Economics in Asia :: Pacific Asia Economics

Since the mid 1960s, Pacific Asia has had a remarkable rate of economic crop. This growth has been sustainable and faster than all other regions of the world (see fig. 1). This region consists of twenty-three economies but it was just eight who caused most of this amazing growth. The eight were Hong Kong, the majority rule of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, China, (the Four Tigers) Japan and the newly industrialised economies (NIEs) of south-east Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The eight high performing Asian economies (HPAEs) mentioned here will be the focus of this essay. What caused this success in Pacific Asia? What role did public policies play in engineering this rapid growth? How was the human and physical capital accumulated? Most of the high growth in the HPAEs was achieved by getting the basics right. Large human capital and private domestic investment largely powered the growth. High domestic nest egg levels meant HPAE investment levels remained high. Agr iculture experienced rapid growth and improvement of its productivity. HPAEs population growth rate declined faster than in other parts of the developing world. HPAEs were overly helped by their labour force being better-educated and having more effective public administration than other developing regions. Another cause of this success, was the development policy used. The policies were make to create a stable framework for private investment while increasing the integrity of the banking system, raising levels of financial savings. Education policies concentrated on original and secondary schools to create a labour force with better skills. Policies on agriculture pushed productivity without pushing the rural economy. Government intervention was also intrinsic to foster development. The growth of these HPAEs is highly unusual in the developing world. They are highly diverse in culture, resources and population yet they are banded unitedly with some characteristics. They hav e all had rapid sustained growth with highly equal income distributions. Strong agriculture, rapid demographic changes and export booms. There are cardinal main views of how the HPAEs were so successful. The first is the neo-classical, which stresses getting the basics right. This was providing a strong legal framework to promote competition (domestic and international), the absence of terms distortions (e g price controls) and the investment in people, health and education. The second view is of the revisionist, where the government uses state-led development and intervention to achieve growth.

To Autumn by John Keates - Critical Analysis Essays -- English Literat

To Autumn by John Keates - Critical epitomeJohn Keats once said approximately Lord Byron He describes what he sees - I describe what I imagine, mine is the hardest task To Autumn is evidence of his room of thinking, as the poem is a vivid, musical portrayal of the English autumn, as he imagined it. The poem celebrates autumn as a moderate of abundance, a season of reflection, a season of preparation for the winter, and a season worthy of admiration with comparison to what romantic poetry oft focuses upon - the spring. The poem is rather literal in its meaning as it does not sway a deeper level of meaning that relates to the reader. The poem fails to move the reader in a philosophical, idealistic or moral way, and therefore bears no significant meat to the reader. That is not to say that the poem lacks meaning or metaphorical significance, the poem was written to convey a comprehend of purpose to life and the worth of death. The poem achieves this by using descriptive and vi vid expressions to describe the essence of autumn. The poem uses powerful language to achieve effect. It often makes use of imagery, exaggerated language and onomatopoeia to cause an atmosphere of the English autumn, for the reader. Language such as this excerpt from the first stanza, And fill all fruits with ripeness to the core, To swell the gourd, and round out the hazel shells This type of language, especially adjectives such as ripeness and plump, provide the reader with an excellent ... To Autumn by John Keates - Critical Analysis Essays -- English LiteratTo Autumn by John Keates - Critical AnalysisJohn Keats once said about Lord Byron He describes what he sees - I describe what I imagine, mine is the hardest task To Autumn is evidence of his way of thinking, as the poem is a vivid, lyrical portrayal of the English autumn, as he imagined it. The poem celebrates autumn as a season of abundance, a season of reflection, a season of preparation for the winter, a nd a season worthy of admiration with comparison to what romantic poetry often focuses upon - the spring. The poem is rather literal in its meaning as it does not convey a deeper level of meaning that relates to the reader. The poem fails to move the reader in a philosophical, idealistic or moralistic way, and therefore bears no significant message to the reader. That is not to say that the poem lacks meaning or metaphorical significance, the poem was written to convey a sense of purpose to life and the worth of death. The poem achieves this by using descriptive and vivid expressions to describe the essence of autumn. The poem uses powerful language to achieve effect. It often makes use of imagery, exaggerated language and onomatopoeia to create an atmosphere of the English autumn, for the reader. Language such as this excerpt from the first stanza, And fill all fruits with ripeness to the core, To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells This type of language, especially adjecti ves such as ripeness and plump, provide the reader with an excellent ...

Gun Control in the United States Essay -- second amendment,firearm, we

The second amendment gives plenty the right to own a firearm. The establishment fathers might give thought a gun was the best form of protection but many years have past since then and military personnel have evolved. time are different and society is different. Technology has a big impact on mountain and how we think and all those variables can locomote people with how they answer in stressful situations. We have to consider the moral stability of those in possession of the weapons, it is important to keep the weapon away from love ones or different people, and is the law protecting those in possession of the weapons or putting lives in more danger.The human mind is a complex throw in filled with a variety of thoughts and desires. One may hide the deepest thought in the un apprised without even knowing it or worse, their desires reside in the conscious waiting to be acted upon. With all circumstances no one from the outside knows what is going on in another ones mind eve n the person himself may not be completely be sure. My confidence in ones mental stability is low because these facts show the mystery of what is inside the human mind. To elaborate on this, in a previous study in 2004 researchers discovered that around one in four adults have a mental health unsoundness and one in seventeen had a serious mental illness but how many of them keep going on with their lives thinking their feelings are average? All people are given the right to bare armor that means all people even those with these disorders. Now the right to bare arms is the right of the people to protect themselves yet giving those with weak mental stability is a scary thought (Mental Health). The laws should provide us with a mental state test before being given a weapons license.... ...929.full.Eligibility Requirements. / secret Weapon License / Licensing / Divisions & Offices / Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. .Florida Concealed Carry permission Information. Florida Concea led Carry Permit Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .Guns and Violence. Current Issues Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.Gun Control. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.Mental Health. - level-headed People 2020. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.. Gun Control in the United States Essay -- second amendment,firearm, weThe second amendment gives people the right to own a firearm. The founding fathers might have thought a gun was the best form of protection but many years have past since then and humans have evolved. Times are different and society is different. Technology has a big impact on people and how we think and all those variables can affect people with how they react in stressful situations. We have to consider the mental stability of those in possession of the weapons, it is important to keep the weapon away from loved ones or other people, and is the law protecting those in possession of the weapons or putting lives in more danger.The human mind is a complex place filled with a variety of thoughts and desires. One may hide the deepest thought in the unconscious without even knowing it or worse, their desires reside in the conscious waiting to be acted upon. With all circumstances no one from the outside knows what is going on in another ones mind even the person himself may not be completely be sure. My confidence in ones mental stability is low because these facts show the mystery of what is inside the human mind. To elaborate on this, in a previous study in 2004 researchers discovered that around one in four adults have a mental health disorder and one in seventeen had a serious mental illness but how many of them keep going on with their lives thinking their feelings are normal? All people are given the right to bare arms that means all people even those with these disorders. Now th e right to bare arms is the right of the people to protect themselves yet giving those with weak mental stability is a scary thought (Mental Health). The laws should provide us with a mental state test before being given a weapons license.... ...929.full.Eligibility Requirements. / Concealed Weapon License / Licensing / Divisions & Offices / Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. .Florida Concealed Carry Permit Information. Florida Concealed Carry Permit Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. .Guns and Violence. Current Issues Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.Gun Control. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit Gale, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.Mental Health. - Healthy People 2020. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014..

Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) Essay -- Disease/Disorders

Type 1 diabetes, is an incurable but treatable disease which can occur at any age but is mostly found in children due to the high levels of glucose in the blood (Eckman 2011). Juvenile diabetes affects about 1 in every 400-600 children and more than 13,000 be diagnosed yearly (Couch 2008). Type 1 Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, is withal high. With Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone, which helps glucose gets into your cells to provide energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth (American Diabetes Association). Previous research has suggested proper insulin management, a match diet and exercise will help maintain glycemic control and lessen the chance of complications (Couch 2008).Symptoms are an indication of close tothing being wrong. In the case of discovering juvenile diabetes, some symp toms include but are not limited to, being extremely thirsty, frequent urination, often feeling tired and or hungry. Some whitethorn invite unexplained weight loss, the delay of sores healing properly, dry and itchy skin may also occur. Others have had a feeling of tingling in their feet and even out having blurred vision. The symptoms listed may be the first sign of type 1 diabetes, or may occur when the sugar is high. (Eckman 2011). Warning signs in other cases may be an indication of very high glucose levels, though the symptoms may vary in different people, the possibilities of individuals experiencing the same symptoms are likely. Following are some symptoms encountered by children whose blood sugar is very high. Deep, rapid breathing may take place, their ... ...etes. Bethesda, MD. National Institutes of Health, Dept. Of Health and Human Services.Neithercott, T. (Jan. 2012). Continuous Glucose Monitors. Diabetes Forecast, 65(1) 44-6. Magazine. Retrieved from ProQuest Resea rch Library.Neu, A Hofer, S.E., MD Karges, Beate Oeverink, Rudolf Rosenbauer, J Holl, R.W., MD. (Sept. 2009). Ketoacidosis at Diabetes Onset Is Still Frequent in Children and Adolescents A multicenter analysis of 14,664 patients from 106 institutions. Diabetes Care, 32(9) 1647-8. Scholarly Journals. Retrieved from ProQuest Research Library.United States. (2011). Type 1 Diabetes Research veritable Progress and Real Hope for a Cure. Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, United States Senate, of the One Hundred eleventh Congress, First Session, June 24, 2009. Washington, DC Washington U.S. G.P.O., 2011

The Future of America :: Free Essay Writer

The Future of AmericaA hungry son stole food from a market, was caught, and his right hand was chopped off. The next week the selfsame(prenominal) boy, stole fruit from an orchard, again was spotted, and his left(p) hand was chopped off. A few weeks later, leaving the back door to a bakery open, his mouth mount and eyes no less vibrant, the boy was caught once again. The men of the town were stumped, what was to be chopped off next? The men of the town did not do what to do, until someone offered giving the boy a job. The boy never stole again. As difficult as it may be to remain open-minded when addressing a situation, sometimes the alternative solutions be founder than that of the extreme. Throughout American hi boloney, there is evidence of over-coming close mindedness. This evidence is seen in womens voting rights and African Americans freedom. With the increasing younker violence present in America, we are once again given a task. This task, like that of Womens Suffrage and Civil Rights, is not going to have a simple solution. If the men in the story above had not come up with an alternative solution, what would be chopped off next? Arms? Feet? after reading about this topic and entirely its perspectives, I believe that severe punishment will always fail to deter youth abuse. Rehabilitation and prevention, as difficult as they may be to accept, deserve attention.Arguments have resulted from examining the increase of convicted youth criminals and the severity of discourtesys committed. The youth crime rate has reached a twenty form high, says Patricia Cohen in her article entitled, Punishment. Equally amazing she says, is the fact that from 1988-1991 the youth murder-arrest rate climbed 80 percent(518). Terrible crimes committed by youth are sometimes as serious as those of their adult counterparts. As a result, the term youth is no longer synonymous with innocence. With this sudden madness, as coined by Males and Docuyanan in Crackdown on Kids freehand Up on the Young, juveniles are be deferred into court at lower and lower ages(519). This can be seen in Wisconsin where ten-year-old children can be tried as adults for murder(519). Does imprisonment deter youth crime? Some people believe it is the only way to go, others disagree. Males and Docuyanan are among those who disagree, bringing up the point that, If more prisons and surer sentences were the solutions to crime and delinquency, California should be a seaport where citizens leave doors unlocked and stroll midnight streets unmenaced(521).The Future of America Free Essay WriterThe Future of AmericaA hungry boy stole food from a market, was caught, and his right hand was chopped off. The next week the same boy, stole fruit from an orchard, again was spotted, and his left hand was chopped off. A few weeks later, leaving the back door to a bakery open, his mouth full and eyes no less vibrant, the boy was caught once again. The men of the town were stumped, wha t was to be chopped off next? The men of the town did not know what to do, until someone offered giving the boy a job. The boy never stole again. As difficult as it may be to remain open-minded when addressing a situation, sometimes the alternative solutions are better than that of the extreme. Throughout American history, there is evidence of over-coming close mindedness. This evidence is seen in womens voting rights and African Americans freedom. With the increasing youth violence present in America, we are once again given a task. This task, like that of Womens Suffrage and Civil Rights, is not going to have a simple solution. If the men in the story above had not come up with an alternative solution, what would be chopped off next? Arms? Feet? After reading about this topic and all its perspectives, I believe that severe punishment will always fail to deter youth crime. Rehabilitation and prevention, as difficult as they may be to accept, deserve attention.Arguments have resu lted from examining the increase of convicted youth criminals and the severity of crimes committed. The youth crime rate has reached a twenty year high, says Patricia Cohen in her article entitled, Punishment. Equally staggering she says, is the fact that from 1988-1991 the youth murder-arrest rate climbed 80 percent(518). Terrible crimes committed by youth are sometimes as serious as those of their adult counterparts. As a result, the term youth is no longer synonymous with innocence. With this sudden madness, as coined by Males and Docuyanan in Crackdown on Kids Giving Up on the Young, juveniles are being deferred into court at lower and lower ages(519). This can be seen in Wisconsin where ten-year-old children can be tried as adults for murder(519). Does imprisonment deter youth crime? Some people believe it is the only way to go, others disagree. Males and Docuyanan are among those who disagree, bringing up the point that, If more prisons and surer sentences were the solutions to crime and delinquency, California should be a haven where citizens leave doors unlocked and stroll midnight streets unmenaced(521).

The Future of America :: Free Essay Writer

The proximo of AmericaA hungry boy stole food from a market, was caught, and his right hand was chopped off. The near week the same boy, stole return from an orchard, again was spotted, and his left hand was chopped off. A few weeks later, leaving the back door to a bakeshop open, his mouth full and eyes no less vibrant, the boy was caught once again. The work force of the townspeople were stumped, what was to be chopped off abutting? The men of the town did not know what to do, until someone offered good-looking the boy a job. The boy never stole again. As difficult as it may be to ride out open-minded when addressing a situation, sometimes the choice solutions are better than that of the extreme. Throughout American history, there is evidence of over-coming close mindedness. This evidence is seen in womens voting rights and African Americans freedom. With the increasing spring chicken violence drive home in America, we are once again given a task. This task, like that o f Womens Suffrage and Civil Rights, is not vent to have a simple solution. If the men in the story above had not come up with an alternative solution, what would be chopped off next? Arms? Feet? After reading close this topic and all its perspectives, I believe that severe punishment will always fail to disapprove youth crime. Rehabilitation and prevention, as difficult as they may be to accept, deserve attention.Arguments have resulted from examining the increase of convicted youth criminals and the severity of crimes committed. The youth crime rate has reached a twenty year high, says Patricia Cohen in her member entitled, Punishment. Equally staggering she says, is the fact that from 1988-1991 the youth murder-arrest rate climbed 80 percent(518). Terrible crimes committed by youth are sometimes as serious as those of their adult counterparts. As a result, the term youth is no longer synonymous with innocence. With this sudden madness, as coined by Males and Docuyanan in Cr ackdown on Kids Giving Up on the Young, juveniles are being deferred into court at lower and lower ages(519). This can be seen in Wisconsin where ten-year-old children can be tried as adults for murder(519). Does imprisonment deter youth crime? Some people believe it is the only way to go, others disagree. Males and Docuyanan are among those who disagree, bringing up the delegate that, If more prisons and surer sentences were the solutions to crime and delinquency, California should be a haven where citizens leave doors unlocked and stroll midnight streets unmenaced(521).The Future of America Free Essay WriterThe Future of AmericaA hungry boy stole food from a market, was caught, and his right hand was chopped off. The next week the same boy, stole fruit from an orchard, again was spotted, and his left hand was chopped off. A few weeks later, leaving the back door to a bakery open, his mouth full and eyes no less vibrant, the boy was caught once again. The men of the town were stumped, what was to be chopped off next? The men of the town did not know what to do, until someone offered giving the boy a job. The boy never stole again. As difficult as it may be to remain open-minded when addressing a situation, sometimes the alternative solutions are better than that of the extreme. Throughout American history, there is evidence of over-coming close mindedness. This evidence is seen in womens voting rights and African Americans freedom. With the increasing youth violence present in America, we are once again given a task. This task, like that of Womens Suffrage and Civil Rights, is not going to have a simple solution. If the men in the story above had not come up with an alternative solution, what would be chopped off next? Arms? Feet? After reading about this topic and all its perspectives, I believe that severe punishment will always fail to deter youth crime. Rehabilitation and prevention, as difficult as they may be to accept, deserve attention.Argumen ts have resulted from examining the increase of convicted youth criminals and the severity of crimes committed. The youth crime rate has reached a twenty year high, says Patricia Cohen in her article entitled, Punishment. Equally staggering she says, is the fact that from 1988-1991 the youth murder-arrest rate climbed 80 percent(518). Terrible crimes committed by youth are sometimes as serious as those of their adult counterparts. As a result, the term youth is no longer synonymous with innocence. With this sudden madness, as coined by Males and Docuyanan in Crackdown on Kids Giving Up on the Young, juveniles are being deferred into court at lower and lower ages(519). This can be seen in Wisconsin where ten-year-old children can be tried as adults for murder(519). Does imprisonment deter youth crime? Some people believe it is the only way to go, others disagree. Males and Docuyanan are among those who disagree, bringing up the point that, If more prisons and surer sentences were t he solutions to crime and delinquency, California should be a haven where citizens leave doors unlocked and stroll midnight streets unmenaced(521).

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 11

Hospitals are creepy dictates, cold and sterile. A true monitor of the tenuous nature of mortality. The thought of Hugh here made me nauseous, tho I squelched the feeling as best I could, sprinting through the halls to the room Samantha had named.When I reached it, I found Hugh lying calmly in a bed, his large body clad in a gown, his skin bruised and bandaged. A redheaded work sat next to the bed with him, holding his hand. She exploited in surprise when I burst into the room.Georgina, Hugh said, giving me a weak smile. Nice of you to stop by.The blond woman, presumably Samantha, studied me uneasily. Slim and doe-eyed, she tightened her grip on Hughs hand, and I figured this must be the twenty-year old from work. Her unnatural breasts verified as much.Its all right, he told her reassuringly. This is my friend Georgina. Georgina, Samantha.Hi, I told her, offering my hand. She took it. Hers was cold, and I realized then that her nervousness was not so much at meeting me as gener al tinct over what had happened to Hugh. It was touching.Sweetie, would you excuse Georgina and me for a bit? Maybe go get yourself a drink from the cafeteria? He spoke gently and kindly to her, a intone he rarely used with the rest of us on our pub wickednesss.Samantha morose to Hugh anxiously. I dont want to march on you alone.I wont be alone. Georgina and I only fool to talk. Besides, shes a, uh, black belt nothing will happen to me.I made a face at him behind her back as she considered. I suppose thats all right youll call my cell if you need me, right? Ill come right back.Of course, he promised, kissing her hand.Ill miss you.Ill miss you more.She rose, gave me another s angry look, and retreated out the door.I watched her go a moment before taking her chair beside Hugh. Very sweet. I think Im getting cavities.No need to be bitter. Just because you sternt form meaningful attachments with mortals.His jest hurt a lot more than it probably should confirm, but then, I sti ll had Roman on the brain.Besides, he continued, shes a little upset active what happened today.Yeah, I imagine so. Jesus. Look at you.I surveyed his wounds in greater detail. Hints of stitches appeared beneath somewhat bandages, and Stygian blotchy bruises blossomed here and there.Could be worse.Could it? I wondered archly. Id never seen any immortal sustain so much injury.Sure. First, I could be dead, and Im not. Second, I heal unspoiled equal you do. You should have seen me this afternoon when they brought me in. The trick now will be to get me out of here before someone notices just how fast Im recovering.Does Jerome cognize almost this?Of course. I called him earlier, but hed already felt it. I expect him to show up any time now. Did he call you?Not exactly, I admitted, hesitant to bring up the note quite yet. What happened? When you were attacked?I dont remember a lot of details. Hugh shrugged middling, an awkward maneuver for one lying down. I guess hed already gone through this story with a number of others. I stepped out for coffee. I was the only one in the parking lot, and while glide slope back to my car, this psyche, I guess, just jumped out and attacked me. No warning.You guess?He frowned. I never really got a good look. He was big, though, I could flag that much. And strong really strong. A lot stronger than I would have thought.Hugh himself was no weakling. True, he didnt work out or do much with his body, but he had a big frame and a lot of density to fill that frame out.Why did he stop? I asked. Did someone find you guys?Nah, I dont recognize wherefore he quit. It was all beating and slashing one minute the next, hes gone. Took about fifteen minutes before someone else came along and helped me.You encumber saying he. You think it was a guy?He tone-beginninged another shrug. I dont really know. Just an impression I got. Could have been a hot blonde for all I know.Yeah? Should I question Samantha?You shouldnt be questioning an yone, according to Jerome. Did you ever talk to Erik?Yeah hes looking into some things for me. He also reaffirmed that vampire hunters cant kill you or me, nor has he ever heard of anything that can.Hugh turned thoughtful. This person didnt kill me.Do you think he was trying?He was certainly trying to do something. Seems like if he could have killed me, he would have.But he couldnt, a voice behind me pointed out, because, as Ive said, vampire hunters can only inconvenience you, not kill you.I turned, startled at hearing Jeromes voice. It startled me further to see Carter with him.Leave it to Jerome to play devils advocate, joked the angel.What are you doing here, Georgina? demanded the giant icily.My mouth gaped, and it took me a moment to speak. How how did you do that?Carter stood there dressed as disreputably as ever. Whereas Doug and Bruce looked like they were in a grunge band, the angel looked like the band had kicked him out. He gave me a lopsided grin. Do what? Come up with a clever pun referencing Jeromes demonic status? The truth is, I usually keep a stash of them on hand and No. Not that. I cant feel you cant sense you I could see Carter with my eyes, but I could not feel that powerful signature, aura, or whatever, that normally radiated from an immortal. Turning to Jerome suddenly, I realized he was the same. Or you. I cant sense both of you. I couldnt the other night either.Angel and demon exchanged glances over my head. We can mask it, said Carter at last.What, like a light switch or something? You can turn it on and off?Its a bit more complicated than that.Well, this is news to me. Can we do it? Hugh and I?No, both Jerome and Carter answered together. Jerome elaborated, Only higher immortals can do it.Hugh weakly attempted to sit up. Why are you doing it?You never answered my question, Georgie, Jerome pointed out, obviously avoiding the subject. He glanced at the imp. I told you not to contact the others.I didnt. She just came.Jerome turned his gaze back on me, and I fished the mysterious note out of my purse. I handed it to him, and the demon read it expressionlessly before handing it over to Carter. When the angel finished, he and Jerome looked at each other again in that annoying way of theirs. Jerome deposited the note into an inner pocket of his suit jacket.Hey, thats mine.Not anymore.Dont tell me youre going to commove to your party line about this being a vampire hunter, I shot back.Jeromes dark eyes narrowed shrewdly at me. Why wouldnt I? This person mistook Hugh for a vampire, but as youve already observed, Nancy Drew, Hugh could not be killed. I think this person knew Hugh wasnt a vampire.Oh? Why do you say that?The note. The person who wrote it mentions my shape-shifting. He knows Im a succubus. He probably knows Hughs an imp.His knowing youre a succubus explains why he didnt attack you. He knew he couldnt kill you. He wasnt reliable about Hugh, however, so he took his chances.With a knife. Again, I rememb ered How do you know if a demon is lying? His lips are moving. I thought the story was that this was some incompetent vampire hunter arbitrarily going after people with a stake because he didnt know any better. Instead, this person somehow knows about me and took on Hugh with a knife.Carter stifled a yawn and joined in on Jeromes game. Maybe this persons learning. You know, expanding their choice of weapons. After all, no one stays an amateur for long. Even new vampire hunters wise up eventually.I jumped on the one detail here no one had addressed yet. And even children know that vampires dont come out in daylight. What time were you attacked, Hugh?A strange look crossed the imps face. Late this afternoon. When the sun was up.I looked exultantly at Jerome. This person knew Hugh wasnt a vampire.Jerome leaned against a wall, appearing unfazed as he picked nonexistent pieces of lint from his slacks. He looked more like John Cusack than ever today. So? Mortals get delusions of grandeur . He kills one vampire and decides to do his part against the rest of the evil forces inhabiting this city. That changes nothing.I dont think it was a mortal.Both Jerome and Carter, looking at other things in the room, now snapped their heads toward me. Oh?I swallowed, slightly flustered under that scrutiny. I mean you guys prove higher immortals can go around without being sensed, and no ones been able to sense anything from this guy. Plus, look at Hughs damage. Erik said mortals cant really do substantial I bit off my words, realizing my error.Carter laughed softly.Damn it, Georgie. Jerome straightened like a whip. I told you to let us handle this. Who else have you talked to?Whatever cloaking Jerome had been doing vanished, and I suddenly became aware of the power crackling around him. It reminded me of one of those sci-fi movies when a door opens into outer space, and all the debris gets sucked out as a result of the vacuum. Everything in the room seemed to be drawn into Jerom e, toward his swelling power and might. To my immortal perceptions, he became a glowing bonfire of terror and energy.I cringed against Hughs bed, resisting the urge to shade my eyes. The imp put a hand on my arm, though whether it was for my comfort or his own, I didnt know. No one. I swear it, no one else. I just asked Erik some questionsCarter took a step toward the furious demon, face angelically calm. Easy there. Youre sending up a beacon to any immortal in a ten-mile radius.Jeromes eyes stayed fixed on me, and I felt true fear for the first time in centuries in the tenseness of all that intensity. Then, like the light switch Id joked about earlier, it all vanished. Just like that, Jerome stood before me completely incognito for all arcane intents and purposes. Like a mortal. He exhaled heavily and rubbed a spot between his eyes.Georgina, he said at last. Contrary to whatever you believe, this is not all some elaborate attempt to vex you. Please stop going against me. Were doin g what were doing for a reason. Your best interests really are at heart here.My catty nature wanted to ask if demons had hearts, but something else struck me as more pressing. Why the we here? I assume you mean him. I nodded toward Carter. What could involve both a demon and an angel and ask them skulk around hiding their presence? Are you guys afraid of something?Skulking? Carter sounded jovially indignant.Please, Georgie, intoned Jerome, patience obviously at a breaking point, leave well-enough alone. If you really want to do something useful, you will avoid dangerous situations like I advised before. I cant make you stay in protected company, but if you persist in being a nuisance otherwise, I can find a convenient place to stash you until this all blows over. This is not about anyones side, and you only run the risk of muddling up matters you dont understand.I unconsciously squeezed Hughs hand for support. I did not want to think about what sort of convenient place Jerome had i n mind.Do we understand each other? the demon asked softly.I nodded.Good. You will be of most assistance to me by keeping yourself safe. I have too many things to worry about now without adding you to the list.I nodded again, not trusting myself to speak. His small display had had its intended effect on temporarily cowing me, though some niggling part of me knew I would be unable to leave well-enough alone once I walked out of here. It would be best to keep that friendship to myself.That will be all, Georgie, Jerome added. I heard the dismissal.Ill walk you out, offered Carter.No thanks. But the angel followed in my wake anyway.So howd it go with Seth Mortensen?Okay.Just hunky-dory?Just okay.I hear hes living here now. And spends a lot of time at Emerald City.I eyed him askance. Whered you hear that?He only grinned. So? Tell me about it.Theres nothing to tell, I snapped, uncertain why I was even discussing this. Ive talked to him a few times, toured him around. We dont really clic k. We cant communicate.Why not? Carter wanted to know.Hes a hardcore introvert. Doesnt talk much. Just watches. Besides, I dont want to encourage him.So youre increasing his silence.I shrugged and pushed the button for an elevator.I think I know a book that might help you. Ill dig it out and let you borrow it.No thanks.Dont knock it. Itll improve your communication skills with Seth. I saw it on a talk show.Arent you listening? I dont want to improve things.Ah, said Carter sagely. You dont go for introverts.I no, thats not it. I dont have a problem with introverts. Then why dont you like Seth?I do like him Damn it, stop this.The angel quirked me a grin. Its all right to feel that way. I mean, past consequence shows you tend to go for showy, flirty guys anyway.Whats that supposed to mean? I immediately thought of my attraction to Roman.Carters eyes flashed mischievously. We were at the hospitals exit now. I dont know. You tell me, Letha.I had closely walked out the door, but his co mment jerked me back. I spun around so fast, my hair whipped around and hit me in the face. Where did you hear that name?I have my sources.A great nebulous emotion swelled up in my chest, something I couldnt entirely identify. It fell somewhere on the continuum of hate and despair, not really subscribing to either one. Hotter and hotter it grew within me, making me want to scream at Carter and that smug, knowing look on his face. I wanted to beat my fists against him or shape-shift into something horrific. I didnt know where hed knowing that name, but it woke up some sort of sleeping monster within me, something that had been tightly coiled up.He continued watching me coolly, undoubtedly reading my thoughts.Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. The chilly corridors. The anxious visitors. The efficient staff. I calmed my breathing and fixed the angel with a scathing look.Dont you ever call me that again. Ever.He shrugged, still smiling. My mistake.I turned smartly on my heels a nd left him there. I stormed out to my car and didnt even realize I was driving until I was halfway across the bridge, rupture leaking from the corners of my eyes.

Economic Course Work Essay

The market accept (red line) for inunct is highly inelastic, and a large change in price besides has a small impact on demand for cover. In essence, you will not drive twice as fast because oil is cheaper, nor can you carryably switch from using one type of fuel to another(petrol to diesel) just because its price has changed to be cheaper. The gin milllish of oil is relatively inelastic. This is because investment in the production facilities leads to an affix in supply, but the cost of pumping out the oil is relatively the same (Hillier, 2005). It will cost an oil production facility roughly the same marrow to produce at half or full capacity.Maintenance and repairs will only be done if the price of oil is high. In essence, we can study that a small change in the demand and supply arc causes a larger change in the clearing price of oil in Russia. As the cost if oil goes up, the Bus fares will increase as transporters will try to recover the remaining cost from the passeng er, consequently reducing the demand for buses. This in turn will lead to passengers demanding more of the train services which are not affected by the rise in oil price, thus the shift in the demand curve to the right. Indicating a demand for trains.During arena the demand for oil was low, thus the downward shift of the demand curve from D1 to D2. This was a result of consumers looking for alternative sources of fuel energy, since the price for oil was high. Also during the recess, due to the recession, the price of oil went up, thus the upwardly shift of the supply curve from S1 to S2. The high prices led to more production, thus more supply to capitalize on the prevailing high market prices of oil. iv) Use a demand and supply diagram to show what happens to oil prices when the UK adopts energy efficiency measures and invests inwind and solar energy There will be less demand for oil from the British as they will look for alternative means for energy, thus the downward shift of the demand curve from D1 to D2. Thus further development in alternative energy resources means that there is spread of technology thus the equivalent point shifts to the left. v) What happens to oil prices if high economic growth continues in India and chinaware. India and china are following the traditional economic growth path which requires huge oil production and use. Since the national resources are limited, large scale of imports are necessary.bigger demands, higher price, higher expectation to prices attracts speculators to buy more of the oil, which creates the bubble, higher prices of oil due to increased demand (Copeland et al, 2005). 2. Use demand and supply analysis consider what factors on the demand side and which on the supply side will influence oil prices over the next few years? (50 marks) Prospects in the gentlemans gentleman economy. The world populations is increasing daily, signaling an increase in the demand for oil to meet some of the basic life energy ne eds . It is estimated that the population of India and China will grow by 8.4% and 10% respectively. This alone is a big market (demand) for oil (Market Avenue, 2008). Thus this will affect the price of oil, as the demand will increase, thus a rise in the price of oil. Technological development. The world oil supply will improve with new technologies existence propagated everyday to ensure more but efficient production and distribution of oil to the markets. This will lead to more efficient and environmentally friendly oil facilities that will increase the supply of oil at a global level (Market Avenue, 2008).As a result, the price of oil will go up in proportion to the investments put in place to do the renovations and maintenances of the oil production facilities. Global economic political situation as with Iran nuclear issue, in as much as Iran has high reserves oil and gas, it is has a nuclear development programme that is looking at using nuclear technology as an alternative t o oil and gas. This has prompted political debates impasse, and sanctions as regards the future of energy resources in the world.Reports by Market Avenue (2008) shows that this affects the price of oil in the disposition that Iran has the fleck largest oil reservoir, next to Saudi Arabia, and thus sire a greater control over how their international relations plays out with the world topnotch powers and the OPEC to regulate the supply and price of oil. According to Biswajit et al (2007), alternatives to oil, there are increasing alternatives to oil as a source of energy. Many other alternatives like, solar, propane, nuclear energy, bio diesel, hydrogen, battery and ethanol. All these are alternatives to oil that have been proven to work.Even though their use is still small scale compared to oil, they are emerging as good alternatives oil use. This affects the future of oil use globally as they tend to be more environmentally friendly and cheaper than oil. 3. Describe the structur e of the world motor car exertion (25 marks) The first producer of a petrol engine driven car was Karl Benz, 1885 Mannheim Germany. Over the years many inventions and different models of cars have come. These include brand names such as Toyota, Hyundai, Range Rovers, Mercedes Benz, Nissan just to mention a few.Globally there are many producers of cars. For ease of computer address they have been ranked by country. In the top ten we have China, Japan, USA, Germany, South Korea, Brazil, India, Spain, France, and Mexico respectively. The top ten brand names include Toyota, General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, PSA, Honda, Nissan, gild and Suzuki. This is relation to the number if volumes of vehicles the produced in 2009. Depending on the regions, various cars manufacturers have a specific share in the markets in which they operate in.Example is that Thailand is like a shot, already the second largest globally, pick-up truck market after the U. S. and is ASEANs largest automoti ve market and assembler. In her report, Global cable carmobile Industry Changing with Times , Chithra Gopal R. S. , M. Sc (Agri), says that in Thailand today all leading Japanese car producers as well as BMW, Mercedes Benz, General Motors, Ford, Volvo and Peugeot assemble cars along with their legions of suppliers. The country has become the main production stall for auto- mobile exports in South East Asia.One of the biggest foreign producers located in Thailand is Toyota with a production totaling more than 300,000 vehicles a year and the number is having an upward trend. General Motors (GM), although a much smaller player in Thailand than Toyota, is also increasing production. The other big auto companies located in Thailand are Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Auto Alliance, Honda etc. In recent years, BMW and Daimler Chrysler (Mercedes-Benz) have also increased their investments to gain complete control on local manufacturing and marketing operations, indicating that the auto mobile industry in Thailand has the structure of perfect competition(Biswajit et al. 2007). References Biswajit, N. , Saikat, B. &Rittwik, C. (2007). Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade Working Paper Series, No. 37, July 2007. Retrieved on 21 August, 2010. From http//www. unescap. org/tid/artnet/pub/wp3707. pdf. Case, K. & Fair, R. (1999). Principles of Economics, 5th Ed. New York Prentice-Hall. Copeland, A. , Wendy, D. & Hall, G. (2005). Prices, Production and Inventories, Over The Automotive Model Year, Working Paper 11257, NBER Hillier, B. (2005).The Macroeconomic Debate. Oxford Blackwell, pp. 7-85. Market Avenue (2008). Major Factors Affecting World inunct Market in 2008. Retrieved on 21 August, 2010. From (http//www. marketavenue. cn/upload/articles/ARTICLES_1422. htm Parkin, M. & Bade, R. (1982). Modern Macroeconomics. Indiana University press Philip, A & Fischer, S. 1980. Rational Expectations and Economic Policy. Chicago University of Chicago Press http//www. trad ingtoday. com/26-oil-supply-demand, http//www. eco-action. org/dt/oilfut. html).

Salman Rushdie

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is unarguably one of the most controversial contemporary English novelist. His novelistic sensibility is case-by-caseistic and entrepreneurial, devising him a literary risk-taker even at the age of 58. He hates all orthodoxies-religious as well as literary. His literary iconoclasm has won him a distinguished organise in pantheons of worlds contemporary writers. Whereas his religious iconoclasm has made him an infamous figure amongst the Muslims worldwide. He stands for free speech in writings. His novels are often semipolitical statements. The mephistophelean Verses brought this Indian born Muslim uthor violent ire from Muslim world. The novel was interpreted as blasphemous and an insult to oracle Muhammad. Overnight Rushdie became an iconoclast for his blasphemy. It was the first present moment in modern times that a government had issued a death sentence fatwa, in Islamic fashion to a foreign national. And the illegalizeship on this novel by the Is lamic countries caused much international diplomatic crisis. The westerlyern and the Muslim world was right away culturally divided.The core value of granting immunity of appearance was pitted against the intolerance for insult to Prophet. Muhammad , the messiah of Muslims. The novels of Salman Rushdie evoked much controversy even before The Satanic Verses. Rushdie as a writer played the berth of an antagonist to the state. Many have called Rushdie an intellectual who criticizes or ridicules nearly everything. It is this intellectual daring that offends and embitters people. His books attack and revile the Gandhis and modern India, the leadership in Pakistan,Ameri batch foreign policy,fundamentalist Islam and Britain et al . He critisizes the West for their social, cultural and political colonialism. His ttacks come with his charecteristic non-chalance, typical of him. If Rushdies views are to be interpreted, insults are justified as a spark of artistic freedom which shoul d ensure liberty to offend cherished beliefs. Rushdie is a self-confessed apostate. This further provokes the ire of Muslim clerics. This essay begins by assuming that intellectualism is not an end in itself and in that respectfore should be sensitized to the needs of global audience. Reason in art should not evoke passions, else, it shall defeat its own purpose. An artists reason should be in harmony with his own passion for art.In Kahlil Gibrans words , a mans reason and passion are the rudder and sails of the seafaring soul. If all of them is broken he can but toss and drift or be at standstill in mid-seas. There is even a condition of thought advocating Art for arts sake. Politicizing art has its own perils . A political statement made finished a literary or artistic work in truth further divides the society. History is replete with examples of civil unrest caused when artist makes a political statement through his work of art. Hence, the people are right to be offended by R ushdies novels.However, Rushdies novels have often offended people because of misinterpretation or rumors. He has been considered to be siding with the West instead of the Islamic Orientalists. The language of the book English was a matter controversy. His novels have been considered to be base upon flights of literary imagination, subjectivity and unscientific facts. Hence there have been numerous complaints about the novels inaccuracies lack of critical appraisals and historical research. The Muslim world limits free speech as a part of its religious ethics and ethos. They are not yet prepared for he concept of free speech and blasphemy against religion. The gulf between the Christian West and Muslim Middle-East remains and has Historical roots mentioned in the holy books like Bible and Quran. Hence any artistic work by an individual iconoclast might be considered as a war propaganda of America and Britain against Islam. What adds fuel to this fire is that despite the passionate protests by the Muslim world more horse opera governments didnt ban The Satanic Verses. The Western media widened the gulf between the Muslim protesters and Rushdies supporters. Far from peace making efforts it spiced the affair.Rushdie earned $ 2 million USD in the first year of publication of The Satanic Verses. The Fatwa ,bans and international protests only gave Rushdie more publicity. The public got the much wanted spice. The West has become immune to taboo and sacrilege. imprecation is nothing new. Many controversial and dangerous works of art are freely available in the West. Blasphemy against Jesus doesnt shock the West anymore. The Nazi holocaust envisioned in many films sells defying controversies. There is much cynicism in the West. Perhaps a consequence of similarly much progress with materialism.Consequentially, there is utter disregard to human sensitivities. The West just can not understand the cultural apparatus in which the Muslims are brought up. Islam is mo st sacred to them. Satanic Verses thus caused hurt and anger to the Muslims. The media too turned away from the Muslims during and after the Rushdie Affair. Muslims felt estranged and isolated. The West gauges other societies with their ability to assimilate into their own society. Muslims were portrayed as narrow- minded fanatics and fundamentalists because they were anti-democratic and anti- liberal.After the Rushdie Affair the anti-Islamic sentiment was reborn in the West. The anti-Islamic tradition has been depicted in Western literature even in the Medieval period. Rushdie offended the Muslims with direct derogatory references to Prophet Mohammad and his companions. The texts in his novel The Satanic references cast aspersion on the chastity of the supremely revered prophet Muhammad. He rebukes the Muslim society to the extent of calling it Jahil ( Ignorant). Western critiques use their own yardsticks to measure Muslim reactions and literary attacks on them. Muslims have been ontinually offended by Rushdie. Adding insult to injury his publishing company, Random House, announced publishing a new paperback edition of The Satanic Verses on April the 7th 1998 the day Muslims take note Eid Ul-Adha, the holiest day of the Islamic calendar ( Abdul Adils article Rushdie Provokes Muslims, The Muslim News, 24th April 1998).Rushdies adventures with the pen dont end up with The Satanic Verses. He paints a dispirited and grotesque picture of Pakistan. Many orthodox patriotic Pakistani Muslims would protest it. He describes Pakistan as universe caught between bscurity and march towards modernism. In the novel ruth he makes a mockery of the political turmoil, military coups, corruption and censorship on art in Pakistan. In his characteristic style he chooses the characters of his novels based upon real life political figures. He writes political satires that insensitively ridicule these political figures and the political establishments themselves. In The Moors La st Sigh Salman Rushdie lashes at Hindu fanaticism. Rushdies Hindu fanatic character is convinced of eliminating Muslims from India. Bombay bursts into flames of communal riots.He comments Bombay is no more the city of his youth days the bustling metropolis. He now describes it as a city of religious fanatics and mafia dons. The book is about the countries departing from harmless and innocent way of life. In the novel the drop of a family portrays the downfall of a nation. The Rushdie compares Hindu fundamentalism with the Nazi racist ideology justifying minority genocide. Rise in Hindu fervor, popularly known as the saffron surge can be considered as a representation of a Hindu political stance. His comparative analysis with Nazism inWorld War 2 Germany is fetching things a little bit too far. This might offend many Hindu conservatives. In this way Rushdie exaggerates the spurt in Hindu activism to the extent of being destructive to India as a secular nation. In Midnights Childre n he accuses Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India of assuring the Hindu majority vote by appropriating the images of Hindu Goddesses. He accuses right wing Hindus of distorting History and accuses them of taking revenge from History. He criticizes all political parties in India on some or the other ground and spares none.Conclusion Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the people are right in being offended by Rushdies novels. He doesnt censor his own flamboyant spirit as a writer. His personal dislikes bias his literary works. Iconoclasm should be ventured if it is tolerable. Rushdies daring intellectual attacks in his literary works weigh his insensitivity towards peoples core beliefs. What offends people even more is that he doesnt regret the damage that people assume he causes. Perhaps he is too ahead of the people in time. A fact that he himself doesnt realize.The gulf between the liberal West and the predominantly Oriental. East cant be bridged overnight. Especially not with a few strokes of the pen. In an ideological conflict between these two rival parties other groups with vested interests make gains. For example the Western media, the oil companies etc. 9/11 and its aftermath have heightened the tension and sensitivity in the relations between the West and the Muslim world. In this scenario his novels could be even more offensive. They could act as catalysts and trigger violent protests. The 9/11 terrorist attack has once again opened the wounds and the scars left by crusades in the course of History. Rushdie is anti-establishment. He has to take this stance as he is by nature against all orthodoxies. His works are political statements in themselves. The political satires he writes win him political ire. He makes rivals not only out of individuals and groups but also out of political establishments. Even the purpose of his intellectual activity, transit and destination are unknown. Sheer intellectual activity leads nowhere. Intellect is l ike a knife that cuts both ways. It hurts both the parties. The sea of life can be crossed only in an arc of faith.

Week 3 Bis/320 Weekly Reflection Outline

University of Phoenix Material Applying Information Security and SDLC to Business Your team has been researching and plowing iii bookstores throughout the passage to apply the concepts presented. For this assignment, you will continue to apply those concepts in a final paper. Write a paper of no more than 3,000 words in which you discuss one of the bookstores, use the SDLC method to implement a new technology into the bookstore, and detail a disaster recovery plan for the bookstore. Discuss one of the three bookstores based on the research and evaluation in your Learning Team. Introduce your selected bookstore. oWho and what is the bookstore? What is their mission? oWhat products do they sell? oWho are their customers? oExplain their website. Color Navigation residuum of using the tools for example, using credit cards for purchases Discuss your selected bookstore. oInclude terms such as hardware, software, databases, data confabulations, Internet technologies, collaboration too ls, and security. oInclude how they use hardware and software components. oDiscuss the types of database breeding used by the bookstore based on what you see on their website.Identify any additional information the bookstore could have added to enhance their database. oIdentify their data communication technologies. oDiscuss how they address security issues. Address the following questions in your analysis. oWhat hardware, software, networks, and data does the organization have? oWho manages it? oWho uses it? oWho owns it? oWhere is it located? oWhere is it used? oDoes the technology fulfill the business objectives? Use the SDLC method to implement a new technology into your selected bookstore.Examples include a collaboration tool or the use of cloud computing. Research SDLC methodology. Include the below louver phases of the SDLC method oSystem definition oRequirements analysis oComponent design oImplementation oMaintenance Detail a disaster recovery plan for your selected bookst ore and include the following Types of disasters and threats People involved and their roles Assets to protect including information Data policy definitions Necessary response plans in case of a disaster Cite at least five references in your paper. formatting your paper consistent with APA guidelines

Individual Vlan

Individual VLAN IT/242 Bob Anderson Adam Moneypenny Why Create a VLAN Due to the changes misadventure inside the company, expansion of the call center, employees moving around within the building, and employees moving off site there is a need for change to the earnings. Virtual local Area Network (VLAN) is the most obvious choice because the VLAN solution can help reduce costs by allowing us to purchase fewer router ports. It as well gives us the flexibility of physically placing and moving our clients anywhere in the organization, while still including them virtually within their own subnet.We can also contain broadcasts within the network, thereby freeing up network resources. From a security perspective, it allows us very granular control of the network. (McIntire, 2001) The Plan In order to accommodate the changes the network needs due to expansion and relocation the Local Area Network (LAN) must be segmented into different broadcast domains through the use of the VLAN. Inco rporating the VLAN testament reduce the number of router hops and increase the app bent bandwidth for the user. SecurityTo improve security, separating systems that have sensitive data from the rest of the network decreases the chances that people exit gain inlet to information they are not authorized to see. VLAN Memberships VLAN membership will be of the Dynamic type. The Dynamic VLANs switch automatically assigns the port to a VLAN. Because there are changes happening quickly and employees being added and moved to new locations this membership type would work best. It can be assumed that with the growth of the company that there will be more employees being moved and location changes continuing.Switches A point 2 switch will be used on the VLAN. With a layer 2 switch multiple layer 3 networks can be created from the same layer 2 switch. This layer 3 is the same layer that IP subnets are created on. Trunking Trunking will be used to allow for multiple VLANs and multiple switch es to communicate via a single link between the switches. The type of trunking configured on the switches will be VTP Server mode which is the default mode for all Cisco switches. The VTP server controls VLAN creation, modification, and deletion for their respective VTP domain.Synchronizes VLAN configuration with latest information authoritative from other switches in the management domain. Switches that operating in VTP server mode store the VLAN database in NVRAM and advertise VTP information to all other switches within the VTP domain. (Leahy, 2011) backing Plan As a backup to the VLAN operating model to ensure continued operation of the network during a VLAN fault or outage, the network should be physically laid out to provide a star topology in the absence of the VLAN while the VLAN and VTP are reconfigured or repaired.Summary As can be seen from all the information above the VLAN will satisfy all the needs of the company and its struggle with growth. VLANs allow for growth to the network without adding excessive hardware. Mobility of users can be easily solved and security can be increased. The VTP is an excellent way to allow all the VLANs to communicate effectively. It can also easily be sanction up with a star topology physical layout. In conclusion the VLAN will be the perfect solution for the company. References Leahy, E. (2011, July 22).VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP). Retrieved October 28, 2012, from The World of Networking http//ericleahy. com/? p=644 McIntire, R. (2001, folk 4). VLANS and Switching Technology. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from TechRepublic http//www. techrepublic. com/article/vlans-and-switching-technology-why-and-how-to-implement-vlans-in-your-cisco-switched-network-environment/1055541 Stallings, W. (2009). Business Data Communications. Prentice Hall. Tyson, J. (n. d. ). How LAN Switches Work. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from How Stuff

Barnes and Noble Case Study

Management Project 10th of december 2010 History In 1873, Charles Barnes unresolved a playscript-printing military control in the USA. The first book ancestry was set up by his son, William, in confederacy with G. Clifford majestic, in 1917 in bleak York and it is the advent of Barnes and terrific. In 1932, at the height of the immense Depression, the book introduce was moved to its current location on Fifth Avenue. Barnes & stately was acquired by Leonard Riggio in 1971, who oversaw the growth of the business. Leonard Riggio, the c exclusivelyer-ups chairman, began his book distributeing c atomic number 18r while attending New York University in the early 1960s.Working as a clerk in the university bookstore, he became convinced that he could do a better job serving students,and he opened a competing store of his take in. With a small investment, Mr. Riggio established the Student Book Exchange (SBX) in Manhattans Greenwich Village in 1965. The store profligately became one of New Yorks finest bookstores, k instantaneouslyn for its knowledgeable staff, wide selection and great service. In 1974, Barnes & august became the first bookstore to advertise on television.In 1975, the caller became the first bookseller in America to discount books, by sell New York Times best-selling titles at 40% off the publishers list price. During the 1970s and 1980s, Barnes & master opened small discount stores, which were eventually phased out in favor of larger stores. They in addition began to publish their own books to be sold to mail- coiffure customers, change them mail- come out to r distributively modernistic customers countrywide through and through with(predicate) mail- beau monde catalogues. In 1979 Barnes & magisterial acquired a chain of retail stores called Bookmasters, and then bought up Marboro Books Inc. , a remainder community with discount retail outlets.Barnes & Noble act to fat throughout the 1980s, and in 1987, the federation made it s largest acquisition when it purchased B. Dalton Bookseller from Dayton Hudson. This acquisition of 797 retail bookstores thrust the ships association onto the national scene, making Barnes & Noble a countrywide retailer overnight and the second-largest bookseller in America. The gild excessively acquired Doubleday Book Shops from the Bertelsmann family and the rights to the Scribners bookstore trade name from Macmillan. Barnes & Noble purchased BookStop, a social club operate discount book superstores in Texas, in 1989.This acquisition gave the company key insights into the ingredients behind a successful superstore dodging, from truly estate to operations to tradeing and trade. In the late 1980s, Barnes & Noble tested selling books online in an early generation venue called Trintex, a joint venture with IBM. In the early 1990s, the company tenuous its superstore concept and established the modern generation of Barnes & Noble superstores, which today represent over 96 percent of their retail sales. Barnes & Noble became a publicly traded company in 1993, listed in New York entrepot Exchange.In the mid-1990s, it sold books on CompuServe and later opened a full-fledged book superstore on America Online in sue 1997. earlier Barnes & Noble created its web site, it sold books outright to customers through mail-order catalogs. It first began selling books online in the late 1980s, save the companys website was not launched until whitethorn 1997. According to the site, it now carries over 1 one thousand thousand titles, as nearly as a vast selection of music CDs and DVDs. (5) In the beginning of the millenium the company has made two acquisitions that expanded its publishing capability. * In 2001, Barnes & Noble purchased SparkNotes. om, a leading study aids website, offering free online access to literature notes and much than 1,000 study guides on all(prenominal)thing from literature to chemistry to computer science. SparkNotes converted its t op study guides into print publications, and they hand over rapidly become bestsellers. * In 2003, Barnes & Noble purchased superior Publishing. For 60 years, Sterling has been one of the worlds leading publishers of non-fiction books. Sterling strives to publish tall-quality books that educate, entertain and enrich the lives of their readers. In March 2009, Barnes Noble acquired Fictionwise, a leader in the eBook marketplace.Headquartered in New Jersey, Fictionwise was founded in 2000 by Steve and Scott Pendergrast. In July 2009, Barnes Noble launched the worlds largest eBookstore aspart of its boilersuit digital strategy. In October 2009, Barnes & Noble introduced Nook, the worlds close advanced eBook Reader. It was awarded as the Best New Gad lend of 2009 in January 2010. institutional structure Stakeholders A stakeholder is defined as an individual or group with an spare-time activity in the success of an organization in delivering intended results and maintaining the v iability of the organizations products and run. Analyzing the economic interactions of Barnes Noble closely, it hind end be seen that there is a great variety of inhering as well as external stakeholders taking part in the economic and monetary decision making of the company as a whole. Internal plaza stakeholders of Barnes Noble first of all include its 40,000 nationwide employees, which contribute to the economic functioning of the company by their direct interaction with customers in Barnes Nobles 720 stores and 636 college bookstores.Also they are likely to contribute directly with their ideas, creativity and expertise. Their expectancies advise be identified as job security, financial compensation of their contributions in terms of a salary, esteem, pensions, extended involvement in profit and a health care insurance, as well as a pleasant working atmosphere. Further internal bosom stakeholders of Barnes Noble, who are bouncy for its business making through their co ntributions of not only risk capital, but withal of ideas and control, are its various shareholders.The expected rejoin of shareholders concerns capital gain in terms of dividends or a rising stock price, which usually is obtained through sustainable economic growth and a bonnie business strategy of Barnes Noble. Besides internal stakeholders, there are also many external forces and groups which indirectly influence the decision making of Barnes Noble. Especially opponents defend an important role, as their decision-making might directly influence or initiate changes concerning Barnes Noble direct markets.Besides its fundamental core business, which concerns selling books through its 720 topical anesthetic bookstores in all 50 States of the USA, Barnes Nobles online appearance, www. barnesandnoble. com, has gained on importance over the death years. Especially this sector is exceedingly competitive as big players much(prenominal) as Amazon. com Inc. dominate the market . Possible interactions amongst competitors concern eventual collaborations in innovation. An different absolutely important group with respect of Barnes Nobles stakeholders are its clients. Their contributions to the company concern not nly purchases but also inscription and around importantly tip offdback, which can be used to ad serious Barnes Nobles business device depending on consumer elections. The expectations of customers include quality, special offers and, in case of the book market Barnes Noble operates in, a broad variety of books available directly on conduct. In a more than general sense, also the American government takes part in Barnes Noble, as it ensures a fair competition in the market through regulations and a framework of rules which has to be accepted by not only Barnes Noble but also by all its competitors.Rewards, which are expected by the government, include tax payments, employment, and economic growth. Also banks are part of Barnes Noble shar eholders, as they provide loan capital upon request as well as advisory in exchange for interest and mortgages. However, as Barnes Noble rents most of its stores, there has not been any significant need of loan capitals over the last decades. Ownership Structure The ownership structure of Barnes Noble is determined and ranked by the amounts of shares owned by a certain individual or group.The conference of shareholders is therefore the most important event in terms of power and decision making for Barnes Noble, as it is symbolizes the top entity in the hierarchy of power distribution. premiere of all, 49% of the total available Barnes Nobles shares are in the possession of Insiders and the Top-5-Percent Owners. The most significant authority, equivalent to 27. 8% of the total distributed shares, is held by Barnes Nobles chairman Leonard Riggio, as it can be seen in the underneath graph. Also the American business magnate Ronald Burkle is heavily invested in Barnes Noble wit h round 18. % of Barnes Noble shares in the possession of his Investment firm Yacaipa Cos. Another 49% of total Barnes Nobles shares are held by Institutional Mutual storage Owners, such as Aletheia Research Management Inc. which holds 15 % on Barnes Noble as seen in the underneath graph. The total number of Institutions holding Barnes Nobles shares was 161 in June 2010. validation Structure and its Mechanism Barnes Noble governance structure is equivalent to the standard American governance put the assembly of shareholders elects the board of directors.Then, it is the line of the board of directors to successfully control Barnes Nobles top managers (the decision maker committee) according to the expectations and conclusions of the shareholders and the board of directors. Therefore, the top managers are the ones who effectively control the daily business of Barnes Noble and who give feedback to upper entities upon developments. The underneath model summarizes the simp le interconnection of Barnes Nobles managerial entities Assembly of Shareholders Board of Directors Top Managers Members of the Board of Directors Barnes Noble can be seen in the underneath diagramIt can be seen that the chairman Leonard Riggio together with his son Stephen Riggio, controls the Board of Directors, whereas William J. Lynch, /as the CEO, is in charge of the executive committee of Barnes Noble. The members who are listed as Director are so called independent directors, who worked for other companies over the last years and who contribute primarily with their follow through to the overall decision making. The power inside the Executive Committee is distributed between three major committees, which are dealing with different areas of Barnes Noble economic functioning The size up Committee, which is in charge of assuring the integrity and reliability of the ? nancial records and the protection of assets though internal control as well as the external control through an annual independent report of BDO Seidman. -The Nominating Committee, which controls the composition of the members through recommending and selecting qualified individuals to the full board in order to elect them as new members. -The Corporate Governance Committee, dealing with the overall economic efficiency of Barnes Noble, as well as with the distribution of rewards for employees.Core Institutional Goals Core institutional goals of Barnes Noble describe the overall strategy of the Board of Directors, to be carried out by the Executive Board. Primarily, Barnes Noble wants to become the biggest bookseller in the united States and therefore increase its market share. Also Barnes Noble wants to expand its product line by not only focusing on book sales, but also by successfully selling its eBook Reader Nook. eventide though the expansion on international markets was already under discussion, this is not yet part of its core objectives.Also Barnes Noble wants to invest in r estructuring its stores in order to make the stay at a Barnes Noble Book Store an experience and thus increase its loyal customer base. Interaction of Elements The interconnection of the mentioned elements is snappy for the understanding of the functioning of not only Barnes Noble but of each company. Metaphorically it can well be compared to the mechanism of a automatic check if one element is missing or separated from the others, the whole mechanism will not work.Despite their different contributions and expectations, all stakeholders together form the base of the company Barnes Noble. Essentially it is the interaction of provided capital, a business plan and employees, which forms the first preliminary framework of a company. However, power within a company has to be distributed, as only a structured hierarchy amongst employees ensures an efficient functioning of all sectors. Therefore a governance structure has to be developed in order to distribute tasks effectively.In o rder to be able to plan ahead and give investors an outlook in the potential future, institutional goals have to be stated. Thus, all these core elements are absolutely vital for not only Barnes Noble but for all companies in order to successfully compete in their market environment. Institutional Components influencing the Financial Performance Having analyzed the ownership structure of Barnes Noble, it can be seen that Leonard Riggios amount of shares owned combined with Ronald Burkles proportion of shares together sum up to nearly 50 % of the total shares in the market.Therefore the entire governance structure mechanism is heavily dependent on their, eventually subjective, opinions, which makes the mechanism inefficient. Even though this is a actually particular observation, I personally think it might be of significant importance, as the poor performance of the organization in my opinion is primarily due to a lack of innovation. As the founder and chairman Riggio is said to be a very conservative shareholder, he might hinder Barnes Noble to modernize as well as to eventually readjust its institutional goals.Corporate strategy The Companys principal business is the sale of trade books (generally backed and paperback consumer titles, mass market paperbacks, childrens books, eBooks and other digital content, eReaders and related accessories, bargain books, magazines, gifts, cafe products and services, music and movies direct to customers through its bookstores or through its subordinate word Barnes Noble. com.In October 2009, Barnes Noble also launched NOOK, the Companys proprietary eReader that the firm considers the worlds most advanced eBook reader, because it features groundbreaking lending technology, a colourize touchscreen and lets readers download books in seconds. In addition Barnes Noble has expanded its approach to bookselling and the products it offers through its self-publishing program and through its Sterling Publishing and through t he acquisition of SparkNotes.The company publishes over 500 titles annually, under a variety of imprints including Sterling, Sterling Childrens Books and Barnes Noble Classics. In 2009, the Company also acquired Fictionwise, Inc. (Fictionwise), a leader in the eBook marketplace, enabling the launch of one of the companys eBookstore. Finally, as a result of the acquisition of BN College (2009), the Company sells textbooks and course-related materials, emblematic apparel and gifts, trade books, school day and dorm supplies, and convenience and cafe concomitants on college and university campuses.BN College sales account for approximately 14% of the Companys fiscal 2010 sales. Products and Services Because Barnes Noble retail business is very complex, a deeper analysis is crucial to understand its main features Since 1997 Barnes Noble has started redesigning its position in the business from a store-based model to a multichannel model centered in internet and digital commerce by l aunching its website barnesandnoble. om, but the biggest step forward has been done in July 2009 with the opening of its Ebookstore and digital newsstand, which now allows customers to purchase over one million eBooks, electronic newspapers and magazines. Barnes Nobles eBookstore is available on a wide range of digital platforms, including iPad, iPhone , iPod touch and several(prenominal) smartphones, as well as most laptops or desktop computers. In Barnes Noble retail stores the company offers a huge selection of books, ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 titles.Complementing this extensive on-the-spot(prenominal) selection, all Barnes Noble stores provide customers with access to the millions of books available to online shoppers at Barnes Noble. com while offering an option to have the book sent to the store or shipped directly to the customer. The online channel also offers the supplemental opportunity to buy not only common hard covers but also out-of-print, rare and used books . Moreover, many of the Barnes Noble stores have music/DVD/BluRay departments that typically stock over 20,000 titles.The Companys DVD and BluRay selection is focused on foreign films, documentaries and episodic TV shows. The music selection is focused on classical music, opera, jazz, blues and pop rock. The music department features RedDotNet, an advanced listening station technology that is connected to the Companys online electronic music catalog and enables customers to listen to any compact disc in the store, sampling up to 300,000 music titles using scanner technology.In every store it is also possible to find an Home Gift section that offers items for the office and electronics and also Toys Games and PC Video Games departments with a selection of thousands of titles as well as consoles, accessories and strategy guides. Many stores are also have some cafes inside that offer costumers Starbucks beverages, and other products such as candies and sandwiches. Although the cafe s are owned and operated by Barnes Noble, servers follow Starbucks standards in beverage preparation.From 2004 all the stores offer a free Wi-Fi access using the AT&T FreedomLink network. Horizontal and Vertical Boundaries While the company has a complete control on sales and hence has never franchised its retail stores, it has anyway signed many different trading agreements with third parties concerning purchases of most of the products sold, manufacturing, logistics and IT complements with the objective to reduce its operating costs. Below the most important are enlisted NOOK, the Companys eBook reader, and other Company products are manufactured by a third-party manufacturer outside the United States and Barnes & Noble relies on components provided from a number of different manufacturers some(prenominal) within and outside the United States. Many of these manufacturers are concentrated in geographic areas outside the United States.. Barnes & Noble relies also on third-party di gital content and applications. * The company is provided with national freight distribution, including trucking services by Argix Direct Inc. The companys B&N Retail segment purchases physical books from over 1,700 publishers and over 50 wholesalers or distributors. Barnes & Noble also acquires rights to distribute digital content from publishers and distributes the content on Barnes & Noble. com. * The company uses Intel-based server technology in a fully redundant configuration to power its website, which is hosted in two locations. At these locations, the company maintains computers that store its web pages in electronic form and transmits them to requesting users (known as hosting).The Company utilizes two hosting locations. One location is hosted internally by the company and the other is maintained by a third-party hosting vendor. Instead, the company decided to invest in the purchasing of two huge distribution centers one in Monroe Township, New Jersey, which ships merchandi se to stores throughout the country and to online customers and one in Reno, Nevada, which is used to facilitate distribution to stores and online customers in the western United States.The company also owns other distribution center capacity for facilitating sales by Sterling Publishing to third parties. This investment has clearly enabled the company to source an increasingly larger component of its take stock through its own distribution centers, resulting in increased direct buying from publishers rather than wholesalers. Greater gaudiness through the companys own distribution centers makes it possible to frown distribution costs per unit, to increase both inventory turns and product margins.This has also led to improved just-in-time deliveries to stores and the ability to offer speedy&Free Delivery through its website and for in-store orders placed by customers for home delivery. The improvement in technologies and the changes in culture and society are making books obso lete goods whose demand is getting lower and lower, this reality forced an institution in book retailing like Barnes and Noble to change its strategy and to concentrate in new markets such as e-books production and selling as well as e-book readers manufacturing.This change in the course of action also drove the company to exchange its superstores into community centers that host the most important social events as well as to turn into a multichannel distribution company by strengthening its position in the e-commerce industry. These improvements have made Barnes & Noble the only enterprise that nowadays offers readers the option of store visits, e-Commerce, and digital delivery of books to Barnes & Noble-branded devices or other devices of their choosing.The company also makes big effort in marketing and merchandising campaigns in order to drive traffic to both its stores and website at the center of this program is Barnes & Noble. com, which receives over 450 million visits annua lly and most of all leverages the power of the Barnes & Noble brand by offering online customers a premier destination for all the products sold by the company. In this way, Barnes & Noble. com serves as both the Companys direct-to-home delivery service and as an important broadcast channel and advertising medium for the Barnes & Noble brand.Geographical scope From the purport of view of the geographical scope, the aim of B&N has always been to collocate its retail stores and its college stores only in the USA in order to gain the leadership in the book-retailing market of the country. The firm has reached its goal thanks to its huge number of retail stores (720 located in all the 50 states plus the District of capital of South Carolina and 637 college stores) and has still no plans to open its stores anywhere else. Concerning the e-commerce B&N hasnt instead created any geographical boundaries in the USA b&n. om has a consolidate power that is still overcome just by Amazon. com whereas in Europe the firm is trying to gain shares in the market especially through a joint venture created in October, 1998, with the German publishing giant Bertelsmann AG. The purposes of this venture are mainly two Bertelsmann wants to compete with Amazon. com in the U. S, while Barnes & Noble expects its league with Bertelsmann to help it expand into European markets. Organizational structure David Deason V. P. of Development Barnes & Noble, Inc.Chris Troia Chief Information Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc. Alan Kahn President of Barnes & Noble Publishing stem Leonard Riggio Founder and hot seat Barnes & Noble, Inc. William F. Duffy Executive V. P. of Distribution and Logistics Barnes & Noble, Inc. . Allen Lindstrom Control Allen W. Lindstrom V. P. , Corporate Controller Barnes & Noble, Inc. William J. Lynch Chief Executive Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc. Andy Milevoj Manager of Investor Relations Joseph LombardiChief Financial Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc Jaime Carey Chief mercha ndise Officer Barnes & Noble, Inc. Mary Ellen Keating Senior V. P. of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Barnes & Noble, Inc. Stephen Riggio Vice Chairman Barnes & Noble, Inc. Mitchell S. Klipper Chief Executive Officer Barnes & Noble Retail Group Barnes & Noble, Inc. Michelle Smith V. P. of Human Resources Barnes & Noble, Inc. Mark Bottini V. P. and Director of Stores Barnes & Noble, Inc. Marcus E. Leaver President Sterling PublishingThere are no direct information about the organizational structure of the firm, but by looking at the chart it is quite clear that the company is divided in several functions that deal with both the two main operating segments B&N Retail and B&N College anyway the Company board of directors has decided to treat these two businesses as independent from one another, considering the vogue in which the business is managed (focusing on the financial information distributed) and the manner in which its chief operating decision maker interacts with other members of focussing.The company has seasoned management teams for its digital business and retail stores, including those for real estate, merchandising and store operations. According to its main strategy, the Company management team employs exclusively super clever original with both media expertise and supply chain management skills in order to guarantee a compulsory customers experience regardless the preference for either physical or digital products.Field management includes regional directors and district managers supervising multiple store locations Each store generally employs a store manager, two assistant store managers, a cafe manager and approximately 50 full and part-time booksellers. Many Barnes & Noble stores also employ a full-time community relations manager.Field management for all of the companys bookstores, including regional directors, district managers and store managers, participate in an incentive program even to store productivity. The company believes that the compensation of its field management is competitive with that offered by other specialty retailers of comparable size. Store managers participate in annual merchandising conferences, and district managers participate in semi-annual training and merchandising conferences.Store managers are generally responsible for training other booksellers and employees in accordance with detailed procedures and guidelines prescribed by the Company utilizing a blended learning approach, including on-the job training, e-learning, facilitator-led training and training aids available at each bookstore and for adjusting the buyers selection to the interests, lifestyle and demands of the stores local customers.Organizational Culture Since its foundation, the Firm has been trying to reach mainly one aim to make its stores centers and active parts of the community life, places where people can meet, interact with the others, feel at ease and share their common passion for books.To achiev e this goal the Company firstly has built imposing bookstores in highly visible areas open seven days a week, secondly has focused on creating a warm and cozy environment with ample public spaces, genial settings, including lounge chairs and reading tables, a cafe, public restrooms and also children playgrounds, thirdly has added a calendar of ongoing events, including author appearances and childrens activities and also supports communities through efforts on behalf of local non-profit organizations that focus on literacy, the arts or K-12 education.As well as its stores, also the website reflects the efforts made by the company to offer a pleasant shopping experience it is easy to browse thanks to a clear site map and a useful search bar and moreover is it organized in order to show to the visitors all the ranges of products and most of all the special offers. It is common knowledge that the artifacts are the direct expressions of some values that every company considers crucial and strives to train to all the employees, from just a superficial analysis of the firm some of them appear quiet clearly firstly the importance of quality and customers satisfaction. and what is considered absolutely vital for the effectiveness of the firms performance its both the collaboration among colleagues that can be maintained and strengthened by respecting, supporting and helping each other and the alignment with Barnes and Noble commitment and ethics. As it has already been said, the company has always believed that by concentrating its efforts on becoming a community institution and by satisfying in every aspect the customers it would encourage customer loyalty, word-of-mouth publicity and media coverage and it would have a successful and effective performance.This strategy has clearly worked and hence allowed the firm not to bother too much on competitors strategies and become anyway a leader in the book retailing market and one of the most powerful firms in the e-Comm erce field. It is evident that the stores havent been created to be considered Just as dealers the relationship that the customers establish with the company is rather more complex per excellence books- buyers are hesitant, but in B&N stores they have the chance not only to be helped by highly skilled booksellers but also to feel at ease in special relax areas where they can peruse a book over some coffee.Also analyzing the company strategy in the e-Commerce field, the satisfaction of the customer is still the unique priority. The exploitation of the well furnished distribution centers through fast deliveries to all the USA guarantees an offish online service. Punctuality and fast delivery made Barnes & Nobles a leader in the e-Commerce. Competitive strategy Barnes & Noble competes in the book selling industry. The industry can be examined by using the five basic competitive forces.The threat of new entrants depends on the barriers to entry and the threat of retaliation. There is lo w capital necessity for the industry, because the books can also be sold online, but the economies of scale is significantly high, because of its large inventories and diverse selection capacity. The book selling industry is a highly competitive market. The company has to compete with e-Commerce businesses (Amazon. com, Apple), mass merchandisers such as Wal- Mart, growing market for electronic books and digital distribution of book content.Additionally, it has to face a quarrel because of specialty retail stores, furthermore, it competes with large bookstores such as Borders and Book-A-Million, as well as smaller bookstores such as Waldenbooks. That is why, the threat of retaliation in the book selling industry is low, because the favourableness in the industry is already low due to intense competition. Legal restrictions are low for the e-commerce business and brand loyalty is also low for the industry. All of these cistrons approve that the barriers to entry for the book selli ng industry is low.The suppliers for Barnes&Noble are the third party manufacturers located outside the United States who are the producers of the books and store leasers. The threat of integration for the book manufacturers is low, so their barganing power can not be high also depending on their quantity. Besides, all of Barnes&Nobles retail stores which are leased premises effects profitability in a very essential way. Its profitability depends on the companys ability to find the optimum point for its store lease portfolio. number of retail store, store locations, lease terms &conditions). On the other hand the customersvolume of purchase is not that high, but the handiness of information is pretty high especially for the Internet. Consequently the bargaining power of customers is high. There are no substitutes for real books except e-books, but Barnes & Noble also exists in that business. Barnes & Noble retail stores primarily compete on the store experience, quality of shopping and the price and availability of the products.Barnes & Nobles most powerful competitor is Amazon. com. Amazon. com is the firm that dominates in the online book selling market, as well as web shopping. It has many advantages over Barnes&Noble, such as easy access and a highly secure information system. Also it has a book recommendation system which keeps the information of every customer by collaborative filtering and recommends books depending on the customers previous purchases. Unlike Barnes&Noble, Amazon. com does not have a physical bookstore.The firm has a very small inventory, but Barnes&Noble has to have a large inventory to provide a variety of selection to satisfy customers and it has to pay to the distributor within (at most) 3 months after the purchase which means that the firm has to carry the cost of the inventory for up to four months. This situation creates a disadvantage for Barnes&Noble, against its strong competitor Amazon. com. On the other hand, having many st ores can be an advantage, because it reduces the advertising expenses of the firm.Only online book seller Amazon. com, has to advertise by links from other web sites and it has to have an advanced information technology which can offer individualized recommendations for the customers, billing and shipping systems. Barnes&Nobles information system is worse than Amazon. coms but it also has brick and mortar stores which can never face any technical problems that can lock up all of its sales for a period of time. Therefore, these stores have both advantages and disadvantages for the company.Another specialty that Barnes&Noble has is related to its horizontal boundaries. It majorly sells books but it also sells DVDs, toys, games and music albums. Therefore it does not have a narrow horizontal boundary. So just like Amazon. com it also has to compete with eBay, which is a very popular online auction site. As it can be understood from Amazon. coms features, it has the market dominance, wi th the contribution of organism the first one in the online book selling market. Still, Barnes&Noble has an advantage over Amazon. om, because Barnes&Noble is a profitable company unlike Amazon. com. It does not have high marketing expenses, because it markets its merchandise by creating a nice atmosphere and opening a coffee shop inside the stores, letting customers have a nice experience which increases their willingness to buy. Nevertheless, Barnes&Noble has to compete with Borders which is an international book and music retailer located in United States. Barnes&Noble is the largest bookstore chain in the US, but it still increases the concentration of the industry.One of the main competitive disadvantages of Barnes&Noble is its high overhead expenses and high cost of production, because the company has more than 1000 stores and 40,000 employees. (Amazon. com has only 7600 employees, and 1600 of them are for book sales) On the other hand, its size allows it to offer some discoun ts to its customers and lets it have highly diverse selections, which also means that high economies of scale is an important factor for the companies in this industry.Therefore, another effective competitive strategy of Barnes&Noble is its nationwide discount pricing strategy. The current pricing is 30% off publishers suggested retail prices for hardbound bestsellers and 20% off select feature titles in departments such as childrens books and computer books. The Barnes & Noble Member Program offers members greater discounts. For an annual fee of $25, members receive discounts of 40% off publishers suggested retail prices on hardcover bestsellers, 20% off adult hardcovers, and 10% off on almost all other merchandise.These discounts are available to members for purchases made at Barnes&Noble stores. Barnes&Noble. com implemented an everyday low pricing model that provides a single, low price for each item site wide for members and non members and enables the Company to offer better value to its customers. Members also receive free express shipping on eligible purchases made on Barnes&Noble. com. In addition, members receive exclusive offers and promotions via direct mail and email. Consequently, the switching cost of the industry gets higher.Barnes&Nobles online customer base is a lot lower than Amazon. coms. Therefore it developed or copied some strategies to overcome this dominance. For example, it made a deal with Microsoft to become the exclusive book seller for the book shopping social class on the MSN network, which is an imitation strategy, because also Amazon. com has a similar agreement with Microsoft. Also, it sold 50% of its shares to the German Publisher Bertelsmann AG, right after Amazon. coms similar partnership with it. Barnes&Nobles main purpose was to grow into European markets.Besides, Barnes&Noble started to move into other markets such as the sales of dvds, toys and music albums, after Amazon. com. Amazon. com, manages to sell a lot in the se areas with no profit, because of its high advertising expenses. So it is pretty useless for Barnes&Noble to copy this strategy of Amazon. com. Since Amazon. com has the dominance for the online book selling industry, only a few consumers prefer Barnes&Noble on its new market, unless it does not make any differentiations about it. Also this situation, prevents both companies to have a significant brand recognition.To sum up, Barnes&Noble, uses the Wal- Mart strategy to compete in this industry, which includes huge stores, low prices and a sophisticated technology to track its inventory and get rid of the undemanded products from its supply, but this situation can not actually help the firm to raise its profit, because an innovation is needed in this kind of a highly competitive industry. The company needs essential differentiation. Another copycat like strategy of Barnes&Noble was to create Nook (which looks like an imitation of Amazon. oms Kindle). But this time there was a diffe rence about this copying strategy, the company created an additional e-book software for PC, Mac and iPad and its own content library. With this strategy the company has vertically integrated. (only by a single layer which is content) Moreover, Barnes&Noble, sells content and makes its platform available to IREX and Plastic Logic devices users. This stack strategy, brings additional revenue to the firm and also makes the companys options unavailable for its competitors.Unfortunately, this strategy is not good seemly for the firm to dominate in the market, because scale, efficiency and little differentiations is not enough for a market with many competitors. The increased competition is likely to reduce Barnes&Nobles sales and profits Finances Consolidated balance sheet of Barnes & Noble Inc. (2010-05-01) (in thousands of USD) Assets reliable Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 60,965 Short stipulation Investments - Net Receivables 106,576 Inventory 1,370,111Other Current Assets 181,825 Total Current Assets 1,719,477 Property, Plant and Equipment 812,034 Goodwill 528,541 Intangible Assets 580,962 Accumulated amortisation - Other Assets 64,672 Deferred Long Term Asset Charges - Total Assets 3,705,686 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 1,624,408 Short/Current Long Term Debt 100,000 Total Current Liabilities 1,724,408 Long Term Loans 260,400 Other Liabilities 505,903Deferred Long Term Liability Charges 311,607 Minority Interest 1,550 Total Liabilities 2,803,868 Stockholders Equity Issued Common Stock($0. 01 per share) 89 Retained Earnings 681,082 Treasury Stock -1,052,356 Capital Surplus 1,286,215 Other Stockholder Equity -13,212 Total Stockholder Equity 901,818 Total Liabilities + Equity 3,705,686 Consolidated Income Statement of Barnes Noble Inc. (2009/05/02 2010/05/01) (in thousands of USD) Total receipts 5,810,564 Cost of Revenue 4,133,819Gross Profit 1,676,745 Operating Expenses Research Development - Selling Genera l and Administrative 1,392,207 Non Recurring 3,518 Depreciation and Amortization 207,774 Earnings Before Interest And Taxes 73,246 Interest Expense 28,237 Income Before Tax 45,009 Income Tax Expense 8,365 Net Income 36,644 Preferred Stock And Other Adjustments - Net Income Applicable To Common Shares 36,644 BarnesNoble Inc. financial ratios of the latest annual report (2009/05/02 2010/05/01) Return on equity 4. 06% Return on total assets 1. 1% Return on sales 0. 77% Asset turnover 1. 57 Current ratio 0. 99 Quick ratio 0. 2 Debt/equity ratio* 2. 2 Interest cover 1. 29 Cost of capital 1. 42% *debt = long term loans + current liabilities BarnesNoble Inc. financial performance evaluation The profitability of BarnesNoble Inc. is very and despite it is mainly competing in the retailing business ROE = 4. 06% is unacceptable comparing to the average 5-year ROE=10. 5%. The same tendency can be seen looking at the ROTA which is 2. 7 times lower than the 5-year average.Companys profit margin is even below 1% and this means that BarnesNoble does not manage to earn enough money but at least they are able to cover all their expenses on time without losses. Low profitability ratios as well as asset turnover can be partly explained that market was facing a sharp decline, which was caused by global financial crisis and even though it did not cause the reduction in sales which actually increased but made larger costs (i. e. interests) which increased more than sales and caused some financial problems for the company.BarnesNoble Inc. current ratio is almost 1 and this theoretically allows for the company to cover all their short term financial operations but quick ratio is very low (only 0. 2) and this means that company has much inventory which is about 80% of current assets. This means that company could possibly improve its profitability ratios by increasing sales of the inventory but since BarnesNoble is in the wither market which cannot buy all the goods it is almost impo ssible to reduce high inventory significantly.Turning to BarnesNoble Inc. financial strength ratios situation is a bit better. Companys debt/ratio (2. 2) looks quite normal and we can deduce that it exploits all the available financial resources to keep its sustainability as well as possible. On the other hand, interest cover is particularly low (only 1. 29) and since company is facing the shrinking market this can cause trouble in the near future and lead to negative net earnings. On of the factors which allows BarnesNoble Inc. o have positive net earnings is low cost of capital and this means that average interest rate is 1. 42% and is lower than return on the risk capital. In overall, BarnesNoble Inc. financial results are not very pleasant and acceptable since company is facing decreasin market there is not much it could do in order to improve its situation firstly, it should try to reduce their administrative expenses, maybe close less than the average profitable which generate s higher costs.Secondly, it could try to reduce inventory by lowering prices but as I have mentioned before it is a very dfficult task to acomplish since it is facing shrinking market. Finally, it could try to use their immediate payment which even though does not count much of current assets but this could allow company to pay at least part of their debt and increase its liquidness in the short run. Bibliography http//www. google. com/finance http//www. barnesandnobleinc. com/ http//www. fundinguniverse. com/ www. barnesandnoble. com www. maths. tcd. ie/nora/FT351-3/CS. pdf www. ichnet. org/glossary. htm