Invisible Man Timed Writing free essay sample

Ashley Black Mrs. Gill AP Lit. 4th hour 20 September 2013 Invisible Man Timed Writing Everyone experiences that one pivotal moment in their life where everything changes; this moment defines who one is and establishes one’s place in the world. In Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, the narrator experiences his pivotal moment when he burns all of the papers in his briefcase. This moment shapes the meaning of the novel as a whole by emphasizing invisibility and self-discovery Throughout the novel the narrator is constantly changing his identity in order to please his superiors and make something of himself in the world. This is demonstrated when the narrator does everything he can to be a model student and please his headmaster, Dr. Bleedsoe. This is also explicated when he changes his name—in other words his identity—to become a speaker for the Brotherhood. In each of these instances the narrator changes who is only to be used and abused and exploited. We will write a custom essay sample on Invisible Man Timed Writing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, no matter how many times he finds out that he is being used he continues to do whatever he can to please those around him. It is not until the narrator experiences his pivotal moment that he finally stops trying to please everyone and starts living for himself. By forsaking the Brotherhood through his pivotal moment, the narrator finally realizes that he had just been a tool used by all of those who he had trusted and looked up to. No one ever sees him for who he really is; he is invisible. As a result, he comes to the revelation that pleasing them at the cost of his identity will get him nowhere in the world. Therefore, by burning all of the papers that identify him, he is burning all of the identities that society has created for him in order to create his own. Moving on, the meaning of the author’s work as a whole is discovering one’s self at one’s own expense. In other words not losing yourself to the competitive nature of society by becoming what others wants you to be. The  narrator’s pivotal moment enhances this meaning through its introduction of invisibility and self-discovery. To illustrate, when the author burns all of the papers that identify him, he finally realizes that he is invisible. Those around him do not see him even though he has done everything he could to please them. He has no identity. Thus, the only way for him to gain his own identity is to stop obeying what society says and becoming what society want him to becom e. As he realizes that what the world around him has made him is not who he wants to be the narrator discovers himself. This once again connects back to the author’s meaning of not losing one’s self to society. Ralph Ellison’s, Invisible Man, effectively exemplifies a Bildungsroman. It does this by containing a character that undergoes a discovery, one that explicates his â€Å"coming of age,† which is incited when he burns all of the papers in his briefcase that identify him. This pivotal moment allows the narrator to acquire a new understanding of who he is and contributes to the author’s meaning of not losing one’s self to society by emphasizing invisibility and self-discovery.

Free Essays on Into The Wild

Relevancy of Life and Death At the beginning of reading â€Å"Into the Wild†, the more I read the more I started to question whether Chris McCandless was wrong for doing what he did. Primarily the issue at hand to me with this entire story is whether Chris McCandless’s actions are relative or not? Ultimately Chris was a product of the stereotypical life many teenagers live today. McCandless grew up with good parents that cared for him and his future. Chris also had a younger sister to which he was close to. As they grew up, it was noticeable that Chris was academically sound. He goes through everything that is common today in society: the public school system and not to mention college only to portray an unfortunate early death. Further into the book, the first thing I asked myself was, â€Å"How could this kid have gone through all the crap that is supposed to somehow secure a prosperous future, and then in the end, wind up dead from starvation?† At the time I felt his death was self educed. I mean surely it is reasonable to believe that if someone has the intelligence to go through all the prescribed nonsense in society and come out with a GPA of 3.73, that this individual will somehow achieve some form of success in their life. Chris McCandless got through everything and basically tossed it out the window because he had realized that it wasn’t for him. He was a product of the system Chris, in the end, rejected. First off, I did not really believe McCandless’s actions were relevant, merely because I was not fully aware of his purpose. The reason I was not sure is because all I knew at first was that his journey is what killed him. So in the beginning, I definitely assumed that n o matter what I was going to read, in the end, I still would believe his journey wasn’t worth it. The reason I say this, is merely because you can’t deny the fact that if he wouldn’t have gone on this extremely ill prepared journey... Free Essays on Into The Wild Free Essays on Into The Wild Relevancy of Life and Death At the beginning of reading â€Å"Into the Wild†, the more I read the more I started to question whether Chris McCandless was wrong for doing what he did. Primarily the issue at hand to me with this entire story is whether Chris McCandless’s actions are relative or not? Ultimately Chris was a product of the stereotypical life many teenagers live today. McCandless grew up with good parents that cared for him and his future. Chris also had a younger sister to which he was close to. As they grew up, it was noticeable that Chris was academically sound. He goes through everything that is common today in society: the public school system and not to mention college only to portray an unfortunate early death. Further into the book, the first thing I asked myself was, â€Å"How could this kid have gone through all the crap that is supposed to somehow secure a prosperous future, and then in the end, wind up dead from starvation?† At the time I felt his death was self educed. I mean surely it is reasonable to believe that if someone has the intelligence to go through all the prescribed nonsense in society and come out with a GPA of 3.73, that this individual will somehow achieve some form of success in their life. Chris McCandless got through everything and basically tossed it out the window because he had realized that it wasn’t for him. He was a product of the system Chris, in the end, rejected. First off, I did not really believe McCandless’s actions were relevant, merely because I was not fully aware of his purpose. The reason I was not sure is because all I knew at first was that his journey is what killed him. So in the beginning, I definitely assumed that n o matter what I was going to read, in the end, I still would believe his journey wasn’t worth it. The reason I say this, is merely because you can’t deny the fact that if he wouldn’t have gone on this extremely ill prepared journey... Free Essays on Into The Wild Chris McCandless was a passionate youth searching for something. His humdrum existence, Krakauer suggests, encouraged McCandless’s entry into the wild- not just to escape from civilization but to discover himself. Of his readings, McCandless enjoyed Tolstoy, London, and Thoreau so much that he highlighted many of their passages in his books. They were calling him. The comforts of every day life were not satisfying his need for adventure and enlightenment. McCandless felt concern and displacement with the disposition of our world and wanted to rid himself of it for a while. Maybe his step into the wilderness was an attempted mission to improve civilization- â€Å"his need for a purpose.† Civilization did not have a place for him- surely the arms of nature would greet him with enthusiasm. McCandless entered the extreme Alaskan trail, crowning Jack London as king. His arrival and stay was to evoke clarity, without authority and without the advancement of technology. The philosophy McCandless took was that every day should be different, a new adventure. In a letter to Ron Franz, McCandless assures Franz, â€Å"If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security...The very basic core of man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences...† Not only did McCandless experience new terrain along with its beauty, but he encountered many people. Many lives were altered just crossing the path of McCandless. Krakauer’s life was changed; he felt a connection with McCandless after he reported on the boy’s demise. He identified with McCandless as the two shared an intense odyssey in which their problems didn’t magically disappear but instead they came closer to understanding themselves. Each was uncovering his soul whereas most individuals are happy being ignorant. Instead of risking their securities so... Free Essays on Into The Wild Exploratory Essay By Kristy Gates When I first started reading â€Å"Into the Wild,† I thought to myself, â€Å"Why exactly is this boy leaving everything that he knew and loved to go on this journey?† Put himself in complete danger by hitchhiking his way ALONE to Alaska. He gave up all of his possessions and the $25,000 that he had saved up to charity. What was the point? In the end, it shows that the only way that this story could’ve turned out, was him lying dead and decomposing and found by a moose hunter. How else could the story have turned out besides that way? McCandless had nothing. Nothing at all, nothing to support himself in any way whatsoever. In the beginning of this book, there is an author’s note, basically telling everyone the story plot and what will, in the end, happen to this young man on his way to â€Å"living off the wild.† It tells his real name, Christopher Johnson McCandless, also, it tells that he had given $25,000 in saving to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Chris McCandless came from what most people would like to call a â€Å"well-to-do† family on the East Coast. The boy was probably no more than 19 years old, but was on his way to a life of his own by hitchhiking to Alaska into the wilderness. He graduated from Emory University in the summer of 1990, but shortly afterwards; McCandless was not seen for quite some time by his family and peers. He had invented a new life for himself by now wandering across North America in search of himself. His family had no idea where he was or even where to start looking. McCandless was a stubborn young man and did not mesh well with what was considered modern society. He was captivated by the writings of Leo Tolstoy. He admired how the great novelist had a life of wealth and privilege. Chris McCandless was out in the wilderness for sixteen weeks. In the end, ...

Theory-to-Practice Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theory-to-Practice Paper - Essay Example The project is very successful, because the staffs continuously strive towards achieving goals. The organization effectively applies the motivation techniques and also the motivation theories. The motivation techniques that enhance the performance of the workers include; job design, rewards, employee participation, and good quality of work life. The motivation theory that is effectively applied at the project’s work environment is the Herzberg’s motivation theories. One of the key internship objective involved understanding how the motivational techniques and theories is applicable at the work place. Art Shanty Project has adopted appropriate measures to improve performance, career advancement, and loyalty of the employees. One key technique is job design. The organization has adequately embraced job simplification, through the adoption of modern and superior technology at during production processes. The technical staffs are only required to key in instructions in the computerized system, and the production process will proceed automatically. The organization also gives appropriate rewards to the employees who succeed at the workplace. The intrinsic and extrinsic rewards increased staff morale and loyalty. The extrinsic rewards offered to high achieving staffs of the organization include compliments and financial bonus depending on profitability levels. Intrinsic rewards applicable at the project involve autonomy. The key staffs in management, marketing and innovation are given the opportunity to formulate their decisions and implement them (Hackman 451). The project values staff participation at the work place. Participation is effective due to the adoption of the quality control circles. The circles involve a team of employees who work together to address work related challenges like minimizing costs, improving production processes, and improve quality. The quality control circles also involve the students on internship and thus they are able to

Organisational Change and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Organisational Change and Development - Essay Example Change management in organizations is conducted differently depending on the management structure in charge of the organization. The different approaches used in change management have led to the development of theories and functions associated with different organizational change perspectives. Change management techniques continue to change depending on technology and new approaches developed in managing organizations. The first perspective in organizational change was the structural and functional approach. This approach focused on an organization as a ‘functional mechanical’ unit and as such its focus was on the arrangement of tasks or procedures of each organizational part. The structural-functional approach looked into reorganizational of each organizational part as a contribution to the whole. Another change perspective that was adopted is the multiple constituencies’ approach that centered on people as the driver of change in an organization. This perceptio n main strategy was to focus on resource needs of people and how people contribute to change in an organization. The organizational development perspective was another approach used in organizational management. This approach embraces the combination of the two earlier perspectives with the focus on systems, stakeholders and governance. The multiple constituencies approach relies heavily on governance with a focus on changing organization through methodologies. The last perspective in the organizational change management is that of creativity and volition which reveals the challenges or assumptions of critical theory. This perspective outlines that people are the most important factor in bringing about change in the organization. This last perspective departs from other perspectives by focusing on rational change while ignoring emergent processes which create problems for the organization.

Postwar Australian Art & Film Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Postwar Australian Art & Film - Coursework Example Both artifacts depict a battle zone but they have a different approach. Both Mad Max and Sidney Nolan, portrays a war environment but with different tactics and approach. In addition, both images portray a sense of victory whereby a lone solider stands against an army. The images portray the conquering spirit of the European and how they managed to take over Australia from its natives. The two images are quite different in their stylistic and thematic presentation. Mad Max portrays a traditional type of wars that was fought from horsebacks. Moreover, the image’s background shows a vast open land, which portrays the untamed continent of Australia. On the other hand, Mad Max advertising photo for the Australian post-apocalyptic action thriller film. It depicts a hero who people look up to after a war. The photo brings out a superhero who stands out for the oppressed at a time when the streets are not safe. The man in the photo holds a gun and is the person people look up to for hope and inspiration. The photograph is rather sophisticated and it depicts transformation in modern warfare. Moreover, the photo depicts modern Australia whereby rural areas have been opened up by transport and communication infrastructures. 2 After the war was over, there were more issues to be solved. Before the war, everyone seems to have been satisfied with the ways things were done. Certainly, no one cared about the environment since no one had the responsibility. However, after the war, things turned around and people started to care about the environment as equally as they cared about their bodies. The extent to which we can neglect or care about our environment is portrayed in the Peter Dombrovskis, Morning mist, Rock Island Bend and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, photograph of Wrapped Coast. The photographs portray the natural beauty of the Australian wild. More importantly, the photos depict the untamed continent and its perfection. However, this changes as soon as immigrants arrived in the country. The main difference between the two is that one shows a neglected environment while the other shows environmental conservation efforts. Wrapped Coast, Little Bay depicts a massive environmental conservation effort to reduce erosion. On the other hand, Peter Dombrovskis, Morning mist depicts a neglected environment that is in need of our protection. 3 Badtjala woman images seem to be based on historical injustices and redemptions. The artist inserts her own images within a pictorial frame just as the country caves its own destiny after the war. The image itemizes the shell and reed necklaces, ‘collecting bag’, and ‘crossed string’ that adorn her naked upper torso. Foley seems to be replicating the ways of the 19th century photographs of the images of the Badtjala people. In such photographs there is an unequal power relationship inherent. The photography does not bring out pornography due to the use of a naked indigenous female as op posed to a ‘white’ female. Bishop’s image is an icon of the lands rights movement in the Australian political photography (McCloskey, 2005). The bright blue sky and red earth gives an immediate sense of place. The red earth is seen to symbolize blood that was shed during the war. Years of struggle are engraved on the face of Lingiari. Lingiari slightly bends back whereas Whitlam stands upright confident and optimistic. Words and white papers are meaningless when

Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

Bargaining Power Of Suppliers This report serves a number of major purposes. First of all, it seeks to understand the development of Information Systems IS/ Information Technology IT theory. Secondly, it narrows the scope to enterprise value chain to evaluate the current practice in this area. Finally, it seeks to evaluate and analyze the future of the companies studied in relation to IS/ IT. 1.2 Definition of Key Concepts The terms e-business and e-commerce are often used interchangeably but they do not mean the same thing. E-commerce means using IT to buy and sell goods and services. E-business is a broader term, covering not just goods and services exchanges, but also all forms of business conducted using electronic transmission of data and information. E-business began when customers and suppliers recognized the advantages of exchanging documents such as purchase orders and invoices electronically, rather than through the postal service. This electronic data interchange EDI could speed ordering and fulfillment dramatically. The advent of the internet allowed businesses, organizations, and individuals to publish World Wide Web pages and communicate to broader audiences. At first, web pages were mirrors of paper documents. But as they increased in sophistication, users recognized that there were things that they could do with Web pages that were not possible with paper media. As internet usage and Web development evolved, managers learned to take advantage of the internets unique nature in many ways. For example, retailers realized changing the price of an item required a few key strokes on the internet versus reprinting promotional materials and price lists in an offline environment. The transparency of the internet, or the ability for mass instantaneous sharing of information also created an almost perfectly efficient marketplace for goods and services. The next stage in the evolution of e-business was to distribute its use throughout an organization. This came in the form of intranets. Businesses created these internal internets to allow employees to communicate with one another and exchange information. Once enterprises mastered internal communication through their intranets, they turned outwards. The link to customers occurred early on. The rest of the supply chain linkage took place in the next stage of the evolution as businesses began expanding on their connection to suppliers, customers and distributors. These included adding supply chain management and customer relationship management functionality. Portals allowed customers and suppliers to link more closely with an enterprise. The current state of e-business is really c-business where the c stands for collaborative. In c-business, the boundaries among enterprises become blurred. Businesses up and down the supply chain work together to achieve objectives that maximize profitability for all of them. 1.3 Overview of the Report Section 1: Introduction Objective of the report Definition of key concepts Overview of the report Section 2: Review of Literature 2.1 Literature review 2.2 General theory 2.3 Research area 2.4 Rationale 2.5 Importance of research area 2.6 Example of e-business application Section 3: Case Analysis 3.1 Case Study 1 3.2 Case Study 2 3.3 Case Study 3 Section 4: Evaluation of the Cases 4.1 Comparison 4.2 Recommendation Section 5 Executive Summary SECTION 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Literature Review IT/ IS has been used by companies for over forty years. Initially, their usage was primitive by todays standards, but over time, improvements in computer technology have rendered IS/ IT to be an integral part of the business. Yet, the study of IS/ IT in relation to management is a somewhat recent discipline. Initial research on IT/ IS tended to be more descriptive than empirical since the basic models that are currently used were not yet formulated. These research papers also tended to be overly optimistic about the future of IT/ IS in terms of the benefits they bring to business enterprises. Later on, research in the area took on a more balanced tone as the limitations of IS/ IT were also highlighted. It has also during this time than various strategic management models were incorporated into the framework for IS/ IT. 2.2 General Theory Now let us examine three theories that relate to e-business. 2.2.1 Porters Five Forces According to Michael Porter (1990), an industry is influenced by five major forces and he developed this idea into a comprehensive model. Termed the Five Forces Model, it has greatly influenced strategic management thinking for the past two decades. These five forces are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the new entrants, the threat of substitutes, and rivalry. Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers refers to the influence consumers have on an industry. Generally, if consumers have very high bargaining power, there are many suppliers competing for a very limited number of buyers (Porter, 1990). As a result, it is the buyer who will dictate the price of goods and services. Buyers have greater power when there are few of them and they command a significant market share, or when they purchase a sizeable proportion of the goods produced in an industry (David, 2009). Also, buyers are powerful when they can threaten to buy products from rival firms. This is called backward integration (Griffin, 2001). On the other hand, buyers are weak if manufacturers threaten forward integration in which the manufacturers take over the distribution and retailing channels (Eitman et al, 2007). Buyers are also in a weak position if there is great difficulty in switching to alternative products and switching costs are high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The second force is the bargaining power of suppliers (Porter, 1990). All companies that manufacture goods need to obtain raw materials from external parties or suppliers. Hence, it is imperative that companies establish good relationships with their suppliers so as to get favourable prices and a steady supply of raw material. Yet, the supplier-manufacturer relationship is rarely one of equals (Griffin, 2001). Normally, one party has the upper hand. Suppliers have greater bargaining power if there are few of them so they can dictate terms to the customers who are at their mercy (David, 2009). Threat of New Entrants The third force is the threat of new entrants (Porter, 1990). New entrants to a market can seriously affect the market share of existing members and this is a constant source of anxiety for companies. In an ideal free market system, a company can enter and exit a market with the greatest ease and that profits will be nominal. However, in the real world, there are numerous barriers to entry, some of which are the result of economics, while others are the outcome of government intervention (Rugman and Hodgetts, 1995). Threat of Substitutes The fourth is the threat of substitutes, which refers to products in other industries (Porter, 1990). If the costs of the products in a particular industry are too high, customers might switch to products in other industries. Price is not the only variable but changes in technology have the potential to make users flock to rivals (David, 2009). Rivalry Among Firms The final force in Porters framework is rivalry among firms (Porter, 1990). Rivalry is very high when there are a large number of firms in a saturated market, high fixed costs, high storage costs and low switching costs (Barney, 2007). According to Porter, an enterprise can adopt one of four strategies to deal with the five forces in its industry. They are cost leadership, differentiation, cost focus and focused differentiation. IT can assist a firm in achieving these strategies. For example, to attain low cost, the company can adopt production engineering systems whereas to achieve differentiation, it can use computer aided design. 2.2.2 Value Chain The value chain is defined as a sequence of activities that should contribute more to the ultimate value of the product than to its costs. Products produced by an organization rely on different activities of the organization and use different resources along the value chain depending on their specifications. Essentially, all products flow through the value chain, which begins with research, development and engineering and then moves through manufacturing and continues on to customers. The companys value chain is used to identify opportunities that give competitive advantage. Basically, there are two broad categories of a firms activities. They are primary activities, consisting of the creation, marketing and delivery of products and support activities which provide support for primary activities. IT is used to transform the way value activities are conducted and to improve linkages throughout the value chain to give the company greater flexibility. According to Porter and Miller 1985, IT plays a strategic role in an industry that has high information intensity in the product and value chain itself. 2.2.3 Scott Mortons Model Morton improvises and refines Porters model. Morton asserts that the five forces that influence an organizations objectives are its structure, management processes, individuals and roles, technology and strategy. These in turn contribute to five levels of IT-induced reconfiguration. At the lower degree of business transformation, they are termed evolutionary levels. At the lowest level, there is localized exploitation in which the main objectives are domestic effectiveness and efficiency. At level two, there is internal integration between different applications and systems. Cooperation and coordination enhance efficiency and effectiveness here. At a higher degree of business transformation, they are termed revolutionary levels. Level three involves business process redesign which consists of a rigorous change in the company value chain. Level four concerns business network redesign for the reconfiguration of the tasks and scopes of the enterprise network involved in the creation and delivery of products and services. The final and highest level is business scope redefinition in which there is a migration of functions across the companys borders that ultimately change the very nature of the business. 2.3 Research Area This paper focuses on the enterprise value chain of three very different companies. They are Tupperware, Toyota and Facebook. 2.4 Rationale The rationale for the selection of these three companies is to explain how e-business is applied to different industries. Tupperware is a well known manufacturer of high quality plastic containers, Toyota is the worlds largest car maker and Facebook is the biggest online social network site on earth. They are all very different businesses, yet they share one thing in common the usage of e-business in their value chain. The degree of success each business experiences through e-business vis-Ã  -vis their value chain will be discussed in the analysis section. 2.5 Importance of Research Area E-business has become an integral part of the modern corporation and is a means of achieving competitive advantage. Besides that, it also creates opportunities for many third party services. For these reasons, it is vital to critically examine what exactly e-business can do for an enterprise. To demonstrate, the following SWOT analysis is done: 2.5.1 Strengths Around the clock business operation Convenient, fast and effective Global outreach Lower operation cost Lower initial investment 2.5.2 Weaknesses No direct interaction between buyer and seller Low customer penetration 2.5.3 Opportunities The number of people using the internet is increasing daily Over time, people will grow accustomed to doing transactions online 2.5.4 Threats Considerable risks such as privacy issues, security concerns, transaction processing and business policy issues. 2.6 Examples of e-business Applications There are many examples of e-business applications, the most common being EDI which is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents. Another example is in collaborative commerce. For example, airlines have partnered to create Orbitz, an online travel service that searches the partner airline database for flights. The site also allows users to purchase hotel rooms, rent cars and other services. SECTION 3: CASE ANALYSIS 3.1 Case Study 1: Tupperware Tupperware is a multi-billion dollar United States based manufacturer of plastic food storage containers that has a presence in over 100 countries worldwide. Recently, the company altered its distribution model to a multilevel compensation structure. This inevitably increased the volume of paperwork faced by multilevel sales consultants who found less time to do actual sales. In addition, the order entry system was insufficient to cope with peak sales demands. To overcome these problems, the company implemented MyTupperware which is a web-based order management system. The first problem was solved because the task of entering orders was shifted from distributors to sales consultants. The second problem was solved because the integrated and streamlined communications between the relevant parties and provided better support in the promotion and sales of products. 3.2 Case Study 2: Toyota From its humble beginnings in Japan, Toyota Motors emerged as the worlds largest and most profitable car maker in April 2007. It accomplished this major feat through unparalleled excellence in its production process, and indeed throughout its entire value chain. Central to this success was the Toyota Production System TPS. Initially, Toyota faced the same problems as other automobile makers including slow product design time, uneven quality of production, wastage and obsolescence. These factors hampered the companys ability to achieve competitive advantage. Consequently, Toyota critically examined its strengths weaknesses, though not in the way Western companies do. Toyota adopted the Japanese approach of kaizen, which is a philosophy of continuous improvement by eliminating wastage. By harnessing the power of IS/ IT in its e-business, the company created the TPS as a means to achieve competitive advantage. Consequently, the company achieved tremendous success and its manufacturing process was deemed the gold standard in quality manufacturing at low cost. Unfortunately, this was not to last. In the last two years, Toyota suffered its worst catastrophe in years. Cars produced by its U.S. plant suffered from faulty brakes and there were defects in cars produced by other plants. Consequently, the company made a massive recall, which seriously eroded the reputation of the company. Perhaps the company overextended itself or was lulled into a false sense of complacency. Regardless, the much vaunted TPS has come under scrutiny as people question how a system that was deemed close to perfection could cause such egregious errors. It remains to be seen how Toyota will remedy the situation. 3.3 Case Study 3: Facebook By now, the story of Facebooks founding is well known, thanks to a number of books and the Hollywood movie The Social Network. A Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg founded the site in 2004 as an online social network for Harvard students before establishing it as a company. Though there are other online social network sites, the secret to Facebooks success lies not just in the features it provides, but the clear user interface which makes it appealing and easy to use. From its humble origins, Facebook has now over 500 million users and has been valued at US50 billion. While the company is phenomenally successful, it is constantly plagued by issues concerning its privacy. Since Facebooks business model is such that it does not charge users for the services it provides, its source of revenue comes from advertising and data mining. This has led to repeated concerns about the violation of users privacy by selling their personal information to advertising companies who publicly share such private information. In addition, there are concerns that users private information is accessible to the public with very dangerous consequences like identity theft. One major error that Facebook made was its Beacon advertising service which informed users when their friends made purchases and were involved in other activities outside of Facebook. Users did not agree to share this information and this caused a public backlash and the company had to rescind the service. Similarly, when Facebook launched its news feed feature, users baulked at the infringement of privacy. They did not want Facebook to post updates whenever they updated their profile, added friends or changed their settings. However, Zuckerberg addressed this problem much better by making a public apology and explaining the merits of this system. While some users were still resistant, the explanation won over many and today, the news feed is one of Facebooks most popular services and is emulated by other online social network sites. A third problem Facebook has is the handling of users personal information when they want to delete their profiles. Unlike other network sites, Facebook made it almost impossible for users to delete their accounts and copies of their personal information were stored indefinitely. This caused a backlash and Facebook has since made it much easier for users to delete their accounts. SECTION 4: EVALUATION OF CASES Case Security Ease of using site Transparency Effectiveness of e-business Case 1 High Average Low Highly effective Case 2 High Average Moderate Highly effective Case 3 Moderate Easy High Highly effective 4.1 Comparison Overall, it appears that of the three, Facebook has been the most successful in applying e-business since its entire business model is based on it. The other two are examples of traditional firms that employ e-business to improve their value chain. Tupperware uses the least extensive form of e-business as it is confined to its sales and after sales services rather than the manufacturing process. Toyota uses e-business extensively throughout its value chain as can be seen in the TPS. However, recent developments indicate that its e-business application may not be as successful as was previously thought. Hence, Facebook is the most successful of the three in harnessing e-business to gain competitive advantage though it must be reminded here that the company still struggles with some security issues. 4.2 Recommendation It is recommended that Tupperware uses e-business more extensively throughout its value chain to include the planning and design and manufacturing process. Toyota should reevaluate its TPS to identify weaknesses in the current system and improve them. Facebook on the other hand should use e-business to gather more feedback from its customers about its services, particularly privacy issues and take them seriously.

Monopolistic Competition in the Retail Industry Essay -- Microeconomic

Monopolistic Competition in the Retail Industry Defining the Market The retail industry is comprised of thousands of different brands and companies. However each is defined by its quality of make and materials used. Abercrombie & Fitch, Timberland, and Guess are all well-known and respected brand names. However if prices were to exceed what people are willing to pay, then the consumers would alter their preferences and buy from another brand. Therefore we are dealing with a monopolistic competition. Monopolistic competition is often defined as: a common form of industry structure characterized by a large number of firms, none of which can influence market price by virtue of size alone; some degree of market power is achieved by firms producing differentiated products. New firms can enter and established firms can exit with ease ) I. ?common form of the industry structure characterized by a large number of firms none of which can influence market price by virtue of size alone ? New firms can enter and established firms can exit with ease.?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every year hundreds of new designers emerge into the retail industry. No matter what one?s style of clothing, there are dozens of other brands to choose from should one company?s price go beyond the household?s expectation of price. Each company is on a careful balance of price and cannot exceed the other company?s prices beyond what the consumer sees as reasonable. Moreover, firms can enter and exit easily because there are no tariffs and resources are plentiful. This is the competitive side of monopolistic competition. II. some degree of market power is achieved by firms producing differentiated products   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However the retail firm is also monopolistic because of the added aspect that each company does have some degree of market power through their differentiation of products. One way firms differentiate themselves is through the consumer and the way they fashion their products. The consumer determines the success/failure of a company. A major problem firms face is how to accommodate to the changing preferences of the consumer. Guess was at one point similar to Levi?s, a brand of jeans limited to the department store. However in 2002, Guess signed on Marciano, a prominent high-end European designer, and sales have boomed since. Now, Guess is a well-known, popular brand among teenagers and ... ...l be most receptive. Timberlands are successful in areas with cold, long winters like Ohio but would make minimal profit in area such as Florida. Bibiliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Case, Karl E. & Ray C. Fair. Principles of Microeconomics. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Guess-Marciano,? 2004. < http://www.marciano.com> 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Glossary of Economic Terms? Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Understanding the Terms Symbol = a code comprised of letters used as a unique identification of the stock 52 week High = the highest price reached during the last 52 weeks 52 week Low = the lowest price reached during the last 52 weeks Dividend = taxable payment declared by a company?s board of directors & given to its shareholders out of the company?s current/retained earnings Dividend Yield = yield a company pays its shareholders in the form of dividends; calculated by the amount of dividends paid per share over the course of the year divided by the stock price P/E Ratio = (aka the price earnings ratio) most common measure of how pricey the stock is; equivalent to a stock?s market capitalization divided by its post tax earnings over a year?s period