HP SL5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HP SL5 - Essay Example When Carly Fiorina replaced Lew Platt as CEO and president of Hewlett-Packard in 1999, the company had become a gigantic bureaucracy with business units doing their own thing. Profits had fallen along with employee productivity and customer satisfaction. In short, HP had become a technology laggard and was weak in marketing as well. Fiorina, the first female CEO of a Dow Jones-listed company, set out to transform HP from an engineering company to a leading technology solutions company focused on the marketplace. Hewlett-Packard Company was a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services with total revenue of $45.2 billion, per its 2001financial report. The new CEO immediately went to work to reduce operational costs and to put in place a new strategic direction for the company. In September 2001, Hewlett Packard and Compaq, after months of negotiation, concluded a horizontal merger agreement to create a global technology leader, providing a complete set of IT products and services for both businesses and consumers, worth $87 billion in revenues. It was intended to compete with and perhaps edge out competitors Dell and IBM and become the foremost global player in servers, imaging and printing, and would belong to the top 3 in IT services, storage and management software. Fiorina said that recession and bitter competition from main rivals Dell and IBM left the two competitors HP and Compaq no choice but to consolidate to cut costs and streamline product categories, adding that the merger would result in a cost synergy of $2.5 billion a year. It was, she said, an effective way to deal with the cost pressure caused by Dell Computer. Inasmuch as the NT server business was doing poorly, the merger should address the problem of loss of revenues and momentum in generating sales and profits. The combination was to catapult the new company into industry leadership role with customers and

Films and American Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Films and American Popular Culture - Essay Example This article is relevant to my topic, because it analyzes the negative effects of the mainstreaming of rap music on the goals of rappers. Blair showed concern for the commercialization of rap music, because commercialization has historically benefitted white firms more and diluted the genuineness of black rap music. He narrated the history of rap in the U.S. He argued that Marxian hegemony theory can best explain how mainstream black rap has become a tool for the elite to propagate their own interests and goals. This is a good article, because it explores the theoretical underpinnings of commercializing black rap. It directly answers the research question also on the challenges of rap music. Blair’s findings that commercialization is not an absolute good for black rappers contradicts the implications of the findings of Hunnicutt and Andrews, because in their study, black rappers use mainstream music to broaden their prominence and audiences. Hence, for Hunnicutt and Andrews, m ainstreaming black rap can also indicate the acknowledgement of the invisible voices of low-income, young, black men. Deflem, M. (2001). Rap, rock and censorship: Popular culture and the technologies of justice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, May 27-30, 1993. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from http://www.cas.sc.edu/socy/faculty/deflem/zzcens97.htm The source came from a paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, May 27-30, 1993, so it is trusted as a scholarly article. This source is relevant, because it examines how popular music has been put on trial, because of its deviant messages. Deflem reviewed literature on music censorship and its effects on the development of rap music and other forms of popular music. Findings demonstrated that the law has been used to regulate social processes and institutions, but the history of music censorship demonstrated that the law and law enforcement could not significantly impact and limit musical expressions, mainly because of the First Amendment protection. The strength of this article is that it answers both research questions. Its weakness is its focus on the legal history of music censorship. This article has the same findings as Blair, in that dominant social institutions and tools are being used to limit or crush the social, economic, cultural, and political messages of black rap music. Hunnicutt, G. & Andrews, K. H. (2009).Tragic narratives in popular culture: Depictions of homicide in rap music. Sociological Forum, 24 (3), 611-630. The source came from a peer-reviewed journal, so it is trusted as a scholarly article. It is important to the research, because it answers the question about the goals of rap music. They explored homicide themes in rap lyrics across the period 1989–2000 and used the framework of cultural criminology. Their sampling included 360 titles, where they took the first top 30 songs for each year. Find ings showed three categories: 1) exaltation of killing, 2) moralizing tales about the destruction of violent death and the need for change in society, and ? or 3) homicide used as a figure of speech for being a â€Å"bigger† or more popular rapper. Some songs cautioned about the consequences of leading a criminal life, while others remarked on the power structure, and situations of preserving respect, zero tolerance, and vengeance. Homicide is also surprisingly gendered, with men killing men. The

Technology Solution for Promoting E-Banking in Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

Technology Solution for Promoting E-Banking in Bangladesh Essay E-banking has revolutionised the way business istransacted by globalising the business enterprise. E-banking technologies have proliferated in recent years, and the availability of a wide range of products has led to increasing adoption among consumers. These technologies include direct deposit, computer banking, stored value cards, and debit cards. Consumers are attracted to these technologies because of convenience, increasing ease of use, and in some instances cost savings. E-banking, in particular, has grown at impressive rates. Between 1995 and 2003, e-banking increased eightfold. Between late 2002 and early 2005, use of online banking increased 47%, a clear evidence that e-banking is associated with better household financial management. All businesses, including small and medium scale industries, no matter their geographical locations, are all beneficiaries of e-banking. It encompasses all kinds of commercial transaction that is conducted on an electronic medium, mostly through the internet. E-banking links business to customers no matter their geographical location. It allows companies to make new business contacts from different global business alliances, test new products and services, and make market research and other enquiries all at a minimal cost both financial and otherwise. Smaller community banks, among others, are more interested in the application of e-banking to gain certain competitive edges over their larger counterparts. In addition to previous e-banking delivery systems, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and telephone transaction processing centres, online banking provides banks a new and more efficient electronic delivery tool. While ATMs were first introduced in early 1980s and initially an attempt to reduce operating costs, telephone call centres were developed in the 1990s to handle simple transactions and provide added customer services from a remote location. E-banking has been viewed as an upgrading from previous electronic delivery systems to open new business opportunities for the banking induetry. Electronic banking does not mean only 24- hours access to cash through an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or Direct Deposit of pay checks into checking or savings accounts as many consumers may think. Electronic banking (e-banking) involves many different types of transactions; it is a form of banking where funds are transferred through an exchange of electronic signals between financial institution, rather than exchange of cash, cheques or other negotiable instruments. With the expansion of global Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and the internet, e-banking is set to play a pivotal role in the national economic development of any country. But appropriate software, technology, infrastructure, skilled manpower and cyber law are crucial for the implementation of e-banking in the country. This paper reviewed the issues associated with various forms of e-banking accompanied by a field survey and explored the challenges and prospect of e-banking in Bangladesh. Chapter 1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The primary objective of the report is to find out a technology solution for the banking system of Bangladesh using a nation-wide network. Implementing a nation-wide electronic banking system requires huge investment especially for the establishment of a backbone network. It really matters for a country like ours.

E-Business Distribution Systems and Value Strategies

E-Business Distribution Systems and Value Strategies Srishti Mittal What is a business portal? Ans. The term business portal is used to describe a feature on a company website that allows authorized users to access restricted content or information. This tool is growing in popularity, as it provides a single gateway for staff to access different applications. Some of the most common features of a business portal include customer relationship management, expense submissions, recording of staff time, and requesting vacation days. The technology required to create and maintain a business portal has decreased significantly in price in the past few years, making it much more feasible for both small and medium size enterprises. There are two primary aspects to the creation of a business portal: hardware and software. The hardware used varies widely, depending on the applications that are going to be distributed via this tool, the target user group, number of users, and reliance on other systems. The greater the number of users and the more robust the services, the more hardware that is required to support them. Many projects begin as a proof of concept, and then quickly expand. Make sure your hardware is sized to meet the needs of your users. What is meant by the term co-opetition? Ans. Coopetition or Co-opetition (sometimes spelled coopertition or co-opertition) is a neologism coined to describe cooperative competition. Coopetition is a portmanteau of cooperation and competition. Basic principles of co-opetitive structures have been described in game theory, a scientific field that received more attention with the book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior in 1944 and the works of John Forbes Nash on non-cooperative games. It is also applied in the fields of political science and economics and even universally [works of V. Frank Asaro, J.D.: Universal Co-opetition,2011, and The Tortoise Shell Code, novel, 2012]. Coopetition occurs when companies interact with partial congruence of interests. They cooperate with each other to reach a higher value creation if compared to the value created without interaction, and struggle to achieve competitive advantage. What is a first mover? Ans. In marketing, first-mover advantage or FMA is the advantage gained by the initial (first-moving) significant occupant of a market segment. It may be referred to as Technological Leadership. This advantage may stem from the fact that the first entrant can gain control of resources that followers may not be able to match Sometimes, the first mover is not able to capitalize on its advantage, leaving the opportunity for another firm to gain second-mover advantage. What is meant by a frictionless market? Ans. A Frictionless market is a financial market without transaction costs. Friction is a type of market incompleteness. Every complete market is frictionless, but the converse does not hold. In a frictionless market the solvency cone is the halfspace normal to the unique price vector. The Black-Scholes model assumes a frictionless market. What does SWOT stand for? Ans. The abbreviation SWOT is commonly used in reference to strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. SWOT may also stand for Sydney welcome orientation and transition, student with outstanding talent, study without teacher or special weapons for operations timelines. Exercises: List the strategic alternatives can e-business businesses are using. Ans. Business environments are highly uncertain and executives need to be innovative and flexible to survive. They achieve this through strategic alternatives that enable their companies to maintain a competitive edge over rivals. For instance, executives can adapt through safer small investments or risky and costly changes, according to the Harvard Business Review. Some alternative strategies include price focus, differentiation, diversification and adjacent businesses. Price Focus Price focus is a market niche strategy where a company competes on cost. This strategy targets a small buyer segment and the company needs to have a low-cost structure compared to rivals. This strategy is effective when a business is new, it cannot pursue a bigger market, customer segments are different, or when no other competitor is focusing on the targeted segment. Differentiation In cases where competition is stiff because of the proliferation of similar products, a company can come up with features that differentiate their products or services from those of rivals. The differentiating features need to be valuable to customers so that they are ready to pay premiums for them, and difficult for rivals to copy. When introducing new features, executives need to ensure that the product is affordable and that it complements customer’s needs. What advantages can pioneering firms gain? Ans. One of the most valuable competitive brand strategies any company can undertake is what I refer to as the Pioneer Advantage. The Pioneer Advantage is what the name implies: being first to enter an emerging market or creating a new market altogether. Business history is full of pioneer companies that have outsold the latecomers for years. Market pioneers Coca-Cola, Tide, Pitney-Bowes, Lipton Tea, and Levi Strauss continue to be the best selling or most profitable brands in their categories. The competitive advantages are significant for the market pioneer. One of the most significant advantages the pioneer owns is product awareness. There is much research that shows that buyers do not recall all brands equally. The customer is more familiar with certain brands over others and they will recall those brands more easily. The Pioneer is most likely the highest profile of any brand in the category and, as a result, it is often recalled first. How can an e-business build barriers to other businesses? Ans. Today, people often turn to the Internet first for information about businesses and products – whether they are shopping online, or simply looking for a business’ address or phone number – making an online presence one of the most important assets for any business; not just to share information, but to build credibility. According to a recent survey of millions of consumers by Weebly, 56 percent said they do not trust a business without a website. List some of the advantages of having a brand name. Ans. Successful brand-building helps profitability by â€Å"adding values† that customers are prepared to pay for. Strong brands inspire customer loyalty leading to repeat sales and word-of mouth recommendation. The brand owner can usually charge higher prices, especially if the brand is the market leader. Better access to distribution retailers, distributors and other sellers usually want to stock top selling brands. With limited shelf space it is more likely the top brands will be on the shelf than less well-known brands What are some of the advantages of having large amounts of resources for competing on the Internet? Ans. competition is the rivalry among sellers trying to achieve such goals as increasing profits, market share, and sales volume by varying the elements of the marketing mix: price, product, distribution, and promotion. Merriam-Webster defines competition in business as the effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable termsIt was described by Adam Smith n The Wealth of Nations (1776) and later economists as allocating productive resources to their most highly-valued uses and encouraging efficiency. Smith and other classical economist before Cournot were referring to price and non-price rivalry among producers to sell their goods on best terms by bidding of buyers, not necessarily to a large number of sellers nor to a market in final equilibrium. Later microeconomic theory distinguished between perfect competition and imperfect competition, concluding that no system of resource allocation is more Pareto efficient hand perfect competition. Competition, according to the theory, causes commercial firms to develop new products, services and technologies, which would give consumers greater selection and better products. The greater selection typically causes lower prices for the products, compared to what the price would be if there was no competition (monopoly) or little competition (oligopoly). It is generally accepted that competition results in lower prices and a greater number of goods delivered to more people. Less competition is perceived to exhibit higher prices with a fewer number of goods delivered to fewer people. Describe the different types of Internet portals and whom they target. Ans. A portal may use a search engine API to permit users to search intranet content as opposed to extranet content by restricting which domains may be searched. Apart from this common search engines feature, web portals may offer other services such as e-mail, news, stock quotes, and information from databases and even entertainment content. Portals provide a way for enterprises and organizations to provide a consistent look and feel it access control and procedures for multiple applications and databases, which otherwise would have been different web entities at various URLs. The features available may be restricted by whether access is by an authorized and authenticated user (employee, member) or an anonymous site visitor. Examples of early public web portals were AOL, Excite, Netvibes, iGoogle, MSN, Naver, Indiatimes, Rediff, Sify and Yahoo.. See for example, the My Yahoo! feature of Yahoo! which may have inspired such features as the later Google iGoogle (soon to be discontinued.) The configurable side-panels of, for example, the modern Opera browser and the option of Speed Dial pages by most browsers continue to reflect the earlier portal metaphor. How can firms use alliances and acquisitions to gain advantages? Ans. A strategic alliance is when two or more businesses join together for a set period of time. The businesses, usually, are not in direct competition, but have similar products or services that are directed toward the same target audience. Alliance means cooperation between groups that produces better results that can be gained. Because competitive markets keep improving what you can get from transactions, an alliance must stay ahead of the market by making continuous advances.1 Strategic alliance is a primary form of strategic alliance is a partnership between firms whereby resources, capabilities, and combined to pursue mutual interests. Professional Development: Choose and industry. Develop a business model for how that industry currently operates and then develop an e-business based model. Identify how this new model can gain a competitive advantage over other models in the industry. Ans. Amazon is a classic business model, it uses the Internet to get maximum leverage out of its fixed assets, and once it achieves enough volume of sales, the sum total of profits from all those sales exceed its fixed cost base, and it turns a profit. It already has exceeded this hurdle in its past. References Kleindl, B. (2002). Strategic electronic marketing : managing e-business. Cleveland, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western.

Motherly Figures in The Secret Life of Bees :: essays research papers

Lily has a lot of mother figures in her life. In ?The Secret Life of Bees? two mother figures that she has are Rosaleen and August. A mother cares for her young and guides them trough life. She comforts and soothes them when they need it. Lily?s Mothers are Rosaleen and August. Both act as mothers for Lily in different ways. Rosaleen is the disciplinary figure in Lily?s life. She is tough and sometimes mean but really she loves Lily. Lily knew that ?despite her sharp ways, her heart was more tender than a flower skin and she loved her beyond reason?. Rosaleen also shows her love for Lily when she avoids telling Lily that her mother left her. She knew this would break Lily?s heart. Another motherly figure in Lily?s life is August. She encourages Lily to open her heart and reveal the truth to them. August is very patient and would make a great mother. Even though she knew that Lily was lying to her, she gave Lily a chance to settle down. In doing this she was wise. If she had confronted Lily, Lily probably would have left the house. Unlike June even though Lily was white she still treated her regularly. August was more of a friend to Lily. They shared many interests. One of these interests was to mix cola with peanuts. Another interest that they shared was that they loved beekeeping. Rosaleen did not have as much in common as Lily did. She was more of a caretaker to Lily than a friend. When they lived with T. Ray she would cook dinner and dress Lily up. Even though Lily does not have much in common with her she still loves her. August was correct when she said that Lily must be her own mother. Lily will not always have someone to care for her. If this happens she must learn to care for herself. Lily was also relying too much on the statue of Mary. When the statue of Mary was chained up Lily could not go to her for help. Motherly Figures in The Secret Life of Bees :: essays research papers Lily has a lot of mother figures in her life. In ?The Secret Life of Bees? two mother figures that she has are Rosaleen and August. A mother cares for her young and guides them trough life. She comforts and soothes them when they need it. Lily?s Mothers are Rosaleen and August. Both act as mothers for Lily in different ways. Rosaleen is the disciplinary figure in Lily?s life. She is tough and sometimes mean but really she loves Lily. Lily knew that ?despite her sharp ways, her heart was more tender than a flower skin and she loved her beyond reason?. Rosaleen also shows her love for Lily when she avoids telling Lily that her mother left her. She knew this would break Lily?s heart. Another motherly figure in Lily?s life is August. She encourages Lily to open her heart and reveal the truth to them. August is very patient and would make a great mother. Even though she knew that Lily was lying to her, she gave Lily a chance to settle down. In doing this she was wise. If she had confronted Lily, Lily probably would have left the house. Unlike June even though Lily was white she still treated her regularly. August was more of a friend to Lily. They shared many interests. One of these interests was to mix cola with peanuts. Another interest that they shared was that they loved beekeeping. Rosaleen did not have as much in common as Lily did. She was more of a caretaker to Lily than a friend. When they lived with T. Ray she would cook dinner and dress Lily up. Even though Lily does not have much in common with her she still loves her. August was correct when she said that Lily must be her own mother. Lily will not always have someone to care for her. If this happens she must learn to care for herself. Lily was also relying too much on the statue of Mary. When the statue of Mary was chained up Lily could not go to her for help.

The American Savior :: essays research papers

The American Savior   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   GRAHAM This story takes place in America at about 222B.C. It is about two friends who are torn apart by a young, and beautiful girl whose name is Kigan. Samuel, but was also known as Sam because all of his friends called him Sam for short. Sam was born in Thorton to Solomon and his wife but No one knows her name because Solomon was said to be With more than one woman at a time. Samuel grew up with Miracle, now you might wonder Where Miracle got such a name, Miracle got his name Because he was born dead not a heart beat or Breath in him, as preparations where made for His the miracle happened out of no where. Very slowly Miracle came to life like The sun breaking the darkness of night In the eastern sky at the break of dawn. His mother, Angel, and his father, Knight Where astounded for they had witnessed A miracle, so naturally that’s how Miracle Got his name. Sam and Miracle first met in The city of Crump. Both of the young boys Were in the city buying goods because at This time once a boy turned ten he was considered A man and he needed to be responsible And take care of things that needed to be done. Both boys were kept sheltered from the world by Their parents till now, so seeing the city for the first time Was a shocking experience for both, especially by Themselves. They met at a small deli in the city. They talked and decided that they should meet Again sometime and maybe play some games Together. The two boys met every other day in The city where they played together. They grew to Be best friends. Whenever you saw one of them you saw the other. They were inseparable, they went together like the land and the sea. One day Miracle brought his friend Kigan with him to the city and right away Sam fell in love with her and he treated her as if she were a diamond that had never been touched by human hands. He treated her so precious. The day came when a big festival Was going to be held in the city and Sam asked Kigan if she would join him. Kigan told Sam that she would love to join him but had no interest in him and that she was in love with Miracle. After hearing this, Sam was outraged and ran

American History X vs. Malcolm X

The movies American History X and Malcolm X both tackle critical social issues evident in the past as well as in the present. These issues revolve around race and culture, which is well related to issues like freedom, individuality, discrimination, and social acceptance. In both the films, these issues were not really highlighted at the very beginning. Both Malcolm X and American History X showed a socially negative start, like the involvement of Edward Norton in a White supremacist group, or Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Malcolm X’s criminal past.But despite this, the film rebounded on the positive light through the realizations of the main characters at some points in the film. These realizations or moments of truth were life changing experiences for Edward Norton and Denzel Washington, as they portray the turning points in the life of the characters that they play in their respective movies. In American History X, Edward Norton’s moments of truth occurred t o him when he was sent to prison, after murdering a black man who tried to rob him. At first, the murder wasn’t really a big deal to him, since his principles dictate that it was the right thing to do.As a white supremacist, he sees himself as a better person than the person he killed, and that his deed was that of good will. He was even grinning when he was arrested (Kaye). When he was sent to prison, he realized that life was not only black and white. He was able to see the wrongs of what he thought was right, and because of that, he slowly distanced himself from the brotherhood and the beliefs that he catered for a long time. He began associating with people from other races, though it was hard for him, as he had to suffer the harsh ways of the people he turned away from.Despite all these, he became a changed man, and eventually desired to live a better life with his brother. On the other hand, Denzel Washington had his moments of truth in the film Malcolm X, in the same m anner as that of Norton in American History X. During his youth, Denzel Washington lived a life of crime in the streets. He was a member of gangs which had dealings with illegal activities. He was arrested for robbery at one time, and was then sent to prison (Lee). It was the life in prison that changed him personally.He met a man who introduced him to the Nation of Islam, and also motivated him to move away from a life of vices and crime. He stopped drinking and smoking, and eventually succumb to the Islamic ways that was introduced to him. After prison, he continued to live a clean life, and opted to influence others of his newfound strength. He also realized that race should not be an issue in society. Both the films realized the truth through their experiences. It was not only based on the words or the influences of others, but also on the accompanying actions that they experienced.The lives they lived previously were not good at all, but it served as a comparison for them when they decided to live away from hatred and discrimination (Cyrus and Fiske-Rusciano). It was their experiences and acquaintances in prison that made them realize the truth about their lives. They shunned away discrimination, dominance, and hatred, and embraced a life of acceptance and freedom, despite the dire consequences that they faced at the end of the movie. The truth that they found proved to be very ironic in the end of the films.In American History X, Norton’s brother was shot dead by a black gang member. On the other hand, Malcolm X was assassinated before giving a speech for the masses. Despite these, the truth that they found was not at all fragile. If they decide to revert back to their old selves and exact revenge on those who did them wrong, the cycle of hatred would just continue. Norton realized this in a hard hitting manner. He had killed somebody before, now it is returned to him when his brother was killed. Malcolm X led a criminal life in his youth, and in the end, he was assassinated.The truth that they found was cemented by these events. There is a need for a social acceptance in order to stop the cycle of hatred and violence. This is the truth. Edward Norton and Denzel Washington learned this truth the hard way. Works Cited Cyrus, Virginia, and Roberta Fiske-Rusciano. Experiencing Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Third Edition ed: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2000. American History X. 1998. John Morrissey, October 23. Malcolm X. 1992. Preston L. Holmes, et al. , November 18.