Final Marketing Plan Presentation Essay

The Allstate Corporation is the largest publicly held personal lines property and casualty insurer in America. Allstate provides insurance products to approximately 16 million households. Allstate was founded in 1931 and became a publicly traded company in 1993. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol ALL and widely known through the â€Å"You’re In Good Hands With Allstate ®Ã¢â‚¬  slogan. (Suite 101, 2013). Being such a large provider of consumer protection takes hard work and dedication from every individual in the company to provide consumers with the highest level of customer service. While Allstate was trying unsuccessfully to diversify, rivals were revolutionizing the auto insurance business, which Allstate still counts on for most of its sales. Auto premiums generated 55% of its $31.4 billion in revenue last year.Geico and Progressive Corp. found a new formula for growth in the relatively mature business. They crafted a lower-cost model combining direct sales over the Internet and telephone with heavy television advertising. Offering lower prices and more convenience, they grew rapidly at the expense of Allstate and other insurers that sell mostly through agents.Allstate’s second-place share of the auto insurance market fell to 10.4% from 11.3% over the past five years, while Chevy Chase, Md.-based Geico jumped two points to 8.7% and Progressive climbed to 7.9 %( Suite 101, 2013). State Farm Insurance the largest car and home insurer in the U.S. and a mutual company owned by its policyholders consistently rated better for claims handling and service than Allstate. The claims department of Allstate has some of the most critical interaction with the consumers because it is during a time of need. Consumers contact the claims department when they have suffered a loss to establish a claim. The claims adjuster has the responsibility of obtaining claim pertinent information from the consumer to effectively evaluate the loss. At Allstate Insurance claims departments are separated according to customer needs. Large claims offices known as Market Claim Offices, MCO, are strategically located to provide adequate coverage across the nation. A Market Claim Office presides over a few states or an individual state depending on claim volume and consumer coverage. Allstate has specialized offices that handle claims for the entire nation but only if they meet certain criteria. The Hudson Express Office out of Hudson, Ohio is an office with a focus on handling claims with a reduced cycle time or the  time from claim submission to claim settlement. A starting to examine the external factors impacting customer expectations, which may or may not be off-kilter with necessary protocols and the terms of coverage insurance in general, is the media’s unflattering portrayal of the i ndustry; especially in light of post Katrina claim controversies and litigation. Aside from merely being a nuisance, the media also contribute to customer apprehension, which invariably affects the entire claim experience, starting with the initial exchange. Customer leeriness combated, comfort level enhanced easily by treating the customer and the claim with care and speed. To meet this reduced cycle time the Hudson Express Office only handles smaller claims with a total loss under $10,000. Everything within the Hudson Express Office is completely in house with no need for outside adjusters. A challenge area that arises because there are no outside adjusters is to efficiently write an estimate for structure damages and example of this comes from a customer’s review: (Five Weeks and Still Waiting, Jan 18 2013)†. I was broadsided by a driver who didn’t stop at a stop sign at a 4 way intersection. My car was left un-drivable. She didn’t have her insurance card with her. After a lot of investigating I found out who her insurance company was and called them myself. They told me an adjuster would be out to look at my car. No one showed up. I have called every day since. I have been told that as soon as they receive the police report and accept liability, they will put me in a rental car. It has been almost 5 weeks!† Description of the new product of service Allstate aims to compete more effectively with Geico and Progressive on their turf. After a successful four state pilot of the new Claim Satisfaction Guarantee for auto insurance across the country. Will Shorten claim cycle time ultimately results in higher customer satisfaction because the consumer can resume life as usual sooner rather than later. Allstate Insurance has implemented a new web-based customer service center to in able consumers to provide claim pertinent information via their computer through the use of the customer website. Consumers are able to enter file notes into the claim as well as submit a list of stolen or damaged items through the customer website that can be instantly attached to the claim. An opportunity area for decreased cycle time is with regard to property estimates. An in house  estimating system is utilized by inside adjusters to create a preliminary damage estimate. For smaller less complicated damage areas a web based estimating system would allow consumers to generate their own estimates. A simple web page can include multiple selections for damage areas including fences, doors, and windows. Once a damage area has been selected, multiple choice questions would allow consumers to describe the damaged area as well as the style and material the damaged area. If a consumer does not know the material or style, a default or average style and material would allow an initial estimate to be completed. Once the consumer receives an estimate or invoice from a contractor to complete the work, the claims department can review it for validity and issue any supplemental damages incurred. On simple claims, a consumer could file and settle a claim online without waiting for a call from a claims department representative significantly decreasing claim cycle time. SWOT Analysis The idea of developing a page on an insurance claim and being able to submit your complaint and receiving an instant response sounds great; Allstate needs to ensure that claims are being handled in a way in which will not create the webpage to become overloaded, it has to be user friendly and appropriate for any age group .Other considerations include the cost effectives of this type of service and how it will benefit the consumer and profitably for the brand.New automation also lists the opportunity in cost saving measures such as employee down sizing. Other key item to consider when marketing this type of service can be Advertisement on social media, newspapers,word of mouth, Blogs etc†¦ which are all great ways of promoting the new product and it also provides an opportunity to identify other forms of the same productoffered by the competitor. Target market including geographic Target market is middle market emerging affluent and mass affluent consumers with retirement and family financial protection needs. Priority status at the network repair shops and with our Service Centers. saving time and effort by having Allstate manage the entire repair process. Using the online system with real time updates to electronically monitor your vehicle at the repair shop. Progression updates are given on repairs so you can  spend time doing other things. working to minimize the repair time, which means a quicker reunion with your car. Quality factors including the quality of repairs, Guaranteeing repairs for as long as you own or lease the vehicle is one market point. If a policyholder has a burning question about a claim at 2 a.m., they are able log in to the online service site at any time to check the status of the claim. Porter’s five competitive forces model Allstate’s Consumer Segmentation Strategy When purchasing insurance or any other product or service, consumers have more choices than ever before and they know it. But decision making power is not in the customer’s hands alone. A company can build tremendous customer loyalty over time by making it a top priority to understand and meet its customers’ needs. As a result, Allstate will continue to refine its product offerings, marketing outreach and customer service based on careful research. Allstate serves four different consumer segments with distinct interaction preferences (advice and assistance versus self-directed) and brand preferences (brand-neutral versus brand-sensitive). Marketing research is an approach conducted to evaluate particular strategies.As well as the tactics used toward the web-based estimating system. The marketing research will help to connect with the consumers to analyze what is needed to research opportunities and evaluate marketing actions. This will also help to prevent uncertainties for the new service provided. The market research will allow the chance to determine how well the system is working. The competitive intelligence will help to identify what competitors are doing and how Allstate can differentiate service to gain customer loyalty. Marketing research will aid in developing a strategy that will increase the satisfaction of our new product of service. Allstate is working to provide quality service and conveniences. Therefore, the quantitative research will touch base on many incentives needed to process the claims. Other approaches will involve the act of identifying any other areas of concern. In which could relate to technical issues and a collection of data needed to estimate totals. The marketing research approach described will enhance the quality and promotion for Allstate’s new web-based system. The overall marketing plan should ensure the quality of each area of the  product and should provide the opportunity for clients to get on the site with hassle free problems and get the service that each individual needs. The mission should be to provide the best customer services and to ensure that the client gets what is needed in the end. Positioning statement Our Shared Vision provides the â€Å"why, how and what† behind everything we do at Allstate. It provides the road map for our continued success. Through this vision, we will truly put the customer at the center of everything we do (Allstate, 2013). We will become an even more valuable company to our customers, associates, investors, our communities and society a company with strong earnings potential and financial performance that sets the benchmark for our industry. We are the Good Hands: We help customers realize their hopes and dreams by providing the best products and services to protect them from life’s uncertainties and prepare them for the future. Deliver substantially more value than the competition by reinventing protection and retirement to improve customers’ lives. Put the customer at the center of all our actions. Utilize consumer insights, data and technology to serve customers and generate growth and attractive economic returns. Take an enterprise view of our people and processes and work as a single team to advance Allstate rather than our individual interests. Strategy and Position Description An automated online estimating system needs to be easy to understand and easy to use. The first element to the estimating tool is it needs to be easy to understand as well as aesthetically pleasing. When a customer logs on to his or her internet profile the option to choose an action needs to include selecting an existing claim on the insurance policy. Once the claim has been chosen, there will be a selection for estimating system. When the estimating system is chosen, the customer will be prompted regarding the damages he or she has sustained. For example, a customer was a victim of a recent theft loss where the front door was kicked in. The customer will select the damage option for entry door which will lead to a chain of questions regarding the  door. Options for the door will include material in which the door is made such as wood, metal, or fiberglass and whether or not the door is painted. Next, the customer will indicate the size of the door, if the customer does not know how to measure a door there will be a help icon that will advise the proper ways to measure a door. Style is another important factor in the cost of entry doors, options such as flush, panel, French, or security are the most common doors available. The next area of focus will include the damage sustained, whether the door, frame, or both are damaged will determine the proper repairs. The last area of concern for an initial estimate is whether the hardware is damaged and what type of hardware the customer currently has. When all of the information has been entered the estimating system will automatically construct an estimate for the removal and replacement of damaged property as well as the disposal of any debris. When the estimate is finished a disclaimer will be needed to inform the customer that the estimate is only a preliminary estimate and if any discrepancies arise when a contractor has seen the damage to inform the claims department for a review of the estimate. Since claims are being filed online, the movement on this is a little quicker. First of all, it reaches the company faster. The need to have the customer come in and get the information then in-putting it into the computer and have it looked at by the investigating agent, then processed, prepared for payment (if need be). Instead, you are cutting out the getting information process, and the inputting it into the computer by the agent. Instead you call or go online and put the information yourself and then let it get processed and then get paid. The affect it has on the movement is that it gets through quicker, you get faster response time from the company, and you get as accurate information as possible. The life cycle in a sense lasts shorter. Instead of taking a few weeks (possibly), it could take up to a week or less. So the life cycle in this case is a shorter one, which is good much better for the company overall. The only downside to this is that even though you get pretty accurate information, you then need to process it into insurance terminology so to speak, in which case you have an agent process the information. It’s also a good thing, because the agent is proof reading it so to speak to make sure that the information posted or given is  correct, and is process correctly, and is given to the proper division within the company. It’s sort of a backup plan and a much needed help for the customer who really has little to no knowledge on how insurance claims work. So overall, it is a faster and easier process which is set up to help the customer, and speed up the process to get claims paid quicker. Over time, while it does become easier, eventually other companies will begin to do this as well, and people will switch to whoever is cheaper. Service Packaging Packaging is not needed for our products or services. Instead we are offering our customers an easier way to file insurance claims. Normally a client would have to call in to the hot line number in order to file a claim. Once the operator answers then the client is expected to listen to numerous options and select which one applies to their personal needs at that moment. This process can be time consuming and aggravating depending on how many clients the customer service representatives the operators are assisting. The next step would be to explain the situation to the operator and wait for them to file the claim for the person. The on line website will be a fast working, easy to navigate website. There is nothing more aggravating then trying to complete information on a website that is slow and takes a long time to accept information. With technological advances, being able to file on line may be more convenient for those who do not have time to call the hot line and file claims. Clients will be able to access the website from laptops, cell phones, iPad, or any other media devices that allow access to the internet. Add value because it will be less time consuming for customers, if a follow-up is needed then the information may be easier to retrieve due to the pre-online registration. With every question there will be a detailed explanation of what information is required for that particular question. The question and additional information will be explained thoroughly to customers without them having to wait on hold in the phone for long periods of time just to speak with a live operator. This will add value to the customers in three ways. The online website will save time. Allow customers to have a more hands-on experience with the editing of claim information. Product Life Cycle Over the lifecycle of a product, a company’s differentiation and positioning strategy would need to change as the market, competitors, and product change. â€Å"When we say that a product has a life cycle we assert four things; Products have a limited life, Product sales pass through district stages, each posing different challenges, opportunities and problems to the seller, Profits rise and fall at different stages of the product lifecycle, and Products require different marketing, financial, manufacturing, purchasing, and human resource strategies in each life cycle stages† (Product Life Cycle | Stages and Limitations of Product Life Cycle (PLC), 2014, p. 1). â€Å"Product life cycle (PLC) deals with the life of the product in the market with respect to business or commercial cost and sales measures† (Product Life Cycle | Stages and Limitations of Product Life Cycle (PLC), 2014, p. 1). There are â€Å"five stages of each product lifecycle: product development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline† (Product Life Cycle | Stages and Limitations of Product Life Cycle (PLC), 2014, p. 1). During the introduction stage, Allstate will be launched into the market. Sales grow slowly in this time, and informative advertising is done (Dinesh Bakshi, n.d.). Many firms do not earn profits in this stage. There wouldn’t be much price skimming because our product is not a new invention and does have competitors. Due to the amount of competitors in the insurance market, competitive pricing is used. Sales rapidly grow during the growth stage, so we use persuasive advertising to gain customers. Competition is stiff at times prices may be reduced to stay a top competitor. Even though competition may be stiff, firms start to earn more profits in this stage. Our sales increase slowly and the highest figures are reached during the maturity stage of the product cycle. Since competition is at its max level, it would be in Allstate’s best interest to implement promotional pricing. Our profits are also at their highest level. We use competitive advertising to attract and retain our customers (Market Force, 2005-2014). Next we enter the decline stage where sales and profits decrease. During this stage, we must determine if the decline is temporary or permanent by conducting marketing research. Production may be stopped if the decline is considered to be permanent. If the decline is temporary, extension strategies are  implemented. The extension stage comes into play to come back from the decline. Original products may be reintroduced in other variations by changing the design, starting a new advertising campaign, and more (Dinesh Bakshi, n.d.). Pricing The price strategy of the web based system. The primary goal is to assure that this meets the needs of our loyal customers and anticipated customers. Moreover the pricing of our new web based system is an essential part of the marketing piece. Indeed this product of service can be very successful through proper indications of the pros and cons. Other price strategies could relate to what new services are provided by our competitor’s. However, researching the value, quality and conveniences of the product of service is essential. Pricing strategies with our new service can work to help gain satisfaction from the customers. Consequently, if the market research is not implemented correctly; this can work against the organizations overall plan. Contingency plans will also help the guide the new product in the process of service. Most of all pricing factors outline important steps of the web based system. In which will differentiate us from other insurance organizations such as Sta te farm. Furthermore one of all states insurance pricing strategies would involve a small fee. This fee will be deducted from the insurance holders policy every month or every six monthly. The web based system will be done as a package deal. Therefore customers will have the option to participate or not. The new product of service will also be explained to every customer .As well as step by step instructions to give a better understanding of how to use the system. Ultimately the use of the system operates to have claims estimates completed in a timely manner. Customers immediately have an opportunity of seeing the breakdown of damages and cost online. Overall the web based systems pricing is a concern that customer will have a choice to speed the process of with their claim .Although there are some people who may prefer to wait to speak with a claims adjuster. Most of all the new product of service will eliminate many problems with the process of claims. Customers will have an opportunity to view their own claims, and get a compete estimate without waiting for a call back from a claims adjuster. Although  this is a preliminary estimate of the claim, this is a positioning factor that gives Allstate’s customers satisfaction. Pricing figures are major factors towards marketing as well as the competitors. Promotional Strategy Allstate has several online competitors (Progressive, eSurance and Geico) that equate themselves as easy and fast. One of Progressives main thing is â€Å"price match†, which allows consumers to compare rates without providing too much personal information. Many people are reluctant to participate in many online services such as this because they think they will bombarded with spam and other marketing tactics. Generally, customer just a roundabout amount of what they would have to pay for car insurance based on their specific coverage needs. Allstate has identified this problem and created an innovative solution. First and foremost, Allstate designed a new way for customers to shop for quotes and have them delivered. According to â€Å"Marketing Edge† (2014), quotes would be delivered â€Å"anonymously (no personal information required), fast and easy, helpful (accurate), contemporary, and intuitive† (para. 4). Allstate needed to spread the word on this innovation, and the best way was to implement a campaign. This campaign included banner ads online and other tools designed to focus on online shoppers. Allstate needed to market themselves differently than their competition in order to stand out, excite consumers, and provoke attention. According to â€Å"Marketing Edge† (2014), â€Å"The new anonymous quote tool was the centerpiece of the program. Once it went live on the www.allstate.com site, DRTV, paid search, and online advertising campaigns were implemented in order to drive traffic to it. The DRTV campaign used a unique URL, â€Å"getallstate.com† for tracking purposes. Online banner ads linked directly to the site so visitors could be tracked through initiation and completion of a quote. The Program Objective: Develop and market a category-unique online shopping/quoting tool and introduce it to consumers in a way that cost-effectively invites greater shopping/quoting in the direct channel† (para. 7). This creative strategy had continued to allow online shoppers the freedom  and convenience to stay anonymous. Customers do not even have to provide their name to receive a quote (estimate). There is no application to feel out and no surveys to take. All of the other necessary information is gather by simply inputting your zip code. There are helpful tools strategically placed to assist customers, and the web site design is contemporary but not too flashy. According to â€Å"Marketing Edge† (2014), Based on their information, shoppers are presented with an array of estimates in a matrix that allows them to compare different features and levels of coverage that meet their unique needs. And it provides a price for each option. The tool demonstrates throughout the ease with which consumers can obtain the customized price and coverage information they want† (para. 10). Professional Selling Effort In order to market the new automated system for making claims, Allstate needs to express to the customers exactly how beneficial it will be to them. The best approach would be to build the value to the customer. They would have to show the customer exactly how it would benefit them to manage their claims online rather than deal with a claims adjuster right from the get go. Several people will find it convenient to be able to fill out the accident forms right from their mobile device, like their smart phone or tablet, while others will not be so prone to using technology as they are not technologically advanced. We will show the customers not to be afraid of the new systems, and that they are a benefit, not a burden. Initial Budget The budget is a financial plan for Allstate that quantifies the resource allocation plan for the years to come. To start, Allstate would have to create a specific amount, generated from how many people are going to be monitoring the online claims, and how many hours those individuals are going to be putting in. A sum of $208,000 will needed for ten individuals needed for the new system, all set at 40 hours per week and being paid $10 per hour. Allstate will have to create a budget for the person or company putting together the mainframe for putting together the portal for online claims, and setting up the website. Allstate will have to keep in mind that it is going to be a process to put this together and a lot of storage is going to be needed for their clientele. Generally, websites and web design  are going to cost Allstate anywhere from $1,000 t $2,500. Allstate will create jobs for this new system, and they will have to advertise or promote within in order to fill those jobs, b ut this will be very minimal cost to Allstate. The company expects to have a gross profit in the first year of $250,000-$500,000 due to the amount of claims that are not going to need claims adjuster to visit sites to assess the damage personally. The targeted output rate is 1,000,000, and with the average of 86% of all applicants that start the claim online actually finish it, that leaves 860,000 people that use the online claims and pricing. Allstate does not expect any losses with the new market plan. Success Plan Measurement There are several ways to measure the success of Allstate’s marketing plan. For Allstate to accurately measure their success plan they must â€Å"start with the end in mind† (Dyke, 2014). One of the first things to do is ask why the project began and what the goals are. Companies cannot lose sight of why they started something. Once that drive is lost the campaign goes under and the company is next. Numbers do not lie, so if the marketing plan is working it will show in revenue. Dyke (2014), â€Å"Measure success on your marketing program’s ability to meet the needs or desired outcomes of an objective. Remember your business planning here – start with setting your goals, list objectives that meet these goals and then identify tactics that will achieve your objectives. The best objectives are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and tangible)† (para. 13). To start tracking progress and success, Allstate must determine who their audience is. having a newsletter can be the turning point for a business. You can see which articles have the most readers and track statistics. Dyke 2014, † Begin to gather intelligence around the reader’s interest in the topic, taking the newsletter from a passive strategy to an interactive strategy, and one that can be measured. At the bottom of each online article, give readers several options. They can comment or ask questions, request that a lawyer call them, request a white paper or a helpful form or  checklist you’ve developed, or they can register for topical events. Remember, your responsiveness to requests is critical in developing relationships† (para. 20). Next, reducing that amount spent on proposals and pitches will help to increase rates in other areas. get to know clients rather than just what they think they want. Allstate must stay one step ahead of the competition to succeed. Many say the â€Å"perception is reality†, so it is imperative to know exactly what Allstate’s clients think about them. This can be done by implementing satisfaction surveys for the clients to ensure all their needs are met. All threats or problems acknowledged or revealed by the client must be handled swiftly. Allstate must â€Å"market for the sake of revenue, not for the sake of marketing – and take the momentum of your success and apply throughout all your marketing initiatives† (Media coverage: grabbing the bull horn). Ethical Issues Reference Dinesh Bakshi. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dineshbakshi.com/igcse-business-studies/marketing/revision-notes/814-product-life-cycle Dyke, S.V. (2014). CBA Practice Link. Retrieved from http://www.cba.org/cba/practicelink/mt/measureefforts.aspx http://www allstate.com/claims/report- Insure Me. (1993-2014). Retrieved from http://www.insureme.com/insurance-agent/marketing-tips Market Force. (2005-2014). Retrieved from http://uk.marketforce.com/price-checking/ Marketing Edge. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.marketingedge.org/marketing-programs/collegiate-echo/challenge-history/dma-international-echo-showcase/winner-allstate Perreault, W. D., Cannon, J. P., & McCarthy, E. J. (2009). Basic Marketing. A marketing Product Life Cycle | Stages and Limitations of Product Life Cycle (PLC) . (2014, Summer). Textile Learner, (1), 1. Retrieved from http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2013/12/product-life-cycle-stages-and.html Strategy Planning Approach. (17th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Company

Human Behavior Organization Essay

Human behavior is important in an organization as it defines how people work together and interact with one another. A co-operative team with an established leader will produce better results than a group of people that have no guidance and don’t know how to work with one another. Organizations spend time and effort in the human resources department ensuring human behavior in the workplace is appropriate and productive. †¢ Human behavior and the organization hierarchy Human behavior is of crucial importance in the establishment of a hierarchy. Hierarchies are necessary in every kind of organization, from schools to companies to charities. Some homes even have a hierarchy established. Hierarchies allow workers in an organization to pursue similar objectives by working together. Leaders are needed to guide organization members through day-to-day tasks. Human behavior dictates the strongest will be highest in a hierarchy, as it is for those people organization members have the greatest respect. For instance, in a company, it will be those with the most work experience and highest standard of qualifications who gain high hierarchy positions. †¢ Human behavior and co-operation Human behavior allows members of an organization to work together effectively. As people know the necessary way in which to interact with one another, they can communicate effectively and build good working relationships that allow organization objectives to be pursued with maximum effect. Sometimes it is necessary to influence and change human behavior in terms of cooperation. For instance, a few decades ago it was considered the norm for male colleagues to call female colleagues pet names such as ‘love’ and ‘hun’. Nowadays, this is thought to be unprofessional and even derogatory. Any organization member who treats their colleagues in a way that is deemed inappropriate can face disciplinary procedures if they do not alter their behavior.

300 Movie

The film I chose to evaluate is the fantasy action film, â€Å"300. † 300 is a fictional retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, in which the Greeks tried to hold off an invasion of the Persian Empire. The author’s message, from a leadership perspective, shows what a group of soldier would do for their king and how they inspire a country. A number of scenes from the film will depict that King Leonidas is a great leader with great conviction for what he believes in. Leonidas has many great leadership traits. Leonidas has all the traits a good leader needs. He has intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability. Even though Leonidas has assigned leadership, he also has emergent leadership. He is appointed king only after he has been tested by the rigorous traditional Spartan initiations into adulthood. After being inspected at birth to see if he was worthy of being a Sparta, Leonidas was thrown into the wild at the age of 7 and left to survive. Leonidas came back alive to prove to his father, and his people that he is capable to be their king. As king, Leonidas command legitimate, coercive, and reward power like his counterpart, Xerxes of Persia. But Leonidas also has referent power that Xerxes does not. Leonidas’ soldiers liked him and would die for him. Xerces’ army was made up of slaves and beasts that fear for their lives. They are forced to fight, and when they fail, Xerxes becomes enraged and beheads them. Leonidas’ leadership style is both directive and supportive. He gave specific instructions on how to battle against the overwhelming Persian Army and he also engages in combat with his army. After a victory he praises his soldier for their bravery and courage. He respects and acknowledges each soldier’s effort in the battles. Leonidas has high task and high relationship behavior with his army. Leonidas faced many challenges throughout the movie. One example was in the beginning, when the Persian messenger came to Leonidas and gave him Xerxes’ ultimatum. He had a difficult decision to make. His decision would impact the whole nation. Should he give in to the Persian army or should he declare war? As he ponders his answer, he looked at his people, their children, and his wife. He thought about his Spartan heritage and values. Spartans don’t surrender or fear anything. Acting according to authentic leadership defined, he lead by kicking the Persian messenger into the well. His actions show his people that he would not let anyone invade the empire, no matter the opposition. He showed them that his leadership is genuine and he would not coward even if he is greatly outmatched. Leonidas is a perfect leader for the situations in the film. In battle, a leader must have authoritative powers. He must have loyalty and attraction of his soldiers. He must also have highly structured strategic plans for his soldiers. The phalanx formation the Spartans use requires the soldiers to fight as one to be strong. The contingency theory of leadership would define Leonidas as being in a very favorable situation. In a favorable situation, the leader and followers will be effective. As seen through most of the film, Leonidas and his soldiers were victorious in all their battles until they were out flanked by the Persians at the end. Leonidas has good dyadic relationships with his men. He and his Captain, Artemis fought alongside each other when they were young. He also develops mutual trust and respect from Artemis and his soldiers, how could he of convince the 300 men to fight the whole Persian army. He knows that each man is a soldier and that they have heirs at home. They are also proud to fight alongside Leonidas. He doesn’t enlist them and take them to war. It is evident when he met up with the Arcadians. When the Arcadian General, Daxos ridicule Leonidas about how few men he brought to the war front, Leonidas asked three Arcadians for their profession. They responded with Potter, Sculptor, and Blacksmith. Leonidas then turns to his soldiers and asked them. They responded with supporting and confident grunts of courage for their leader. According to the Leader-Member Exchange Theory, leadership is a process that is centered on interactions between the leader and his followers. By having high-quality leader-member exchanges with his men, Leonidas is able to have positive performances and commitment from his men and be victorious in the battles. Leonidas was also able to lead through transformational leadership. Transformational leadership brings about positive change to the leader and to those who follow. Leonidas headed into an unfavorable war courageously so that his people may remain free. After multiple attacks on the Spartans had fail, Xerxes call for an audience with Leonidas. He offered Leonidas royalties if he put down his arms and be Xerxes’ general. But Leonidas thought of his people and his kingdom. His people would have to serve the Persians and if he surrendered, how could he answer to his ancestors. By surrendering he would not be a true Spartan. Leonidas kept his honor and brushed off Xerxes. He thought about his followers before himself. By doing this, even in death Leonidas was able to inspire and stimulate the Greek country to collaborate and fend off the Persian Invasion. In conclusion, Leonidas is a good leader as depicted in the film. He has a broad range of leadership skills and traits, but I believe Leonidas is best at leading with transformational leadership. His charisma strongly warrants him to lead through transformational leadership and given the situations of the film, Leonidas is best to use transformational leadership. Also, the message the film entitles is that one great man or nation can inspire a whole country to stand as one and unite towards a common goal.

Agriculture in Africa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Agriculture in Africa - Research Paper Example This growth is mainly attributed to the cultivation of more land, although there has been little improvement in the yields. In addition, the production techniques have not been improved, and this has further slowed down agricultural production. Climate has also been a major determinant of agricultural performance in Africa. Only a small portion of land is currently under irrigation, with only 6% of the cultivated land being under irrigation (Blein, et al, 19). Despite the growth in this sector across the continent, the demands of the growing population have not been fully met. Most of the agriculture is Africa is family dominated, where most farms depend of family farm labor. With every generation, the farms are tending to shrink. This explains why despite the growth, agriculture does not supply the needs of the population. In order to understand agriculture in Africa, this paper examines agriculture in Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia. Sudan has vast resources that give it the potential to significantly contribute to food security in Africa. These resources include arable land, water and animal resources. This sector contributes about 45% of the total GDP and nearly 80% of the labor force is employed by the agricultural sector (Omer, 3). However, in recent years, agricultural growth has generally deteriorated. Agriculture in this country is mainly comprised three major farming systems: traditional rain-fed, mechanized rain-fed and irrigated sectors. Nearly 60% of the total cultivated land has been occupied by the traditional rain-fed (Omer, 5). This sector is however characterized by low productivity. This is attributed to the poor farming techniques practiced. Cotton has been the main agricultural export commodity, although its production has generally reduced. Other major cash crops include peanuts`, sugarcane, dates, mangoes, coffee, tobacco and citrus fruits. Animal rearing is another important aspect of agric ulture in Sudan. Better veterinary

CLA labor of hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CLA labor of hero - Essay Example With regard to their births, Herakles, therefore, was superior in strength to Theseus as he hailed from a union between man and god (Powell, 2012). Herakles labors resulted as a punishment for his murdering of his wife – princess Megara and all their children albeit with madness bestowed upon him by Hera. Theseus labors, on the other hand, were because of his quest to claim his birthright by taking the sword and sandals back to King Aegeus (Powell, 2012). Both Herakles and Theseus were faced with labors, which they overcame despite everyone expecting them to fail. Herakles endured twelve labors while Theseus was faced with six labors. Herakles transcended his labors purely due to sheer strength while Theseus succeeded primarily due to his wit. Besides, Herakles was at most times supported by deities – Hermes and Athena - whenever he needed them while Theseus never had the support of deities. The hero-myth dichotomy refers to the hero’s movement from the normal world, into the supernatural facet where challenges are encountered and transcended, and finally the hero comes back to help men. The hero-myth has key markers such as one divine parent – for example Zeus in the case of Herakles. Another key characteristic of the hero-myth is that the birth of the hero may be unusual – such as in the case of Herakles where his birth was delayed by the intervention of Hera. Another key marker of the hero-myth is the great strength that the hero possesses – for instance – Perseus who kills the monster Medusa. Almost all of the Greek mythical heroes were male. This orientation depicted the state of affairs at the time in Greece where males were assumedly warriors while the females were expected to handle house chores and bring up children. One of the key roles of the male heroes was to deliver society from the enclaves of suffering, as well as suffering. In addition, the male heroes’

Art of the 19th Century Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art of the 19th Century - Assignment Example Lastly, the paper provides a summary of the main content discussed whilst creating understanding of modernism within modern art. Romanticism If there is any intellectual or artistic movement that swept the world arena from the Middle Age then it is the romanticism movement. Through its origin and influence romanticism swept the world completely thereby starting up the fire of arts. From its inception in 1770s, romanticism started in Germany and England spreading fast into other regions of the world. No doubt, folklore and popular arts were applied extensively to spread the aspect of romanticism movement within the art arena or field (Rosenblum and Janson 56). Different aspects are associated with romanticism movement. Such aspects include nationalism, exoticism, emotion, gothic romance, medievalism, individualism, nature, and religion amongst others. These aspects made romanticism movement within the artistic world to spread very fast. Basically, romanticism is a movement within arti stic world whose wave swept the world. With such wave, romanticism like enlightenment led to realism paving way for other movements such as impressionism and neo-classicism. Despite being a way to impressionism and other artistic movements, romanticism has not been replaced and it keeps on going and influencing many artists. Films and arts have continuously employed aspects of romanticism movement despite the many years that it has existed in the artistic arena (Rosenblum and Janson 78). With respect to perception on realism/impressionism, romanticism has been on the forefront in making sure that art and films in the world attain the desired status while conveying the required message. Impressionism to Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist Other than romanticism, there are different aspects of arts that have continuously been in art arena. As the main feature of paintings and sculpture styles in the 19th century, impressionism was considered a phenomenon that led to different art for ms such as literature, film making, and photography. Impressionism is an artistic style associated with Paris-based artists since 19th century. Some of the aspects of impressionism included paintings that were relatively small, thin, having open composition, had lights with changing qualities, and visible strokes of brush amongst others (Rosenblum and Janson 98). These aspects of artistic paintings made an avenue for post-impressionism artistic style. Nonetheless, impressionism was a style that included human perception as well as experience. Analogues styles emerged from impressionism artistic movement. Impressionism used the concept that human eye is a good and marvelous instrument in making judgments regarding artistic paintings and sculptures. While employing the concept of human eye to make judgment on arts, Vincent Willem van Gogh employed so much use of bold colors as well as emotional impact to create his paintings. The colors and emotional impact was meant to attract human perception visible through the marvelous instrument, the eye. The change of impressionism to post-impressionism was based on emotions. In fact, post-impressionism is an artistic style that is emotionally based as opposed to impression-based in the case of impressionism (Rosenblum and Janson 35). Impressionism moved to post-impressionism through psychological and expressive choice of color for various sculptures and paintings in the

Visual Arts And Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visual Arts And Film - Essay Example The features of melodrama, according to Peter Brooks are several among them are that melodrama has a beginning and wants to end in innocence. Melodrama is also depicted as having victim-heroes whose virtues are upheld in the end. Melodrama borrows from realism to appear real. This is done so as to add action and passion in the film. With melodrama, there is pathos and action. Characters who represent good and evil are the main cast in the melodrama.The opening sequence of All About My Mother is serene and depicts the beginning of a rather emotional movie. The opening sequence of The Return is rather scary. The movie starts with slow music that makes it sound like a horror film. The opening sequence of Raise the Red Lantern depicts the traditional lifestyle of the Chinese and presents a Chinese aura about the movie. The opening sequence of Kung Fu Hustle is dramatic and serves to hold the viewer's attention towards the start of a dramatic movie. The opening sequence of The Maid is ent ertaining even with the starting music that seems to suggest the beginning of a comedy-like film. An example of self-reflexivity in the film is Attitude and ability for one to measure them. Also, one can self-learn instrumentally or socio-culturally. This is with the aid of personal actions or activities. The author of quote A is Samantha Lay. The author of the second quote is David Bordwell. The author of quote C is Cesare Zavattini. The author of quote D is Stephen Neale. The author of quote E is Raymond Williams.

Perception and Creativity in the Life of Tupac Term Paper

Perception and Creativity in the Life of Tupac - Term Paper Example The object of analysis for the purpose of this assignment is Tupac Shakur as a significant figure of change in the music industry. He is among the pioneers of rap music in the 1990s. Tupac was a dynamic artist and influential to most African American youths as well as white people in the United State. His life story is inspired by change and struggle towards right. He was well known as the most influential artists of his time. This document tends to explore the relationship between transformation of location and transition in creativity and focuses on Tupac’s life. Tupac is known for the representative of Western Hip-hop. However he was born in New York. Tupac Shakur was born of two popular members of the Black Panther party Afeni and Billy Shakur. He was born at the time her mother had been convicted with bombing charges. He was first named Tupac Amur which meant the shining serpent. While growing up in the north coast, Shakur spent much of his teenage life in acting. He feat ured in his first movie which was known as A Raisin in the Sun. this was produced by the Apollo Theatres as a benefit of Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1983. He then moved to the Baltimore School of Art. Tupac moved to the west coast after dropping out of the film school. He was 17 years old. While in the south coast, he settled in Marin County California. This is where his career transformed from acting to rap as he became a roadie and dancer for Digital Underground rap group. Since then, he became popular to rap music featuring in the group’s albums such as son of the P and the EP which were released in 1991 and 1990 respectively. As an underground artist, he signed Interscope music productions and released an album 2pacalpse in 1992. The album became famous for its message on racial strength. He then ended his acting career with the film Gang related posing as a sidekick to James Belushi. At this point, his main focus shifted from movies to music.

Issues in Global Business case study - it is Urgent Essay

Issues in Global Business case study - it is Urgent - Essay Example India is a suitable destination for Sony to expand its business in. The large population of middle class citizens and the diversity of people on the basis of their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and needs has a lot of room to provide Sony with to expand. Sony needs to re-define its strategic planning in order to derive optimal benefits from the emerging economy of India. There is a range of issues Sony may face as it tends to accomplish this goal with a lot of implications on its supply chain. Issues Sony may face include poor infrastructure of India posing difficulties of logistics, excise tax system, laws and regulations, and culture shock. Sony can smoothly expand its business in India by learning from the mistakes the company has made in the past and the strategies of other companies that have successfully expanded businesses in emerging economies in the past. Introduction After the redevelopment of the domestic market in Japan that was ravaged by the tsunami and earthquake in the year 2011, the Japanese companies need to quickly expand in the emerging economies, and Sony is no exception. Companies like Sony cannot succeed without rethinking their strategies and finding ways to deal with a range of challenges that include but are not limited to distaste for the market’s low- and middle-end segments, reluctance to show organizational and financial commitment in the emerging economies, failure in proper allocation of talent, and aversion to acquisitions and mergers. In other words, Sony needs to re-define its competitive strategy in the contemporary market conditions in the emerging economies it chooses to expand its business in. â€Å"Developing a competitive strategy is developing a broad formula for how a business is going to compete, what its goals should be, and what policies will be needed to carry out those goals† (Porter, 1998, p. xxiv). It is, indeed a tough target to achieve, but it is not impossible as companies like Daikin and Unic harm are already on their way to achieving this target. Sony has had a lot of successes in the emerging markets in the past. Sony’s strengths in such markets primarily included a strong grasp over the retail channel that enabled the company to have highly efficient operations, programs of product planning and marketing to address the individual and collective needs of the emerging markets, and the ability of the company to leverage the entertainment assets of Sony Group to take its effectiveness in the market to the next level. This can be estimated from the fact that Sony has boasted a position in the industry as the provider of numerous channels that are publicly liked and highly rated. Two of the channels of Sony Pictures Television are included in the list of the top-rated channels of television in the market. Sony has achieved a high level of awareness by effectively leveraging as a leading entertainment company. Therefore, it assumes immense tendency to boost the sales of its products in the electronics business and gain the top brand’s position in emerging economies

Philosophy of Karl Marx Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy of Karl Marx - Essay Example Requisite for Marx's conclusions is first an explanation of human nature itself. The nature of a living being is first broken down into two understandings. The first understanding is of the individual being itself, on its own. This focuses on what kind of species the being actually is, whether it is a tree, ant, bird, or a human being, and what physical attributes and needs that being needs to fulfill its own existence. This need to fulfill physical and material needs and advance existence is what Marx ultimately means when he discusses production, whether on the microcosm level of a man or animal preparing food for its survival or on the macrocosm of the political economy of a society. Therefore, the mode of production is what Marx means by what needs are to be taken care of, predicated on conditional material circumstances, and how such needs are achieved through the distribution of labors and what is exchanged for such labor. The other elemental understanding of the nature of a living being is how it advances its existence and species, or essentially how it procreates future generations. In the plant and animal kingdoms, this could merely be the sexual reproduction and procreation of offspring, or ants providing a colony for future generations of ants. In the macrocosm, this means the evolution of economic production within a society. The physical needs and attributes are the modes of production for the individual itself, and reproduction is the mode of production in whichever community or society the individual belongs. Man is a social animal in Marxist theory, which is an extension or interpretation of Aristotle's infamous axiom that man is a political animal. Whether man is a "political" or a "social" animals depends on how broadly or narrowly the two terms are interpreted, defined and overlap. But politics is in itself a social function: therefore, man is at least a social being. This part of human nature necessitates further understanding of humanity's existence. To understand man requires understanding of human societies and communities. How a society, or aggregation or community, is maintained and advanced through the production of the individuals that constitute it, and how the individuals are maintained and advanced depend on the general production of the society as a whole. Essentially, the individuals in a society contribute to it through their production or work, while simultaneously the individual's own substance is determined by the conditions of the society as an aggregate whole. The s ocial nature of man is the framework to the construction of a society. Also essential in human nature is its ability to not to be constrained by nature, that is the creation and innovation of technology. Man can thus employ nature and "add stature to themselves" in its mode of production. The advances in technology ultimately influence the course of human history and its mode of social production. Social production is essentially the aggregate total production of the entire society, and how the individuals in that society produce and how society itself influences such individual productions. Prior to civilization and defined civil societies in recorded history, man was primarily a hunter-gatherer society where

Victorian Era Essay Example for Free

Victorian Era Essay There are several differences in the movie comparing to the actual Victorian era and Im going to state three differences. First in the movie it said that prince Albert died of typhoid at the age of 40. In the movie that was the only mentioning of illness and sickness that killed someone. In the actual Victorian era the diseases such as cholera, smallpox, typhoid fever, influenza, and tuberculosis were very common and killed millions of people in the nineteenth century. Child birth was very hazardous and many women died as a result. Second in several scenes in the movie , people were really rude and disrespectful to the queen. Queen Victorias mothers assistant was a individual that was extremely disrespectful to the Queen. He yelled at her and even laid his hands on her and pushed her. In the Victorian era the people in the household were extremely nice and polite. They were basically servants to her. They would hold her hand when she would walk up the stairs and they would always ask if the Queen needed anything at all times. Lastly in the movie , the women wore really short dresses and non collared shirts. In the Victorian era , the wealthy dresses extremely well. Women wore long dresses made of the finest cloth, with high collars to protect their skin from the sun. Unlike today, a tan was a sign that a person worked outdoors and was, therefore, lower class. In conclusion , the movie was different to the actual Victorian era because of the disease , loyalty and the fashion.

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example for Free

Edgar Allan Poe Essay 1. According to the first paragraph, what characteristics of the Red Death make it such a horrible disease? * The characteristics of the â€Å"Red Death† that make it such a horrible disease are the profuse amounts of blood, sharp pains, sudden dizziness, and the seizure. 2. Describe in detail Prosperos plan for escaping the epidemic. * Prospero’s plan for escaping the epidemic was to gather a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from his court and keep them within a wall. The courtiers brought massy hammers to weld the bolts. Within the wall the people basically rejoiced to keep away from the â€Å"Red Death.† 3. What do the ebony clock and its arresting chimes add to the plot? Can you think of any symbolic value the clock might have? * 4. What symbolic evidence can you find in Poes use of the following? * A. the number seven B. the use of colors, especially the black and scarlet in the seventh room C. the movement from east to west in the sequence of the rooms and throughout the story 5. In your opinion, how does this allusion add a layer of meaning to this story? * 6. The want of parental affection, wrote Poe has been the heaviest of my trials. Explain why Poe would make such a statement. * 7. What prominent military academy did Poe attend? Did he graduate? Why or why not? * 8. In great detail, comment on Virginia Clemm. * 9. Why is much of what we know about Poe wrong? * 10. Poe is widely known for inventing what type of story? *

Logical Database Design for HR management System

Logical Database Design for HR management System Task 1.1 The background information of the organization and operation that would support. In an organization a HR department is responsible for record each employee. Where the employees have an identification number, job identification code, e-mail address, manager as well as salary. They also track those employees earn incentive or commissions in addition to their salary. However, the company also tracks their role in the organization. Each job also recorded according to the characteristics. Moreover, ever jobs have job title, identification code, maximum and minimum salary of the job. There are few employees work for a long time with the company and they have held different department within the company. If any employee resigns, then the job identification number and department are recorded. The company also track the location of its departments and warehouses. Every employee must assign with a department where departments are identified by the unique identification number. Those departments are associated with different locations. The company need to store the location such as the state, city, postal code, street name as well as county code. The company also record the county name, currency name and the region. This database supports a better employee management plan as well as their departments, location and associated jobs. However, the company would have a better structure to store their confidential information. This database will provide a better extracted information to developed their insufficiency. This efficient data structure allows them increases their storage as well as it exclude the redundancy in data. Task 1.2 a conceptual database design and list of enterprise rules Figure 1: EER-diagram showing all enterprise rules (Source: Created by author) Task2.1: A Logical Database Design for HR management System Figure 2: logical database design (Source: Created by author) Task2.2: Create the tables using Oracle DBMS - Table structure for COUNTRIES - DROP TABLE MYDB.COUNTRIES; CREATE TABLE MYDB.COUNTRIES ( country_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , country_name VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , region_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; - Table structure for DEPARTMENTS - DROP TABLE MYDB.DEPARTMENTS; CREATE TABLE MYDB.DEPARTMENTS ( department_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , department_name VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , manager_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , location_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; - Table structure for EMPLOYEES - DROP TABLE MYDB.EMPLOYEES; CREATE TABLE MYDB.EMPLOYEES ( employee_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , first_name VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , last_name VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , email VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , phone_number NUMBER(12) NULL , hire_date DATE NULL , job_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , salary NUMBER(10,2) NULL , commission NUMBER(10,2) NULL , manager_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , department_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; - Table structure for JOB_HISTORY - DROP TABLE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY; CREATE TABLE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ( employee_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , start_date DATE NULL , end_date DATE NULL , job_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , department_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; - Table structure for JOBS - DROP TABLE MYDB.JOBS; CREATE TABLE MYDB.JOBS ( job_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , job_title VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , min_salary NUMBER(10,2) NULL , max_salary NUMBER(10,2) NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; - Table structure for LOCATIONS - DROP TABLE MYDB.LOCATIONS; CREATE TABLE MYDB.LOCATIONS ( location_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , street_address VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , postal_code NUMBER(10) NULL , city VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , state VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL , country_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; - Table structure for REGIONS - DROP TABLE MYDB.REGIONS; CREATE TABLE MYDB.REGIONS ( region_id VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL , region_name VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NULL ) LOGGING NOCOMPRESS NOCACHE ; Task2.3: Create the four most useful indexes - Indexes structure for table COUNTRIES - - Checks structure for table COUNTRIES - ALTER TABLE MYDB.COUNTRIES ADD CHECK (country_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table COUNTRIES - ALTER TABLE MYDB.COUNTRIES ADD PRIMARY KEY (country_id); - Indexes structure for table DEPARTMENTS - - Checks structure for table DEPARTMENTS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.DEPARTMENTS ADD CHECK (department_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table DEPARTMENTS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.DEPARTMENTS ADD PRIMARY KEY (department_id); - Indexes structure for table EMPLOYEES - - Checks structure for table EMPLOYEES - ALTER TABLE MYDB.EMPLOYEES ADD CHECK (employee_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table EMPLOYEES - ALTER TABLE MYDB.EMPLOYEES ADD PRIMARY KEY (employee_id); - Indexes structure for table JOB_HISTORY - - Checks structure for table JOB_HISTORY - ALTER TABLE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ADD CHECK (employee_id IS NOT NULL); ALTER TABLE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ADD CHECK (department_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table JOB_HISTORY - ALTER TABLE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ADD PRIMARY KEY (employee_id); - Indexes structure for table JOBS - - Checks structure for table JOBS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.JOBS ADD CHECK (job_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table JOBS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.JOBS ADD PRIMARY KEY (job_id); - Indexes structure for table LOCATIONS - - Checks structure for table LOCATIONS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.LOCATIONS ADD CHECK (location_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table LOCATIONS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.LOCATIONS ADD PRIMARY KEY (location_id); - Indexes structure for table REGIONS - - Checks structure for table REGIONS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.REGIONS ADD CHECK (region_id IS NOT NULL); - Primary Key structure for table REGIONS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.REGIONS ADD PRIMARY KEY (region_id); - Foreign Key structure for table MYDB.COUNTRIES - ALTER TABLE MYDB.COUNTRIES ADD FOREIGN KEY (region_id) REFERENCES MYDB.REGIONS (region_id) ON DELETE CASCADE; - Foreign Key structure for table MYDB.DEPARTMENTS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.DEPARTMENTS ADD FOREIGN KEY (location_id) REFERENCES MYDB.LOCATIONS (location_id) ON DELETE CASCADE; - Foreign Key structure for table MYDB.EMPLOYEES - ALTER TABLE MYDB.EMPLOYEES ADD FOREIGN KEY (job_id) REFERENCES MYDB.JOBS (job_id) ON DELETE CASCADE; ALTER TABLE MYDB.EMPLOYEES ADD FOREIGN KEY (department_id) REFERENCES MYDB.DEPARTMENTS (department_id) ON DELETE CASCADE; - Foreign Key structure for table MYDB.JOB_HISTORY - ALTER TABLE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ADD FOREIGN KEY (employee_id) REFERENCES MYDB.EMPLOYEES (employee_id) ON DELETE CASCADE; - Foreign Key structure for table MYDB.LOCATIONS - ALTER TABLE MYDB.LOCATIONS ADD FOREIGN KEY (country_id) REFERENCES MYDB.COUNTRIES (country_id) ON DELETE CASCADE; Task2.4: Data Population The below figures showing all data in each table: Table countries: Table departments: Table employees: Table job_history: Table jobs: Table locations: Table regions: Task2.5: SQL Query writing Query 1 SELECT MYDB.COUNTRIES.country_name FROM MYDB.COUNTRIES Query 2 SELECT MYDB.REGIONS.region_name, MYDB.COUNTRIES.country_name FROM MYDB.COUNTRIES INNER JOIN MYDB.REGIONS ON MYDB.COUNTRIES.region_id = MYDB.REGIONS.region_id Query 3 SELECT MYDB.JOB_HISTORY.start_date, MYDB.JOB_HISTORY.end_date, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.first_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.last_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.email FROM MYDB.EMPLOYEES FULL OUTER JOIN MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ON MYDB.JOB_HISTORY.employee_id = MYDB.EMPLOYEES.employee_id Query 4 SELECT Count(MYDB.EMPLOYEES.employee_id) AS Number Of Employee FROM MYDB.EMPLOYEES Query 5 SELECT MYDB.EMPLOYEES.first_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.last_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.email, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.phone_number, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.hire_date, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.salary, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.commission FROM MYDB.EMPLOYEES ORDER BY MYDB.EMPLOYEES.first_name ASC Query 6 SELECT MYDB.EMPLOYEES.first_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.last_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.email, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.phone_number, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.hire_date, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.salary, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.commission FROM MYDB.EMPLOYEES WHERE MYDB.EMPLOYEES.email LIKE %gmail% Query 7 SELECT MYDB.EMPLOYEES.first_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.last_name, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.email, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.phone_number FROM MYDB.EMPLOYEES INNER JOIN MYDB.JOB_HISTORY ON MYDB.JOB_HISTORY.employee_id = MYDB.EMPLOYEES.employee_id WHERE MYDB.JOB_HISTORY.employee_id IN (MYDB.EMPLOYEES.employee_id) Query 8 MYDB.EMPLOYEES.email, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.phone_number, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.hire_date, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.job_id, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.salary, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.commission, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.manager_id, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.department_id, MYDB.EMPLOYEES.employee_id FROM MYDB.EMPLOYEES, (SELECT MYDB.JOB_HISTORY.employee_id fromÂÂ   MYDB.JOB_HISTORY) subquery1 WHERE subquery1.employee_id=MYDB.EMPLOYEES.employee_id Asabe, S.A., Oye, N.D. and Goji, M., 2013. Hospital patient database management system: A case study of general hospital north-bank makurdi-nigeria. Compusoft, 2(3), p.65. Coronel, C. and Morris, S., 2016. Database systems: design, implementation, management. Cengage Learning. Dorok, S., Breß, S., Teubner, J. and Saake, G., 2015. Flexible Analysis of Plant Genomes in a Database Management System. In EDBT (pp. 509-512). Hussain, M., Pandey, A.C. and Pachauri, S., 2013. Performanc Tuning of Database Management System by Fuzzy Controlled Architecture. Pragyaan: Journal of Information Technology, p.30. Jahn, M., Schill, E. and Breunig, M., 2013. Towards a 4D database management system for geothermal projects: an example of the hydraulic data of Soultz. In Second European Geothermal Workshop. Lee, H., Chapiro, J., Schernthaner, R., Duran, R., Wang, Z., Gorodetski, B., Geschwind, J.F. and Lin, M., 2015. 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Nucleic acids research, p.gku950. Sui, X.L., Wang, D., Liu, X.Y. and Teng, Y., 2014. Database Design of NC Cutting Tool Matching and Management System. In Advanced Materials Research (Vol. 981, pp. 546-550). Trans Tech Publications.

The Rehearsal On Stage by Edgar Degas Essay -- impressionist movement,

Impressionism can easily be viewed as a captivating and revolutionary art movement, which took place during the Nineteenth century in Europe. Artists of this era began to contend with newer technologies, like the camera, for it possessed the capability to seize a spontaneous moment in time. Impressionists wanted to do the same; they strived to paint the picture of a genuine moment happening in front of them. One famous artist of this time period was Edgar Degas . Degas’ The Rehearsal On Stage, created in1874, reflects the characteristics of the impressionism period style of art as well as Degas’ own personal artistic style. By combining these two influences, Degas was able to produce a painting, which could be used to evoke a feeling of physical, sexual, and moral tension while also depicting modern-day life. Degas’ particular work, The Rehearsal Onstage, was created using pastels over a brush and ink drawing on a thin woven paper canvas. In fact, there is the second painting of Degas’, nearly identical to the one mentioned previously. However, it is instead known as The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage. Both variants of the composition are owned by the Metropolitan Museum in New York City . In addition to these two works, Degas seemed to be particularly interested in the subject of ballet across many of his other works as well. He focused on elements such as its elegant scenery, costumes, and movements made by the dancers themselves. He was fascinated by the spontaneity of the performance and yet the amount of restraint that must be exercised by its participants at the same time. More often than not, Degas chose to recreate the ballerinas who were off guard. For example he chose to depicting them as they stood backstage in an ... ...stern perspective. Fourteenth ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2014. "Grover Art Online Degas, Edgar." Oxford Art Online. http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T021805?q=degas&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit (accessed April 21, 2014). "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Edgar Degas: The Rehearsal Onstage (29.100.39). http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/29.100.39 (accessed April 23, 2014). "History of Art:The Impressionism - Edgar Degas." History of Art:The Impressionism - Edgar Degas. http://www.all-art.org/history480-5.html (accessed April 23, 2014). "Impressionism artists." Impressionism. http://www.artinthepicture.com/styles/Impressionism/ (accessed April 23, 2014). "Read a Brooke!." : Formal Analysis of Degas. http://babblingbrook3.blogspot.com/2012/04/formal-analysis-of-degas.html (accessed April 23, 2014).

Government Censorship :: Internet Censoring Government Essays

Government Censorship Thesis: Government Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. The Internet is a wonderful place of entertainment and education but like all places used by millions of people, it has some murky corners people would prefer children not to explore. In the physical world society as a whole conspires to protect children, but there are no social or physical constraints to Internet surfing. The Internet Censorship Bill of 1995, also known as the Exon/Coats Communications Decency Act, has been introduced in the U.S. Congress. It would make it a criminal offense to make available to children anything that is indecent, or to send anything indecent with "intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass" ("Stop the Communications ..." n.p.). The goal of this bill as written (though not as stated by its proponents) is to try to make all public discourse on the Internet suitable for young children. The issue of whether is it necessary to have censorship on the Internet is being argued all over the world. There are numerous homepages on the World Wide Web discussing this issue, or asking people to sign the petition to stop government censorship. The Internet was originally a place for people to freely express their ideas worldwide. It is also one of America's most valuable types of technology; scientists use email for quick and easy communication. They post their current scientific discoveries on the Usenet newsgroups so other scientists in the same field of study all over the world can know in minutes. Ordinary people use the Net for communication, expressing their opinions in the newsgroups, obtaining up-to-date information from the WWW, acquiring files by using FTP, etc. Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. In the Internet community, there is a large volume of technical terms. For this reason, it is first necessary to examine the terminology specific to Internet. The Internet is a world wide computer network. The "Net" is frequently used in place of Internet. In the words of Allison and Baxter, two experts on Internet Censorship at the Monash University, "the Internet is comprised of various digital media subsuming many of the distinct roles of traditional media" (Allison and Baxter 3). Electronic mail (email), which is one component of the Internet, approximates person to person letters, memoranda, notes and even phone calls.

Tennessee Williams: Author and Playwright :: Biography Biographies Essays

Tennessee Williams: Author and Playwright      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thomas Lanier Williams was born on March 26th, 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi. Williams wrote fiction and motion picture screenplays but is primarily acclaimed for his plays. Thomas was the first son and second child of Cornelius Coffin and Edwina Dakin Williams. He was named after his paternal grandfather and insisted to be called Tom by the age of ten. His siblings include an older sister named Rose and a younger brother named Dakin. Williams spent a great deal of time with his sister Rose because she was not very stable, emotionally or mentally. Daryl E. Haley once said that Rose "was emotionally disturbed and destined to spend most of her life in mental institutions." Tom was primarily raised by his mother because his father was a traveling shoe salesman. Edwina Dakin Williams was the daughter of a minister and very over protective of Thomas. She began to be over protective after he caught Diphtheria when he was five years old. His mother was also an a ggressive woman caught up in her fantasies of genteel southern living. Amanda Wingfield, a character in his play The Glass Menagerie, was modeled after Williams' mother. Cornelius Coffin Williams, Tom's father, spent most of his time on the road. Cornelius came from a very prestigious family that included Mississippi's very first governor and senator. Mr. Haley also states that Tom's father was "at turns distant and abusive," that is, when he was actually around. Toms father also repeatedly favored his younger brother Dakin over both of his older children. Big Daddy, in Tom's play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, is modeled after his father. Thomas once said, in reference to his parents relationship, "It was just a wrong marriage." From 1923 to 1926 Thomas attended Ben Blewette Junior High, and was at this time that some of his first stories were published in a local newspaper.    Thomas Williams lived in Clarksdale, Mississippi for several years before moving to St. Louis in 1918 at the age of seven. At age sixteen Tom had his first brush with the publishing world when he won third place for his essay "Can a Good Wife Be a Good Sport?". Besides winning third place, he also got five dollars from this National Essay Contest. In 1927, also at age sixteen, he published "The Vengeance of Nitocris." In the fall of 1929 he attended the University of Missouri to study journalism.

Kodak Company Case Study

Hyun Lee Eastman Kodak v. Image Technical Services — Plaintiff This is yet another case that concerns the standard for summary judgment in an antitrust controversy. The principal issue here is whether a defendant's lack of market power in the primary equipment market precludes — as a matter of law — the possibility of market power in derivative aftermarkets. Eastman Kodak Company manufactures and sells photocopiers and micrographic equipment. Kodak also sells service and replacement parts for its equipment. Respondents are 18 independent service organizations (ISOs) that in the early 1980s began servicing Kodak copying and micrographic equipment. Kodak subsequently adopted policies to limit the availability of parts to ISOs and to make it more difficult for ISOs to compete with Kodak in servicing Kodak equipment. Respondents instituted this action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that Kodak's policies were unlawful under both  §Ã‚ § 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, 1 and 2. After truncated discovery, the District Court granted summary judgment for Kodak. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed. The appellate court found that respondents had presented sufficient evidence to raise a genuine issue concerning Kodak's market power in the service and parts markets. It rejected Kodak's contention that lack of market power in service and parts must be assumed when such power is absent in the equipment market. Kodak manufactures and sells complex business machines — as relevant here, high volume photocopier and micrographics equipment. Kodak equipment is unique; micrographic software programs that operate on Kodak machines, for example, are not compatible with competitors' machines. Kodak parts are not compatible with other manufacturers' equipment, and vice versa. Kodak equipment, although expensive when new, has little resale value. Kodak provides service and parts for its machines to its customers. It produces some of the parts itself; the rest are made to order for Kodak by independent original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Kodak does not sell a complete system of original equipment, lifetime service, and lifetime parts for a single price. Instead, Kodak provides service after the initial warranty period either through annual service contracts, which include all necessary parts, or on a per call basis. It charges, through negotiations and bidding, different prices for equipment, service, and parts for different customers. Kodak provides 80% to 95% of the service for Kodak machines. Beginning in the early 1980s, ISOs began repairing and servicing Kodak equipment. They also sold parts and reconditioned and sold used Kodak equipment. Their customers were federal, state, and local government agencies, banks, insurance companies, industrial enterprises, and providers of specialized copy and microfilming services. ISOs provide service at a price substantially lower than Kodak does. Some customers found that the ISO service was of higher quality. In 1985 and 1986, Kodak implemented a policy of selling replacement parts for micrographic and copying machines only to buyers of Kodak equipment who use Kodak service or repair their own machines. As part of the same policy, Kodak sought to limit ISO access to other sources of Kodak parts. Kodak and the OEMs agreed that the OEMs would not sell parts that fit Kodak equipment to anyone other than Kodak. Kodak also pressured Kodak equipment owners and independent parts distributors not to sell Kodak parts to ISOs. In addition, Kodak took steps to restrict the availability of used machines. Kodak intended, through these policies, to make it more difficult for ISOs to sell service for Kodak machines. It succeeded. ISOs were unable to obtain parts from reliable sources, and many were forced out of business, while others lost substantial revenue. Customers were forced to switch to Kodak service even though they preferred ISO service. In 1987, the ISOs filed the present action in the District Court, alleging, inter alia, that Kodak had unlawfully tied the sale of service for Kodak machines to the sale of parts, in violation of  § 1 of the Sherman Act, and had unlawfully monopolized and attempted to monopolize the sale of service for Kodak machines, in violation of  § 2 of that Act. Kodak filed a motion for summary judgment before respondents had initiated discovery. The District Court permitted respondents to file one set of interrogatories and one set of requests for production of documents, and to take six depositions. Without a hearing, the District Court granted summary judgment in favor of Kodak. As to the  § 1 claim, the court found that respondents had provided no evidence of a tying arrangement between Kodak equipment and service or parts. The court, however, did not address respondents'  § 1 claim that is at issue here. Respondents allege a tying arrangement not between Kodak equipment and service, but between Kodak parts and service. As to the  § 2 claim, the District Court concluded that although Kodak had a â€Å"natural monopoly over the market for parts it sells under its name,† a unilateral refusal to sell those parts to ISOs did not violate  § 2. Noting that the District Court had not considered the market power issue, and that the record was not fully developed through discovery, the court declined to require respondents to conduct market analysis or to pinpoint specific imperfections in order to withstand summary judgment. The court then considered the three business justifications Kodak proffered for its restrictive parts policy: (1) to guard against inadequate service, (2) to lower inventory costs, and (3) to prevent ISOs from free riding on Kodak's investment in the copier and micrographic industry. The court concluded that the trier of fact might find the product quality and inventory reasons to be perpetual and that there was a less restrictive alternative for achieving Kodak's quality related goals. The court also found Kodak's third justification, preventing ISOs from profiting on Kodak's investments in the equipment markets, legally insufficient. As to the  § 2 claim, the Court of Appeals concluded that sufficient evidence existed to support a finding that Kodak's implementation of its parts policy was â€Å"anticompetitive† and â€Å"exclusionary† and â€Å"involved a specific intent to monopolize. † It held that the ISOs had come forward with sufficient evidence, for summary judgment purposes, to disprove Kodak's business justifications. The dissent in the Court of Appeals, with respect to the  § 1 claim, accepted Kodak's argument that evidence of competition in the equipment market â€Å"necessarily precludes power in the derivative market. † With respect to the  § 2 monopolization claim, the dissent concluded that, entirely apart from market power considerations, Kodak was entitled to summary judgment on the basis of its first business justification because it had â€Å"submitted extensive and undisputed evidence of a marketing strategy based on high quality service. A tying arrangement is â€Å"an agreement by a party to sell one product but only on the condition that the buyer also purchases a different (or tied) product, or at least agrees that he will not purchase that product from any other supplier. † Such an arrangement violates  § 1 of the Sherman Act if the seller has â€Å"appreciable economic power† in the tying product market and if the arrangement affects a substantial volum e of commerce in the tied market. Kodak did not dispute that its arrangement affects a substantial volume of interstate commerce. It, however, did challenge whether its activities constituted a â€Å"tying arrangement† and whether Kodak exercised â€Å"appreciable economic power† in the tying market. We consider these issues in turn. For the respondents to defeat a motion for summary judgment on their claim of a tying arrangement, a reasonable trier of fact must be able to find, first, that service and parts are two distinct products, and, second, that Kodak has tied the sale of the two products. For service and parts to be considered two distinct products, there must be sufficient consumer demand so that it is efficient for a firm to provide service separately from parts. Jefferson Evidence in the record indicates that service and parts have been sold separately in the past and still are sold separately to self service equipment owners. Indeed, the development of the entire high technology service industry is evidence of the efficiency of a separate market for service. Kodak insists that because there is no demand for parts separate from service, there cannot be separate markets for service and parts. By that logic, we would be forced to conclude that there can never be separate markets, for example, for cameras and film, computers and software, or automobiles and tires. That is an assumption we are unwilling to make. â€Å"We have often found arrangements involving functionally linked products at least one of which is useless without the other to be prohibited tying devices. Kodak's assertion also appears to be incorrect as a factual matter. At least some consumers would purchase service without parts, because some service does not require parts, and some consumers, those who self service for example, would purchase parts without service. Finally, respondents have presented sufficient evidence of a tie between service and parts. The record indicates that Kodak would sell parts to third parties only if they agreed not to buy service from ISOs. Having found sufficient evidence of a tying arrangement, we consider the other necessary feature of an illegal tying arrangement: appreciable economic power in the tying market. Market power is the power â€Å"to force a purchaser to do something that he would not do in a competitive market. † It has been defined as â€Å"the ability of a single seller to raise price and restrict output. † The existence of such power ordinarily is inferred from the seller's possession of a predominant share of the market. Respondents contend that Kodak has more than sufficient power in the parts market to force unwanted purchases of he tied market, service. Respondents provide evidence that certain parts are available exclusively through Kodak. Respondents also assert that Kodak has control over the availability of parts it does not manufacture. According to respondents' evidence, Kodak has prohibited independent manufacturers from selling Kodak parts to ISOs, pressured Kodak equipment owners and independent parts distributors to deny ISOs the purchase of Kodak parts, and taken steps to restrict the availability of used machines. Respondents also allege that Kodak's control over the parts market has excluded service competition, boosted service prices, and forced unwilling consumption of Kodak service. Respondents offer evidence that consumers have switched to Kodak service even though they preferred ISO service, that Kodak service was of higher price and lower quality than the preferred ISO service, and that ISOs were driven out of business by Kodak's policies. Under our prior precedents, this evidence would be sufficient to entitle respondents to a trial on their claim of market power. To review Kodak's theory, it contends that higher service prices will lead to a disastrous drop in equipment sales. Presumably, the theory's corollary is to the effect that low service prices lead to a dramatic increase in equipment sales. According to the theory, one would have expected Kodak to take advantage of lower priced ISO service as an opportunity to expand equipment sales. Instead, Kodak adopted a restrictive sales policy consciously designed to eliminate the lower priced ISO service, an act that would be expected to devastate either Kodak's equipment sales or Kodak's faith in its theory. Yet, according to the record, it has done neither. Service prices have risen for Kodak customers, but there is no evidence or assertion that Kodak equipment sales have dropped. Respondents offer a forceful reason why Kodak's theory, although perhaps intuitively appealing, may not accurately explain the behavior of the primary and derivative markets for complex durable goods: the existence of significant information and switching costs. These costs could create a less responsive connection between service and parts prices and equipment sales. For the service market price to affect equipment demand, consumers must inform themselves of the total cost of the â€Å"package† — equipment, service and parts — at the time of purchase; that is, consumers must engage in accurate life cycle pricing. Lifecycle pricing of complex, durable equipment is difficult and costly. In order to arrive at an accurate price, a consumer must acquire a substantial amount of raw data and undertake sophisticated analysis. The necessary information would include data on price, quality, and availability of products needed to operate, upgrade, or enhance the initial equipment, as well as service and repair costs, including estimates of breakdown frequency, nature of repairs, price of service and parts, length of â€Å"downtime† and losses incurred from downtime. Much of this information is difficult — some of it impossible — to acquire at the time of purchase. During the life of a product, companies may change the service and parts prices, and develop products with more advanced features, a decreased need for repair, or new warranties. In addition, the information is likely to be customer specific; lifecycle costs will vary from customer to customer with the type of equipment, degrees of equipment use, and costs of downtime. Indeed, respondents have presented evidence that Kodak practices price discrimination by selling parts to customers who service their own equipment, but refusing to sell parts to customers who hire third party service companies. Companies that have their own service staff are likely to be high volume users, the same companies for whom it is most likely to be economically worthwhile to acquire the complex information needed for comparative lifecycle pricing. A second factor undermining Kodak's claim that â€Å"supracompetitive† prices in the service market lead to ruinous losses in equipment sales is the cost to current owners of switching to a different product. If the cost of switching is high, consumers who already have purchased the equipment, and are thus â€Å"locked in,† will tolerate some level of service price increases before changing equipment brands. Under this scenario, a seller profitably could maintain â€Å"supracompetitive† prices in the aftermarket if the switching costs were high relative to the increase in service prices, and the number of locked in customers were high relative to the number of new purchasers. Moreover, if the seller can price discriminate between its locked in customers and potential new customers, this strategy is even more likely to prove profitable. The seller could simply charge new customers below marginal cost on the equipment and recoup the charges in service, or offer packages with life time warranties or long term service agreements that are not available to locked-in customers. Respondents have offered evidence that the heavy initial outlay for Kodak equipment, combined with the required support material that works only with Kodak equipment, makes switching costs very high for existing Kodak customers. And Kodak's own evidence confirms that it varies the package price of equipment/parts/service for different customers. In sum, there is a question of fact whether information costs and switching costs foil the simple assumption that the equipment and service markets act as pure complements to one another. We conclude, then, that Kodak has failed to demonstrate that respondents' inference of market power in the service and parts markets is unreasonable, and that, consequently, Kodak is entitled to summary judgment. It is clearly reasonable to infer that Kodak has market power to raise prices and drive out competition in the aftermarkets, since respondents offer direct evidence that Kodak did so. It is also plausible, as discussed above, to infer that Kodak chose to gain immediate profits by exerting that market power where locked in customers, high information costs, and discriminatory pricing limited and perhaps eliminated any long term loss. The alleged conduct — higher service prices and market foreclosure — is facially anticompetitive and exactly the harm that antitrust laws aim to prevent. Respondents also claim that they have presented genuine issues for trial as to whether Kodak has monopolized or attempted to monopolize the service and parts markets in violation of  § 2 of the Sherman Act. â€Å"The offense of monopoly under  § 2 of the Sherman Act has two elements: (1) the possession of monopoly power in the relevant market and (2) the willful acquisition or maintenance of that power as distinguished from growth or development as a consequence of a superior product, business acumen, or historic accident. † The existence of the first element, possession of monopoly power, is easily resolved. As has been noted, respondents have presented a triable claim that service and parts are separate markets, and that Kodak has the â€Å"power to control prices or exclude competition† in service and parts. Monopoly power under  § 2 requires, of course, something greater than market power under  § 1. Respondents' evidence that Kodak controls nearly 100% of the parts market and 80% to 95% of the service market, with no readily available substitutes, is, however, sufficient to survive summary judgment under the more stringent monopoly standard of  § 2. The second element of a  § 2 claim is the use of monopoly power â€Å"to foreclose competition, to gain a competitive advantage, or to destroy a competitor. † If Kodak adopted its parts and service policies as part of a scheme of willful acquisition or maintenance of monopoly power, it will have violated  § 2. As recounted at length above, respondents have presented evidence that Kodak took exclusionary action to maintain its parts monopoly and used its control over parts to strengthen its monopoly share of the Kodak service market. Liability turns, then, on whether â€Å"valid business reasons† can explain Kodak's actions. Kodak contends that it has three valid business justifications for its actions: â€Å"(1) to promote interbrand equipment competition by allowing Kodak to stress the quality of its service; (2) to improve asset management by reducing Kodak's inventory costs; and (3) to prevent ISOs from free riding on Kodak's capital investment in equipment, parts and service. † Factual questions exist, however, about the validity and sufficiency of each claimed justification, making summary judgment inappropriate. As respondents argue, Kodak's actions appear inconsistent with any need to control inventory costs. Presumably, the inventory of parts needed to repair Kodak machines turns only on breakdown rates, and those rates should be the same whether Kodak or ISOs perform the repair. More importantly, the justification fails to explain respondents' evidence that Kodak forced OEMs, equipment owners, and parts brokers not to sell parts to ISOs, actions that would have no effect on Kodak's inventory costs. None of Kodak's asserted business justifications, then, are sufficient to prove that Kodak is â€Å"entitled to a judgment as a matter of law† on respondents'  § 2 claim. In the end, of course, Kodak's arguments may prove to be correct. It may be that its parts, service, and equipment are components of one unified market, or that the equipment market does discipline the aftermarkets so that all three are priced competitively overall, or that any anticompetitive effects of Kodak's behavior are outweighed by its competitive effects.. Accordingly, the judgment of the Court of Appeals denying summary judgment is affirmed.

Marvel Case Report †Marketing Essay

1. central Problems/Opportunities wonders product trend is limited to primarily the superhero genre. This makes beaming more difficult. enquire competes not that with DC Comics and also with separate types of films (such as action, suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, etc.). When population go to the movies for entertainment, they dont typic bothy just go to watch diverting control hero movies. Therefore, wonderment faces opposition from a wide range of genres (and product companies like Paramount that produce disparate genres of movies). wonder can turn each(prenominal) comic book pillow slip into its declare brand and capitalize on surplus streams of revenue through licensing. Toys, T-shirts, watches, and video games base on popular comic book characters are all products that can function augment reacts revenue. not all characters are of equal value to wonderment. Spiderman and X-Men are very much more important brands than Daredevil and the Punisher.2. New Information question continues to have mixed success with its character bill. Elekra only grossed $56.7M worldwide while campaign Man grossed over $585M worldwide (http//boxofficemojo.com/movies/ ?id=elektra.htm http//boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironman.htm). Marvel Entertainments competitive ornament has become even tougher. Not only must Marvels lineup compete with DC Comics Superman and Batman, but also comic book heroes like Transformers and G.I. Joe (interestingly, Marvel utilise to own the rights to Transformers and G.I. Joe but sold those rights to Hasbro) (http//forums.superherohype.com/showthread. php?t=265502).Marvel has been able to keep the X-Men franchise afloat with X-Men Origins Wolverine and X-Men First-Class (though it does be to be weakening rough) (http//boxofficemojo.com/ showdowns/chart/?id=vs-xmen.htm). Disney purchased Marvel for $4 billion in 2009 (http//money.cnn.com/2009/08/31/ sassys/ companies/disney_marvel/index.htm).3. RecommendationsNot every Marvel movie is a blockbuster. In fact, some of them are flops. While Marvel would certainly experience growth in steering on production and dispersal more, it risks stretch itself beyond its core competencies. While fortunate movies could prove to be very economic for Marvel, lackluster movies could prove to be financially detrimental if Marvel also produced and distributed all of its films. Marvel must learn to sell its growth. It cannot forever rely on its hard cash cows Spiderman and X-Men. However, newfangled generations equate to new potential markets. Reintroducing classic characters to new generations could show into recurring revenue streams.Marvel should supplement its growth on one plenty and not stretch itself too much beyond its core competencies on the other. getting more into production could prove to be financially beneficial for Marvel. On the other hand, I would recommend leaving the diffusion to those companies that specialize in that and are broad en ough to be able to diversify without it harming their business. Marvels core competency is in breaching its characters and storylines. While Marvel could expand their core competencies to include production, doing so too much to include distribution might destroy Marvels core competencies.Marvel has thousands of characters. It should strategically develop some of its highest-potential characters. However, this has also backfired (ex Daredevil and Elektra). It worked with compress Man and seems to be working with Thor though. Marvel can continue to create new streams of revenue by aggressively quest licensing opportunities and even international licensing agreements. Licensing can be extremely profitable, especially when attached to a lucrative film franchise.