Telstra

Background Telstra is a descendant of the Post Master General's (PMG) Department of the Australian Commonwealth Public Service. In 1975 telecommunications and postal functions were divided into two statutory commissions: Telecom Australia and Australia Post. Telecom Australia, the government-owned communications carrier, later merged with a much smaller government body, OTC, then responsible for international calls. Telecom rebranded itself as Telstra in the early 1990s. Telstra has faced competition since the late 1980s from competing providers.It retains ownership of the fixed-line telephone network, as well as one of two competing pay-tv and data cable networks. Other companies offering fixed-line services must therefore deal with Telstra. Competing telecommunication companies have constantly accused Telstra of overcharging for wholesale access to their networks the ACCC has often agreed but decisions by the regulator are slow. [1] Current Situation Australia’s leading tele communications and information Services Company, Telstra Corporation Ltd is well poised to deliver a high level of service in the highly competitive communications market in Australia and abroad.Telstra’s service offerings include: – Local, long-distance and international telephony services – Mobile telecommunications services – Data, Internet and online services – Wholesale services to other carriers – Telephone directories – Pay television services Telstra employs approximately 40,000 staff and generates revenues of some US$18 billion in its most recent fiscal year. [2] SWOT Analysis After careful deliberation, a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities & threats) analysis was developed that was reflected in a selection of OB (Organisational Behaviour) Theories that demonstrate the general abilities and framework of Telstra.All of these theories will be explored further with regard to how they shape policies, provide direction or lim it growth in relation to the SWOT analysis (Ref. to Appendix A). Issue Analysis Competition â€Å"Competitors use tactics like price reductions, new product introductions, and advertising campaigns to gain advantage over their rivals. Competition is most intense when there are many direct competitors, when industry growth is slow, or when the product or service cannot be differentiated in some way. † [3]Competition is only a recent challenge for Telstra as it had government protection and maintained an effective monopoly of telecommunications in Australia for many years. However, with the recent deregulation of the market and the increase in players, Telstra has increasingly been threatened with higher competition from competitors. The increase of players in this market will surely cause customers to go ‘shopping’ for the best deals, hence Telstra is being and will be forced further in the future to improve its’ image and offers so as to retain an effectiv e market share.Thus said, the telecommunications industry has changed as global sentiment towards telecommunications has turned negative in recent years, and has come to the stage where the market currently rewards commercial discipline and conservatism within the industry. [4] In the corrections that has followed these events, plus the collapse of the dotcoms and tier 2 Telcos, and the investment rebalancing post the millennium bug era, an estimated 3 trillion US dollars has been wiped off the value of Telco stocks worldwide in the last two years.The Australian industry has not escaped this market reaction, or the pressure that accompanies a sudden slowdown in revenue growth from the exciting ride of the nineties. But in this reporting period so far, the Australian telecommunications industry sees a number of carriers earning reasonable revenues and showing some signs of profit improvement, and many are experiencing growth in customers and market share. Most significantly, the firs t five years of open competition in Australia have delivered considerable benefits for consumers: lower prices, better service, more investment and innovation, and more choice. 5] According to Telstra staff, five years of open competition has also made Telstra a better company, a better competitor and a better servant of their customers. Telstra had to change and adapt, which they have – and they’re now seeing the benefits. Still, Telstra must retain some level of strength and influence over the telecommunications market as several of Telstra’s competitors complain that Telstra as a company is too large. Supposedly, they cannot compete against Telstra due to its size, range of services, and nationwide coverage.Telstra is too powerful, and its’ competitors are calling for ‘structural separation’, and dismantling Telstra into smaller companies that would run the wholesale network and serve retail customers. [6] Cost Competitiveness Cost competi tiveness is best described as keeping costs low in order to achieve profits and prices that are attractive to customers, in which Telstra can offer low prices by managing their costs and keeping them down. This means being efficient, accomplishing their goals by using their resources wisely, and minimizing waste. 7] With regard to cost competitiveness, Telstra is able to compete with the best in the market, although deregulation and the increase in telecommunications companies such as Optus and Vodafone are proving themselves as potential threats to Telstra’s dominance of the telecommunications market in Australia. Telstra continues to deliver on cost control. The cost performance of the company has been disciplined and underpins revenue performance. It is a prerequisite for success in providing value for their customers.Telstra also needs to take into consideration the challenge that sustained technological change creates for Australia’s telecommunications system. In additions, as a geographically vast country with a highly dispersed population, located at a great distance from its trading partners, Australia depends more heavily than other countries do on the quality, efficiency and innovativeness of its telecommunications system. As new technologies expand the benefits telecommunications can bring, Australians in particular, stand to gain from an environment that promotes prompt adoption and widespread use.Within three to five years, it is estimated the process of convergence will offer the greatest opportunities in this respect. â€Å"Convergence†, viewed from a technological perspective, refers to the process by which services that were previously supported over distinct communications infrastructures are integrated around a common, high capacity, digital platform. This brings with it the blurring of boundaries between once-distinct services and the entry of suppliers from previously separate markets into a now combining and necessari ly wider market place. [8]From the consumer perspective, convergence brings clear gains. Reliance on a common infrastructure allows efficiencies to be obtained, reducing costs and charges. That infrastructure’s high capacity allows new services to be offered, extending the range of content and applications that consumers can access. At the same time, the merging of markets brings previously separated suppliers into head-on competition – with all the benefits that competition yields. Although potentially a threat for Telstra as it may lose market share in particular areas, it is also an opportunity if it can take dvantage of lowering prices to attract more customers. This will depend on the strength of Telstra’s innovations in drawing customer’s attention, but also on way Telstra can uphold profits while lowering prices without staff cutbacks or branch closures. [9] It is against this backdrop that the impact of regulation needs to be assessed. By adding u ncertainty to what is already a highly uncertain environment, the current regulation of access discourages investment both by Telstra and by Telstra’s competitors.At the same time, the bias – in the direction of trying to set ever lower charges for access seekers, regardless of costs – that has emerged in ACCC decision-making distorts price signals and expectations in ways inimical to efficient investment and to technological change. This lack of any internally consistent, rigorous approach by the ACCC to decisions such as these is, in Telstra’s view, unjustifiable. It is no defence to say, as the ACCC does in its most recent submission to the Commission, that overall Telstra’s PSTN is profitable.Even putting aside the absurdities evident in the manner in which the ACCC has reached this assessment, the ACCC’s argument seems to imply that so long as Telstra is not â€Å"going under†, access pricing decisions can be taken without proper regard to their consequences for Telstra’s ability to recover costs and finance investments. No doubt, this decision comes as a huge threat to Telstra’s competitiveness in the communications industry and Telstra is set to potential lose a large slice of the market share or shareholder confidence, depending on how the company responds to the announcement.The reality is that at the margin, Telstra must allocate its funds among competing uses in the light not of the short term or immediate profitability of the grouping of services they support, but of their return over the lifetime of the assets being acquired. Even if it were the case that Telstra’s PSTN was â€Å"profitable† in some economically relevant sense today, it is the future profitability of the service that counts; and the ever strengthening competition in this area, combined with continued heavy-handed regulatory intervention, hardly makes investment in the CAN attractive when ompared to altern atives. No less importantly, the fact remains that the ACCC’s decisions, by setting access charges below cost, cannot but distort and depress investment in regulated assets, as the return on that investment to Telstra is reduced below the return it yields to consumers and service suppliers as a whole. It is these impacts at the margin, rather than aggregate comparisons of costs and revenues, that are economically relevant. Quality Quality can be measured in terms of performance, additional features, reliability (failure or breakdowns), and conformance to standards, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics. † In addition,† the excellence of a product, including such things as attractiveness, lack of defects, reliability, and long-term dependability. † defines the expectations that many people these days have of companies and consequently, the kind of service that Telstra endeavours to deliver. [10] The importance of quality, and standards for acceptable qua lity, has increased dramatically in recent years.Firms cannot get by offering poor quality products as they could a few years ago. Customers now demand high quality and value, and generally will accept nothing less. [11] Telstra’s performance in regional and rural Australia is constantly under scrutiny. Telstra welcomes this scrutiny because the level of improvement in service levels and performance in regional, rural and remote Australia over the past two years has been dramatic. [12] In recognition of the special needs of regional customers, Telstra Country Wide â„ ¢ was established in June 2000.According to Telstra, it was one of the best business decisions they ever took. Telstra Country Wide today services three million customers who account for more than $3 billion in revenue to Telstra, no doubt a strength in revenue for Telstra, although raises questions as to whether service is being reduced to make way for increased revenue. [13] Even so, remote customers can now make untimed local calls to community service towns hundreds of kilometres away, which better reflects the reality of life in rural Australia. Mobile coverage now reaches 97% of the population.To achieve this, Telstra has been working with the Federal Government to establish mobile services to smaller towns and to improve the quality of mobile connections nationwide. [14] Speed In the Information Age, speed is everything to nearly everyone, which makes it a priority for Telstra to deliver the kind of services that people expect. While Telstra’s services in rural Australia are often reported to be lacking in terms of connection times for phone and internet, as well as the ability of Telstra staff to respond to customer requests or complaints, new technologies are being sought that can reduce these problems.Hence, how fast can Telstra develop and get a new product to market? How quickly can they respond to customer’s requests? Telstra is far better off if they are faste r than the competition and if they can respond quickly to their competitors’ actions. [15] Therefore, Telstra has seen an opportunity in this to respond to people’s needs and increasingly has promoted ‘broadband’ as a viable, effective and efficient way of ensuring speed in communications.Broadband is growing across Australia because people are attracted to faster download times and having a permanent online connection. [16] Broadband enables a high-speed permanent Internet connection. It’s about faster Internet speeds, increased capacity and capabilities and more compelling content. A modem is needed, but there are no dial in access numbers to connect to. [17] Innovations Whether it is a change in technology; a departure from previous ways of doing things or introduction of new products, innovation is something that most uccessful companies possess and use to further either market share or consumer satisfaction. Depending on Telstra’s compet itiveness and creativity, innovation can be a huge opportunity in grasping larger market shares and customers, or it can be a threat if other companies are more innovative. Telstra has managed to use innovative ideas to shape its’ success and satisfy consumer demands, some of the latest innovations being the Homeline Plans, Telstra Rewards Options, Homelink ® 1800 and Telstra Mobile CDMA. 18] Homeline plans allows the customer to select options that best suit them, whether they have friends and family close by, in another state or another country and whether they make lots of calls every day or just a few each week, in order to bring about maximum savings. [19] Telstra Rewards Options gives the customer the chance to save 5% or 10% on their phone bill by combining their Telstra home phone, Telstra Mobile and Telstra BigPondâ„ ¢, as well as having the added convenience of only one bill.Homelink ® 1800 makes it easy for a family member to call home – and they don' t need cash or special cards. [20] Telstra Mobile CDMA is used particularly in rural regions of Australia and offers: call clarity and security; network security lock; background noise suppression; and call clarity and security. Because CDMA uses a more sophisticated system of transmitting voice signals, the phone is not dissimilar to talking on a normal phone. What's more, CDMA signals are almost impossible to decipher if they are intercepted by eavesdroppers, which means conversations are more secure.Increasingly, more of Telstra’s revenues will come from their operations overseas. They will continue to see popular innovations, both overseas and in Australia, that will change the way people work, learn, communicate and receive information and entertainment. [21] In international growth, Telstra’s focus is on business mobiles, data and Internet, particularly in the Asia and Pacific Region, which is where it is felt that a good commercial history and experience there w ill help in realising opportunities for shareholders.Telstra’s investments in Asia have provided them with a platform for regional growth. [22] Downsizing Put simply, downsizing is the planned elimination of positions or jobs, and has caused its fair share of controversy surrounding companies in recent times that are laying off large numbers of workers and sacrificing customer service at the expense of large profits and boosting investor confidence. [23]Although historically, layoffs tend to affect manufacturing firms and operative level workers in particular, the most recent cycle of downsizing has focused on delivering and eliminating bureaucratic structures, and hence, â€Å"white collar† middle managers have been those chiefly affected. [24] Hence, firms such as Telstra should avoid excessive (cyclical) hiring to help reduce the need to engage in major or multiple downsizings.Beyond that, firms must avoid common mistakes such as making slow, small, frequent layoffs ; implementing voluntary early retirement programs that entice the best people to leave; or laying off so many people that company’s work can no longer be performed. [25] Therefore, caution must be sought when laying off any amount of workers, as the company must maintain job satisfaction as a strength as well as be focused on customer service in order to avoid customer dissatisfaction and hence customers going to competitors. 26] Recommendations After reviewing Telstra and comparing what they do with other business similar to theirs, I have put together a new and innovative way for Telstra to revitalise and recreate their business, this will not only improve customer service but also improve productively as this will allow many processes to be completed much faster by not needing to deal with the usual misunderstandings and confusion associated with some of their services.At present Telstra could be said to be in two worlds that of the typical bureaucratic society, which oft en is seen in public sectors, and that of new technology where by Telstra is highly involved with the introduce of new technology, yet in many ways these changes have results in more issues relating to people not understanding how to use the new technology correctly, this not includes both employees as well as their clients. Such issues as these are common when new technology is introduced, yet with a business such as Telstra which already has a variety of customer service problems, this new technology has added to their worries.The only way that Telstra can overcome these issues is by combining them, to create new innovated ideas that not only still allow human to human interaction but also makes better use of technology to not only improve customer service but also to speed it up. After considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to Telstra with regard to it, it is fair to comment Telstra is well poised to continue to play a large part in the Australasian tele communications market. While Telstra is by many standards a very successful company, much of that success lay behind government protection.However, with the deregulation of the telecommunications market, the future is less certain for Telstra and more competition may threaten its market share and cause the company to improve its services. However, this should be viewed positively as an opportunity for Telstra to move forward, in particular expanding into Asia, and be seen as a company that can support itself. This increased competition will in time show Telstra’s true strengths and weaknesses in the field of telecommunications and if the company can hold its place in the Australian telecommunications industry. Reference List Interview Five Telstra Employees (They want to remain anonymous) Books – Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002 – Kelly, J. (1969). Organizational Behaviour, USA: Irwin – McShane, S an d Travaglione, T. (2003). Organisational Behaviour On The Pacific Rim, Sydney, McGraw-Hill – Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter (2003). Management, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education Australia – Robbins, S. P. , Waters-Marsh, T. , Cacioppe, R. , and Millet, B. (1994). Organisational Behaviour. Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Organisational Behaviour.Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Sayles, L and Strauss, G. (1966). Human Behaviour In Organizations, USA: Prentice Hall Websites – Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. – Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23/ 9/05]. – Glossary Terms, Available: http://www. ots. treas. gov/glossary/gloss-m. html [24/09/05] – Marketing Strategy, Available: http://www. tutor2u. net/business/gcse/marketing_strategy_introduction. htm [24/09/05] à ¢â‚¬â€œ Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. om/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. – Telstra Just Too Good. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25/09/05] – Telstra Options. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26/09/05] – Telstra Corporation Ltd, History – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are driving growth to build shareholders. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – 4 Key Strategic Areas 2001.Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_3. html [ 29/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporaton Ltd – Domestic Reta il – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05] – Wikipedia Encyclopaedia, Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Marketing_research [24/09/05]E – Journals – Brenner, O. C. , Singer, Marc G. Management Quarterly. Washington (1984). Vol. 25, Iss. 2, pg. 14 , 7 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU) – Dotson, L. (2004) 10 Ways To Improve Your Customer Service – E. C. Pasour, J. (1983) Privatization: Is it the Answer? The Freeman – Lovata, Linda M. MIS Quarterly. Minneapolis. Jun (1987). Vol 11. Iss. 2, pg. 147, 3 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Wettenhall, R. Privatization in Australia: How Much and What Impacts? Canberra, Uni of Canberra. – Simintiras, Antonis C. , Lancaster, Geoffrey A. Management Decision. London (1991). Vol. 29, Iss. 4, pg. 22, 6 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) Note: Assortments of lectures and tutorial notes have been used from Organisational Behaviour G. Appendixes SWOT Analysis of Telstra |Strengths |Weaknesses | | | |Competitive Pricing |Rural Services | |Global Nature of Competition: competing overseas eg. South-East Asia |Mobile Phone Coverage / Quality | |Internet Access – BigPondâ„ ¢ Home available across Australia for the cost|Broadband Access / Quality | |of a local call. Broadband ADSL | | |CDMA Network Coverage 97. 1% of Australian pop. Largest cellular | | |mobile coverage in Australia | | |Options to suit everyone: Combining Phone/Mobile/ Internet Bills | | |Phone Range (Landline / Mobile) | | |Directories – White & Yellow Pages (standard / electronic) | | |Opportunities |Threat s | | | | |New / Innovative Products |Increase in Competition (Optus, Vodafone, Transact etc) | |Extend services & the market share of Telstra into other counties |Lose of employment due to technology or cut cost measures | |Improving and Expanding product and service offerings in Australia |The government selling the rest of Telstra (privatisation) | ———————– [1] Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. com/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. [2] History, Telstra Corporation Ltd – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. [3] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, p. 53 [4] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [5] ibid [6] Telstra Just Too Good.Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25 September 2 005]. [7] Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002, Glossary (G-2) [8] ibid [9] ibid [10] ibid p. 12 [11] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-7) [12] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [13] ibid [14] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Domestic Retail – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24 September 2005]. [15] Bateman & Snell, op. cit p. 12 16] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [17] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [18] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-4) [19] Telstra Options. Availa ble: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26 September 2005]. [20] ibid [21] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available: ,- !† ? ?  µ  ¶  · E  § ? I I c ) * + – L M N ocUcUcUcEUcEc · iPiPiPiPiPiPi1hchttp://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [22] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [23] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-3) [24] ibid p. 283 [25] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24 September 2005]. [26] Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU) Telstra Background Telstra is a descendant of the Post Master General's (PMG) Department of the Australian Commonwealth Public Service. In 1975 telecommunications and postal functions were divided into two statutory commissions: Telecom Australia and Australia Post. Telecom Australia, the government-owned communications carrier, later merged with a much smaller government body, OTC, then responsible for international calls. Telecom rebranded itself as Telstra in the early 1990s. Telstra has faced competition since the late 1980s from competing providers.It retains ownership of the fixed-line telephone network, as well as one of two competing pay-tv and data cable networks. Other companies offering fixed-line services must therefore deal with Telstra. Competing telecommunication companies have constantly accused Telstra of overcharging for wholesale access to their networks the ACCC has often agreed but decisions by the regulator are slow. [1] Current Situation Australia’s leading tele communications and information Services Company, Telstra Corporation Ltd is well poised to deliver a high level of service in the highly competitive communications market in Australia and abroad.Telstra’s service offerings include: – Local, long-distance and international telephony services – Mobile telecommunications services – Data, Internet and online services – Wholesale services to other carriers – Telephone directories – Pay television services Telstra employs approximately 40,000 staff and generates revenues of some US$18 billion in its most recent fiscal year. [2] SWOT Analysis After careful deliberation, a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities & threats) analysis was developed that was reflected in a selection of OB (Organisational Behaviour) Theories that demonstrate the general abilities and framework of Telstra.All of these theories will be explored further with regard to how they shape policies, provide direction or lim it growth in relation to the SWOT analysis (Ref. to Appendix A). Issue Analysis Competition â€Å"Competitors use tactics like price reductions, new product introductions, and advertising campaigns to gain advantage over their rivals. Competition is most intense when there are many direct competitors, when industry growth is slow, or when the product or service cannot be differentiated in some way. † [3]Competition is only a recent challenge for Telstra as it had government protection and maintained an effective monopoly of telecommunications in Australia for many years. However, with the recent deregulation of the market and the increase in players, Telstra has increasingly been threatened with higher competition from competitors. The increase of players in this market will surely cause customers to go ‘shopping’ for the best deals, hence Telstra is being and will be forced further in the future to improve its’ image and offers so as to retain an effectiv e market share.Thus said, the telecommunications industry has changed as global sentiment towards telecommunications has turned negative in recent years, and has come to the stage where the market currently rewards commercial discipline and conservatism within the industry. [4] In the corrections that has followed these events, plus the collapse of the dotcoms and tier 2 Telcos, and the investment rebalancing post the millennium bug era, an estimated 3 trillion US dollars has been wiped off the value of Telco stocks worldwide in the last two years.The Australian industry has not escaped this market reaction, or the pressure that accompanies a sudden slowdown in revenue growth from the exciting ride of the nineties. But in this reporting period so far, the Australian telecommunications industry sees a number of carriers earning reasonable revenues and showing some signs of profit improvement, and many are experiencing growth in customers and market share. Most significantly, the firs t five years of open competition in Australia have delivered considerable benefits for consumers: lower prices, better service, more investment and innovation, and more choice. 5] According to Telstra staff, five years of open competition has also made Telstra a better company, a better competitor and a better servant of their customers. Telstra had to change and adapt, which they have – and they’re now seeing the benefits. Still, Telstra must retain some level of strength and influence over the telecommunications market as several of Telstra’s competitors complain that Telstra as a company is too large. Supposedly, they cannot compete against Telstra due to its size, range of services, and nationwide coverage.Telstra is too powerful, and its’ competitors are calling for ‘structural separation’, and dismantling Telstra into smaller companies that would run the wholesale network and serve retail customers. [6] Cost Competitiveness Cost competi tiveness is best described as keeping costs low in order to achieve profits and prices that are attractive to customers, in which Telstra can offer low prices by managing their costs and keeping them down. This means being efficient, accomplishing their goals by using their resources wisely, and minimizing waste. 7] With regard to cost competitiveness, Telstra is able to compete with the best in the market, although deregulation and the increase in telecommunications companies such as Optus and Vodafone are proving themselves as potential threats to Telstra’s dominance of the telecommunications market in Australia. Telstra continues to deliver on cost control. The cost performance of the company has been disciplined and underpins revenue performance. It is a prerequisite for success in providing value for their customers.Telstra also needs to take into consideration the challenge that sustained technological change creates for Australia’s telecommunications system. In additions, as a geographically vast country with a highly dispersed population, located at a great distance from its trading partners, Australia depends more heavily than other countries do on the quality, efficiency and innovativeness of its telecommunications system. As new technologies expand the benefits telecommunications can bring, Australians in particular, stand to gain from an environment that promotes prompt adoption and widespread use.Within three to five years, it is estimated the process of convergence will offer the greatest opportunities in this respect. â€Å"Convergence†, viewed from a technological perspective, refers to the process by which services that were previously supported over distinct communications infrastructures are integrated around a common, high capacity, digital platform. This brings with it the blurring of boundaries between once-distinct services and the entry of suppliers from previously separate markets into a now combining and necessari ly wider market place. [8]From the consumer perspective, convergence brings clear gains. Reliance on a common infrastructure allows efficiencies to be obtained, reducing costs and charges. That infrastructure’s high capacity allows new services to be offered, extending the range of content and applications that consumers can access. At the same time, the merging of markets brings previously separated suppliers into head-on competition – with all the benefits that competition yields. Although potentially a threat for Telstra as it may lose market share in particular areas, it is also an opportunity if it can take dvantage of lowering prices to attract more customers. This will depend on the strength of Telstra’s innovations in drawing customer’s attention, but also on way Telstra can uphold profits while lowering prices without staff cutbacks or branch closures. [9] It is against this backdrop that the impact of regulation needs to be assessed. By adding u ncertainty to what is already a highly uncertain environment, the current regulation of access discourages investment both by Telstra and by Telstra’s competitors.At the same time, the bias – in the direction of trying to set ever lower charges for access seekers, regardless of costs – that has emerged in ACCC decision-making distorts price signals and expectations in ways inimical to efficient investment and to technological change. This lack of any internally consistent, rigorous approach by the ACCC to decisions such as these is, in Telstra’s view, unjustifiable. It is no defence to say, as the ACCC does in its most recent submission to the Commission, that overall Telstra’s PSTN is profitable.Even putting aside the absurdities evident in the manner in which the ACCC has reached this assessment, the ACCC’s argument seems to imply that so long as Telstra is not â€Å"going under†, access pricing decisions can be taken without proper regard to their consequences for Telstra’s ability to recover costs and finance investments. No doubt, this decision comes as a huge threat to Telstra’s competitiveness in the communications industry and Telstra is set to potential lose a large slice of the market share or shareholder confidence, depending on how the company responds to the announcement.The reality is that at the margin, Telstra must allocate its funds among competing uses in the light not of the short term or immediate profitability of the grouping of services they support, but of their return over the lifetime of the assets being acquired. Even if it were the case that Telstra’s PSTN was â€Å"profitable† in some economically relevant sense today, it is the future profitability of the service that counts; and the ever strengthening competition in this area, combined with continued heavy-handed regulatory intervention, hardly makes investment in the CAN attractive when ompared to altern atives. No less importantly, the fact remains that the ACCC’s decisions, by setting access charges below cost, cannot but distort and depress investment in regulated assets, as the return on that investment to Telstra is reduced below the return it yields to consumers and service suppliers as a whole. It is these impacts at the margin, rather than aggregate comparisons of costs and revenues, that are economically relevant. Quality Quality can be measured in terms of performance, additional features, reliability (failure or breakdowns), and conformance to standards, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics. † In addition,† the excellence of a product, including such things as attractiveness, lack of defects, reliability, and long-term dependability. † defines the expectations that many people these days have of companies and consequently, the kind of service that Telstra endeavours to deliver. [10] The importance of quality, and standards for acceptable qua lity, has increased dramatically in recent years.Firms cannot get by offering poor quality products as they could a few years ago. Customers now demand high quality and value, and generally will accept nothing less. [11] Telstra’s performance in regional and rural Australia is constantly under scrutiny. Telstra welcomes this scrutiny because the level of improvement in service levels and performance in regional, rural and remote Australia over the past two years has been dramatic. [12] In recognition of the special needs of regional customers, Telstra Country Wide â„ ¢ was established in June 2000.According to Telstra, it was one of the best business decisions they ever took. Telstra Country Wide today services three million customers who account for more than $3 billion in revenue to Telstra, no doubt a strength in revenue for Telstra, although raises questions as to whether service is being reduced to make way for increased revenue. [13] Even so, remote customers can now make untimed local calls to community service towns hundreds of kilometres away, which better reflects the reality of life in rural Australia. Mobile coverage now reaches 97% of the population.To achieve this, Telstra has been working with the Federal Government to establish mobile services to smaller towns and to improve the quality of mobile connections nationwide. [14] Speed In the Information Age, speed is everything to nearly everyone, which makes it a priority for Telstra to deliver the kind of services that people expect. While Telstra’s services in rural Australia are often reported to be lacking in terms of connection times for phone and internet, as well as the ability of Telstra staff to respond to customer requests or complaints, new technologies are being sought that can reduce these problems.Hence, how fast can Telstra develop and get a new product to market? How quickly can they respond to customer’s requests? Telstra is far better off if they are faste r than the competition and if they can respond quickly to their competitors’ actions. [15] Therefore, Telstra has seen an opportunity in this to respond to people’s needs and increasingly has promoted ‘broadband’ as a viable, effective and efficient way of ensuring speed in communications.Broadband is growing across Australia because people are attracted to faster download times and having a permanent online connection. [16] Broadband enables a high-speed permanent Internet connection. It’s about faster Internet speeds, increased capacity and capabilities and more compelling content. A modem is needed, but there are no dial in access numbers to connect to. [17] Innovations Whether it is a change in technology; a departure from previous ways of doing things or introduction of new products, innovation is something that most uccessful companies possess and use to further either market share or consumer satisfaction. Depending on Telstra’s compet itiveness and creativity, innovation can be a huge opportunity in grasping larger market shares and customers, or it can be a threat if other companies are more innovative. Telstra has managed to use innovative ideas to shape its’ success and satisfy consumer demands, some of the latest innovations being the Homeline Plans, Telstra Rewards Options, Homelink ® 1800 and Telstra Mobile CDMA. 18] Homeline plans allows the customer to select options that best suit them, whether they have friends and family close by, in another state or another country and whether they make lots of calls every day or just a few each week, in order to bring about maximum savings. [19] Telstra Rewards Options gives the customer the chance to save 5% or 10% on their phone bill by combining their Telstra home phone, Telstra Mobile and Telstra BigPondâ„ ¢, as well as having the added convenience of only one bill.Homelink ® 1800 makes it easy for a family member to call home – and they don' t need cash or special cards. [20] Telstra Mobile CDMA is used particularly in rural regions of Australia and offers: call clarity and security; network security lock; background noise suppression; and call clarity and security. Because CDMA uses a more sophisticated system of transmitting voice signals, the phone is not dissimilar to talking on a normal phone. What's more, CDMA signals are almost impossible to decipher if they are intercepted by eavesdroppers, which means conversations are more secure.Increasingly, more of Telstra’s revenues will come from their operations overseas. They will continue to see popular innovations, both overseas and in Australia, that will change the way people work, learn, communicate and receive information and entertainment. [21] In international growth, Telstra’s focus is on business mobiles, data and Internet, particularly in the Asia and Pacific Region, which is where it is felt that a good commercial history and experience there w ill help in realising opportunities for shareholders.Telstra’s investments in Asia have provided them with a platform for regional growth. [22] Downsizing Put simply, downsizing is the planned elimination of positions or jobs, and has caused its fair share of controversy surrounding companies in recent times that are laying off large numbers of workers and sacrificing customer service at the expense of large profits and boosting investor confidence. [23]Although historically, layoffs tend to affect manufacturing firms and operative level workers in particular, the most recent cycle of downsizing has focused on delivering and eliminating bureaucratic structures, and hence, â€Å"white collar† middle managers have been those chiefly affected. [24] Hence, firms such as Telstra should avoid excessive (cyclical) hiring to help reduce the need to engage in major or multiple downsizings.Beyond that, firms must avoid common mistakes such as making slow, small, frequent layoffs ; implementing voluntary early retirement programs that entice the best people to leave; or laying off so many people that company’s work can no longer be performed. [25] Therefore, caution must be sought when laying off any amount of workers, as the company must maintain job satisfaction as a strength as well as be focused on customer service in order to avoid customer dissatisfaction and hence customers going to competitors. 26] Recommendations After reviewing Telstra and comparing what they do with other business similar to theirs, I have put together a new and innovative way for Telstra to revitalise and recreate their business, this will not only improve customer service but also improve productively as this will allow many processes to be completed much faster by not needing to deal with the usual misunderstandings and confusion associated with some of their services.At present Telstra could be said to be in two worlds that of the typical bureaucratic society, which oft en is seen in public sectors, and that of new technology where by Telstra is highly involved with the introduce of new technology, yet in many ways these changes have results in more issues relating to people not understanding how to use the new technology correctly, this not includes both employees as well as their clients. Such issues as these are common when new technology is introduced, yet with a business such as Telstra which already has a variety of customer service problems, this new technology has added to their worries.The only way that Telstra can overcome these issues is by combining them, to create new innovated ideas that not only still allow human to human interaction but also makes better use of technology to not only improve customer service but also to speed it up. After considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to Telstra with regard to it, it is fair to comment Telstra is well poised to continue to play a large part in the Australasian tele communications market. While Telstra is by many standards a very successful company, much of that success lay behind government protection.However, with the deregulation of the telecommunications market, the future is less certain for Telstra and more competition may threaten its market share and cause the company to improve its services. However, this should be viewed positively as an opportunity for Telstra to move forward, in particular expanding into Asia, and be seen as a company that can support itself. This increased competition will in time show Telstra’s true strengths and weaknesses in the field of telecommunications and if the company can hold its place in the Australian telecommunications industry. Reference List Interview Five Telstra Employees (They want to remain anonymous) Books – Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002 – Kelly, J. (1969). Organizational Behaviour, USA: Irwin – McShane, S an d Travaglione, T. (2003). Organisational Behaviour On The Pacific Rim, Sydney, McGraw-Hill – Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter (2003). Management, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education Australia – Robbins, S. P. , Waters-Marsh, T. , Cacioppe, R. , and Millet, B. (1994). Organisational Behaviour. Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Organisational Behaviour.Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Prentice Hall – Sayles, L and Strauss, G. (1966). Human Behaviour In Organizations, USA: Prentice Hall Websites – Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. – Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23/ 9/05]. – Glossary Terms, Available: http://www. ots. treas. gov/glossary/gloss-m. html [24/09/05] – Marketing Strategy, Available: http://www. tutor2u. net/business/gcse/marketing_strategy_introduction. htm [24/09/05] à ¢â‚¬â€œ Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. om/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. – Telstra Just Too Good. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25/09/05] – Telstra Options. Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26/09/05] – Telstra Corporation Ltd, History – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are driving growth to build shareholders. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – 4 Key Strategic Areas 2001.Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_3. html [ 29/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporaton Ltd – Domestic Reta il – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24/09/05]. – TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23/09/05] – Wikipedia Encyclopaedia, Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Marketing_research [24/09/05]E – Journals – Brenner, O. C. , Singer, Marc G. Management Quarterly. Washington (1984). Vol. 25, Iss. 2, pg. 14 , 7 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU) – Dotson, L. (2004) 10 Ways To Improve Your Customer Service – E. C. Pasour, J. (1983) Privatization: Is it the Answer? The Freeman – Lovata, Linda M. MIS Quarterly. Minneapolis. Jun (1987). Vol 11. Iss. 2, pg. 147, 3 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) – Wettenhall, R. Privatization in Australia: How Much and What Impacts? Canberra, Uni of Canberra. – Simintiras, Antonis C. , Lancaster, Geoffrey A. Management Decision. London (1991). Vol. 29, Iss. 4, pg. 22, 6 pgs (ProQuest database, ANU) Note: Assortments of lectures and tutorial notes have been used from Organisational Behaviour G. Appendixes SWOT Analysis of Telstra |Strengths |Weaknesses | | | |Competitive Pricing |Rural Services | |Global Nature of Competition: competing overseas eg. South-East Asia |Mobile Phone Coverage / Quality | |Internet Access – BigPondâ„ ¢ Home available across Australia for the cost|Broadband Access / Quality | |of a local call. Broadband ADSL | | |CDMA Network Coverage 97. 1% of Australian pop. Largest cellular | | |mobile coverage in Australia | | |Options to suit everyone: Combining Phone/Mobile/ Internet Bills | | |Phone Range (Landline / Mobile) | | |Directories – White & Yellow Pages (standard / electronic) | | |Opportunities |Threat s | | | | |New / Innovative Products |Increase in Competition (Optus, Vodafone, Transact etc) | |Extend services & the market share of Telstra into other counties |Lose of employment due to technology or cut cost measures | |Improving and Expanding product and service offerings in Australia |The government selling the rest of Telstra (privatisation) | ———————– [1] Telstra Facts – http://www. absoluteastronomy. com/encyclopedia/t/te/telstra. htm [24/09/05]. [2] History, Telstra Corporation Ltd – http://www. telstra. com. au/corporate/index. cfm? tR=1 [23/09/05]. [3] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, p. 53 [4] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [5] ibid [6] Telstra Just Too Good.Available: http://www. telstra. com. au/regulatory/docs/lr-104969Ziggy_ope_ed_struct_sep. doc [25 September 2 005]. [7] Bateman & Snell, Management: Competing in the New Era, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2002, Glossary (G-2) [8] ibid [9] ibid [10] ibid p. 12 [11] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-7) [12] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [13] ibid [14] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Domestic Retail – 2001. Available: http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_8. htm [24 September 2005]. [15] Bateman & Snell, op. cit p. 12 16] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available:http://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [17] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [18] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-4) [19] Telstra Options. Availa ble: http://www. telstra. com. au/telstraoptions/ [26 September 2005]. [20] ibid [21] Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Ex Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Limited. Available: ,- !† ? ?  µ  ¶  · E  § ? I I c ) * + – L M N ocUcUcUcEUcEc · iPiPiPiPiPiPi1hchttp://www. telstra. com. au/newsroom/speech. cfm? Speech=22001 [23 September 2005]. [22] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – How we are Driving Growth to Build Shareholders. Available:http://www. connect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_6. htm [23 September 2005]. [23] Bateman & Snell, op. cit, Glossary (G-3) [24] ibid p. 283 [25] TLS, Telstra Corporation Ltd – Chairman and CEO’s Message – 2001. Available:http://www. conect4. com. au/ar/01/tls01_5. htm [24 September 2005]. [26] Cooper, R. C. C. C. L. (2002) Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 21 – 49 (ProQuest database, ANU)

Reliable and Trustworthy of the Website and Online

Reliable and Trustworthy of the website and online is when you can trust where you can get your information from on the website. The source is the authority of that page or the biographer where he info comes from. The purpose of this is in tended for the audience and the general readers ,students or the consumers reading levels and graphics on page. Bias is about the information who is responsible for the website content and where the website is produced and publication and recent updates and last updated material.The currency is when the website was produced and last updated. I looked up on the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration wrought the Hoover company records and it was published in 2013 through Dunn and Broadcaster Inc. The source type of report is company profile. The Three Characteristics of a Reliable/Trustworthy Hibiscuses (Includes authority)The author whether it be a person, group, or company is identified and credible. Their association to the sponsor of the si te is stated.Questions like: who is responsible for the editing of information? ; is this author biased towards one view-point? ; what makes this author an expert in their field? ; can help make using a site for research an easier or clearer choice. Purpose (Includes audience and bias)The purpose is the reason for which a site exists. For a site to be reliable, the purpose of the site should not be joke or based solely on opinion. The language should be intellectual and weltering. The site should be authoritative. The suffix . Rug or . Com doesn't really mean the site cane trusted. Looking for an About or an About Us section can produce some of this information. Question like: who was this site created for? And Is the site professional or a personal page? May help locate the purpose off site. Content (Includes currency and accuracy) The substance and material the site is resenting. The information is up-to-date and is as correct and factual as it can be. When was this site created? How is the data verified' chose http:// www. Disassociation. Mom/ for this assignment, an association website for professionals in the spa industry as the name suggests. In evaluating this website I found it a little troublesome deciding whether or not this site was credible. It did feature a blob, and a media tab, but these seem to be written by a sole author as does the content of most of the sites pages. This is a . Com meaning there is an implied commerce that the owner wants to inform you about. There are pages and ages regarding purchasing a membership and this may be why the content seems to stop.The source does want to offer training and education for a price. I wouldn't trust this sites ethos unless I participated in the association as a professional and thereby was privy to unbiased information at large Evaluating Website three characteristics of determine a reliable and trustworthy website are mainly to always look who the source is from, not from the persons opinion but the way it is written and the knowledge that is the basis of the web page. It is good to determine if the website has a reliable source, purpose, and content.In looking for the source you need to find out who produced the information, look for an about us link at the bottom of the page to check the author's credentials and find out what organization is responsible for this website. Find what purpose the information is producing, who the audience is that the website is trying to inform. Last when the website was produced and last updated, when are where the information came from. The website I have chosen to use is news. TN. Gob/node/10163. The reason I chose this website is for the information in the degree I am studying, it has a reliable source with contact information and a wed policies link.The purpose of the website is to allow readers to know that New Breed Logistics is expanding Jobs for their operations division in Memphis Tn, the website gives the impression that it is for readers that are in that profession. The content in this website is not recent, but the author is using accurate information with facts and data all the links are also accurate. Len reading and studying this website I have determined it is a reliable and trustworthy site, with all the links up to date and not broken. The author used true facts and was able to back up their information in this website.

Internet law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internet law - Essay Example It is capturing that the company has already received more than 41.000 requests and even hired a department of specialists responsible for removal. The title of the innovative policy explains its cause quite clearly - a person has a private right to be anonymous which prevails public right for information. The protesters of this step, however, claim that it puts Google into a very difficult position of a censor allowing its employees to decide which information has to be shown and which has to be hidden.   Thus, European society had to face a now new stage of information privacy in the Internet development and deal with it before other continents. But the tendency spreads really fast - Yahoo and Bing have already claimed that they would follow Google`s example. Moreover, there were request to make this policy global not to concentrating on Europe solely. Japan and Canada will probably join to Europe soon. This innovation will certainly do much good to the numerous users who had their name posted in some irrelevant blog posts, social networks, and awkward advertisements. First case of removal can serve as a perfect example of what â€Å"the right to be forgotten† actually means. Mario Gonzalez, Italian entrepreneur, requested deleting the advertisement of his long-resolved debt from the search engine data. Obviously, nobody wants his friends, partners or possible employers see such irrelevant and outdated information on the Internet since it can only cause harm to the reputation.    Most of us, people   posting something on the Internet daily, often forget that our name can appear out of nowhere in a Google search and show some negative or dubious aspect of our lives. It is much like the photos on which we look bad or funny, that we often hide. This information is personal, and the viewers can create wrong assumptions regarding our real personalities. Human brain eradicates unnecessary memories or at least puts them in the distant places of our mind. The

Phil Company Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phil Company Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example Apart from the limited market of electronic products, these markets subscribe to forces of free enterprise. There is liberalization of production processes. Therefore, companies within this industry produce whatever electronic product they want and of whatever quantity. In this regard, consumers are at liberty to decide what and when to purchase these products. This means that electronics manufacturing companies like Phil have to be considerate of consumers’ interests during the production process. A company should avail products that respond to what the consumer market needs (Julie & Claire, 2011). In order to address customers’ needs, a company may have to carry out research exercises that will supplement information about customers’ tastes and preferences. Phil aims at expanding its marketing practices at the US and international markets. In order to penetrate these markets, Phil adopts the principles of product differentiation and quality service delivery. In this regard, the values of product differentiation and quality feature in the primary characteristics of the electronics produced. Type of Product At the inception stages, Phil started by manufacturing television sets and radios. However, expansion exercises led to development of cell phones and production likes for hardware components. Currently, Phil produces all the four products in equal proportions. However, this marketing essay focuses on the company’s activities of producing and marketing of cell phones and computer hardware components. Phil will focus its efforts in responding to the consumers’ needs with respect to type of phones and hardware equipments. With respect to phones and hardware components, Phil plans to expand its products market to any potential market that proves to be economically feasible (Alfred & Andrew, 2005). Based on the market statistics, the company plans to avail the desirable product meant to satisfy the needs and considers the purcha sing power of consumers in every market segment. In the context of cell phone marketing, Phil will avail medium and low end phones, especially to the African market. In addition, the company will market low end computer components to the African market. Phil will also produce and supply superior phones targeting the affluent members of the identified market segments. These will include smart phones and high-end computer hardware components. Physical Characteristics To address consumers’ preferences in every market segment, Phil produces and markets products of responsive primary characteristics (Alfred & Andrew, 2005). Cell phones meant for the African market possesses characteristics meant to address the consumers’ needs in that segment. Electronic products statistics shows that consumers’ prefer medium size cell phones. According to respondents in an African market context, consumers’ perceives that small cell phones get lost easily while large phones h inder the element portability comfort. In this regard, Phil introduced a medium sized phone in the market. The size of the phone is determined as per the standards of cell phone sizes. Most of the company’s phones in the market are rectangular in shape with rounded edges. In addition, Phil used polymer materials for making the hardware components of the new phone. The polymer materials respond to the hardware preferences of consumers’ in both the African and even American markets (Alfred & Andrew,

Law,politics,and constitutional government as the distinguishing Essay

Law,politics,and constitutional government as the distinguishing characteristics of western civilization - Essay Example This important question has been discussed for several centuries. Western Civilization has evolved from the colonial period to the present era of much more equality among nations.How have law, politics, and constitutional government contributed to this evolution?First, we must define our terms. By â€Å"law† we mean the rule of law, a basic principle of Western Civilization. The concept refers to a system of well-established and clear principles and precepts which each nation follows. Laws regulate the conduct of the nation towards its own citizens as well as towards other nations and their citizens. This legal framework has also come to include international law, which governs the broader issues which arise among nations. (Gozzi, Gustavo, History of International Law and Western Civilization, April 20, 2007;.http://ssrn.com/abstract=996239) It is sometimes said that Western Civilization relies on the rule of law rather than the rule of men. Of course, men and women must still administer the laws, but the point is that the laws are to be applied fairly, uniformly, and consistently. One’s station in life, wealth, family background and similar factors should not affect or influence the way one is treated under the law. This approach is a major departure from such past systems as feudalism, where serfs did not have legal rights. Similarly, the system of slavery deprived the slaves of any requirements of fair treatment from their masters; they were essentially property. 2 The rule of law has been said to have begun with the Magna Carta in England, which established limits on the absolute power of the monarchy. It required many centuries for that approach to spread to other Western nations and for it to be enforced impartially. Even today, we have not yet achieved the goal of full equal treatment under the law. The evolution of internal and international law is continuing, and remains a major contributing factor to Western Civilization. Politics must also be defined for purposes of its relationship to Western Civilization. We do not mean the political process itself so much as the concept of each citizen having a voice in his or her government, helping to elect leaders and to vote on important issues affecting each person and the nation itself. In order for this political process to occur, the voice of the people must be heard, both individually and collectively. That collective voice is usually organized into a system of political parties, each of which represents a range of viewpoints. In most cases, that range of viewpoints is considerably narrower within one party than between parties. Thus, members of one party may range from liberal to moderate in their views, while the otghe major party may range from moderate to conservative. While the views of both of these parties may meet in the middle, the range is clearly different between them. For this sort of political process to contribute to Western Civilization, it must be the ruling or guiding method of governance in the nation. Some nations have the 3 appearance or pretense of a democratic political process but not the reality. Instead, a dictator or similar official controls that nation, and the politics are merely used to make the people think that they have a real voice. Nevertheless, Western Civilization seems to be advancing towards more real political systems. Constitutional government is the result of the interaction of the rule of laws, democratic political systems, and the concept that individuals are of equa

Book analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Book analysis - Essay Example Those individuals who have a compulsion to erase most painful memories from recall are the most vulnerable to become MPD. Those individuals who have been subject to abuse or trauma as a child have a strong incentive to discard remnants of those experiences. The trouble is that memory is a physiological-neurological construct as opposed to being purely a facet of the mind. Moreover, even this tendency toward partial amnesia is promoted by a ‘self’ that is in itself conditioned by early traumatic experience. Hence the subject is twice challenged to relieve himself/herself from the conflicted mental makeup. The outcome of this churning is the compromised solution of a MPD, whereby, the subject swings between the original composite personality and the forced-aspiring personality. The former is the personality as it is, whereas the latter is the personality desired. The interesting thing about memory is how it is tagged with verbal identifiers. These identifiers are culturally determined and are usually dependent upon the prevalent ideas, norms and fashions attached to the particular cultural milieu. In this context, memory is an extension of the language faculty in humans. Usually, it is the most emotive experience which is also the most memorable. Emotions arise out of subjective feelings. They are also fleeting and replicable in various similar situations. Hence our psyches crave for a method in which the valued experience is concretized. Words and set-phrases that were earlier acquired from the cultural environment are perused for this purpose. Hence, to answer a famous literary poser, calling a Rose by any other name, changes everything about the object and its associations. As Hacking observes in the book, the process of acquisition of memory and even the development of intelligence has a strong basis in semantics. Yet, the obvious danger is that the semantics might ‘justify’ apparently

BUSINESS - It's Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment Essay

BUSINESS - It's Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment - Essay Example Since men were able to express their ideas, religion had been the cause of fighting for example, the Crusades. Unfortunately people had used religion as a justification for fighting. Therefore the men who interpret the religion states, that killing innocent lives and looting is all justified and legal, as long as they are doing it for their religion, but in all other cases its a crime against humanity. Religious beliefs and principles do not justify war, just because one-person states that God had told them to fight and fight they shall is conspicuously unintelligent. Warfare destroys lives, using religion, as an excuse to murder countless victims is a mind-boggling question because violence should not be administered because of a religious conflict. War does not solve anything, only the cause of destruction. The Crusades is a shining example of a conflict that flourished from a difference in religions. The Europeans had called their Christian army more civilized then to the so-called infidels they are fighting. An army of being more civilized then the enemy can also be state as propaganda. No religion has a right to declare war on each other just because of "holy" land. The Pope had asked the people to fight in an unknown territory to regain the holy lands, in which if one does so, his sins will be forgiven. People left their wives, children, parents, family, and friends to fight in this "Holy War" just because the Pope had declared that fighting is forgivable and will enter heaven after death. People die in wars, there is no way that can be undone, or in another term, just. Sure the Crusades had brought Europe out of the Dark Ages but at what cost, the lives perished by the sword can never be healed. Due to lies, soldiers march proudly onto the battlefield awaiting a glorious victory i n the name of their holy God, having no doubts on where they goes in the afterlife.

Life of Pi Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Life of Pi - Research Paper Example Life of Pi is a 2012 American -Indian- British live action and computer-animated adventure drama film based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. Ang Lee directs the film. Life of Pi did succeed in depicting the story of a young Indian man who survives the tragic shipwreck but later entered a 227 days journey on the Pacific Ocean with a ferocious Belgian tiger. Besides the troubles and tribulation, the film also depicts meaningful lessons on the religious aspects. Pi Patel whose role was played by Gautam Belur at five, Ayush at twelve, Suraj Sharma at 16 and Irran Khan at middle age had to move together with his family to Canada on a Japanese cargo ship. Unfortunately, the ship in which they were travelling in is struck by a deadly storm and only some people survive. However, an unexpected incident happens, separating Pi from the group. Pi is left alone in the boat together with his family’s zoo animals, including in the zoo animals is a ferocious tiger named Ri chard parker. In order to survive Pi has to find ways to deal with the unexpected and dangerous company. (John, 186). Throughout the 127 minutes of the film, the audience would be fascinated with pi thoughts and actions through the transformations, the beliefs he holds as well as his solutions for the fearsome, aggressive company- Richard Parker. From a somehow weak, flaccid person, Pi is seen letting parker take over the lifeboat, but Pi gradually becomes stronger and tries to gain dominance of the situation that he is in now. Finally, Pi achieves the control and sustains a neutral relationship with the Belgian tiger. This is not only a fight for survival but also a metaphor, which implies the battle for good and evil. The film Pi tries to make the reader want to believe in God, the film give then reader the democratic choice that is the desired to believe rather than the belief itself. The two survive for 272 days at sea with one stop on an island overflowing with vegetation and m eerkats. In the evenings when the tide rises on the island, it contains a deadly acidic level and kills anything in the tide pool or the now flooded ground. Therefore, everyone seeks shelter on top of the trees at night. After gathering food from the island, Pi and the tiger get back to the lifeboat and head back in the sea (Susan, 23). By analyzing the conflicts, characters, dream sequence, and symbols a psychoanalytic theory emerges. There are strong Oedipal connotations in this theory, the son’s desire for his mother, the father’s envy of the son and rivalry for the mothers attention, the daughters desire for the father’s attention. Of cource these all operate on a subconscious level of the characters of the film, this is to avoid the serious social more. There is also an emphasis on the meaning of dreams. This is because psychoanalytic theory asserts that it is in dreams that a person’s subconscious desires are revealed. What a person cannot express o r do because of social rules will be expressed and accomplished in dreams, where there are no social rules. Most of the time, people are not even aware that it is they secretly desire until their subconscious goes unchecked in sleep. Life of Pi might not make you believe in god, as a character in the film suggests. It does however; make you

Communication theory assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication theory assignment - Essay Example Social penetration essentially describes a procedure in which a relationship changes from being non-intimate to being intimate. According to this theory, this process is spurred by self-disclosure. It also assumes that relationship development is for the most part a methodical and predictable procedure whose deterioration, should it occur, would go through the same process. Altman and Taylor came up with a pattern that is divided into four separate stages of development. The first phase basically describes orientation and takes place in all public settings where people meeting for the first time will only reveal a small part of themselves to their new acquaintances. For example, at a party in a new club, an individual who is attracted to a stranger is not likely to reveal all of his secrets and family data to the subject of his interest but might only mention his name. According to Altman and Taylor’s social penetration stage, the second phase is the place of exploratory affec tive exchange (Guerrero, Andersen and Afifi, 2012). This usually occurs after two individuals meet again and start learning each others’ personalities. At this stage, the two individuals will start to show more trust in the former acquaintance and reveal more of themselves. They may also begin to explore each other’s lives by asking questions that might have been considered as being intrusive if they were asked in the first stage. In this stage, the two individuals have basically overcome the mild discomfort associated with being in the presence of strangers and begin to share private attributes about themselves with their new friend because they consider him or her to be more than an acquaintance. At the second phase, the relationship is more relaxed and is moving in the direction of being even more intimate. Such developments inspire a feeling of caring about the other individual in both of the parties involved. The third stage is involves affective exchange. Accordi ng to the social penetration theory, the stage of affective exchange is viewed as being a conduit to the most intense level of intimacy (DeVito, 2004). This is because, in this stage, the two relating individuals will consciously begin to separate from people with whom they are mere friends in order to further develop their relationship with the new individual in their life. This can actually result in misunderstandings with other friends who may resent the influence of the new friend on their comrade. However, this small conflict does not affect the resolve of the two people in question to develop their relationship further if they are omitted to doing so. The fourth stage of the social penetration theory is the ‘stable exchange’ phase. This involves the deepest level of intimacy and is typified by continuous development of the newly formed intimate relationship and a constant openness between the two individuals who are concerned (Kanu, 2008). At this stage, there are no remaining secrets between the two relating individuals and they also function as a single entity. At this stage, both individuals can interpret the feelings of each other and can communicate even without articulating what they are feeling. At this stage, the two relating partners will also have completely removed the outer layers that they use to keep other strangers at bay. It is likely that they will

Religious Free

Religious Freedom Pre 1700s Essay America than in England. Of course this is just a brief explanation compared to the real essay. suggest you fill in the blanks with some support from wherever your source is. but for now i have to go write my own because its due tomorrow and its already very late. so good luck on the essay and hope this generally answered your question. Analyze the extent to which religious freedom existed in the British North America colonies prior to 1700. The New World was first established because many people in England did not agree with their religious and political ways of life. Most people in the northern colonieshad run from England due to having no religious freedom. The Puritans, Quakers, andvarious leaders created outbursts of reform to achieve freedom in New England. Each group had their own philosophy on how life should be lived. The Puritans were a group of English men who disagreed with how the Church of England was ran. The damned were allowed to sit with the saints, and the Puritans did not like this. The extreme Puritans were known as Separatists in England. Finally, these extreme Puritans left for the New World in 1620. The Puritans set up a way of government. It said, the whole purpose of government was to enforce Gods laws. Only the Puritans, the only ones eligible for church membership, could be freemen. The believers and nonbelievers had to pay taxes on the government–supported church. Jews and Atheists were killed because they did not believe in the divinity of Jesus. Chaotic services were how the Quaker sermons went. He didnt hold back his comments and demanded very little. In the South most of the colonies were overwhelme d by the Protestants. They were offensive to the religious and political authorities. The Puritans banished her from the Bay Colony. Anne Hutchinson was another rebel who challenged the authority of the Puritan clergy. Roger Williams was a threat to the Puritan leaders. This included converted and non-converted New Englanders. After many generations, religion was not at the top of the Puritans list. The northern colonies had religious freedom, but the Puritans forced their own religion on everyone else around them. Maryland ultimately guaranteed toleration for all Christians. They set the stage for our religious freedom today. His followers were very liberal, and not accepted.

Racial Profiling Ethics

Racial Profiling Ethics Racial profiling is the practice of viewing certain characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion or national origin as indicators of criminal behavior. It is a practice that has been used by law enforcement officials when targeting specific crimes or those suspected of potentially committing crimes (Pollock, 2012). Police Officers utilize their discretion when deciding whether to stop an individual or not; but, when the Officers beliefs and ideals are immortal or unethical then their judgment may be distorted (Savive, 2012). Racial profiling is the product of unethical and immoral ideals and beliefs in action (Savive, 2012). Racial profiling violates both the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States (U.S.) Constitution. The Fourth Amendment states that individuals have the right to be secure in their persons against unreasonable searches without probable cause. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection of the law to all its citizens however; those who are subjugated to racial profiling are not being treated to the same justice and searches as their white counterparts (Head, 2012). For instance, in New York City, Police Officers conduct stop and frisk of pedestrians (Spitzer, 1999). Stop and frisk occurs when an officer detains an individual and runs his hands over the individuals outer garments to determine whether that person is carrying a concealed weapon. A 1999 study revealed that Blacks were targeted a majority of the time but only 10.5 percent resulted in arrest. Whites however, were targeted the least amount of times but resulted in the greatest percentage of arrest at 12.6 percent (Spitzer, 1999). When New York City Police Officers relied solely on racial profiling, they found weapons less frequently on the racial groups that they profiled. Racial profiling becomes a less effective way of targeting suspected criminals and decreases the overall mission. Racial profiling actually diverts the Officers attention from using actua l, objective signs of suspicious behavior to effectively assess situations (ACLU, 2010). Many Americans would agree that racial profiling is wrong and immoral. They would even agree that individuals should not be targeted as suspected criminals simply because of their race. But, many of these same Americans would agree to racial profiling if the focus was on catching suspected terrorist. However, when law enforcement officials concentrate on those of Muslim or Arab heritage they miss a lot of prospective terrorist. Just as focusing solely on African Americans as drug traffickers, law enforcement would fail to focus on the individuals who are transporting and selling drugs (mainly White Americans). When the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed, law enforcement officials immediately began focusing on Arab Americans when the perpetrator actually ended up being Timothy McVeigh, a young white male who was an Army veteran (CNN, 2001). Law enforcement continues to focus on those of Arab or Muslim decent when tracking terrorist but has not extended their profiles to include young white male veterans. Why not? Another young white American who would not have been caught utilizing racial profiling is John Walker Lindh. Mr. Lindh had joined Al Qaeda, fought with Taliban soldiers, and was captured in Afghanistan along with two other American men by American Soldiers (CNN, 2001). Mr. Lindh nor his two co-conspirators were not and would not have been stopped or detained through racial profiling even though they were members of a terrorist organization. They had even made statements in support of the September (9/11) bombing of the World Trade Centers. A more effective means of profiling would be behavioral profiling. Law enforcement officials should look for behaviors that do not fit a particular environment. Ronald Burns (2009) alludes to those in security looking for things that do not fit. For example, someone waiting to go through security checks at the airport who is sweating profusely even though it is cold; those who are walking in a manner which may lead you to suspect that they are wearing an explosive belt; or some other bulky item underneath their clothes which interferes with the way they are walking. According to Yuval Bezherano, Vice President of New Age Security Solutions, this behavioral pattern recognition which is modeled after methods used in Israel is much more effective and could be taught (Burns, 2009). This method was used to catch Anne-Marie Murphy, an Irish female who was five months pregnant and carrying explosives in her carryon bag even though she had previously cleared three security checkpoints at Londons Heathrow Airport (Burns, 2009). The Security Guards questioned why a woman so far along in her pregnancy would be traveling without a companion and where would she be staying? Anne-Marie provided the name of the Hilton Hotel in Bethlehem which did not exist at that time. Behavioral profiling instead of racial profiling is more effective because terrorist organizations often recruit outside of th eir race to individuals or groups who are sympathetic to their cause and who can elude racist profiles (Harcourt, 2006). The three White American men captured in Afghanistan working with Al Qaeda serves as an example. One can only imagine the harm these individuals could have caused had the Military not caught them since they were not listed as terrorist. To further their cause, Al Qaeda will collaborate with other nationalities to circumvent the tendencies that the American law enforcement officials have of utilizing racial profiling. Studies on racial profiling confirm that it is a less effective way of apprehending would be criminals or terrorist; it alienates officers with the very members of the community who could help them (Head, 2012). Racial profiling is a blatant violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments yet it is commonly used by Law Enforcement as a tool for targeting suspected criminals regardless of whether the individuals are actually engaged in criminal activities. Individuals are subjected to unlawful search and seizures based upon their ethnicity, not upon their behaviors. We have seen that those of color are treated differently from their white counterparts. When White America is subjected to the same biases of racial profiling then, we will see an end to this violation of the U.S. Constitution. Law enforcement official would do better and probably be more successful should they adopt behavioral profiling instead of racial profiling as a more reliable means of apprehending would-be crimin als and terrorist. References ACLU. (2010, June 29). Racial profiling is ineffective, distracting, and detrimental to public safety. Retrieved September 28, 2012, from American Civil Liberties Union: http://www.aclu.org/print/blog/racial-justice/racial-profiling-ineffective-distracting-and-detrimental-public-safety Burns, R. G. (2009). Critical issues in criminal justice. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. CNN. (2001, March 29). Special Forces: Timothy McVeigh. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from CNN U.S.: http://articles.cnn.com/2001-03-29/us/profile.mcveigh_1_timothy-mcveigh-oklahoma-city-bombing-religion-basic-training-fort-bragg/2?_s=PM:US CNN, N. (2001, December 19). John Walker Lindh profile: The case of the Taliban American. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from People in the news: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/walker/profile.html Harcourt, B. E. (2006). Muslim profiles 9/11: Is racial profiling an effective counterterrorist measure and does it violate the right to be free from discrimination? Chicago: The Law School University of Chicago. Head, T. (2012, April 09). Why racial profiling is a bad idea: Top 7 arguments against racial profiling. Retrieved October 04, 2012, from About.Com Civil Liberties: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/lawenforcementterrorism/tp/Against-Racial-Profiling.htm Pollock, J. M. (2012). Ethical Dilemmas Decisions in Criminal Justice (7th Edition). Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Savive, W. (2012, January 12). Dimensions of racial profiling institutionalized racism in the U.S. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from Savives Corner: http://willsavive.blogspot.com/2012/01/dimensions-of-racial-profiling.html Spitzer, E. (1999). The New York City Police Department stop and frisk practices: A report to the people of New York. New York: Attorney General of the State of New York.

Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay -- Charles Frazier Cold Mountain

Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Overcast by the gloom of the Civil War, Charles Frazier’s "Cold Mountain" details the growth of his characters as they cope with uncertain times. The two protagonists, Ada and Inman, traverse parallel paths toward redemption. While Ada adapts to an unfamiliar mountainous existence, Inman braves the risk of desertion to return to her. Both characters, however, seek love, spirituality, and an understanding of their disrupted world, and through their kindred courses, Frazier conveys the theme of questioning life. As the story opens, both Inman and Ada survey their unfamiliar situations. Inman nurses a near-fatal wound in a makeshift hospital where he sits â€Å"brooding and pining for his lost self† (23). Ada also grapples with a lost self, the self of city social status she abandoned to accompany her father on a mission. Intellectual and â€Å"educated beyond the point considered wise for females† (30), Ada lacks survival skills. The death of her father, Monroe, lays bare the extent of her incompetence. Though frustrated, Ada refuses to return to Charleston, where â€Å"she could expect little sympathy and much withering commentary† (64), and determines to overcome the challenges presented by her run-down farm. Similarly, as Inman’s wound heals, he cannot resign himself to continue fighting. He steps out the hospital window and into his future. Although under the perpetual threat of the Home Guard, he resolves to waste no more time under the direction of o thers and begins trudging home to Cold Mountain. In both circumstances, the characters embark upon journeys prompted by setbacks of the past. While the two sojourners embark upon independence, they also appraise their feelings towards one an... ...ace, an intricate and â€Å"luminous quiver of life† (138). In this thought process, Frazier exposes Ada’s maturity—whereas previously she relied on books as her primary source of knowledge, Ada now trusts her intuition and casts her own conclusions. The maturity and growth of both Ada and Inman stems from the hardships inflicted by the war. Throughout the novel, Frazier utilizes the introspection of these characters to present the enduring riddle of life. Attempts to decipher its meaning litter history. Various religions and myths resulted, but whom the world will favor over another cannot be predicted. Ultimately, Frazier illustrates that while faith and legends often furnish guidance, each person must interpret the world for himself. In the end, â€Å"all you can choose to do is go on or not. But if you go on, it’s knowing you carry your scars with you† (421).

Physics of the Human Eye Essay -- Sight Seeing Eyesight Papers

Physics of the human eye. The human eye, what a complex but fascinating organ. It has the ability to see past the horizon and observe the different colors of a rainbow. The eye can be quicker then a race car but slow enough to witness a snail crawling across a beach. The eye can capture objects at various different angles, such as birds flying overhead or a person walking right beside you. Yes indeed, the eye is probably the greatest sense a person can have. The eye is so vast and complex. To try and write everything about the eye would take a very long time. Compiling all the information and then putting it down on paper, a person could write another book. The eyeball it self weighs about 7gm., the volume 6.5cc., and its specific gravity 1.077. It measures 24.15mm. anteroposteriorly, 24.13mm, tranversely at 23.48mm, vertically in adult males and 0.5mm in each dimension in females. (3) Because the eye is so complex, there are many questions that might come to mind when it concerns the break down or conditions that is brought upon the eye. 1st, What happens to the eye during the gradual age of time? 2nd, How do eye glasses or contact lenses influence the eye’s capability of seeing better? 3rd, In worse case circumstances, what occurs to the eye if there is trauma brought on like an accident that directly affects the way a person sees or if the eye is diagnosed with a disease that will eventually lead to blindness. The best way to explain how the optical component of the eye works and fails is to compare a healthy normal eye to an abnormal eye. The eye, in general is sheltered by a protective covering known as the sclera which surrounds the eye except for in front where the cornea is located. The cornea sits on top of the ... ...r vision, should get an eye examination. Regular examinations are important, especially for older people and those at high risk groups. End notes 1.â€Å"Websters New World Dictionary,† School and office ed. (New York; the world publishing co. 1971) 156, 322 2.â€Å"Idaho eye center†. Modern guides for eye care. ( Pocatello, Id.) 2002 3.Howard Bedrossian, M.D. â€Å"The Eye† A Clinical and Basic Science Book. (Blackwell scientific publications. LTD., Oxford, England.) 1958 4. Jonathan D. Trobe, M.D. â€Å"The Neurology of Vision† Contemporary Neurology series. (University of Michigan Medical Center. Ann Arbor, Michigan.) 2001 5. â€Å"Internet† (April 2003) Google: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/ 6. http://members.aol.com/ScienzFair/eyecam.htm 2003 7. http://www.callpe.com/support/spectral.html 2003 8. http://district125.k12.il.us/faculty/smcgrath/eye/eyechart.htm 2003 Physics of the Human Eye Essay -- Sight Seeing Eyesight Papers Physics of the human eye. The human eye, what a complex but fascinating organ. It has the ability to see past the horizon and observe the different colors of a rainbow. The eye can be quicker then a race car but slow enough to witness a snail crawling across a beach. The eye can capture objects at various different angles, such as birds flying overhead or a person walking right beside you. Yes indeed, the eye is probably the greatest sense a person can have. The eye is so vast and complex. To try and write everything about the eye would take a very long time. Compiling all the information and then putting it down on paper, a person could write another book. The eyeball it self weighs about 7gm., the volume 6.5cc., and its specific gravity 1.077. It measures 24.15mm. anteroposteriorly, 24.13mm, tranversely at 23.48mm, vertically in adult males and 0.5mm in each dimension in females. (3) Because the eye is so complex, there are many questions that might come to mind when it concerns the break down or conditions that is brought upon the eye. 1st, What happens to the eye during the gradual age of time? 2nd, How do eye glasses or contact lenses influence the eye’s capability of seeing better? 3rd, In worse case circumstances, what occurs to the eye if there is trauma brought on like an accident that directly affects the way a person sees or if the eye is diagnosed with a disease that will eventually lead to blindness. The best way to explain how the optical component of the eye works and fails is to compare a healthy normal eye to an abnormal eye. The eye, in general is sheltered by a protective covering known as the sclera which surrounds the eye except for in front where the cornea is located. The cornea sits on top of the ... ...r vision, should get an eye examination. Regular examinations are important, especially for older people and those at high risk groups. End notes 1.â€Å"Websters New World Dictionary,† School and office ed. (New York; the world publishing co. 1971) 156, 322 2.â€Å"Idaho eye center†. Modern guides for eye care. ( Pocatello, Id.) 2002 3.Howard Bedrossian, M.D. â€Å"The Eye† A Clinical and Basic Science Book. (Blackwell scientific publications. LTD., Oxford, England.) 1958 4. Jonathan D. Trobe, M.D. â€Å"The Neurology of Vision† Contemporary Neurology series. (University of Michigan Medical Center. Ann Arbor, Michigan.) 2001 5. â€Å"Internet† (April 2003) Google: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/ 6. http://members.aol.com/ScienzFair/eyecam.htm 2003 7. http://www.callpe.com/support/spectral.html 2003 8. http://district125.k12.il.us/faculty/smcgrath/eye/eyechart.htm 2003

Lady Macbeth of Shakespeares Play, Macbeth Essay -- English Literatur

Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare's Play, Macbeth Lady Macbeth is the most interesting and complex character in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. She is, in fact, the point on which the action pivots: without her there is no play. The purpose of this essay is to describe Lady Macbeth’s role in the play and discuss why this makes her the most fascinating character. Her evil doings are the main reasons why she dominates the plot so greatly. These include the following: considers Macbeth to be a wimp not wanting to murder; letting Macbeth fulfill her plan; taking control over Macbeth’s thoughts and actions; turning Macbeth from a loyal man to a greedy, coldhearted human being. Also Lady Macbeth’s transformation in character and her relationship with Macbeth contribute to her importance. Lady Macbeth satisfies her role among the high society and is well respected like her husband. The King of Scotland, King Duncan, calls her â€Å"our honoured hostess.† She shows great affection towards Macbeth but at the same time very ambitious, as shown by her reaction to the prophecies given to him. She immediately decides that â€Å"the fastest way† for Macbeth to become king is to murder King Duncan. When Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecies given to her husband her true character is exposed for the audience to see. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to go and make the prophecy true that he will become king. Macbeth‘s thoughts on the prophecy before his wife’s intervention was that â€Å"If chance will hav...

The Armana Period

The art of Ancient Egypt was highly symbolic and fascinating that intended to keep the history alive. Their religion and beliefs were shown in their art and great works depict god, goddesses and Pharaohs. Each period had a distinctive and astonishing style. In the middle of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians had a new Pharaoh that made some dramatic changes not only in political but also in art styles and this is called the Amarna Period. This research paper aims to discuss the historical, religious and especially the art of Ancient Egypt during the Amarna Period.This enabled us to know the events and revolutionary works of Akhenaton to replace monotheism from polytheism of Egyptians religion and to acknowledge the essence of Amarna art in our present times. II. Egyptian Kingship About 3000 B. C. , kingship in Ancient Egypt begun when prestige and growth of wealth were at its peak indicated by the discoveries of metal tools and personal ornaments. By that time, poor tribes started revolu tion and so military protection was needed. The â€Å"cities were fortified and kings became prominent† (Chodorow 13).Kings manipulated wars and often tried to bring cities under their control, they served as war leaders and practiced religious functions viewed as guarantor of the welfare of the city which thought they had special relationship with the gods and prepared inscriptions that immortalized their royal deeds to maintain their authority. Concept/Established Priesthood. Even from the earliest times, religious ceremonies were often held by the royal family. King was considered as â€Å"the highest priest, who had sovereign right to perform rituals at any and all temples† (http://www. philae.nu/akhet/Religion3. html). â€Å"Priests had limited and specialized role of activities† and they had â€Å"to ensure the cults of god and goddesses along with the various external manifestations in the temples to maintain the integrity of divine presence on earth in the sanctuaries of the temples† (Sauneron 34). Unlike priests nowadays, they were not concern or persuading the people or trying to convert others to their religion, â€Å"they were bureaucrat of a sort delegated by the king to perform in his place certain physical rituals necessary for the general welfare† (Sauneron 35).All of their hieratic appointments were done by the kings and economically supported by receiving offerings and vast landowners. Relationship with the Gods. Egyptian monarchs already had the authority which was to impress the ancient world and depicted that they inherited from prehistoric kings who had special sanctity because of their power to assure prosperity through successful agriculture, thus they performed rituals involving irrigation, soil fertility and land reclamation.The Pharaoh were believed to manipulate the annual emergence and downfall of life itself (Roberts 84). Under the Old Kingdom, it appears that the â€Å"king is the absolute lord of the land† (Roberts 84) and venerated as descendant of the gods. Based on the theory, when the king died, he passed over to the Kingdom Wesir (Osiris) and left the kingship in the hands of his son. He becomes the Living Heru and transformed into a divine status.Until the Middle Kingdom, only king had an after-life to look forward to Egypt and â€Å"always stressed the incarnation of the god in the king even that idea was increasingly exposed by the realities of life in the New Kingdom† (Roberts 85). Influence/Control of Art. The framework for Egyptian arts and architecture was religious and magical. (Najovits 215). The glorification of gods and pharaoh-gods was the main theme of Egyptian art, primarily aim to manipulate the gods and equip for the afterlife (Najovits 218).They illustrated afterlife and mythology in a coherent manner. Creation of the images of the gods, including the pharaoh gods, illustration of religious beliefs, serving of religious concepts through the building of temples for the appeasement and worship of the gods, practice of funerary cults and the use of amulets were intended for their arts and architecture. III. Amarna Period In the late part of the 18th Dynasty, the most famous periods of Ancient Egypt was ruled by King Amenhotep IV, son of King Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.He founded the city Amarna where his revolutionary reforms take place in a very short period. King Amenhotep IV. Succeeded his father Amenhotep III and he attempted a religious revolution called monotheism, worship of one god named Aton (Divine Sundisk). These religious ideas probably originated from the fact that â€Å"the sun could be seen rising each day and traveling across the sky, before disappearing each night only to re-appear next morning† thus â€Å"seen both incredibly strong and powerful† (Thomas 22).King Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaton/Akhenaten meaning â€Å"It is well with Aton† because he wished to erase the reminiscence of the past and abandoned the old god of his fathers, Amon, whose cult had been the wealthiest and most powerful of Egypt and perhaps tried to recover power taken by the priest of Amon. He devoted his reign in religious revolution and activities and neglected his monarchy duties. Changes to Establishment. Akhenaton â€Å"tried to give a new direction to Egyptian religious thought† (Perry 48) and â€Å"established cults have been diverted to the cult of the Aten† (Shaw 277).He closed all temples in Thebes and built a new city in Amarna and â€Å"devised a new theology to support his religion† (Chodorow 21). All building activities at Thebes were ceased, traditional gods were banned completely; traditional temples were closed down and the cults of their gods came to a standstill and religious festivals with their processions and public holidays were no longer celebrated. All the income from estates and farms of the Amen temples was diverted to fu nd the construction of the new city (Thomas 52). Aten/Akhetaton. Egyptians believed that king becomes god when they die, they used to describe them as god Aten.â€Å"Akhenaton said that the god Aten had chosen a site for the new capital for him† (Thomas 48) and he established the new city called Akhetaton/Akhetaten, (Horizon of the Aten). It was â€Å"the place where the Aten manifests himself and where he acts through his son, the king, who is the â€Å"perfect child of the living Aten† (Shaw 277). Temples to Aten were built at Akhetaten and unlike â€Å"traditional temples which contain dark and mysterious inner chambers and cult statues, the Aten temples were open to the sky allowing the sun-disk to display itself in person† (Ryan 161). B. ArtUsing art as emphasis. The Egyptian artists in Amarna art wanted to enduringly fix the absolute, the symbolic, the ideal, the real meaning of what things should be where gods and divine pharaohs being portrayed in the i deal situations of stiff solemnity, power and youth. Historians noted that â€Å"the idealizing representation of kings is based on the desire to lift the ‘good gods’ (the kings), sons and likenesses of the gods† (Najovits 218). Amarna art represented detail idealization of the world and people in a system that encompassed everything from the beginning – creation to the afterlife.Akhenaton put much emphasis on the fact that he was the â€Å"mother who gives birth to everything who had created his subjects with the ka (creator-god)† (Shaw 281). New style. Akhenaton changed the traditional artistry of Egypt where architecture, sculpture and paintings focused on canonical pharaonic portraits. â€Å"The artistic style made a sudden transition from the traditional Egyptian style of portraying people with ideal, perfect physiques to a new and rather jarring style† (Lorenz).The effeminate body with curving contours, long face with full lips, heavy e yelids, misshapen body with weak arms, narrow waist, protruding belly, wide hips and fatty thighs created arguments among historians. They think that he â€Å"suffered from some kind of illness or syndrome which caused his odd appearance† (Lorenz) and that his â€Å"portrait is a deliberate artistic reaction against the established style, paralleling the suppression of traditional religion† (Kleiner 78).Akhenaton showed â€Å"himself in a warm family scenes with his wife and children, portraying himself and the rest of the royal family in a much more human and naturalistic manner† (Lorenz). The scene of the royal family, Akhenaton, Nefertiti and their three children Merytaten (being kissed by his father), Meketaten (sitting on her mother's lap) and Aknkhesenpaaten (baby on Nefertiti's shoulder). Both Nefertiti (Akhenaton's wife) and Tiye (mother of Akhenaton) figured prominently in the art and life of Amarna age. Queen Tiye regularly appeared in art beside Amenh otep III during his reign as well as during the reign of Akhenaton.Queen Nefertiti frequently appears in the decoration of the Aton temple at Karnak who looked like clones of Akhenaton and sometimes wears pharaonic headgear. Pictures showing husband and wife embracing or offering each other flowers continued until the reign of Tutankhamen. Amarna period most probably associated with the images of Aten worship scenes. The Sundisk where the Pharoah and Queen offer flowers to Aten and their two eldest daughters bask shaking sistrums, is one of the most common distinction of Amarna period.Analysis. The reign of Pharaoh Akhenaton depicted a relaxed, affectionate pharaoh and purely human emotional themes and everyday, secular subjects became usual and that was a revolution in its own right. According to historians, â€Å"the Fifth Dynasty and Amarna period must be the two finest periods in Egyptian art, it was then that the artist best managed to combine theological obligation to depict idealized essence with natural inclination to depict reality† (Najovits 233).Despite the criticism obtained, the art had never been so dramatic and meaningful that showed formalistic conventions and attempted the truth of the system they represented. Another feature of Amarna style is the â€Å"extraordinary sense of movement and speed, a general looseness and freedom of expression that was to have a lasting influence on Egyptian art for centuries after the Amarna Period had come to an end† (Shaw 282). C. Compare/Contrast With previous establishment. Egyptians artists regularly ignored the endless variations in body types of real human beings.Painters and sculptors did not sketch their subjects from life but applied a strict canon or systems of proportions that lasted for thousand of years (Kleiner 69). Before the Amarna period, pharaohs concentrated on building temples and great pyramid tombs made of mud-brick, stones and woods. They have huge statues and reliefs paint ed in minute polychrome, paintings of sensual women, hunting scenes and peoples in their everyday tasks were widespread which were intended to provide company to the deceased in the other world. Evolution of Art during Amarna.Inscriptions revealed that it was Akhenaton who instructed his artist in his own new style. â€Å"Akhenaton's new movement had given rise to a new and very realistic style of art which emphasized even the king's physical deformities† (Boadt 159) unlike the normal image of showing the kings and important people as ideal persons in good health and great looks. In the early years, human figures were depicted with specific proportions contrary to normal figures and there was a time when images were the same like clones but soon outmoded.Later, it becomes less extreme with some artwork returning almost to normal. The depiction of the king becomes more graceful evolving into a softer, more naturalistic style. IV. Opinions/Observations Observations of Art of Am arna Period. King Akhenaton's reign was too short to bring his reform to success both in political and religious through expression in Egyptian arts. It centered on the sun-disc and its life-giving rays but it practiced focused on the cult of the pharaoh himself.Yet it failed soon after Akhenaton's death, it was to have everlasting effects, the attempt to destruct the old cult, and to eliminate gods from any monuments, shows the monotheistic direction of the new faith as well as transition of Egyptian art in a well distinguished manner. Personal Opinions. I believed that King Akhenaton's unique and amazing style in expressing himself through deformed and sexless images greatly influenced the evolution of modern art. He formulated his own style of abstract images that made him popular not during his times but in our contemporary times.I think if he had worshiped his god without persecuting the cult of his fathers, may be the new religion will still be practiced and supported by the E gyptians. The fact that he was the King who can manipulate things and can even deceive the minds of his people, he ignored the voice of his people of freedom in religion that led to the end of his legacy that can be learned when his successor Tutankhamen, returned to worshiping the old gods. V. Conclusion Amarna Period was the time of King Akhenaton revolution against political and religious tradition of Ancient Egypt.He remarkably changed the conventional style of Egyptian art from building of mysterious temples and tombs to an intimate and expressionistic statues and paintings of himself and his family that demonstrate sophistication and creative freedom which was indeed revolutionary at that time. Works Cited Boadt, Lawrence (1984). Reading the Old Testament : An Introduction. New Jersey : Paulist Press. Brewer, Douglas J. and Emily Teeter (2007). Egypt and the Egyptians. United Kingdom : Cambrigde University Press. Chodorow, Stanley, et. al.(1994). The Mainstream of civilization . 6th ed. Fort Worth, Texas : The Harcourt Press. Kleiner, Fred S. , Christin J. Mamiya and Helen Gardner (2005). Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 12th ed. Belmont, California : Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Lorenz, Megaera. January 15, 2000. The Art of the Amarna Period. http://www. heptune. com/art. html Najovitz, Simson (2004). Egypt, trunk of tree : a modern survey of an ancient land. New York : Algora Publishing. Perry, Marvin (1989). A History of the World. Boston, Massachusetts : Houghton MifflinCompany. Roberts, J. M. (1987). The Penguin History of the World. New York : Penguin Books. Ryan, Donald P. (2002). The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ancient Egypt. New York : Alpha Books. Sauneron, Serge (2000). The Priests in Ancient Egypt. New York : Cornell University Press. Shaw, Ian (Ed. ) (2003). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. United Kingdom : Oxford University Press. Thomas, Susanna (2003). Akhenaten and Tutankhamen : The Religious Revolution. New York : Rosen Publishing . (http://www. philae. nu/akhet/Religion3. html