Monday, September 30, 2019

Brief Encounters

â€Å"Brief Encounters† is actually an adaptation of Noel Coward’s 1936 one-act play, â€Å"Still Life. † It came out as a film in 1945. Set in the backdrop of World War II in 1945, the story tells of how Laura Jesson, a housewife and Alec Harvey, a married doctor, get to slowly build a forbidden romance. They met at a certain cafe in a railway station and set a rendezvous at the same place on several occasions. With that, a certain friendship based on companionship which eventually grew into love was formed. They arranged to meet at occasional opportune moments hence the title, Brief Encounters.The two kept on with the relationship, stealing brief moments to see each other. Then after, when Alec needed to leave the country for a job in South Africa, they said goodbye to each other and finally put an end to their especially-colored friendship. Alec and Laura met on the same cafe at the train station. (Chadderton 1) Plot When Laura needed to go to Milford town, sh e usually goes for shopping and sees a film at the cinema. It was when she got a grit in her eye on the way home when she met Alec Harvey, a general practitioner who goes to the hospital as a consultant.Both of them are married and have two children. The two arrange another set of rendezvous and suddenly found that their friendship develops into love. This somehow affected Laura’s relationship with her husband Fred. Secretly, they meet, wary of possible chance encounters with common acquaintances, probably with a certain longing to spend more time with each other in private. There was this one time, after a certain number of meetings that they went to Alec’s friend, Valentine Dyall’ apartment.It is upon chance also that this friend of the doctor’s suddenly arrives that our heroine needed to leave the scene through the fire exit. It seemed though that all situations surrounding the lovers did not permit them to achieve the happiness that they wanted to hav e together. Destiny wanted to tell them that they have to face the reality that they are tied to responsibilities in their respective families that the two decided to stop seeing each other. The last meeting that they had was when Alec heads to Johannesburg, South Africa. Laura went to see him off at the same train station in Milford where they first met.At the opportune time that they were seeing each other for the last time, a certain friend of Laura’s named Dolly Messiter appears and gets to sit with them, uninvited. Until the end, the relationship seemed to have stood among rocks and even the last meeting has been only a brief encounter. Meanwhile, in contrast to their love affair, the leads were surrounded by other younger couples who were freer to love, were victorious in their relationship and were able to have the opportunity to experience passion. Myrtle, the station manager and Albert, the guard, started an affair that was more open and passionate.The waitress, Bery l relished the gift of young and first love with cake-seller Stanley. Beryl’s dance scenes has far dimmed out and at the same time placed a brighter spotlight to an unconsummated love affair between Laura and Alec. The story, which is all about having secret love affairs, is quite a common occurrence already during the time when the play was originally released. It might not seem to be a new concept that everyone would die to see but due to the vividness of the emotions of the characters, especially the woman, it appealed to a great number of audiences.Its being told in the woman’s point of view really makes it much of a demonstration of repressed emotions and repressed sexuality, capturing real life human passion from every commoner’s life happenings. The original play has been adapted by various theaters in the United Kingdom such as the Oxford Stage and The Liverpool Playhouse among others. The latest and most talked about adaptation is that of the Kneehigh T heatre, a London-based international theater group, directed by their artistic director, Emma Rice, getting all praises from reviews and critics.Kneehigh Theatre started out small with a teacher giving workshops in Cornwall in 1980, after which they started giving out shows for the common people of Cornwall and up until now, they remained in that place by choice. It is where they believe that they can produce the most possible fruits of creativity. â€Å"†¦we always try to start the creative process at these barns, to be inspired by our environment and where we work. † (Sheperd 2) The theatre is 28 years old now and has gathered quite a number of patron, or more so, devotee audiences.Their creative work usually rested upon the spirit of the eccentricity, sometimes also urbanely surreal and crazy. I’ve known of usual scenes in the city with upbeat and loud music used to be their signature style with added hoisting-in-the-air fantasies that ought to be their normal. For this recent adaptation of Noel Coward’s Brief encounters, there was quite a noted shift in this style – not actually a shift but a different attack. The characters stayed more on the ground and were more real and conventional. We saw characters full of emotions and humanity.This then proves the Kneehigh to be much more flexible and lived up to what they have been for the past 28 years. Upon the entrance to the Haymarket Theater, a foreboding message that this is â€Å"the 1940’s† plays as the blue curtains covers the stage. There was something about the lighting and music that reflect the 1940’s and has given the audience a feel of watching and being in a real 1940’s film. More treat comes way as actors themselves in 1940s costume usher in the audience. The idea of love in a repressed society in that specific time finds a good haven in this setting. The use of this technique has established the setting very well.It did not just show, bu t it would transport any onlooker to the time when the play was set. It was like watching the original film, although with more visual treats, and more elaborateness. It’s surprising though that the play has incorporated cinema in it. Some scenes were live on stage, some were onscreen and at most, they were a combination of both. This combination of theater and cinema provided an aura of a film that is coming to life. The black and white cinematic scenes makes the conveyance of the setting and dramatic situation more effective and made the adaptation of the play more accurate.In the cinema scene, the film used was the original Brief Encounters film with Laura and Alec sitting among the audience. An enigmatic and slightly comical effect was elicited from this manipulation. In the scene where Alec was trying to ask Laura if she feels the same for him, the sudden appearance of Fred (Laura’s husband) on the screen has given this dreamy effect to the play and comes to inten sify the much repressed emotions of Laura. The scene communicates much the idea of the characters waking up from a dream and having to face their responsibilities again.The incorporation of cinema in the show also solved what previous adaptations lacked in: sincerity and real emotions. In the cinema, character’s faces are focused and that would make the audience share the feelings of the characters. In this play, the use of proper stage acting caught what was there in the cinema. The acting of the characters was really effective and the cinematic effects helped a lot. Tristan Sturrock and Naomi Frederick shared a compatibility which made them seem inseparable as Laura and Alec. Since it was the 1930s, much modesty was observed in their relationship.Maybe the scene wherein they were undressing after plummeting down the river can be considered as one of the most erotic scenes. During that time though, it was necessary that simple handshakes and cups of coffee should be enough t o express love for each other. In the said scene scene, both were catching up with their modesty but failed as they ended up kissing. The recurring water waving into the screen intensified the idea of passion in the love affair and probably another attempt at depicting repression. Even so, an emotional connection between the two characters was very much established despite the limitation of romantic contac.The play has actually lived up to the original playwright. Not a lot of characters are needed to craft the play into something that is large, grandiose and festive. The presence of other couples has set love into three categories: a freer love affair for two people among the working class, young love that transcends all classes and a forbidden, unconsummated love. The impact of the fact that most of the audience already knew how it would end all the more made the movie heart-wrenching than ever. Those brief encounters between Alec and Laura made them seem as if they were stealing their chances on temporary happiness.Most wonderful is the use of the props vis-a-vis the use of the film clips and the maximization of the stage space. In Alec’s first departure from Laura, Alec hopped into a small toy train which made an ironic spectacle. Contrast it to how they made the ending: across the front of the stage, they pulled a vast amount of screen material in which a storey-high clip of the train where our Alec rode off shot across the entire stage with Laura attempting to jump with a highly dramatic death. The contrast was quite an impact. A trampoline was utilized for Stanley’s entrance to the cafe, Beryl used a red scooter and rode around it.She threw it away in an angered fit of tantrums. On the other hand, Laura’s children were played by two puppets. Some scenes used the screen as background. The use of the small objects gives a sort of a treat to the heaviness of the feelings of the audience. The use of the big train in contrast to the smal l props will make you cringe with the climax of the story. It magnified the dramatic sad ending of the story. Never could be an adaptation be more effective. It cannot be anymore clever and brilliant. It is a celebration of cinematography, theater and the totality of the elements of the performance.The incorporation of the film clips made it more effective in the sense. If one will refer to reviews of other adaptations of this play, it would seem that the Kneehigh Theatre’s production is the best of after the film. Liverpool Playhouse’s version back to back with another of Coward’s works received the ire of the Catalyst Reviews thus saying: â€Å"The plays could easily have been turned into radio plays – visually seeing them was largely unnecessary – the sound effects, notably of steam trains passing through the station could easily have been transferred to the radio.† (Serjent 12) Another rework shown at Burton Taylor which was directed by Christchurch student Georgie Paget got equally the same criticism although at notch milder. Alison Ireland of BBC made a rundown of the setting and the characters: A table in a station refreshment room is not so prominent on stage and the staff, who provide a comic, lower-class backdrop for the lofty tragic romance, are equals and fundamentally superiors in ‘Still Life' – their robust humour, sensible decision-making, clear view of priorities and no-nonsense view of the world shows the upper class ‘love' affair for the anaemic misery it really is.(2) As for Kneehigh Theatre’s reviews, nothing could be seen but all praises. In Rice's hands Brief Encounter is a clever, gimmicky production that has its fair share of [humor]. Yet there's passion, tenderness and sensitivity in abundance; if you start to think about Johnson and Howard, it probably doesn't last long because the two main characters are exceptional individually and as a couple. (Orme 4) Kneehigh the atre is sure known for its inventiveness and ingenuity. Any piece of playwright given to them is like being put in the hands of a very powerful magician.Even the â€Å"Royal Shakespeare Company entrusted them with Shakespeare's late â€Å"problem† play Cymbeline which Kneehigh took to Stratford as part of the Complete Works Festival. † (Orme2) Coward’s work fell into good hands with Kneehigh Theatre. It became a masterpiece that we only briefly encounter. References Chadderton, David. (2009) Reviews –Brief Encounter. The British Theatre Guide. Retrieved April 17, 2009 from http://www. britishtheatreguide. info/reviews/briefenkneehighDC-rev. htm. Orme, Steve.(2007) Reviews – Brief Encounter. The British Theatre Guide. Retrieved April 17, 2009 from http://www. britishtheatreguide. info/reviews/briefenckneehigh-rev. htm. Serjent, Colin. (n. d. ) Noel Coward's ‘The Astonished Heart’ and ‘Still Life. ’ The Catalyst Reviews. Ret rieved April 17, 2009 from http://www. catalystmedia. org. uk/issues/misc/reviews/Noel_coward. htm Shepherd, Mike. (2008). Introduction to the Kneehigh Theatre. Retrieved April 17, 2009 from http://www. kneehigh. co. uk/about-us/an-introduction. php.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Memorials

The Supreme Court may, in its discretion, grant special leave to appeal from any Judgment, decree, determination, sentence, or order in any cause or matter passed or made by any court or tribunal . Art 136 confers a discretionary power on the Supreme Court to interfere in suitable ceases, such as, a breach of natural Justice by the order appealed against or in exceptional ceases. The Supreme Court will intervene in if there has been a resultant failure of Justices or violation of principles of natural Justices or without a proper appreciation of material on record or the submissions made, interference under Art. 6 is warranted. The Supreme Court grant leave to appeal in criminal matters when exceptional and special circumstances exist, substantial and grave injustice has been done, and the case in question presents features of sufficient gravity to warrant a review of the decision appealed against or there has been a departure from legal procedure such as vitiates the whole trial, or if the findings of fact were such as were shocking to the judicial conscience of the Court.It would interfere where High Court's order results in gross miscarriage of Justice's. That special leave petition against interim order maintainable. The Supreme Court exercise its Jurisdiction under Art. 136 of the Constitution in respect of an interlocutory/interim order in especial circumstances to prevent manifest injustice or abuse of process of the Court 1 or where it is unsustainable on the face of it or where the interim order passed by the Division Bench of the High Court, on facts, is perverse in nature's or unreasonable.Where the interim order was not made in equity, interference by the Supreme Court was called forl.That the reasons for the decision must be given. A decision affecting the right of people without assigning any reason cannot be accepted as a procedure which is fair, Just and reasonable and hence violated of ‘reasons' may also be implied in the principles of â €˜natural Justice'17. Absence of reasoning is impermissible in Judicial pronouncement's.It is the reasoning alone, that can enable a higher or an appellate court to appreciate the controversy in issue in its correct perspective and to hold whether the reasoning recorded by the Court whose order is impugned, is sustainable in law and whether it has adopted the correct legal approach. To sub-serve the purpose of Justice delivery system, therefore, it is essential that the Courts should record reasons for its conclusions, whether disposing of the case at admission stage or after regular hearing proper reasoning is the foundation of a Just and fair decision.Failure to give reasons amounts to denial of Justice's. When the reason of a law once ceases, the law itself generally ceases. That order passed in violation of natural Justice is void. The breaches of rules of natural Justice must have the effect of producing void decisions. Any action in violation of principles of natural Justic e is a nullity and is altar-fires and hence suffers from Jurisdictional error. Thus, an order which infringes an fundamental freedom passed in violation of audit alters parted is a nullity.That decision of sub-ordinate court is in violation of Doctrine of Proportionality. The punishment imposed has to be reasonable because of the constraints of Art. 14. This means that if the punishment imposed is unreasonable, Art. 14 is infringed. The court can thus decide upon the proportionality of the punishment when it is strikingly disproportionate. The penalty imposed must be commensurate with the gravity of he misconduct, and that any penalty disproportionate to the gravity of the misconduct would be violated of Art. 14 of the Constitution.The freedom of speech is regarded as â€Å"a species of which freedom of expression is a genus†29 That a company can challenge the violation of its Fundamental Rights under Article 19 of the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court has stated that the law with regard to a company challenging the violation of its Fundamental Rights under Article 19 is in a â€Å"nebulous state†. The Court has gone on to say: â€Å"Thus apart from the law fundamental freedoms guaranteed by Art. 9, the rights of a shareholder and the company which the shareholders have formed are rather co-extensive and the denial to one of the fundamental freedom would be denial to the other.That intention is necessary for the offence of defamation under Section 499 of Indian Penal Code. In order to attract the offence of defamation under Section 499 of I. P. C. Mess area is required I. E. The publication must be made with intention to harm the reputation of a person against whom it was directed. The accused must have made the imputation with the intention of harming or with the knowledge that it will harm the reputation of the person defamed. Therefore, the intention to cause harm is the most essential â€Å"sine qua non† of an offence under Sec tion 49934.That a company cannot be held criminally liable for the offence of defamation. In view of Section 3(42), General Clauses Act, 1897 a company or association or body of individuals answers the definition of person. So, prima facie a company may be prosecuted for demotion. But, to invoke Section 499, the defamatory publication must be associated by delinquent's intention to cause harm. But company cannot be said to have the Mess area of forming an intention to cause harm because a company, a rustic entity cannot have any mind.If there is anything in the definition or context of a particular section in the statute which will prevent the application of the section to a limited company, certainly a limited company cannot be proceeded against. Then again a limited company cannot generally be tried when Mess area is essentially. The company is a legal entity which can be prosecuted if it is guilty of acts which make it punishable under the particular Criminal Statuette. So a comp any cannot be held to have committed an offence under Section 500, l. P. CO.That decision must be given after viewing publication as a whole. Publication must be Judged as a whole. The impact and effect of the imputations, if any, had to be considered in the background of the entire facts and circumstances stated therein. The bane and the antidote ought to have been considered together. If in one part of the publication there is something disreputable but it is removed by the other parts and the conclusions, then the disreputable part alone cannot be taken out in the process of picking and choosing in order to venture a prosecution for defamation.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

CRM technologies paper (Customer Relationship Management) Essay

CRM technologies paper (Customer Relationship Management) - Essay Example Internet and telephones are helping the organization to build a good relationship with the customers. CRM is a vital resource for the organization. The main goal for the organizations is to convert customer relation keen on higher profitability by growing rate of repeat purchase as well as dropping customer purchase costs. CRM helps the organization in understanding the customer expectations and behaviors. CRM also helps the organization to focus on profitable customers who can obtain long-term profit. Digital transformation has fetched a huge and rapid reconfiguration and restructuring in present day business - the reformation of interaction, products as well as payments from the customers to the organizations and also from organizations to suppliers is generating much consternation and bafflement among the organizations decision makers. Managers in every organizational level are closely engaged in this turbulent period. They are being required to reconsider customary definition of competition, value and service. Certainly a method for this great alteration has been a volatile development of internet. Moreover, the internet adaptation as well as the technologies adaptation has changed the path that many of the businesses developed in terms of strategies, competencies and models. E-Business is the process and strategy of meeting business drivers and also initiatives with the technology drivers as well as information services especially relating the internet. It plays a crucial role to the organization for profit maximization and sustain in this dynamic world. It is a technology driven. It essentially increases the value of the organization. Customers are the essential part of the organizational vision and strategy. So, it can be easily said that building a long term as well as loyal relationship is a key to the profitability for the organization. Furthermore, modern technology has made a good classification in

Friday, September 27, 2019

How the Dalai Lama is Found Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How the Dalai Lama is Found - Essay Example He says that only Dalai Lama himself can tell about his future reincarnation and that no one else should try to manipulate people or abuse the system (Lama, 2010). All these events raise people’s curiosity about the way in which a Dalai Lama is ‘found’ and enthroned. The curiosity is also flamed by movies such as Little Buddha starring Keanu Reeves. The film revolves around the same concept and shows the spiritual master reincarnating as one soul in three different bodies (Smith, 100). Many critics who question the very concept of reincarnation question the validity of such traditions. But this concept has mass acceptance in the Indian sub-continent and Tibet. Tibetans believe that their Dalai Lamas are reincarnations of Avalokiteshvara, the personification of Compassion, who is also the patron saint of Tibet. According to the traditional Tibetan beliefs, Avalokiteshvara reincarnates repeatedly on this earth to serve humanity and hence for this mission he postpones his own nirvana. Dalai Lama, literally meaning ‘The Ocean of Wisdom’, was a title that was given by Mongolian king Altan Khan to the third head of Tibetan Buddhism. Since then it became a tradition to address the head of Tibet as Dalai Lama (Byrant, 94). There are many other traditions and the most important one is that of finding the reincarnated Dalai Lama. There is no one fixed method of finding Dalai Lama. Various methods have come into existence with the passing time. There have been many Dalai Lamas who have successfully predicted the place and time of their birth. On the other occasions prospective reincarnation’s identification of the belonging of his past life is a major signal of him being a Dalai Lama. This method was also used in finding the current Dalai Lama. The process of identification is not limited to the dead Dalai Lama and the prospective reincarnation. There is other

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Properties of gases( pressure, volume, temperature by Boyle's Law) Research Paper

Properties of gases( pressure, volume, temperature by Boyle's Law) - Research Paper Example During the preliminary studies, Boyle systematically compressed air in a sealed glass tube with the mercury trapped in the side, (Stephen 146). He then varied the amount of mercury trapped in the tube and made observation on the pressure changes inside the column. He named the U-tube glass as manometer. Below is a diagram representing a simplified manometer. The setup shows a syringe with a completely sealed tip in a vertical position. The syringe is supported by a pre-drilled block as shown. The thin wire is used to let out the excess air trapped in the syringe when setting up the experiment. The wire is, however, removed just before the experiment begins. The block on top of the syringe serves as a shelf for the 1-kilogram bricks used to vary the pressure on the plunger. This experiment holds the finding by Robert Boyle that when the temperature of a gas is held constant; the pressure of the gas is inversely proportional to its volume. The relationship shows that when the volume increases, the pressure must decrease and vice versa is also

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Production of EPA by the Diatom Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Production of EPA by the Diatom - Coursework Example The experiment will use the diatom, Nitzschialaevis. Treatments to be used in experiment PI metal solution (Cepà ¡k, PÃ…â„¢ibyl, Kohoutkovà ¡, & KaÃ… ¡tà ¡nek, 2014).   The source of variation in experiment one is the treatment (PI solutions) used in the experiment. A PI solution of 4.5m/L and 3.5m/L used in the experiment will yield different yields in EPA. The treatment used in the experiment will account for the variation in the experiment.   From table 1.1 EPA 13.5ml/l had the highest EPA yield (mean = 219.5) compared to EPA 4.5 (mean=217.2). It implies that PI of the concentration of 13.5ml/l had a higher EPA yield. There was a big disparity yield of PI EPA 13.5ml\l (standard deviation =5.396) compared to EPA 4.5ml/l (standard deviation =3.821) this implies that yield of 13.5 PI was less spread compared to yield in 4.5 PI, which was more spread. It could be assumed to the way the experiment was handled; the time was taken to record the yield in the two experiments. The data of the two experiments were the same, most of the data points were to the left of the mean (skewness, -0.238, and 0.0377). However, the yield of 13.5ml/l was more skewed compared to the yield of 4.5ml/l.   Data of the treatment 4.5ml/l was more reliable to make inferences and conclusions (cv =1.759), compared to data of treatment 13.5ml/l (cv=2.464) which was less reliable to make a justification for the claim.   From the summary statistics, the yield of the two treatments was different this implies that level of PI concentration had a different effect on the diatom Nitzschialaevis (UTEX 2047). Metal PI was therefore important since different concentration yield different results.   Non-parametric test to be used is a chi-square while a parametric test to be used is a t-test. A chi-square test tests for the independence of the samples while a t-test test for the difference on the means of the two samples.   

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Alfred Hitchcock Movies Rebecca and Marnie Movie Review

Alfred Hitchcock Movies Rebecca and Marnie - Movie Review Example They included her former employer, a very demanding woman and her husband Maxim, sophisticated, suave and with varying temperaments. The poor girl, suffered in being constantly compared to the deceased Rebecca. She was most especially tormented by Mrs. Danvers, the family housekeeper who was very fond of Rebecca. Her loyalty is something weird because her actions assumed that Rebecca would be coming back from the dead. Mrs. Danvers was manipulative and made the young Mrs. De Winters so insecure which nearly drove the latter to suicide in her struggle to unravel the mystery of Rebecca. In the end, she realized that it was only Mrs. Danvers, the loyal housekeeper who wished her ill. A freak boating accident opened the mysteries of Rebeccas's death and eventually the truth came out. The young wife realized the extent of her husbands miseries because of Rebecca and discovered that she was truly loved by maxim. The knowledge gave her the strenth to take charge of her life. She blossomed f rom a meek and insecure girl to a mature and confident young woman. The transformation was brought about by the love and passion that she shared with her husband and their hope for a happier future together sans the haunting shadow of Rebecca. In end the good wins over the evil. The movie "Marnie" is of the same genre as that of the movie "Rebecca". ... The movie "Marnie" is of the same genre as that of the movie "Rebecca". It's the story of a beautiful woman who has the penchant of robbing dry her employers. She met her match in Mark, the rich playboy who recognized her and was attracted to her. She marked him to be her next victim. He, on the other hand, had her under surveillance so as to discover her secrets. Mark, in love with Marnie and challenged by her icy personality, played the role of an amateur psychologist and tried to solve and identify the root cause of her thieving activities. It turned out that her thievery and frigidity was caused by a childhood trauma and her only "cure" would be a sexual release. Mark wanted to be the man to do it. The two movies have the similar types of male heroes. Both Maxim and Mark were rich, worldly, and sophisticated who both loved their women passionately. They both helped their women overcome their insecurities and fears. The two women leads though are opposite in personalities. Whereas the second Mrs. De Winters was portrayed as someone with the wide-eyed innocence and beauty, Marnie was a bright, icy beauty who exuded confidence and self-assurance. Both ladies though suffer from fears and insecurities, the former because of her youth and inexperience and the haunting presence of her husband's first wife, and the latter because of a childhood trauma. The second Mrs. De Winters name has never been mentioned in the whole movie, perhaps to emphasize the point that she represented any ordinary girl in love, full of innocence and has the innate capacity to defend herself and fight for her love. Marnie is the more complicated character. She is not an ordinary girl. She is brilliant and be autiful but with a flaw in character. In contrast to Mrs. De Winters

Monday, September 23, 2019

Reflection response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection response - Assignment Example What about students that will be able to work in the laboratory setting, but not others? Is that fair to everyone, or the teacher? No, it is not. To expect a teacher to have multiple standards for a classroom of sometimes 25-30 students will effectively cripple the class. Classroom lectures, especially in subjects such as science, need to have continuity and flow from one point to another to help the students understand the material. One standard will help this, while multiple standards will create disruption and confusion while multiple lectures are conducted in words that students can understand and comprehend. What are the students to do while these multiple lectures are going on? While some type of work could be assigned, the confusion in the classroom will not create an ideal learning environment, and students will inevitably fall behind. Having multiple standards will not only effectively cripple the class in terms of disruption; it will spread the teacher too thin and make the teacher unable to adequately prepare the class or students. It is hard to imagine having to create more than one lesson plan for any classroom, and by having multiple standards, at least two if not more lesson plans will need to be created.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

IT Doesn’t matter Essay Example for Free

IT Doesn’t matter Essay â€Å"If a company needs evidence of the kind of money that might be saved, it need only look at Microsoft’s profit margin† Excerpts from a company’s strategy document †¢ the company will ensure that it will have at least 2 plug points in each room with AC connection. †¢ The switches will be white in color and will make a ‘click’ sound on pressing †¢ Press to hear the click sound Disclaimer †¢ We all agree to the fact that IT plays a crucial role in running an organisation. †¢ All that we are driving at is that the existence of IT does not grant a competitive advantage to a company, anymore In other words, IT lets you remain in the race, Winning is a totally different ball game altogether The (lost) Edge †¢ Can IT provide an edge for you? †¢ You only gain an edge over rivals by having or doing something that they can’t have or do. †¢ By now, the core functions of IT – data storage, data processing, and data transport – have become available and affordable to all. †¢ And hence they are becoming costs of doing business that must be paid by all but provide distinction to none Risk Advantage †¢ When a resource becomes essential to competition but inconsequential to strategy, the risks it creates become more important than the advantages it provides †¢ Lets classify technologies into †¢ Proprietary technologies †¢ Infrastructural technologies. †¢ Proprietary technologies can be owned, actually or effectively, by a single company. †¢ Infrastructural technologies, in contrast, offer far more value when shared IT has all the hallmarks of an infrastructural technology. †¢ Its mix of characteristics guarantees particularly rapid commoditization. †¢ IT is, first of all, a transport mechanism–it carries digital information just as railroads carry goods and power grids carry electricity. †¢ And like any transport mechanism, it is far more valuable when shared than when used in isolation Hence the technology’s potential for differentiating one company from the pack – its strategic potential – declines as it becomes accessible and affordable to all. Mainframe timesharing local area networks Ethernet networks Internet †¢ Each stage in the above progression has led to Greater standardization of the technology and hence greater homogenization of its functionality. †¢ The benefits of customization would be overwhelmed by the costs of isolation. †¢ Because most business activities and processes have come to be embedded in software, they become replicable †¢ Both the cost savings and the interoperability benefits make the sacrifice of distinctiveness unavoidable The arrival of the Internet has accelerated the commoditization of IT by providing a perfect delivery channel for generic applications Signs that the IT has reached Saturation †¢ First, IT’s power is outstripping most of the business needs it fulfills. Second, the price of essential IT functionality has dropped to the point where it is more or less affordable to all. Third, the capacity of the universal distribution network (the Internet) has caught up with demand – indeed, we already have considerably more fiber-optic capacity than we need. Fourth, IT vendors are rushing to position themselves as commodity suppliers or even as utilities. Finally, and most definitively, the investment bubble has burst, which historically has been a clear indication that an infrastructural technology is reaching the end of its buildout. Do the Right Thing†¦ †¢   The operational risks associated with IT are many – technical glitches, obsolescence, service outages, unreliable vendors or partners, security breaches, even terrorism–and some have become magnified as companies have moved from tightly controlled, proprietary systems to open, shared ones. IT may be a commodity, and its costs may fall rapidly enough to ensure that any new capabilities are quickly shared, but the very fact that it is entwined with so many business functions means that it will continue to consume a large portion of corporate spending. IT buyers should throw their weight around, to negotiate contracts that ensure the long term usefulness of their PC investments and impose hard limits on upgrade costs. And if vendors balk, companies should be willing to explore cheaper solutions, including open-source applications and bare-bones network PCs. Most of the major business technology vendors, from Microsoft to IBM, are trying to position themselves as IT utilities, companies that will control the provision of a diverse range of business applications over what is now called, â€Å"the grid. † The upshot is ever greater homogenization of IT capabilities, as more companies replace customized applications with generic ones. Wal-Mart and Dell Computer are exceptions to this though. In2002, the consulting firm Alinean compared the IT expenditures and the financial results of 7,500 large U. S. companies †¢ The 25 companies that delivered the highest economic returns, spent on average just 0. 8% of their revenues on IT, while the typical company spent 3. 7%. †¢ Larry Ellison, one of the great technology salesmen, admitted in a recent interview that â€Å"most companies spend too much [on IT] and get very little in return. † †¢ The key to success, for the vast majority of companies, is no longer to seek advantage aggressively but to manage costs and risks meticulously. Thank You

Saturday, September 21, 2019

IKEA - Case Study Essay Example for Free

IKEA Case Study Essay Synopsis of the situation IKEA (Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories. The company is now the worlds largest furniture retailer. IKEA was founded in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden, named as an acronym comprising the initials of the founders name (Ingvar Kamprad), the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his home parish. Kamprad started the company at his home as a mail order company. He sold goods which he purchased from low priced sources and then advertized in a newsletter to local shopkeepers. In 1948 he added in his catalogue furniture. Furniture was a success so he gave up the small items and focused only on furniture. In 1951 he opened the first display store in nearby Almhult where the customers could preview and inspect products and then order from the catalogue. This was also an immediate success as people travelled even from Stockholm to visit the store. This led IKEA to stop accepting mail orders. Now, the IKEA strategy is to publish a yearly catalogue, distribute it to the clients and encourage them to visit the store name (Barlett, Ghoshal, Beamish, 2008). The sales take off in the late 50s led IKEA to look abroad for new sources of supply as the local industry could not respond to the demand. In 1961, IKEA outsourced production to furniture factories in Poland. Poland became IKEAs largest source and lowered significantly the production costs. This allowed IKEA to reduce its prices even more. The success in Poland led IKEA to adopt a general principle that it should mot own its means of production but should look for suppliers with whom it should develop close long term relationships. Building on the first stores success, the first store in Stockholm opened in 1965. Even before that, in 1963, IKEA operated a store in Oslo. Other  countries followed and today IKEA operates 313 stores in 38 countries, most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (IKEA, 2010). Some of IKEAs competitive advantages are that the brand is associated with simple, low cost,  stylish products. The concept was furnishing products and house-wares that had wide appeal to a variety of markets and segments, both consumer and the business market exclusively. Both markets were looking for well styled, high quality furniture that reasonably priced and readily available. Also, IKEA developed a model for the business, where it was able to keep costs low. From the customer point of view, they were able to buy low cost furniture, even though they had to assemble and collect the flat-packed furniture from stores. IKEA to was able to reduce costs, as this costly part of the value chain was carried out by the customer. Adding to that, IKEA promoted the Swedish lifestyle. Many people associate Sweden with a fresh, healthy way of life. This Swedish lifestyle is reflected in the IKEA product range. The freshness of the open air is reflected in the colors and materials used and the sense of space they create: blond woods, natural textiles and untreated surfaces. Also IKEA stores promote Swedish food and products. IKEAs low-priced restaurant and grocery shop have made IKEA Swedens leading food exporter. However, global expansion was not without problems for IKEA. During the 1980s environmental problems arose with some of IKEAs products and during the 1990s IKEA was accused that its suppliers were using child labor. In the 1980s the formaldehyde regulations passed in Denmark caused problems to IKEA. After the discovery that some of its products emitted more formaldehyde than the legislation allowed the company was fined. The company responded and established stringent requirements regarding formaldehyde emissions. Even though, the problem did not vanish as in 1992 a German investigation team found that an IKEA bookcase had higher emissions that the ones allowed by the German law. Since then, IKEA has improved its procedures to evaluate the environmental impact of its products. Currently, IKEA uses a tool called the ‘e-Wheel’ to evaluate the environmental impact of its products. The e-Wheel  helps IKEA to analyze the four stages within the life of a product. This also helps suppliers improve their understanding of the environmental impact of the products they are supplying (The Times 100). Next, the issue with child labor arose in 1994 when a Swedish television documentary showed children in Pakistan working at weaving looms. IKEA was one of the several Swedish companies that were mentioned as importers of carpets from Pakistan. IKEA was unaware of the problem and tried to respond by sending a legal team to Geneva  for input and advice from the International Labor. Association(ILO). IKEA discovered that child labor was not illegal in these countries so the only way to handle the problem was by adding a clause for child labor in their contracts and outsource the monitoring of this clause to a third party company. But it seems that this measure was not effective enough, as in 2007, Anders Dahlvig, the multi-nationals Chief Executive Officer, admitted that some of the companys products were still produced using child labor (Wadsworth, 2007). Key Issues and Players The key players in this case are the IKEA company and its suppliers. In order to keep its competitive advantage IKEA outsources its product manufacturing to third party suppliers throughout the world. But, this practice is often the source of many issues. Many times the legislation in these countries does not match the standards and the ethical values of the western developed countries which are the main customer base of the company. This fact can cause issues like weak environmental policies or child labor that hurt the public image of the company. This has direct effect on the companys sales. Problem The main problem that IKEA faces nowadays is the uncontrolled child labor in countries which supply the company with carpets. Child labor in countries like India and Pakistan is a common phenomenon. The company lacks effective ways to control its suppliers in these countries. At the same time, child  labor is socially acceptable in these places as poverty pushes people to find ways to survive. So the company cannot rely on the local authorities for help. Also, any attempts on behalf of IKEA to control this issue didnt seem to succeed. Alternative Solutions A possible solution for controlling the child labor for IKEA is to cancel any contracts with suppliers in countries that do not adopt the convention 138 of ILO, that deals with the child labor issues. This way IKEA will be able to get assistance for child labor issues from local authorities since it will be prohibited by local laws. Another solution would be to come to more strict agreements with the suppliers and launch intensive controls for the effectuation of the agreement. Selected Solution The selected solution is IKEA to enhance its agreements with the suppliers and intensify its controls against child labor. The company should appoint inspectors in these countries that would inspect the suppliers and report the situation on frequent basis Results and Rationale of the Solution The cancelation of the contracts does not seem a rational choice at the moment because it will have a big cost for the company. The company will need to find new suppliers in other countries with higher labor cost and doubtable product quality. This is a move with higher risk and cost that the selected solution. Positive and Negative Results The positive results of the selected solution are that the child labor issues will decrease and the companys profile will be protected. The negative results are that the companys cost will increase as inspection staff will be hired to perform the inspections and some contracts will need to be canceled due to failure to adhere to the conditions of the contract by the suppliers References Barlett, C., Ghoshal, S., Beamish, P. (2008). Transnational Management. Singapore: McGraw-Hill. Building a sustainable supply chain. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2010, from The Times 100: http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-studybuilding-a-sustainable-supply-chain110-279-3.php IKEA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2010, from IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/ms/sv_SE/about_ikea/facts_and_figures/ikea_group_stores/index.html Wadsworth, M. (2007, May 22). IKEA exposed over child Labour and green issues. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from The Latest: http://www.the-latest.com/ikea-slammed-over-child-labour-andgreen-issues

Friday, September 20, 2019

UK Grocery Retailing Industry Macro Influences And Tesco Marketing Essay

UK Grocery Retailing Industry Macro Influences And Tesco Marketing Essay The global retail industry has metamorphosed more in the last seven decades than it has in the last seven centuries. History tells us that the retail business depends on the economic and disposable income levels of the populace that moves from the centres of economic deprivation to the industrialised and prosperous environments. The evolution of the retail industry in the United Kingdom bears testimony to this phenomenon. The last few decades have seen heterogeneous expansion in food retailing in the UK, including the materialisation of innovative shop formats, superior logistics, capital outlays in new technology, sophistication of supply chain processes, and the continuous growth of supermarket chains (Nicholson-Lord, 2004). This report takes up the food retail sector, with particular reference to the strategies followed by Tesco, for examination and analysis. Supermarkets reflect, in the United Kingdom as elsewhere, the reality of contemporary economic life and have an enormous and urbane influence over the grocery supply chain (Defra, 2006). The supermarket industry is lucritive and could be said to be profiteering at consumers expense, however recent investigations into the industry by the competition commision show that this is not the case the industry is currently broadly competitive and that, overall, excessive prices are not being charged, nor excessive profits earned. (Defra, 2006). The sector has changed and adapted over time from solely selling groceries to offering a wide range of products under one roof. With technologcal improvement and the internet being used by the many, operations have also moved online allowing customers to shop for anything from bread and milk to car insurance and telephones from their computer. This structured report deals with: the key macro factors in the evolution of UK supermarkets; the current attractiveness of the supermarket sector, and; Tescos growth strategy. 2. Key Macro Factors in the Evolution of UK Supermarkets The retail business in British cities, till the 1960s, had a hierarchical arrangement and focused on the central commercial districts. It was balanced by a comparatively minor number of town or district centres, offering a strapping convenience-goods merchandising function, and a secondary array of comparison wares for particular city centres (Bromley Thomas, 1993). The next stage of transformation from the mid-1960s onwards: increasing prosperity and disposable incomes; rising levels of vehicle ownership; urbanisation; increased levels of female participation in employment, has driven new patterns of consumer behaviour and increased demand for specialised and sophisticated ranges of goods and services (Bowlby, 2001). This transformation has been instrumental in changing the character of the urban retail landscape (Bromley Thomas, 1993). Political and Legal The supermarket sector is under constant political watch since restriction of competition and accusations of being an oligopolistic market arose. Investigations carried out by the Competition Commission resulted in the adoption of a Code of Practice, which has now been in operation for some years. The sector is also under governmental pressure to increase its employment levels, particularly because employment in the supermarket sector has not kept pace with growth (Emerging, 2010). Economic Supermarket operations are under pressure because of the ongoing economic downturn. High unemployment levels, along with stagnation in consumer incomes, has affected consumer spending. Supermarkets are responding with better offers through renegotiation of supplier prices and improvement of operational efficiencies (Tesco, 2009). Social Social and demographic changes play a major role in supermarket operations. For example, the ageing population, along with an increasing number of female workers, single parents and divorcees, is reducing the frequency of meals prepared at home. Increasing consumer focus on health is leading to greater stocking of organic foods and Fairtrade marked products (De Chatel Hunt, 2003). Technological Most supermarkets now have an online presence to market their products and have set up efficient, well designed e-commerce websites. Supermarkets use modern technology in a number of other areas e.g. electronic shelf labelling, customer data management and supply chain management (Tesco, 2009). Environmental Although supermarkets are very popular, they are scrutinised for increased fossil fuel consumption due to goods transportation and changing shopping patterns, requiring customers to drive to supermarkets. Also the introduction of reduced usage of plastic bags in supermarkets, Marks Spencer was a leader in reducing the plastic bags used by its consumers; a five pence levy was placed on each carrier bag in a bid to curb usage. Other supermarkets although not charging customers to use the bags withdrew from the shop floor and customers had to ask if they needed the bags. Tesco introduced a clubcard scheme offering customers clubcard points to customers who do not use plastic bags. 3. Current Market Position of UK Supermarkets It needs to be noted that the retail business has evolved from an industrial to a post-industrial stage. More than 2.1 million people, approximately comprising about 10 per cent of the labour force, were working in retail distribution by 1992 (Employment Gazette  November 1992), and the biggest retailers are now among the major companies (Lowe Crewe 1991). Competitive Rivalry The supermarket sector witnesses intense rivalry between market participants. Supermarkets have grown at the expense of specialist food shops (e.g. grocers, green grocers, dairies, butchers and fishmongers) by offering wider product ranges and lower prices under one roof(keynote 2007). The constant monitoring of market share, price wars, innovative shopping formats, promotions and loyalty schemes not only demonstrate the rivalry present but also the struggle each supermarket faces for customer footfalls. With the four main supermarkets having such a large market share, the UK supermarket industry could be said to be operating as an oligopoly. However as shown by the competition commission and the Office of Fair Trading, there is no anti-competitive behaviour taking place. In realty prices would be lower for consumers in a perfectly competitive market rather than the oligopolistic market that is currently in the UK, however unless there is clear evidence of price-fixing or cartels it would be highly unlikely government will intervene and take action to stop the big four supermarkets growing further. Bargaining Power of Buyers The power of buyers can be interpreted in different ways. At first glance, they appear to be powerful because they have a wide range of products to choose from, and can switch from one supermarket to another. In antithesis, customers have lost the flexibility, home grown service, and range of produce that was available with traditional providers. Consumers may be loyal to their local supermarket, but by no policy or guidelines consumers are technically free to shop at any supermarket. The government through the OFT ensure that a fair price is being charged to consumers. The consumer could be said to have immense power as with the industry being so competitive and incentives always being used customers are benefiting. Also the wide use of the Internet now allows customers to check prices and compare products online before purchasing, whether they purchase in store or online. But they could be said to have very little power as they cannot negotiate, the prices are set by the supermarket and cannot be changed by the buyer. Bargaining Power of Suppliers? The power of supermarket suppliers Suppliers power is the most talked about force within the supermarket industry. UK supermarkets have immense purchasing power due to their dominant size and can demand products at the price and quality they require. The problem facing suppliers is because there are so many suppliers if one fails to meet the requirements of the supermarket then the supermarket can go to another supplier and get what they want. This gives them relatively little or no bargaining power with the supermarkets. The supplier code of practice has been put in place by the government to stop such bad practice by retailers however its viability is yet to be seen. Many smaller suppliers are still saying that they are being bullied by the large supermarkets price and other conditions. But as with any business transaction, the seller wants to achive the highest possible price and the buyer wants to keep costs as low as possible, the interests of bother parties will be different. Threat of New Entrants The threat from new entrants is comparatively weak because of the immense financial investments required to effectively enter the UK supermarket and superstore segment. It is difficult for entrants to invest the capital required for space, assets, and extremely sophisticated supply chains. Other barriers include existing market shares, scale economies, product differentiation and customer knowledge expertise built by existing players. However with supermarkets requiring planning permission for every new store there are areas in the country in which smaller independents which are wearket to get access and launch or continue their business. With the government offering many grants and tax relief for small businesses it could be said that the market is still a free market to operate in. But by being a free market and open economy it also allows large multinationals enter the uk supermarket industry through mergers and acquisitions as that of Wal-Mart purchasing Asda in 1999. By government not intervening it has allowed Asda to compete much more in the industry without the funding it would lag behind its rivals substantially. This has also been the case with the merger of Safeway and Morrisons. By not intervening the government has allowed the market to be less monopolistic as their would have only been two large players, Tesco and Sainsburys. Threat of Substitute Products/Services The threat from substitutes is weak because of evolved consumer buying habits and the enormous convenience provided by supermarkets. This was recently illustrated by the failure of Aldi and Lidl who tried to take advantage of the economic recession by introducing new and more economical shopping formats. The threat of substitutes could be said to be irelavent as there is no substitute as everybody needs food, however substitutes such as smaller specialist food retailers could be seen as a substitute. With government emphasis on healthy eating, the large supermarkets have started to label their foods nutritional value in much more depth. This oculd be seen as indirect intervention and government may have actually hindered smaller food retailers who had found a niche in the market, and also therefore reduced the threat of substitutes. But with some products the price inelasticity or luxury means that customers are willing to pay more for the product, for example organic produce from farmers markets. However with more and more emphasis on healthy eating being made on all forms of media by the government, the green grocers, butchers and other smaller units may be seeing an increase in sales due to the freshness of their produce. Customers from supermarkets may prefer to purchase food from these smaller retailers as they know the quality may exceed what they would normally purchase and will be healthier. Clearly customers are willing to pay more where they Summary Whilst the industry may appear to be attractive, because of the growth and profitability being achieved by market participants, it is characterised by enormous competition and very high entry barriers. Organisations trying to enter the market need to have high capital reserves, a consistent strategy, and the willingness to grow by acquisition, as well as through organic means. In conclusion the supermarket industry can be shaped and restrained by government intervention but by allowing the industry to continue as a free market, everyone is seen to benefit, whether it be consumers getting the best possible price, making suppliers livelihoods, or the economy as whole growing. 4. Tesco: Strategy and Growth Tesco has a deep-rooted and constant strategy for growth, which has allowed the strengthening of its core UK business and growth into fresh markets. The underlying principle of the strategy, laid down in 1997, was to enlarge the span of the business to allow the delivery of a sturdy and protracted long-term growth (Quick facts, 2009). This can be achieved by pursuing current Tesco customers and encouraging them into purchasing from its other domestic businesses, including financial services, non-food and telecommunications (Quick facts, 2009). They are currently ranked 4th in global retail sales and operate in 13 countries in 2008 (Delloite 2009). The objectives of this five pronged strategy are (a) to be a successful global retailer, (b) to grow the core UK business, (c) to be equally robust in food and non-food segments (d) to scale up retailing services like Tesco Personal Finance and (e) to place community at the centre of its strategy (Tesco plc, 2009). In being a successful global retailer, Tesco has long practiced the commonly used glocal practices which encompass the ground realities of the local environment with the global best business practices. Being close to the consumers enables quick reaction times, especially in the current downturn, to the local changes as they happen in its markets across the world (Tesco plc, 2009). Dunnhumby, the consumer research entity that enabled Tescos Clubcard loyalty scheme, has brought about a deep understanding of the consumers wants. This was developed through many years of research in customer insight skills and buying patterns. (Tesco Group, 2010). Market Penetration During the last recession, Value lines was launched in the country to provide the cheapest grocery products, inclusive of discounters. Keeping quality in mind, Tesco made the biggest change to their product range by launching 500 new items as part of their Discount Brands (Tesco plc, 2009). The unique efficiency saving plan called Step Change has already delivered  £540 million of productivity and other changes. These have been ploughed back primarily into efficiency projects that encompass the entire business from stores and depots to the office (Tesco plc, 2009). Examples of such improvements include reducing energy consumption in stores, eliminating 52,000 store deliveries by means of larger-fill transportation, leading to added savings of 12 million road miles. Also, the introduction of new self checkout technology for stores, as well as introducing pioneering technology to allow electronic check-in of bread and milk depot deliveries leading to a sizeable removal of paperwork and administration (Tesco plc, 2009). Tescos offer of five pence of a litre of fuel in their petrol stations, this a form of market penetration in an aim to get more customers through the doors in its supermarket operations, while giving them a discount on fuel. This strategy employed by Tesco could be seen as successful as the promotion is offered regularly on a short term basis, also competitor Sainsburys also do the promotion on a regular basis. Diversification The non-food market remains an essential component of Tescos long-term strategy, since it encompasses a market similar to that in size of food, and provides a vast opportunity. Empirical data strongly suggests that the consumer will buy, even in poor economic conditions, when they see value. By products being sourced globally, consolidating freight volumes and investing in buying hubs,Tesco are able to exploit economies of scale to ensure customers receive the best possible price.(Tesco plc, 2009). The global purchasing office based in Hong Kong is accountable for buying 100,000 non-food products for the entire Group and, wherever possible, the purchases are sourced directly through factories without involving agents. This sourcing team last year shipped 72,000 containers from 54 ports. The sourcing hubs based largely in Asia and Europe ensure that the goods are delivered from ethical sources, on time, and in the best price and quality (Tesco plc, 2009). Product Development The Tesco website has around 1.5 million hits per week and Tesco Direct, which is controlled within tesco.com, is effortlessly accessible to customers via the internet and their catalogues (Tesco plc, 2009). The strategic retailing services comprise of tesco.com, online shopping channels, Tesco Direct, telecoms, and Tesco Personal Finance. All financial products are obtainable online and over 50% of customers choose to purchase in this manner (Tesco plc, 2009).Tesco has targeted profitability growth in the services division from approximately  £400 million in 2007/08 to  £1 billion over the next few years (Tesco plc, 2009). High quality practices for supply chain and customer relationship management, used in conjunction with Point of Sale (POS) software, has enabled Tesco to manage a paradigm shift in its core retail business. This has enabled Tesco to reach out to its exsisting customers in order for them to utilise the other retail services available. A critical cornerstone of Tescos strategy is to strategically position the community at the core of its operations. The Group has taken a leadership role in its efforts towards climate change and environmental responsibility, and has set ambitious targets to reduce emissions in its own buildings and distribution networks (Tesco plc, 2009). Market Development Tesco is now the first UK retail major to exhibit the full carbon footprint of all its own-label milk ranges, excluding organic milk, and has vowed to footprint 500 products by the year end. Reassuringly, research has now established that 50% of shoppers surveyed now realise the proper meaning of carbon footprint, as against only 32% of shoppers surveyed in the previous year (Smithers, 2009). Extensive scrutiny of sales and loyalty card data has enabled Tesco to select the main items for economy conscious buyers. This has enabled prices to be reduced on important consumption goods, in order to assist customers in the difficult economic conditions as well as beating competitor prices (Tesco plc, 2009). In response to the threat posed last year from the fast-expanding discount stores, including Aldi, Tesco reacted quicker than competitors in taking a stance. The launch of the Discount Brands at Tesco scheme presented price deflation, rather than expecting customers to downgrade, in contrast to competitors. The initiatives main aim was to retain the current market share held by Tesco and prevent these discount stores from acquiring further market share. Tesco was the first major player in the online grocery market (Mintel, 2010), giving it the first mover advantage. This has allowed Tesco to build up a strong customer base as at one point, it was the only UK supermarket to offer onlne groceries. Their share is steadily declining as their competitors are also offering customers the ease of shopping online by having an online presense. Although it operates transacional websites for three countries many of its sales are generated in the UK. It began trading with food only but in only three years of operation it expanded and launched the non-food section, Tesco Direct. From 2004 2008, Tesco.com sales as a percentage of all uk revenue has grown from 2.6% to 5.0, this is shown in Appendix Tescos online division has been so successful that two stores have had to be opened just to service online demand (Mintel, 2010) 5. Conclusion Supermarkets and superstores are an undisputable part of the geographical contours and the economic foundation of UK society. Such supermarkets, comprising of Tesco, Sainsburys, ASDA, Waitrose and Morrison, provide approximately 80 % of the foods consumed by UK residents and play an important role in the determination of consumer choice across the country. The growth of supermarkets, much of which has occurred during the last few decades has been driven by the rapid and far reaching transformation of UK society, characterised by increasing prosperity and disposable incomes, rising levels of vehicle ownership, urbanisation, increased levels of female participation in employment has driven new patterns of consumer behaviour and increased demand for specialised and sophisticated range of goods and services (Bowlby, 2001). This transformation has been instrumental in changing the character of the urban retail landscape. Tesco, the clear leader of the UK supermarket sector, and otherwise an eminent example of British commercial and retailing skills, has constantly adopted a fundamental and steadfast strategy for growth, which has reaulted in the constant strengthening and expansion of its core UK business and helped it to grow into new markets. The primary principle of its strategy, which is now being followed for more than a decade, lies in enlarging business span iin order to allow for delivery of robust and and continuous growth. Recent years are also witnessing much improved corporate citizenship in the supermarket sector, with regard to the purposeful and determined support for health and organic foods and sustained efforts to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions. Appendices Appendix 1 (Tesco Group, 2009) Five year summary IFRS 2005 20061 2007 2008 2009 53 weeks Financial statistics Group sales (including VAT) ( £m) 36,957 43,137 46,611 51,773 59,426 Revenue (excluding VAT) ( £m) UK 27,146 29,990 32,665 34,8586 38,191 Rest of Europe 3,818 5,095 5,559 6,872 8,862 Asia 2,902 4,369 4,417 5,552 7,068 US 166 206 Total Group 33,866 39,454 42,641 47,298 54,327 Operating profit2  ( £m) UK 1,556 1,788 2,083 2,1646 2,540 Rest of Europe 243 263 324 400 479 Asia 153 229 241 294 343 US (67)6 (156) Total Group 1,952 2,280 2,648 2,791 3,206 Operating profit margin2 UK 5.7% 6.0% 6.4% 6.2%6 6.7% Rest of Europe 6.4% 5.2% 5.8% 5.8% 5.4% Asia 5.3% 5.2% 5.5% 5.3% 4.9% US n/a6 n/a Total Group 5.8% 5.8% 6.2% 5.9% 5.9% Share of results of joint ventures and associates3  ( £m) 74 82 106 75 110 Profit on sale of investment in associates 25 Net finance costs3  ( £m) (132) (127) (126) (63) (362) Profit before tax ( £m) 1,894 2,235 2,653 2,803 2,954 Taxation3  ( £m) (541) (649) (772) (673) (788) Minority interests ( £m) (3) (6) (7) (6) (5) (Loss)/profit for the period from discontinued operation4  ( £m) (6) (10) 18 Profit for the financial year attributable to equity holders of the parent ( £m) 1,344 1,570 1,892 2,124 2,161 Underlying profit before tax5  ( £m) 1,925 2,277 2,545 2,846 3,128 Enterprise value7  ( £m) 27,910 30,841 40,469 37,656 35,907 Basic earnings per share8 17.52p 20.20p 23.61p 26.95p 27.50p Diluted earnings per share8 17.30p 19.92p 23.31p 26.61p 27.31p Dividend per share9 7.56p 8.63p 9.64p 10.90p 11.96p Return on shareholders funds10 23.2% 24.9% 26.7% 25.1% 23.9% Return on capital employed11 11.8% 12.7% 12.6%16 12.9%17 13.0%20 Group statistics Number of stores 2,334 2,672 3,263 3,751 4,332 Total sales area 000 sq ft12 49,135 55,215 68,189 76,338 88,451 Average employees 335,750 368,213 413,061 444,127 468,508 Average full-time equivalent employees 242,980 273,024 318,283 345,737 364,015 UK retail statistics Number of stores 1,780 1,898 1,988 2,11518 2,28221 Total sales area 000 sq ft12 24,207 25,919 27,785 29,54918 31,28521 Average store size (sales area sq ft)13 31,677 32,816 34,209 35,05518 35,21521 Average full-time equivalent employees 163,006 175,459 184,461 193,917 194,420 UK retail productivity ( £) Revenue per employee14 166,534 170,923 177,084 179,840 196,436 Profit per employee14 9,564 10,190 11,292 10,81419 13,065 Weekly sales per sq ft15 23.89 25.06 25.48 25.43 26.21 1. Results for the year ended 25 February 2006 include 52 weeks for the UK and ROI and 14 months for the majority of the remaining International businesses. 2. Operating profit includes integration costs and profit/(loss) arising on sale of fixed assets. Operating margin is based upon revenue excluding VAT. 3. Share of results of joint ventures and associates is stated net of the interest and tax of the Groups joint ventures and associates. The Groups charges for interest and tax have been reduced by these amounts. 4. Consists of the net result of the Taiwanese business which was sold during 2006/7. 5. IFRS underlying profit excludes IAS 32 and IAS 39 Financial Instruments Fair value remeasurements, the IAS 19 Income Statement charge, which is replaced by the normal cash contributions for pensions, IAS 17 Leases impact of annual uplifts in rent and rent-free periods and IFRS 3 Amortisation charge from intangible assets arising on acquisition. For further details of this measure,  see accounting policies. 6. Results have been restated to reflect the US as a separate segment. 7. Market capitalisation plus net debt. 8. Basic and diluted earnings per share are on a continuing operations basis. 9. Dividend per share relating to the interim and proposed final dividend. 10. Profit before tax divided by average shareholders funds. 11. The numerator is profit before interest, less tax. The denominator is the calculated average of net assets plus net debt plus dividend creditor less net assets held for sale. 12. Store sizes exclude lobby and restaurant areas. 13. Average store size excludes Express and One Stop stores. 14. Based on average number of full-time equivalent employees in the UK, revenue exclusive of VAT and operating profit. 15. Based on weighted average sales area and sales excluding property development. 16. Excludes one-off gain from Pensions A-Day, with this one-off gain ROCE was 13.6%. 17. Using a normalised tax rate before start-up costs in the US and Tesco Direct and excluding the impact of foreign exchange in equity and our acquisition of a majority share of Dobbies. 18. Excluding 53 US stores and 22 Dobbies stores. 19. Excluding start-up costs in the US and Tesco Direct and adjusting average number of full-time equivalent employees in the UK to exclude US and Tesco Direct employees profit per employee would be  £11,317. 20. Excluding acquisition of TPF and Homever, and India start-up costs, and after adjusting for assets held for sale. Calculated on a 52 week basis, ROCE for 2008/9 is 12.8%. 21. Excluding 24 Dobbies stores. Appendix 2 (Tesco Group, 2009) Quick facts Staff worldwide 468,508 Staff in the UK 286,394 Stores worldwide 4,308 Total stores in the UK 2,282 By format 177 Extra 10 Homeplus 448 Superstore 174 Metro 961 Express 512 OneStop Number of markets 14 Which markets China, Czech Republic,  Hungary, India, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, UK, USA Facts correct May 2009 Appendix 3 (Tesco Group, 2010)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Street racing: On The Inside :: essays research papers

For 19-year-old Jeff, weekends begin on a long strip of highway near Atlanta. rather than browsing the mall or going to the movies like others his age. Jeff joins a group of his comrades and spectators to witness a spectacular show of speed. As we pulled up to the meeting spot he looks over at me and says, â€Å"Welcome to the world of illegal street racing.† "We have a cruising area where all the cars go and just chill. If someone wants to race," says Jeff, "they just ask...most of our races are with people you know pretty well...we don't have the major race nights like they have in other areas." The other areas Jeff refers to are about as common as can be and can probably be found on a straightaway near you. "Motorsports has made incredible progress as a legitimate sporting event in the last decade," says Editorial Director of NHRA Publications Phil Burgess. "Corporate America has taken a keen interest in motorsports, which has led to the proliferation of not just racing teams, but racing venues, where racers and fans can go to enjoy the fast-paced excitement that the varied forms of racing have to offer. Many sanctioning bodies offer grassroots-level racing, often where families can enter a race car literally off the street and compete against similar entries." Contrary to popular belief, street racing isn't only found on the fast moving streets of the major cities, its going on all over the country. Recent articles published on MSNBC.com report on street drag racing as an increasing problems in such out of the way places as Spokane, Washington and Forth Worth, Texas; other articles found on www.abc.com report on accidents and coverage of events in Washington D.C., Boston and New York City. Los Angeles County is a big street racing scene however, was recently given a $200,000 state grant to crack down on the illegal street racing activity. Penalties for racing vary from state to state and offense to offense, but can range from a slap on the wrist ticket to arrest and impounding of the vehicle as was the case last January when police in Sylmar-Sun Valley arrested 32 people and impounded 72 vehicles after a sweep. With such heavy impending penalties why would anyone set themselves up for what seems imminent trouble? "Everyone's got a hobby," says Jeff. "And this just happens to be mine.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Portrayal of Man in Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov Essay example -

Portrayal of Man in The Brothers Karamazov  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Debauchery, dueling, infidelity, orgies, and even monastery life are all used to help Fyodor Dostoevesky define his characters in The Brothers Karamazov. At the beginning of the novel, the reader becomes filled with contempt for a few members of the Karamazov family, yet filled with admiration for others. The legitimate members of the Karamasov family each represent a separate aspect of human character, which is applicable to society. In some ways the characters resemble separate factions and cliques of society that most often argue, but together can be productive. This is shown not by direct implication, but rather the reader discovers the fact on their own by becoming infuriated at the stupidity of the Karamazov men. This anger leads to the realization that in many ways, they themselves are in some ways similar to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fyodor Pavlovich Karamasov is the patriarch of the family. A shrewd businessman, Fyodor is very self-centered and cares more for himself than anyone else. He is a brilliant man for making deals and increasing his wealth, but manages to be oblivious of manners and societal rules. A tendency to act is an enormous fault in him, and he leaves an impression of having no deeply personal feelings, only overzealous acting to fit his "role" at any given time. When Fyodor's first wife dies Dostoevesky explains, "What seemed to gratify and flatter him most was to play the ridiculous part of the injured husband and to parade his woes with embellishments"(4). Because he has little, if any personal feelings, this enables him be indifferent towards others' emotions. Happiness is the only cause worth pursuing to Fyodor, and he will cross anyone to achieve it. Wh... ...e in their own ways. When searching for separate goals, and conflicting with each other, they can accomplish very little. The more inner-conflict within the family, the more problems they seem to find themselves in. These men, representing different aspects of society and humankind, have problems that they cannot solve on their own. If the Karamazov's were to work together towards a common goal, much could become accomplished, just as society could solve many conflicts through teamwork and cooperation. The characters in the novel The Brothers Karamazov show the reader that most societal conflicts are unnecessary and could easily be remedied through understanding and patience. WORKS CITED Dostoevesky, Fyodor Mikhailovich. The Brothers Karamazov. The Constance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Garnett Translation revised by Ralph E. Matlaw. New York: W. W. Norton   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  & Company Inc., 1976

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Car Bumper Design – materials and specifications

Bumpers are safety features fixed to the front and back of vehicles. They are design to take a certain amount of impact from a collision by acting as dampers. To improve efficiency and performance modern bumpers are design to be aerodynamic and cheap. By developing wind channels in the bumper air can be used to provide more grip and stability for a safer drive. Modern bumpers are also design to be interchangeable after impacts for low cost repair. Car manufactures tend to design their bumpers from thermoplastics as it is cheaply made and adsorbs impacts more effectively. To design an efficient bumper all possible environmental and unforeseen circumstances most be taken into account. Material specification Since metal components were more used in the design of larger vehicles a polymer based material was selected. This allowed for cheaper and easier manufacture components. To select the appropriate polymer for the bumper the fallowing applications had to be look at to obtain an overall purpose of the bumper. * Vehicle car crash Frontal-impact tests To protect pedestrians from low speed frontal-impacts standard test are performed on the front of cars. Bumpers are subject to impacting a dummy at knee height. If there isn't enough impact absorption in the bumper resulting in a broken leg test failure will occur. To combat this application material's with high absorption and tensile strength is look at first. [1] * Environmental factor Environmental factor involves a range of different topics for this project the main ones will be focus on o Recycling or disposal of the material safely and cheaply. A polymer that is commonly recyclable with low disposal costs. o Protection of the material for weather conditions. Nearly all plastic experience UV degrading from the sun or micro fractures occurring from frost over time. Finding the highest resilient polymer and adding additives should solve this problem for a suitable polymer. * Manufacturing Process During the manufacturing process the polymer will have to undergo heat treatment, compression and shearing processes. Preferably a polymer with a high melt flow index and a low melting temperature. This would allow for cheaper heating cost and quicker cycle times. Mechanical Properties To obtain the required specification of the polymer required the fallowing standard tests are performed. Property ASTM * Melt flow index D1238 * Tensile strength D638 * Tensile modulus D638 * Flexural strength D790 * Flexural Modulus D790 * Notched Izod impact test D256 Material Selection After researching different polymers and comparing mechanical properties it was found that Polypropylene polymer was mainly used in manufacturing of bumpers. PP (Polypropylene) Polypropylene is highly common material in manufacturing from furniture to carpets. The reason for its popularity is its low cost, making it suitable for the production of bumpers. Manufacturing methods: PP is suitable for extrusion, injection moulding and vacuum forming. It has a high melt flow index which allows for quicker flow through the mould. This optimises time between granulated polymer entering and leaving as a component. Its low melting point allows for cheaper heating costs. Mechanical properties: The mechanical properties for PP show high impact resistance even in low temperatures. The material is stiff, and the properties are kept over a wide temperature range. These properties allow for the polymer to experience enough flexibility to absorb small impacts while returning to its original shape. Average Melt flow index 26.8 g/10min Tensile strength 33.0 MPa Flexural strength 49.0 MPa Notched Izod impact test 2.00 kJ/mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Melting point 159 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C Table 1 Environmental factor PP experience small amount of UV degradation but this is relatively small compared to other polymer to solve this additives are added. Though this adds further costs the benefits of the other properties compensates for loses. [3] PP is considered a type 5 plastic for recycling. It is commonly recycled fulfilling the environmental factor. Disadvantages When coating and painting the finished component it is found that polypropylene is hard to work with. Colours and dies have to be added at the right time and temperature for quality assured product. Alternative ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) exhibits a lot of PP properties. But due to high UV degradation additives are added increasing costs. Process selection Manufacturing of polymer components involve a verity of different ways. Through research injection-compression moulding was the most commonly used form of manufacturing a bumper. Injection-compression moulding Fig [1] 1. Support wall for injection and apposing compression clamp of mould 2. Mould with coolant attached 3. Main clamping forcing that applies pressure on the mould to counter react the force of injection 4. Second clamping forcing applied after injection mould process is complete. This further compresses the polymer in the mould. Due to a larger surface area more pressure is exerted completely filling the mould. 5. Secondary hydraulic ram 6. Locking levers 7. Tie Bar for supporting movement of clamp 8. Lock of point 9. Primary Hydraulic ram 10. Back support wall Injection Moulding Injection moulding involves the feeding in of granulated ABS into the feed hopper. As it is funnelled down the polymer enters the cork screw were it is slowly force up the shaft. During this process the polymer is slowly heat by the heaters surrounding the shaft. At the end the polymer is heated enough to melting temperature allowing for flow to occur. By the cork screw constantly compressing the polymer all air bubbles are force out resulting in a uniform flow of polymer been extruded through the sprue into mould. Compression moulding On entering the mould the polymer is forced to spread out to fill the mould. In conventional injection moulding the polymer would only fill about 96% of the mould. By having a partial opened mould the existing polymer in the mould can then be compress completely filling the mould. [2] By combing these two process techniques compression-injection moulding is performed. Properties Moulding machines with clamping range from 8000KN to 13000KN and a shot capacity up to 4000g m/s. Suppliers Engel, Demag, Klockner, Windsor http://www.sumitomo-shi-demag.eu/products/ Alternative Thermoforming forming of the product by place a heated blank sheet of the polymer over the mould and through suction creating the component Bumper drawings The fallowing drawings show the basic model of the part been produced. The overall thickness of the bumper throughout was taken as 10mm. The part had to be design to suit the mould so the polymer could flow easy. This involved keeping a constant flow of lines so no corners would be create and fairly uniform surface Fig. 1 Auxiliary view of bumper Fig. 2 Bumper Mould design Designing and constructing the mould requires highly precise work in both physical and theatrical ends of the process. To break even on cost a mould has to withstand a prolong cycle time. To achieve this length of time attention product quality most be reliable. Fig. 3 Mould and bumper Creating the mould involve the fallowing design parameters * Shape of bumper and tolerances * Mould had to be design for injection process * Direct gate hot runner injection system for funnelling the melted polymer from the injection system to the mould. By insulating the mould from the runner the temperature of the sprue can be maintained allowing the same left over material to be injected into the next product. * A draft angle throughout the mould and the sprue to allow for easy release. 1à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ per side of the sprue * Cooling system to allow for uniform temperature during cooling * It was desire not to have sharp corners in the mould as it reduces the bumper strength while creating mould flow problems * Type of tool steel * Surface finish Mould drawings To gain a full understanding of the environment in the mould finite element modelling would have to be applied. This would give a computer aided design of the melt flow analysis throughout the mould, expected expansion and compression forces exerted during the process and cycle time prediction Fig. 4 Top of mould designed so internal dimensions of the bumper was taken Fig. 5 Bottom of mould designed so external dimensions of the bumper was taken Fig. 6 Assembly of mould Bumper Mould specification Steel Type Steel H13 was selected as it has long cycle life and shows great resistance to constant temperatures, wear, cracking and thermal shock. All these properties are associated with the manufacturing process. [5] Injection system Direct gate system. Reduces risk of blockage and allows for easy maintenance. Ejection System Robotic machine to extract the bumper from the mould with the use of suction pads. This allow for constant machine operation. Surface Finishing High gloss finish to ensure a polished surface on bumper and reduction of the bumper sticking in the mould. Mould Cycle Time: It is estimate from the polypropylene entering the mould, till extraction a time cycle of 45s exists. Cycle life If run at constant rate it is estimate that a cycle life time for the mould of a 100,000 components produced exists. Treatment Coolant channels create to maintain steady temperature. Mould coated with oil to prevent rust. Assumptions It was assumed that due to high compress and prolonged cycle times the mould would have to be highly strong and rigid. This involved making a highly thick walled and solid mould. On cooling of the polymer it was assumed that a shrinkage allowance of 0.5mm would have to be taken into account in the design of the mould. Manufacturing set-up Before production begins a manufacturing process is set. This takes into account standard working procedures and outside factors. This creates a more safe and quality assured environment. Procure material Granulated PP is source from a reliant and efficient supplier Treatment Polypropylene is dehumidified. Excess water is extracted before production occurs. This involves a pre-heating process. Feeding Granulated Polypropylene is brought to feed hopper where it is either manual feed in or through a conveyer belt machine system. Mould Top and bottom of the mould are load onto the clamps were their securely fixed. This involves crane operation and coordinated procedure as the moulds are highly heavy and can't afford to get damaged. Appropriate tonnage is applied compressing the mould. Clean Earlier material is purge out from the machine. Final check of machine operation is covered Production Polypropylene is slowly released into the cork screw and gradually begins to fill and compress. Fine tuning is performed on injection speeds, heaters, coolant temperatures, etc.. Tuning is performed till maximum efficiency is maintained. After the bumper is complete the mould is opened and the bumper is removed. Customer Bumper is deflash of excess polypropylene where injection occurs. This is either done robotically or by human intervention. The bumper is then sent off for packaging and storage where it will then go out to the customer. Factory layout Fig. 7 Factory layout from a plan view Material usage per annum It was assumed a cycle time of 45s between polymer entering and leaving mould. By taking into account other assumptions an overall estimate of components per year was found. Assumptions * Average time of 12 work hours per day * Maintenance of machinery, loading of material, organising and other factors estimate of 1 component every minute. (Estimate of 720 a day) * Average of 200000 bumpers per year. (Estimate 260 work days) * Mass of bumper 15kg Material usage per annum 3000 (metric) tons

Monday, September 16, 2019

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The invasion at the Bay of Pigs is an event that played a significant role in histories of both the United States and Cuba. It was a United States-supported attack on the regime of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in an attempt to stop communism. The attempt proved futile; many lives were lost for an objective that was not achieved. The invasion therefore served as a lesson in American politics. Since the Second World War ended, the United States was convinced that communism was a major problem (Sierra 2). Americans believed that communism was a major threat.When Fidel Castro arrived in the United States for the American Society of Newspaper Editors in April 1959, Vice President Richard Nixon was already determined to oppose his rule (Sierra 3). Earlier that year, the Cuban revolution occurred, and President Dwight Eisenhower realized the social implications of the said revolution (Sierra 2; â€Å"Wars†). The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had formulated a plan against Castro, wh ich Eisenhower approved on March 17, 1960 (â€Å"Bay†; Sierra 3). The relationship between the United States and Cuba began to break down; the diplomatic ties between the two nations were officially cut by the U.S. government on January 3, 1961 (â€Å"Bay†; Sierra 2). Seventeen days after the Eisenhower administration ended their relations with Cuba, former Senator John F. Kennedy assumed his post in the oval office as President (Sierra 2). Before being elected as President, with the given political climate, Kennedy knew that the only way he could win the presidency was to champion anti-communism. He then became fixated with Castro. The moment he became president, he had already promised Cuban exiles that he would fervently fight communism and support any effort to topple the Castro regime (Sierra 3).The invasion was planned in such a way that Cuban exiles would overthrow the Castro administration without exposing how involved the United States was to the operation (â €Å"Bay†). There had already been speculation that the officials of the United States had been planning to attack Cuba, but this was responded to with denials (Sierra 2). However, Raul Roa, the prime minister of Cuba, confirmed that Cuban exiles were being recruited, trained and paid for their contribution in the possible attack (Sierra 3). The initial plan of attack was to land in Trinidad City in the day (Sierra 3).However, this plan had two disadvantages. First, the city was located close to the Escambray Mountains; this would be an ideal place wherein Castro's troops would retreat into after the attack. Second, Kennedy realized that this would reveal to the public the involvement of the United States in the attack. The plan was then changed; instead, the landing would be at the Bay of Pigs, which was to occur at night. The bay presented a possible air-strip located on the beach wherein the bombing raids could be managed.After the area was secured, Cuban government created by the CIA would be established; its legitimacy would immediately acknowledged by the U. S. government. The installed government would then ask for military assistance, and there would be an â€Å"intervention† (Sierra 3). In a press conference five days prior to the attack, Kennedy claimed that the United States military would not interfere with the Cuban situation. He stated that it was a struggle amongst the Cubans, not a battle between the U. S. and Cuba (Sierra 3). On April 15th, B-26 planes simultaneously bombed four airfields in Cuba (Sierra 4).These bomber planes were transformed to look like Cuban planes operated by Cuban exiles. A few days before the actual attack was launched, people from the CIA arrived in Cuba to assist the invaders. They were tasked to commit terrorist attacks like bombing bridges; it is because by doing so, it would appear that the Cuban citizens were involved in the attack. However, the truth was soon unveiled. The difference between the nose s of a Cuban and an American plane gave it away. The former was made of Plexiglas, while the latter was opaque.Meanwhile, the forces arrived on April 16th; six battalions which consisted of 1,500 men arrived on the bay (Sierra 4). While the invasion was proceeding, the leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy (Sierra 4). The letter stated that everyone already knew about the U. S. involvement in the invasion, and that Russia would not hesitate to aid Cuba in defending itself from invaders. This prompted Kennedy to stop the air strikes (â€Å"Bay†). However, the attack on land continued; the exiles wanted to proceed to Havana in hopes of getting support from the locals.The invaders failed to reach their destination, as Castro's troops stopped them. It was on April 19th when the fighting was halted, but many people had already been killed while others have been captured. Later on, the exiles were free on ransom by the Cuban government (â€Å"Bayâ⠂¬ ). The invasion was a failure; it caused great embarrassment to Kennedy and the U. S. government (â€Å"Bay†). The failure was attributed to insufficient and erroneous planning and execution. There was lack of preparation, while the intelligence gathered was not sufficient to guarantee the success of the invasion.That is the reason why Kennedy fired several CIA officials (Sierra 6). In addition, information about the impending attack also allowed Castro and his troops to prepare. Despite the numerous setbacks, Kennedy pushed through with the attack hoping that the citizens of Cuba would support it. They never did (â€Å"Bay†). The invasion at the Bay of Pigs was intended to crush communism by overthrowing Fidel Castro. The invasion was an attempt of the United States to attack Cuba under the guise of a local political dilemma. The invasion failed, resulting in the loss of lives and the humiliation of the Free World.The event has indeed proved that a noble intention does not guarantee success. Works Cited â€Å"Bay of Pigs Invasion†. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2008. Microsoft Corporation. 11 June 2008 . Sierra, Jerry A. â€Å"Invasion at Bay of Pigs. † History of Cuba. 30 July 2007. 11 June 2008 . â€Å"Wars and Battles: Bay of Pigs Invasion. † U-S-history. com. 12 June 2008 .

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Development of Architecture during the Industrial Revolution

Introduction The industrial revolution is one of the Great alterations in human history. It starts in the center of 18 century in Britain and go oning until now. Before the Revolution, there were no metropoliss merely small towns. To acquire from one small town to another people used galloping Equus caballus, which was the chief and fastest transit of that clip. For bulk of people the agribusiness was dominant. When industrial revolution Begins, agribusiness and hand-made been stopped. Thingss that describes the period of Industrial revolution are innovations of steam engine, coal anhttps://phdessay.com/positive-and-negative-effects-of-the-industrial-revolution/d Fe. Everything is changed when James Watt created a â€Å"steam engine† in 1769. Invention of steam engine provided Britain with an industrial power. Factories, cloths and railwaies could be anyplace.( Louis Auguste Blanqui, historical channel.com.au ) . Invention of Fe by Derby Family could non go on without steam engine. Smelting of Fe by wood coal was expensive procedure. Abraham Derby discovered, that alternatively of utilizing coal, can replace it with coke. The resulted merchandise is cast Fe.â€Å"Human of the Industrial Revolution† , World Wide Web, hystoryworld.net Besides Fe industry, there was a development of fabric production, because fabric is the basic demands. Food and cotton merchandises were light and easier to transport to different metropoliss. Location of Britain was good for H2O conveyances. We know, that Britain is non from sea from any parts. This was the thing that makes the transit of goods easier. . There was already bing of webs of canals. â€Å"Human of the Industrial Revolution† , World Wide Web, hystoryworld.net During this clip changes the production of goods. Now alternatively of utilizing hand-made merchandises, machines started replacing people. For illustration in cloths and industries, machine could replace 5-6 people. This is chief disadvantage of the Industrial Revolution, when authorities starts discontinuing unneeded workers. Inventions of Industrial revolution period influenced to the economic system growing. It is creative activity of different machine tools, utilizing of Iron in industry. Industrial revolution changed everything and including architecture every bit good. Industrial revolution truly affected on architecture. There was no demand of fancy architecture any longer. Peoples started design more industrial type, which is more utile instead than Gothic edifices. Beautiful Gothic edifices were designed to affect people. In that period some people was already on industrial side, started planing simple construction. At the same clip some people went back to the old architectural manner and brought them back. Therefore there were motions as Gothic resurgence and Art Nouveau. When people started planing with industrial head they had many pick of design their house. (The importance of Industrial Revolution in Archietcture ) . (hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fablablima.com) Producing of Fe influenced on architecture. One of great illustrations of architecture of industrial period is Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton ( 1850-1851 ) . Joseph Paxton studied and experienced Fe and glass, about of fall ining these constituents together to plan a big edifice. Body The motion of Gothic manner architecture was non accidently. Those motions were against industrial revolution. They wanted to convey back the traditional manner of architecture. The Crystal Palace in comparison to Gothic Revival and humanistic disciplines and trade motions in architecture is new manner of design of that clip. Gothic resurgence is architectural motion, which was based in England. It’s been a remake of traditional edifice manner of â€Å"Middle Ages† . Gothic manner edifices are really heavy and cosmetic. Structure made of rock and brick. â€Å"Art Nouveau† motion has same characteristics as Gothic motion, such as: symmetrical forms and signifiers, usage of arches and heavy structural system.( Jackie Craven, Art Noveau Architecture. architecture.about.com ) The Crystal Palace is on of the Great edifices of Industrial period, which represent new way in architecture. One of edifice that represent revolutionized architecture. When architecture moved from traditional manner to the new measure. This construction is illustration of how people started sing different types of stuffs, alternatively of building the edifices by masonry and rock and maximising the indoor infinites. It is a design of lightweight and low-priced edifices. This was the measure when architecture of industrial period marked the beginning of new sort of architecture. It plays a large function in a history of architecture. The Crystal Palace was a glass and dramatis personae Fe construction. The construction was built in London, for the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1850 the commission were traveling to take a design for the construction, which will exhibit the latest engineering and invention from around the universe: â€Å" Great Exhibition of the plants of industry of all Nations† . The commission demands was:Economy and maximising the exhibition infiniteSpaces for circulationSpaces for response, categorization and arrangement of goods.Position from the inside.In three hebdomads commission received more 250 plants from Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Hanover, Hamburg, France. But the commission rejected all the plants. Largely all the work was brick and masonry structural designs. But there was Fe and glass design by Hector Horeau. The commission rejected it every bit good, because of the cost of the undertaking. ( The Crystal castle, p12 ) Already known designer and nurseryman Joseph Paxton presented his thought and construct to the commission. Before Joseph already had an experience with combination of dramatis personae Fe, glass and laminated wood in his â€Å" Chatsworthhouse† edifice, which was made of glass. The larges glass house of that period. He experienced the thought â€Å"Ridge –and- furrow† roof system in Charsworthhouse, subsequently he apllied this system in Crystal Palace’s design. Joseph’s design was based on faculty with the sizes 10inch x 49 inches, which is size of larges glass available that clip. The construction consisted of right-angled trigons, which were supported by Fe beams and pillars. The length of right-angled trigons was for 564 m. These basic constituents of the construction were light, strong and easy to construct. After Joseph submitted his drawings and computations, the commission approved the low cost design. The construct of ridge-and-roof house was lily flowers. Paxton’s repute as nurseryman was high, he wanted to lily bloom to be grown in England. He takes attention of flowers. Later it became a construct for the roof system in Crystal Palace. In building of the glass house, there was an issue with ridge-and furrow roof. Glass construction required more light, but because of structural members of roof ( trusses, purlins ) edifice does non acquire forenoon and eventide beams. To avoid this job he created the methods of glass roofing, which calls â€Å"ridge and furrow† . The rule and constructs of the roof was to acquire forenoon and eventide visible radiation without any limitation. Therefore the spectacless were placed in specific place. He tested this thought in his â€Å"Green house† . After it was applied to the Crystal Palace. ( The Crystal castle, p29 ) The roof of transept is semicircular from exterior. In building of this roof the support was made arched lumbers. Columns supported on each arched lumber. The transept roof besides following the construct of ridge-and-furrow roof. It was constructed in a level mode, but following the form of arched lumber. The scope of the arches had louvered framed opening which allow inactive airing for the edifice. Hollow columns of the construction support the roof. The roof itself looks level. It has ridges and furrows, because of rise and autumn of them is little, roof looks level. Truss span of the roof 24 pess from each other and this spanning were supported by light beams or balks. These balks call â€Å"Paxton’s gutter† , because he created the system of utilizing the balk as a trough. The advantages are when it rains, H2O running from the surface of the roof to â€Å"Paxton’s gutter† . From there H2O goes to the chief trough, which is connected to the hollow columns and passes down to drainage. ( The Crystal Palace, p.36 ) But later on roofing system gets a job, because of non handiness of good quality building stuffs. On of the disadvantages was leaking largely from all of the portion of the large edifice. This job could non be solved. In footings of maximising the infinite dramatis personae columns had advantages compare to masonry columns of traditional architecture, because it could transport the same burden as masonry columns. Cast Columns much slimmer than masonry columns and can supply more unfastened indoor infinite. When the bottleneck was complete the interior exhibition infinite was tremendous. Because there were no solid walls, merely the slender columns back uping the ego weight. On of the of import advantage of the structural frame plants, that cast Fe was low in monetary value comparison to traditional carven rock. The columns of the Crystal Palace consist of reservoir, where the all the drain H2O collects from the roof. This drain H2O is useable in state of affairs of fire or for agribusiness. ( The Crystal Palace, p18 ) . The great tallness of the edifice was divided into 3 narratives. Where are the dramatis personae Fe columns in each narratives have different tallness. In lower floor columns tallness is 19 pess and for first and 2nd floor is 17 pess. Between the columns the girders have same deepness and sizes. They look similar and give an feeling of fretwork. Therefore building does non look heavy.â€Å"This demoing how great strength may be combined with elegance and lightness†( The Crystal Palace, p35-36 ) . Joseph Paxton designed his â€Å"Victorian house† in such a manner, so the edifice retains wet and gets bright natural lighting every season of the twelvemonth. But the mechanical and natural merchandises, which were in the edifice, were destroyed because of wet. After this experiment with â€Å"Victorian House† , it was experience for him to make new design to avoid those issues for Crystal Palace. ( The Crystal Palace, p 32 ) . An of import advantage in building of Crystal Palace takes machinery. Paxton used different types of cut machines ( Punching machine, Iron boring machine, Adzing and be aftering machine ) . Al the machines powered by steam engine. Painting machine reservoir make fulling with the pigment, so it runs on surface of the frame. It constructed in a manner so unneeded portion could be cleaned. One of the machines he used for framed wall. The frames being cut in machinery with the precisely same dimensions, after this glass was put into the frame. The glass sashes been designed in manner so in summer can be removed. Since the work is done by machine, people did non worry that portion might non fit with each other. ( The Crystal Palace, p51 ) In pre-industrialized period constructing been by human trades without machines. Therefore it is harder and building takes long clip to be completed. The society of Art awarded Paxton’s sash-bar machines in 1841 with decoration. These types sash-b ar machines started utilizing in other portion of the state. In present clip sash-bar design was taken from Paxton’s machine. The large challenge of The Crystal Palace was to keep the normal temperature indoors. Because the map was exhibition, there would be 1000s of people. Heat bring forthing by people and the heat coming from exterior was the chief issue. Already in that clip Joseph Paxton smartly designed the external shading devices. Direct Sun visible radiation does non acquire, visible radiation is filtered and it becomes really soft. Another manner of solution of heat transportation was to do airing system. He designed airing system for wall and flooring. Puting prefabricated lovers on the wall provides hot air flight. For shocking system board were placed 1 cm apart from each other. It was smartly designed inactive design. Air could go indoors. ( Wikipedia ) . This is the 1 of the great illustration when people started believing of climatic response. Design the infinite, which will smartly work, instead than planing it for ornament. In footings of spacial planning, Paxton provided refreshments infinites for people during the exhibition. There are infinites with unfastened tribunals and trees. There was no necessity of doing solid enclosures, so the construction does non lose the elation. The trees of the north entryway were besides for refreshment intent. Spaces were enclosed by sash-glazed dividers about similar as exterior glass panels. Suites of the edifice was designed that can acquire more natural lighting and airing. Partitions that separate the suites give the edifice really light consequence. ( The Crystal castle, p.36 ) In 1936 on 30ThursdayNovember Crystal Palace was set on fire. In one hr the edifice was destroyed. North Transept was burned. Government non insured to cover the rebuilding. Because the cost was about 2 million lbs. That clip Welby Pugin laminitis of Gothic Architecture called this edifice â€Å"Glass Monster† . He told Paxtonâ€Å" You had better maintain to constructing green houses, and I will maintain mu churches and cathedrals† . Many other designers started criticizesCrystal Palace. Many books and articles was written after the destruction. Thomas Carlyle called it â€Å"Big glass soup buble† . But in these missive yearss Crystal Palace benn called â€Å"Proto Modern Architecture† and became a case in point for many edifices such as commercial edifices in Europe and America. Crystal Palace became a symbol of industrial revolution, strength and economic- industrial power of England that clip. (Manpret Singh, â€Å"The destruction Of Crystal Palace 19 26-1941† .www.digital.lib.umb.edu.com) Decision The chief thought of this essay was to demo the effectivity of industrialised methods of building of Crystal Palace in resistance to Gothic resurgence manner and Art Noveau, which represents traditional architecture. The chief points are:The chief difference is that Crystal Palace represents new manners of design, where edifices do non hold to be so heavy. The intent is economical usage of infinite. For illustration: slender columns allow holding large indoor infinite comparison to masonry columns.Using of different types of machines. Building can be completed in short period of clip.Low cost and handiness of dramatis personae Fe.Smart designed construction in response to climatic facets. As was already mentioned above, Paxton’s trough system, which collects the rain H2O in specific reservoir. Drain H2O is useable in instance of fire or for agribusiness.Less utilizing of unreal lighting, because of glass stuff.Passive airing design. Louvered wall system and flooring system, wh ere the block’s spacing is 1 cm. , which allows the infinite, breathe.The Crystal Palace was the great illustration of new manner of architecture. It was a measure frontward from the traditional architecture. The structural system of Crystal Palace we can still utilize in our clip. It was a case in point for future edifices. Already experient dramatis personae Fe and glass. After the destruction, people know how to avoid those jobs. Test it and do it work better, but the chief construct is based on Crystal Palace skeletal system. Therefore nowadays we have improved skeletal constructions. My sentiment is that this type of architecture is more utile, comparison to traditional. In footings of infinites, how could it be better and lighter by utilizing the different types of stuffs? But at the same clip it can transport the similar burden. It was the clip when people started believing of different design, forms and signifier. When people started believing of low cost constructions and sing of different stuffs except brick and rock. When people started believing of chances prosecuting with environing and climate facets of those sorts of constructions. Which is did non be for traditional type of architecture. Gothic and humanistic disciplines and trades edifices are more concentrating to demo the importance of it. Even the ornaments, which are non utile. There might be disadvantages of Industrial Revolution, but the chief advantage is measure for the hereafter with industrial head.