Small Medium Enterprise

The definition of ‘Small Medium Enterprise’ is a complex issue and in most cases, it would vary from country to country, depending on certain variables. In most cases, it would depend on who is giving the definition and what they regard to be SME in their economical background. Generally, SME or Small Medium Enterprise refers to companies or businesses whose overall turnover is below certain levels or limits.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Small Medium Enterprise specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some of the variables used in defining SMEs in most regions include things such as whether the enterprise is a service-based or goods-producing business, its size, and probably the number of workers they employ (Acs and Morck, 1997). In Canada, for instance, Small business refers to businesses whose employees’ rate is below 100 in a goods-producing business or less than 50 employees for a business wh ich is based on services. Anything beyond these cut-offs, but one that doesn’t exceed an employee rate of 500 would be classified under middle-sized enterprises. Small-medium enterprises are observed to be more than large enterprises or businesses in most developed and developing economies world-wide (Fink, 1998). The most typical characteristics of Small Medium Enterprises in the whole world is determined by factors such as the size of business or its independent ownership; whether it’s a family enterprise or a group investment. As it would be observed, there are many potential benefits that can be associated with SMEs and this explains the need for a vibrant small and medium-sized enterprise sector in any developing nation. One of the common key benefits of this type of enterprising is that they are important sources of employment in a country, especially for low-skilled labor. Another outstanding benefit of SMEs is in their more flexibility capacity compared to larg e corporations and this makes them more sustainable. SMEs are also observed to have the significant advantage of being less mobile compared to large corporations; a feature which makes them more sustainable for development and advancements in emerging economies. In countries such as the United States, various types of business administration would set different levels of businesses, based on ownership structure, industry type, revenue produced, and the number of employees (Asheim, 2007). As observed previously in this paper, there is hardly any universally accepted definition for SMEs and in that case, classifications of SMEs in the U.S. apply differently in various types of businesses.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Basically, the United States International Trade Commission has defined SMEs as corporations that employ fewer than 500 employees, regardless of the context o f the business (Chiao, 2007). In USA, SMEs are classified into two main classes known as the product SMEs and the service SMEs. Generally, both categories plays a crucial role to the development of the country’s economy and for that reason, the role of SMEs can never be underestimated at any value. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, SMEs contribute about one third of the total exports in merchandise products every year, with Canada being the largest destination for most of these exports (Man, 2007). SMEs have indeed proved to be a major source of employment in USA, by constituting for more than half of the private sector employment, thus leading to a constant growth of employment in the country. More importantly, SMEs have always been significant contributors in matters of product, services, and processes innovations in the country. For these reasons, SMEs are highly regarded as promising initiatives that can effectively support the country towards a comple te recovery from the longstanding effects of the 2007 financial crises, among other economical turbulences such as the current high rates of unemployment. According to Qian (2002), the business environment in USA offers very slight challenges to the SMEs compared to large multinationals, and this provides the SMEs with a strong platform for sustainance. A good example of an SME company in USA is Integrity Applications, Inc (IAI) established in the year 1998. This is a private engineering and software services company with a nationwide recognition across the states. The business is categorized under ‘Consultant of Systems Engineering’ and is located in Chantilly, VA. Some of the company’s products and services include Space Systems engineering, Software Systems Engineering, Corporate Systems Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, and Enterprise Systems Engineering, among other services. Currently, it is estimated that the mid-sized company generates revenue of around $20 to 50 million in an annual basis. The company has a workforce of approximately 100 to 250 staff, working on various segments of the organization. Integrity Applications Incorporated is arguably one of the fastest advancing consultant companies in the country in matters involving system engineering (Forth and Bewley, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Small Medium Enterprise specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company was recently recognized as the second best medium-sized workplace in the ratings of the Best Small and Medium Workplaces in the U.S. More importantly, the company was also recognized as a key employer in the regions around San Diego and Washington, by the San Diego Business Journal and Washingtonian magazine, respectively. IAI has been in the forefront in steering the country ahead in innovative matters, through its qualified and highly-skilled professionals in software engineering. References Acs, Z.J. and Morck, R. (1997). The internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises: A policy perspective. Small Business Economics, 9 (1), 7-20. Asheim, B. (2003). Regional innovation policy for small-medium enterprises. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. Chiao, Y. (2006). Performance, internationalization, and firm-specific advantages of SMEs in a newly-industrialized economy. Small Business Economics, 26 (5),475-492. Fink, D. (1998). Guidelines for the successful adoption of information technology in small and medium enterprises. International journal of information management, 18 (4), 243-253. Forth, J. and Bewley, H. (2006). Small and medium-sized enterprises: findings from the 2004 Workplace Employee Relations Survey. New York: Department of Trade and Industry. Man, T. (2007). The competitiveness of small and medium enterprises* 1: A conceptualization with focus on entrepreneurial competencies. Journal of Business Venturing, 17 (2), 123-142.Adverti sing Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Qian, G. (2002). Multinationality, product diversification, and profitability of emerging US small-and medium-sized enterprises. Journal of Business Venturing, 17 (6), 611-633. This report on Small Medium Enterprise was written and submitted by user Carley P. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom The Book Dangerous Exits essay

buy custom The Book Dangerous Exits essay The book Dangerous Exits: Escaping Abusive Relationships in Rural America is a very important book which deals with the terror faced by many women in rural America in their own homes and the book itself is a very valuable contribution to the Violence Against Women issues by addressing the three common areas which are found in gender-based violence, namely divorce/separation violence, the general experiences of the rural women, and sexual violence like the intimate partner sexual violence. The book was written by DeKeseredy Walter a criminology professor in UOIT (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), Martin Schwartz a sociologist professor, and Joseph Donnermeyer in 2009. This books target audience are criminologists, women scholars and students, activists, practitioners and policy makers. The stated goals of the authors of the book was to shatter all the myths about rural American women, for example, that they live in idyll of home and hearth. Other goal was to reveal the analytic understanding of the dangers that women face as they are abused. Social and geographic isolation deteriorates situation and it is a common characteristics of the many American rural communities. Description Violence against women has been widely spreading in rural America for many decades and has gained a lot of attention from the policy makers, scholars, and general public. Social scientists have made a great contribution to the theoretical understanding as they focused attention on the women victimization. Because of sexual abuse, women are willing to leave behind their hostile and abusive partners. The rural communities are the worst hit with the most cases of victimization of women. Dangerous Exits is a qualitative study which examines the psychological, physical, and sexual violence experienced by the American rural women in a process of leaving the abusive intimate partners. Some of these stories are very touching, heart breaking, insightful, eloquent, sad, and uplifting. The women shared their stories about their abusive partners and how it was dangerous to quit the abusive relationships. This book fits within the context of other related material which is covered in this course. The main reason for this is because the book is a very good companion to a graduate course level or an upper undergraduate level student. The book tries to identify all the hidden crimes of psychological mistreatment of women, economic blackmail crimes, and the relationships which exist between abuse and patriarchy (p. 25). The authors of the book have tried to give voice to the women who have suffered terribly in silence and also tried to find effective solutions as to how these assaults and abuses of the wmen can be stopped and avoided. Analysis The book attempts to answer the question Does Dangerous Exits contributes to building a clear model for the interaction of patriarchal control, sexual abuse, and community complicity in rural areas? The main objectives of this book were addressing the complexities and the risk factors which are associated with the separation and divorce. The author of the book used the feminist methodology to achieve his objectives. He was able to highlight the area which was in most cases under-researched and an area which was neglected for a very long time concerning the battered women who were living in the rural areas and how they were able to stop the abusive relationships. The author acknowledged the global problem and the risk factors which were associated with separation and the divorce in 3 Ohio rural communities. He brought out a case of 43 women who were in the abusive relationships or marriage by leaving the abusive husband or abusive male partner. The information about these women helped in bringing out the foci of the book. The authors created screen questions by the development of structured interview schedules which were aimed at obtaining the representative samples and they used multitude methods to solicit women from participation. After collecting all the data that was required in the study, the authors presented the information in a summary of tables which compared the nonsexual abuse and the separation and divorce sexual abuse (pp. 62-63). The important questions that the book raised are: What drives men to become abusive? Should men be in charge of and control domestic household settings? How can you reduce the incidence of separation and divorce sexual assault in the rural areas? Appraisal This book contributed to understanding of the rural American society and it deserves a very special place in the new scholarship on rural crime since it calls for an immediate action and pushes for a policy change. The book has also made a very valuable contribution to the Violence Against Women by covering the separation and divorce violence, the experiences that these rural women undergo, and sexual violence in general. This book attempts to resolve problems and issues which are related to separation and divorce sexual abuse in rural America. The rural America has been very notorious for sexual abuse committed by the men. In most of the cases abusers are people with low level of education and deeply religious who always think that the woman should obey her husbaand in all situations without any questions. This caused women abuse. The unemployment rate in the rural America is also very high. That is why most of the women and men have to spend time at homes. Monotonous work and lack of money lead to frustration which all too often results in women abuse. The weakest point of the book is the final chapter where the authors committed to the collaborative feminist research interviewed the heroes on how the incidence of the assault could be prevented. The story of the woman who was abused in front of the neighbor who did nothing to help her is very discouraging to the reader (p. 11). The reader would thinkg that there are no ways to stop the violence and it can be very discouraging if the reader is a woman who has been a victim of such violence. This shows that there are no rules and regulations to stop these sexual violence and abuses. The strongest point of this book is that it includes real stories told bywomen from the rural Ohio community in America. The book includes the views of women victims of the separation and divorce sexual assault and the authors were able to write the stories of how they were abused and how they stopped this sexual assault. This book gives the women who have been victims of sexual violence commited by the men whom they were married to or lived with a new hope. This is vivdly seen in the story of the woman who was asked of how she thought about her experiences as a victim. She was very courageous and had a will to buid her life vowing that no man was going to stop her in accomplishing her dreams since she would rather cut off his hand than refuse from her dreams (p. 83). This shows that the book can enable the victims to live a new life, be courageous and strong after leaving the abusive partners. It is a source of inspiration to the women victims. The questions and concerns that the author of the book raised in my mind is that it is very possible to quit an abusive life from an abusive husband or abusive partners as it is the case in very many rural communities in America. According to the study which was carried out by DeKeseredy and Shwartz, the main reason why the separation and divorce sexual assault rate is very high in the rural areas is that most of the victims were poor and lived in poverty stricken areas with numerous cases of illiteracy, which explained why the women were abused by their partners. On my opinion, there is the need for future research to be conducted in this area. The reason why I think so is that DeKeseredys and Shwartzs ideas which are about the culture of the male peer support for the assaults and the abuse should be fleshed out to develop a set of policy proposals which are more robust and which are grounded on the rural life realities. Buy custom The Book Dangerous Exits essay

Self Image Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self Image - Research Paper Example Low self image individuals on the other hand are not resilient and are less motivated when it comes with handling adversity. Esteem also influences achievement of goals and is thus a very important element of personal development. In this paper I will be looking at the effect of self esteem on individuals. Research has shown that individuals with high self esteem to be more motivated, take great personal care and persist in their strive for fulfilment of aspirations and goals in life. In the school settings for instance, those students who perform well in their class work are associated with high self esteem. However, interestingly self high esteem is to a large extend an outcome of good performance. Good performers are high in self esteem; boosting self esteem may not boost performance and in fact could be counterproductive. The situation is the same also among adults especially in the work place. Job success for instance is associated with high self esteem; success actually boosts personal self esteem. Resilience and persistence when it comes to working for the attainment of personal goals follows high self esteem. It motivates individuals to ignore the environment and go right for their goals in academics, personal and corporate life. It thus is thus an important force that works t o facilitate persistence even after the individuals have experienced failure (Baumeister & Campbell et al, 2003). Individuals considered to have high esteem are also associated with attractiveness, being likable and ultimately having good interpersonal relationships. These individuals also tend to impress when it comes to relating with others. However, high self esteem persons in the end tend to alienate. Esteem therefore influences the nature and to some extends the duration of relationships. At school, in the workplace and even out there in the community persons with high self esteem have been found to have better impressions but in the end alienate others.

The retail environment of clothing apparel organization Abercrombie & Essay

The retail environment of clothing apparel organization Abercrombie & Fitch in terms of pervading retail theory - Essay Example One such company is the teen clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch. Through reference to contemporary retail theory, this report investigates Abercrombie & Fitch’s retail environment. Abercrombie & Fitch Background While Abercrombie & Fitch is popularly recognized for its modern fashions and pop culture style, the company has a long history dating back to the 19th century. Indeed, David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch founded the company as a sporting goods store in 1892 (Zuidhof 2007). During the early 20th century David Abercrombie left the organization, but Ezra Fitch continued operations. Fitch would witness successful company operations and expansion until his retirement in 1928 (Zuidhof 2007). During the period Fitch controlled the organization they expanded from sporting goods to a wide-array of amenities, including clothing and board games. The organization was the first company to carry the game Mahjong and they even outfitted Charles Lindberg for his flight across the Atlant ic. After Fitch’s retirement his brother-in-law James S. Cobb purchased the organization. After Cobb assumed controlled the organization further expanded, purchasing Von Lengerke & Detmold, a European dealer of sportings guns. The company continued in relative prosperity until the 1970s when they increasingly experienced declining revenue. Ultimately, the company was forced to declare chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 1977 the company closed until it was bought in 1978 by sporting goods retailer Oshman’s for $1.5 million (Zuidhof 2007). The Oshman era experienced tepid success until it was bought out in 1988 by Limited Brands (Zuidhof 2007). New president Sally Frame-Kasak would move the organization into a decidedly fashion retail direction. This direction was further enhanced in 1992 when clothing executive Michael S. Jeffries assumed the presidency. Jeffries would further shift company emphasis from simply clothing to teenage apparel. From this 1992 period until the present day the company has largely maintained this market structure and has expanded with relative success. The contemporary incarnation of Abercrombie & Fitch five brands: Abercrombie & Fitch, AbercrombieKids, Hollister and RUEHL and Gilly Hicks: Sydney brands. While each of these brands reaches out to different market segments structural changes in the retail environment, the Abercrombie & Fitch storefront, with its ‘classic cool’ theme, remains the flagship offering. Analysis Overarching Theoretical Paradigm One of the most overarching concerns in terms of Abercrombie & Fitch’s contemporary retail environment is the notion of the servicescape. Broadly speaking, the servicescape is the impact of the physical environment in which a service takes place. Booms and Bitner (1981, pg. 36) first established the notion of the servicescape, noting it is, â€Å"the environment in which the service is assembled and in which the seller and customer interact, combined with tangi ble commodities that facilitate performance or communication of the service.† Not merely Abercrombie & Fitch, but indeed all retail environments, this is a pervasive notion for its nearly all-encompassing subject criteria; indeed, Bitner (1992) expanded this notion to include three physical environ

Personal Statement for MD and DO Medical Schools

For MD and DO Medical Schools - Personal Statement Example I have always had the desire of helping children get over their pain while at the same time hoping to gain the satisfaction of having been able to alleviate some of the suffering that children in my community might be suffering. It is for this reason that I was motivated to undertake both service and medical work in other countries including Haiti after the earthquake, and the Dominican Republic where I had an opportunity to witness firsthand some of the medical problems that affect people. Among the medical problems that I found to be extremely prevalent in Haiti was the significant number of HIV infections within the population as well as malnutrition which affects more than half of the country’s population. One of the greatest benefits that I personally reaped from being able to take on medical work in these countries is the confidence in my ability work under pressure despite the significant number of patients who had come for treatment. This new confidence in myself has enabled me to think of a greater role for myself in future than I had previously considered when I dreamed of being a doctor. In addition, my experience in Haiti and the Dominican Republic was further enhanced through the manner in which the medical staff in these countries was able to deal with such common problems as dengue and malaria with very limited resources. The result was that I managed to see firsthand how the skills displayed by doctors are necessary for dealing with a diverse number of medical issues. I count these experiences as having been major factors in motivating me to seek to study medicine and once I returned to the United States, my passion for medicine has led me to shadow many professionals in the different fields of medicine so that I gain some knowledge from them. One of the main reasons why I would like to get into medical

Environment And Strategy: Hong Kong Ocean Park

Environment And Strategy: Hong Kong Ocean Park This report is about Ocean Park of Hong Kong one of the largest amusement ocean park in the Orient and even in the world. Situated in financial center of Southeast China this park add some info about park!! In this report we are going to cover such topic as strategy concepts of Ocean Park, external and internal environment of organisation and its corporate, business-level and international strategy. On base of data collected well give our recommendation and advice to CEO and Board of Ocean Park of Hong Kong about Parks strategy to the next 10 years (from 2005 to 2015). The main aim of this report is to provide in-depth strategic analysis to CEO and Board members. Thus, this work is focused on challenges, opportunities and threats of organisation, its culture and economic aspects, strengths and weaknesses of organisation, core competency of ocean park in order to help to improve it in anticipation of arrival of Hong Kong Disneyland. Strategy concepts and vocabulary -Mission (Strategic purpose, not specified) Ocean Park provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring life long learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service. http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/footer/corporate-information/vision.html -create all activities for perfect family holiday -increase involvements of visitors in environmental issues and lives of animals -Goals and objectives to fulfill its mission Boost the number of annual visitors from four million in 2004 to five million by 2010 To make a 0,5 per cent contribution to Hong Kongs gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 (page 7) -Vision (More specified) http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/footer/corporate-information/vision.html Ocean Park aspires to be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature Become number one marine-based park for each family not only from Hong-Kong but also from mainland China. To be main attraction for all tourists, who visit Hong-Kong -What performance measures would you use to determine the success of Ocean Park? -It is the hometown favorite. It had been a long-time favorite of several generations ((its been operated for more 28 years). Many local people were sympathetic to Ocean Park. People who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to visit the park. Its reputation even extended into mainland China. It had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. (p.5) -The number of visitors in 2004 is 4 m of people (with daily maximum capacity 35,000 people). -Total revenue in 2004 was 536, 2 HK$ m comparing to 428,3 HK$ m in 2003, surplus for 2004 year was 95,7 HK$ m comparing to deficit 4,1 HK$ m in 2003. recognizability of new brand (Whiskers became a household name in Hong Kong) -Who are the various stakeholders in Ocean Park organization (how might they impact on its purpose and mission)? Stakeholders, who help to achieve parks purpose and mission: Hong Kong government, Home Affairs Bureau and the Tourism Board, employees of Ocean Park corporation, its visitors (customers). Interfere with achieving parks purpose and mission: Activist groups (certain environmental groups and animal rights activists) forbid of buying and transportation exotic animals to park, trade associations and unions (bus companies and taxi drivers) forbid in building a mass transit railway (MTR), competitors regain market share. External Environment -Conduct a PESTEL analysis for Ocean Park, identify the key driving forces for change facing Ocean Park; Rank key driving forces based on their predictability and potential impact on Ocean Park, then develop some scenarios and identify implications of these scenarios for Ocean Park. PESTEL: Political: Government support Improving relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China Promotion of tourism the easiness of the restrictions and promotion of the free travel of China in 2003 that helped to inject a new life to the tourism industry of Hong Kong environmental law Economic: Growth and development of the global amusement park industry Disneylands arrival Increasing number of mainland visitors Increasing standards of living in midland China Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion Social: Major events and activities (peak seasons and holiday themes: Chinese New Year, Easter Holiday, Summer Holiday, Halloween and Christmas) Media, advertisement and publicity, required for these special events Change of demographic (Population growth rate, age distribution, size of families) Increasing the cost of labor and more guarantees for employees Negative affect of Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outcome Technological: Development of the amusement machinery industry Increasing popularity of new technologies for consumers (internet, mobile, digital camera) Amortization of park equipment Developing of new transport system (for example, a mass transit railway (MTR)) Research and development activities (creating of new park amusement) Environmental: Opposition from certain environmental groups about the importation of wild animals to Ocean Park Expenses on maintenance of exotic animals Protests of animal rights activists against relocation of animals Climate change (rain season in spring, hot in summer, typhoons in summer) Legal: Approval of Town Planning Board for hotel, Legislative Council for MTR station. Restrictions on mergers Employment laws Key driving forces and their ranking : 1)Global changing in tourism for Hong-Kong and Asia-Pacific region (development of tourism in region) 2)Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion from private and government loans to revamp parks well-worn product line (approval of development plan) 3)Disneylands arrival worldwide success of main competitor-Disneyland, coming to Hong Kong (Disneys success or failure) Binary table of scenarios for Ocean Parks key drivers (in decreasing order of their impact on park): Development of tourism in region Approval of development plan Disneys failure Scenario + + + Successful scenario + + + + Middle scenario + + + + + Failure scenario -Define Ocean Parks industry and conduct a five forces analysis: Which are the dominant forces in the industry? How may the five forces change? What are the underlying dynamics which are driving these five forces, and how may the five forces change? What are the impacts on key competitors and on Ocean Park? What can be done to influence the impact of the five forces? Five forces analysis for amusement park industry: 1) Threat of New Entry In terms of the amusement park industry, the entry barrier is high due to the need to invest large amount of financial resources (for park equipment, human resources maintenance), a lot of time required for parks planning, construction, development and launching, a lot of licenses and legalization required (safety, sanitary, security etc.). In addition to the amusement park required land for a full scale development. This factor is important because Hong Kong has a high land price real estate market. Re-write in own words!!!!! 2) Threat of Rivalry: It is important to consider that with lack of differentiation, visitors choice will greatly over the price and service, thus causes pressure for the intense price and service competition. Due to high threat of rivalry, Ocean Park is implementing different plans and activities such as redevelopment and introduction of new attractions in order to catch the attention of the visitors and differentiate themselves from rivals. There are no rivals with exactly the same range of products. Disneys arrival is only expected. Re-write in own words!!!!! 3) Threat of Substitution: (where this information from I like this point!)) The main threat of substitution is Hong Kong Disneyland Wetland Park, a new international theme park and an educational park (Appendix 2) Apart from this, there are other forms of substitution. From the education side, Hong Kong residents can switch to go to Cultural Centre, Mai Po Wetland, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden. For entertainment purpose, they can visit the Karaoke, Cinema, Game Centre, or have a day trip to China. 4) Bargaining power of buyers (visitors): (where this information from I like this point!) -Tourists Tourists have a low bargaining power as long as must see image successfully built-up and the Park cannot be replaced by other substitutes. Therefore, Ocean Park focuses to build up this image especially in Asia. Local residents The buying power of local resident is high since they have many choices as mentioned above. The switching cost is relatively low. Also, Hong Kong people like new experience and their loyalty to the product are generally low. The Park, therefore, launched difference programs like Big Five events with difference theme each year to bring new excitement and experience to them. Besides, special discount in low season and year pass intent to attract 5) The power of suppliers. Suppliers have quite high power. Thus, construction elements of amusement rides are huge and complicated, thats why park is highly tied with supplier. Otherwise, this market is developed and the choice of suppliers is become greater now. While constructing buildings (hotels, etc) with particular contractor park cant easily change to another contractor because of high switching cost). The situation with the exotic animals is such as Ocean Park can buy in particular country only. Which are the dominant forces in the industry? The dominant forces in the industry are: rivalry, buyers and substitutes. How may the five forces change? Looking forward, the five forces will change in this way: -Rivalry will increase with Disneys arrival; -Buyer power will increase slightly; -Substitute threat will also increase; -Entry threat decrease dramatically; -Supplier power will also decrease. (Exhibit 2.5 p.72) What are the underlying dynamics which are driving these five forces? Aftermath of economic crises and increasing in number of suppliers will decrease supplier power. Disneys arrival decrease entry threat in entertainment park industry. Developing of new technologies will affect rising of substitutes. Also competitors with new technologies will gain (in this aspect Disney has an advantage) Disneys arrival increase demands in diversification of Ocean Parks products. Ticket price advantages (185 HK$ for adult ticket at Ocean Park compared to 295HK$ for the same ticket at Disney). The main rival (Disney) is also same market oriented (families with children). What are the impacts on key competitors and on Ocean Park? Five forces much more affect Wetland park Ocean Parks key competitor, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long than Ocean Park itself, because Wetland parks products are less differentiated. It has a 10,000m2 visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve. (http://www.wetlandpark.com/en/aboutus/overview.asp). Arrival of other competitor Disney and its substitutes doesnt affect much Ocean Park because it has its its own niche. What can be done to influence the impact of the five forces? More differentiation of new products, directed mainly to Chinese native culture will affect rivalry, substitutes and buyers. Unique high-quality products and services also will influence buyers. For seeking suppliers big impact will have Internet and special web-sites with best quality of service, characteristics, recommendations and prices. Conduct a strategic group/space analysis for Ocean Park There are 2 key competitors for Ocean Park: First one is mentioned above Hong Kong Wetland Park. It is a conservation, education and tourism facility, consisted of large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a Wetland Reserve. This park provided visitors with opportunities to observe wildlife, awareness and understanding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region and beyond, wetlands conservation. So, its mainly about wetlands. The Hong Kong Wetland Park is also going to be a world-class ecotourism facility to serve both local residents and overseas tourists.(ttp://www.wetlandpark.com/en/aboutus/mission.asp) Compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park has different facilities and product range (such as themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area), provide different services and thus, like Disney and Ocean Park, has its own niche. The range of facilities provided is the narrowest among 3 parks. Thus, Wetland Park cant meet demand of those visitors, who are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure, which can be found on a rides at 2 other parks. Who are the main visitors? Is it local or global? Is it has the lowest range of facilities than Ocean Park and Disney? Much lower prices. The second one arriving in a nearest future The Hong Kong Disneyland. After 28 years of operating as a near monopoly, Ocean Park would soon have to compete with one of the biggest names in the entertainment and theme park industry. Moreover, Disneyland targets the same group of parks customers families with children. It has well-known brand and reputation. Its the world leader in terms of entertainment. Several of Disneys characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh) were household names all over the world, including in Hong Kong. Thus, Ocean Parks mascot, Whiskeys, appear lackluster by comparison. Image, which Disney company holds almost for a century (The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923) and Disneyland itself (first park was opened in 1955) for half a century (compared to 28 years of Ocean park) helps to attract visitors not only from Hong Kong and midland China, but also from different part of the globe, especially those who are from the USA and Europe. Among other advantages of Disneyland are: location: it could be reached in just 10 minutes from Hong Kongs airport and less than 30 minutes from downtown Hong Kong. -at least 5.6 million people were expected to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland during its first year of operation (compared to 4 million of Ocean Park expected visitors). -the price claimed to be the least expensive among the five Disney amusement parks throughout the world. -the area of Disneyland is 310 acres compared to 215 acres of Ocean Park. -5 times greater investment than for Ocean Park. -Expected economic effectiveness is 3 billion more. -world-renowned innovation -high customer service standards Strategic groups within the entertainment and theme park industry in Hong Kong Broad Ocean Park Geographical Scope Global Product range Disneyland Narrow Wetland Park Local Conduct a market segment analysis for Ocean Park: How is the market segmented? How could it be segmented? Where would you position Ocean Parks products and services? Where would you position the competitors products? Ocean Park is a part of entertainment and theme industry. Its market is families with children. Disneyland future competitor applies to the same market. Despite this, Ocean Park has its own niche visitor from midland China. Internal Environment -What resources and capabilities does Ocean Park have? Resources (what a firm has): 1)Tangible: -financial suppliers of money (private and government loans) expected HK$5,6 billion investment; HK$145 billion economic effectiveness; surplus from operations in 2004 was HK$182,2 million on revenues of HK$536,2 million ; -physical Sea World, marine life and real animals:35 rides and attractions; 3 hotels; favorable and convenient location on the southern side of Hong Kong Island; wide range of new activities, such as the Abyss Turbo Drop thrill ride, seasonal and special events, popular water-related activities, interactive activities with animals, edutainment programs, successful Sea Jelly Spectacular and so on. 2)Intangible: long-time reputation of park with government, customers, -new brand sea lion named Whiskers; -cultural heritage of Hong Kong -great number of repeated visitors 3)Human: -37,100 employees, their skills and knowledge; -Thomas Mehrmann, new CEO of Ocean Park, and his previous experience at US-based Six Flags Corporation; Natural and wild life focus (Interactive activities with animals) Recreation and education Capabilities (what a firm can do) -New products, facilities and services development capability continually adding new features and attractions (such as: a new roller coaster, a subzero Ice Palace, 7.6 million liter aquarium with an underwater restaurant, extra 33 animals species, the number of rides doubled to 70), so, become a nearest future one of the best marine-based theme park with strong connection with nature; -Keeping park attractions fresh, novel and exciting, while minimizing costs; research and development, marketing and sales capabilities: plan to refurbish and rename Ocean Parks 2 major areas (the Lowland and the Highland), new hotels to be developed, including a five-star boutique, spa-type hotel this redevelopment plan would be completed in 2012!! recommendation part too!!, plan to open offices in the major urban areas of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract more mainland visitors -new incentive compensation, that linked employee compensation to the financial performance of park -What might be the competence of Ocean Park? Core competences resources and competences which are both valuable to customers and difficult to imitate -distinctive work culture, with its own norms and practices -local market loyalty -unique SmartFun Annual Pass program -cultural aspect (cultural heritage of Hong Kong), orientation on specific market segment-mainland Chinese visitors, -long-term reputation, distinct Chinese characteristics -powerful brand -customer trust -primary focus of OP on real nature and wildlife in contrast to Disneys strengths in cartoon characters, castles, virtual reality and fantasy -focused on education and the live animal attractions one of the key elements that will differentiate it from Hong Kong Disneyland when it opens in 2005. (from Echos articles) -cost and differentiation of product (continually adding new features and attractions as well as price advantage over Disney encouraged visitors to return to the park) -The aerial tram that takes visitors from the entrance side of the park over a hill to the rest of the attractions has become a Hong Kong tourism icon-is it still true (from Echos articles) Competitive advantage is explained by the distinctiveness of its resources and capabilities, by offering customers greater value by means of lower prices or greater benefits and service Competitive Advantages of Ocean Park over Disney: -long-time reputation, -hometown favorite, -cultural heritage of Hong Kong, orientation mostly on visitors from midland China -first-mover advantages -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -more diverse and wide range of products (including Sea World, marine life, real animals plus 35 rides and attractions) price advantage: the admission price for Disneyland is expected more than twice higher for child and one and a half higher for adult than price of Ocean park. And visitors from mainland China are very price sensitive. SmartFun Annual Pass program with unlimited admission to the park for its holders within a year, and discounted prices for food, souvenirs -Infrastructure 3 hotels had been constructed comparing to 2 at Disney. -orientation not only on entertainment, but also on education of visitors, differentiating by focusing on ecology and conservation issues -recognizable brand -In addition to all the American fun at the park, traditional Chinese holidays are still observed (Chinese New Year) -Disney has its characters, but we have flexibility to mix and match and bring in other entertainment (from Echos articles) -Does Ocean Park build its strategy on its resources, capabilities and competences? Yes. Importation of more species Water/Sea-related construction Hotel-better recreation -Are they sustainable? How can they be developed? Sustainable to some extent, but with some limitation. For example, it may face the opposition from environmental group. They cant relay only on resources, capabilities and competences-they need to be developed, innovated and refreshed, because they may begin to look dated and shabby for their visitors. SWOT Analysis Positive impact Negative impact Internal environment Strengths -Diversified and wide range of amusements (thrills, animals, seasonal and special events) -product line revamp -Highly linked with culture of mainland Chinese visitors, knows their demands and behavior -the main, oldest and most famous amusement park in the country (long-time reputation, hometown favorite), -cultural heritage of Hong Kong, -28 years of operating as a near monopoly -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -strong business connection to the local government (support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China) -renovation of the parks brand image -mascot as a brand -previous experience of Thomas Mehrmann (new CEO of Ocean Park) in theme park industry (at US-based Six Flags Corporation) -local market loyalty -positive image of park Weaknesses -Located on a hills-hard to get to some riders-thats why visitors experienced rides only once. -different facilities are old and un-attractive and need renovation -a lot of activities depend on weather-ask Echo about it -no substantial capital investment External environment Opportunities -focusing on delivering mainland Chinas visitors as well as foreign visitors -development of new transportation South Island Line (when-check case-and ask Echo about it) that would cause convenience and fast access direct to the Park for the foreign and local visitors. -plan to build a mass transit railway (MTR) station to connect OP to the subway grid -the development and improvement of the amusement machinery can impact the services and features of the organization and its relationship to their foreign visitors. raise the standards of park with Disneyland arrival fostering sponsorships plan for building new hotels (boutique and spa-type) orientation on luxury tourism new market segment Threats -economical instability (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1999-2001, lasted for 3 difficult years for OP ), outbreak of different diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 (Both these factors can affect number of visitors and their buying behavior, worsening the park financial situation) -arrival of Disneyland Hong Kong -OP was situated on valuable real estate: it could be shut down and its land could be sold off for other recreational or commercial purposes. Recommendation p.6-7!!! (recommend to use this business connection for future purposes, such as building a subway line for the visitors (itll happen in 2007). Say, in 3 years Build a mass transit railway (MTR) station for connection to the subway grid. Till 2015) (recommend to start innovation process, it will take about 6 years). Say, in 5 years Wireless communications | Analysis Wireless communications | Analysis Introduction Without any doubt Wireless communications can be considered as the fastest growing segment in the communications industry. Due to, it has captured the interest of the media and the interest for most of the people all over the world. Wireless technology has a huge impact on our lives today more than ever before. In addition, Methods of communication have evolved along many years ago starting from the first attempts to communicate verbal and even to manage the modern technology for the advancement of the ability to communicate effectively with each other. Every time you make a phone call, using the television or the computer is leading to activate the role of wireless technology and benefit from its positive sides. The principle of wireless communication as a process of transferring a piece of information from one place to another by electronic technology is only the use of electronic systems to connect with life which is changing constantly. Furthermore, the ability to communicate with people has evolved significantly since Guglielmo Marconi was the first who established the radios ability to provide continuous contact with the ships sailing on the English Channel in 1897, and since that time new wireless communications services have been adopted by people throughout the whole world. Finally, a brief history of the evolution of the wireless communications throughout the world could be useful in order to appreciate the enormous impact that communication Services will have on all population over the next several centuries. It is also useful for a new user to the wireless communication systems field to understand the huge impact that people is making in the development of new communications systems, services, and technologies. Literature review The goal of many experts and communications technology people was to find some way to transfer messages over long distances without the need for wires, this dream became true in 1901 when Juliimo Marconi and two of his colleagues on a hilltop in Newfoundland listening in to a reception, and they have heard Morse code, which represents barely letter X, moved the reference to a distance of 1700 miles from Cornwall in England, and represented the first successful transition to wireless. The success of this called the establishment of Marconi technology for wireless communication. However, wireless did not generate a high return from a commercial point after the ship Titanic disaster in 1912, While the ship was sinking, the radio operator sent a distress signal on the ship through Tlgrafha wireless Carpithia captured ship that was nearby, and these signals had saved the life of the last 700 of the passengers on Titanics 2200, and after this disaster, shortly called the need for all institutions to provide the large vessels marine radios, and this experience has led to the invention of Marconi radio. By 1922 the number of radio stations that provide broadcast live on 564 stations, today transmitted to us thousands of radio stations and multiple programs. Moreover, wireless communications are based on modern technology and the computer is one of the main elements of this technology. Nowadays, the vast majority of schools usually equipped with computer labs to teach computer skills to their students, it is no longer unfamiliar to the student in first grade to have some knowledge of basic background about the computer. With the computers within a few seconds you can access information anywhere around the world. Today services come with opportunities to learn new information and new data for homes through wireless communications. Definitions of Wireless Communications â€Å"Wireless technology is a truly revolutionary paradigm shift, enabling multimedia communications between people and devices for many locations.† By Andrea Goldsmith â€Å"Wireless communications is a broad and dynamic field that has spurred tremendous excitement and technological advances over the last few decades.† By Andrea Goldsmith Wireless Communications Protocols in Wi-Fi Wireless It is known that the process of wires and wireless communications in computer networks are subject to specific rules to control the reception of information properly and without any loss or time delay during the exchange of that information. For example, the internet is working through a set of protocols known as TCP/IP and wireless networks to connect to specific protocols and particularly a collection of protocols of 802.11 and a Bluetooth protocols which is the most known of them . 802.11g Protocol is latest version of the protocol 802.11b, it also work on the 2.4 GHz frequency, the speed of transferring the data in this protocols is 54Mbps, and the devices that work through that protocols can work through the previous 802.11b protocol as well. However, it is preferable to link the wireless network by more than one protocol. 802.11a Protocol work through 5 GHz frequency which makes it less vulnerable to interference from the LNB or any other devices, but the cost of this is greater than any other systems. The Bluetooth Protocol is transmits data at low speed at 1Mbps and within no more than 10 meters. Also, it works through the left 2.4 GHz. 802.11n Protocol is the protocol`s future, which has not been approved so far. It is expected to achieve the speed of data transfer within a distance of 100Mbps, Wireless networks Wireless local area networks have supplemented or replace the wired networks in many places. For example, homes, business or campuses. Many new applications including wireless sensor networks, smart homes, and remote telemedicine are emerging from research ideas to actual systems. The explosive expansion of wireless systems has come with the proliferation of laptop and palmtop computers and this suggest a bright future for wireless networks. Technical issues To enable wireless applications in the future, many technical challenges must be addressed and these challenges have been developed across all aspects of system design. Wireless local area networks LANs support high speed data transmissions with in a small region for example, campus or small building as users moves from place to place. Wireless devices that access these LANs are typically stationary or moving at pedestrian speeds. Wireless LANs can have either a star architecture, with wireless access points or hubs placed throughout the coverage region, or a peer-to-peer architecture, where the wireless terminals self-configure into a network. Dozens of wireless LANs companies and products appeared in the early 1990s to capitalize on the â€Å"pent-up demand† for high speed wireless data. These first generation wireless LANs were based on propriety and incompatible protocols. Wide Area Wireless Data Services To high percentage of mobility users, this could provide many wireless data over a large coverage area. A geographical region in these systems is usually serviced by base stations placed on the top of towers, rooftops or mountains. The base stations can be connected to a back-bone wired network or from a multi-hop and hoc wireless network. Broadband Wireless Access It gives a high-rate in wireless communications between a specific access point and multiple stations. These systems were initially proposed to help interactive video service to the home; however the application then shifted to providing high speed data networks for both homes and business. Satellite Networks Commercial satellite systems are another major component of the wireless communications infrastructure. Narda Satellite Networks could be a good example. It is a manufacturer of high-quality military and commercial satellite communications equipment. Low-cost, low-power Radios: Bluetooth and ZigBee It becomes feasible to embed radios into more types of electronic devices, because they have decreases their cost and power consumption which can be used to create smart homes, sensor networks, and many other applications. Two radios have emerged to help and support this trend: Bluetooth and ZigBee. 1-Bluetooth radios give short range of connections between wireless network devices and basic networking capabilities. The Bluetooth normally based on a tiny microchip inside a radio transceiver which is built into some digital devices. Bluetooth is mainly for short-range communication. Take an example, from a laptop to nearby printer or from a cell phone to a wireless headset which is common used by many people nowadays. 2- ZigBee â€Å"The ZigBee radio specification is designed for lower cost and power consumption than Bluetooth its specification is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 Standard†. I.Poole 2004 Finally, the main benefit of using the ZigBee is to provide radio operation for months or years without the need to recharging it. Ad Hoc Wireless Networks It can be defined as a collection of wireless mobile nodes that self-configure to form a network without the aid of any established infrastructure as show in the figure below The Merriam-Webster dictionary lists two relevant definitions for Ad Hoc Wireless Networks:†formed or used for specific or immediate problems†, and â€Å"fashioned from whatever is immediately available†. These definitions show us main benefits of ad hoc wireless networks. Firstly, they can be adapted to specific applications; second, they can be produced from any networks nodes that could be available. Ad Hoc wireless networks have another important benefit as well. They can avoid the installation, cost and maintenance of network infrastructure. An overview of the basic application for ad hoc wireless networks, as applications it usually look for many of the requirements of the design. I will concentrate on the following applications: data networks, home networks and device networks. 1- Data network Ad hoc wireless data networks basically helps in exchanging the data between laptop computers, palmtops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other information devices. These data networks generally divided into three main categories based on the coverage area: LANs, MANs, and WANs (for â€Å"local†, â€Å"metropolitan†, and â€Å"wide† area networks. 2- Home networks Home networks is basically help to support communication between many devices like PCs, laptops, PDAs card-less phones, security and monitoring systems and entertainment systems anywhere in and around the home etc. Home networks could enable smart rooms that sense people movement and adjust light and heating consequently, as well as â€Å"aware homes† this feature network sensors and computers is for assistant living for elderly people or those with disabilities. 3- Device networks It provides a short-range wireless connections between devices, such networks are primarily intended to replace problematic cabled connections with wireless connections. â€Å"The main technology derivers for such networks are low-cost low-power radios with networking capabilities such as Bluetooth, ZigBee and ultra wide-band or UWB; the radios are integrated into commercial electronic devices to provide networking capabilities between devices†. J.Haartsen 2000. Conclusion and Discussion A new wireless communication technology has been presented. Some People might argued that

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

Reasons Huck Finn isn't racist The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. This novel has been subject to much controversy about whether or not the book is racist. Whilst many believe the novel to be non racist, there a few people out there who believe it is. This is just not true. This essay will show you why this novel is not racist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Huck Finn is the main character in this novel; he is an uneducated, uncivilized, backwoods hick. Huck uses the word ‘nigger’ many times throughout this story. What many people have not come to realize is that at this point in time the word nigger was no more offensive then calling another man ‘white’. All slaves in that time were referred to as ‘niggers’. At this point in time that word is very hurtful to the black community when used offensively. Huck using the word only reinforces the idea that he was in fact uneducated and it shows what kind a vocabulary to have expected from a young southern boy. In fact if that word wasn’t used in the novel it wouldn’t be as realistic as it is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The costar of this novel is a runaway slave named Jim. Jim is a caring friend, a devoted husband, and a loving father. Many people believe that Jim is portrayed as silly and uneducated. Those people have failed to realize that this book is written through a child’s point of view. Before Huck gets to know Jim for the man he really is this is how Huck perceives him. Although Jim is perceived as stupid it’s because he is. Jim has probably lived his life as a slave and has a slaves’ education. This book wasn’t written to show how stupid the slaves were, although it somewhat did, but rather to express the situation of slaves being uneducated at the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third reason why this is not a racist piece of literature is it shows that there in no racial boundrys in love and compassion for another human being. It shows the development of Huck and Jims’ father and son type of relationship. This novel concretely shows that relationships of any sort are not bound by race. The novel also shows how one’s ideals can change in spite of what you have been taught. Huck deciding that he would go to hell to help Jim escape to freedom is probably the most non racist part of the whole novel, and it is what the book is built upon.