Professor by: Thomas C. Foster 1)Introduction: How’d He Do That? Mostly in memory it affects the reading literature in way that the reader, recognizes similarities in another work of literature, like in romantic novels elude towards Shakes Spears’ play Romeo and Juliet. Also, recognizing the pattern makes it easier on the reader because with that understanding the complex undertone of the book; like when I was reading The Scarlett Letter, I saw the allusions and symbolism in other stories, and books. )Chapter 1: Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not) The five expects of a quest are: 1) a questor; 2) a place to go; 3) a stated a reason to go there; 4) challenges and trails getting throw the route and lastly; 5) a real reason to go there. Little Red Riding Hood Tale 1) Little Red Riding Hood; 2) To Grandmothers House; 3) To bring grandma cookies and company; 4) the wolf tries to eat her and Grandma; 5) Little Red Riding Hood learns to trust her instincts and to never talk to strangers. )Chapter 2: Nice to Eat with You; Act of Communion In Charles Dickson’s novel, The Christmas Carol, when the Scrooge wake –up from his â€Å"dream† he went out and bought a swan for his poor assistants’ family for Christmas. By doing this it was kind of a peace offering, it showed that Scrooge turns a new leaf, and by doing so he was now accepted back into the community. 4)Chapter 4: If It’s a Square, It’s a SonnetPetrarchan sonnet: â€Å"Missing the Metros† by Charles Terryson-Tunner This sonnet shows this form of reading by demonstrating a sequence like: abba cdcd efefe; and towards the end like the traditional Petrarch Sonnet, the main point of the sonnet which is called the volta, towards the end of the sonnet. Shakespearian sonnet: â€Å"Sonnet LXXIII† With this Shakespearian Sonnet, this had 14 lines and was divided into three parts, with rhyme scheme like this: abab cdcd efe f gg. The volta is usually at the end of the sonnet; like in this one, where in the end it makes impact because it makes reader think about how the death can be very near.Indefinable Sonnets: â€Å"Ozymandias† In this sonnet it does not fit the standard Shakespearian sonnet or Pertarchan sonnet, though it has the same characteristic of a Shakespearian sonnet and volta similar to the Pertarchan sonnet. 5)Chapter 6: When In Doubt , It’s from Shakespeare†¦ In the theme of the story Fugard reflects Shakespeare’s Henery V, in this story Harold the main character has to become Master Harold set aside his childhood friendship and to become to into his family â€Å"business†, like Prince Hal had set aside his childhood friend and ways to become a King Henry, capable leading a army. )Chapter 7: Or the Bible â€Å"I imagined I bore my chalice safely throw the throng of foes† (Line 31Joyce). The chalice symbolized him protecting his morals under the infl uence of the â€Å"heathens† surrounding him, even though in the next sentence he reminisce about his feelings towards the girl, Megan’s sister. 7)Chapter 8: Hanseldee and Gerteldum I book I once read was like modern version of â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† but it focused on the Beast point of view, and how he became the way he was. The author did create a parallel of the story but twist in to make her own, to appeal to her teenager readers.It appeal to their child like fairy tale story and mind it deepen appreciation of a this particle fairy tale, since it appeal to young teenage girls. 8)Chapter 9: It’s Greek to Me â€Å"Only For a Season† Mother never could have known Of my past intentions of being free, The time is near for me to go How could stay with her alone? Easy to say goodbye for season be, Rarely can confide to my husband needs. Naturally I was born in summer bloom; As the fates have it, I learn to love winter’s cold. To turn again st my mother’s will Under estimating my husband’s needs,Rethinking my own wants†¦ Easy it is not to love winter’s chill. 9)Chapter 10: It’s More Than Just Rain and Snow In novel I read named â€Å"Life as We Knew It†. In the novel there was a part where the families oldest Mirinda, had to go out in a blizzard to find food for her family. The description of the blizzard and how she felt in the storm was very vivid, it made me understand the struggle that the character in the novel had go throw. 10) Chapter 11:†¦More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence The first type is specific injury characters inflict upon themselves or others.The second type of violence is where the author causes harm to characters to progress the plot. In â€Å"The Outsiders† there are two gangs, the socs and the greasers; they commit the first type of violence. They punch, stab and kill each other out of revenge and anger. It takes a few deaths of dear friends for the characters realize the insanity of fighting. The end result is that they grow to be better people. In â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† the old lady neighbor Ms. Dubose dies from old age. This is an example of the second type of violence.The author has her die to develop Jem is a character and to move the plot along, in this the example second act of violence has more meaning and depth to it. 11) Chapter 12: Is That A Symbol? In the short story the â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce, Joyce uses the fence as symbolic reference of a barrier between Mangan’s sister and the protagonist. A fence main purpose is to keep things out, separated, apart; to make known that another party is not allowed in. I belive the fence symbolizes the age difference between Magan’s sister and the protagonist, how that will be barrier in protagonist mind of his relationship with her.Or perhaps, it’s a culture/religious meaning separating boys and girls so they won’t go forth with their deeper desirers. 12)Chapter 13: It’s All Political In play I read in 10th grade called the â€Å"Raisin in the Sun† the writer Lorrain Hansberry put some of political views in the play. The play was about a black family wanting to move into a white neighbor in the 1950’s, of course it same time it’s written, it was avoids to me that it was written about civil rights in that time, and how the struggle for many African Americans to have those rights at that time. 3)Chapter 14: Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too Many works of liture there are stories that have Christ figures, especially in stories that have good versus evil. Usually the good side has Christ characteristics, like Holes by Louis Sachar, Stanley Christ figure, surprisingly he carries many of Christ characteristics. 1. He had wounds on his hands from shovel cutting him when was digging. 2. He is in agony when he walked through the hot dessert to find Zero 3. He sis el sacrificing whe he runs away from the camp to save Zero, knowing he could die himself. 4. Although he is kid himself; he good with kids.He got along with everybody in the camp and also taught Zero to read. 5. Even though he doesn’t create water or food, he does found water and onons for Zero to drink and eat in the mountains. 6. He uses a humble needs of transportation because his family was poor he had to walk to school and other places. 7. He spent time in the dessert which is like the wilderness , even though he wasn’t alone, and everyone thought he was died because he was gone so long. 8. He had conformation with the devil/ Warden, when he went to the warden’s house. 9. He was last seen with thieves;the Warden, Mr.Sir, and Dr. Pandenski; those who wanted part of the loot. 10. Stanely finally comes back to reddem the unworthy world. In this story the â€Å"unworthy world â€Å" is the camp of delinquent juveniles. When came back he freed the kids from the camp. Stanley wasn’t exactly Jesus but he was good guy and he potryaed Christ like characteristics. 14) If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism The importance of â€Å"baptism† scenes is very clear in a lot of literature. It symbolizes a washing away of the old, a new start. Sometimes this doesn’t result in a good way, or in favor of the character at the time.A good example of this is in the movie Pearl Harbor. The story is of two best friends, Rafe and Danny, who are pilots of fighter planes. Rafe has a girlfriend, Evelyn, who is a nurse. Unfortunately, Rafe’s plane is shot down and lands in water, where he is submerged to what appears to be his death. When Rafe is submerged in the water, he doesn’t realize his life is changing around him. When his best friend and girlfriend hear of his death they become close, and end up forming a relationship themselves. Danny and Evelyn don’t realize until later that Rafe didn’t die in the plane crash.The crash was, in a sense, Rafe’s baptism, as a new life has been laid out before him (though he doesn’t know it yet). Rafe, upon his return, is expecting his life to continue as normal, with his best friend and girlfriend. Little does he know that Danny and Evelyn have formed a relationship, and when he finds out, he feels he’s lost both of them. 15)Chapter 19: Geography Matters Foster defines geography as any setting in a story that can define or be developed by characters in the story. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee sets up the book to describe the area, and the people who lived there.Like when she describes Alabama, which is a confederate state and is known to very traditional and close minded. And also town itself is small and rural town where everyone knows everybody else’s business. When Lee’s describes Boo’s house it top to bottom; making it seem creepy and mysteries. Then she describes the other neighbor’s houses like Maddie. Her beautiful garden and how much she cared for it. Lee was making an introduction with the characters in the story before the character was even introduced. In the To Kill Mocking Bird, Lee used the geography setting around to describe who and what her characters where. 6) Chapter 20: †¦So Does the Season Robert Forest uses the poem October, to translate to the reader the in meaning full way, describing the passing of life, and how quickly it passes by. In the poem he describes how he wishes his young years slowed down, and old age, the frost of winter, will not settle in so quickly. It’s very good seasonal poem about ageing and the hope of â€Å"less brief† days. 17) Interlude: One Story An archetype is an idea, person, or situation which is repeated in literature. An example of an archetype would be the mad scientist type of character which appears in many stories.A mad scientist doesn't have to be evil or crazy; he just has to be so dedicat ed to his work that nothing else seems to matter. One example of this would be Dexter from the show Dexter's Laboratory. He is constantly building crazy inventions which seem to always be destroyed by his sister. He has virtually no friends because he spends all of his time in his lab. Doc from Back to the Future would be another example of a mad scientist. He designs a time machine and uses wild and impractical methods to acquire materials and build the machine. When the device works it sends his friend Marty to the past and causes a whole mess. 8)Chapter 21: Marked of Greatness Harry Potter is left with only a mere scar of a lightning bolt, from his first encounter with Lord Voldemort. Voldemort had succeeded in killing many of the people living in the magical world, including Harry’s parents, but simply cannot defeat Harry even when he is only a baby. Anyone who is familiar with the Harry Potter series knows that the reason Harry was able to survive and defeat Lord Voldemo rt was because of the ‘power of love’ his mother displayed towards Harry. So from this scar we understand that Harry has what Lord Voldemort will never be able to defeat, which is simply the act of being loved.As the series continues and we learn that Lord Voldemort is slowly coming back into power, we already know the one person who has the power to defeat the dark lord. The only person who can bring Lord Voldemort back down from his power is the one who stripped away his strength and power in the first place, the boy who lived: Harry Potter. 19) Chapter 25: Don’t Read With Your Eyes In the â€Å"Scarlett Letter† Pearl, Hester’s daughter, was born out of wed-lock; so the towns people and, even her own mother, believed that she is evil and a â€Å"demon offspring†.As a twenty-first century reader that belief is ridicules because it happens in most cautions by choice or with â€Å"accidental† action. As for the reader of the time; in th e late 1600 it was a strong colonial belief that the action, in this case the sin, of the parents will reflect of the child, and therefore the child is evil too. The author makes the assumption that the readers have a religious mindset and have same believe system. In this day in age, we do not have the same mentality. In some cases it could be bearer like Forster said, for the reader might shut out everything the book author had. 20) Chapter 26: Is He Serious?And Other Ironies In 1984 by George Orwell, this book is filled with irony from start to finish. Throughout the whole book every Party character is governed by the rule of double think. As Orwell writes â€Å"doublethink is basically the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them†. This is a good example of irony because it is humanly impossible to grasp the meaning of this. Winston is surrounded by many ironic things such as when he goes to rent an apartment with Julia he believes that he is safe from harm’s way because he is in Prole territory.However he later finds out that the man renting them the room was a member of the thought police and the monitor was located behind the picture. When Winston was captured and thrown in jail he was physically torn apart by little food and hazardous condition this was used to help kill the rebellion inside him. However, the real test comes when he meets his fate in room 101. Here he is faced with his biggest fear: rats. They set up a face mask as to where the rats can attack his face, but before they release them Winston begins to speak of Big Brother and he once again becomes a loyal member of the party.The irony here is so strong due to the fact that he wanted to over throw the party just a few weeks before hand. Winston was worn down and broken. He become like every other member of the party, the very party he had hoped to destroy forever. 21) Chapter 27: A Test Cast Answering the Prompt: 1. In the short story â€Å"The Garden Party†, Mansfield is signifies to the reader how far the rich is to the poor. The rich class is so high and busy with their things, they don’t pay attention to the lower class. They are so detach with lower class, that they have no real sympathy, just pity. 2.She signifies this in her story by describing where both distinct families lived. The Sheridan’s lived higher up and their poorer neighbors live down below. The Sheridan’s didn’t even allowed their children to play with â€Å"the revolting children and their infected diseased. † So when Mrs. Sheridan send Laura, the youngest daughter, to give poor family left-over from the party, she went down to darken cottages, and saw the misery and heartbreak. It opens her up to question what life really is. â€Å"Isn’t life†¦? † She asked her dear brother, but even he couldn’t really answer the question. Though my erspective was complete ly different from the other examples, like Foster’s example of Persephone; it surprised me how much Greek mythology is in so many literature works, and how much I recognized and understood where he cited all is information. Though, Diane’s prespective blew me away. I honestly think I would never see that much detail in the story as she did. To be honest I had some prejudice feelings toward this story after finding out the Sheridan’s where rich, so it did limit my true understanding of the story. Now I see it was more of Laura’s story then a political story between the rich and the poor.

How did the experiences of African American soldiers during World War Research Paper

How did the experiences of African American soldiers during World War 2, and new (American) legislations lead to the Civil Right - Research Paper Example It was in 1955 that the African American Civil Right Movement took place in the United States to remove the barriers which stopped the African Americans from doing things. In other words it was fought to retain the rights of these blacks so that they could integrate into the American society. The problems which led to Civil Rights Movement of 1955 rooted from the experiences of the African American soldiers during the World War II. These problems quickly began to rise and led to the formation of groups in the society. Thus the society became segregated to give way to a civil rights movement launched by the blacks. This essay would further revolve around the problems that gave way to the civil rights movement in America.1 2 World War II In 1941 America entered the World War II to join the Allied forces against Japan and Germany. It was in these times that blacks did not even have the right to vote for the processes of election. The black children were not allowed into the schools of w hites and they were particularly segregated from the society into schools which were under funded by the government. The blacks also were segregated in every term of life including trains and buses. Courtesy was never used to address the blacks living in the society as it is for the whites. This type of discrimination was not only prevalent in the Southern America but was also prevalent in the north. The blacks were not able to rent out or buy places which they liked and even the trade unions did not accept the membership of the blacks. This was not only prevalent in the precinct of the city but it was also prevalent on the battle zone. It was seen that the armed forces had a segregated unit for the blacks where they had to operate by themselves. These blacks were not even allowed in major segments of Navy and this brought discontent amongst the soldiers. All these conditions led to the worsening of conditions of the blacks and they served in the army only to attain their rights in the country. The blacks believed that if they fought for their country they would be able to gain the right of equal citizenship. They also believed that they would get rights to work for employers who previously did not hire them because of the policies of segregation3 4 5. The blacks compared their condition to the condition of the Germans who faced racism at the hands of the Nazis during the war. The blacks believed that it was World War II which would help them retain their lost rights. Racial discrimination during the war was never considered to be a big problem by the whites. The blacks were considered to be unfit for the forces and were not allowed to enroll in the armed forces. Mostly these blacks were given duties in which they would support the forces rather than play an active role in the war. However after the World War II started the government was forced to engage the black individuals into combat and formed special units for them. But here again the segregation polici es were not left out and the blacks were given specific units through which they had to operate. No black was integrated into the forces of whites as they were considered to be superior. Harry Truman in 1948 passed an act to integrate the blacks with the whites but this was still not successful until 1953 when the Korean War started. Furthermore the blacks were not allowed at authoritative positions in the military up till the 1960s after which they

Quantitative Data analysis( degree level) Assignment

Quantitative Data analysis( degree level) - Assignment Example me factors surpass social care and health that have a major effect on person’s well-being and health, this embraces a health reproach to life course in that it has an impact on life experiences on a population age group set (Age UK, n.d.). Ageing increases frailty and as a result prevention of illness and disability management are key toward promoting a culture of healthy ageing. Thus it’s prudent by design to prevent or delay various chronic diseases thus increasing life expectancy; this is influenced by individual locus of responsibilities on socio-economic factors, cultural influences factors and environmental impact on the age group (Age UK, n.d.). Physical exercises play a vital role in reduction of and prevention of chronic diseases and combating age-related illness. Senior citizens faces a barrage of issues not confined in psychological and physiological, but in addition depression, loneliness and isolation even loss of mobility and independence (Mary Kate Connolly, n.d.). Physical mobility has a great impact in elderly vulnerable population group, it increases the quality of life and ability to socialize thus killing loneliness. Depression prevalence in aged people can be linked to lack to regular physical activity. Physical activity involvement in older people promotes positive perceptions in psychological well-being. Thus, psychological well-being becomes the main predictor for remaining physically active in old age as, as relationship between mental and physical health are intertwined and interrelated (Linda Seymour, 2004). The Chronic Ailments is a variable generated from collapsing multiple variables to form one variable. This chronic ailments include the heart conditions and the chronic lung diseases. The non-communicable diseases allied to heart condition include hypertension, angina, diabetes, stroke and heart ailments including heart attack, congestive heart failure, heart murmur, abnormal heart rhythm and other conditions. The chronic lung

The UK National Curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The UK National Curriculum - Essay Example For the essay to critically analyze the National Curriculum, it will try to elaborate why the curriculum was deemed necessary, examine the different negative and positive consequences related with the curriculum implementation since 1988. Outline of the UK National Curriculum According to National Curriculum Council (1991), the National Curriculum was adopted with the main purpose to standardize the content that is taught in State Schools. This was meant to enable assessment which consequently will enable the league table compilation. The league table details the statistics of assessment for each school. Moreover, league tables combined with the provision for a choice to parents in assigning schools for their children were created with the main intention for free market encouragement. This allowed parents to choose schools for their children based on the ability to teach the National Curriculum (National Curriculum Council (Great Britain) 1989). The UK National Curriculum was structu red in key stages and based on subjects. This covered the core subjects such as mathematics, English and science and the foundation subjects such as Geography, Art, Music, History, Technology and Physical Education. Moreover, the subjects were being studied from 5 to 16 years of age (Great Britain 1997). It was mandatory for each school to teach Religious Studies and other areas such as health, personal and social education. When and why the curriculum developed The department of science and education issued a consultation document that outlines the national curriculum. After consultation, the parliament passed the education reform act of 1988 which established the National Curriculum framework. The implementation of the curriculum commenced in 1989 and continued till mid 1990s (Walker & Soltis 2004). Great Britain (1999) points out that the first phase of the four key stages testing was finished in 1991. In addition, the school inspection responsibility was transferred from the ins pectors of her majesty and the inspection teams of the local authority in 1993 to inspection of independent teams. The new work was to be coordinated by the new depart of state. According to Wales (2001), the documentation of the National Curriculum outlines the two main aims for the development of the National Curriculum. The first aim was that the school curriculum should strive to give all pupils opportunities to learn and excel (Great Britain 1997). National Curriculum Council (Great Britain) elaborates the aim that the schools are entitled to develop commitment to, enjoyment and learning as a mode of stimulating and encouraging the best progress possible and the best pupil’s attainment. Moreover, the curriculum should build interests, strengths and experience of the pupils and develop to their capacity their confidence to enable the pupils learn and independently work in collaboration. The curriculum is also intended to equip the pupils with learning skills which are ess ential such as numeracy, literacy and information and communication technology and lastly to promote an inquisitive mind and capacity to rationally think (Duckett, Sixsmith & Kagan 2008). National Curriculum Council (Great Britain) (1991) points out that the school curriculum should help the pupil’s development of sense of identity through understanding and knowledge of the spiritual, social, moral and cultural heritages of the diverse society of

Double Feed Induction Machine (DFIM) model in d-q coordinates system Research Paper

Double Feed Induction Machine (DFIM) model in d-q coordinates system. Induction Motomr example of application in practice (variable speed drives) - Research Paper Example The stator is fed by a fixed voltage sources while the rotor is fed by a variable source. Both the stator and the rotor are connected to a three phase power frequency. Mathematically it is convenient to express the three phase voltage concept of DFIM in a dq coordinate system. A (d, q) coordinate system refers to direct and quadrature axes along which current is aligned. A good example that shows the application of an induction machine is the Growian wind turbine that has DFIM as part of its energy regulating system (Anahua et al, 8). A Growian wind turbine which was first used in Germany the year 1977 could be among the first induction models in a (d, q) coordinate system. It came about as a result of three German utilities forming the Growian Company whose function was to design and test a huge wind energy alteration system. It had a variable speed drive with a teetered rotor that had full-span pitch and variable speed force train made of power electronics. The engineers came up with a trade-off between a generator whose frequency converter is in the stator circuit and a doubly fed induction machine whose frequency converter is situated in rotor circuit (Anahua et al, 56). It is characterized by the magnitude of aspect such as amount of voltage, speed, and flux. It is based on the assumptions the stator and rotor voltage acts as the input regulators depending on the flux density distribution, as well as, the electromagnetic condition. Additionally, the rotor current and stator flux also work as the variables. The converters control the rotor voltage to acquire the desired floe of current and the reactive power. The power reaction and resistance is viable in managing the magnetic saturation a transformation is clearly indicated by a mathematical equation. Disconnecting the machine from the grid, lead to a reduction of stator current to zero. This breaks the circuit which is an indication that DFIM model

Exploitation of Oversees Labor by Multinational Companies Research Paper

Exploitation of Oversees Labor by Multinational Companies - Research Paper Example It is therefore not appropriate to say that the companies move to undeveloped countries to exploit their cheap labor as the country also benefit largely from new employment opportunities created and revenues that help the countries to develop (Drusilla K. Brown, Alan V. Deardorff, &Robert M. Stern, 2002) Nevertheless, businesses are bided by a code of ethics which are moral values that determine how individual, group organization and business transact their businesses. These can be applied to all form of businesses as they are universal and business must follow them in order to respect human dignity during transaction. Business being unethical means that it operates against the universal code of ethics which prevent it from immoral ways of gaining profits through exploiting human recourses. With the main objective of the business being making profits, it must ensure that it contributes and respect human dignity despite their states of need (Flanagan & Robert 2006, p.118). Labor in US has become so expensive for many companies to operate at a profit. As a result, many companies have moved its operations to other countries to countries where there are high levels of unemployment. Their move can be looked in two dimensions. One is that the companies are doing favor to the local society through providing them with labor. But, on the other hand it can be perceived as exploiting cheap labor. Cheap labor can be perceived to be labor which can be obtained at a low cost and is worth of no respect (Drusilla K. Brown, Alan V. Deardorff, &Robert M. Stern, 2002) One of such companies that exploit cheap labor overseas through opening up of production branches in developing countries is IBM. This is a company that mainly deals with software development which is an expensive sector when it is operated in United States. This has forced the company to open its branches in India as the level of running such a business is low. Due to high population the government has found it har d to be able to support the high population making majority of them to live below the poverty level. Some of the skilled personnel who have the same qualifications as those in United States are unemployed therefore; when such an opportunity arises they are ready to offer their labor despite being paid lowly. Despite the undeveloped countries having many employment challenges that hinder them from putting up laws and regulations that would prevent United States companies from exploiting overseas labor, the companies should not use this as an opportunity to make enormous profits on behalf of the poor citizens. This is because the company will be increasing the poverty levels in the country as after exploiting the resources, the money obtained is then transferred back to United States. Instead the company should participate in corporate social responsibility through involving itself with maters that would improve the welfare of that country or the society. Mainly, the companies that ar e involved in using overseas labor are those whose operations cannot be easily mechanized therefore; need a lot of labor to run its processes. Clothing industry is one of those sectors that have established their companies overseas. This has enabled the company to be able to utilize both the available cheap labor and raw materials. With the advanced technology due to globalization, management of these branches have been

Analysing .... Internet Marketing Strategy Essay

Analysing .... Internet Marketing Strategy - Essay Example It is therefore important that the companies come up with clear strategies for them to succeed their Internet marketing. Backcountry came to this realization and developed a number of strategies that saw them succeed greatly. The success of Internet marketing highly depends on various factors including developing good business plans, having simple websites, involvement of customers in the design of the website, choosing suitable technology and using Internet marketing tools. Moreover, the Internet marketer must establish correct relationships, adopt end-to-end solutions, acknowledge legal responsibilities, properly utilize customer data and incorporate the Internet channel. Retailers who go Internet are set to reap greatly from it, owing to its global market and efficient management information systems. However, they must also take the necessary measures to avoid the negative effects of the technology such as privacy concerns and security issues. These challenges not withstanding, In ternet retailing seems to be the future trend and the sector must fully embrace it. For greater success in the future, and in view of the rapidly changing technological world, Backcountry needs to adopt various new strategies to retain or improve its market niche. Internet marketing refers to the process enabling consumers to buy goods and services through the Internet. The retailers of these goods and services are referred to as a virtual store, Internet store, web-store, web-shop, internet shop, and e-store or Internet shop. There are various types of Internet marketing sites, depending on the nature of the organization. They include Business to Consumer-B2C, BusinesstoBusiness-B2B, and Business to Employee-B2E, Government to Consumer or Citizen-G2C and Consumer to Consumer-C2C. The most common forms of internet marketing are business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) transactions. This form of shopping has penetrated many aspects

Comparing and Contrasting General Systems Theories Research Paper

Comparing and Contrasting General Systems Theories - Research Paper Example Mainly, the organizations whose their basic parts are elements of diverse orientation usually differing with the environment they are meant to operate and the relationship which exists amid them. However, in the core operation of the system it may be almost the same but as the system upgrades, to assume its core purpose it changes its modeling explanation that may have diverse mathematical modeling (Shaw, 2009). Information Systems Theory (IST) prior to the current connotation was principally limited to computer science (Von Bertalanffy, 2008). This encompasses computer organizing information, which today the term â€Å"information† is more general and requires more expounding and keen elucidation. Since, each system despite its core role is information centered; processing it for more effective operations meant to fulfill its main value as a system. IST in its actual argument, it implies that system as symbol encapsulated with an idiom. An Idiom refers to an intangible concep t mainly formulated to simply explanations for system symbols and their links. This offers a conceptual link amid set theory plus algebra especially in mathematical explanation (Von Bertalanffy, 2008). ... here it underlies all other entities to enhance more communication, hence offering effective linkage and relations of the entities and the common information space (Skyttner, 2006). These entities interacts further yielding to more multifaceted permutations. For instance, English language an idiom that is a universal concept primarily participates in offering space for the creation of sentences words and other correlated tasks, which will enable the stated language, emerge effectively, thus making understanding better. In mathematics, there a theoretical idiom that allows for the formation of mathematical statements and it accomplishment, hence proving the universal character of an idiom (Von Bertalanffy, 2008). Systems’ thinking, which yielded from Ludwig’s scholarly leaps in 1930s, meant to serve in the WWII (Skyttner, 2006). This was especially in the logistics in ensuring effective attainment of exact soldiers’ population as the war proceeded. System thinking implies how diverse entities in a certain environment co-exist without any dictation from any part entity. It involves dilemma resolution, essentially by having wide perspective of â€Å"problems† as a whole system rather than definite part, results or tasks that may prompt to additional inadvertent consequences (Skyttner, 2006). This proves that system thinking cannot be singular, but set of numerous aspects. These mainly, comprise habits or practices, which make the co-existing entities, live harmoniously. Consequently, implying that the systems parts can best understood by observing or studying their relationships and interactions they poses, which expounds unmistakably their condition of information (Von Bertalanffy, 2008). System’s components also depicts information in the manner interact with

Agency Factors Essay Example for Free

Agency Factors Essay Foster parents are in a tough position. On the one hand they are expected to welcome unfamiliar children into their homes, invest in them emotionally and physically, and help them through a difficult time. On the other hand, this intense investment is supposed to be temporary. When the placement ends, foster parents are expected to disengage in a way that is helpful to the child and everyone else involved. In the hustle and bustle of a placement move, whether the child is going home or moving somewhere else, foster parents feelings of loss are often not given adequate attention. Agency Factors In 1989, Lois Urquhart conducted a study to determine whether foster parents experiences of separation and loss affected their decision to continue fostering children. She surveyed 376 foster homes, 275 of which were licensed and open to children, and 101 of which had been previously-licensed but had closed within the past three years. She found that both groups of families expressed love and affection for their foster children and sadness at their loss. The two groups also felt similar levels of anxiety and uncertainty regarding foster care placements. Urquhart found that although open home respondents more often knew how long a placement would be, both groups rarely knew from the outset a childs length of stay in their homes (p. 203). Urquhart did find two key differences between open and closed foster homes. The first emerged when she asked foster parents how well their agency prepared them for the separation and the grief they would feel at the end of a placement. While 36 percent of foster parents from open homes felt they had been taught skills for coping with a childs removal; only 19 percent of closed homes felt they had been adequately prepared. The other significant difference between open and closed homes had to do with the degree to which they felt their agency supported them before, during, and after separation. Foster parents from open homes felt they were better supported by their agency in every category assessed. Parents from open homes were also provided with information about and contact with former foster children more often than were parents from closed homes. Urquhart concludes that foster parents who are unprepared or unsupported for the separation and loss experience can be considered foster parents at risk of leaving foster care (p. 206). Emotional Factors To continue on in their work after the end of a placement, foster parents need to resolve their grief. One step in this process-expressing the pain associated with the loss-can be especially difficult for some foster parents. In When Foster Children Leave: Helping Foster Parents to Grieve, Susan Edelstein (1981) identifies four obstacles that prevent people from expressing grief over a loss. Foster parents can run up against any or all of these. First, grieving is difficult when the relationship to the lost person was ambivalent or hostile. Foster parents may experience mixed feelings about foster children, especially those who are prone to act out. A second barrier to fully expressing feelings of loss when a child leaves the foster home is the number of other demands placed on foster parents. Usually, there are other foster and biological children still in the home. Foster parents must continue to attend to these children, leaving little opportunity to express themselves. Expectations can be another barrier. It may be an unspoken expectation that foster parents should not get too attached to the children in their homes. Foster parents who express feelings of loss may be considered weak by their agency or other foster parents; they may even have their ability to foster questioned. The final barrier has to do with differences in individual personalities. Some people have a need to always appear confident and independent, and grieving makes them uncomfortable; they view the vulnerability that is part of grief as a sign of weakness. For suggestions for supportingand retainingfoster families, see Support at the End of Placement. References Edelstein, S. (1981). When foster children leave: Helping foster parents to grieve. Child Welfare, 60(7), 467-473. Urquhart, L. (1989). Separation and loss: Assessing the impacts on foster parent retention. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 6(3), 193-209. (c) 1997 Jordan Institute for Families Helping a Child Through a Permanent Separation 1. Help the child face reality. The pain needs to be acknowledged and the grieving process allowed. 2. Encourage the child to express feelings. There can be expressions of reasons for the separation without condemning parents. 3. Tell the truth. You can emphasize that his parents were not able to take care of him without saying, Your mother is an alcoholic. Also, try to deal with the fantasy that children often have that the parents will return. The permanency of the loss needs to be realized. 4. Encourage the child to ask questions. Again, be as truthful in your responses as you can without hurting the child. Never lie to the child, even to spare some pain. 5. Process with the child why the losses occurred. Ask about his ideas of why he has made the moves he has and experienced these losses. 6. Spend time with the child. Any child who has experienced separation feels rejection and guilt. This can interfere with his sense of trust in others and himself. By spending time and talking with the child, a new, trusting relationship can be built between the worker and child during preparation. This, in turn, can lead to other healthy relationships. 7. Encourage information about the past. A childs identity is partly a result of having a past that is continuous. To achieve this continuity, various techniques, such as the Life Book, are valuable. Social, cultural, and developmental information needs to be included in the book and made available to the child. 8. Understand your own feelings. It is difficult to share the pain of separation and to be the one who helps the child face realitysuch as the fact that he may never see his biological or foster parents again. Often, the worker would prefer to avoid the pain and angry feelings. However, if these feelings are not dealt with now, they will recur and may jeopardize placement.

Strategic Significance And Management Of Dell Inc Business Essay

Strategic Significance And Management Of Dell Inc Business Essay Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. The term strategic management underlines the importance of managers with regard to strategy. The strategic management role is different in nature from other aspects of management. It is concerned with complexity arising out of ambiguous and non-routine situations with organization wide rather than operation-specific implications (Thomas .L. Wheelen, 2010). This study based on the strategic management of Dell Inc. Dell has experienced its tremendous growth by empowering people through innovative products and services. Throughout this period dell has optimized its business model to raise its standards of excellence. Dells core values, mission, vision has facilitates the company to achieve this glorious goals. The purpose of this report to underpin an outlook for strategic significance and the management of dell computers by evaluating internal and external environments of Dells position in a comparative landscape. The report further undergoes the analysis; a recommended strategy has been outlined which will guided eventually to Dells strategic success. The final part of this study stating recommended the strategy and its implementation with a model including conclusion for the overall sustainability of the company. Company Profile Dell at a Glance Dell is an American multinational computer Technology Corporation founded in 1984 by Michael Dell. According to the statistics published under the global PC market share, it was placed to the 3rd position under the worldwide PC shipments. The company employees more than 82,700 people worldwide (www.scribd.com, 2012). Dell grew during the 1980s and 1990s to become a brand, thus Company employee Direct Business Model to expand the core business worldwide. Dells operational regions include mainly America, Europe Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. The company maintains a consistent focus on offering the best value to the customer. As a trusted technology innovator with diversified, comprehensive IT portfolio, Dell committed to serve its best to the customers and employee. For nearly three decades, Dell has been on an incredible journey, experiencing positive growth on a global scale. Empowering its people customers, business partners and team members who keep the company moving throu gh the rapidly evolving world of technology. Dell Key towards Strategic Planning Vision of the Company Its the way we do business. Its the way we interact with the community. Its the way we interpret the world around us-our customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring, our vision-Dell Vision-will be our guiding force The vision statement is able to put forward one of the most important principles behind the operations of Dell. The industry that Dell operates in is one of the most dynamic and ever changing one in the international market. Fluctuations of technology and consumer demands mean that change is the only constant. This is why the lack of prediction leads to the vision statement which focuses on the interpretation of strategy through consumer needs, technology trends and international business climate. Mission statement Dells mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world by delivering the best customer experience in markets they serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations in following areas. Highest quality, leading technology, Competitive pricing, individual and company accountability, best-in-class service and support, flexible customization capability and superior corporate citizenship. Dell Organizational Structure Dells governing body consisting with Executive Leadership team and the Board of Directors. The company is leading by the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Currently Michael S. Dell holding the two positions of chairman and the CEO (Dell, 2012). Dell is following two types of organizational structure which include Executive Leadership Team in senior management and Board of directors for oversight and supervision of the overall affairs of the company. They functions under the so call Executive Leadership Team. Supporting the Board of Directors functioning seven committee charters: Audit Committee Charter  , Compensation Committee Charter, Finance Committee,  Governance and Nominating Committee, Corporate Governance Principles,  Board of Directors Nomination Process,  Communicating With the Board of Directors.   Dells Executive Leadership team provides the guidance and focus in terms of seeking to help their customers more efficiently. They decide the companys operations and implements strategy and policy created by the Board of Directors (Dell, 2012).The other officers functions under the supervision of Board of Directors. The hierarchical organization structure is in Appendix:2. Organizational Characteristics Capabilities and Resources The heart of the Dells business strategy is its customer focus direct business model. In order to serve their customers in more efficient ways Dell developed its core competency by making its customers as the centric core value of its business and deployed the resources and capabilities. This has given the significant increment for Dells strategy to enhance and empowered more competencies such as manufacturing process, human capital management and supply chain management. In order to hit the comparative market in right manner Dell has to improve its products based on modern technologies and consistently Dell has to improve its supply chain and manufacturing process which compliment the efficiencies created by supply chain. Dell had recruit, train and retain compatible workforce which could contribute for company future growth. The healthy environment endorses honesty and accountability as a long term perspective which can logically approach and enhances the core competencies in the c omplicated infrastructure. By delivering values and servicing them effectively Dell became more efficient in terms of recognizing, acquiring and retaining customers by fulfilling their needs. The core competencies which I discussed above enable Dell to perform efficiently and manage its profitability in a mature industry environment see Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Further Dell was able to leverage its core competencies by utilizing its internal resources and capabilities to enhance its key success factors. See appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In addition Dells infrastructure, global presence along with capabilities and human capital will leads Dell further to achieve potential growth and differentiated strategic dimension. Dells technological efficiency is capable of supporting expansion to new markets. Such strategies like growing sales and delivering value to the customers in an innovative process will support to the Dells global manufacturing facilities. Dells differentiation stems from process  innovation.  The company is very successful in leveraging and harnessing the value  of its suppliers and partners  technology innovation.  This allows Dell to minimize RD spending and improve the cost structure, a strategy that is rarely matched by competitors.  The company is  also gaining  knowledge in the  retail industry  by  partnering with major  retailers such as  Costco.  This is vital  for the success  of any strategic initiative aiming for a retail presence in global  emerging markets such as China and  India. Dells financials indicate a stellar operational performance evident by above the average inventory, assets  and receivables turnovers.  The company was  able to achieve a  high financial  performance at the operational level by utilizing its state of the art IT infrastructure, supply chain and inventory  management systems.  Further, the  companys stock  represents an  at tractive investment due to the companys utilization of  assets and focus on capital return.  This is evident when comparing Dells high return on investment, asses and invested capital (ROE, ROA and ROIC) to the industry  and market (Appendix  F).  Profitability  ratios indicate  that Dell  is experiencing average profit margins.  This is  contributed to  hyper competition  in the  PC industry; competitors are running on thinner margins in order to gain market share. The capital structure that Dell adopts focuses on financing growth and operations from retained earnings, the company doesnt  pay dividends or acquire debt.  The companys financial  policy in this regard emulates an IT start-up company, even though its a mature company in a mature industry.  Its highly  unlikely that Dell  will continue this  policy in the near  future as investors press  for dividends  and the stock price falls, as  is happening already.  Further, acquir ing debt might be necessary to finance growth and establishing retail presence into global emerging markets. This will not have a negative effect on Dell since it possesses the necessary financial leverage. Business segmentations of Dell Dells business segmentation focuses with the customer. It attempt to fulfill customer needs which is at the heart of Dell. During the past years Dell has signified and recognized its customer-centric business. Dell believes that they operate its global Consumer business by serving customers with faster innovation and greater responsiveness, and enables them to better understand and address their challenges. Dells global business segments are given in the Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Dell Business Strategy Dell is a customer-centric company which its marketing strategy is quite simple and basic in nature. The main emphasis is on the low-cost-strategy by selling the products at lower prices by following a direct business model which removes the middlemen. Dell is superior to manufacture its products with the time and cost and offer high level of customer service by meeting the customers expectations. This so call direct business model has five features which is explain in appendix.. Dell Product Development Strategy The product development strategy of Dells focus with developing its products based on technologies which include superior features and capabilities at competitive prices. Dell employees its unique approach in terms of design and development its products architecting innovative system designs and integrating new technologies to its products. Therefore by implementing this customer-centric approach, Dell delivers new and relevant products and services to the market quickly and efficiently (Dell, 2012). The company continuing to expands its business through delivering products faster and serving the customers in particular way. Key strategic issues Dell is facing multiple strategic issues which may impede on the companys top positioning the computer hardware market. This section addresses the four key strategic issues that Dell should address in order to maintain its prominent market position. First, Dell faces slow growth for its primary product: the personal computer (PC) in saturated U.S. market. The majority of U.S. corporate and education PCs will be replacement units affected by a technological upgrade cycle within the next two years. Therefore, as Dell attempts to maintain its dominant position, the company should focus on product customization and superior relationships with suppliers. This strategy enabled Dells past success but had  become diluted over the last five years. The company should continue to improve itself in these areas in order to remain the top computer hardware differentiator. Second, the erosion of Dells brand value continues due to the perception of declining customer service. Although the company prides itself on superior customer service, recent surveys suggest that Dells results recently declined in this business segment. Dells executives are aware that quality customer service is a key element of the companys success and are reportedly working towards improvements. Third, Dells inability to serve all market needs due to the current strategy of limited vendors in its supply chain. Dell brings few products to market and leverages technology created  by other companies effectively and efficiently. Dell also remains committed to chip supplier, Intel. Although this enables Dell to offer PCs at high value to consumers, it also limits the companys ability to supply diverse customers. The company should consider enabling itself to offer more customized products by increasing relationships with more diverse suppliers Strategic Management Analysis Strategic Analysis is the process of conducting research on the business environment within an organization which operates and on the organization itself. This provides the foundation for the strategic management by providing an insight into the forces behind the intense competition, by developing a sustaining competitive advantage based on organization core competency (JOSEPH, 2012). The Strategic analysis is a one step in strategic management .The steps involved in strategic management is given in Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Strategic analysis used following key analytical methods to underpin strategic management. SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, Porters five forces analysis and Value chain analysis (CIMA, 2007). Internal Analysis of Dell Dell enjoys in terms of low cost with superior product performance by its distinctive competencies. They are the core benefits which are practicing by Dell through its direct business model. Dell designs its products according to wishes of the target which allow the company to enjoy superior customer value and brand loyalty, which enhances company ability to coordinate its various functions to produce exciting products. Dell arrive its competitive advantage from three dimensions which is given in Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Value chain analysis of Dell Before making a strategic decision, it is essential to understand how activities within the organization create value for customers. The main aim of value-chain is to categorize the generically value adding service of an organization. The theoretical study of value chain is given in Appendix.. Dell Value Chain Analysis Primary Activities. Support Activities Inbound Logistics Dell relies mostly on its highly reliable supplier, where Dell streamlines its operation and relies on its computer monitor supplier to ship directly to the customer. As long as its supplier retains its leadership position, Dell would collaborate with it to achieve mutual success. Operations Every Dell system is built to order. Therefore Customers get exactly what they want.  Dell uses knowledge gained from direct customer contact before and after the sale to provide award-winning reliability and tailored customer service.   Outbound Logistics When Dell introduced its direct business model which sells its products directly to consumers and communicating with them and serving them directly. Dell, on the other hand, sells, especially in two areas, seeing sales trends and learning about unmet customer needs.  The company also relies on customers knowledge of what they want to purchase and when they want to complete the transaction to drive the direct business model. Dell leverages this source of customer knowledge by making it as easy as possible for a customer to place a customized order electronically.   Marketing and Sales Dells direct to customer model solve the problem for additional capital for marketing and sales. By selling directly to consumer it eliminated retailers along the way. One advantage of this kind of system is that the firm is continuously in contact with its customers and they are benefiting in two areas concerning sales and marketing, seeing sales trends and learning about unmet costumer demands. Service Dell spent dollars training well-educated business segment managers provide state-of-the art advice to customers. The company also initiated a collaborative customer-solution teams that collaborate with customers to fulfill any unmet customer needs. Because of the nature of work of Dells employees they are continually being inspired to stay abreast of technology threats and opportunities that may alter the competitive landscape in the future. Procurement It is on this activity that Dell is weak because Dell do not enjoy protected by trademark or patent or copyright  technology. The technology being used in the industry is shared by all industry players. Technology Development Technology is an important source of competitive advantage and here one strength of Dell for the firm enjoys better access to technology. Dell introduces the latest relevant technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving indirect distribution channels. Human Resource Management (HRM) Dells mission statement is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. Dell employees, direct salespeople, help-desk operators, engineers, and the like all have to be knowledgeable and customer focused to ensure Dells continued competitiveness. Firm Infrastructure Dell revolutionized the traditional value chain of computer manufacturing industry by introducing the direct to customer model. Dell also employed a global business consultancy, to help it develop a set of metrics to judge business-unit performance. By doing so, daily decision making were more efficient. The chief financial objective that steered managerial evaluation at Dell was return on invested capital (ROIC). Which leads to no inventory build-up, Dell turns over inventory every six days on average, keeping related costs low. External Analysis of Dell PEST Analysis: Dells environment consists of uncontrollable forces that directly or indirectly influence an organizations ability to achieve a desired result. In the words of Kotler and Armstrong marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing managements ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers (Kotler Armstrong, 2003). These influences create both opportunities and threats for a company in a comparative market segment. Dell PESTEL Analysis factors Analysis Political The political environment of the business has pivotal effects on the performance of the business in the quest of achieving its strategic goals. The political instability started after the 9/11 has affected the market conditions all over the world. Most of the computer manufacturers belong to US and the country government is taking huge efforts to facilitate the business. This offers exciting opportunities across the world to manufacturer like Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo etc. In order to capitalize the growing needs of the market the government of US has strengthen its ties with China in order to exploit the comparative advantage of the country in the form of low labor and technological cost Economic High tariffs on IT products makes Dell difficult to enter other markets apart from USA .since most of the population of the world is young and adaptive to change in technology, dell aimed to manufacture its products which are more user friendly and can be afforded by young professionals, because purchasing power of working population saw an increase over the past few decades. Since the economy saw a change due to the meltdown and recession, dell also had to modify some of its policies to cope up with the changing scenario. The change in the US economy also effected Dell with it bring change in its core policies of inventory and credit management of receivables and inventory conversion days to decrease its operating cycle and thus reduce cost. Social The values across the continents are changing with the passage of time, and now a global culture is arising meaning the presence of universal segment having the same values, likes and dislikes and other norms across the world. This offers exciting opportunities to various organizations including computer manufacturer in the form of standardized product development offers across the world with no adaptation. This translates into various economies, and low fixed costs, meaning change in attitude towards foreign brand. Technological Technological changes are happening at a very fast rate due to which Dell is able to provide advanced technology  products to the  customers. As a result of  technological changes Dell has also increased their product line. It is adapting to the technological changes as he old technology is becoming obsolete. One of the most important effects of technological changes that have led to the increase of the demand of Dell computers is their Direct Business Model. They have excellent ecommerce capabilities, which can be seen with the success of the dell. The recent technological changes can be seen in their recent products like New Power Edge Servers, New Enterprise Computing Portfolio, Innovation Aids Recovery, Ultra-Thin Laptop, Adamo, which will be in the market very soon. Dell could exploit the network-internet, extranet to reach the corners of the world. Five Forces Analysis The Porters five Forces model is a simple and powerful strategy analysis tool that helps managers to know where the control lies in a company situation. It helps in understanding the strengths of the company in the market against the competitors, suppliers, and buyers. According to Porter the nature of competitiveness in a given industry can be viewed as composite of five forces, rivalry among competitive firms, potential entry of new competitors, potential development of substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers and bargaining power of consumers (David, 2005). The relationship of Porters five forces model for Dell have been depicted. In the following the study explore the five elements that constitute Porters five forces one by one and evaluate their impact on Dell in particular and personal computer industry in general. Rivalry Amongst Existing Competitors The personal computer industry from the beginning is inclined toward consolidation, as the market type can rightly be cited as oligopoly. The industry contains players like Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Sony etc. The competition in the market is based on price and competitive advantage. Threat of New Entrants Every player tries its utmost to beat and outperform competitors by producing the latest technology and then price them competitively. This probably the reason that new firms find it very hard to enter the market and the existing competitors trying their level best to either maintain their market. Bargaining Power of Buyer: In the personal computer industry the bargaining power of the buyer is very high due to the fact that there is very less amount of brand loyalty in the market because most of the manufacturer produced identical products. In additional to absence of brand loyalty, the switching cost is very low in the industry because most of the systems are based on the Intel processor. Moreover, customer also feels comfortable with backward integration and building their own system through selecting the individual components manufactured by different producers. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Traditionally the bargaining power of suppliers is also very high in the computer market. This is due to the fact that there are very few suppliers who supply the major components of the computer. For example the major suppliers of microprocessor are Intel and AMD. They are almost having the monopoly over the market. Moreover the organization will bear significant switching if the decided to change the component part suppliers. Substitute products Usually the availability of substitute does affect the sales and profitability of the computer and its various components to huge extent. Traditionally the threat of substitutes is very high for Dell. The computer industry has traditionally experienced similar products produced by the different manufacturer with a very little distinction between a computers produced by one manufacture with that of other. The competition between the rivals can be rightly cited as oligopoly because almost all the major producer manufactures identical products. The Industry Life Cycle: The computer industry as a whole has entered the maturity stage of product life cycle (Norman, 2010). Some of the weak competitors have disband their production while others (HP and Compaq) have consolidated their business due to decreasing margins with the passage of time and economic crunch that have started after the insolvency of Lehman Brothers. Most of the competitors are trying their level best to differentiate their offerings from the competitors in order to reduced value for their consumers, while other are trying to produce aesthetic design, ease of use, superior product performance. As depicted in Figure 1 the customer now Requires solution and convenience as compared to technology and performance. In order to stay competitive in the market all the players should continuously innovate their offerings according to the latest trends of the market . http://www.nngroup.com/reports/FigsFromIC/2-3.jpg Figure 1: Customer Preferences: adopted from http://www.nngroup.com/reports/life_cycle_of_tech.html.