The Transformation Of Businesses Into Internet Businesses Essays

The Transformation of Businesses Into Internet Businesses In the early to mid-nineties, a major change began taking place in America's economy. Technology and innovation became some of the leading factors of success for companies. Companies have been forced to change as the technology introduced around the world changes, and more importantly, they have had to be swift in adapting to change. This new age has commonly been classified as the "Information Age" or the "New Economy." Charles Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change." This quote is not only true to mankind, but also to any firm that has inspirations of succeeding in this so-called New Economy. "The term New Economy refers to a set of qualitative and quantitative changes that, in the last 15 years, have transformed the structure, functioning, and rules of the economy." The New Economy is an economy with a great deal of emphasis placed on a person's ability to create new ideas and adapt to changes in technology. It is an economy full of uncertainty and risk that has the potential of being very rewarding to a person or company that can most successfully accomplish the objective of innovation. The New Economy has had a great impact on the way companies conduct business, and it will continue to impact businesses for the time to come. In the past, companies depended on marketing their product through various ads in magazines and television, and then going out on the road or via telephone to try and sell their product. With the New Economy, one of the leading ways to market or sell a product is over the Internet. Both Internet marketing and Internet sales will see a great increase over the next couple of years. The Internet, with its enormous potential to increase efficiency and raise productivity, is one of the most critical components of the New Economy. E-commerce has already had, and will continue to have, a great impact on the way business is conducted in the New Economy. "The total U.S. Internet economy more than doubled between 1996 and 1997, from $15.5 billion to $38.8 billion. By 2001, the total U.S. Internet economy is projected to be over $350 billion. Business-to-business e-commerce is expected to account for the largest share, $186 billion. Consumer retail activity is expected to emerge more slowly, possibly totaling $18.4 billion in 2001." Fifteen years ago, it would have been difficult to fathom people buying and selling something as simple as books or movies over the Internet. However, in this New Economy you can buy or sell just about anything you want over the Internet. Most of today's largest businesses have Internet sites that either sell or market their product worldwide. In fact, in 1997, 24 percent of U.S. businesses had access to the Internet. That number is projected to be 45 percent by the end of 2001. In the same period, the percentage of businesses with their own Web sites is projected to grow from 5 percent to 30 percent." The business models of most companies have to change with this new era in order for them to remain successful. The New Economy demands an increase in skilled, or educated, workers because of the technological advances. The educated workers must possess strong managerial skills and be creative in order to help the company become a leader in product innovation. The advances in technology and the increase in competition have caused the business models to change and become more flexible. Since there has been and increase in competition, it is advantageous for companies to offer customized products to their customers. In order to customize the products, the company must be flexible and be able to adapt to all of the differences required by each customer. Another part of the business model that has changed with this New Economy is the importance of exporting and importing. The New Economy has caused businesses to become more global in their operations, which in turn has lead to competition from all over the world. World exports increased from $1.3 trillion in 1970 to $4.3 trillion in 1995, in constant dollars. And globalization may be about to

Shakespeares Essay Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Hamlet

Shakespeare's Essay Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Hamlet Shakespeare's Essay Alan Massy-Shakespeare's plays speak to us today with an extraordinary and an unfailing immediacy. There are themes in the play that are relevant to life today such as when mans social, political and ethical worlds are out of balance. This lack of balance is symbolized by a disjunction in his own health and in nature. In other words natural illnesses or occurrences are symbolic of the illness in his thinking. This happens today and is also illustrated in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Man often equates his own physical illness with the break down of his political system. In the opening scene of Hamlet Francisco says 'Tis bitter cold, / And I am sick at heart (1.1.9). His discomfort is a result of the political instability brought about by the death of Hamlet's father and the appearance of what they believe to be his ghost. Correspondingly in today's world many suffered and grieved greatly when Princess Diana passed away. She was loved by many and was seen as a remarkable person. Similarly, man often sees supposedly abnormal occurrences in nature as symbols or warning about the breakdown of political, social or ethical systems. In Hamlet Act I, Scene I, Lines 120, Horatio says the moon Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse. He compares the forthcoming downfall of Rome with the pending destruction of Denmark. He takes natures happenings to be a sign of future misfortunes for the state of Denmark. Today, people still do the same thing. For instance many religious groups take nature's destructive force, El Nino, to be forthcoming of Earth's Armageddon. Hamlet's timelessness can be seen through the themes that it portrays. Political, social and ethical corruption will never disappear. As long as time stands their will always be these moral dilemmas which we still face today and seemingly forever.

Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues - Essay Example From this resaerch it is clear that there are quite a few healthcare practices that deprive the dignity of patients by treating them as ingenuous, dependent and inane beings. This transpires, despite the acceptance among nurses and doctors that patients are fundamentally human beings. Nursing practice has to recognise the fact that the law is of great significance. This has become all the more true, due to the unprecedented increase of court cases related to health care. The nurse – patient relationship becomes very clearly defined, when the nurse comprehends the relevance of the law to their practice. There are two types of legislation. Firstly, law based on precedent or previous decisions in cases with similar facts and made in the court is known as the common law. Secondly, the statutory law is primary legislation that has to be passed by both the Houses of Parliament. It has two divisions, namely the criminal and civil law. The civil law relates to cases where remuneration is sought, via pecuniary compensation. On the other hand, the criminal law addresses instances of harmful or disruptive behaviour or practices and the punishment inflicted is in general incarceration. Nurses should be well versed with such legislation, in order to evade liability in their professional role. This is because, under the law, healthcare professionals and workers are accountable for their actions during the course of providing medication or healthcare. They have to identify their limitations and powers with regard to the provision of health care and they should be aware of the existing health care legislations and local protocols. Healthcare professionals should know the provisions of the Care Standards Act of 2000, the Health Act of 2006, the Mental Capacity Act of 2005, and the Disability Act of 1998 (Barker & Randle, 2009). The Code (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2008) has stipulated in no uncertain terms that the individual registered nurses and midwives ‘are personally accountable for actions and omissions in practice’ (Scrivener, Hand, & Hooper 2011). In addition, the NMC Code specifies that nurses should ensure that they follow the latest procedures in their practice. As such, the Code exhorts nurses to learn throughout their career (The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives 2008). Moreover, spiritual care is a very important aspect of the nursing code of ethics in the UK. This is reiterated by the International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses, which states that while providing care the nurse engenders an environment where in human rights, values, customs and spiritual beliefs are respected. As such, the NMC Code of Professional Conduct requires nurses to document and systematically assess the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients, clients and communities (McSherry & Ross 2010).The regulatory agency of the UK, with regard to nursing and midwifery is the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Scenario1 In the first hypothetical scenario the patient is unconscious and has been diagnosed with permanent brain damage. The medical team, including the nurses and critical care nurses have taken a decision to withdraw treatment for this

Strategic Planning and Organizational Mandates Assignment

Strategic Planning and Organizational Mandates - Assignment Example AmeriCare is an organization with the mandate of offing relief programs and health in situations of a disaster by delivering medication and medical supplies to these victims. The organization has the mandate of providing people with humanitarian assistance in different countries around the world. Moreover, the organization has been providing aid worth ten billion to more than one hundred and forty countries (Americares, 2011). Moreover, AmeriCares also provides medical support by establishing free clinics, non-for profit pharmacies and numerous hospitals in different parts of the world to assist poor. Americare is an organization with a mission of offering relief and charitable assistance, thereby responding to emergencies caused by disasters. Moreover, they have upheld values towards their assistance programs, which are offered to victims of a disaster with emergency medical needs. Stakeholders in Americare organization include private sector donors, the government and other associates who facilitate operations of the organization. In fact, these parties assist the organization to execute their mandate of ensuring that people are living longer and healthier. Moreover, this requires supply of critical medicine and health care services to people from different parts of the world. Other stakeholders include leading pharmaceutical companies and medical manufacturers who offer medical supplied to the organization. The organization has managed to acquire partnership with over 2000 hospitals, clinics and community health programs in numerous parts of the world. There are other stakeholders, who include international and local nongovernmental organizations and ministries. Americare has gathered products donations from the private sector, and they determine the urgency of various needs to intervene through their assistance. Moreover, they have the ability to convince their stakeholders to offer financial support, which they send to affected areas through airlift and ocean cargo. Americare has acquired health care professionals, who are deployed in impecunious regions with people suffering from different disasters.

Puritan society Essay Example for Free

Puritan society Essay So far the audience is aware that Hale can be a pragmatic character because it is clear that he does not believe some of the accusations can be true, which is why he is on his rounds. The puritan theology that he relies on has brought him to be a stern character, believing that theology is a fortress, that the audiences have to decide is congenial or disagreeable.  The arrival of Cheever causes a mass silence in the room. This is done to give the audience a chance to put events into perspective and allows the tension floating tirelessly around in the room to build up. Cheever approaches the household with bad news. The audience must be feeling sorry for him, as the men seem to be friends. Giles says to Cheever, its a pity that such an honest tailor might have gone to Heaven must burn in Hell. Cheever is sympathetic but he says that he is doing what he is told. This shows differences between some of Giles friends. Proctor is willing to darken his name in order to revert the charges to Giless wife but Cheever is two faced, willing to throw away his friendship with Giles for money that he earns on his rounds. The suspense is built up even more as the audience is now eager to know what Cheever is doing in the house and what business of the court he is addressing. The audience is then stunned on the note that Cheevers arrival is because he holds the warrant for the arrest of Elizabeth. Proctor, whom has had an overt hate for Hale since his entry, is enraged as he said that Elizabeth was not charged just, somewhat mentioned. Hale, however, is just as shocked and proceeds by asking, when were she charged. The audience is really interested by this point; Miller has timed and written this section linking almost everything to a previous scene. We learn from Cheever that sixteen people had been charged that evening and all to be arrested. Cheever then begins to look around the room for any poppets. Miller has timed this to perfection as the audience is queued to remember the one that Mary Warren had given Elizabeth earlier that evening. Of course Elizabeth will not remember this after all the commotion. The audience are shown this when Elizabeth claims she has kept poppets since she was a girl. Cheever persists in his search, as her word is not reliable in court. Cheever finds the one that Mary gave to Elizabeth earlier and refuses to believe that it is Marys. This adds to the tension and also is a ploy for an even more terrible consequence. Elizabeth then goes to get Mary Warren in an attempt to prove her innocence, whilst she is away a most unimaginable discovery is made. There is a needle stuck in the belly of the poppet. Miller makes Proctor struggle to find out the significance of the needle. Whereas the audience is well aware of the significance that the needle has as this will be misinterpreted for a link to Abigail Williams being stabbed and are eager as to what Proctor will say or do. Proctor claims that she done it herself. But Cheever does not believe this statement because Abigail had accused Elizabeths familiar spirit of doing the deed. In such a puritan, god-fearing biblically run society accusing somebodys familiar spirit will mean they are telling the truth and the accused was a witch. The audience does not know this it what it means but they are able to catch on. At this point tension is at a titillating peak and the plot is steady. Hale is struck by the proof and is incapable of believing Proctors suggestion. Mary is brought down and is questioned consecutively. Her bewildered attitude as well as disagreeing opposition questioning her allows the questioners to manipulate her words and stutters to their own liking. After gathering the basic outline in all the conflicting opinions she clearly says, I made it.  Her admittance to the ownership and the placing of the needle in the poppet but this does not dissuade Cheever. He is convinced Tis hard proof! Miller has an excellent perception of the thoughts and moments that the audience are not anticipating, his pauses and hesitation in Marys dialogue give the audience an idea of how she is feeling and why she is stuttering so much. When Elizabeth finds out that Abigail is the one who has accused her, she loses her temper and says something that guaranteed her a one way ticket to jail. She must be ripped out of the world. Elizabeth, by saying this, has virtually condemned herself, and the chances of her leaving innocent get slimmer. Proctor then gets a chance to protect his wife; this appeals to the audience, as they know he is sincere and trying to forget Abigail. Proctor in a fit of rage tears Cheevers warrant and attempts to get rid of the uninvited company. Miller has opted for Hale to stay quiet throughout this confrontation to show his cowardly characteristics to the audience, as he has not said anything that he had said to the Proctors to Cheever. Proctor also knows this and his hate for Hale is again shown when he himself calls him a coward. This also shows how everyone who is a sceptic of the goings on in Salem does not want to publicise their queries in case the girls, for being too close to the truth, accuse them. Proctor keeps backing up his wife, whom knows there is no point because she will have to go whatever he does. Elizabeth is scared and the audience has now adopted a serious hate for Hale whose words are ineffective and does nothing to stop Giles, Franciss and Proctors three wives from being arrested, he is frowned upon by everyone as a fake. Before she leaves Elizabeth tells Proctor to continue as normal. The audience may be sympathetic towards Hale because they know his religious status restricts his opinion. There are a few main points when hale enters that form the rest of the play; when Proctor claims that the goings on in Salem had naught to do with witchcraft and the arrest of Mrs. Proctor. This scene is flooded with instruments that create drama, suspense and emotion provoking feeling. The character description is appropriate and lets the audience differentiate good from evil. Miller employs splendid literary skills that keep the tempo and tension levels at unbearable highs. The language is elementary and a lot of it is biblically surrounded reflecting the puritan society. His repressed feelings about the freedom of thought and speech in 1956 are all expressed without regret in the story and gives the Crucible a tailor made, captivating essence for the reader and audience.

The Role of the Visual in Todays Society Essay -- Architecture Buildi

The Role of the Visual in Today's Society The role of the visual in today’s society is quite apparent. Beautiful, flashy images are everywhere in the media, and all of them serve the same purpose. The purpose of all of these images is to get you, the consumer to buy the product that is being sold, or at least buy into the idea that a particular product represents. The role of the visual in modern architecture is very much the same. The purpose of the visual in modern architecture is to publicize or privatize a building through any media necessary to create the desired representation, and thereby sell the idea. In the case of Le Corbusier, the goal was to create a very visual and public architecture. He recognized that not everybody would be able to go and personally see his buildings, thus he decided to bring his buildings to them. Obviously Corbusier believed very strongly in the representational value of his buildings, â€Å"I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies.† In this quotation Corbusier describes just how important the role of the visual is to him. Experience is not necessary, and neither is discussion, just visualization. In the case of Villa Savoye (Poissy, France 1928-1929) Corbusier created a building based upon his principles of architecture, and the idea of the house as a machine for living. These programmatic elements yielded a simple building that followed his five points of architecture (peloti, ribbon windows, a roof garden, free faà §ade, and free plan). The way in which he composes these elements and ultimately how he represents the building are what make this a truly interesting piece of architecture, instead of a place for storing hay (as the building was once used). The physical appearance of the building (what it would look like if we were to visit) was an attempt by Corbusier to create a truly mechanical building, â€Å"A house is a machine for living in†. The building is built in the middle of a completely flat field, upon which this foreign object is placed, described as â€Å"†¦looking as if a spaceship had landed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The building itself contains many of the same elements that one would find in an ocean liner. Elements such as a roof deck, railings and the curvaceous walls of the roof deck which look like the smokestacks of a ship. While these elements help to create Corbusier’s desired image the wa... ...sen site were an attempt to privatize architecture. All of the photographs of the building that were taken are of the interior, and the comfortable and private spaces therein. Often the images contain furs, which were intended by Eileen Gray to personalize the experience of looking at a photograph. It was also supposed to, in effect bring the people viewing the photograph into her home. This would give them a chance to experience the building for themselves. This is shown by the very few pictures that are taken of the building as a whole, it isn’t about watching E-1027 is about experiencing. This is in direct contrast to Corbusier’s more voyeuristic beliefs about the visual. Although the visual can be used to many different ends in modern architecture, it is used mostly to sell an idea. In the case of these two architects the ideas were very similar and yet opposite. Corbusier chose to publicize his buildings in order to gain a wide audience, which he felt was important, while Eileen Gray on the other hand chose to publicize the privacy of her building. Both interpretations of the role of the visual in modern architecture are an attempt to sell a particular idea to the public.

Waltham Motors Division

Question 1: Using budget data, how many motors would have to be sold for Waltham Motors Division to breakeven? In order to calculate the breakeven point, we use the following equation and budget data: Breakeven Sales*Unit Price-Unit Variable Cost= Fixed Costs Breakeven=Fixed CostsUnitary Price-Unitary Variable Cost Breakeven point=260,000864000/18000-512800/18000=13,226 units Q2. Using budget data, what was the total expected cost per unit if all manufacturing and shipping overhead (both variable and fixed) was allocated to planned production? What was the actual per unit cost of production and shipping?The results for the total expected cost/unit with budget data is: Expected Cost/Unit= Manufacturing Overhead(variable and not variable)+Shipping Overhead# of Units= =484,000+148,000+28,80018,000=$36. 71/unit The results for the total expected cost/unit with actual data is: 404,000+149,200+28,00014,000=$41,51/unit Q3. Comment on the performance report and the plant accountant’s analysis of results. How, if at all, would you suggest the performance report be changed before sending it on to the division manager and Marco Corporation headquarters?The accountant is making a big mistake by comparing absolute numbers from Budgeted costs and revenues with Actual costs, since the actual number of units sold is less than the Budgeted amount. Therefore, a more detailed analysis must be done, and calculate the costs per unit, as Table 1 shows: Table 1 From this new data on Table 1, we can make the following observations about the accountant’s comments: * The only cost that was underestimated (Favourable = F) is the Indirect Labour, so the first comment about being under budget on every single cost except for supervision is wrong. The operating income has decreased, which is expected given the decrease in number of motors sold (4. 000), but based on the report we still cannot tell whether that is the only reason. This also leads to a difference between the actu al price ($49) and the budgeted price ($48). * The current static budget needs to be changed into a flexible budget so the budgeted data can be recorded taking into account the actual units produced, that is, 14. 000 units. Q4. Prepare your own analysis of the Waltham Division’s operations in May.Explain in as much detail as possible why income differed from what you would have expected. As suggested in Question3, a new Flexible budget is calculated, so now it is possible to calculate the variances between the Flexible budget and the Actual Results and Static budget we had before. The data is show below in Table 2: Table 2 From this table we can see how the unfavourable Static budget variance = 98400 seen in the accountant’s Performance Report is now divided into the Flexible budget variance = 20. 356$ (2) and the Sales volume variance = 78. 44$ (3): Flexible budget variance: is the difference between the actual result and the corresponding flexible-budget amount. This variance is subdivided into: * Sales variance $14. 000 Favourable. This is due to a higher price charged for the motors (49$ instead of the 48$ budgeted), maybe because of changes in prices of the competitors as well. * Variable costs variance is Unfavourable by $27. 556, the different components of this variance are: * Direct Material variance: Unfavourable by of $1. 00, we need to find out whether this is due to Price and/or Efficiency variance. The accountant indicates that the actual price for direct materials is $5. 7/unit (5% less than budgeted), but the budgeted price was $6/unit. On the other hand, the standard quantity is 14. 000 units while the actual quantity is 85. 400/5. 7=14982. 45 units, therefore: * Price variance = $89. 894,75 – $85. 400 = $4494. 76 Favourable. This reflects the company saved money with the decreased prices of raw materials * Efficiency Variance = $84. 00-$89. 894,76 = $5894,76 Unfavourable. Since this amount is larger than the Favourable am ount of the Price variance, we can conclude that the overall unfavourable 1. 400$ Direct material balance is due to Efficiency Variance. There are many reasons that might cause this inefficiency coming from the production manager or the purchase manager, such as bad quality of the raw materials bought (which were cheaper after all), or waste of these during the production process. * Direct Labour variance: Unfavourable by $22. 000.Again, we need to find out whether this is Price and/or efficiency driven. We know that according to the accountant information, the actual price is $16,4/unit while the Standard price is $16/unit. On the other hand, the Standard Quantity is 14. 000 units while the actual Quantity is 246. 000/16,4=15. 000 units. Therefore: * Price Variance = 240. 000-246. 000 = $6000 Unfavourable. This reflects the increase in medical benefits noted by the accountant. * Efficiency Variance = 224. 000-240. 000 = $16. 000 Unfavourable.The accountant does not mention anything that can tell for sure the reasons for this lack of efficiency, so we can only guess some reasons such as a change in the labour force to an unskilled one. * Idle Time and Cleanup Time: Unfavourable by $3. 000 + $1. 600 respectively, might be due to different reasons such as low efficiency in the cleanup process, or bad shape of the machines used to manufacture the motors that turned into a lot of idle time compared to the one budgeted. The idle time must be monitored since it can lead to further decrease of Labour efficiency. Indirect Labour and Miscellaneous supplies: Favourable by $400 + $40 respectively, might be due to many reasons but the amounts are too small to make up for the unfavourable amounts found in the rest of the variable costs. It might be a coincidence, but there was a favourable Price efficiency for Direct Material, so maybe the Purchasing department is doing a good job. * Fixed costs variance * Supervision unfavourable by $1. 200 might be due to low efficiency of the supervising staff as noted in the accountant comments. * Shipping costs variance: Unfavourable by $5. 00 probably because of additional shipping due to bad quality of products that have to be returned and shipped again, or just because of bad efficiency in the shipment process by not using full capacity of transportation. Sales-volume variance: it is the difference between the flexible-budget amounts and the static budget and it arises solely because of the difference between the actual quantity of motors produced and the amount budgeted (expected) to be produced by the company. In this case there is a variance of $78. 044, and we can assume it is because of the key contract that was lost.