Container Shipping and Chinese Stability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Container Shipping and Chinese Stability - Essay Example A positive development and a spread of container-based shipping industry are supported by its ability to provide different countries in-time with required goods. This industry has made China a rapidly industrialised country. Still, there are several uncovered issues in the container-based shipping industry. Currently, China is rapidly developing as the world’s leader on several fronts. The mechanisms of China’s enrichment evoke a vivid discussion among modern experts, researchers and scientists. Figure 1 China in the world maritime economy. This figure shows the Chinese contribution to 6 key areas of world economic and maritime activity. (Stopford 2007, p.2) Container shipping operates out the general society’s sight. That’s why this ‘secret’ industry is interesting for the modern society. ... Nearly 75% of international cargo volume is involved in shipping industry. China is on the upswing and shipping industry in this country is a rapidly developing industry. It is a well-known fact that China is steadily moving to position itself as the world’s greatest power (Stopford 2007) . Consequently, the development of a potential country-world leader and shipping industry, which is responsible for the major part of trade operations in the international market, makes this research relevant to the field of China’s economy. Different aspects of China’s development, social peculiarities, influence of EU regulations on shipping in China makes a context of the study rather complicated. Nevertheless, it is relevant to conduct the research on the basis of available literary sources and empirical data from recent studies. Background of Chinese shipping industry development China is economically fortunate, because of its geographical position and abundant shipping re sources. Nearly 40% of Chinese workers live near coastal regions, the GDP in the country increases 50% and the shipping sector carries out 80% of national import and export activities (Talley 2000). Figure 2 Chinese imports and exports activity steadily increasing (Stopford 2007, p.5) Starting from 1970s, China’s shipping industry has been steadily developing under conditions of continuous development of international trade. International shipping operations are the most relevant operations and well-known on the international arena for China’s business partners. Current perspectives of China’s shipping industry development International cooperation opens impressive perspectives for China.  

Articles about Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Articles about Economy - Research Paper Example Given the inelastic nature of the supply curve, the impact of a negative demand shock had been rather hard for the market. The result of this oversupply was a depreciation in house price by 45% from what it had been in 2008. In Dubai alone, the fall in equilibrium demand price had been as much as 58%, owing to a sharp fall in the number of tourists. Falling demand for houses is also evident from depreciation in the amount of rents being paid on houses; statistics show this fall amounting to 10% in 2010 from what it had been in 2008. An even more pestering issue is that the nation had invested so much into high-end ventures, that there arises no question of turning back which is why the UAE housing market is preparing to introduce another 26,000 units by 2011 (Menon, â€Å"More sharp falls ahead for UAE house prices†). 3 The stock market of UAE, for example, is a market that follows a competitive structure. Similar to the traits of a monopolistically competitive market, the stocks are found to be somewhat different in their innate features, either due to the brand names that are associated with them or due to the different rates of return that they offer. However, while the former is an apparent factor, dependent upon the perception of the investor, the latter is a variable one. In fact, it is the returns that a stock offers which determine the popularity of the same; the moment a rumour hits the market about a possible downfall, the demand for such a stock falls simultaneously. Hence, competitive market forces are the reason why there are any absences of barriers preventing the economic units to act according to the market moves. For instance, the global financial meltdown resulted to a downward revision of the UAE stock indices as was the case for almost every other nation around the world. Such a development resulted to a reduction in the number of investors in the UAE

APPENDIX F Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

APPENDIX F - Assignment Example Write an equation that illustrates this situation. Use the same variables you used in part a. c) Use the equations from part a and b of this exercise as a system of equations. Use substitution to determine how many of each type of floor plan is available. Describe the steps you used to solve the problem. For part B: The x-axis intercept will be when y=0 or when x= 0 and for y-axis intercept will be when x= 0 , it will be at y = 0 This implies the straight line will be passing through point (0,0) mathematically called the origin. a) The sales representative here tells you they also have two floor plans available, but they only have 38 homes available. Write an equation that illustrates the situation. Use x and y to denote floor plan #1 and floor plan #2 respectively. b) The representative tells you that floor plan #1 sells for $175,000 and floor plan #2 sells for $200,000. She also mentions that all the available houses combined are worth $7,200,000. Write an equation that illustrates this situation. Use the same variables you used in part a. 3. You recently started the paperwork to purchase your new home, and you were just notified that you can move into the house in 2 weeks. You decide to hire a moving company, but are unsure which company to choose. You search online and are interested in contacting two companies, Heavy Lifters and Quick Move, to discuss their rates. Heavy Lifting charges an $80 fee plus $35 per hour. Quick Move charges $55 per hour with no additional fees. Answer: Let us tabulate the calculated cost of hiring against the required hours: Then graph for the range is drawn using MS Excel. The graph shows that after we cross the threshold of four hours and go above it in requirement, then the heavy Lifters offer a better

Stereotypes and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes and Prejudice Essay The authors examine overt and subtle forms of stereotyping and prejudice. Two theories that explain overt prejudice are reviewed: realistic conflict theory and social identity theory. Although overt prejudice seems to have declined, subtle stereotyping is still pervasive. The authors review one theory, aversive racism theory, that explains this phenomenon. They also discuss two perspectives, attributional ambiguity and stereotype threat, which provide accounts of the impact of subtle racism. Both overt and subtle prejudice present challenges for the classroom. The authors describe one intervention called the jigsaw classroom that encourages work toward common goals and helps reduce the expression and impact of overt discrimination. A second intervention program, wise schooling, is presented, which aims to reduce the impact of subtle stereotypes by reducing stereotype threat. Why do prejudice and discrimination exist? Has overt racism been replaced by more subtle forms of prejudice? How does stereotyping affect its targets? In this article we describe two theories, realistic conflict theory and social identity theory, which provide an answer to the first question. We address the second question by noting that although overt discrimination has decreased, subtle forms of prejudice are still quite common and we describe one theory, aversive racism, that provides a compelling account of this change in the expression of prejudice. Finally, we answer the third question by describing two phenomena, attributional ambiguity and stereotype threat, that result from the pervasive nature of subtle stereotyping. This article is a selective overview of what social psychology has to say about these crucial issues. In addition, we review two effective intervention programs that offer promise in ameliorating the effects of stereotyping and prejudice in the classroom. In its earliest conceptions, prejudice was treated as a manifestation of pathology (Ashmore Del B oca,1981 ). For example, the frustration-aggression hypothesis (Dollard, Doob, Miller, Mowrer, Sears, 1939, pp. 27-54) considered prejudice to be a result of scapegoating, and authoritarian personality theory (Brown, 1965, pp. 477-546) posited that a severe childhood upbringing could result in a rigid, authoritarian adult who is prejudiced against anyone who is different from the self. But more contemporary accounts of stereotyping and prejudice have emphasized that prejudice may be a more common and normal result of group interaction. In developing realistic group conflict theory Sherif and Sherif ( 1969, pp. 222-266) dismiss the notion that prejudice is pathological and suggest instead that it may frequently arise out of ordinary conflicts of interest between groups. In their studies of a boys’ summer camp, they discovered that ordinary group competition for valued resources led to highly negative and stereotypical views of opposing groups and their individual members. Perhaps the more interesting aspect of these studies, however, was the manner in which conflict and hostility were ameliorated. The Sherifs found that mere contact among opposing groups only intensified the hostility (cf. Stephan, 1987). Events that required cooperative action, however, did function to reduce intergroup conflict. After several such events, all involving superordinate goals (i.e., goals shared by members of all groups), cross-group friendships began to develop and intergroup hostility began to diminish. Working cooperatively toward shared goals transformed the skills of individual group members into valued resources. So, although conflicts of interest resulted in prejudice and intense disliking between groups, action toward superordinate goals helped foster positive opinions and mutual liking. According to another influential line of work, social identity theory (Brewer, 1979; Tajfel Turner, 1986), we categorize people into social groups and locate ourselves within a category. We then evaluate the value or worth of our social identities primarily by comparing our group with other groups. The basic premise of social identity theory is that we are motivated to maintain a positively valued social identity and we may do so by creating or taking advantage of favorable comparisons with other groups. The need to maintain a positive distinction between our own group and others can lead to behavior and attitudes that are biased in favor of our own group and against other groups. According to this perspective, prejudice, intergroup conflict, and stereotyping may arise simply from the struggle to attain or maintain a positive social identity (e.g., Crocker, Thompson, McGraw, Ingerman, 1987). DOES RACISM STILL EXIST? Many historical perspectives on stereotyping, including realistic group conflict theory and social identity theory, attempt to explain the prevalence of overt prejudice and discrimination. However, this kind of directly expressed racism, particularly prejudice directed toward African Americans, is becoming less common. For example, a variety of surveys that directly measure negative178 stereotypes about African Americans, attitudes toward school and residential integration, and general beliefs concerning equal opportunity all indicate that there has been a dramatic shift toward more egalitarian and less racist views over the last 50 years (see Dovidio Gaertner, 1991, for a review). Dovidio and Gaertner (1991) note, however, that across the variety of samples, there are still indications of overt racism in fully 20% of Whites. But what about the 80% who consistently report more positive attitudes toward African Americans? Despite the evidence that a majority of Whites now feel generally more supportive and accepting of African Americans, there is also considerable evidence that these positive feelings may be held with some ambivalence and may mask a more subtle form of racism. For example, survey research reported in Dovidio and Gaertner ( 1991 ) indicates that although Whites seem to endorse the general idea of egalitarianism, they are opposed to specific ways in which it might be implemented, including giving preference to qualified African American job applicants and government intervention to ensure school integration. Although Whites have positive attitudes toward the abstract ideas, they also remain less than enthusiastic about personally having African American neighbors and about interracial marriage. In addition to the survey research mentioned above, laboratory research also provides a great deal of compelling evidence demonstrating the subtle but continuing influence stereotypes have on information processing (Hamilton Sherman, 1994). Stereotypes make cognitive processing about our complex social worlds easier and more efficient. However, the negative consequences of this increased efficiency are reflected in the numerous studies indicating that stereotypes can significantly bias our judgments about other people (e.g., Rosenthal Jacobson, 1968; Sagar Schofield, 1980). For example, Rosenthal and Jacobson’s (1968) work on teacher expectancies suggests that a priori expectations about a student’s academic ability can easily lead a teacher to treat the student differentially and in accord with those expectancies (perhaps causing the student to conform to the expectancies, regardless of his or her natural ability).

Amazon Com An E Commerce Retailer Marketing Essay

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

Essay --

Until the mid 1900’s the knowledge that the world had of chimpanzees was so little. People thought chimpanzees were simple mammals that were not unique in anyways. Researchers were only able to study the chimpanzees in laboratory environments. This type of research led to little information. Scientists realized the best way to learn more was to go live with them. Finally a young lady, Jane Goodall, spent more than 30 years in Africa living with these animals. On April 3, 1934 Jane was born and still continues to live today. Jane grew up in London, England, but then spent more than 30 years in Africa studying chimpanzees. One toy that Jane received one Christmas had changed her life forever. One Christmas she had received a stuffed animal, a chimpanzee, and immediately fell in love with chimpanzees. Jane would do research on chimpanzees every day for a long time until she was twelve. At age twelve she invented a society that helped animals and she would let anyone join in to help. She got through grade school and graduated high school in 1952. Jane and her family could not afford for her to go to college. Instead of Jane going to college she got a job as a waitress and worked as a secretary at Oxford University. In 1956 Jane was invited by a friend to come to Kenya and stay on their farm with them. She had lived with them for about five years and then got asked to go to the Gombe forest to study the chimpanzees. Jane had started her research in the Gombe forest in the 1960’s. The people that had sent Jane said she was not allowed to go by herself, so Jane brought her mother. They had started at the top of a mountain and slowly moved down to observe the chimpanzees from every point of view. Jane would put bananas out o... ...e to know about the chimpanzees and her experience. If Jane had never spent more than thirty years in Africa doing all this hard work for chimpanzees, chimpanzees would be extinct or endangered. Little information would be known, and people would still think chimpanzees were just simple mammals. Instead, Jane did this all for the world and environment. She found out plenty of information and brought that knowledge back to share with the world. Jane found out that these animals were so unique and so very humanlike. She is a very hard worker and puts in so much effort in all she does. She has a great experience with animals and can work great with them. This is why researchers chose Jane to study chimpanzees and do all this hard work for the people. Jane encourages everyone that they can change the world in anyway and wants people to follow in her footsteps.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Brett Easton Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” Essay

Explore the function of the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby† and Brett Easton Ellis’ â€Å"Less Than Zero† Published in 1925 by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, is considered a literary classic by many critics. The eponymous novel is set in the â€Å"Roaring 1920’s† post World War 1 and tells the tale of Jay Gatsby through the novel’s narrator, Nick Carraway. The exposition begins when we are told of the socio-cultural divide between the upper class of America, by a character who has just moved to Long Island from Minnesota. The clear separation between West Egg and East Egg is an idea explored by Nick, who is a resident of the â€Å"lower-upper† class West Egg. Throughout the novel, it can be observed that events that occur are a direct parallel to the life of Scott Fitzgerald, as he projects characteristics of both Gatsby and Nick that were similar to his own. It is widely believed that the book is written in a manner that is cynical of the American Dream and of the elitist society, in a biased fashion that favours Gatsby. Conversely, Less Than Zero is a novel set in the 1980s and tells the story of affluent college students, who lead hedonistic lifestyles with the security of their parents’ wealth. Brett Easton Ellis’ first novel in his oeuvre is written during the years following the Vietnam War of economic prosperity in Reagan’s America and highlights the fragmented society caused by passionless relationships between friends and family and the lack of morality present in upper class America. The two novels contrast in the cities that they are set in; The Great Gatsby is set in New York’s Long Island, whilst Less Than Zero is set in California on the opposite coast of America. However the behaviour of the two generations is quite similar, and is reflective of the influence of money on higher-class society during the respective periods. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is not only the narrator, but also a character that actively participates in the novel and it his opinion that dictates how the reader perceives other characters. One obvious example of this is in the novel’s title, as the epithet â€Å"Great† is used to describe a character that the reader has not yet met. This suggests that Nick Carraway idolizes Gatsby in some aspects and to some degree, aspires to what Gatsby represents. â€Å"†¦ Produced like the supper, no doubt, out of a caterers basket.† This short extract is taken from a section where Nick is describing a lavish party that is frequently held by Gatsby. The metaphor implies that Gatsby is almost God-like in the way he is able to throw extravagant parties yet remains anonymous to those that attend. During the 1920’s, there was a period of what was known as prohibition, where all alcohol was banned, and yet people are often described drinking throughout The Great Gatsby. This could be a condemnation of upper class society, as it suggests they are just as immoral, if not more so, than the lower classes. Fitzgerald himself went from a family of mediocrity to a sudden rise in splendor through his writings, and can therefore relate to the awe that one might feel when acclimatizing to such a society. Less Than Zero’s narrator, Clay, does not represent its author in the same way as Nick does, however Easton-Ellis uses Clay to magnify the issues that surrounded affluent college students during the 80s. Clay often negatively portrays the actions of other characters, which can be seen as an act of hypocrisy. For example, â€Å"Because you both stole a quarter gram of cocaine from me the last time I left my door open. That’s why.† At this point, Clay accuses his sisters of stealing his cocaine, which they put down to him â€Å"leaving his door unlocked†. This may be a reference to the lack of privacy or a lack of trust within society to such a degree that one cannot trust even their closest family. Nick Carraway is arguably a biased narrator, through his romanticized and idealized description of the novel’s protagonist and adversely, his foil, Tom Buchanan. On their first encounter Nick describes Gatsby’s gestures with authority for example, â€Å"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself† This quotation epitomizes Nick’s admiration for Gatsby before he has properly met him and implies that he has already formulated an opinion based upon rumours he has heard but also based on the party Gatsby invited him to. Once again, this is may be seen as a condemnation of American society by Fitzgerald who shows that capitalist and superficiality was a major factor in defining an individual. Gatsby’s flawless persona does deteriorate as the novel progresses and as Gatsby comes close to achieving his dream, however Nick appears to glaze over this and as a result, preserves Gatsby’s â€Å"greatness† to the reader. The use of the affectation â€Å"old sport† throughout Gatsby’s communication with Nick highlights a friendship that is neither formal nor informal but rather one of an illusionary nature. This is to say that Gatsby uses the affectation in order to evoke a more appealing, intellectual persona. Despite Nick seeing through his faà §ade, he chooses to ignore the matter, instead only becomes more infatuated with what Gatsby represents. â€Å"What part of the Middle West?’ I inquired casually.’ ‘San Francisco’ ‘I see† It is apparent that Nick knows San Francisco is not in the Middle West but rather on the west coast yet he chooses not to argue as if Gatsby’s word is unequivocally truth. Claire Stocks puts this infatuation down to a likeness that both men share which is that â€Å"[both men] seem to be the victims of insufficient or thwarted inheritances†¦ They are both forced to work for their living†. It can be suggested that towards the end of Less Than Zero, Clay wants to leave this society as he narrates, â€Å"My eyes keep wandering off the screen and to the two green exit signs that hang over the two doors in the back of the theater† This occurs whilst Clay, Blair and Kim are in the cinema watching a â€Å"gory† film and highlights that Clay does in fact have some form of morality despite the actions that he part-takes in. Easton-Ellis reveals a character that is torn between being moral or following the hedonistic life he is so easily acclimatized to. Fitzgerald also uses Nick Carraway as a way of criticizing the society that he strives to be a part of. This is evident in Chapter 2, where Nick spends time with Tom, Myrtle and Mr. Wilson, â€Å"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.† At this point, Nick may be referring to the â€Å"variety† of classes that are present, as Myrtle and Mr. Wilson are of a lower class, himself of middle class and Tom from the upper echelons of society. It may be seen that Fitzgerald could not stand the behavior of the people he became associated with, however realized that their behavior was a result of what he sought after, in terms of the â€Å"American dream† and therefore feels â€Å"enchanted† by the hedonistic nature of the upper class. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald also highlights the vast socio-cultural divide between classes and as such presents the reader with an ambiguous view of fractured relationships. Clay also presents his own society with undertones of disdain, being cynical of the netherworld through his direct and succinct account of various events that take place. He rarely places emotion or opinion in his description of events and as a result, it seems that he is more of a trustworthy narrator. This is most evident when he recounts the viewing of a â€Å"snuff† movie, â€Å"It looks like a toolbox and I’m confused for a minute and Blair walks out of the room. And he takes out an ice pick and what looks like a wire hanger and a package of nails and then a thin, large knife and he comes toward the girl and Daniel smiles and nudges me in the ribs.† The repeated use of polysyndeton gives the reader the impression that Clay is not properly viewing the movie; instead, he is almost analyzing it as if it were a novel. The lack of sensory description also implies that Clay is trying to distance himself from this and that he sees the crude and disgusting nature of what he is being shown. At this time, snuff films had just been exposed and were not an unknown phenomenon. Therefore, Easton-Ellis may be suggesting that society has lost its moral compass/guidance, being reduced to ignoring such shocking acts. However, in spite of this, Clay does offer himself as a more intellectual individual compared to other characters, by the way he looks at the billboard that is titled â€Å"Disappear Here†. Evidently he does not choose to â€Å"disappear† and instead stays amongst the morally obsolete society that he is attached to and this ultimately leads to the dà ©nouement in which he is forced to leave his society. Both novels differ in the tone in which they are written though the contexts are very similar despite being in diverse decades. On the one hand, there is Nick who is biased towards one specific character and seems to show disdain for the society that he once strived for, and on the other, Clay, who has a more direct approach to narration and more expressively communicates the plot to the reader. Overall, the two narrators are used to convey to very different ideas that are relevant to their contexts. The Great Gatsby is narrated such that the reader is almost forced into liking Gatsby despite his clear superficiality, which is upheld by trivial objects such as â€Å"real books† and medals with â€Å"authentic looks†. Less Than Zero poses are more critical view of society, with the narrator becoming confused by the moral ambiguity and generally growing to hate the society that he belongs to as it has been reduced to individualism and by an large a fractured society whereby â€Å"people are afraid to merge†.